Home decorating and design

I watch a lot of HGTV and was wondering if the Kurt Cyr on Kitty Bartholomew today is the Kurt from this list? Phyllis

In a message dated 1/30/02 4:43:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, brunson@... writes: << i have used a spring tension shower curtain rod. works great. lisa Lisa, Can you explain how you use it? Susan

Glad to find this list. I'm a "frustrated decorator". My past two homes have been where I can't paint! My current projects are getting kitchens made for the townhome that we just moved into three weeks ago and a duvet cover for dd13's bed. Looking forward to mail, Jann

I don't have a surefit slipcover, but I do have a Pottery Barn one tht I purchased off of eBay. Anyway, my tip is this: I rolled up a magazine and wrapped a couple of big rubber bands around it, and then stuffed it down, the same way as the other post used her dowel. I used a rolled up magazine behind each cushion, and to each arm. Mine stays in place wonderfully, and it gets used by entire family every single day. I love it. I have had many compliments on it, and it sure is a quick, easy way for a "makeover". Enjoy. Carla

Hi I am new here and I have caught the decorating bug!!!!! I recently decided to redo the family room. (After watching a gazillion episodes of "Trading Spaces" I decided I would take a crak at it) I got my "theme" - since the family room has knotty pine that I love, I decided to go with natural colors. Colors that remind me of a stand of red pine trees with the lovely reddish needles underfoot. I bought some great fabric to make curtains and pillows (JoAnn was having a sale too!) Then I brought my little swatches to the paint store and picked out a color for the walls that aren't knotty pine. Just like I knew what I was doing.......sort of. Now I want to recover my futon with a brownish sort of color - but futon covers are pricey and they all seem to be patterned. I want plain. Has anybody got any ideas? I thought about a sheet....but try to find a chocolate colored sheet...geesh! I've never made slipcovers ....but with some good directions maybe I could do that. Gotta go sew up that cushion for the rocking chair..... Nice to meet you! Kendra

Hi everyone, I just ordered Surefit covers for my livingroom in a blue gingham type check. Since I have country decor they will actually add to the casual feel of my home. Has anyone used these slipcovers and have you used them on a 3 cushioned sofa? Also, I have a high ranch, you know typical 3 bedrooms, living room that flows into a small dining or and a kitchen. We put in a new window in the wall that runs down the side of the house that connects the dining room and living room. Any suggestions for the window treatments in dining room, living room, and for the new window? Hope I have explained this right! Susan

Well group, I finally got my curtains up in my bedroom. Hooray. Funny story, went to JC Penneys with friend to look at curtains. Not much choices here in Flagstaff to shop. Picked out Sage green curtains. Contemporary but casual which my friend decided that is our decorating style. Had them put back. JC Penneys had sale on Sunday, Mon and tues. Decided I was going to look into botanical type decorating. Decided I should have my husband okay because he has to sleep in their too during day. He works nights. 1st he was resistant to being there. Then he looks at curtains and says why did you pick this color out. Tell him. Then he tells me it doesnt match color green on wooden blinds. So what do we do we get tab top hunter green curtains and the thing that made me laugh was that it is whats hanging in our great room over sliding glass door. The other funny thing is it matches every thing I bought for bedding. We sat down to dinner that night and I looked at the curtains and said I cant believe the same curtains are in my bedroom. I decided the swags I am going to do in livingroom or great room, what ever you want to call it I am not asking his opinion. The reason I asked him is because last house he felt like he had no say what so ever so now I am asking his opinion on things. I found some pictures for the bedroom now that arent botanical like sage green color but they are so pretty. They are of a tree with a brownish red background. Kool frame. Their are 3 total. All over a $100.00. So I guess I will need to take extra call to make some extra money. They would look so good in my bedroom. Next thing I started stripping my desk. I got alot done. Need to spray it down again. I am making progress. Very happy with my great room since rearranged. Now I need a big picture over the couch. Lots of wall space. I think I found a few choices for that also. I feel like my home is becoming more homey and cozy. Thanks for listening to my story. Lorretta.

very nice liz

HOORAY IT WORKED! This is my new email address, missyb@... Missy

OK People, How come we've never discussed this before? Did you know you can get fantastic paint mixed any way you want at Wal-mart, 15 year guarantee for $9.94 a gallon?????????? I can't believe I just found out about this! My neighbor had a beautiful color in her oldest boys room, almost a chocolate milk shade. I asked what it was and she told me, it's Darby Creek, got it at W.M. I went and tried it out. It went on just as well, if not better than any other brand I've tried, expensive or not, including my fav, Behr for like $10 less! Wish I had known a couple years ago, probly could have saved a couple hundred! Missy

Please go through, please go through....Missy

I'm fairly new here and learning so much! We are getting ready to move my daugher into a bigger room and one thing I would like to do try the chalkboard paint for a small area between two closets. Has anyone used this? How does it look? And can you paint over it in the future without any problem? Thanks! Paula

Angela, Camel/caramel, etc. looks great with grays! I would paint the walls some variation of the caramel ( do NOT try to MATCH the sofa)sofa color. Next I would find a fabric that has both of those two colors (but not exclusively) in it. Perhaps a paisley? It would depend on the look you want to archive. Your fabric would give you a direction for other choices in the room. It would, for example, give you an accent color. In addition to using a muted red or burgundy, black would be a striking accent! Don't over do the accent color, overdone and it is no longer an "accent". Three strong repeats is usually enough, for example, a small occasional chair, some pillows, a lamp. Later, Jayne

I would really love to learn how to sew. I am lucky I can thread a needle. I am not interested in making my own clothes, but creating curtains, covering pillows, alterations, etc. My idea of fixing a shirt button is to crazy glue it on. And yes, it does work. Pitiful. Can anyone suggest a sewing machine that is good and where I may take sewing lessons? Thanks, Susan

Hi, I am looking for "swing arm" curtain rods. I am making new curtains for my kitchen and I would like my plants to rec more light. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have looked and looked and can not find these. Thanks so much, Kathy

Hello all, I'm new here. I just bought an old post office that I am renovating into a home. I am going for a very tropical and tribal look, including a tiki bar, arched walkways and wicker/bamboo furniture. Can someone recommend any good online sources for wicker and bamboo items? Thanks guys! Denis Denis A. Baldwin Network Exterminator - CAE, Inc.

To: Interior_Motives@... We are gettingready to put down laminate flooring Has anyone done this themselver? If so any hints or tips to make the job easier? Thanks Valerie

I'm so sorry Margaret to hear of your husbands passing. If theres anything I can do or you need a friendly ear you know how to find me. deepest sorrow, Marianne

Hi everyone! I am getting ready to do my daughter's BR (she is ready to bail out of the crib anyday). She will be moving across the hall into a much larger BR which we are doing in Raggedy Ann(not the easiest stuff to find). Other than the usual painting, border, etc we are stripping and refinishing my old maple canopy bed. Thanks to my brothers, Evil Knievel stickers adorn the footboard. I have tried a few things in the past to remove them without much success-they have been there over 25 years. Any suggestions? Also, we are doing part of one wall as a chalkboard. Has anyone used the special chalkboard paint? Is it any good? Appreciate the help as I am very decoratively challenged!!! Thanks! Paula

Margaret, I have been reading and praying for you. My deepest sympathy to you. Kellie, All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. LOTR

Sadly for all that knew and loved him Bill died this evening at about 6:30. The hospice nurse was here about 3:30 and said it couldn't possibly be much longer. It was a very peaceful transition from life. Bill fought so hard to over come the cancer, but the cancer was much stronger. He was aware that his children were here because even though he really couldn't talk he would smile at them and loved it when they held his hand. Funeral arrangements are pending at the Melber Funeral Home in Jim Thorpe, PA. The funeral and viewing will both be done in one day and most likely on Saturday the 26th. I feel so blessed that Bill was a part of my life although for a very short time and would not change one moment of our time together. Thanks to all of you that have sent cards and emails. I read them all to Bill and he enjoyed them as much as I. Love and hugs.....Margaret

My husband is finally putting together wood pieces of my Grandmothers wardrobe that has been hauled around for 30 years! *shaking head* Some pieces are not usable and we had to modify it a bit. So, my question is....I will most likely paint the wardrobe....antique it in some way....does anyone have ANY advice on how to go about it?? It is quite tall, and has some ornamental wood carvings on it. It used to have two mirrored doors on it...but one of the doors is damaged beyond repair, so I will have one door on it and open shelves on the other side. -- Xina mailto:xcraw@... ************************************* Happiness depends upon ourselves. ---Aristotle---

Here's a way to paint your floor standing up (I did my livingroom floor this way).....take 3 shades of the same colour, I used a cream, med tan and dark tan.....pour into a paint tray, cream at one end, med tan in the middle and dark at the other end....dont divide and dont mix together! Then use your roller on a broom handle, roll into the paint then onto the floor, roll onto the floor in a cross hatch method, rolling over and over a few times till its blended a bit. But dont over roll! This will give you a texture look...Make sure you put the roller back in the roller tray the same way each time too. If I were you, Id just paint a border around the room, and then tape it off, that way you dont have to worry about doing the edges right..... Brenda

After listening to Kurt, I have about decided that I need to leave the bar alone and leave the top the way it is. It isn't my ideal dream top, but heck for $50 I really can't complain. My family came over for dinner yesterday and they all "bellied" up to the bar and can't wait until it is fully functional. DH called and said we might still be in the running for the pool table too! The person that bought it before us is maybe having second thoughts, trying to watch his money right now. After looking on ebay, I think even at $400 it is a steal! It comes with lots of sticks and all of the accessories. Since I saw some lights selling for that much, getting the pool table for that much would be a great deal. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that I get it. I can already see the gameroom coming together. Terri F.

Hey everyone! Have any of you ever tried to paint on the prefab computer desks you get at the discount stores? Like the ones made by Sauder? They are like a faux oak look, but are basically fiberboard or whatever. I have a BIG one, with file cabinet drawers and all, and I really use every square inch of it, so would like to keep it. But.........I really want to paint it white. Is that even a possibility? Is there some kind of primer that I would use first? If so, what is the name of it? Then just paint over the primer with semi-gloss or satin finish paint? Please, if any of you have done this type of furniture before, will you share your secrets and/or tips with me? Thanks! Carla

frugal decorating. I'm from central NY state and have a dh and three sons. Welcome Terri, you have come to the right place! Your craft room sounds great. I would make a few suggestions right off the bat too. If you give alot of gifts, try making a gift wrapping corner in one area. I have seen this done quite a bit and even though I have plenty of room for one myself, I have yet to create one. The best thing I have seen is a dowel rod hung up with ribbon rolls put on it. You can roll out the desired amount of ribbon easily. For a gift wrap center you also need a counter a little wider than what normal shelves are. Everything sounds great. I am not a wallpaper fan, even borders are not my thing, but the stencil idea sounds great. You are fortunate to have been given the goahead from your landlord to do what you please. There are many renters that don't have that option. Oh and it's great to have another Terri on the list. I'll have to start signing my posts Terri F now! Terri F. (in Texas)

Margaret, I am so sad for you. I told my hubby who just lost his dad this last year to cancer. I told him how sad it was and how I felt so bad for you two. He agreed that it was very sad. I just sometimes dont understand God's Rythm or reason. It seems the good people get cancer. Its just not fair. Will keep you in my prayers and hope you have the strength to keep going. May God bless you, Lorretta

I have a Hoover steam-vac and I absolutely love it. It has the power tools attached and I use it for everything. My mom has pale pale peach carpeting and it worked fantastic on a few dark dirt spots on hers. It's kind of heavy to push around, my arm feels like it will fall off after i'm done, but I still think it was a great investment. Mine was around $250. I'm going to clean my sofa with it this week, and I'll let you know how that turns out. some of you might remember, it cleaned up paint spilled on Berber carpet last week. Took it all up. I couldn't believe it. Sandy

Hi, I'm just joining this group to get some ideas. I am planning a garden party type Mother's day banquet for our church ladies and need some Victorian decorating ideas to use. I'd appreciate any table decoration ideas as well. Thanks. Sharon (FL)

As a matter of fact we even had a secial place where we went and talked. We taught each other new things that we would've never thought to find out about. We spent alot of time thinking about our future, but not once did we expect to grow up without the other. The following summer started exciting and ended that way. We spent days outside, inside, playing, climbing, and anything else we could do. When it rained it was a bore. Nothing to do, but listen to the rain and that was creepy for me. The thunder was as loud as cymbles and it would get as dark as night down in the valley.

Hi everyone, I put some pictures in my folder( Tricia's house).I have a foyer that is half-open to the diningroom. It is a little too open for me. Would you recommend swagging fabric up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the other side to create an archway where there isn't one? I thought of columns , but that seems a little too permanent. I would appreciate any input. Thanks. Trish

I keep trying to add pictures to my album. but the uploading is taking for ever. I dont know if I am doing something wrong. I was going to add a picture of my hubby and I. But it was taking forever so I quit. Any suggestions. lorretta

I am taking the computer to the repair shop, will offline for a day or so, geez, this means I'll be stuck like totally cleaning the house and stuff, lol....I'll miss you all, fare thee well until I return......... lol Missy

Now these wall rails that you are doing does it provide a place to place a picture. I have a wall in my hall that I am placing pictures that I have taken and a friend has taken that are from Az. and the places I have been to. Can you give me more ideas on that. Lorretta

Hi - My name is Lisa (25) from PA - wife to Craig and Mommy to 8- month-old Madeline. We live ina 3BR twin home - but we've so busy with starting our family tat we haven't had a lot of time to decorate. Now we don't have a lot of money to decorate either! Our next project will be redoing the upstairs hallway. It needs a new ceiling and the walls have been painted over wallpaper (yuck!). DH will do the hard work - I am in chagre of decorating - and I don't have a lot of ideas of what to do with this hall. It's dark - no windows - and long, but narrow. And ideas are so appreciated! Lisa

Anyone experimented with this one yet? It's a thick bodied paint, tinted (to your choice?), that you roll on 1st coat, then go back over with a trowel to apply second, then apply a topcoat sealer that they recommend adding a metallic or pearl additive to really bring out the peaks and valleys and make it really snazzy. Supposed to give you antiqued old world looking walls, deep and rich colors work the best. This is what my husband says he wants. Wondering if this is any good, sounds easier than my plan which was to actually plaster the walls, paint, then glaze. haven't priced it yet either, so I may do the extra work if it saves me a lot of $$. I am planning this for our bedroom, which is large.........Missy

I'm mostly a lurker, but I had a few minutes today to read and reply to email... Shirley writes: ......His chest of drawers has been resanded and refinished, I am to find some type of suitable drawer pulls to fit the theme. Any ideas? Andies' idea about rope pulls is excellent. If you want anchors or sailboat knobs, you can purchase unfinished wood knobs at a home improvement store and paint the design onto the knob... OR if you have a scroll saw, you can cut out the shape from bass wood, paint it and attach the shape to a wood knob... OR you could paint the anchor onto the chest (where the knob is) and mount a knob on top of the painted design... OR paint the design onto a piece of wood (those small plaques you can buy at Michael's), drill a hole in the wood and mount a knob on top of it, with the drawer pull screw going through the hole in the plaque and into the drawer.

My DH got a great bargain the other day and it has spurred me to get cracking on my gameroom. For those of you that haven't heard me ramble on and on about my house, it is the one of the last rooms to be done. It is also the only room left that is totally white. Blech. I really want the room to be music inspired, DH plays the piano and we have 2 very nice pianos. One is an electric grand, his pride and joy, and the other is an upright grand that is from the 1800's that his parents bought him when he was a little boy. I also want the room to be a true gameroom. We are looking for a pool table now. The bargain I mentioned is a new BAR! A lady in his office was clearing out her mothers home after she had to be put in a home for alzeimers. I didn't get to go look at it, so I decided to go ahead and get it from my hubby's description. Imagine a man describing a piece of anything...get the picture. I decided to go ahead anyway. It is fabulous. It is curved so it has a long end and then curves to a shorter end (that end will be up against the wall). The front is black vinyl, but in keeping with my red/black/white theme it will look fine. It also has a chrome footrest. The chairs (yes it came with 2 bar stools too) are black vinyl and chrome. The only problem is the top. It is a hideous brown wood look laminate. Not at all matching what I envision for the room. I immediately thought of tiling the top or even better putting very nice wood and then putting my hubby's coaster collection (mostly from brewery's) on it and then varnishing over them so they are "in" the wood, but the problem is that the bar is in 2 pieces that bolt together at the bottom. How can I put a new top on it and still be able to separate it later for moving purposes? Oh, guess how much the bar was? Woo Hoo $50 Yippee Skippy....this is Terri doing the happy dance. I am thinking of painting the walls red on top with a chair rail and then white wainscoting underneath. Then painting a treble clef and a music staff on the long wall with the words to the song "Piano Man" on the wall, then putting up some sort of curtains with big black music notes in the middle of them (there are 3 windows in the room). I plan on getting rid of the loveseat in the room and keeping only the iron bed as seating. Anyone have any other ideas for my last room to be done in my house? Terri Who hasn't given up on the end table yet...even after sanding for 3 days and only getting 2 sides done...just want to think about something fun too.

Kurt, I so glad the shoot went well. Everything sounds great. Lets us know when it will air. Thanks for sharing, Marianne

I hope this is not too far off topic - I need some help. I am almost finished re-doing my 4 year old son's room in a nautical theme. As some of you may remember, we are renting, so fixed changes are not an option. So far, he has a quilt cover in blues and greens with small red and yellow yachts on it. The yacht, and the red and yellow, is repeated in a wall picture I found at a discontinue sale, of a solitary yellow yachts on a blue sea, white sails, in a yellow frame. (The whole picture, frame and all is made of plaster and is a 3 d effect - very cool) and also a bargain floor rug I picked up - Blue with a yellow border, yachts down each side and 4 big red anchors central. It fits centrally in the floor space of his room. I have an old sea chest in Navy, big, that belonged to my husbands uncle that is now his toy box. I also found an old flat bottomed boat yesterday, only 18 inches or so deep, that I am going to try and weasel out of the guy (heh) to make a bed out of. Now - the questions. His chest of drawers has been resnaded and refinished, I am to find some type of suitable drawer pulls to fit the theme. Any ideas? He has a black old shelving unit a metal framed job with adjustable shelves - I want to repaint/change it to add to the theme - ideas? He has apricot (yes apricot - they are through the whole house_ vertical blinds in the room - what inexpensive ways can I change or add to this area to make it more 'boyish' ? and finally - what finishing touches can people suggest? Please remember we are renting and cannot put holes, paint or add any permanent fixtures. Thanks! Shirley

Hi, My sister and I are remodeling her home. It is an old ranch home with rock on the outside. The kitchen has a tile floor that is light brown and has dark blue diamonds at the corners. It flows into the dining room by a large opening. This floor is wood. She is painting her kitchen cabinets white. How can she bring these two rooms together without changing the floors? What about the ceilings? She is not afraid of color. Any ideas? Yvonne

Have been keeping up with the mails. What steam cleaners have ya'll bought? With DH so ill need one to keep everything extra clean. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

Kurt, I can't believe we have to wait all year to see this!!!! What specifically were they shooting at your house? The whole thing to show your style of designing or were showcasing a specific feature you did? Mis

My friend has a door way from her combo formal LR/DR into her combo kitchen/family room (that ever annoying "Arizona room", roflol). This doorway is angled with about 2 1/2 feet of wall on both sides of you as you pass through. She wants to paint the wall on the right as you pass into the kitchen the same as the formal area will be, a shade of green and the wall space on the right as you pass from the kitchen into the formal area the same as the family room area, a tan/gold glaze. So as you pass through, you'll have a 2 1/2 ft wide green wall on the right and a 2 1/2 ft tan wall on the left. Should there be two different colors across from each other, and does this provide "flow" from one area to another, or should it all be one color, green or tan? Thanks for any input, hope the question makes sense...Missy

and it wasn't even my house, lol! I helped a friend out and put picture rails up in her hallway. Like what I copied in my hall from Cinclo's photos. Except there is one single rail on one side of the hall and 2 staggered ones on the other longer stretch. I don't know why it took so long, but it did, took almost all day and we really didn't even have any major problems, unless it had something to with the 6 kids under our feet all day! I left her to finish painting and she is very very happy. Well, I'll be around to chat if anyone is able email me, my husband is gone with the oldest to a hockey game and the little ones are crashed on the couch. Boy, Peanut Butter Twix ice cream is GODD! Too good, lol, I better put this stuff away! lol Missy

We moved into are first home a year ago and its time for me to redecorate. The whole lower level of our home has a barn board paneling half way up the walls. And all the trim and ceiling have a wood panel. Im temptedto take down but would then cost more to refinish walls. So my question is what to do? Somesuggestions Ive been given, what do you think? 1. Staining wood. 2 White washing 3 Taking it down. Any other suggestions? If I leave it maybe ther is a good color I should paint the walls to go better with it? JESSAKA

I want to place my king sized bed up against a wall that has two windows....the bed is wider than the wall between the windows. If I were to make me a 'fireplace mantel' headboard...it would jut out into each window about 6 inches. Would it look hokey for a bed headboard to be in front of windows like that? -- Xina mailto:xcraw@... ************************************* Happiness depends upon ourselves. ---Aristotle---

Hello, my name is Xina and live in Alabama. We just purchased a new home, and I am a bit overwhelmed with it, since it is very contemporary. I just need all the help I can to 'warm' it up. I went to the files section and looked at some of your pictures....WOW! I'm impressed! I loved seeing the before and afters of furniture pieces that ya'll have done. I have an old wardrobe of my grandmothers in the garage that I need to put together. Can't wait to get started on it. Also, we have an unfinished attic, and just got the first estimate from a contractor to finish it off...YIKES, it was 3 times as much as we anticipated....*whimper*..... *grin* -- Xina mailto:xcraw@... ************************************* Happiness depends upon ourselves. ---Aristotle---

Well, dh painted the bedroom and it looks great! Actually, it doesn't look that great, because we have to paint the trim white. That will be completed over the course of the next 2 weeks - no longer or it will never get done! The bedroom color is Behr's Craftsman Moss. I bought only one gallon and my dh panicked that he wouldn't have enough paint to finish the walls and the ceiling, so he had me go buy another gallon. Guess what, we never even opened it! Good thing that we like the color and there are more rooms that need paint! DS (age 9) will have a Craftsman moss green room too! Since we are extremely devoid of furniture and we really needed a chair, I went to this little used furniture store around the corner a few days ago. I lucked out! They had one of those HUGE chairs with an ottoman for a price I could afford, and it was NEW, not used. Of course I got it and it looks really good in the living room and dh is happy to have a comfy place to sit! That's it for my weekend. I am keeping a notebook with a page for each room of the house (every room needs at least something done to it) with ideas and things that need to be done. Then, when we finish a project I mark it done and put the date by it. It is now January 14, 2001 and I have marked off three things already! YEAH! Susie

Thanks for recipes. I put it in my favorite place so I could go back to it later. Lorretta

Sorry I have been gone. I missed the fun of the re introductions! So now I think I'll just introduce the newest member of my family.... moving into the cowboy room... Zayne Wesley was born on Tuesday, January 8th 2002. He was born at 8:01 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 14.8 oz. & 20" long. Everything went well and the family is resting at home this weekend. If you would like to see his hospital pictures please log on at www.babyportraits.com Hospital ID: 2164 Baby ID: 500078 Mother's first name: Angie Thanks, Angie

Does anyone have any great decorating plans for the weekend? I am once again going to try to get the end table started. I didn't even get to it at all last weekend. However, I did make it to Factory 2 U and bought a few throw pillows for the game room and living room. I also got my computer fixed and working. That means I successfully installed my new CD Rom and then had to copy a few CD's that I have been wanting to do. I also got the camera working with the PC. I never could get the camera hooked up directly to the PC, but I did manage to buy a piece of hardware/software that I just took the memory card out of the camera and put it in this device and then moved my pictures to my PC. That means if I do get around to the table this weekend, then I can take immediate before and after's and not have to wait on me getting film developed. Woo Hoo! Maybe while I am letting paint dry this weekend I can get started on reorganizing the storage room. What a chore that will be! It is a 10X12 room that you can barely walk through. It screams for organization and unfortunatley I am the only one that can do it because I'm the only one that knows if stuff needs to be kept or tossed. Too bad I can't clone myself! Terri

Sorry Brenda (MJBRAUN) I thought about that after I sent the message I should have put down the right Brenda. Everyone on this list it wasn't MJBRAUN that didn't send my cybergift it was the other Brenda lol. Sorry again Brenda, Marianne

I got this message from a contact of mine today. When I searched for sulfnbk.exe it was on my hard drive even though I did not even open the mail from the person who sent this to me because it had an attachment that looked suspicious. I'm sorry if any of you have it. PLEASE check your hard drive for it as I DO NOT want to be responsible for anyone getting a virus. I have virus software but it didn't stop it. Sorry, Cari Cari carispano@... "Tomorrow's another day, and I'm thirsty anyway so bring on the rain..."

Margaret, I am very sorry for you and for your husband. My thoughts will be with you both. Cari "When you have reached the edge of all the light that you know, faith is knowing one of two things will happen...You will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly"

Lisa, Welcome to the group. In your intro, you mentioned you live in (gasp) Montana! I never meet anyone from Montana--and I originally hail from there! My entire family is still there outside Missoula. I'm always intrigued whenever I see the state mentioned or I'll zoom up along side a car on the freeway with Montana plates. It usually frightens the dickens out them here in Los Angeles! When all I wanted to say was "howdy" I believe you are the only poster from the Big Sky Country! Welcome. Kurt

Would dearly love to chat with this group of talented people....BUT....there are major changes in my life so all decorating is now put on hold. My DH (married 8-31-01) is terminally ill with cancer and tomorrow will be bringing him home from hospital and we will use home hospice care. The cancer is very aggressive and the only option open for us is just keep him comfortable. You never know what life has in store for you....so hug your loved ones even more and NEVER forget to tell them you love them and happy they are in your life. Some of you are aware of DH illness and I am so grateful for you emails. You will not see much of me responding to all your ideas and questions....but will be keeping up with all your activities. Love and hugs to all....Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

We have put up a couple of pages about our house. They are "hidden" on our business page but you can see them at: www.fresnophotography.com/house.htm Denton and Jen

I absolutely love the pic of the crackle up close. Could you please tell me how you did that? cobste2@... is my addy. Thanks Tracey

Hello! My name is Lisa and I am from Montana. My husband and I have 3 beautiful daughters (10,4, and 17 months). I have been feeling like our decor leaves alot to be desired. I think it is time to revamp the house for a fresh, welcoming look. We have lived in our house for 10 years. It is a very small 2 story house, built in 1912, that has alot of charm. We have not done alot of decorating in our house. We were so happy to get to clean looking walls and floor coverings that decorating has taken a back seat. I love the look of country and cottage style decor and am leaning in that direction. I am not sure that my husband will be okay with alot of floral in the decor although, he is okay with stripes and plaids. So maybe with limited floral and lace, I can achieve the look I would like. My husband is a collector (read *packrat*) of all sorts of things....Hot Wheels cars, music CD's, VHS videos, books, comics, posters, etc.; and these things are on every shelf and empty flat area in our house. Any ideas on how to either incorporate his things into the decor? I know that he also feels comfortable surrounding in the things that he enjoys so I do need to find a way to incorporate them. We have very limited storage areas so most of these things tend to be out in the open, making for a very cluttered look. Also, we are currently planning a "to the studs" remodel on our kitchen. There is just no other alternative. We have an island in the middle of a VERY small kitchen/eating area that has to go and we have a total of 2 base cabinet and 2 wall cabinets! We have 1 light bulb in the middle of the ceiling for kitchen lighting!! Walls, ceiling, wiring, plumbing, flooring, cabinets,...it all has to go. The only type of table that would fit in our kitchen, without blocking the walkways, was a breakfast nook. It is a very charming addition to an otherwise unsightyly kitchen. Anyone have any tips on kitchen design, coloring, trends, etc? Sorry for rambling on! I am really looking forward to participating in this group and especially to trying my hand at creating the atmosphere I would like to have in our home! Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Lisa Ü

Hi, I am new here... Just getting into sewing and started with slipcovers and window treatments. I am looking forward to hearing about great tips for decorating from all of you.. I live in military housing so most of my decorating has to be temporary. Any ideas on wall art? Tracey

Ever since we moved here I have been trying to find a nice way to store all the kids videos, the small TV and old VCR we have in my daughter's room. I worked very hard to make a beautiful princess room and all those cords and movies on the floor would drive me INSANE!!!!! Really this bothered me so much! I tried repainting a too big old microwave cart pink and put the movies in the cabinet below, but they couldn't see the movies, so they'd always pull them all out to find the movie they wanted and end up all over the place. And the little girl across the street kept peeling off the wallpaper cutouts I put on from extra border so it looked pretty crappy. I came across a cabinet at Costco, it's from a line of girls bedroom furniture that sorta looks like a doll house, you've probably seen it around in ads or at the stores, it's pretty common now. The tall cabinet is perfect for storing movies, you can see them all lined up and it has a door that closes so I don't have to see them, it matches very well with the furniture I re-finished. Then I had to find a way to put the TV out, I went and bought an unfinished TV/VCRs cart, that was $89, my DH freaked, said it was junky AND TOO $$$$ and back it went. Thought about re-painting a black table to white that I already had, but there was nowhere to put the VCR. Finally a solution, DUH, I can't believe I didn't think of this before! Just one of those simple round decorator tables with a dotted Swiss white table cloth!!! The VCRs fits perfectly beneath the table and the cloth hides it and all the cords! The table was $5.99 and the cloth $12. No work involved what so ever! You can walk all round with out bumping the dumb ugly cart now too. HOORAY! It looks so cute and feminine as well. Missy

Did everyone receive their cypergift ok? I still didn't and I'm complaining lol! Where the heck is it I hope its a masterpiece. Actually I forgot about it I've been busy but thanks Missy for letting me vent. Marianne

I need to know how to do the faux treatment, where you paint over vinyl flooring. I want instructions on the one where you use brown paper sacks, to make a "stone" floor. Thanks so much!

Well, I received my Vermeer oil reproduction and now need to get it stretched onto a backing. I'm used to seeing oil paintings framed wo/glass, like in a museum, but was wondering if I need to have it covered by UV protected glass since the room I want to hang it in has lots of light (no direct light would be hitting the painting). I'd prefer no glass or covering of any kind but will it get damaged by the light? TIA, Richard

I kept seeing those refill injectors at the stores and was too chicken to try one, but finally I did and it's great!!! I refilled my black ink this morning and it works perfectly, it's only $2.50 to refill vs. $15 to replace, what a deal :-) Missy

Hello Everyone, I love being on these lists! I'm a quiet lurker but I enjoy everyones ideas. Our 4th and youngest son graduated from college last spring and got his own apt. which means that I am finally reclaiming my house. Goodbye to all the male stuff! After 4 sons I had a lot to do over. We started in the bedrooms and finished the master and a guestroom, still have two more to go. Completely redid the kitchen. This house was built in the 70's during the harvest gold- avocado green design time. All of the wood was a very dark, almost black including the kitchen cabinets. We replaced all the rooms on the first floor with hardwood floors, installed oak trim and base boards and new Oak kitchen cabinets. Wow, what a difference, the home is so much lighter and brighter. Got rid of all the white walls. We did the living room and dining room in a soft gold. I had one sofa that was navy, green, and a small amount of gold and some sort of red.(jewel tones). So the room is in those 4 colors. I love all the color and we were so glad to be rid of the white. Next we moved to the family room and painted that a warm caramel color. I still have 2 more bedrooms and 2 baths to go but I'm having so much fun. I'm sure I'm making lots of mistakes but at least it's an improvement of what was there. In our spare time we spend our weekends at catshows exhibiting our Persian cats and kittens. A big thank you to everyone. I don't think I would have attempted this without all the advice & ideas from the group. Christine

for Yvonne is now posted in the IM cybergift photo album.. Missy

Of course not!!! LOL.....funny thing, I was born in Germany but my parents are Canadians (my dad was in the Army) and I ended up marrying a German descendent ( Mikes dad was born in Germany, his family is all German).....and we are both NOT stubborn.....LOL Brenda

Who invented the calendar frame? PLEASE email me off the list mischief267@... I have some questions for you!!!!!! I have an idea I have been kicking around, but not sure how to get it going...Would you mind telling me how you got going on your invention?? TIA, Missy

Liz, refer me!!! I just pulled money out of a cd (term was up and the rate was LOW,LOW, LOW) and, I just asked my dh today about what he thought if we took that money and put it down on a rental property (it's not that much money). So, if I can get that book that Deidre recommended at that half.com place and begin my research, I (we that is, dh and I) just might be landlords soon! Thanks. Susie

Hi there, Im Brenda, married to Mike, 2 kids (boy and girl, 12 and 11), live in sw Ontario Canada. Our castle is a c. 1820's-1850's (not sure yet! lol) fieldstone farmhouse on 4 acres out in the boonies, we have ponies and dogs and cats etc. We live on Lake Erie across from Cleveland OH so a big wave to the Ohioans..... When we bought our house it was a bank sale, the previous owner had a "getting thrown out of the house, lets trash the place party" and the bank didnt clean it up, just wanted it sold so we got a great deal on the house but are still picking up rusty tractor parts in the pastures and spent the first 3 months hauling garbage to the dump! 2001 was our year to do our son's room, it took longer than we expected due to having to reframe the room. With the way stone houses are built with green wood and no real framework, in order to get level walls we had to rip out the existing walls and build new ones. We also took a real vacation out to the east coast (PEI, NB,QC,NS) for the first time so that slowed us down as well. Im a sahm, used to be a hairdresser but dont really miss it much! LOL Mike is an Industrial Engineer but dont ask me what he is doing right now cause our life took a major change last fall. He went from working for a consulting company here in Ontario but was "living" through the week in MI consulting for a company. Now this Canadian company is being bought out by an American based company who has been sending him to Europe! Which is kewl, the airmiles are adding up fast and he has one more trip and then I can go with him for free! YAY!!!! The new company has also told him he is way underpaid so we're hoping for a big fat increase when the takeover is complete.....then we will really renovate this year!!! LOL Oh yeah, I wanted to add that I was born in Germany myself......:-) Brenda

OK...the sideboard is here..and I put up pictures of the LOADED to bear guy that I took before I cleaned and polished it. Please note the fuzzy grey critter that came to investigate in the one image *G*. Well part of her heheh It seems to be cherry vaneer * I kept saying laminate and I meant vaneer*. It is damaged some on the top and in a few places on the front, but for $27 it is in really good condition and is solidly built. The drawers are even dovetailed...so that impressed me. The two bottom drawers on the front are fauz drawers but the three across the top are really drawers. The entire space under the drawers is filled with one shelf and then the bottom. It is totally full..and about 17 boxes are empty . WEEEEEEEE....more for the recycle truck Friday! :-) Look under the * Kathie * folder...that's me! Kathie

Richard, The baby pic is just TOO adorable!

I think it's all over the place. My parents just bought it from the grocery store.. I think Now I don't believe I've Intro'd myself.. I'm Tammy from Richmond, Va.. I work for a semiconductor manufacturing company and make 256ram.. I just moved into a new apartment and I'm going with the Shabby Chic/ Feng Shui thing.. I think they kinda go together.. anyways I am addicted to HGTV and I miss it!! No cable in the apt yet!!! My job right now pays well but I love decorating/furniture restoring/ceramics/painting/and more! Nice to see you all in my Inbox when I check my mail! TaTa! Tammy

Hi: My name is JoAnn and I am from Rhode Island. My husband and I bought a "money pit" 3 years ago and we are constantly doing something in the line of home improvements and decorating. (more improvements than decorating) I could use some inspiration! My latest project is my bedroom, which has a sitting room attatched. I am going to try and create a relaxing, romantic, shabby chic type of area. Any suggestions would be great. Well thanks for letting me join. JoAnn

Wow liz had never thought about that. I am having them professionally done with chem dry. I will remember that for future use. Lorretta

Now see, I didn't realize you were the "Landlady" at such a young age, wow what success, in your early 20's, gorgeous blonde, property owner, all that and a bag of chips! lol Missy -

Hi, I am Lorretta. I am 41 and live in Flagstaff,Az. We just moved here from tx a year ago August, to be exact the last night of August. I will be married for 22 years this Feb on the 22nd. No kids just dogs. We bought a house that is only 4 years old going on 5. We had a home in Lubbock that we lived in for 15 years and worked on fixing it up the whole time. When we moved I didnt want to go there. This house needed no fixing up what so ever. It flows nicely. It has lots of angles and high ceilings. Some walls that dont go all the way up either and lots of light thru out. We live on almost an acrea and can look at the San Francisco Peaks out of our livingroom. In fact in 2 weeks I am excited because when the carpets get cleaned I am going to rearrange my living room, great room, what ever you want to call it and I will be able to look at the mountains instead of my back to it. We have a lot of landscaping to do which we are working on slowly but surely. I am excited about this year in that I am going to finally hang curtains in my room and decorate my bedroom. I will then look at curtains in the living room also. I have wooden blinds on my windows so I havent rush into anything. Anyone new to this list welcome and you will get lots of good ideas. Oh I told my husband about the closet rods for curtain rods and he thought that was a good idea since we need them 9 ft long. Am excited about the new year and all the suggestions and help along the way. Lorretta

ok....since I know absolutely nothing about coffee....i have to use the beans or the grounded stuff out the can?.....will it end up smelling like coffee instead?.. Steam Buggy: so far I used it on the not quite 2 year old oven....just like the infomercial, black icky stuff oozed everywhere....yeccch.. The recliner does smell better and the grease stain on the head rest is reduced...but over 10 years of smoking probably takes a while to counteract... Intro....I am 33, single (seriously dating someone who lives 4 hours away....; grows up....; home-cooked meals, 2 minute commute and no rent....lol). Her house which I have been given full decorating control (yippee) has 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, etc on and on....now you really know why I'm still home! Current project: The breakfast room: painted a turqoise blue with coral accent....I'm trying to get a Caribbean feel to the room...Mom is from Jamaica and she has lots of cool stuff to display Almost finished: Sunroom: Rust and green....still got to finish the cushions for the window seat Next up: 1st floor bath: currently has primed over wallpaper (unfinished project from the 80's...lol) and pink, gold, black accessories with white tile. My problem is how to deal with the 10+ feet high ceiling and the lack of storage well, now that I see it in print, I'd better get to work......after I finish grading papers which should be sometime in June....lol ~Andie who is addicted to purple

Good afternoon everybody! I am Carla, 41 year old, happily married sahm. Mother to 21 y/o and 12 y/o dd(s). Also grandmother to 2 y/o gd. I live in rural northern Missouri. I worked in a busy family practice clinic until 3 months ago, when I quit to homeschool my 12 y/o dd. I am fairly new to this list, but have enjoyed reading the posts! I live in a 10 y/o modular home. We are slowly, making it into "our" version of home. New vinyl windows, that actually tilt in, and stay up! We have "ripped out" many of the manufactured features..... (tacky); and have replaced with antiques and custom made things, that are "us". Carpet is the next big expense... throughout the whole house. Maybe this Spring. The new windows wiped out our budget last fall. Getting ready to redo 12 y/o dd room. Then, on to our master bedroom. Painting and such I can do relatively cheap. Gotta love those faux techniques! New coordinating bedding from eBay....and we are good to go! :) We live in the country, however, and this is the real reason we love this place. Couldn't imagine living in town again. 10 years ago, I would have said just the opposite, but my, how this privacy grows on you. Just a quick note to: Confinkled...looking for.... Here is how I have done a few pieces, to make them appear older and worn: Paint base color. After dry, rub in stain and let dry. Apply crackle medium ( I buy it at Lowe's). Paint top layer another color. Only run paint brush over area 1 TIME! Otherwise, you will ruin the crackle effect! Let dry. Hit edges and handles, etc with sand paper, to take off some of the paint ( for a worn look). Rub stain on again, and rub excess off. Let dry well. Hit with sand paper again, if necessary. Seal with Briwax. (or you could polyurethane, if preferred). The base color will only show through the crackled area and the sanded areas. So your top color is your main color, keep that in mind. It is not a hard process, at all. Just takes a few days, cuz of all the "layers" having to dry. I am sure the members of this group have tons of great ideas for you, probably some even easier than mine! Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous NEW YEAR!

Ok guys tell me this... I am using a loaner cleaning machine and didn't want to chance clogging it up, so I tried to dissolve that OxyClean before putting it in and it didn't dissolve!!! I used hottest water from my faucet, which is set too darned hot, so what am I doing wrong? Denise

Hi Liz and all IM folks! My name is Phyllis and I have only been on the list for a short while. I am married to Bill--didn't meet him online- but on a blind date thru an ad in the "personals column". That date was 6 years ago this past September. We both took a big chance and it worked out great for us!! I am soon to be the big 50 and have 3 grown children, 3 grandchildren and one due to arrive in July. We live in coastal NC having moved back from Key West last year. We sailed our boat home from KWest after hoping over to the Bahamas first on our 7 week trip. We had just bought this house and I was anxious to get settled in so the trip was way too long for me. After getting back home I had reconstructive knee surgery for a torn ACL ligament in late August. Surgery went well and I began Physical Therapy the same week. Well---a week after surgery I spiked a temperature, my leg hurt like the dickens and I was admitted to the hospital for treatment of a staph infection in the knee. That was August---I ended up on IV medications every 12 hours for 30 days with my husband being my nurse!! It is now January and I am still on preventative oral antibiotics for this mess. Too much information? My point is that I really don't know what I would have done with out this list--I didn't post much but when I did get around to reading everyone's postings I truly enjoyed the friendships you all share with each other. I was very sick and didn't check mail every day but when I did my spirits were always lifted. I want to say thanks for helping me thru a tough time without your even knowing it and for letting me be a part of this great list. My decorating skills are lacking greatly--just can't seem to get things in this house to "come together". I envy those of you who know your "style"--mine seems to be some of it all and although they say eclectic is ok mine seems to be more hodgepodge with pieces from both our previous lives. I used to be all country right down to the ruffled curtains but this house is different and definitely not country. I will be posting some pictures soon so maybe some of you could give some ideas? Happy New Year to all. Phyllis

Hi, my name is Kelsy. I work part time at a Christian preschool, no kids of our own yet, but someday soon. :) DH and I live in a little duplex that I've been trying to make look decent LOL... it's hard w/ mismatched furnicher and carpet someone else picked out. We are hoping to buy/build a home by summer, so I'm beginning to think about decorating theams for my house. I hope to get lots of ideas and be able to share some as well. Kelsy

I almost forgot in my introduction. I work at a county hospital in Information Systems. I am a database administrator (the keeper of the data!). Basically it means I'm a computer nerd (on big systems, not PC's so no, I don't know why your so and so won't work) Ha Ha! Terri

Photos of refinished pieces of furniture. I am getting an old laminated sideboard from Goodwill today to hold my good china. $27 ! Gotta love it. The piece has good lines but is U G L Y. Perfect opportunity to paint and antique it. I need to look at some pics of ideas to figure out exactly how I want to do this. I know that someone has had some good pics of pieces they have redone. Can ya'll point me in the right direction? I have looked thru the pic archives and only seen one or two..I need more ! Kathie

I have diagnosed myself with P.H.C.S. (post holiday clutter syndrome) and I even made up my own name for my new problem lol!!! My symptom? feeling overwhelmed with where to put all the new stuff that came with the holidays! I have to take baby steps to re-organize my entire house and it is really quite mentally exhausting for me! A closet a day is my goal. I started yesterday by pulling all my clothes, shoes, purses etc. put of my closet, weeded them out, painted the inside of my closet with some leftover Yellowstone paint and overwashed it with a leftover bronze metallic glaze. It looks pretty snazzy in there, I also went on a rampage and retook all my matching purple hangers for my clothes that have ended up in others closets over the last couple years. I've got a nice mirror to hang over a purple chenille/gold fringe upholstered bench. So I need to hang the mirror and rehang my clothes. I feel pretty good about accomplishing this, it's something I have been wanting to take care of for about a year! lol But I'm not finished yet and I have so much more to do! Missy

So WHAT"S HAPPENING????? Is he at your house yet? Can you get him drunk and put him in the IM chatroom? Missy

What about creamy pale butter yellow..... Or for a "cooler" look....taupe Or...just a creamy smooth vanilla........

I'm Trish and soon I'll be decorating my master bedroom and bath. I'm not sure of wall colors yet, but the bathroom has faux green marble countertops and a green floor.The bedroom and dressing area have raspberry carpet. What was I thinking when we built it 4 years ago? I would like some color advice. What wall color would be cozy but still go with green and raspberry? Thanks

You will have a busy weekend, if you manage to get your bedroom painted, and run a household with 4 children and 2 adults! What color are you painting your room? Is your home a two story farm home, or what? Do you live in town or out in the country? What is your decorating style preference? Tell us all about it! My weekend plans are to put on the new PB slipcover that I got. It is in a "natural" color, which will be covering a dark brown sofa, so that will be a BIG change. I will also be putting up new curtains on the picture window directly behind the sofa. I found some tab-tob twill cotton curtains in dark sage green, which I will put on each end of the big (104") window. Then, in between the sage panels, I will put matching tab top valances, in a "natural" color. We also have vertical blinds on the window. Have to, the sun is a killer, as the house faces southeast. My husband's new Lazyboy recliner is sage green distressed leather, so with it and the new slipcover, the new curtains should look pretty good. I found the curtains on sale at a local catalog return type store, for $2.00 for the curtains and $2.00 for the valances. Bargain of the day. There was an entire rack of curtains, drapes, valances, etc for only $2.00 each, so I went all out and spent $20.00, and bought all kinds of stuff. I will have more items to do the "switchy-changy" thing for a while now. I love to put up different window treatments every couple of months, then keep rotating my stuff and I get a change, without buying new all the time. I am ready to get motivated and start re-doing DD room. Denim textured walls, chalkboard paint on part of one wall. New bedding, in denim and white stars theme. She is 12, and wants a change from the little girl flowery room, so we will be starting that in a couple of weeks. Then, it's on to our master bedroom. I cannot decide what color scheme to go with there. I am leaning towards a pale, pale yellow, and do some kind of faux treatment. Then, as soon as weather is warm enough this Spring, it's out to the patio (cement) floor! Going to attempt a faux stone treatment. DH is tearing down an old barn this Spring, so he can use the beautifully aged siding as wainscoating (sp?) in our living room. It is tongue & groove siding, so that should like quite neat when completed. He tore down 2 barns a few years ago, to aquire enough lumber to make our enclosed patio, with the barn siding on the outside, and on the inside, with insulation in between. He did a wonderful job, and it looks awesome. By the way, we are obviously into the primitive/rustic look. But I enjoy all styles of decorating. I have seen some "cottage styles" that are very tempting to duplicate! Especially for the bedroom. We will see. What about the rest of you folks? What are your upcoming decorating plans? T.G.I.F. Carla

So, how is everyone going to be spending this first weekend of the new year? I don't know about the rest of you but I'm ready to move on to some project that doesn't involve snowmen, santa's or lights! I think my main project this weekend will be starting to refinish the end table I bought at a flea market a while back. It is square with small squares on it on all sides. On one side the squares are actually drawers (there are 4 of them). They look about the size of a CD. My DD wants it for her room which is done in lavender and white. I'm thinking of painting the table white and paint the small square trim on the sides in the lavender color and then putting something in the middle of the squares. I still haven't decided just what yet, but I'm thinking about it. I also have to work on my pc this weekend. I need to install a new CD ROM and I REALLY want to get my digital camera working with my pc so I can get the pictures I took from the camera to the pc. All of this may be for naught though because I am on call also this weekend so that dreaded pager may go off and thwart all of my plans. Anyone else have some decorating/design/redesigning plans for the weekend? Terri

A friend of mine gave me the glass from her diningroom table. The chrome base on it collapsed, but they were able to salvage the glasstop. I want to use it for a game table in my gameroom. My question is, does anyone have ideas for a base I could build for it? It is very heavy, 1/2 inch thick, 42 inch octagon shape glass, so it has to be a sturdy base. Thanks in advance for all of your help. Sandy

Have any of you noticed you are suddenly getting virus attachments from people you hardly or don't know? Not from the lists but from people at businesses you may have emailed a question to or others on those long FWD lists you have when someone you know sends a joke or something? My scanner picks them up so I haven't been infected, but it's just odd that they are suddenly appearing like crazy, must be a first of the year thing! Missy

Wow, sound like everyone who celebrates Christmas had a wonderful time. We had a fantastic time here as well, we had family here for 2 days in a row, mine on Christmas eve day and my husband's on Christmas day. We all went to church on Christmas eve and it was incredibly beautiful :-) My husband says it's time to work on our room and established a furniture budget, that makes me so happy! We found a 4 poster bed and 2 bombay chests we will use for night stands at Ashley's furniture. We are also looking for a chaise or chair and 1/2 or neat chairs for by our fireplce. I need to find a warm Tuscan faux finish for the walls because we want an romantic Tuscan look. (we each have a big closet so we don't need to buy dressers, and we decided no TV in our room, so no armoire is needed either, that cuts back on a lot of expense and leaves our room spacious) He also gave me an amazing necklace handmade by an old Italian jeweler. It has teeny tiny renaissance styled angels walking and playing instruments, engraved in great detail, leather pants (save your animal rights comments, lol) and some cool tops. It was all WONDERFUL (especially becasue the leather pants actually fit and I wasn't embarrased that they were too small and had to return them. roflol!) We also went to see Andrea Bocelli on the 30th, the most incredible concert ever! He has a female singer with him, Ana Maria Gonzales, who was amazing as well. BUY THE CD, lol Then we spent New Years Eve at the Boulders (a fabulous resort here in Carefree, Az., my husband won some room trade certificates through work earlier this year and he was able to arrange our room on New Years Eve) We had the most romantic diner ever, then danced until midnight, the best New Years ever........ Missy

I love yellow....all shades from pale to sunflower. I am affected by color a lot...maybe due to being an artist and working in it for years....it can have an effect on my mood....some colors I am just passionate about like yellow and terra cotta-peachy even if it's passe. Yellow is also very bright and up lifting! And it goes well with blues and greens. There is always a yellow that is in fashion. I adore Yellows and Cobalts together. 5 years ago, when I bought our current home, cobalt blue was all the rage. I can't honestly tell you which blue is most fashionable right now. You can almost always rely on Peir One for the earlist fashions. That is where I bought all my Cobalts many years ago. Now, I am heading to the reds... My girlfreind just bought a new home. She had it built herself and ordered white wash cabnets. The contractor told her she was crazy. She had to pay extra, but they do still have those colors available. Angie

I have a new question for all of you. My dining room and Kitchen share a wall. Both are painted very rustic in gold's, and rusts, and a rustic red. My appliances are all black. I am getting a cooler delivered for Spring water. I have had one before but at that time my tile was white so it matched. Now I am looking at putting a bright white cooler with big blue jugs right in a center focal point. It is the only place I have that I can place it. It is where the kitchen counter ends and the Dining room beings.... it is also right in perfect view of my living room, also no white. Help? Any ideas how to town it down a bit?! Angie

How exciting for you to be getting a new kitchen. Fun. Cant wait to see pics of your new kitchen. Lorretta

Hello all, I recently relocated from my dream home in Arizona that was beaufifully decorated, and will be moving into a not-so-dream-home in Del-a- WHERE(?) the end of February. I need to replace my furnishings as they are sized, colored, styled for southwest home. Can anyone recommend on-line sites for bedroom, family room, living room furnishings. Or has anyone ever bought directly from a manufacture like Broyhill or Stanly, .... Please help me make this reluctant transition. Thanks

Hi all! I just joined and wanted to send an intro - I am moving to a new (well, new to us anyway) house in a few weeks. It is a fair bit larger(yay!) than our current house, so we will be looking into more furniture(living room and an extra bedroom). This house was built in '66 and needs some updating. I have to come up with ideas for my almost 2 year old girl's room and buy her new bedroom furniture as she will be graduating from the crib soon. We are thinking about getting her a full size bed, so the room can double as a guest room when we have company. Also, eventually will have to decorate bedroom 3 to be a nursery(not pregnant or trying yet, but hopefully will be this summer!) Also have a downstairs basement den that will function primarily as a play area that needs paint/paper/something. Anyway, that is just the beginning of my to do list, most of the house is white/brown/neutral and I really like color, so lots to do and not much budget to do it on, so I will be looking forward to hearing your ideas! I probably will be limited in my online time the next few weeks as we will be packing and unpacking, but will plan to be around more late January! Happy New Year all - Leanne

Has anyone tried the "dragging" paint technique, to make it appear as fabric? I am wanting to do DD bedroom to appear as denim textured. I was told that I could put a base coat (like ivory), then the blue denim color with floetrol added. Then take a wallpaper brush and drag the topcoat while still wet, first down, then horizontally. This is to give the appearance of denim texture. Has anyone done this? I checked into the denim textured paint....WOW, way too expensive. So, I am trying to figure out how to achieve the look myself. Carla :o)

Hi! I just joined this group a couple of days ago. My husband and I bought a little fixer upper house. I am SO excited about decorating it. I am not very talented at decorating so I am going to need some help. The house is only 800 square feet. We close on the 18th of this month and we won't move in until the end of the month but I want to make it livable between the 18th and the 30th. We are going to put carpet in it right away and Wilson Art floor in the kitchen, and tile in the bathroom. I will need to paint right away, but I don't want to just paint the walls white. I want to have some sort of a plan so I can get it decorated right away. My husband wants the house to look modern. I know that we are going to put gray carpet in it. I need help! Where do I start? I really would appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks! Lynette

Anyone watch E! last night and see the show on Martha Steward? Boy, what a hard nose! I didn't realize that she had been a model for so long. Interesting show to say the least! You have to wonder if she really found any happiness in her drive for her billions. Now she owns 8 huge homes, and only her pets to share them with. Angie

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Ok, what decorating or renovating presents did you all get??? I got my own drill, soldering gun (ironically, Mikes parents bought him the same one! lol), bits and things for my dremel, a house tool kit with screwdrivers,bits and different pliers.....I also got a new toaster, new food processor, luggage, perfume (Chanel No:5) a box of Applets and Cotlets (yum!) a box of handmade chocolates from Europe (double yum!) and various little things like new markers,Chinese painting kit, rubber stamps etc..... Brenda

Nope, Canadian through and through (mostly)...LOL.....a few years ago Mikes then-boss gave all the guys a box of them at Christmas, ironically the kids and I had just finished reading CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in which they eat "Turkish Delight", we were delighted to find out thats what Applets and Cotlets were! So this year he surprised us with a box each, mine is huge! ....then he hid the Visa bill.....LOL.... Brenda

have gotten a new digital camera and after playing around with it for a while i've finally put some pics into the photo section. Everything looks fabulous but I absolutly love the piano legs!!! They look wonderful!! Angie

Hi everyone! I read the list everyday but I have not posted as much as everyone else. Anyway, this past year I began the home repairs and this year I will continue. My house is very small and I want to redo all of the closets. In addition, I painted the great room area this past summer and now that has led me to the other rooms so in order for 2002 - dd's room (paint , blinds and closet), hallway (paint), guest bath (remove wallpaper and paint, paint cabinets), kitchen (pantry, paint cabinets), masterbath (paint, paint cabinets), master bedroom (paint walls). As you can see there is a lot to do! What I would like to do with the kitchen cabinets is paint them white and then do a burnt umber or almond type glaze on top of them. Problem is I don't know how to do that! Any ideas? Also, I will need to paint my laminate imitation butcher block countertops. I have not decided what color. The kitchen will not appear on my list until May or so. The floor ofthe house is the main thing. I would love to do laminate wood floors but I am concerned about price. Maybe ceramic tile in the kitchen. Looking forward to 2002! Beth Henderson, Independent Consultant Southern Living at HOME 803-957-9659 or ehenderson@...

Angie, Try pulling the pictures into a tighter grouping. Instead of spreading them all across the wall, pull the pieces together into one "unit" over the bed. All your pictures are unified with the white frames which makes an easier start. Play with them on the floor, pushing them around like puzzle pieces until you can get a balanced look within an overall dimension that is pleasing above the bed. As a rule of thumb, try to keep all pieces the same distance apart. (No more than the width of the frame and mat). Judy

Happy new Year. I hope everyones great turns out to be very blessed. I am so excited about getting into decorating my house more. We are going to start by have the carpets cleaned and by doing that we are going to rearrange our living room. it will give it a new look and I get to look out the windows at the San Francisco Peaks instead of my back to the windows. I am also going to try the closet rods to hang curtains in my bedroom and decide on what to put on the windows in the living room. Should look much better. I want to have this done before spring comes because then its yard work time. My other projects whick I have mentioned is this bench for the front entryway and my desk for my bedroom maybe. Anyway happy decorating to all. Looking forward to everyones ideas. Lorretta

I am wanting to help my sister out a little this coming year with some projects that I think she needs to do. Hee Hee. We'll see if she agrees with me. Anyway, her dining room is carpeted right now and it is so gross. It is connected to her kitchen on one side, the hallway to her bedroom, the garage, and the laundry room on one side, her living room on one side and a big picture window on one side. The kitchen and hallway both have matching ceramic tile. I really don't much care for it but heck, it isn't my house. It is white, with gray grout that is really wide for my tastes. The living room has the same carpet as the dining room. What I was thinking was that we could rip out the carpeting in the dining room and replace it with something else. However, I know that replacing all of the ceramic tile in the kitchen and hallway is too cost prohibitive. What would it look like to pick a different tile to put down in the dining room and having it butt up against the tile in the kitchen and hall? Would that look weird? I'm thinking it would. What else could she do? Any and all suggestions would be welcome. Terri

Hi everyone sorry I haven't posted in awhile I have been busy painting my kitchen and diningroom and catching up on bear orders .......I had two bears in two different magazines and had a rush of orders. My question is has anyone used those stik on lino floor tiles? I need a cheap solution for the dining/ kitchen area right now the eating area is carpet and the kitchen is lino neither one looks good and they are open on to each other so it makes placing my table very hard it needs to have one continuous flooring through both I can't afford alot right now so I was wondering about those lino tiles I saw some that look like slate......any suggestions or help for me? My kitchen is being painted a barn red on the lower cabinets thena dark gray tan on the top cabinets and then a grey tan two shades light then the top cabinets for the walls.........I really wanted red in my kitchen so we will see how it turns out! Hugs Heather

Well, we have all but finished Jacobs room. The shelves are up, the collectable cars are in place. The closet has been painted with chalk board paint. But Christmas was extra specail for him. Now he has a new table and chairs from grandma that are the right colors, but it just doesn't work! Now what, If I take the table out, I'll bruise some feelings. I will add a picture or his room. This was a picture of the room before it was completely completed. Now I have a table that is taller than the bed..... out of place. Also, dooes anyone know what works best to clean fingerprints off the chalk board? Angie

I finally have a picture of my entry that I hate. I thought I'd post it along with a picture of my bedroom. Funnything is, my bedroom didn't look cluttered until I looked at it in these pictures. What do you think? Angie

For Christmas DH finally got me my living room shelf (i have been asking for this for 2 years). It is about 10 inches down from the ceiling and spans 2 walls, a total of 25 feet. My problem is, I don't know what to put up there. In the past, I have collected birdhouses, sandcastles, angels, and roses (ceramic, plaques, vases, etc). My question is, can I put all my junk up there, or do you think I should stick to one theme? One thing I know I want up there is small bunches of silk plants. I also have handpainted eggs from some foreign country that I want to display. There are 8 of them. I really need some help here LOL. Sandy

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ho!ho!ho! to everyone, haven't been able to get on-line for a week until santa claus stopped by yesterday and fixed things. i hopw you're all enjoying yourselves michaela

In a message dated 12/24/01 10:57:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, Craftdesign1@... writes: Your home is so beautiful. The chandelier is spectacular....what talent you have. It is Christmas morning here in the mountains...nary a drop of the white stuff...so can't see any of Santa's tracks. You are a very talented lady and your family must burst with pride at all the marvelous decorating you have done to create their home. Could tell that you DH was beaming with pride. How fortunate they are to have you. Love the picture of Grandma...boy can she ever smile....such a happy face. Merry Christmas to you. Margaret of Margaret's Manor in PA

Hi there... I'm in Massachusetts and I have a really great product idea and I have no idea at all where to begin to market it. How does someone take a really good idea and become the next Rachel Ashwell? Any books or steps to suggest for me? Holly "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." -Ernest Hemingway

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and peace for the New Year. Yvonne