No reason the door to a child's room can't be as much fun as what's inside. This Playland Door from Signamark has a tempered, frosted-glass center panel with an image of a teddy bear, balloons, stars and toys. The doors, available at Home Depot, start at $360. Call toll-free 1-800-803-8182 or visit www.signamark.com
Conquering bathroom clutter
Ideas for de-cluttering a bathroom, from Better Homes and Gardens via houseandhome.msn.com: Separate the health and first-aid items you need regularly - vitamins, aspirin, plastic bandages, first-aid cream - from those you need only when someone's sick (cough syrup, cold tablets). Store the infrequently used items in a remote location and free up space in the medicine cabinet. Keep first-aid items in a couple of locations around the house where you're likely to need them (kitchen, garage). If kids share a bathroom, give each one a plastic caddy to corral their stuff. It keeps the bathroom neater, and they can grab the caddy and use another bathroom if a sibling is hogging the mirror or the shower.
Wreathmaking made easy
Even if you've never ventured down the aisles of your local crafts store, you'll be tempted to do so after leafing through Fantastic Wreaths with Dale Rohman (North Light Books, $22.99). He offers step-by-step instructions for creating 20 wreaths, both fresh and dried, to decorate year-round. Rohman offers good materials lists, shows you the raw materials so you know what you're shopping for and walks you through the creation process with excellent photos.
Homeowners mecca
The August Consumer Reports is a gold mine for homeowners. A special section on home improvement offers tips on finding a contractor and on selecting roofing, siding, paints and stains. There are also ratings of washers, dryers and laundry detergents.
