Does your roof match your personality? You've probably never given that much thought. Roofing is rarely changed on a whim, and most of us are stuck with whatever was there when we bought the place, at least until the next hailstorm.

But if a new roof is in your future, consider taking the "Roofing Color Compass" quiz developed by Owens Corning. It's a quick, fun series of questions designed to determine your personality type and suggest an exterior color palette that best expresses it. (I was a "Purple," creative and enigmatic; my "ideal shingle" is Sedona Canyon, a variegated product with undertones of plum and aubergine.)

Once you discover your color, you can click on different palettes, both "Traditional" and "Fashion Forward," to see variations of your color on a home exterior. In addition to roofing, the palette also includes suggestions for coordinating paint trim colors, siding and stone.

Even if you won't be putting a new roof over your head anytime this decade, the quiz is entertaining and may open your eyes to exterior color possibilities. Visit www.roofingcolorcompass.com.

KIM PALMER

Pattern play Just in time for spring: Russell + Hazel's 2010 collection of office and home organizing supplies introduces patterns and new colors to its collection of large and mini-binders. The large (10¾- by 12-inch) and small (7- by 9-inch) binders are made of 100 percent post-consumer material. Both are U.S.-made with metal corner reinforcements. Several insert and divider options are available; $16 and $24. 4388 France Av. S., Mpls., 952-929-9000 and several Minnesota locations; see a storefinder at www.russellandhazel.com.

KIM YEAGER

Real-life solutions Author Marni Jameson believes that somewhere between bedlam and a beautiful home there's a middle ground -- and it's not littered with toys.

She points readers toward it in "House of Havoc: How to Make -- and Keep -- A Beautiful Home Despite Cheap Spouses, Messy Kids and Other Difficult Roommates" (Da Capo Press, $16.95). Jameson aims for a home that's suited for real life, not a House Beautiful photo shoot. She advocates solutions that are workable rather than idealistic: patterned upholstery fabrics that don't show stains and pet hair, drapes made from discount fabric and hot glue, and doormats that trap dirt before it gets tracked into the house. And she does it with humor and the credibility of one who's been there and survived.

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL