St. Louis designer on-the-rise Jessie Miller made her debut June 9 on HGTV Star, which offers opportunities for undiscovered home renovation virtuosos to win life-changing prizes.

This summer, think of your backyard as the next decorating frontier. Use designer-quality furniture, rugs, lighting and charming decorative accents for stunning results.

Wipe the dust off your car’s tuning knob—classical music is making a comeback on April 8 with the highly-anticipated Radio Arts Foundation – St. Louis.

Caroline Kennedy will be in town next Wednesday, April 3, for the ninth annual Family Read Night at St. Louis County Library headquarters to discuss her new book.

The following luxury homes and condos sold the last two weeks in February:

Getting what you want always starts with knowing where to look. And the real estate market is no different. “Having an extensive conversation with clients to determine their priorities and lifestyles when considering a new home is the primary step in the search process,” says Kathy Crane of Laura McCarthy Real Estate. Here, local real estate agents have given us insights into good places to start your home search, depending on your family’s priorities.

Shannon Parker, originally from Bellevue, Neb., has called Brentwood home since 1994. She is a technical writer with Trustforte Corporation; and her kids, Lucy Bloomstran, 11, and Reid Bloomstran, 9, attend Wilson School. We spoke with Shannon about what she and her family love most about living in Brentwood.

For the second year, in a tight competition with less than 20 votes separating the top two churches, St. Paul's Catholic Church, Fenton, beat out St. Dominic Savio, Affton, to win Friendship Village Sunset Hills' Fourth Annual Quilting Competition. Several hundred voted in the week's competition and display of quilts from area churches at Fountain View, the freestanding assisted-living community at Friendship Village Sunset Hills. Pictured: Erlinda Madridondo, Ruth Finder, Donna Robinson and Mary Haukap (kneeling) proudly display their winning quilt.

Have you ever woken up to a shiny, beautiful car sitting in the driveway topped with a big red bow and your significant other standing there, jingling the keys? These local car dealers could help your holiday dreams come true.

Proceeds from the Ladue News Show House will go to four St. Louis nonprofits: Angels’ Arms, Animal Protective Association of Missouri, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. Dozens of volunteers from the nonprofits, as well as the National Charity League’s St. Louis Chapter, have donated their time to help prep the home and will serve as docents during the tour. “They will really help bring to life the vision of the designer for each room,” says volunteer chair Lisa Malone.

The Boulevard-Saint Louis

St. Louis husband-and-wife team John and Kelley Barr have opened a second store on Maryland Plaza in the Central West End. The store will operate in the Maryland Plaza location at least through December 2012.

As the economy continues to reveal signs of recovery, some local entrepreneurs have decided that now is the time to grow and expand their businesses. We’ve spoken to three business owners whose hard work and determination are paying off.

SATURDAY, MAY 19

St. Louis is now home to the WORLD’S LARGEST CHESS PIECE, as certified by the folks at Guinness World Record. The 14-foot, 16-inch tall piece—a king—is 6-feet wide at the base. It was unveiled earlier this week to kick off the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis in the Central West End. Tournament play began May 8 and will run through May 20.

FRIDAY, MAY 4

Beach season is right around the corner, and St. Louis boutiques are full of everything you need for looking fabulous at the pool or on your favorite summer getaway. It’s all about hot pink and orange right now, so add some of these sunny colors into the mix and you’ll be ready for the heat! 

Well, spring break is upon us. I just love it when the kiddos are off school. They play so well together, and I can finally get some much-needed help around the house. I’m joking, of course. A Grey Goose gimlet and the last season of The Mentalist are the only things keeping me from kicking the chair out from underneath me. The mind reels at the sheer number of topics about which my children can argue.

THE FOLLOWING LUXURY HOMES AND CONDOS WENT ON THE MARKET

We applaud this year’s WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT honorees, who will be fêted during a May 17 awards luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton. The 2012 class includes CAROLYN COTTA (Youth Dedication), SANDRA LAUSCHKE (Health Concerns), KIMBERLY RITTER (Human Welfare), MARSHA RUSNACK (Cultural Enrichment), BARBARA SHUMAN (Community Service), CAROL STAENBERG (Spirit of Giving), THELMA STEWARD (Social Responsibility), CAROL VOSS (Community Betterment), MARY PILLSBURY WAINWRIGHT (Health & Arts) and LISA ZARIN (Youth Advocate). For tickets and more information about the awards luncheon, call 421-2005 or visit woastl.org.

St. Louis’ own EMILY PULITZER has been awarded one of the 2011 National Medals of Arts and Humanities by PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. Pulitzer’s “contributions as a curator, art collector and philanthropist (who) has dedicated herself to connecting art and viewers through her generosity…” were cited as some of the reasons why she is deserving of the honor. Other National Medal of Arts recipients honored at the White House this week included actor AL PACINO and poet RITA DOVE.

Twelve years ago when Rick and Peggy Strelinger decided it was time to downsize, they set their sights on Brentwood. “We found a lovely home on a charming street, two blocks from the park,” Peggy says. The couple has three grown children—Betsy, Richard and April, and two grandchildren, William, 3, and Abby, 2. Peggy is the director of Outreach Ministries at St. Michael and St. George and Rick works for the State of Missouri in the Division of Family Services.

FRIDAY, JAN. 20