May 2002

from the editor

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Home Solutions 2002

Home Improvement Encyclopedia

Recipe Slide Shows

Green and Growing

fine lines

A ball of string or twine can transform ordinary objects into textural art forms. Just pick up a glue gun or a sewing needle and start to unwind.

Cabinet facelifts

We took the same kitchen cabinets and gave them three distinct looks using paint and a wardrobe of fashionable accessories. Let these designs-- and the new door options on page 36-- inspire a fresh face for your kitchen.

Entry Upgrades

Hospitality begins at the front door-- with an entry that greets as warmly as a hug or a hearty handshake. And upgrading a home's entry enhances its curb appeal, as well.

The Rewards of time

In 1984, Ann and Frank Reed bought a house with two acres and a landscape that was, in a word, overgrown. Take the shrubs by the house. Ann says, "If we sat on the patio, we couldn't see a thing." There were also four oversized flowerbeds-- each 15 feet square. Ouf! With a decade of pruning, tending, and taking classes, the Reeds became gardeners. Then, knowing it was time for a change, they sought help from Barbara Olejnik, a friend who has since become a garden designer. Surprise! "Barbara made us think about the whole two acres," Ann says. They cleared vistas, made new beds, moved valuable plants to save them.

Home Improvement Contest Winners

Part 2 Our February issue featured the first batch of winners. Now get ready to tour three more real-life remodelings that earned top scores from our judges. Check in later this summer for the top Exterior and Outdoor entries.

2002 our home improvement contest

There's no better time to give your home a fresh new look. Whether you're redecorating a bedroom or starting a major remodeling job, your home improvement project may win a top award. Plus, your home could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Bathing Beauties

Hang dull shower curtains out to dry and replace them with draperies that send a custom-made message about personal style.

mad for MOD

Dean Martin does Gilligan's Island. Never happened, as far as we know. Still, it's a good way to describe the offbeat style of Lori Erenberg, an L.A. showgirl-turned-decorator who channels Carmen Miranda and designer Elsie de Wolfe, and whose 1950s ranch home pairs Rat Pack cool with Polynesian kitsch.

Decked-out designs

Too often, decks are just one more square shape added to common, blocky architecture. Here's how three families broke out of the box with additions that bring refreshing new lines to their homes and outdoor living areas.

Hot Appliance Hybrids

Deadly Distraction

The wrenching pain for Patricia Pena was almost unbearable. Her firstborn child, a happy-go-lucky 2-year-old named Morgan Lee, was dead of a head injury after a driver talking on a cell phone struck their family car.

Smart Moves for the College Bound

High grades aren't the only ticket to college. Think about impressing the admissions office with the answer to the classic essay topic: How I spent my summer vacations.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

A raised voice is not necessarily a sign of disrespect but mean, attacking, and intrusive words and tone are.

Strong hands, gentle hearts

Living in a re-creation of 1883 frontier life, three women test their inner strength against the same isolation and unrelenting workload that pioneers endured over a century ago.-- Part Two of a Three-Part Series.

Taming a TILT

Her backyard was a rough and tumble hillside, ratty and steep. Stepping out back required huffing and puffing. Instead, she decided her garden should give her a leg up.

Local COLOR

Workhorse Workbenches

Whether you're repotting a houseplant or sowing flats of seeds, you need a place to work without concern for the mess. These outdoor workstations let their owners fling soil with abandon.

Nonstop Pots

Last year, we took eight different plants to the BH&G Test Garden to see if they could bloom in pots from spring through fall. We set them up identically and said "Go!" They did, nonstop. One was callibrachoa (above). Step this way for the rest.

Outside the Box

Brand new from Better Homes and Gardens Books-- helpful advice on landscaping and deck planning.

Hit the Lights

Fixing the imperfect lot

TO ORDER AZALEAS

Go with what you've got

Best foot forward

Short of having rose petals strewn in your path, the only way to assure that you have flowers at your feet is to plant them yourself. And where better to have flower meet foot than at your front walkway, where your garden can greet you and tickle your tootsies?

Style in the burbs

"My first client was my Barbie doll when I was 8-years-old," says interior designer Nan Sloan. The projects-- and budgets-- are bigger now, but Nan still finds ways to make do with less. Using professional know-how and inventive, piggy-bank-friendly ideas, she has turned a dated split-level into a bright, attractive family home for herself and son Zach.

Confessions of a Hollywood homebody

Given the choice between an L.A. night out, rubbing elbows with the likes of Brad and Jennifer, or a night in, reading or playing hearts with friends, what would you do? If you're actress Paula Cale (a.k.a. Joanie Hansen on the TV series Providence), it's a no-brainer... home wins hands-down. "I have no social life because I love my home so much," she says. Is she serious??? Yep. But you have to meet her to believe it.

MICROPLANE ZESTER/GRATER

A SAUCE THAT MAKES CANNED TOMATOES THE STAR

Cookies And Ice Cream

Gather the family round to try this fondue-inspired dessert that combines the best of fudge and hot cocoa. Then pair it with homemade ice cream. What a start to the summer season!

Micro Greens

Anytime Breadsticks

A Touch of Mint

Mint can do much more than dress up a julep or a lamb chop. This flavorful, internationally popular herb is a tasty player with a variety of foods.

The Right Time to Bite

When orthodontists here and in 30 countries need to educate patients about braces, they use training tools developed by Thomas P. Griffin, D.D.S., an orthodontist practicing in Birmingham, Alabama. So he was the one to visit when we wanted to understand the value of an orthodontic consult while children are young. As we found out, he recommends a first evaluation by age 7.

May baskets

Be a May Basket trickster this May 1. Leave a basket on a friend's door, ring the doorbell, then run. Get caught and get a kiss!

The Shopper's Mart

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order with comfort and convenience from your own home.

The Family Next Door