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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2505 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Pink Or Blue And Green Baking Cookies: A Budget-Stretching Gift Idea (NAPSA)—Saving money on holiday gifts can be delicious— especially if you cut costs by baking tasty homemade cookies. It’s easier and less expensive than you might imagine. Baking cookies literally costs pennies, and it’s the kind of mouthwatering gift people remember. For example, a dozen pecan chocolate chip cookies can be made for around one dollar, while refrigerated cookie dough cookies cost almost 50 cents more and a package of bakery chocolate chip cookies can cost around $5.00 per dozen, depending on where you live. Peanut butter cookies can be baked at home for about 50 cents a dozen and cost as much as chocolate chip ones at the bakery. Once you have gathered all the ingredients, it probably takes less time to bake up several batches of cookies than you might spend wandering around the mall. It’s a great way to get yourself in the holiday spirit. Just turn on the holiday music, make yourself a cup of cocoa and get in the holiday mood. Making cookies is a great seasonal activity for the whole family. Even the smallest children can press a cookie cutter or help stir cookie dough. When the cookies are done, find a clever way to wrap them up. • Wrap them in colorful tissue paper. • Give them in holiday tins. You can find new tins in stores or vintage ones at tag sales. Here’s a sweet deal. Cookies are inexpensive to make at home and are a delicious way to show someone you care. • Arrange them in a basket. • Decorate a gift box with a collage of images or cutout letters of the person’s name. • Fill a Mason jar and attach a ribbon. A sweet way to get together with friends and family, create great, inexpensive gifts and have a warmly delightful time at the holidays or throughout the year is by staging a cookie swap. At a cookie swap, you and each of your guests bake one kind of cookie in quantities sufficient to share. Each guest leaves the party with a dozen of each cookie, ready to give away, share right away or enjoy later. For cookie recipes, visit www.Dominosugar.com or www. chsugar.com. by Rachel Mallon, Interior Designer (NAPSA)—Whether you are decorating your nursery for a baby boy or girl, you may find yourself seeking green. Fortunately, you no longer need to sacrifice aesthetics when looking for products that are good for baby and the environment. Here are a few suggestions for creating a naturally beautiful nursery: Eco-friendly furniture is an important element for “greening” a baby’s room. • Crib: Bonavita’s La Madre crib and furniture collection is not only stunning but features sustainable woods and environmentally safe finishes and glues. Fashioned from natural bamboo veneers and hardwood, the set is a design masterpiece. • Bedding: Surround your baby with organic cotton bedding. CoCaLo Natural and Kids Line Organics both offer beautiful organic sets. • Toys: Look for toys made from wood instead of plastic and consider products made with waterbased paint. Items in Sassy’s cute Earth Brights collection are perfect for baby and so cute to display. • Accessories: Get crafty and recycle. Paint old picture frames, borrow grandma’s rocking chair and see what’s hiding in your attic. For a chance to win products featured in this story, and for more of my tips, visit www.lajobi.com. Choosing The Right Insulation Can Save Homeowners Big Bucks (NAPSA)—As energy costs continue to climb and the economy tightens, there’s no better time to evaluate the energy efficiency of your home. By choosing the right insulation for specific areas of a home, homeowners can save big bucks on their heating and cooling bills and enjoy a more comfortable abode. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the attic should be the first target, as it is likely the most accessible and least expensive. For attics, blow-in insulation, such as CertainTeed InsulSafe SP, provides uniform coverage and goes a long way in boosting a home’s thermal efficiency. Unfinished basements, which can contribute to roughly onethird of the total heat loss in a home, can also drain a home’s energy efficiency. Fiberglass batt insulation, a tried-and-true insulating option, is ideal in increasing a home’s R-value, or insulating power, in below-grade areas. For more challenging areas of a home, such as under stairwells, around plumbing fixtures or along cathedral ceilings, polyurethane spray foam insulation, such as CertaSpray, is an excellent solution. Spray foam insulation is sprayed into a cavity and expands to fill every nook and cranny, preventing heated air from escaping. Homeowners looking to build a new home or addition should take advantage of a more sophisticated, science-based approach in insulating their home. Through CertainTeed’s building science program, experts in the industry have discovered that using a com- Spray foam insulation can help make a home more comfortable and energy efficient. bination of blown-in insulation, fiberglass batts and spray foam insulation can give the best results and maximize a homeowner’s investment. Regardless of a home’s needs, homeowners can rely on a wide range of resources to help navigate through the various options for home insulation either by contacting a local insulation contractor or insulation manufacturer. Turning to the experts to tackle home energy efficiency will not only alleviate uncertainty, it will guarantee the best results for long-lasting comfort in your home. For more information about insulation products and building science, or to find a contractor in your area, call CertainTeed Corporation at (800) 782-8777 or visit www.certainteed.com.