Home decorating and design

I haven't posted in awhile. My son and daughter have chicken pox and than my 7 year old son was in the hospital he had a seizure in school. So I have been really busy taking care of them. I only have half of my Christmas shopping done I can't believe it. Sorry for rambling on. I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and I can't wait for after the holidays to get back to decorating. Marianne

I am so excited, and since the list has been so quiet lately, I thought I'd share my happiness! When my mother died, I inherited her China set. It is extremely old, but in good condition (has already survived one house fire!). My problem has always been that it is white with tiny pink roses and silver trimming! Did I mention my house is in a Southwest/Northwoods theme... very rustic? I still get the China out every holiday, but it just has been a nightmare to me to find the right tablecloths, napkins, centerpiece for my adobe walled dinning room! I was walking through a store yesterday and walked through their table linen department.... nothing! As I was walking through another section of the store, I saw a Christmas Sale section... and there it was! Denim and silver EVERYTHING! The tablecloth is denim with tiny silver sprinkles through out. There are embroidered snowflakes on the corners. The cloth napkins are the same denim with the silver sprinkles. I bought silver place mats and silver snowflake napkin ring holders. (When did napkin ring holders get so expensive?) I bought the entire 8 place setting! I intend to make napkins in silver so that each person will have 2 napkins. I also intend on making silver potholders. I have 2 Christmas carousel horse, candle holders in silver and gold and pastels that I intend on using as a centerpiece. This is for Christmas Breakfast. If anyone has any ideas on center pieces, I'd love to hear them!!! I'm so excited! This will be the first time that my mothers China will look purposeful! Angie

I just tried bringing up photopoint and it wont work, anyone else have this trouble??? Brenda

Hi everyone, I've been driving myself crazy trying to find the instructions for a woven copper wire lantern that I saw on Cable TV (either on HGTV or Discovery Daytime) sometime this summer or early fall. I *think* that it involved a mason jar and copper wire that you threaded around and made a little lantern for a candle to go inside. Does this sound even remotely similar to anyone??? I've searched the HGTV and Discovery Channel sites with no luck :( Thanks, Pixel

I have had slipcovers on my old furniture for 2 yrs. When I got cleaning help one of the ladies said to me "having slipcovers is like making a bed. It has to be done every day or it looks like a mess". My idea slipcover are great if you aren't going to sit on them. Maria in NJ

In a message dated 12/17/01 8:54:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, zenboysoccer@... writes: What a beautiful armoire and will even more so when you get the color staining completed. HEY.....you don't like it....we have a perfect place for it in our family room.....formerly the dungeon! Be sure and take pictures when you have it complete so we can all marvel at your handiwork.] Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

hi, everybody, i've tried answering some other posts before, but my messages kept bouncing back, even though i'm considered a member. so, now i've tested answering thorugh the website and it worked - yeah! anyway, i buy and renovate old houses, mainly victorians, in atlanta. my personal style is kind of eclectic. for example i had found a set of 4 ornateley carved piano legs at an antique- fleamarket and in my last kitchen i had the island countertop stand over a foot on either side and installed the legs on the corners. it really looks great. i'm always on the lookout for some unusual antique artifacts, that i can incorporate into my houses some way, leaded glass windows, old mantles, since the properties i buy are usually in such bad shape, that i gave to gut them and start from scratch. that's a little about me ciao michaela

I have a question.. The house we are buying has a large kitchen and dining area, with 10 or 12 inch terra cotta colored tiles there is wood trim all the way around. AND the washer and dryer in the kitchen.. ( weird) So my dad and I came up with a plan to put up two partition walls in and I love the idea, the walls will be covered ( in our plan) with pine slats. I think all of this sound dark. I'd like pink and lime green for the curtains and for basic decor colors, but was wondering if it would look funny with the tiles, and what would you do to lighten and warm up the place.. what kind of decor would you put with what I described? thanks!!! Kellie Got Jesus?

It actually took the 3 wise men about 12 months to walk from Egypt to Bethlehem, baby Jesus was 1 by the time they actually got there :-) Missy

Barbara, Your house looks great. I really like it. Lorretta Thanks for the pics

Its me Marianne who lives in Rome. I only live about 10 minutes from Westmoreland. Marianne Starlady96@...

I think that my Cupboard faces in my kitchen must have years of yuck on them. They feel like they have a wax covering of grease, grimes, and 20 years of whatever. Is there a good way to strip all that waxy stuff off without having to refinish the cupboards? They are very good quality cupboards, I just think they need a HEAVY cleaning/scraping...... Thank you, Angie

OK gang..the time has finally come! I am on no mail on all my lists now as we have FINALLY gotten all the paperwork gone thru the works for the mortgage to our house! We settle tomorrow and start moving in tomorrow night and have friends helping us get as much done as possible on Saturday. Feel free to email me offlist...at godsgracenmercy@.... I will be turning off my @home account tomorrow and getting a new one so I will be offline for about a week. My old email address of kathie.jones@... will not be good after that. I don't yet know what the new addy will be for my @home account. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. I will still need them as we are moving a gazillion boxes and furniture and unpacking. Blessings All! Kathie

recently jioned

Barbara, Where are you in upstate New York? I live in Rome. Marianne

Hi all! Not sure if what I just watched was a rerun or not, but just saw Kurt on an episode of Homes With Style on the Style channel. Kurt was amazing. He was working on a high-rise apartment in L.A. I just want to know why nobody mentioned that Kurt is a hottie?!?!! LOL.. first time I've actually gotten to see him on tv. I loved the wall of prints he did in the room, altho I'll admit I wouldn't have picked those particular prints.. but I think I'm going to steal that idea for the new house when it's done :) Jen

Either my computer is messed up.....or ya'll are extra busy with the holidays. Haven't heard from nary a soul. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

i created a couple folders...hope that's ok/ i just learned how to do that tonight : ) feel free to use any of it any way you like...bW

As I was cleaning my guest bathroom, I began thinking how nice it would be if the shower had one of those built in benches. Now I'm not prepared to actually build anything but am wondering if there are small benches or chairs I could get to put in there - something that looks nicer than a plain plastic stool. I've been looking at pics of many bathrooms but they all have the built in seating area. Any ideas where I should be looking? TIA, Richard P.S. - I finally finished cleaning all the blinds. What a workout - I feel like the Karate Kid at Mr. Miyagi's place ("wax on, wax off")

My 8 month old kitty has been to the vet twice in the last two weeks. She had bronchitis that turned into pnuemonia last week. They think she's asthmatic but weren't sure. She's back at the vet again for trouble breathing but the pnuemonia has cleared up for the most part. We don't have any of the things in our house that would normally cause an allergic reaction like a smoker or a wood burning stove or a fireplace (that's used). We think it might be sheetrock dust in the carpet from this past spring and summer - carpet's shot, lawyer hired to get rid of contractor, will be replacing as soon as contractor signs paper, looooooong story. Anyway, we've removed the carpet from my daughter's room and the hall which were the two rooms that got it the most and there was a lot of dust down deep in it and under it. We are hoping that this takes care of it but we can't bring her back here for a few days until she is better and things have been aired out well here. Does anyone have any other ideas of things that might cause this. I am so afraid that after all this time at the vet and all the money (first bill was $382 - I don't know how much the second one will be but I am guessing it will be similar) that this won't take care of it. I am stumped if this isn't it. She wasn't coughing or anything prior to getting sick - just all of a sudden seemed to be breathing hard and became very sluggish. Thanks for any help in advance. Michele

What's DIY????? In our town they don't even have HGTV...........

You can get the DIY channel and the HGTV channel on Directv satelite. Thats how I get them. Directv satelite is much better than cable..and relatively easy to set up...I have used them ever since they came out with the little dishes....Living out in the country most of the time using it..but now live in town. Vicci

I hope someone can helpo me with this.... Recently Helen Gurley Brown was on an episode of Design & Decorating. I would like to decorate my bed the way hers was but have no idea how to do it. Does anyone know how or where I can get the information? I've had the bed for 5 years now and keep taking the canopy off as I've yet to find something that shows how to dress it properly. Trish

I finally got around to posting some picture of my diningroom and foyer with christmas tree check them out if you get a chance. We just got our tree and started decorating the house inside is almost done but outside My dh still has to put up the icle lights I already decorated all the hedges and put reindeer and sleigh outside. I'm going to be busy my 7 year old just came down with the chicken pox and I'm waiting for my 4 year old to get them. I only have half of my christmas shopping done to. Does it ever stop lol. By for now, Marianne

ALSO.. I would love to see what you come up with for your headboard BEFORE next Sept., so if you get a chance when you're done, can you show us? I am ready to paint my MB and DO something in there. I am looking for something for our bed, (and since we are having no dressers, or armoire or tv or anything excessive, I want the bed to say "Just LOOK at me, I'm fabulous" TIA Missy

ALSO.. I would love to see what you come up with for your headboard BEFORE next Sept., so if you get a chance when you're done, can you show us?

Kurt is a decorator and has appeared on several shows. He must be very busy as he has been quiet for past few weeks.

I bought a very different looking armoire, but I still plan on finishing it in multiple colors. Maybe when it's delivered I'll take a pic and post it online. Suddenly realizing that I might possibly paint stuff myself has been very empowering! It never really occured to me before. I accepted whatever was out there, but now the possibilities seem endless. So other things I've been thinking of taking a brush to are: 1. My bathroom tiles. I've never really liked the brown/tan sludge color I inherited, so is it possible to repaint them or at least a few of them? If so, is there a particular type of paint I should use? 2. Amidst the chaos of the local arts and crafts store, I noticed a varying array of markers that were called fabric paint. Could I use these on clothing? Specifically, I have in mind a pair of lycra cycling shorts onto which I'd like to write a club logo. Would this type of paint stick and last? I also have to consider that the lycra stretches significantly when in use. TIA, Richard PS - Yes, "Decorating Cents" is great - I also noticed on the HGTV website a show called "This Small Space" which I'd love to see and realize I missed today's episode :( PPS - Loretta, I consider myself a typical single male urban dweller - in other words, clueless when it comes to decorating. In fact, am I the only guy on this list? I still like football but I now am constantly switching back and forth between a game and HGTV, w/HGTV often winning. Large men running into each other for an oblong shaped ball seems more and more odd LOL Watching an old discarded box turned into an ottoman or listening to a discussion on window trimming on the other hand.... Btw, congrats on the victory over the Giants today.

I've decided to get a subscription to a home interior magazine (uh, maybe even two), but there are over two dozen last I checked. I have a contemporary style condo, so I'm thinking Metropolitan Home? Elle Decor possibly. Dwell looks interesting. Some of the Do-It-Yourself ones are a bit more than I can chew right now. I'm just looking for a good mag that would inspire ideas for my kind of place with maybe a few handy tips. TIA, Richard

Liz, I did what I was supposed to do to change the email addy, went through all the hoops etc., and it still hasn't changed it. Plz help ........ again! Michelle

Richard those are kool armoires. Lots of colors. Kool. Are you married? It is too funny reading your emails on how you are hooked on HGTV. There are some really good shows on there. I cant get my husband to watch those shows. I still love football on Sunday. Dallas is my favorite team. In fact going down to phoenix on the 21st and going to game on Sunday Cardinals vs Dallas. Have fun with your armoire. Lorretta

We need new blinds or something for our windows (we just bought a house), and realized after looking in the stores that they don't carry anything longer than 72" .... well, our windows are longer, and I don't know where to find mini blinds and NOT pay a fortune! You can get them for less than $5 at Walmart! Bummer they don't have our length! Do you know of anywhere I can get cheap stuff for the windows???? I'd appreciate any ideas! Right now there are ugly shades and curtains, we aren't crazy about the shades (or the curtains for that matter), we'd stick with them if we had to though. Michele

Great idea Sandy! I am going to look into this for sure! Sounds alot cheaper than the 24.99 per window for rods and brackets!!! Vicci

I have been spending the last few days finishing the nursery now that Jacob is out. I finished some trim that was missed. I also painted the inside of the closet and the closet doors. The closet doors were bright yellow. The walls were a faux treatment that was much more subtle. I have always planned on adding something to the bi folding doors other than color. I put 4 large diamonds up high on the 4 doors. I did the diamonds in a faux leather that was to match my faux leather table top. I had visions off attaching rustic horse shoes. Now, I am not so sure I want horse shoes. 1. because the color of the faux leather is darker and the rusty horse shoes are not going to be seen. 2. the horse shoes are heavy, and other than hot glue, I am not sure it is a good idea to attach heavy horse shoes to these thin closet doors. FYI the leather treatment that I did was the SW red base, with a honey beige painted on and "plastic bagged" back off. (I don't know the real term for that) Finally, they were stained with a walnut stain. Looks good. So the question is, what can I put on these four diamonds? I still have the pictures of the walls in our Photo page under The Meneou House. There is a hint of Eeyore (what other burro would you add to a western nursery?) in the closet door pulls, the crib toys, a few large stuffed animals, and the mobile. There is also a hint of a tack room. On the opposite wall, there is a saddle coat rack, an antique bit, and an old draft bridle. I thought about attaching small bits to the triangles, but I hate to part with my bradoons! My original thought was a dude barn... Any ideas? Maybe I should check out the Christmas ornaments again :o) Angie

Thanks for your ideas... I think I am going to look into the wooden molding embellishment things. Sally

I had one bad experience with eBay and thats pretty much soured me on it, and the woman had excellent feedback but then she ripped off about 4 of us in a row.....then she emailed us and said she was still sending us the stuff (this was one year after the auction was done) and I still havent gotten it....I email her once a week just to be annoying asking where my stuff is! LOL Anyone in Florida wanna go knock on her door to see if she has it? LOL I have her address!..... Brenda

Thanks for the idea Kimmy....the placemats have 2 inch Christmas penguins on them, I am going to cut each one out and try this today. Wish me luck, and LOTS of patience. I am going to use a chunky snowflake stamp to fill in the spaces. Any advice for using these foam stamps? I never seem to get enough paint on them because I end up with the whole thing not transferring??

Is there a resource guide somewhere for making your own wooden curtain rods?? I just got four sets of Dorothy Original Ruffled curtains I bought off someone on Ebay for my front room...These curtains need wooden curtain rods to hang properly. When I went to check on the price of them at Walmart they were about 24.99 plus tax a rod...oh my gawd...I DONT want to pay that... So..I was thinking I could go the cheaper way and make some curtain rods with dowel rods??? Has anybody ever done this? Is it too expensive to do? What would I use on the end of the rods to cap them off? Could I use large drawer knobs maybe??? ideas and thoughts on this would be much appreciated. On the issue of my bedroom...we finally got it all painted..We are really happy with it..didnt pay a dime for the paint as we got lucky and got a five gallon bucket of cream colored very nice paint at the local recycle center along with alot of other paint and I painted three pieces of furniture with the other paints I got... I took photos with the digital camera as I went along...but suddenly now I cant find my digital camera...which has really peeved me off..because I think my son has took it....sighs..a long story....but anyway....now I cant share the before and during pictures of what I have done and that really has me upset...I was wanting to share them all with this group.. We are still working on the bedroom...each day I try to hang up a few more pieces or go through some more clutter boxes I packed up as I packed up the bedroom clutter... This is taking a long time..and much energy..but we are really happy with the results we are seeing in the house as we go along. The bedroom has taken on more of a country cottage look...with lots of pink, burgundy and roses and hearts as accents..I have taken things from other parts of the house to bring into the bedroom that matches how I am doing things... .I am looking for a nice comforter set on Ebay right now that has roses on it as well. The other thing I am looking for is interior window shutters to put in the bedroom. We live in town and there is alot of light from street lights that invades our bedroom...I need to block out as much as possible... Thanks to all for your wonderful sharing and advice.... Vicci Doyle

Does anyone know where I can buy a product called Creative Canvas? It's supposed to be pre-finished pieces of canvas for making floorcloths. I thought I saw it on Carol Duvall, but I checked her website and didn't come up with anything. Also, any tips for making these would be appreciated. One more question, can I use cut up paper place mats to glue onto the cloths? do you think it would hold up? Sandy

That is a good one. I am not a mom but have total respect for mom's and dad's Lorretta

Denise, Your signature is very interesting. Sounds very nice--and relaxing. Valerie Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 05:58:12 -0600 From: "Les and Denise Henderson" <LHendRN@... Subject: RE: Re: RE: Denise's Plan Valerie; I should take before/after photos, but these cabs are so embarrassing I don't know about the before part... They are white now, and I'm just going to paint them white and be done with it. Those last 4 words are the key: be done with it! Too much stuff around here gets started and moved past without it being finished. But a vine stencil with some pansies would be really sweet... Pansies are kind of my signature. Their old fashioned name is heart's ease. If I ever get a sign to "name" our little place, it will be Heart's Ease Cottage, and there will be pansies everywhere. It's just the kind of message that I want to convey to others about what to expect here. Now, to just get myself and this place in shape so that can be the case... Denise

Just wanted to say Hi!! I've just found this site and am reading through the archives. I'm in the process of moving into a 2 bdrm townhouse and I'M TIRED OF PAINTING!! From what I"ve read so far..I will paint the kitchen and the bathroom white and add color accents where needed. This way I won't have to worry about cutting anything in :-) p.s. I reside in London, On

Personally I am replacing them with roman shades. Kimi, what is a roman shade? Valerie

I am looking for the story someone told on this group about decorating with the help of her cat......I went back through the archives (list, not the individual messages) and tried searches, but couldn't find it. I guess I have no clue what it was titled or who wrote it or if it was a response to someone else's message..... A friend of mine recently told me how she couldn't put up Christmas decorations because of her kitty.....and I wanted to find that message.....then someone posted the message with directions for how to wrap packages with the help of a cat.....which made it feel more important to share with this poor woman. I did forward the gift wrapping story, but still want to find the decorating story. I think that if people have difficulties, they least they can do is laugh about it......right??? Diane

Hi all - i'm new...a lurker =) I'm getting married in Jan. so i'm getting ideas for my house. :) Anyway I do have a question. I have a hope chest that my mom bought for me at an auction. I've always pictured my chest as having cool wood engravings on the front, and just looking like something old and antique. The one I have is a nice one, it's a Lane, but it has just like plain wood veneer on the front with plain handles and stuff on it. I was wondering if there is any way to sand the veneer down and I don't know - I haven't done any of this before, you'll notice - maybe stain it a different color or get a different wood front or something? I'm not really sure what I could do or how, or even if I could do anything. Does this make sense? Does anyone have any ideas?? Thanks!! Sally

Denise, Will you take before/after photos?! Valerie

hi, there. i'm new here and wanted to introduce myself and hear your opinion on something i have come up with. i love to decorate (i buy and renovate old house for a living/passion) and am very visual. i have always been bothered, that wall calendars look a little like posters tacked to the wall. in august i noticed, that 80% of calendars, that are sold in stores, are the same size (12" x 24" unfoldd) and 'voila' the calendar frame was born. i came up with a desing, that allows the calendar to be installed and changed very simply from the front. it does not have glass, so you can still write on it. i have a patent pending and am going to start producing it in 4 colors (white, red, yellow, black) i intend retail to be $ 15.95. i would love to hear what you think about this idea. (so, that there's no misunderstanding, i'm not trying to sell anything with this post.)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've been successfully using both the bathtub bleach method for the really dirty ones and ammonia for the slightly soiled. I never realized I had so many - still have half a dozen sets to go, oof... Btw, I've been watching HGTV for a couple weeks and I think I'm becoming addicted LOL... Help! Thanks again, Richard

Christmas/Yule Gift Wrapping Hints for Cat Owners 1. Clear large space on table for wrapping present. 2. Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and shut door. 3. Open door and remove cat from closet. 4. Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper. 5. Go back and remove cat from cupboard. 6. Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc. . . 7. Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed. 8. Go back to drawer to get string, remove cat that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string. 9. Remove present from bag. 10. Remove cat from bag. 11. Open box to check present, remove cat from box, replace present. 12. Lay out paper to enable cutting to size. 13. Try and smooth out paper, realize cat is underneath and remove cat. 14. Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight. 15. Throw away first sheet as cat chased the scissors, and tore the paper. 16. Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting cat in the bag the present came in. 17. Place present on paper. 18. Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize cat is between present and paper. Remove cat. 19. Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape. 20. Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from cat with pair of nail scissors. 21. Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible. 22. Look for roll of ribbon. Chase cat down hall in order to retrieve ribbon. 23. Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn. 24. Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to cat's enthusiastic ribbon chase. 25. Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper. 26. Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the sheet of paper. 27. Put present in box, and tie down with string. 28. Remove sting, open box and remove cat. 29. Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for locked room. 30. Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials. 31. Remove cat from box, unlock door, put cat outside door, close and 32. Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear outside door) 33. Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best) 34. Discover cat has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because cat helped with this last year as well. 35. Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to sheet of paper look presentable. 36. Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas. 37. Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job. 38. Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed cat. 39. Spend 15 minutes looking for cat until coming to obvious conclusion. 40. Unwrap present, untie box and remove cat. 41. Go to store and buy a gift bag.

This is not a Christmas question, just a general HELP question. Now that the boys' rooms are about done, I want to figure out how to make my front entry outside more appealing. It is a long straight walk along side the garage to the front door. The is no way to make a curved sidewalk, or I would. It is covered. There is a step up into a "black hole" to the front door. Let me attempt to "draw a picture. _Door l l l l l l__Front of house

Or better yet, something already prepared and ready to just pop in the oven. My aunt brought a pan of enchiladas to us the afternoon of my son's 4th birthday party. I thanked her for them and put them in the refrigerator, thinking it was an odd gift... boy was I glad later that evening to be able to just stick the pan in the oven instead of having to make dinner after a child's birthday party! Glenda Fixings for an easy post-party/post-holiday meal are another surefire hit. Dried soup or chili mix, or dried pasta and bottled sauce, packaged with a loaf of homemade bread will be much appreciated on a busy evening.

Last night was my son's first night in his new room. He only woke up crying once (18 months). The dry wall was completed a few weekends ago. Everything is painted! I used Caruso Blue and Electric lime as well as Red for the trim. The window treatments are also in red. I kicked the blinds to the Garage as well <BWG shade screen for his room. We painted the closet doors in Chalk board paint, and had fun doodling on them. I bought a $5 table at a garage sale and painted it to look like a tire. I also found a electric green bean bag chair, and tire intertube for swimming pools, and bought him a race car bed. I framed a onesie that he has that was signed by John Force and a few other John force signed items. I set out all of my DH's collectable Action cars up on the pot shelves. I made a wooden cut out of a Funny car and a Jr Leauge NHRA sign. All that is left is to have Alan's friend come in for the shelving and closet organiser (and the apint them). I still have to cover the toy box lids with 4" foam and vinyl. I need 9' of foam and of course they sell it in 8' sections for $31 each! Bummer.... So I think it can wait until after the holidays and the new baby arrives. Pictures are taken, but must be developed.... give me a few weeks to finish the roll, K? Now I can do some final touch ups in the nursery. I need to paint the closet inside and out. I also need to figure out the placement of the furnature! Very happily yours! Angie

LIz, Sorry, but how do I change my email addy to receive the digest? It has changed to gmg4evermore@... and I can't seem to get the new one into my file. Thanks, Michelle

I think I got it????????? Michelle

If I remember correctly, I believe that there was some discussion about verses to paint on the wall. I'm thinking of painting this on my dear son's wall so that he can always remember me as the fount of knowledge: What My Mother Taught Me" My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning! My mother taught me about INDIVIDUALISM. "I bet if all your friends jumped off a bridge, you would too! My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that stain will come out of the carpet." My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. "Stop acting like your father!" My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why." My mother taught me FORESIGHT. "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident." My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times - Don't exaggerate!!!" My mother taught me IRONY. "Keep crying and I'll *give* you something to cry about!" My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out." My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper!" My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM. "Will you *look* at the dirt on the back of your neck!" My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!" My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is finished." My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS. "If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you; would you listen then?" My mother taught me about WEATHER. "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room!"

Denise--that sounds like an awesome plan. Very clever! How old are your cabinets? I mentioned painting our cabinets to my dh and then started looking at the nicked surfaces, etc. Valerie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We've come up with a plan... The week before Christmas I will begin taking off cabinet doors and cleaning them and stacking them in the garage. I'll also scratch sand the cabinet faces. Sat morning before Christmas he will prime and paint them all - we have a power sprayer so that is possible. While he's doing that I will be in the kitchen priming the cabinet faces. After the primer is on I will start packing the car to spend the holidays with family. Sunday morning we will get ready to leave and then both of us will paint the cabinet faces. Not much face showing so I think we'll get by with paint pads and it will go fast. we're going to use the high gloss oil base enamel by Benjamin Moore. The original finish on the cabinets a cheap photo finish/or laminate, so it needs a good scratch.

Jen: Wow! Congratulations. I'm very happy for you. Lynn Wells Selbyville, Delaware

Thanks for the warm reception! Ok, here goes: I have vertical blinds throughout my condo and was wondering how to clean them. They are white and I think they are plastic? I tried using 409 or Windex and neither was very effective. They sort of moved the dirt around. Someone told me I have to send them to a professional cleaner to get them bleached. Is this true? Sounds expensive. I have a lot of blinds so it would be kind of tedious to manually clean each one, but hey I figure I could to this watching football :-) Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Richard

Well I don't know what y 'all did this weekend * well I DO know Liz gave herself a home hair color job in a MOST unusual way, while dying her oriental rug at the same time*, but thanks to the FHA, Michael, Brenna and I spent two days painting a 100 year old window and 55 year old garage. :-) *stretch* Someone please tell me that these places in my back that are aching will eventually stop?! Between scraping paint off the eaves of the roof and painting those same eaves, and painting the walls of an 800 square foot garage, my legs are cramping and aching and my back ...well * crack creak* pass the Motrin! So the garage is 3/4 freshly painted...and everything that had to be done on it for the FHA approval is done! Yesterday was gorgeous and today was cold as all get out...so we ran out of daylight and warmth for the other 1/4 of the garage. I want the paint to actually STAY on the cinder block when we paint it. :-) All we have to do is get the pipe under the kitchen sink switched over to the new one, and then EVERYTHING that the house is required to have to meet the FHA loan criteria is satisfied! Move in date is 12/14 and 15. We did find out a lot of really neat stuff about this house this week while spending several days in the company of the present owners. The first deed to the house dates to 1800...BUT...when they were pulling down the 7 coats of wall paper from the original dining room a date was found that puts the house at...get THIS...1774! That was on the first layer of paper..which means the house at LEAST predates the signing of the declaration of independence! I cannot wait to get into the historical society and learn as much as I can about the house and possibility figure out who originally owned and built the house. In addition to that, the house was used during the Civil War era as part of the underground railroad. That is very common of homes in this era as Maryland was the last stop for runaway slaves before reaching northern territory where they were free. The MA and PA railroad bed originally went right past the house...about 35 feet from the back wall..and during that time the house was used as a way station where passengers would eat and be housed. There had been an Indian village in the meadow behind the house, and when the house was originally built, it had shutters in it with slats that had gun ports. It appears not all the Indians in the area were considered * friendly * . I was able to learn how the house looked on the inside prior to renovations by several generations of people, and I also learned, heartbreakingly enough, that the house about 25 years ago, had a wrap around porch on it. * sob * Michael and I had already talked about one day having a porch put on the house. I guess we will just be restoring it to its former glory! *G* OK...that is enough babble for now. It is 4 in the morning and I couldn't get to sleep. Who knows why! I think I am actually over tired. 11 days and counting til we settle on the house! Anyone free December 15th to join the rest of the packhorses, er....friends who are helping us move? *G* Kathie

Just after I've read about removing cabinet doors in the kitchen to create new space...I didn't expect to reach for a drawer and pull the drawer face off in my hand--Woopsie daisy : ) what a shocking experience!. Valerie No kitchen pictures yet...but I look forward to hearing ideas once they are avail for viewing!

Liz you are too funny. I want to participate next year. Lorretta

I hear ya. Thanks for the note Lorretta

Had my computer worked on....now running like new. But, for some reason am not getting any mail from this talented group. Just checking to see if this mail does go through. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

Liz, I still haven't heard if my gift was received or not. Have you? It was to Brenda Gaston. It was sent via ups on the 14th and should have been received 10 or 11 days ago. Later, Jayne

"Recipe for Miracles" Ingredients: 1 part of knowing who you are 1 part of knowing who you aren't 1 part of knowing what you want 1 part of knowing who you wish to be 1 part of knowing what you already have 1 part of choosing wisely from what you have 1 part of loving and thanking for ALL you have Instructions: Combine ingredients together gently and carefully, using faith and vision. Mix together with strong belief of the outcome until finely blended. Use thoughts, words and actions for best results. Bake until Blessed. Give thanks again Yield: Unlimited servings

I know a lot of people swear by Murphy's but it's really NOT good for wood floors I have to tell you that Murphys is GREAT on leather! Be sure to spot check it as it might darken some leathers. I have been using it on horse equipment and leather jackets for year... never even thought about using it on my wood. It's good to know that it is a no no! Angie

I am willing to chat if anyone else is around.... 10:06 AM Anige

I agree with all arizonians, I hope I spelled that right. Az is a great place to not be depressed. Even up here in Flagstaff. The 4 seasons are awesome. Right now the snow on the trees are beautiful. I love living here and am the happiest I have been in a long time living here. Lorretta

...but I did a little something today that made me happy. I got the bright idea to buy two small lazy susans (turntables) for my bathroom counter. They're both white, which matches the trim and the cabinets, but they had this ugly dark grey rubber in the centers. I knew I'd do something about them, so I left them for a few days to give inspiration an opportunity to strike. I've been busy cleaning and reorganizing like mad, since my fiance will be here in six days, complete with all his belongings he's shipping from the UK. I happened to find a leftover roll of contact paper that I'd used to cover the shelves underneath the bathroom counter when I'd taken the doors off the cupboards. Inspiration! I prised off the ugly rubber, unrolled the contact paper, put it face down on the desk, put the rubber insert on top, traced around it, cut it out, took off the backing, and put the contact paper in the center of the turntables. Now they look like they were made for the bathroom! AND they're easily cleaned. (Now if I could just find someone who enjoys cleaning bathrooms!) Kinda reminds me of the time I just wasn't happy with the inside of the medicine cabinet in the guest bath. Don't know why; there wasn't anything wrong with it. I got the idea to needlepoint pieces on plastic canvas in colors that coordinated with the bath. The large piece covered the back of the medicine cabinet, and the small one fit across the bottom. All I used was double-sided mounting tape to "install" them. If they get soiled, I just take them out and throw them in the washer, dry 'em, and put 'em back in. Every time someone stays at the house, they tell me they've never seen a medicine cabinet done that way, and they really like it--then they ask me if I could make them something like that. Nothing like having a 50+ year-old medicine cabinet with color and texture! LOL --Cathy.

Kimmi, Your home is beautiful. All the changes are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. You are so talented. Lorretta

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Kim...that must be beautiful there in Dallas/Plano. Here I have moved to the mountains of Pennsylvania....get this....the temp. is a balmy 62. The ski resorts are having a fit because there is nary a flake of snow and they usually are snowy and full of skiers on Thanksgiving. No prospect of snow here....send us some...I WANT TO SEE SNOW. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

We just talked to the post office yesterday after the timeliness of mail and packages. We are currently in south Florida (flying home this afternoon). I mailed some checks from here to the office in central Illinois. They took 8 days to arrive via first class mail. The office sent some things to us here 12 days ago and we have yet to receive it. The post office said that mail is very slow right now. Something about going on a space available basis and with fewer flights, there was a delay. I'm not sure this makes sense since we've been on several flights since September 11 and none has been more than 2/3 full so I'd think there was a lot of space but apparently not. Hope this helps, Alicia

Hi Everyone! I have a problem. I have Bruce Hardwood Floors in my Foyer. They have a satin finish. The problem is that we have a puppy and since it's the only way to get outside on the first level, I have to take him in and out that way. Since the weather has gotten where it's wet each morning, I am having a terrible time keeping my floors clean. They look awful! He brings in dirt, leaves, you name it! I generally clean and wax them about once every couple of months, but I do it by hand and it is a very strenuous and time consuming job, which I can't do any more than that. I use a dry swiffer in between. My question is this....Is there something that I can use that is wet and will clean the floors in between my usual hands and knees routine? I know that I can't use water, but the swiffer isn't working. The floor is always filthy and since it's the first area people see, it's starting to look like I live in a pig pen! Please Help! Lori in Maryland

Missy, I hope your son is doing well from his surgery. Lorretta

Deidre, Where in NJ do you live? I grew up in Elizabeth and Linden. Your sun room is beautiful. I have a sun room that we added on this last year, its actually sunroom/doghouse. We added this room on so our dogs can get in and out of the weather. I have a puppy so I am not able to decorate the way I want. The view out of your room is beautiful. My view is of the San Francisco Peaks. I love it. Thanks for the picture. Lorretta

I just wanted to report good news. After reading posts, checking out links, etc. from the creative minds on this list I am discovering my senses are coming to life. Thank you Liz for keeping such a great group together! One example...we set up our tree in our LR and it has a very nice but bright colored tree skirt (red,blue, and green) as well as ornaments that are of a bright red color as well. Well I've realized this tree is in no way in sync with the feel/color of the room. Now this may leave some of you ROFLYBO but it's really amazing that through osmosis I am getting a feel for what those of you can only breathe!!!!! But as far as my kitchen is concerned...I think I'll have to have a contest for some tips...but my mind is mulling over ideas! Thanks, Valerie Kitchen photos coming soon to be evaluated by any sole who dares to take a look : )!

Kimi, I was going through your pics on photopoint, and loved the treatment you did on your dining room walls! Can you tell me "how" you got that effect? Thanks so much! Carla

The DRAMA and CHAOS has finally departed from my house.....this week. I finally got to open my cyber gift. The box contained six beautiful fabric Christmas tree ornaments. They will go on the grandchildren's tree that I put in the family room. 6 ornaments=6 grandsons!!! Thank you so very much! Please accept my apology for not posting sooner. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxi culpa! Dita, So. Cal

There is a WONDERFUL unknown inexpensive product for clogged drains! If you go to the car cleaning section of most grocery stores you will see a PURPLE bottle of degreaser. I can't think of the name right now, but it works great! Works great on your engine too.... <G said to try it on my sink. If you pour some down the drain right before you go to bed, your drains will be wonderful the next morning. The directions for unclogging your sink are written on the back of the bottle. It works GREAT in my kitchen. I have had some serious pluming issues in my house this year which lead to tearing out my entire driveway and a 9' hole in the ground to replace pluming as well as making the city replace their portion in our cul de sac. I had serious issues (the 3rd plumber got his snake caught in our drain going through the roof, he ended up cutting off his snake and leaving us with his snake still hanging out our roof!!!! This required law suits and the whole 9 yards) and my point is that I have talked to more plumbers than anyone else I know. They seem to think that blowing air works, but be fair warned that any loose portions of your pluming will be blown apart too! Here in AZ our houses are built on cement slabs and the pluming is under that. If you can't get to all your pluming you might end up with a huge mess. Think of your shower pipe blowing apart behind the shower wall... You really want a contractor for this! I can't remember why, but I was told bleach is one of the worse things you can put in your drains. I think if I wasn't preggers I might be able to remember why. It doesn't have a degreaser in it for sure. The best thing to do for maintenance is to run VERY hot water down the drain and about 1 cup of dish soap. Just my 2 cents! Angie

I DON'T KNOW WHY IT LOSES THE LINKS WHEN I SEND IT, I HAVE TO GO IN AND MANUALLY WRITE IN THE LINKS, WHAT A PAIN! - Liz, Your links work for me 98% of the time! Only when the link is divided into 2 lines (to long for one) is there a problem. Usually I can just paste the second line onto my address and it works just fine! I have digital cable, though and everything is easy! Angie

The bad trans virus is spreading like WILDFIRE! I cannot remember one that has spread so rapidly or so intensely. I have set my Norton Antivirus to simply totally STRIP any infected attachments from my email. I will also be updating my antivirus program just about every day to stay on top of things. I hope this helps some of you! Kathie

Mike just loves Monty Python and used to subject me to it a lot when we first got married......and I didnt really get it either but Ive developed a sharper wit since then and I think they're pretty hilarious now.....although some of their stuff can be quite offensive sometimes, got to be careful who I watch it with! Im into one-liners and MP is great for that.... " Bring outcher dead, bring outcher dead"..."Whats it going to do? Nibble at my knees?"( when the rabbit attacked them)....scenes like the 2 knights chopping each other to bits, the lady with all the kids standing at the stove and "births" another baby..."Catch that will you dear?"....Life Of Brian " I want to be a woman"..... ROTFLOL British humour is pretty different but I grew up on public television so I watched quite a bit.... Brenda

three years ago, i crackle finished the mirror frame in my guest bath. i put a coat of poly over the crackle when it was done. now i'm repainting the bath again, and when i put the first coat of paint on the mirror frame? it's crackling!!! argh!!!! i don't want it to crackle.. i can't replace the frame, or get it off the wall.. mobile home, it's all glued to the wallboard, would be a huge mess to take down and replace, so that's not an option. heeeeelp! Jen frustrated@cracklefinishthatwon'tdie.com

I don't know if this is the right list...but one of the lists that I belong to had several members who were doing a Woodland or North Woods Christmas theme. If you haven't been to your nearest Big Lots you should take a look. They have an entire aisle of Bears and Moose and just all kinds of really cool lodge looking Christmas decorations. Cari

Norma wrote: I am wondering what does this snowman tree look like, I have never seen one before. Well it is good to hear that you are almost done, I only put up my Main christmas tree and hesitating to begin the outside. I heard tomorrow we should have one of the first cold fronts in the Rio Grande Valley, so if were gonna put up any lights, we better take care of it tonight. Terri if you have any pictures of your snowman tree, please send me one, I am very interested in knowing what it looks like, I love snowmans. [Fallin, Terri] I started this last year. For some reason I just fell in love with snowmen. I started buying ornaments after Christmas the year before. I bought lots of snowmen ornaments, a snowman tree topper, and some garland that looks like popcorn and cranberries. It is really nice. I have a blue spruce 6' tree that I use with clear lights. We put on all of the snowmen that I bought at the after Christmas sales and any other snowmen that I had already. I will take a picture of it tonight and try to get my film developed. The rest of the room just has standing snowmen all around and snowmen wall hangings. I will take pictures of everything soon and put them in my folder. I am more proud of my Christmas village this year. It is on an 8' table and it fills it up! I love the new telephone poles with wires and birds on the wires that I got at the after Christmas sales last year. I will try to take a couple of good pictures of it. OK, I'm over my bah humbug phase. Thanks everyone for cheering me up. You guys are right. If I got any help with my decorating, I wouldn't like it anyway and I would have to redo it. Thanks everyone! Terri

I was looking through the archives trying to find the directions for the brown bag countertop thing that Liz did in her house. I have a plan to .... see, I wanted to get my sister a dressmaker's dummy. I got one at a garage sale, but the box is kinda sad, so I thought that I could jazz it up (and strengthen it) by doing that kind of thing on the box, after taping it carefully. The only directions I could find were the ones that Brenda had copied from Cindy.......Are they the same ones? If they are, I can clean them up and post them in the files section for you all.....if its ok. By the way, I did post the picture of Jennie's Christmas gift from me in the Cybergift album. I can't figure out how to get the caption right........and the pictures are side by side--but NOT to scale. the bulletin board is 22" by 22" and the pillow is probably 5" by 12" or so (I found this small piece of Cow Fabric and made it into a pillow) -- I'm not sure, because I didn't measure the pillow. Diane

This is off topic, but I have a sink in my master bathroom that is driving me crazy. Being cheap, I really don't want to have to call a plumber to clear the drain. It is slow, very slow, not clogged completely. I am going to buy some Drano or whatever today, but wanted to know if anyone here has ever used one of those contraptions that blows air down the drain, supposedly clearing the pipes. I saw it on QVC and it looked pretty good, but I don't know anyone who's ever tried it. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance, Stephanie Sewin_Mom@...

Just finished my new tree skirt. I had envisioned a gorgeously handmade heirloom item to be passed down. I can see my daughter unpacking it 50 years from now for her grandkids and after lovingly taking it out of the box and showing them I hear them say "Boy, great grandma was a really bad sewer, look at these crooked seams. Didn't she give a crap?" and my wonderful daughter can honestly say .........."Nah, not really" lol...Missy

Liz: Thanks for getting in touch! Yes, please tell me how you did your faux stone floors! That is EXACTLY the look I am striving for! I will be painting it on cement, so will use cement paint. But fill me in, please on "how to" achieve that look. You have some awesome talents with a paint brush! Thanks for sharing pics of all your neat creations. Carla

Well, after 4 days off from work, I was ready to come back this morning! I worked so hard this weekend getting the house decorated for Christmas. I got most everything done, but not quite all. I managed to get my village up, the main Christmas tree up and decorated, the snowman tree for the game room up and decorated, the gameroom itself decorated, the bathroom decorated including putting up a mini angel tree, and the kitchen mini tree up. I made 2 new wreaths for the front door and then I died. I don't think we'll have lights on the outside again this year. I just can't seem to manage that part and since I am the only one that does anything at my house, it just won't get done. My children want lights on the house very badly but they don't seem to want it bad enough to help. I have made a New Year's resolution early this year. If I don't get any help decorating next year, I won't do it either. We just won't have Christmas at my house next year. If there is no tree, there can't be any presents either can there? Maybe that will get my lazy family involved. I was so ready for Christmas this year and after spending a weekend by myself doing it all I've turned into the grinch. Bah humbug! Terri

Hi Kara: Mine is an olympus C3000 and it ROCKS! It's a very high resolution camera and Olympus lenses are the surgical (optical???) quality lenses. You picked a good time; prices are way cheaper than a couple of years ago... when I got mine (although I got a super deal and also MSN signup discount)they were retailing at $800 and now they're below $500. The cards are bottoming out, too, so get a really really big card so you don't have to download as often. Other brands have come way down, too. If you plan to travel with it, a big memory card is a must, unless you also carry a laptop and zip drive. Otherwise, when the card is full, you don't shoot any more pics till you download what's there. I have to say that it's the only downside. I don't print many pictures, and some that I print don't have to be great. The ones for something special like memory books get printed just like photographs at a print shop after I write them onto a CD. Denise

In a message dated 11/26/01 10:57:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, mischief267@... writes: Oh Missy! LOL...it's good to see you back. Alicia << Liz, Beat them with a wet rag, this work for silk flowers as well as small children, often I do them both at once to save myself a lot of work and time....Missy

So do you get the small children to hold the silk flowers while you beat them with the wet rag? Good idea, I will try this out when the kids get home....ohhhh....I dont have any silk flowers.....oh well, it still might be fun! Brenda <tongueincheek,dontcallCAS!

Which one would you recommend? Also I heard that you can add oxyclean to it? (was it from this list???) I'm getting so confused! I wish I joined when all of you were organizing the cybergift thingie...it sounds like you guys are having so much fun! Mimi

I am there. Where is everyone?

Ok, sorry this is late, been out of town. However, it was wonderful to come home to find my cyber gift waiting for me! Diane made the cutest cow pillow, and one of those bulletin boards with the ribbon that hold things? Ugh, that probably wasn't a good description of it, but it's adorable! She painted the buttons at each ribbon intersection in cow print! I'll get pictures posted asap. Diane, future hubby and I are getting ready to build a new house, where I'll finally get the home office I've always wanted. This will be perfect, since Tony says I can't decorate the house in "cow stuff", and he's relegating all of my cows to my office :) Thanks so much!!!! Also, Terri, if you haven't received yours yet, please let me know and I will check with the post office. It was mailed out on the 17th. Jennie

Diana this is great... can yhou go into a little more detail about the golfie things? Tees, I know. What else? Denise

How about those over the door wreath hangers. You can hang the loop of the stocking on the hook the wreath usually hangs on. That should support the weight of anything the material of the stocking will support. Plus the hangers come in many styles and colors to go with you theme. Glenda Do any of you have creative ideas for hanging stockings? I have to support them well.

From Liz: Freezing baked cookies is a great way to preserve their freshness. Baked cookies will keep in the freezer for up to 3 or 4 weeks. Really Liz ---- How many people do you know that have enough cookies left after they cool to go into the freezer? Judy

I must tell you that you are just full of great ideas! I'm kinda going through old posts here and checking out all those wonderful links and tips that you throw out to all these ppl. Wow! Thanks! Carmen

Hello! I got my cybergift yesterday....didn't get to post about it though, as we had the computer torn apart, rearranging the house! My gift was from Marrianne, in New York. I loved it!!! It was a raffia bow, with burgundy berries, gold pine cones, pine branch, gold bow, etc. arranged on it... a perfect piece for me to hang on the door that I put my christmas cards on! It is beautiful! I will try to post a picture...but have to take one and get it developed first. Also, there were other goodies in the box!!! Some beautiful gold paper plates and napkins (these I will be using for Christmas dinner!) wrapped in a bow with red taper candles. And a white picture frame with a flag on it and the words "united we stand". I have the perfect picture of my dh and I to put in there, I think! Also a little box of chocolates! My husband loved them, lol! He let me have one. lol! Thank you Marrianne! I loved the gifts!!! Debby in Texas

I'm going through all the photos (thanks missy) and I just gotta say I love the hallway wall colour you chose and the lighting medallions are just terrific! Wow! I want I want I want.... you ladies are getting my "challenged" decorator juices flowing :) Carmen

You are so correct about animals and Berber carpeting. When selecting carpeting for the "Dungeon" we were considering Berber...but were discouraged by carpet guru's because we have a dog and 3 cats and the damage they could do to Berber. If a loop becomes loose....watch it...you can pull on the loop and it is like unzipping a zipper as it will pull and possibly leave large gaps in your carpeting. We opted for a plush carpeting and am thrilled with how it looks. Must say....this room no longer looks like a "Dungeon." OMG...it is only 7 in the morning...surprised could even think to type this. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA www.inrelaxingmodetoday.com

Liz, I noticed that the photo you posted of the gift I sent to Diana says "gift Christine sent to Terri". That's not correct. I sent my gift to Diana but received my gift from Terri. Christine

I love the "show home" look out there. Neutrals with pizzazz (sp?). It all looks so calm and inviting to me and looks like it would work with my Eclectic decorating style. My problem is, I have an overstuffed sofa, loveseat, and chair set that I absolutely love but can't in the life of me figure how to co-ordinate into that "Show Home" look. This set is stonawashed denim blue striped, with white (similar to matress ticking look). The love seat is the same, and the chair (the kind that could seat 2 ppl if you wanted) is cream background with blue flowers and cranberry accents and light olive green leaves...there's a slight bit of taupe in there too if you look closely. It's a very "fresh" looking set. This set would go into our new family room that my husband is going to be building in the walkout basement. The biggest problem is that the light cream carpet that goes so well with the background of the chair is not an option... too many kids and too easily dirtied. Does anyone have any ideas how I could incorporate that neutral look with this set?... PS: I'm not a big blue room fan as my mom is a blue fanatic and I've had to grow up in blue everything! lol . I'm looking forward to your ideas with bated breath :) Thanks! Carmen

I received my cybergift today. Thanks to Misty Burkizer. She made some really pretty placemats and napkins for Christmas. Purple with gold Christmas trees. Really pretty! Thanks Misty! Yvonne

Good morning, This seems like a nicely active board! I'm a Canadian from Calgary who just bought a house. I'm married (20 yrs) and have 4 kids still at home, so you can understand that budget decorating is absolutely in order. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you "guys" and gleaning ideas to make this new house a HOME! Carmen

My boys room is almost done! The dry wall was completed last weekend. I have the entire room primed! I also have the Kawasaki Green painted on the toy boxes, shelves, and below the chair rail. I have the mural painted of the race track. I also have the walls above the chair rail painted Caruso Blue. The chair railing is red as will be a lot of the decorating touches (this is a John Force room remember!) I really got into painting the mural.... maybe a bit too creative. I painted the track going away from us. Then the grass and the sky line. I put in blue mountains across the horizon with purple larger mountains behind those. Then I painted a large Mountain (Mt. St. Helen's before the eruption of 1980) in the center of the mural. I painted an apple tree on the right side of the track and 3 pine trees on the left side. Very cute..... but very distracting from the race track! :o) I need ideas to emphasize the race track once again. I though about making a "Christmas tree" (the starting lights) or hanging signs for speed and MPH.... but I am open to many more ideas!! The carpet will be tacked back down next Wednesday. Then I can start working on the lids of the toy boxes, the closet doors, and shelving. The lids will be padded wil black vinyl covering them. That brings me to a new question. My DH thinks that will all this color that closet door should be black. (I kinda agree, it will pull together the black track and the black vinyl cushions on the tops or the toy boxes). So I am thinking of having him take the doors outside and spray them with Chalkboard paint. (That is what the track is painted with so they will match). This was where I was going to paint my audience. So, if I don't have the audience, I am another full step AWAY from the race track theme in his room. Any one have creative Ideas of paper faces taped to the chalkboard? Help? My room is slowly moving away from the original theme and is started to look like a camping room or something........ his race car bed will look silly at a camp site!!! Angie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE HERE AT BUDGET DECORATING Marianne

I thought the window was a mirror! Guess it wouldn't be such a good idea to replace it with shelving! Although, the concept of pretty bottles on glass shelves would look nice, until it came time to dust them! On Citiline, they are always redoing bath tiles with the Benjamin Moore lady. I think it is a temporary fix, but hey, who knows. My mom moved to an old house years ago, and painted her kitchen floor until she could afford a new one. When she did replace it, ten years later, everybody commented that it was nice, but the other one was so pretty...she just kept touching it up and lots of wax on it. I think there is special paint you could use, but with the moisture from the shower, etc. I think it would be prone to peeling in time. However, you could always just keep on touching it up. It all won't go at once!

My dad's from Winnipeg, 2 of my brothers were born there......havent been back there since I was about 10 but our plans are to go west either next year or the year after (we went east this year)......we're in Ontario.... Brenda

I would also think about putting something above your door, like a shelf for objets d'art or a storage cabinet of some sort (dead space) and paint a kewl pattern or a faux scene on the back of the door.....thats where a lot of your "guests" in that room will be staring....might keep them out of your medicine cabinet! ROTFLOL...... Id go with either a stainless steel accessories (if you went with an Ikea type look using the blues and yellow from the tile) or a black metal if you go more of an old world Euro look...... Oh yeah, all the necessities in the bathroom, plunger etc should be somewhere where you dont see them.....and a neat garbage can make a big difference.......and if the little shelves are plastic get rid of them....and use something more solid and substantial...... Are you in Canada?? Brenda

Hi I like the Buttersctoch idea for the walls and had thought of a gold color with bright blue accents on some small things such as pillows or lampshades. Also Blue accents with gold trim should go well with leopard prints. I saw at a fabric store a royal blue animal print. I think it was in a satin? Maybe you could make pillows out of those? I usually frequent JoAnn Etc. That is probably where I saw it. Although, I wouldn't rule out Wal-mart. I like the golden color idea, will your son? If "butterscotch" doesn't work, ask him about "Gold". Sometimes it is just the NAME of the color men don't like. Ask him about scarlet :o)!! Angie

I have been looking around the Net for some decorating ideas lately & have stumbled across this group. It looks very interesting & I hope that I can get many opinions (honest!) about some ideas I have about re-decorating my home. I have lots of questions about what works & what doesn't... how to do things on a budget, etc etc. I also have a digital camera & will be quite detailed with my before & after pictures! I am very excited about starting on my second major project in the next month or so - overhauling my computer room! (The first project was completing the nursery for my baby girl this past August) So, thanks a bunch & I'll be back with some pictures & an open mind... Lori

HI all - (How ya doing Liz?!) My DH and & I are moving to Houston, and if all goes well, will be purchasing a new home. (Just the two of us) We went and looked at the carpet, tile etc. options today and .....well .... uh... not too sure about it this go round. Our present home in DFW has a light grey and we are both ready for something different. The choices were in the greys, whites, blues, cream, peach, a few weird ones and one that we are leaning towards which is like inbetween Emerald and Forest Green. I thought it would look nice, but our daughter said it won't look good everywhere cuz not much will go with it and it will be too "much". The house is a very open area type one story with lots of windows. We will be getting new LR furniture, and we don't formal dine. A pool table will go in the dining room! The exterior brick is white and we have chosen the white melanime (sp?) kitchen cabinets. Any thoughts would be appreciated. ~Michelle

I am doing son's room with leopard print faux fur bedding. He is nineteen, so I want a more sophisticated approach, no Tarzans on the wall, or that kind of thing! I have to choose a paint colour by Friday, and other than the obvious tans/taupes that are in the print, what do you think would work well for the wall colour? It is a light beige now, and he is not a beige person! H E L P ! What have you seen done, that you think works? Thanks for your advice, in advance!

I got the most wonderful box of gifts today from DITA!!!! She made a beautiful tablerunner, mantle scarf, 2 large banners and 2 bell pulls in a red and gold fabric with pretty decorated Christmas trees. These are going to look fantastic in our family room!!! But wait! ...There's more! She also made 4 long bell pulls from a neat fabric that has the 3 wise men, drummer boy etc. depicted. These are going to look awesome hanging on my banister behind the table where I set up the Nativity scene in my formal living room!!!! I can't wait to get it all out :-) :-) THANK YOU DITA! Missy

I took a metal bucket ($2 from Dollar Store) and painted it like a watermelon.....green on bottom, red on top with seeds, etc. then lightly sponge painted white over it. turned out real cute...one friend i have always asks for it, lol! I have it in my dining room and keep phone books in it. i also have a flower pot painted watermelon, and a wooden egg...it is painted just the greens on the outside, like the outside of a watermelon. it sits on a shelf on top of a wooden napkin ring painted red with black seeds. cute. Debby in Texas

Does anyone know how the game goes where everyone buys a small gag gift and when everyone opens one in order they can trade for the previous gifts opened or keep the one they got? I would like to start this as a new tradition. Any help would be appreciated. Sandy

Oh My gosh, I forgot to tell you how beautifuuly wrapped my cybergift from Terri Fallin was. It was wrapped like a big Christmas present and tied with yards of gorgeous gold ribbon and nestled under layers of tissue paper. BTW, I'm saving that ribbon, I love it! I'm sorry Terri, I was so awed by your gift I momentarilly forgot to mention the wrapping. I'll try to get a picture out to you Liz. Christine

I want to say a very big thank you to Terri Fallin for the beautiful cybergift she sent me. It is a gorgeous wall shelf. I love the rich red color and gold trim. It has a special place for 3 pictures frames and 3 pegs below the shelf. I'm going to put it in my foyer. Thank you Terri. It is a lovely gift! Christine Wash

Barbara, Since there are no vertical supports the easiest thing is to remove the trim, (gimp) and cover the existing shade. Have your new fabric pressed and ready. Lay the shade down on the outside edge of the fabric, lining the seam in the shade with edge of the fabric. Roll to shade over the fabric until you come to the seam again. This will enable you to see