September 2008

Between friends

Each month, Better Homes and Gardens brings you smart, inspiring, useful ideas for your home. This issue is a little different. This month, we're bringing you smart, inspiring, and extra-fabulous ideas from the best group of experts we've ever assembled: our readers.

KEEP 'EM COMING!

2007 HOME IMPROVEMENT CHALLENGE WINNERS

THANK YOU, READERS for entering our Better Homes and Gardens Home Improvement Challenge. We received nearly 5,000 submissions of inspiring projects. Here's a look at the top three category winners, each of whom won cash prizes, and the grand prize winner, who won $25,000. Congratulations!

1 Readers of the Month

Cabin Fever

Put those souvenirs to use with these simple decorating idea-- and relive vacations past.

Clock Wise

It's about time clocks did more than tick. These wallflowers chime with character.

STYLEMAKER

"It is possible to have a functional and stylish home office. You don't have to put everything away or create an elaborate filing system to stay organized."

ALL ABOUT COLOR

Gray is the easy-to-get-along-with neutral. Shades go from cool to warm, inspired by stormy skies and stones on a boardwalk.

Now Open

Hungry for a little breathing room, this family knocked down a wall and stretched a ceiling to make their kitchen light, bright, and inviting.

Master Class

George Marrone makes the grade with a luxury bedroom schooled in the modern design he loves-- all on a student's budget.

Retro Fit

Classic fixtures, an airy shower, and space-smart storage returned this guest bath to its vintage roots.

Main Street USA

In her own words, Home Improvement Challenge winner Lynette Hasselgren reminds us that projects are about more than paint and fabrics.

Welcome Changes

An updated front entry makes a stylish first impression. Try one of these personality-packed ensembles.

Q: MULTIPURPOSE TV ROOM

Q: HIGH CEILINGS AND COLOR CHOICES

Q: ARRANGING FURNITURE

Q: RUG SIZE AND SHAPE

9 Big Ideas, 1 Small Space

This designer put the squeeze play on her 600-square-foot apartment-- and found space for her hard-earned collections.

Book Keeping

Book Keeping With sturdy shelves, labels, and a little order, you can tuck a mini library just about anywhere.

FRESH COATS

Eco-friendly paints use perfect chemistry, but picking one isn't an exact science.

3 WAYS TO BE GREEN WITH PAINT

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

TAUGHT IN THE ACT

PLANT MAGIC

A Couple of Pots

A creative husband-and-wife team put together a patio getaway and filled it with a flourishing collection of containers.

Reblooming Irises

In Love with Lavender

Outside Jobs

How do you give an old house new life? These contest winners show what can be done to a home's exterior with a little ingenuity and a lot of style.

TURF TIME

LAWNDRY LIST

OVER AND OVER

SECOND CHANCE

STORAGE STOOL

INVEST IN COLOR

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mix, Let Cool

Mix, Let Cool Combine a pot of autumn hues that thrive in chilly temperatures.

The Happiest Hour

Every Friday at 50'clock, Yasmine McGrane throws open her home to friends. They bring the wine while she supplies the style: relaxed, seasonal, easy.

Our new Kentucky Home

The planning stage of every remodeling is a fluid process, but nothing will send you back to the drawing board faster than a doctor telling you that you're going to have triplets.

Southern Hospitality

Growing up in southern Tennessee, riding around with her country doctor dad, Emily Kennedy always admired the tree-lined farm she passed on rural Robin Lane. "It was the most beautiful setting," she recalls. "I started planning my dream home back then."

Extended Play

Sometimes one thing just leads to another-- and sometimes, you end up a winner. Brett and Terri Bennink refashioned their backyard at their Portland, Oregon, home based on the need to help their eldest child. "Our son, Connor, has autism, and we put up a play structure to help him," Brett says.

FLAVOR, PACKED

Open up the vine-ripened taste of summer tomatoes all year.

WIRE WONDER

TOP TIP

GREEN HEAT

Work Zone

"I'm a planner," says homeowner Beth Nelson. When her family remodeled their "twisting, turning one-story home" in Rancho Santa Fe, California, Beth sketched out this study for her two children, ages 8 and 5, and handed it to her architect. Although the plan changed a bit, the core of what she wanted is there: a place out of the kids' bedrooms where they can do homework-- and she can monitor computer usage.

Cool for School

Readers across the country reveal how they help their kids conquer back-to-school stress.

Think Inside the Box

What you put in your children's lunch boxes makes a healthful difference.

Gear for All Grades

BOOK BAGS, LUNCH BOXES, AND SCHOOL SHOES HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE YOU WERE IN CLASS. ERGONOMIC AND COOL (IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE) THESE PACKS, SACKS, AND SHOES ARE OUR FAVORITES.

Health in the Hallways

Health in the Hallways Keep your kids fit, well, and happy with this back-to-school lesson plan.

I Did It!