February 2011

There's truth to the phrase "In Living Color."

What I Learned This Month

What colors scare you?

Transform Your Home with Color!

Win $5,000 and a Weber Grill!

GET CLOSER

Eye Candy

Tug a smile from someone by tucking this card in a book or slipping it into a pocket

Creative Home

Party Mix

Cupid's Race

Case Studies

Smartphone cases send a message about you-- and some do more than wear the latest trendy label.

Laugh, Paper, Scissors

These girlfriends have been getting crafty together for years. Grab your own pals and share the Valentine-making fun.

Fresh Squeeze

A favorite family painting and memories of a Florida childhood inspire a woman to fill her cottage with juicy pops of color.

Palette Smarts

A little inspiration goes a long way in pulling together a color scheme. Three designers share what sparks their color creativity and the fresh palettes that result.

Not Quite Neutral

Why settle for vanilla? A designer shares her secrets for picking a go-with-anything palette that's never boring.

Color Is Refreshing

A breath of fresh air feels long overdue. So go ahead! Fling open some windows (at least figuratively) and be renewed. All it takes is a little color to brighten your rooms-- and your life.

Presents of Mind

With these easy strategies for remembering, choosing, and wrapping the perfect gift, you'll never miss another birthday.

Brush Up

With the right care, a quality paintbrush can last for years. To choose a keeper, look for filaments that are sturdy yet flexible and a wooden handle that feels comfortable in your hand. A good all-purpose brush is 2 or 2½ inches wide. Follow these tips for keeping your brush in top shape.

The Early Show

A burst of color. A rush of beauty. It's easy to surrender the heart-- and the garden-- to glorious flowering bulbs.

First Blush

First Blush Easy-to-grow hellebores bring some of the earliest bloom to slumbering gardens.

Window on Spring

Window on Spring Baby, it's cold outside! So warm things up inside with some window gardening.

A Blueberry That's Pink!

Why wait?

Outside, trees and shrubs snooze while waiting for warmer days. But indoors, branches quickly burst into bloom. Invite your favorite plants in for a pre-spring fling. Take your pick many plants respond to torcmg: quince, right, forsythia, crabapple, redbud, wild plum, and serviceberry are favorites.

This Month in the Garden

Yearning for ways to get your hands in the soil? Usher in a new garden year with these early-bird tasks.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW BHG Test Garden

TEST GARDEN TIP Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Nature's Air Filters

WISDOM

Come and Get It

DEBRA'S GARDEN Take a Deep Breath

Hot Stuff

Tea takes the chill off on a winter afternoon, but it's good for more than just sipping. With so many options at the supermarket-- green, black, red (rooibos), white, flavored varieties, and herbal blends-- it's no wonder tea has made its way into desserts, cocktails, and savory dishes.

Healed with a kiss

Helping hands

Low-carb lesson

Cents and sensibility

Get your financial house in order with an equation that's equal parts new habits and new attitudes.

A breath of fresh air

Dinner and a movie? Yes, please

Game on!

Community cookbook

PS: I Love You

Make sure the ones you care about hear those three oh-so-important words this season. A handmade, heartfelt gift gets the message across loud and clear.

I Did It!