Country Living articles from January 2009

Country Living archives from January 2009

Organize!(EDITOR'S JOURNAL)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... I just spent the better part of last week organizing my home office, and you know what? There's a lot to be said for having "a place for everything and everything in its place." As I was cleaning out the old (not all, just some) and making...

Bourbon Red turkey.(THE COUNTRY CLUB)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... As the owner of a Bourbon Red turkey, I am so glad you showed heritage breeds with such interesting information in the November 2008 issue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] -ABBY RAMSEY, ALEXANDRIA, IND.

Budget-friendly style.(THE COUNTRY CLUB)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I can't thank you enough for featuring Ann Beckman's house in "Small Is Beautiful" in your November issue. I wish I could pack my bags and move in--I wouldn't change a thing! It's so nice to see how a home that's not a mansion has been...

Great gourds.(THE COUNTRY CLUB)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... "Squash Season" in the November issue brought back memories for me. My husband and I grew up in Cottonwood, Idaho, a small town just seven miles from the Salmon River. Many people there grew the wart and Lower Salmon River squashes you showed,...

Worthy preservation.(THE COUNTRY CLUB)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... Your September 2008 issue is a keeper! The article "Romancing the Stone" caught my attention and is still open on my desk so that I may look at it constantly. There is a home on our property very similar to the beauty you featured. These old...

Stylish storage: small changes can makes big difference with out-of-the-ordinary organizers in fun patterns and bright colors.(marketplace)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2009... STASH IT QUICKLY Tidy up a workspace with a stack of inexpensive plastic storage boxes that offers clear access to important documents. Supplement the boxes with small metal ones, sleek enough to display on a desk. This...

Sweater recycling 101: old sweaters get new life as one-of-a-kind felted carryalls.(make me over)
January 1, 2009... SOURCE Closets, attics, and thrift stores are full of attractive, gently used sweaters. Crafter Marjorie Galen purchased these soft, woolly treasures from her local thrift shop for less than $5 each! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Suds and stitches carry the day.(make me over)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... FELTING RULES No two sweaters felt alike. Some shrink a lot, some a little; but either way, the individual stitches become harder to see and the felted fabric no longer unravels when cut. WHAT YOU NEED: * 100 percent wool sweater...

If you like ... English country: get the look with a mix of patterns, collections, and classic upholstered furniture. And be sure to toss in a few eccentric finds.(get the look)
January 1, 2009... Traditional toile wallcoverings. WALLPAPERS, STARTING AT $34/ROLL; YORKWALL.COM. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT PULLS IT TOGETHER: TOILE-PATTERNED WALLPAPER instantly evokes a historical and cozy feeling. Keep the mood light by also...

Order in the kitchen: these creative ideas will help make your galley shipshape.(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2009... Stash kitchen essentials in these charming fabric bags (see page 31 for how-tos). NEAT, TIDY & READY TO COOK Now is the time to root through the kitchen cupboards and toss out anything that's past its expiration date. To organize...

Supply closet: creative sources, clever ideas & new crafting projects.(tips & tools)
January 1, 2009... CLIP AND SAVE Prioritize loose papers with these decorative and functional clips. The Days of the Week set (below) helps keep important projects organized by day. $8.50/ seven; susyjack.com. The letterpress Organizing Clips (below)...

Recipe booklets: Nostalgia whets the appetites of cooks and collectors alike.(antiques)
January 1, 2009... After the development of packaged goods in the 1880s, American manufacturers looked for a way to publicize and sell these products. Advertising as we know it had not been invented, so companies offered recipes featuring their products in free...

Presidential China: professional appraiser Helaine Fendelman evaluates and appraises your collectibles and antiques.(what is it? what is it worth?)
January 1, 2009... WHAT IS IT? Beginning with President George Washington (president, 1789-1797), presidential china reflected the personal and public taste of the time. In 1845, James K. Polk (president, 1845-1849) became the 11th president of the United...

Snapshot.(what is it? what is it worth?)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... AT TUDOR ROSE ANTIQUES Who? Howard and Myra Donowitz, owners of Tudor Rose Antiques in Manhattan. Where? In their shop at 28 East 10th Street, New York City; tudorroseantiques.com. What is your business? "Our shop has been open...

The beauty of bark: many trees dazzle in winter with interesting, often dramatic bark.(in the garden)
January 1, 2009... THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM was established in 1872 and occupies 265 acres in Jamaica Plain, Mass. The living collections contain over 7,000 plants, including the Acer griseum (left), which was planted in 1907 and may be the largest and oldest tree of...

Clippings: what to do in the garden this month.(tips & tools)
January 1, 2009... 1 HOLIDAY RECYCLING Don't throw away evergreen branches; mulch them under acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons. Also look for a local Christmas-tree recycling program. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 "UNFLOPABLE" PAPERWHITES ...

Calendar girls: these three moms make staying organized both achievable and fun.(entrepreneur)
January 1, 2009... How'd you get started? Michelle was sick with cancer. Once she was feeling better, the three of us--Kristin, Maria, and Michelle--got together and made day planners from cardboard and gave them as Christmas gifts. People came back to us and...

Feeding the birds.(OUR COUNTRYSIDE)
January 1, 2009... January is the one time of year when providing food and water may really make a difference to the birds in your backyard. Even if you don't have snow and cold, food can be scarce for feathered wildlife, so consider providing them with plenty of...

To build a fire.(THE BEST WAY ...)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... When the weather outside is frightful, not much else compares to the comfort and warmth provided by a toasty fire. STEP 1 Open chimney flue. Crumple black-and-white newspaper into five grapefruit-size balls and position under the fireplace...

Take back the tap.(tap water)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Raise a glass to change in 2009--and fill it with tap water! Across the country, Americans are pledging to kick the bottled-water habit and Take Back the Tap. Unlike bottled water, which is packaged in a plant and transported long distances,...

Citrus.(NATURAL BEAUTY)
January 1, 2009... Long admired for their antiseptic properties and zesty, uplifting scent, citrus fruit (lemons, oranges, grapefruits, limes) offer the perfect pick-me-up for winter-weary skin. Discovered some 6,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, they have been...

Sledding.(THE JOY OF ...)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Few of us will ever forget the childhood thrill of careering down a neighborhood hill on the first snowy day of winter. Recapture that carefree spirit by taking a spin on a nostalgic favorite, Flexible Flyer's classic steel-runner wooden sled,...

Crane stationery.(MADE IN AMERICA)
January 1, 2009... FOR 200-PLUS YEARS, Crane & Co. has produced personalized stationery, invitations, and fine papers--all of which are made of cotton not wood pulp--at their Dalton, Mass., headquarters. In fact, there's probably some of the company's best-known...

Hotel Fauchere.(INN OF THE MONTH)
January 1, 2009... Milford, Pa. WHEN IT OPENED IN 1852, Hotel Fauchere attracted presidents and celebrities and was the social center of Milford, Pa., a charming town near Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. In the 1970s, however, the hotel fell...

12 events not to miss.(COUNTRY CALENDAR)(Calendar)
January 1, 2009... ARIZONA PHOENIX ANTIQUES MARKET Jan. 17-18; Arizona State Fairgrounds, Phoenix. Browse vintage costume jewelry, art glass, ephemera, linens, primitives, and Early American, mission, and country craft furniture at this show and sale;...

American antiques show.(TREASURE HUNT)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... From Jan. 22 to 25, find some of the country's finest furniture, folk art, Native American art, and decorative art dealers at the American Antiques Show. Held in New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion, the show is organized by the American Folk...

Cook-offs that pay off.(MARK YOUR CALENDAR)
January 1, 2009... Start warming up your stove--this year's batch of upcoming cook-offs promise big rewards. FEBRUARY Indulge your inner chocoholic by submitting your tastiest dessert, entree, or hot cocoa recipe to Scharffen Berger's $5,000 Chocolate...

Philadelphia.(HOMETOWN)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... In the City of Brotherly Love, New Year's Day revelry starts with the Mummers Parade. For more than 100 years, this carnival-like event has featured the talents of some 10,000 Philadelphians known as Mummers, who prepare elaborate floats,...

Go ice fishing.(OUTDOOR PURSUITS)
January 1, 2009... A hole, a pole, and a frozen lake are (mostly) all you need to enjoy this favorite winter pastime. Beginners should head to Casco, Maine's popular Sebago Lake for easy access to lake and brook trout; maine.gov. Visit Forest Lake, Minn., the...

Achoo! Winter colds can take to toll on our cats and dogs.(PROMOTION)
January 1, 2009... When Simba, a 12-week-old kitten, went home from the animal shelter with her adoptive family, she proved to be all they had wished for. Curled into a small, warm ball of white fur with gray-striped patches, she purred quietly in the lap of the...

Where the past is present: within this elegant Nantucket house, a family of five enjoys an active lifestyle, surrounded by its many collections of American antiques.
January 1, 2009... A vacation house often implies something casual. Not, however, for Richard and Carrie Griffith, who two years ago bought a splendid 1868 Nantucket house as their summer place. For them and their children (Richard, 24; Jessica, 18; and Peter,...

Double-duty makeover: a 12- by 13-foot bedroom morphs into a gorgeous personal home office-and still doubles as a cozy guest room when family or friends are in town.
January 1, 2009... "I wasn't sure what to do with this room," says the owner of this Westchester, N.Y., home. "We wanted a guest room, but I was also in need of a home office." With thoughtful organizational strategies that allowed her to maximize every inch of...

Oh, what fun it is to ride on a: in Vermont's Mad River Valley, Gib and sue Geiger treat visitors to the ultimate winter pleasure at Mountain Valley Farm.(TWO-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH)
January 1, 2009... Sue and Gib Geiger love snow. When southern New England winters became too mild for their taste, the couple moved from Connecticut and bought their "dream farm" in Waitsfield, Vt. Mountain Valley Farm featured an 1879 farmhouse, spacious...

Something about silhouettes: silhouette art has charmed us for centuries. Now it's making a comeback on pretty new products to live with and wear.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... They used to be called "shades," and sometimes "profiles," "likenesses," or "shadow pictures." But the familiar black-and-white images we know as silhouettes would, by any name, be just as compelling. * When they first appeared in the late...

Shadow plays and wall displays.
January 1, 2009... A BRIEF HISTORY Silhouettes can be black paper cutouts placed on a light ground, "hollow-cuts" from white paper set onto a black ground, or profiles painted on ivory, paper, glass, clay, or plaster. And between the late 18th to mid-19th...

Fine portraits add drama perfect profile cut paper.
January 1, 2009... THIS PAGE: As demonstrated by this eye-catching cluster of cameos from three talented designers, the grouping-for-drama principle also applies to jewelry. These custom-order pieces include Candace Ang's chunky-chained, ivory-look cameo; Geri...

Comfort classics: banish the chill with simple-to-make dishes that satisfy winter cravings for hearty, robust foods.(easy winter meals)
January 1, 2009... On brisk winter weekends when twilight comes early, the aroma of soup cooking on the stove top or a casserole bubbling in the oven turns the kitchen into a cocoon of fragrance and warmth. This is slow-cooking weather, the time of year to savor...

Tastings: new products, expert advice & what's in season now.(tips & tools)(Buyers guide)
January 1, 2009... PANTRY PICKS Stock up on these versatile winter kitchen staples: 1 CHICKEN BROTH Elevate the flavor of quick soup and rice dishes with Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth; $3/32 oz. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2...

House plans you can buy: the Pasadena: a simple, spacious design for a family.(HOUSE PLANS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A brick landing and carriage-house garage doors give this Craftsman-style home a country aesthetic. Inside, a foyer, which sits adjacent to a powder room, opens to the dining room on the left and ends at a great room with a vaulted ceiling....

Simple country pleasures.
January 1, 2009... I know well that happiness is in little things...