ORGANIZE IT: First day of school looms just around the corner, and while you may have your kids’ backpacks stocked, you’re not truly prepared until the home front is in working order. Kelly Vrtis of The Container Store recommends establishing a “family communication center,” complete with a Bulletin & Magnetic Board ($34.99), Magnetic Monthly Planner ($19.99), Mini Spot-On Magnetic Hooks for keys ($9.99 for four), Silver Mesh Basket Ladder ($34.99) for mom’s and dad’s organization, and an Add-A-Pocket Bag for each child ($16.99 for two). “You can set this up in a mudroom, den or anywhere that the family tends to walk through on a daily basis,” Vrtis says. “The key hooks prevent moments wasted running around searching for misplaced car keys, and the Add-A-Pocket Bags are great for keeping track of permission slips and other school forms.” For nearest store, call 800-786-7315 or visit www.containerstore.com
— Shaila Wunderlich
SHOP IT: Robert Bergelin Co., a North Carolina-based manufacturer of high-end wood furniture with a showroom in Winnetka, is staging a “Floor Samples on the Web” sale. Through early fall, tables, chairs, beds and living room furniture — all handcrafted and finished in Morganton, N.C.; all are floor samples, overstocks or discontinued items — are marked down 10 percent to 20 percent and can be viewed at www.rbcfurn.com . Click on the link to “clearance items.” Some prices: a cherry wood sleigh bed with low footboard was $4,719, on sale for $3,303; a custom, 72-inch-round cherry wood dining table was $7,354, now $5,147. All the actual sale pieces are in North Carolina, but shoppers are invited to visit the store to view the finishes and the quality of the furniture. Shipping is extra.
920 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, 847-446-8540, www.rbcfurn.com .
More Top Picks Best Sensory Swings For Adults
— Karen Klages
READ IT: Just the book to help you squeeze out every last bit of summer’s last precious weeks, “Lakeside Living” (Universe Publishing, 224 pages, $49.95) is a beautiful book made even more satisfying by its focus on homes of the Great Lakes region. It’s a toss-up over what’s more drool-inducing: the stunning architecture or the way that architecture splays into the water and stone of the area. We recommend enjoying this one on the porch or deck with a tall glass of iced tea.
— S.W.
TRY IT: You can turn a wall, a cupboard door or just about any other surface into a memo board with Rust-Oleum’s new Dry Erase Paint. The paint, a two-part product that you mix together, produces a white surface that can be written or drawn on with a dry-erase marker and then erased. It can be applied to interior surfaces including drywall, Masonite, wood, concrete and metal. The paint is available at Lowe’s and Home Depot stores. A kit that makes enough paint to cover about 7 feet by 7 feet costs about $24.
— Mary Beth Breckenridge
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