Country Living articles from February 2007

Country Living archives from February 2007

Editor's journal.
February 1, 2007... As many of you know, February is our annual home building/home improvement issue and one of my favorites to put together. Having gone through three home renovations (and currently in the middle of my fourth and, hopefully, last for quite some...

Your letters.(dear country living)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... What a nice surprise to find your article on antique Judaica (Antiques, December 2006). Hanukkah, like other winter holidays, celebrates an ancient story. It means so much to find a mention of Jewish holidays in your magazine. ...

Thoughts of home.(dear country living)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I am currently serving a tour of duty in Iraq. I decided to flip through an edition of Country Living magazine because I was feeling a little homesick for the holidays. There is nothing here to remind us that it is autumn, so I enjoyed perusing...

Family treasure.(dear country living)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I was thrilled to read "Portrait Miniatures" (Antiques) in the November 2006 issue of your magazine. I have a brooch that contains a picture of my grandfather as a young man in the 1920s. It is oval with a brushed gold frame. My mother made...

Finger foods and sugar cubes for a special party.(dear country living)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... In your August 2006 issue, you presented the idea of a Sunday tea party ("Weekend House Parties"). My daughter, Maggie, took this idea one step further and incorporated it into a baby shower she hosted. She asked participants whom she had...

Making us blush.(dear country living)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... I just had to write to tell you how much I enjoy reading your magazine every month. The November and December 2006 issues were especially well done. The December issue was packed with wonderful pictures and simple yet elegant ideas I want to...

Say it's spring!(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2007... Experience the pleasure of spring all year 'round. "By bringing these colors and patterns of nature such as pinks and greens into our homes, we also create a sense of balance," says Susan North, vice president of design at Schumacher.' SEE...

Elegant organization: craft expert Melissa Neufeld shows how to transform an antique velvet photo album into a desktop organizer.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... how to: STEP 1: Carefully cut out photo album pages using an X-acto knife. To add the ribbon tie (shown on previous page), use a hot-glue gun to secure the ribbons to the inside of the album covers. For a stronger hold, cut the ribbon...

Laundry rooms: easy improvements.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The value of this chore lies in its soothing routine and the satisfaction taken at the end result: a basket of still-warm, freshly folded clean clothes. Make the time spent getting to that result even more enjoyable with our ideas for sprucing...

Gustavian furniture.(antiques)
February 1, 2007... While Swedish artisans in cities such as Stockholm were carving furniture with neoclassical details, their country counterparts were recreating those same details with paint. As Laurence Fox of Evergreen Antiques explains, "Faux finishes, such...

Antique dollhouses: professional appraiser Helaine Fendelman identifies and evaluates your collectibles and antiques.
February 1, 2007... valued at: $15,000 This one-of-a-kind white clapboard Colonial Revival dollhouse was constructed entirely by hand in 1932 by Budd D. Gray of Greenwich, Conn. The four-bedroom center-hall dollhouse's high value is also based on its mint...

Vintage charms.(Marie Moss)(Interview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Collecting charms--a hit in the 1950s and '60s--is a passion that seems never to go out of style. Marie Moss, co-owner of M & B Vintage (mand bvintage.com), a source for vintage charms, tells us about these tiny gems. [ILLUSTRATION...

Reviving a classic: Country Living 2007 House of the Year.(house of the year)
February 1, 2007... This Lancaster County, Pa., farmhouse had been sitting empty for several years before it was brought up to date. Too close to the road, dilapidated, uninsulated, and heated only by wood stoves, the house was an ideal candidate for a teardown....

House plans you can buy: to order house plans, log on to the house plans finder at countryliving.com/houseplans or call (866) 473-4069.(house plans)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... THE ISABEL: with a bonus second stoRy Features: 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms 2 covered porches Total sq. ft.: 1,181 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A wraparound corner porch and stone chimney lend this farmhouse-style home rustic...

Pre-owned purebreds: here's a bighearted way for purebred fanciers to get a pet: breed rescue.(you & your pet)
February 1, 2007... My favorite bumper sticker reads, "Please don't breed or buy while shelter animals die." Yet breeding and buying are the twin objectives of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which will broadcast on USA Networks February 12 and 13. The...

Carriage house: here, a look this month at homes with carriage houses that are for sale around the country.(real estate sampler)
February 1, 2007... Only four families have owned this 6,000-square-foot Federal home since it was completed in 1898. Its oak plank floors, fluted doors, 4 fireplaces, and rear stairway have been carefully restored, while recent renovations have modernized the...

Flea-market fun in Canton, Texas.(weekending)
February 1, 2007... Four days each month, the little East Texas outpost of Canton grows by leaps and bounds, as thousands of dealers and as many as 300,000 visitors come to town for First Monday Trade Days, an enormous flea market that features 28 miles of paths...

Monthly picks for February: our monthly listing of antiques shows, crafts fairs, food festivals, garden events, and other notable happenings.(calendar)
February 1, 2007... snow days Downtown Saint Paul, Minn., transforms into an icy wonderland during The Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the nation's oldest and largest winter festival. Based on a legend that casts Minnesota as a "winter paradise," the carnival features...

Inn of the month: Vintage Inn, Yountville, Calif.(calendar)
February 1, 2007... Built on the site of a former Napa Valley winery, the French country-style Vintage Inn in Yountville, Calif., has 80 elegant rooms, each of which boasts a wood-burning fireplace and stunning views of Domaine Chandon's sprawling vineyards. Once...

9 events not to miss.(calendar)
February 1, 2007... ARKANSAS DEPRESSION ERA GLASS SHOW & SALE. WHEN: FEB. 24-25. PLACE: LITTLE ROCK. At the State Fairgrounds, dealers from 14 states will sell Windsor, Cambridge, Fostoria, Imperial, and Tiffin glass as well as Depression-era pottery and...

{Eco * smart}.(calendar)
February 1, 2007... Green your nest with earth-friendly home-building supplies. Online, visit BETTENCOURTWOOD.COM, a green building-supplies site that offers sustainably harvested plywood, renewable cork flooring (left), and insulation made from post-production...

Mark your calendar.(calendar)
February 1, 2007... Experience Native American culture through traditional songs, stories, and dances at Native Trails, a series of free festivals in Scottsdale, Ariz. Members of the Hopi, Yavapai, Apache, and Dine (Navajo) tribes will perform gathering songs and...

2007 house of the year.(David Drummond)
February 1, 2007... seeing is believing What we see is a reflection of how we see. And so, this month, we pay tribute to restoration, renovation, and reinvention. Join us as we explore the pleasures and rewards of finding beauty and potential in houses and...

Rhapsody in blues.(Bennett Weinstock)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Decorator Bennett Weinstock was antiquing in New Hope, Pa., with an old friend from Philadelphia's Main Line, when they came across a converted one-room schoolhouse for sale. Situated between the Conservancy and the town's picturesque canal,...

Hello, yellow: a desire to downsize inspired Ann Nicholson to help a neglected North Carolina bungalow on Sunset Drive live up to its glowing name. See how a vivid imagination and pails of yellow paint made this house shine.
February 1, 2007... "I'm always in search of the ugly duckling," says designer Ann Nicholson, referring to the day that she and her husband, Charles, stopped short in front of what is now their very bright, very lively Releigh, N.C., home. "There it was: A 1910...

A fine romance: often simple, always soul-satisfying, chocolate fits just about any occasion.(chocolate)
February 1, 2007... the sweet lowdown Chocolate brings out THE BEST in us, inspiring generosity, affection, and, it turns out, good health. It makes us HAPPY. Those first foil-wrapped chocolate kisses we receive as children seem to initiate us into a LIFE...

Fast & flavorful: as winter wanes, there's still fresh, seasonal food for you to enjoy. Begin with these quick-to-table ideas.(word of mouth)(Recipe)
February 1, 2007... No whisk is required for this no-fuss vinaigrette. Fill a shallow bowl with a mix of prewashed salad greens and sprinkle with one small, finely chopped clove of fresh garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and the juice from half of a lemon. Lightly toss...

Shopping guide.(reader's resource)
February 1, 2007... country classics PAGE 19: Wallpaper: Schumacher Serenissima in Sage (#526653). (800) 332-3384 (available to the trade only). Rug: Dash & Albert. Kiwi Ticking; 8'H x 10'W; $344. For stores, call (413) 442-8200; www.dashandalbert.com....

Editor's pick.(reader's resource)
February 1, 2007... Handmade from all-natural ingredients, Pete's Gourmet Confections' fluffy, just-sweet-enough marshmallows come in such flavors as vanilla (shown), espresso, lemon, and strawberry. Float one in a cup of hot cocoa or melt with chocolate on a...

Simple country pleasures.
February 1, 2007... Love in your heart Wasn't put there to stay--Love isn't love 'Til you give it away. --OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, THE SOUND OF MUSIC