Better Homes and Gardens

better homes & gardens

STEPHEN ORR Vice President, Editor in Chief Creative Director JENNIFER D. MADARA Executive Editor OMA BLAISE FORD Managing Editor GREG KAYKO HOME & GARDEN Home Editor AMY PANOS Style & Design Director JESSICA THOMAS West Coast Editor/Gardens MIRANDA CROWELL Senior Style Editor EUGENIA SANTIESTEBAN SOTO Senior Editors KATY KIICK CONDON, MONIKA BIEGLER EYERS, KIT SELZER Associate Editor MALLORY ABREU Assistant Editor LAUREN HEDRICK Editorial Assistant SUE MILLER FOOD & ENTERTAINING Food Editor JAN MILLER Senior Editors JESSICA SAARI CHRISTENSEN, MAGGIE GLISAN Senior Associate Editor CARRIE BOYD Editorial Assistant RENEE IREY LIFESTYLE Features Editor DIANA DICKINSON Health & Features Director AMY BRIGHTFIELD Beauty & Fashion Director ERICA METZGER Assistant Editor SAMANTHA DRISCOLL ART Design Director STEPHANIE HUNTER Deputy Art Directors CHRISTY BROKENS, JARRET EINCK Senior Associate Art Director LORI STURDIVANT Senior Graphic Designers LAURA ENGEL, MAGGIE GOLDSMITH Associate Photo Editor HOLLY PRUETT ADMINISTRATION & PRODUCTION Copy Chief MARIA DURYEE Copy Editors MARTHA COLOFF LONG, SHEILA MAUCK Production Editor CINDY MURPHY Office Manager GINGER BASSETT Executive Assistant…

editor’s letter

LOCAL COLOR I’ve lived in Des Moines for four years now as editor in chief of this magazine, and though there are many special things about my new community, one of my favorites is the charmingly idiosyncratic way Iowa’s capital city celebrates Halloween. We don’t. In the late 1930s Kathryn Krieg, recreation director for the city’s playgrounds, came up with a novel idea to discourage the recent outbreak of petty vandalism. By replacing Halloween with a holiday that occurs one day earlier (on October 30), Krieg hoped to decrease the destructive behavior that had grown up around the holiday by substituting something more manageable—bad jokes. By the ’40s, the holiday known as Beggar’s Night had become widespread, with school leaders and the local media helping to establish the tradition. For years The…

bhg.com what’s trending online

BH&G’S FALL CHECKLIST Prep your home for winter to avoid potential damage to gutters, roofs, and chimneys. Learn more about how to detect air leaks, clean debris from your downspout, and identify what safety features need updating and repairs at home. BHG.com/FallChecklist [SWEEPSTAKES] Win $25,000 to refresh your home inside and out. Enter for a chance to win at BHG.com/Home25k. Details on page 135. PLANT NOW! PLANT IN THE FALL FOR SPRING COLOR. [SPECIAL BH&G OFFER] Vivid Blooms Tulip Mix Known for their delicately flared, pointed petals, lily-flowered tulips command attention in the garden with their vibrant fuchsia and orange hues and 2-foot-tall soaring stems. Plant our mix of 50 bulbs (five varieties) in fall, and in spring you’ll have beautiful beds of flowers that are ideal for cutting. Order the Vivid Blooms Tulip Mix from White Flower Farm at…

obsessed with nubby texture

Pillows with dense shaggy pile in warm jewel tones are a one-step shortcut to creating a cozy space. Plus they add layers of pattern and personality in a single shot. Toss one or two onto your sofa, or try your hand at one of our DIY projects on the next page. ONE-TWO PUNCH Learn how to punch needle, then use the technique to create ultratextured pieces. Make something from scratch or embellish blankets, throw pillow covers, curtains—the list goes on. WHAT YOU NEED ▪ Punch needle tool (We used a universal one that costs $6 at crafts stores.) ▪ Yarn in varying weights and fibers to create different textures ▪ Fabric with a tight weave to hold the yarn, such as monk’s cloth, weavers cloth, poly-cotton twill, or denim ▪ Embroidery hoop HOW TO PUNCH NEEDLE 1 Using a…

life in color beauty awards

MAKEUP 1 We were happily surprised how this plant-based formula could give our lashes so much volume and definition minus any smudging. Burt’s Bees All Aflutter Multi-Benefit Mascara, $13 2 Testers loved the selection of 12 flattering shades and that you get larger pans of the neutrals you’re most likely to use every day. Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Palette, $44; sephora.com 3 To the world you’re rocking a high-shine mani, but you’re really protecting your nails with platinum and diamond powder. Sally Hansen Mega Strength Nail Polish in 30 colors, $6 each 4 CoverGirl TruBlend Undercover Concealer ($11) is a creamy, full-coverage formula that hides dark circles, redness, and spots without caking or creasing. Available in 30 shades. editor favorite “I love how light this foundation feels and the fact that it has SPF 50 sunscreen…

mineral hues

Even if you don’t believe that crystals have mystical properties, you can still tap into their practical power. It’s hard to argue with the restorative effect of wrapping a room in the restful blue-gray tones inspired by minerals like celestite and gray agate. To get the same subtle shifts you see in crystals, layer on multiple shades. INSPIRED BY THE GENTLE WATERS of a nearby river, designer Kati Curtis enveloped this Rumson, NJ, bedroom in a tranquil palette of blues and grays. “It’s a tricky balance because blue can go too saturated and look like a kid’s room or go too sweet like a sky blue,” she says. “To feel serene, this color needs the right amount of neutrality.” Curtis chose a saturated gray with blue undertones and layered the room…