Top Drawer: The best of everything for home and garden

Best travel tip

Are you traveling with small children over spring or summer break? This tip from the Beautifully Bella Faith blog will make getting them dressed a little easier:

Stow a coordinated outfit for each day in zip-top, gallon-size bags. “Put them into the drawer at your hotel/resort, and let your kids pick out which one they’d prefer to wear! Not only is this a life saver, but it teaches kids independence and individuality.”

Check out this and other great organizing tips at http://nando.com/z2.

Best ways to soften butter

We’ve all been in a baking bind. You know, when a recipe calls for softened butter and yours sits cold and solid in the refrigerator bin. Epicurious.com has four ways to soften butter in a jiffy. We’ve excerpted the tips here:

1 Cut the butter into tablespoons and let it sit on a plate or low-sided bowl at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. By increasing the surface area, the butter will warm up more quickly. Press butter to check softness.

2 Microwave the butter in its (microwave-safe) wrapper. Use a low power level and heat in short bursts, 5 seconds each, until soft.

3 Carefully heat the butter in its wrapper in a double boiler.

4 Flatten the butter inside a resealable plastic bag or between two sheets of parchment using a rolling pin or wine bottle.

See this tip and more at http://nando.com/11c.

Best shortcut for removing wrinkles

The next time you’re pressed for time without a pressed garment, turn to this trick for removing wrinkles found on the JumbleJoy blog. Toss the wrinkled garment into the dryer with a handful of ice cubes. Set the dryer to high for five minutes and let it tumble. The garment should emerge relatively wrinkle-free.

See the original post at http://nando.com/11d.

Seeking your best salad recipes

Spring has taken its sweet time to unfurl, but we’re hopeful that it will press full speed ahead in the coming weeks – especially since we’ve got lighter, warm-weather salads on our minds. We’re dreaming of pasta salads, garden salads, potato salad and more. If you have a favorite, simple salad recipe to share, please send it along. Homemade salad dressings would be great, too. Precise measurements are a must. Send recipes to topdrawer@newsobserver.com. If we print it, you’ll be entered in our quarterly drawing for a Visa gift card. Be sure to include your name, street address and city. Put “best salad” in the subject line.

Best new use for picnic baskets

Juanita Walker of Raleigh shared a creative new use for picnic baskets.

“No one uses wicker picnic baskets these days, but I couldn’t bear to toss mine. I find it handy to organize catalogs and magazines that I may wish to read later. The addition of a cup for pens, pencils, etc., and a lined pad means that when an idea strikes, I don’t lose time and the thought (while) searching for writing materials. Plus, the old woven basket looks great in my family room.”

Best open house

Julie and Richard Mason, the new owners of Multiflora Greenhouses in Hillsborough, invite you to an open house from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 28. Learn about the Orange County Master Gardener program, tour the greenhouse at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m., enter a raffle to support the Fairview Community Center and enjoy free entertainment. Multiflora is at 1623 New Sharon Church Road.

Info: 919-732-3630 or multifloragreenhouses.com

Best of the tube

On DIY

Beauty and the beats: The Rev. and Justine are back in the basement, creating his and hers personal spaces. Rev is giving his recording studio a proper 2015 makeover, while Justine is turning a cluttered storage room into a salon. “Rev Run’s Renovation” airs at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

On HGTV

Distressed dining room: Nicole turns her attention to removing the pink and gold kitsch from the formal dining room. Restoring the floors, swapping out sconces and repairing the stained glass windows take the vibe out of the 1970s and back to 1904. Meanwhile, at another of her houses, a buyer pulls out at the 11th hour, causing Nicole to make some quick decisions. “Rehab Addict” airs at 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Top Drawer: The best of everything for home and garden."