May 2007

Between friends

Last December, our editors set aside two full days for a special occasion: the final judging of the Better Homes and Gardens Top 20 Contest. Our contest drew almost 6,000 entries from readers who built, improved, or decorated homes.

yournewbhg.com

Our new weekly blogs take you behind the scenes and into the lives of our editors and contributors. Every day we'll feature an entertaining new topic in food, decorating, gardening, and remodeling.

In February, we asked about your best Valentine's--and learned the secrets of timeless giving

FEBRUARY 14, 2006! The day we saw the sonogram of our long-awaited first child. That small grainy black-and-white photo will forever remain the most wonderful Valentine we could ever receive.

May Flowers

Vibrant blooms and garden gifts are the perfect way to say Happy Mother's Day or to brighten your home.

Turn Tables

Spin an unfinished table into a surface that sings with paint, stain, and home-store bling.

For the Birds

Transform an ordinary birdhouse into the swankest roost on the block using basic tools and trimmings from your yard.

Armchair Traveler

Enlighten Me

How do you marry historic architecture and antique furniture with a casual, beachy aesthetic? Easy-- light walls, light fabrics, and an even lighter decorating touch.

Fine Dining

This breakfast nook was missing a significant something: character. In a two-stage makeover, designer John Loecke takes it from famine to visual feast with new furniture, punchy color, and a few simple accessories.

EYE CANDY

ON THE SIDE

BOOK IT

STEAL THIS IDEA

A LOVE OF LETTERS

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BONJOUR!

Drawing on the Walls

The look: Exotic Lite With a few swooshes and dabs of paint, a wallflower of a wall blooms with personality. In this bedroom, an Indian-inspired design and flowery color-free accessories invite sweet slumber.

Laced Up

TOP 20 CONTEST WINNERS

THANK YOU, READERS for entering our Better Homes and Gardens Top 20 Contest! We received nearly 6,000 submissions of remarkable home improvements. Here's a look at the category winners, each of whom received $1,000, and the grand prize winner, who won $25,000. Congratulations!

Quick-Change Artist

Sylvie Oxman welcomes spring early this year, breathing new life into her living room.

Farmhouse Fresh

A Texas couple with do-it-yourself attitude pull out all the stops for an open and stylish master bath.

Be My Guest

Room to Play

In a bright play space, there's room to spread out toys-- and a place to stash all at the end of the day.

Q&A

What strategies take a playroom, bedroom, or nursery from a simple retreat to a truly special space? We asked designers who specialize in kid-approved rooms for their advice.

Star Treatment

Dual-duty furniture and clever design tricks turn a 500-square-foot condo into a gracious and easy-to-live-in home.

Self-Watering Planters

Beauty Pots

Beauty Pots Containers packed with colorful plants give this gardener more ways to express her style.

Drama Queens

Drama Queens With brilliant blooms, fancy foliage, and easy care, cannas take center stage in the garden.

Late-Season Color

SPRING SIX-PACKS

GET A GRIP

DEER DON'T LIKE IT

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GARDENERS ONLINE

PRETTY BUGGY

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THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect With spade and paintbrush, a Vermont artist cultivates beautiful garden scenes.

A Point of View

A couple of Georgia do-it-yourselfers create a garden retreat that's rich in detail.

Rugged Beauties

Outdoor fabrics are tough enough to take anything Mother Nature can dish out. But don't let that fool you-- the latest designs rival their interior counterparts in style and comfort. Here's a sampling of the softer side of garden living.

The Desert Blooms

A Tucson couple finds that using drought-adapted plants makes desert gardening a breeze.

Garden Sentiments

A family turns their garden into a collection of living memories.

Cruising Along

Crank up the fun-- and turn heads-- pedaling around town on a cruiser bike.

A Job Well Done

There's more to work than earning money-- a lesson kids learn first at home, then on the job.

Fixer-Up Funding

Fixer-Up Funding With the right kind of financing, your dream renovation can become a beautiful reality. Our money expert tells you how.

Canine Comfort

Your tail-wagger deserves a tidy territory. Carve out a corner that gives your pooch something worth woofing about.

Home Away From Home

Swap your house or rent a houseboat or RV, and "home" becomes a getaway destination.

Buy Yourself Some Time

Finding something that actually saves you time is one of life's sublime moments. Our editors suggest 7 products to hasten chores and win back lost leisure.

Milkin' It

Melissa's FAVOURITE

Best in Show

EVERY FAMILY LOOKING TO BUY or build a dream home wants to find a place that's affordable. But that's asking a lot in the San Francisco area. Joey and Mike McKay worried they were asking the impossible by also wishing for a level lot that would give their sons, Jack and Gage, a safe place to play. So the McKays' hearts skipped a beat when they saw an ad on Craigslist.org in 2003: "Creekside, sunny ... in Tamalpais Park."

Tropical Splash

A CALIFORNIA COUPLE CREATES AN ISLAND PARADISE IN THE SUBURBS.

Modern Heirloom

A NEW EAT-IN KITCHEN PROVES THAT OLD-FASHIONED COMFORT IS ALWAYS IN STYLE.

Mother's Day Dessert

A SCOOP OF SPRING

TEA TIME WITH A TWIST

BAKER'S DELIGHT

SPOON-FED

I Did It!