Better Homes and Garden October 2014

Create a fall window box

1. Ornamental kale - position 1 - 2 large ornamental kale or cabbage plants toward the front of the planter.
2. Mums - place 2 - 3 mums behind the kale. Add potting soil around the mums and kale to secure the plants. Position sheet moss around the planter for a polished look.
3. Pumpkins and gourd for the finishing touch, nestle an assortment of small pumpkins and gourds on each end.

Maximize your eyes for your type

Deep set - blend a shimmery taupe shadow onto lids and inner corners. To bring eyes forward, draw eyeliner just above the roots of your lashes.

Wide set - make sure your shadow color is as intense on the center of your lids as it is on the outer corners, and concentrate extra coats of mascara on the center of your lashes.

Closet set -  start your liner near the center of your eye (instead of the inner corner) and gradually widen the line until you reach the outer corner. Blend highlighter onto the unlined part of your lash line.

Downturned -  apply liner across the entire length of the lash line, then flick the end of the line upward, cat-eye style. Smudge shadow up and out toward the tail end of your brow.

Better Homes and Garden August 2014

Fast Fixes for your Foyers

1. Start here - if your entry is a mess, don’t get overwhelmed thinking it needs a major makeover. Hanging a couple of hooks and putting out a big basket for shoes can make a huge difference.

2. Coat check - consider offloading some of those parkas to bedroom closets or underbed storage during the off season.

3. Hide Away - a dresser is pretty brilliant in an entry. Line the drawers with shelf paper or cookie sheets for shoes, and add a tray to turn the top into a drop zone for mail and keys.

4. Grab and go - keep a cute tote bag hanging near the back door. Use it as a collection spot for whatever needs to leave the house next trip.

How to buy Summer’s Bounty Veggies-

Corn -Buy - look for corn with golden to brown silks and healthy green husks. Store - keep corn in its husk until ready to use, or remove kernels from the cob and freeze.

Green Beans - Look for slender, unbruised beans that snap easily. Thinner beans are sweetest. Store - place unwashed beans in a resealable bag. Refrigerate up to a week.

Squash - look for firm, smooth, unblemished squash. For yellow squash, choose smaller ones - the large ones have a lot more seeds. Place unwashed squash in an airtight container and refrigerate up to a week.

Better Homes and Garden March 2014

Anatomy of a Planter

Use Quality Soil - Loose, peat based potting soil is the standard for containers - it’s light and well aerated, and it drains perfectly. Never use garden soil or old potting soil. Amending garden beds with used potting soil is a great day to get rid of it.

Reduce Weight   -  Use a lightweight filler in the bottom of the large pots to reduce the amount of potting soil you need to buy, and to lower the weight of planted containers. . A layer of landscape fabric  keeps soil separate  from the filler below

Allow Drainage - an outdoor planter must have a drain hole. If not,  create one with an appropriate  drill bit.  If not, create one with an appropriate  drill bit. A filter pad at the bottom of the pot will keep soil from escaping.

Protect the Surface - a saucer will catch drain water where you need surfaces to stay dry.  Pot feet are an alternative that lets you easily  clean under planters.

Eye Creams - ultra-hydrating salves that plump crow’s feet, calm  puffiness, and camouflage undereye circles. If you aim is simply to soften lines, try applying your regular facial treatments to the area; you might find they work just as well.

Masks - treatments that deliver potent ingredients directly to the skin for immediate - albeit temporary - results. Moisturizing creams and sheet masks plump lines in minutes. Acne - prone patients are best served by the oil-absorbing properties of clay or charcoal formulas.

Scrubs -  cleansing gel or creams spiked  with grainy bits to  physically slough away dirt, dead skin  cells, and impurities.

Peels - rinse off acidic  formulas that   scrubs - loosen bonds between  the cells to whisk away dead skin.  Glycolic, alpha hydroxy, citric, and salicylic acids are  all common active ingredients.

Oils - lots of cleansers and serum now come in oil - rather than water base versions.  It’s you have dry skin, you might find that beauty oils makes skin feel softer.

Better Homes and Gardens August 2013

“How to pick a perfect -

Tomatoes - Keep picked tomatoes at room temperature - refrigeration diminishes flavor and texture. If frost  is imminent, harvest all full - size fruits, even if completely green; keep them in a cool area, and most will eventually ripen. A tomato uniformly reaches its mature color - be it red, orange, or yellow and it pulls easily from the stems.

Sweet Corn - Retain their sweetness longer than older types, which start mellowing the moment they’re picked. Store corn in the husks, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or blanch and freeze for up to a year.  The silks turn browns  but not dry, and kernels are formed and full all the way to the top. Dimpled kernels are past peak.

Garlic - The cloves are full and firm. As soon as the tops of plants start to turn brown, dig up one bulb to check. If cloves are plump, not shriveled , they’re ready to harvest. Cure bulbs with leaves attached for 2 to 4 weeks in a warm, shady spot, then cut off the tops. Store bulbs up to 6 months in a cool place.

Watermelons - The leaf nearest the fruit withers. The melon should sound hollow when you thump it. The thump test doesn’t work on small watermelons. Inspect the bottom - once the green or white patch turns yellow, it’s ripe.

Cucumbers - The spiny, bumpy skin of a small cuke smooths out. However, small cukes are crisper and less seedy - great for eating and pickling. At their peak, most varieties are about 2 inches in diameter and 5 to 8 inches long. It’s best to err on the immature side, as cucumbers can turn from just right to overripe overnight. Refrigerate for up to a week.

Potatoes - For mature storage potatoes, harvest when plant tops die back. For new potatoes, begin harvesting two weeks after plants bloom. Potatoes keep longer in storage if they’re left in the ground until the skin toughens up. Don’t water after the tops die back. Cure mature potatoes in a cool, dark, humid place such as a basement for 2 weeks. Ideal winter storage is darkness, and a temp of 40F to 45F, a garage or refrigerator can provide these conditions.

Hot peppers - a fruit reaches full size s to color and begin up. This is when flavor and heat peak. However, most peppers are delicious at any size. Before frost, pick all peppers, even small ones. Fresh peppers last a week or more refrigerated; excess can be frozen, dried or canned.

Onions - The green tops flop over in midsummer, signaling that onions have reached full size. For you scallions, harvest when shoots reach 10 to 12 inches. Cure storage onions in a  shady area or garage for a few weeks. Once skins are dry, cut off tops and store in a cool place indoors.”

How to Make Moss -

“1. Select any porous surface, such as terra cotta, stone, or concrete. Harvest fresh moss from your garden or buy live sheet moss. Remove soil and any debris, and then shred the moss into small fragments.

2. Pour buttermilk into a cup. Stir in moss pieces - a good ration is 2 parts buttermilk to 1 part moss. You can also use a blender. Contrary to popular wisdom, buttermilk is not needed for pH. It’s a good sticking agent.

3. With a paintbrush, apply the buttermilk-moss mixture to a boulder, decorative object or pot. If the mixture is too runny, add more shredded moss to thicken. Set in a shady, damp spot, and spritz often.

4. Keep moss moist, even after its starts growing. Dampen objects with the gentle mist setting on a hose nozzle.  Moss on pots will usually stay moist from the surface perspiration produced by watering plants.”

Alcohol Free Toners to Try -

Face Stockholm Cucumber Ginseng Toner

Orlane Paris Vivifying Lotion

Dr. Brandt Lineless Tone

Valerie Beverly Hills Aloe Vera Complexion Toner

L’Occitane Angelica Face Toner

Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner

Picks Under $10

Almay Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Golden

Bodycology Exfoliating Sugar Scrub in Toasted Vanilla Sugar

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Ink Pen

Suave Moroccoan Infusion Styling Oil

Boots Botanics Rejuvenating Bath Elixir

Simple Eye Make Up Remover Pads

To make your perfume last longer store it in a cool, dark place like the fridge. Also, apply the fragrance to your pulse points to get your money’s worth.

Better Homes and Gardens January 2014

Winterize Your Smile

In chilly temperatures, blood vessels in your lips constrict to minimize heat loss. The super thin skin in this area becomes drier as the amount of fluid decreases, causing skin to crack and flake.

1. Prep - for moisture to penetrate delicate lip tissue, you must first remove the layer of rough dead skin.  Mix 1 tsp. olive oil with 1 tbsp. brown sugar and use the paste to - very gently - slough off visible flakes. Wipe off with a  tissue or a damp washcloth. The olive oil left behind will infuse skin with softening essential fatty acids. Repeat once a week.

2. Heal - after exfoliating, generously coat the area with a lip ointment that contains petrolatum. If you’re experiencing serious discomfort, try a medicated version that’s also infused with camphor or menthol. A thick layer of petrolatum will trap the lip skin’s own moisture and prevent it from evaporating into the dry, cold air. Camphor and menthol will work on your nerve endings to cool and soothe irritation. Apply frequently, especially before bed, until you’re feeling better.

3. Protect - because continued use of camphor and menthol can dry lips over time, switch to a non medicated, wax-base balm for everyday.

4. Prevent - apply balm early and often. Avoid licking your lips, the enzymes in saliva can actually breakdown delicate lip skin. Finally, if you can’t seem to kick chapped lips, try swapping your toothpaste for an all-natural version. The irritation around your mouth might be due to a sensitivity to sulfates, the sudsing agent found in many oral products.

Better Homes and Garden March 2013

Happy National Women’s History Month. It celebrates women in sciences. Women invented windshield wipers and the dishwasher.

For the gadget geeks who has a green thumb, here are some cool picks -

Photo Credit - Aero Garden

Photo Credit - Sprout Home

BHG recommend using “Mint Green” to waken up your surroundings. They recommend these picks

Photo Credit - BHG.com., Crushed Mint

Photo Credit - BHG.com, Wintergreen

Photo Credit - BHG.com, Mint Gala

Photo Credit - BHG.com, Garden Room

Photo Credit - BHG.com, Aloe

Designer Paige Sumblin Schnell gives these tips for the “soothing color” -

1. “Mint greens are happy colors that work in a lot of different climates as long as the room gets plenty of bright daylight”.

2. “Pale hues fare well in a high contrast palette. The complement needs to be either very dark or very light”.

3. “Paint finish affects how we perceive color. For a pale tone use eggshell which has a slight sheen”.

BHG’s picks for freshening up your kicks for Spring -

Photo Credit - Nine West

Photo Credit - C.Wonder

And for spicing up your makeup, BHG recommends using fuchsia to brighten up your face.  I love the colors but I don’t think it would look very good on me. 

 

Photo Credit - Sephora, Smashbox Blush Rush in Radiance

Photo Credit - L'Oreal, L’oreal paris colour caresse by color riche lipcolour in Pink Vinyl

Photo Credit - Nars,  Nars blush in Desire

Here is a random but nifty tip - to pick the best garlic bulb “look for one that is firm, plump cloves and unbroken, dry skin. Store them uncovered in a cool, dark place for about a month. Once a head of garlic is broken, it should be used within several days.”

Pick up the issue to read more tips on decorating tips, a walking tour of Karen Fabian’s house, how to read food labels [it was actually pretty interesting] and other neat tips.