How To

Homemade Gift Ideas

Last minute gift ideas? There is still time to make a holiday gift or two. Here are some of Yankee‘s “Inspired Ideas.” Make a Pet Bed Family Photos in a Bottle Painted Flower Pots Acorn Crafts For Birdwatchers Scented Pillows

How To

How to Store Vegetables in a Root Cellar

From Yankee Magazine, October 1975 Cut off the tops of vegetables to within 1 inch of the crown. Rutabagas and turnips can be glazed with melted paraffin for longer keeping. Beets can be layered with dry fall leaves in baskets and buckets. Carrots can be bunched and stored in ventilated plastic bags or layered directly […]

How To

Home Projects: Kitchen Island

Project: Antiqued Kitchen Island Jack Kurilla’s craftsmanship is about perfection. As a high-end cabinetmaker in the small southern New Hampshire town of Dublin, Kurilla needs his work to be flawless. But when it came to building a new kitchen island for his own home, he took a different tack. Wood knots, splits, and seams? He […]

How To

Make Scented Pillows | Inspired Ideas

I love hosting family and friends in my home. When I have overnight visitors, I like to make them feel welcomed. Leaving a scented pillow on a guest’s bed is one of my favorite greetings–and what’s best is that it’s also his or her gift to take home as a fragrant memory of a warm […]

How To

Green Cleaning with Mayonnaise, Vinegar and Baking Soda

For truly natural, eco-friendly, green cleaning, try using mayonnaise, vinegar, and baking soda.   Green Cleaning with Mayonnaise 1. Mayonnaise is one of the best green cleaning substances. Try it on pine pitch, grease, or to wash tar off your hands. Rub it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and clean off the spot. […]

How To

12 Painting Tips

1. Don’t wait for the cool days of fall to start your outside paint job. There may be too much rain then. The best time to paint is during a run of decent, hot weather — the heat dries out the wood, which is the way you want it for painting. 2. Before painting old […]

How To

16 Fall Cleaning Tips

Home Tips: Fall Chore Shortcuts 1. Clean painted woodwork with a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 gallon of lukewarm water. No rinsing is necessary with this solution. 2. Clean vinyl shower curtains without taking them down by wiping them with a sponge dampened with white […]

How To

Make Acorn Refrigerator Magnets | Fall Craft

Looking for a way to use up the abundance of acorns the oak trees dropped this year? These “magic” acorn refrigerator magnets are a fun (and easy!) fall craft project.

How To

2 Simple Acorn Crafts | Inspired Ideas

Make refrigerator magnets and napkin rings with acorns. Autumn is an ideal time to harvest some of New England’s woodland bounty for yourself. Yankee‘s acorn crafts will dress up your kitchen and dining area in true autumn style–sure to bring a smile to the faces of your family, friends, and guests. Go nuts!

How To

Home Projects: Playhouse

Project: playhouse and swing set When Richard Svopa moved his family from Florida to Halifax, Massachusetts, three years ago, his three young kids quickly realized that something was missing from their new life. And it had nothing to do with white sandy beaches and sunny February weather. Nope. Instead, the Svopa home was missing its […]

How To

5 Tips for Sand Castles | Advice

First, find a spot just above the high-tide line, so your creation doesn’t get washed away. Shovel sand into a pile. Then add water to keep it dense, and pound the wet sand down. Repeat until you achieve a good height. Now for the sculpting: Carve with your trowel and refine with your palette knife, […]

How To

“New England Shores” Paint Colors

“New England Shores” is one of the forecasted palettes for 2008-09 by the Color Association of the United States. As color consultant Leslie Harrington describes them: “The colors connect us to home — weathered gray, tranquil blues, soft greens, punctuated by barn red.” Click on a swatch for the name of the paint color (Atlantic) […]

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