Better Homes and Gardens April 2021
Get Better Homes and Gardens digital magazine subscription today and find out how to turn your home into a comfy, inviting haven. Every issue is packed with bedrooms that wrap you in warmth, kitchens that start your day with sunshine, gardens that greet you with gladness, porches that put you at peace, and recipes that become instant family classics.
in this issue
editor's letter
DREAMING in COLOR As I write this in February, I have a new home project I’m excited about. By the time you read this, the cat will hopefully be out of the bag on my Instagram—unless something went wrong with the deal or I just jinxed it. Needless to say, right now it’s difficult for me not to fast-forward and fill my evenings at home with Pinterest. I enjoy creating inspiration boards showing how the spaces will look, and as I always do, I find myself looking to nature for inspiration, especially when it comes to paint. That’s no accident. As a gardener, I love plants and flowers above all. I investigated the link between pigments and plants in my book The New American Herbal. During my research, I learned about the…
bhg.com what's trending online
New Ways with Asparagus It’s prime season for asparagus, and we have 44 inspiring and delicious ways to enjoy these fresh green spears. Try them in pastas and a stir-fry, roasted in crispy panko, or grilled with dill butter and Parmesan (above). BHG.com/SpringAsparagus PORCH GOALS Your outdoor space doesn’t have to be expansive for you to live large. Check out our best tips for maximizing your space, including what furniture to use, where to add plants, and how to use color to trick the eye. BHG.com/SmallPorch [EXCLUSIVE OFFER] Deal of the Month “Clare is my go-to for high-quality paint that is simple to shop. Interior designer and Clare founder Nicole Gibbons vetted the 60 colors in the collection. The Clare Color Genius quiz guides your choices with style and lighting questions. Eight-inch swatch stickers let…
easy-made eggs
There’s nothing wrong with classic pastel dyed Easter eggs, but this year we’re craving something a little more, well, egg-citing. These deceptively simple tissue-dyed ones are a great place to start. “Bleeding” tissue paper (named for the way its color bleeds when wet) gives hollowed or hard-boiled eggs a funky marbled effect. Get the how-to, below, and read on for more unique decorating techniques. TISSUE-DYED EGGS Special tissue paper gives these eggs their wild motifs. For each egg, cut one 6" square from two different colors of Spectra Deluxe bleeding tissue paper (dickblick.com). Crumple the squares, reopen, and wrap them around a hard-boiled egg, then wrap with a coffee filter. Secure with a rubber band. Wearing gloves, submerge eggs in white vinegar until wet. Let eggs stand overnight on a wire rack…
liberty prints
WHAT IS A LIBERTY PRINT? These small-scale florals are synonymous with the London department store that has printed them since the 1920s, but Liberty is also known for its paisleys and abstract patterns. 1 MINI FLOWER AND ZINNIA WASHI TAPES Tape up photos or use in place of gift ribbon. $4 to $5; mt-tape.us 2 FUCHSIA ROSE PAPER LANTERN Brighten a springtime celebration by hanging a few of these. $3 (14" diameter); paperlanternstore.com 3 LIBERTY COCKTAIL NAPKINS Pick from some of the most iconic prints. $26 for a set of four; littleflowerfabric.etsy.com 4 PRIM SOCIETY POPPY WALLPAPER Comes in prepasted, nonpasted, and peel-and-stick options. From $24 for a 2'×3' roll; spoonflower.com 5 BLUE FLORAL CUP This 3½" melamine cup is 100 percent cheerful. $9; ricebyrice.us 6 VIOLETS ARE BLUE FLORAL NOTEBOOK Fifty-two pages of lined or unlined paper with a matte-finish cover. $15;…
how to house-hunt online
Q “I’d like to do most of my shopping for a new home online. How do I get the info I need to make my decision?”MOLLY BURKLE, Minneapolis When distance or pandemic precautions mean you can’t see many prospective properties in person, you have other options at your fingertips. But incorrect or missing details will complicate your search. For example, “A listing might not say that a bedroom doesn’t have a closet,” says Joseph Magsaysay of Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Preferred Properties in St. Louis. “Legally you cannot call a room a bedroom if it does not have a closet or a window.” To get the most accurate picture of a property remotely, take advantage of multiple research methods, then compare and cross-check what you learn. ▪ HIT THE BIG SITES House-hunting websites—such…
at-home mani upgrades
“There’s no wrong or right shade to pick for yourself. It’s a matter of the tone that you like and how it reflects against your skin.”GINA EDWARDS, celebrity nail artist Want to update your nude mani? Swap the usual barely-there tint for a richer, more opaque tone. “There’s now such a wide range of nude polish options that we’re actually able to match all skin tones and play with contrast,” says Gina Edwards, celebrity nail artist and Kiss brand ambassador. For a modern look, Edwards suggests going one tone darker than your skin tone. Or make a bold statement by picking a much lighter or darker tone than your skin. Turn the page for more mani tricks. NUDES FOR ALL Edwards suggests comparing a few bottles against the back of your hand to…
