DESIGN | by KAT SPELLMAN

First impressions: A freshened front door, tidy stoop and neatened yard attract potential buyers. Start by sweeping, painting and tidying. Polish the door knocker and knob. Lay a new mat. Pick simple accessories such as large pots with foliage-based plants that require less upkeep than flowering ones.

Clean closets: After purging your belongings, clear those closets and drawers. Rent a storage locker, borrow the corner of a friend’s basement ― do whatever it takes to make your home appear to have an abundance of storage space. Living at home while it’s on the market? Whittle your wardrobe to what you’d take on a week-long business trip with a weekend of leisure. Rotate through your clothes and keep only what you need for the week at home. Organize what you have by color and display with space between hangers and piles to convey an abundance of room.

Pull furnishings away from walls: The rigidness of furniture hugging the walls instantly dates decor. Peruse magazines and note how furniture’s arranged. Set that bed at an angle. Pull chairs away from walls and cluster in a conversational grouping. Consider the soldierly grouping of a dining room set and leave one chair slightly eschew.  These little moves update a home in an effortless way.

Sparkling windows: Forgo the window cleaner with paper towel or the newsprint with vinegar and opt for a grease-cutting liquid dishwashing soap with a microfiber cloth. Even doggy drool on French doors is eradicated with a simple swipe: No lint or haze remains. Sparkling windows convey you care about your home.

New toilet seats: Quite frankly, nobody wants to sit where you have, so splurge on a new throne for your powder room. For under $20 your bathroom can look fresh and new, as sparkly and sanitized as a showroom.

PASSIONS | by DEBRA PRINZING

OF ALL THE GARDEN FLOWERS, THE FAIREST ONE IS the rose, or so the saying goes. For some reason, though, roses are often labeled as “difficult” to grow. In my experience, successful rose-growing is achieved when I create healthy conditions for my plants.

Roses are adaptable to a wide range of environments (other than full shade). You can find out which cultivars are best-suited to your area by asking local garden center or nursery staff or contacting Master Gardeners in your region. There’s nothing better than a personal recommendation from someone who says: This plant produces prolifically and smells heavenly!

Early spring is a perfect time to prepare your roses for a bountiful bloom cycle. For more than a decade I’ve followed a spring rose-care program prescribed by a Seattle area nurseryman I once interviewed. I like the approach because it uses natural minerals and amendments:

• In February, March or April (after the last frost), apply 1 cup of superphosphate to each rose in the garden, spreading the granules around the plant’s root zone and working them into the soil with a cultivator. Superphosphate builds strong root systems and improves roses’ ability to flower repeatedly all summer.
• In March or April, apply 1 cup of alfalfa meal or 2 cups of alfalfa pellets to each rose. Alfalfa slowly releases nitrogen, as well as an enzyme that increases the plant’s feeder-root system. It acts as a catalyst that enhances the entire fertilizing effort.
• Starting in April or May (as soil begins to warm), apply a granular fertilizer. Use ½ cup per rose and reapply every four to six weeks through August. I prefer to use organic rose food, such as Whitney Farms’ Rose & Flower Food.
• In May or June, apply up to ½ cup Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) at the base of each plant. This stimulates new, larger canes and enhances flower color. This is a good treatment to revitalize older, tired roses, when coupled with a feeding program.

If you feed your roses well, they’ll be healthier and less likely to succumb to diseases or pests. Enjoy every bloom.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

FORMALDAHYDE. TOLUENE. DIBUTYL PHTHALATE (DBP). Huh? Ever walk into a day spa and feel overwhelmed by the smells? Turns out those chemical smells are not just unpleasant but downright toxic, known to cause several forms of cancer, infertility and birth defects. So what’s a gal to do? Give up mani-pedis?

© iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

Not so fast. Necessity is, of course, the mother of invention. Enter eco-cosmetics, eco-day-spas and full-service eco-spas:

DIY: While there is no such thing as an “all-natural” nail polish, Butter London and Priti are among several new formulas that are free of formaldahyde, toluene and DBP. To do your own mani-pedi at home, order online or find local Butter London sources at BrandHabit.

Eco-express: Looking for a quick manicure, pedicure or a mini-spa pick-me-up? Check online for local day spas advertising a non-toxic experience. If you haven’t been there before, stop in to check it out. Trust your senses, nose first. Look for:

• Nontoxic nail polish and organic skin products
• Adequate ventilation
• Safe and hygienic disposal of waste materials (some spas send you home with files and buffers used during your manicure to continue to use at home)
• Anti-bacterial sterilization of reusable materials and tools
• Space designed with natural materials (no offgassing of toxic chemicals from carpet or plastic furniture)
• Good quality, yet energy efficient lighting

Full-eco-pampering: For the ultimate global green pampering experience, plan your next vacation around one of Concierge.com’s 10 best eco-spas in the world. Closer to home (at least for me) and more down to earth, the new Hyatt at Olive 8’s Elaia Spa offers a full spa menu with “natural and organic products sourced directly from an ever-expanding group of regional growers.” Check online listings to find full service eco-spas in your neck of the woods.

BACK TO BASICS | by JANNA LUFKIN

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO PERUSE THE AISLES of your local hardware store? Be it the “Big Box” variety or the corner True Value, if you spend a little time and put on your thinking cap, you will find some inspiring ideas.

© ROBIN AVNI

Here are a few favorites:

• Baling twine. At one time a necessity on the farm, this twine is strong and has a zillion uses. Buy a big spool of it and use it in the garden, wrap it around a bunch of flowers for a hostess gift, tie it around a package, use it as garland on your Christmas tree …
• Painter’s paper. It comes on a roll in a few different sizes and muted colors. The olive green makes a great gift wrap. Inexpensive, yet lovely tied up with twine and a sprig of something fresh from your yard.
• Drop cloths. You can’t go wrong with this nubby, neutral-colored fabric. It’s a no-nonsense basic. With a little imagination it can turn an ugly sofa into a work of art.
• Galvanized garbage cans. Use them to store hoses for the winter. Keep pet food dry and fresh. Store packing peanuts in one and potting soil in another. They last forever.
• Canning jars. Often the corner hardware store will have a variety of canning supplies, including jars in different sizes and shapes. Use them for canning as well as for organizing bits and pieces in your bathroom, kitchen or office.

So, the next time you head to the hardware store, walk up and down the aisles. You never know, a section of heating pipe might just be the answer to your next organizing project.

PASSIONS | by JEAN GALTON

ALTHOUGH THE STORE IS STOCKED high with jars and containers of red salsa, my absolute favorite is salsa verde or green salsa, made with fresh, plump tomatillos. They look like a large green cherry tomato enclosed by a papery husk; once you’ve peeled off the husk and rinsed off a bit of stickiness, tomatillos are good to go. Make them into this easy salsa and throw it on fish tacos, huevos rancheros or bean and cheese taquitos. Yum!

© ANGIE NORWOOD BROWNE

Salsa Verde
Makes about 1 cup

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped white onion

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

WELLNESS | by POSY GERING

DO YOU HAVE A MEDITATION PRACTICE? Do you envision sitting still on a cushion with a ramrod straight back for an hour every day?

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In reality, that is only one model of meditation. Try stepping away from the orthodoxy of how it’s supposed to be done. Instead, focus on the intended outcomes of meditation — many more possibilities emerge.

What I want from meditation is to quiet my mind, get in touch with my deeper self and open my awareness to something beyond the list of things I must do or ways I must be. I believe we can at least taste those qualities in far less time than an hour.

Try a 30-second meditation. I’ll share a number of techniques with you over the coming months. Here is one:

1. Sigh deeply four times.
2. Close your eyes. Take a very deep breath. Now, sigh the air out. Really empty your lungs, which takes a second exhalation. Feel empty.
3. As you allow the air to come back into your lungs, notice how it feels, all along the way.
4. Then, when, you’re completely full, sigh the air out again, noticing how it feels to let all the air out of your lungs.
5. Four deep breaths usually takes about thirty seconds. Notice the effect on your mind and body.

I’ve done this when on “hold,” while waiting in line and when I don’t know how to solve a problem. I’ve even locked myself in the bathroom during a dinner party. It’s as long as a commercial — and think how much of your life you’ve given up to watch them. Try spending an equivalent amount on your Self.

DESIGN | by KAT SPELLMAN

ONCE KIDS AND TEENS DID BATTLE WITH MOM when decorating their rooms. Scotch-tape shadows lingered long after old posters and cards were put up, and pinholes peppered walls with every passing hobby and schoolgirl crush. Now all our budding Nate Berkuses and Bunny Williamses can choose from an array of graphics to dress their walls as personally as they style themselves. Blame it on the French.

SOURCE: WALLTAT.COM

Credited with igniting this hot trend in 2005, “Les Ephémères” (The Temporaries) were a huge hit when the Parisian designers launched their collection of Baroque-influenced wall decals, depicting everything from charming fireplaces and butterflies to Eiffel Towers or bellflowers. Now Pottery Barn, with its PB Teen wall stickers ranging from hipster snowboarders to U.S. maps, and Birthday Express with its Mod Monkey motif or a fleet of decidedly cool fighter jets, has lined up a library of removable ― and often reusable ― wall stickers.

Make baby’s nest sweeter with a meadow of fresh spring grass in the nursery. Let Tinkerbell lull your sweet one to sleep. Or let the kiddos switch ‘em out as the fad fades, moving from Cath Kidston sweetness to the “WallTats” cool of pop culture.

CONNECTIONS | by KAVITA VARMA-WHITE

IN THAT NEVER-ENDING CHALLENGE to be a more efficient wife/mom/chef/chauffeur, there’s nothing like the iPhone to help make every day go smoother.  These are four of our most fave iPhone apps that make managing family life a little easier and a lot more fun!

SOURCE: APPLE.COM

4 Ingredients

Who it’s for: The working mom who is driving home wondering what to make for dinner.

How it works: Pick a specific ingredient (i.e., Beef) or a Food category (Dinner) and then choose from a plethora of 4-ingredient recipes, which come from the Australian cookbook of the same name.

Cost: $3.99

ShopALot

Who it’s for: The family member who does all the grocery shopping, week after week.

How it works: This app lets you do everything from create grocery lists and see nutritional info to compare pricing of products and see images of products so you can find them easily on the shelf.

Cost: $1.99

Proxido

Who it’s for: The errand-runner/family chauffeur

How it works: Enter your Tasks and To-Do lists and this app will read your GPS coordinates and remind you what you need to do in the vicinity of where you are.

Cost: $.99

Time Out

Who it’s for: Naughty little ones who need to be punished when you’re out and about.

How it works: Kids acting up at a restaurant or in the car?  This app is a timer for tracking Time Outs. Just enter (up to 4) kids’ names and the amount of time they have to serve. An alarm goes off when the time is up.

Cost: Free

BACK TO BASICS | by SHERRY STRIPLING

THIS WINTER WE BOUGHT a TV, a DVD player and a chair to watch them in. You, my fellow consumer, told me what to look for, what to avoid and when to make the leap. You were right on every count.

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I love consumer reviews. Nine times out of 10, the written words of people who have used the product lead to my best purchases.

I don’t always make the right choice. But I buy confident that I’ve done my research.

If you read enough of user comments — cross checking between sites, typing in “problem” with the model number, finding forums for the big items — you develop an ear for separating whiners from legitimate complainers, real people from company plants.

Tips:

• For a big purchase, like a car, read formal sites like Consumer Reports for possible problems. Then type a short reference to those problems into Google search with the name of the vehicle.
• If you can’t decide between two products, type “compare” this to that.
• If one site doesn’t have reviews but has a great price, type in the model number to find reviews on other sites.
• Watch for patterns. Does the “horrible red line” show up in reviews from three people who bought that TV? Don’t risk it!
• Decide what you can live with. I pined for a chair on sale online. One reviewer loved it; one found it too hard. I went for it without enough evidence. Darned if the critical guy wasn’t right.
• Consumer reviews are anecdotal not scientific. Their strength is context: Will you use this product the same way?

Two other sites with extensive reviews:

• Amazon.com
• ConsumerSearch

Oh, and many thanks to the reviewer with the “buy right now” tip just as I happened to be trolling: I saved $600 on the TV.

BACK TO BASICS | by MOLLY MARTIN

SNEAKING VEGETABLES into your diet can be challenging, for children and adults alike. Juice manufacturers are trying by mixing fruits with vegetables to create a tastier beverage, but often valuable fiber is lost in the process. At restaurants you sometimes get more veggie for your buck if an entrée is served atop the vegetable- or fruit-based sauce called a coulis, but often there’s just not enough time to reproduce that at home.

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No such obstacles with Kale Chips: This quick and simple way to prepare nutritious kale yields a surprisingly crisp, deliciously savory and even addictive appetizer. You can find a variety of recipes by searching for “roasted kale”, but here’s one of the easiest:

Kale Chips

Serves 2 as an appetizer

1 bunch kale (green or purple), washed and dried thoroughly

Olive-oil spray

Sea salt, to taste

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.

Remove the stems from the kale by folding each leaf in half and pulling off the leaves. Discard the stems. Tear the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Spray with the olive oil and toss, repeating until the leaves are well covered.

Lightly spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and spread the leaves so they don’t overlap. (Use a second baking sheet if needed.) Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and put in the oven for 7 minutes. Turn the kale, then bake for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the pieces are crispy and the edges are just starting to brown. Serve immediately and enjoy.