Home decorating and design

Does anyone know of any water resistant material? What I need is something that's water resistant, but that's soft and washable too. What I'm going to use it for is my dogs. I have 4 dogs that aren't 100% house trained. I would like something they could lay on, but if they happened to have a little mistake, it wouldn't soak through to anything else. Vinyl or plastic wouldn't work because it would be noisy and not comfortable. Leslie, Xena, Zeus, Hercules, & Thor Oklahoma City, OK

I uploaded photos of my living room called "A Decorating Dilemma" and would really appreciate feedback as to what I may do to help improve the look. Please keep in mind, I live in a very modest ranch style home and am on a limited budget. I definitely need something over and perhaps beside my entertainment center but can't find anything that seems to fit on either side of it. I do have a calligraphy print ordered that is on a red silk background, with gold flecks, and with black calligraphy writing (about 19" x 19") that may be hung over the entertainment center. I also have a black silk 16" fan ordered that has some red in the embroidered design, and I am not sure where that will go. I have a framed print on the North side of my living room but it may not stay there. I am not sure what to do with the space there. You may not be able to see the true colors in the area rug, but as I mentioned in my first/previous post, the brick red in the area rug does not match/blend with my other red decor and that is a concern of mine as to whether I need to have a different rug. Otherwise, the black and gray that is has are perfect for my living room. Any rearranging, items needed to make the living room feel completed, and/or suggestions anyone may have, will certainly be appreciated. Thanks so much. Sandi

Hello everyone. My name is Tracy and I have been lurking on this board for a while. I have been making window treatments for my house and have posted pictuters to share. The album is TracyJ. I have lived in my house for 5 years with nothing on the windows and have recently been inspired to decorate a little more. I plan to do each room in the house, eventually........ I am currently making window treatments for a friend, so I will have to take a break from my own for a while. Anyway, it is nice to meet you all. And please keep posting pictures. I love to see the things other people have done. Tracy

My living room walls are white, my carpet is gray (which has to stay), and my sofa, loveseat and chair are in gold & black with a tiny bit of white in a very tiny print (which I recently purchased). I have decorated with various wall hangings primarily in black and gold. I have gold pillows and a throw in gold on the loveseat and a black throw and oriental black background pillows which have flowers in Chinese red, gold and white. I also have a honey oak chair, trunk and pyramid-like wicker stand that match that I recently purchased. I have added a swag and floral arrangements of roses that are your basic traditional red color but with a dark red/burgundy center for accent pieces and contrast that I really like. I have a few things in an oriental bright red color as well. I purchased an area rug that really adds some color and livens up the living room and seems to pull things together (that was very reasonable as I am on a very tight budget) that consists of black, looks like an antique gold, gray, and a brick red. How can I tie everything together? The brick red color just doesn't seem to match any of my other red colors I have in my living room. Do I need to change to a different color area rug??? Please, I need help. :) Thanks so very much. Sandi

Hi all, First post here, so wanted to introduce myself. Married, mom of three all grown. Empty nester for exactly one month now and doing okay. I love to decorate, and had the opportunity to design and have built our dream home last year. Now I am working on it further in terms of giving it more "punch". I am also chronically cheap, and refuse to buy anything at full retail. Thrift shops are a joy to me, as in re-purposing things to save money. I love a challenge, and take a lot of pride in "doing it cheaper". I have posted some photos of the kitchen/dining/great room in my new house. Album name is Linda's House. Any comments, suggestions, etc gratefully recieved. Linda Stolz

Just wanted to let everyone know that I found the greatest thing on earth on Ebay for decorating!! Saris straight from India!!! I bought a silk one for $13 and with shipping it was only like $25!!! And, I got 6 yards of silk interwoven with gold!!!! When I get everything done I'll post some picks!! ~Miche'

On Friday, Oct 8, 2004, at 18:54 US/Eastern, Home centers sell a product called Gila film. It's a window tinting film, and there's one called 'heat reduction' or something like that. (Let me check on the real name, but if you ask for a "heat reduction" film you'll get the one I'm thinking of.) This will help with the heat problem. If you're looking for serious light elimination, get a sheet of plywood cut down to the size of the window, then cut in half. Fasten it to the window with hinges and put a screen door hook on it to keep it closed. You can close it when you don't want light and open it when you want to open the window. -- --jmowreader

I am thinking of replacing my oatmeal-colored berber with hardwood floors in my LR/DR, not sure about the kitchen...these three rooms are one big room (well, not THAT big). Thing is, my kitchen cabinets, island, window trim, and all my floor molding and door/door trim in this whole area is dark wood stain. So what color floors would work if I don't want dark wood for the floors because I am thinking dark wood floors would show dust like crazy and dark wood would make the room seem smaller also. Most of my LR, DR wood furniture is also dark walnut colored. My kitchen is oatmeal colored tile-look vinyl. Susan

-----I did an experiment today. I went to 3 upper end furniture stores and talked to the in-house designers (showing each one pictures of the interiors). Each designer had a different opinion about '05 colors, and, specifically, about the colors in my new house. Two (asked at different times, of course) said the aqua-teal (not blue as I'd stated earlier) walls were just fine, that neutrals are rapidly losing ground and color is returning. Another said the aqua-teal walls might look better glazed (I had thought this, too). Still another said the aqua was very dated, and I would be smart to repaint now. One designer said that raspberry reds were a bit dated but cinnamon reds are coming in strong. Another pointed to a pumpkin-colored wall and said, "That is one of the hottest colors now." So I came away with the feeling that there is no right or wrong way to define one's living spaces with color. LOL The success or failure of any color scheme is probably in the details--accessories, upholstered pieces, rug. But as everyone here has said, the real success is determined by our reaction to the color. I do like the aqua (but might need it lightened up a bit--and here I must ask...will a glaze work?), and I can really see a tone-on-tone, very quiet scheme developing. The dining room,however, will need painting and or re-wallpapering. My husband has requested a mural, if at all possible, so I have been looking at trompe l'oeil. Could anyone recommend a wallpaper company (I believe one is York's Three Sisters line??) that produces very muted, almost watercolor-like murals with the Tuscan countryside. Also, in the dining room the draperies are already there--puddled, between ivory and taupe--and I would love to keep them, if at all possible. Across from the dining room is the small library/living room. The same draperies hang here, too. But the walls are very deep teal green, and for me, this is too dated (I used this color in a library in 1989. I quickly tired of it but didn't change it. So I am really eager to get away from it now, LOL).

Hi there, It seems that now anything goes. Design trends now seem to be, If you love it, use it. I agree. If you were lucky enough to buy a house with the decoration already done and you really like it, then leave it and feel really lucky. It is quite possible that if you were to try and do it over yourself, you might end up wishing you had left it. Decorating is very hard. Don't worry so much about what the new trends are. Mostly now it seems to be the thing to decorate with what you have. I did that and I love my house. I have a retro 50s cottage kitchen because the house was built in 1950 and is a cape. The kitchen cabinets are original, made by the owner/builder who made them from plywood. I painted them red and put white hardware on them. I used white porcelain knobs and white metal screen door pulls. I love the look. It is red and white, with cottaggy homemade shelves painted red and white. A cherry border and an apple and cherry, fruit theme. The floor is white ceramic tile. It cost very little to do this room. I did it about seven years ago and it is more in style now then it was then. There is an iron pot rack over a homemade table on wheels to make extra counter space. I just hang my old pots there. Nothing copper or shiny just the plain old pots that we use all the time. I think it looks great. The table on wheels is against a wall but on holidays I can wheel it out to make working space in the middle of the kitchen. I also have my appliances on this table. Very useful. I found some vintage children's kitchen toys on eBay, a sink, a stove and a refrigerator and cleaned, and spray painted them red and white and put them on the shelves. An old telephone that I had in my basement is in there too. It is great because when we have a power failure we have a telephone that works. At the present I have a kitchen table from Kmart the white tile top kind. But just by the greatest good luck I found another table a few weeks ago. It is a wood painted table from the 30s 40s and I am just cleaning up the legs and the bottom part which is painted cream and chipped, etc. The top had contact paper on it and I had to peel it off. Lots of the paint came with it so I stripped the top and am painting the top red. I have two old chairs that I got at a thrift store and I am all set. Don't forget that if you are decorating from a certain era you can pretty much use whatever came before that year, say 1950. Most houses in 1950 had lots of furniture inherited from parents, aunts, etc. I really like that look. I have pieces from the sixteenth century and up. Just because I am decorating in the 50s doesn't mean I can't use some of the old primitive furniture also. That is what makes a great cottagy look, I think. My whole house is like this. Old furniture, redone or painted. Everyone says it is great and very original. I just LOVE it and that is what is really important. I think your French country house sounds wonderful. I'll bet it is beautiful. How lucky can you be. Wow. I would love to see pictures. Please. Your friend in decorating Barbara Del Duco

Deanna, by this do you mean the 60s psychedelic colors or jewel tones or something else? This is something I haven't heard yet and am curious. I kind of think maybe you're saying clear tones gone and muted tones in. Is that right? Denise "The good news is what may be over our head is under God's feet, and He is big enough to accomplish what we can't."-Micca Campbell

continues throughout your home? My living areas do... there's green in each room with other colours thrown in for spunk. My upstairs, however, is one big crayola box. Because we have such a small house, I wanted to have continuity to give the illusion of a larger house. Our kitchen, living room, main hall and office (the rooms the public sees!) are all a pale vanilla yellow with off-white trim, and the floor is all the same (Brazilian cherry wood) except for the kitchen, which has tile floors (but we extended the Brazilian cherry baseboards there to tie it in). I think it really does make for a more expansive feel. Someone mentioned their kids' rooms ... we don't have kids (yet) but I think if/when we do, I would encourage my older children to go ahead and paint/redecorate their rooms the way they want them, even if they bear no relation at all to the rest of the house. It's hard enough being a kid sometimes, and I think that really "laying claim" to a space that way can help them be more at ease in it. And it gives you a great excuse to redecorate their rooms yourself once they are up and out! LOL! ~Ann

I am reading on a book on redesigning. Using things that you already have. I thought I would start with one room. Says to take everything out and find the achitectual focal point. OK...I have figured out that is the wall that faces the entry...but, if you were to come in the other door...it would be the arch entering the room from the foyer. The author indicates that you need to put the heaviest piece of seating furniture looking into the focal point. In other words, right across from it. My questions are this: If that is true...wouldn't you almost always be looking at the back of a couch, at least partially? Even with a sofa table behind it, I don't think it is terribly attractive. Also, is it possible to have two focal architectual focal points within a room, depending on which entry you use? In addition, the author indicates you should have be able to weave yourself through the furniture to get through the room. I cannot tell you how much that would annoy me! LOL What can I say...I like to get from point A to point B in the least amount of time. LOL Of course, I want the room to be asthetically pleasing as well. Any designers/redesigners out there who could give me a few hints on this?? I am having trouble mixing functionality with asthetics. LOL Thanks in advance. Jen in TX

Hi, I saw in the poll, that so many of you has taken decorating courses from Sheffield. Is it really good? Are there any other course in interior decoration which is good? Can we work as an interior decorater if we take these correspondence courses? Unlike interior design, will the employers consider decoraters who has taken courses like this? Please help. I would like to study something in my free time. As i have a baby, i would prefer some home study courses first. Will anyone prefer decoraters than designers:(

Hmmm... continuity... there's a topic! How many of y'all have a scheme that continues throughout your home? My living areas do... there's green in each room with other colours thrown in for spunk. My upstairs, however, is one big crayola box. How about you? Debby

I think it was Will Rogers who said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"--or maybe it was Yogi Berra--I'm not really sure who first said it! In any case, I think the saying fits yur situation. If you're comfortable w/ the color scheme as it is, I see no reason to change it--until or unless, that is, you tire of it and want a change. Moving into a new place is stressful enough as it is w/o having to think about redecorating the minute you move in. Take time to live in your space for a while before deciding what, if anything, you want to do differently. As far as which colors are popular now, I think that color, period, is popular. Neurals are popular, too, as long as the room includes "pops" of color via art, pillows, area rugs, and similar accessories. Happy moving! Diane

We are looking at a house (built 9 yrs ago, colors chosen by a designer) that has the following interior colors: *Kitchen -- country French "chickens/roosters" background raspberry with a bit of green, blue, dijon-ish brown. The cabinets are white, counters have dark green tile. *Great Room & Hall/stairway -- blue, sort of a medium aqua *Dining -- raspberry/dijon-ish paisley wallpaper above chair-rail, off white below While I have never decorated with blues, the colors are attractive and I would certainly save $$ by not changing anything. My question is...are these colors dated? Which colors are popular now (beiges? neutrals??) but are likely to wane in '05 and beyond? And which colors are in the forecast for '05? thank you in advance for the advice!!

Yep - you can buy a light bulb that is silver on the bottom and no light comes out from the bottom. I used one in a floor lamp with a downturned shade and wasn't real crazy about it, but that was, as you can imagine, a reading light. It wouldn't shine down on my book. You might like it better in a ceiling fixture. You might also try a compact flourescent or a Reveal bulb and see if you like that light better. If all that was ever in there was a cheap bulb, even a soft white might help. Denise "The good news is what may be over our head is under God's feet, and He is big enough to accomplish what we can't."-Micca Campbell

Hi, I'm not new, just haven't been here in a while. Just wondering if anyone on here has used a technique like Doug on TS venetian plaster. I want a rich, warm finish on my living room walls that doesn't look faux. I'd like to do a technique like his that really adds subtle texture, but in a brand new house, doing something like that seems so scary and intimidating. Any experience with this type of finish you can pass along would be appreciated. Tonisoprano

I'm renting an apt and have a basic ceiling light with a basic white globe on it. When it's on, it's so unpleasant. So I've got a couple of desk and standing lamps in a couple of corners and I just use those instead of the ceiling light. But it also made me think... are there any globes out there for ceiling lights that make the light less of a harsh unpleasant glaring sort of light? Like I was thinking maybe if there were a globe that was darker on the bottom, maybe the light would escape around the top and not be such an eyesore. But I have no idea if that would even work. Anyway, I'm sure you get my drift. Any ideas? Thanks so much! Sienna

Hello! We just bought a house and the upstairs bathroom is going to be a challange! The bathtub, sink & toilet are all BLUE! Now I don't mind blue and actually, I really like blue! My grandma had a blue bathroom set, but it was a pretty baby blue... this is kind of a blue/green/gray color... Almost like "water flow 520B-4" from Behr... As far as everything else... It's a very small bathroom. There is a lot of gray tile on the walls about 4 ft up... So it's very gray in there... The floor is a light blue. And there is one small window facing south. Anyway... HELP! Any ideas on what syle to go with? Color to paint the walls? Accent colors? Ect??? Thank you so much in advance! You all are such a GREAT help!

I wallpapered one of our bedrooms. Navy background w/ large roses & hyacinth on top, a Navy pattern (barely perceptable) on the bottom w/ If you haven't already done it, make sure you prime your walls before you wallpaper. My walls were supposed t be primed when we built our home but it wasn't. After a few years when I went to take the wallpaper down, it was a nightmare. You really can't skip this step if you wallpaper a lot. You also need to use seam glue on borders even it the border is prepasted. Boy are you in for a lot of work. Good luck. Joan

Your son is a dancer!?? OH, GOOD FOR YOU!! I tried to get my son into dancing, he just wuldn't do it. He's now 28 y/o & took lots fo dancing in college & wished he'd done it when I tried to get him to earlier. He did play baseball for several years.

Have any of you used the ralph lauren paint. We live in the middle of nowhere and our ace hardware just got it in. Yeah. I like the river rock look and some of the other things they offer but havent tried it yet. Christine

Have any of you used the ralph lauren paint. I used RL paint/glaze to do the denim finish in my son's room about 6 years ago. I have zero complaints other than it is a little pricey if you're going for the faux finish looks, but it was worth it. Everything I used seemed to be of high quality. I also used an RL high gloss red to do some shelving and my son's closet doors. It was just about the cutest room ever! I don't know if you need any of the tools to do the river rock look, but if you do, look on Ebay and see if anyone is selling the tools there. Cheri

Welcome, Colleen! Congratulations on your upcoming move. Let us know where you live--which part of the country, that is--and a little more specific description of your patio space--dimensions, which direction it faces, if you want/need to screen anything from view, color preferences, things like that--and just wait for the ideas to roll in! Diane

Hi, I think I made a mistake. I am buying a new home which is in move in condition. The walls in the living room are newly painted a mauve color. I lost my head and fell in love and purchased a red microsuede sofa and loveseat. What was I thinking?! Now I am worried that these colors are not going to match. I would appreciate any ideas that might help pull these two colors together. I really don't want to paint, but I just might have to.

Hello all, I joined this list to get ideas. I'm looking forward to doing that but time does not permit this at this time. I'm real excited about redoing my boy's room. I will share as time permits. One ? though. I have oodles and oodles of grapevine. One daughter is country to the core and the other is a "princess ballerina" I want to hang it from the ceiling, but the room is tiny (11x10). Do ya'll think this will be too much? I was going to add pink tulle to soften it up. It may take a while for me to respond. Thanks, Jennifer

I just adore India. It is one of the places that I would like to see some day. I'm sure we have all seen the immaculate temples and the exquisite décor in carved woods and reds and golds. Can you tell us a little about how the average citizen decorates? What kind of homes do you have? I'm sure I'm not the only one interested. Thank you, Angie

Hi everyone, are there any interior design courses(online or correspondence) which is good other than Sheffield, Rhodec and Inst.of interior design. In some website i saw that employers don't prefer people who took correspondence courses particularly in architecture and interior design. Is it true? Are there anyone employed in a firm after completing a correspondence course? Can anyone help me in this. thanks for your time.bye

The post does not qualify as spam, but as sharing information. Denise "The good news is what may be over our head is under God's feet, and He is big enough to accomplish what we can't."-Micca Campbell

For those that didn't hit Kohl's... Just looking at the new ad for Tuesday Morning, and Oct. 5th, they will have Surefit slipcovers for $59 & $69 (retail $239 & $279)!!! Deanna :

Hi everyone :-) I'm a total newbie to interior decorating. I'm in a hurry to paint the apartment where my fiance and I live because after we get married everyone will want to come by for a visit, and you know, it's just become boring living with white every day... My question is: our living room and the kitchen have no windows whatsoever, so what kind of color scheme would be best there? Any tips are appreciated. (I'm thinking red, yellow or lilac for the kitchen as the primary color, and blue, green, or yellow for the living room) Thanks

<<Ok, so we have a small collection of DVDs here (maybe a couple-three hundred?) and need to find some place to put them. I bought an old, small chest of drawers at a garage sale to keep our CDs and DVDs in, and it works great! I didn't realize how cluttered it made out living room look, having them out in the open, until I had them behind closed doors (or drawers)! With any luck, having them out of sight will make them less interesting to your two little ones! Cricket

Ok, so we have a small collection of DVDs here (maybe a couple-three hundred?) and need to find some place to put them. Since there's two little 'uns involved, we do not want to simply put them in a shelf/rack on the floor -- they have this tendency to pull every single one out as soon as they're left alone in the room. <Grin Problem is, I'm coming up blank on ideas that will look good and maintain function. If we were talking 10 or 20, I'd just go with a little wood box style rack that can be mounted. With this many, I see a small problem fitting them all in there. ;) Any ideas or suggestions on how to get these up off the ground and store them all?

Blank. I'm asking this question on this list, not because it belongs here, but because I know there are a lot of creative women on this list who have done a lot of tinkering with things ... so I thought someone might have an answer. What happens if you take the underwire out of your bra? I'm not (ahem!) terribly large in any respect, and I basically just need a "regular" bra -- except that I absolutely cannot find one anymore. Everything either has an underwire, or if there is no underwire, they are padded from here to eternity (apparently on the assumption that any woman who is not well-endowed would WANT to be well-endowed!). Well, I don't need a wire OR padding, thank you, but I can't find bras that don't have one or the other. I found some "regular" bras at Mervyn's about two years ago, but they are wearing out now and there's no replacement in sight .... I have asked bra salesladies before what would happen if I took out the underwire, and they look at me in horror. Then they lecture me sternly that I NEED an underwire. So I've stopped asking them. I bought a bra a couple of weeks ago with the intention of taking out the underwire ... but it wasn't exactly cheap, and I keep wondering if the horrified salesladies are right. I don't want to take the wire out and be left with something that is completely unwearable. Has anyone ever taken the wire out? What happened? Thank you!!!! Ann

Thank you everyone for your wonderful ideas on my stools. I painted them the same shade as the darker shade on my walls. I then faux painted them, let the watered down paint separate, and with 3 layers of this I got what looks like wood grain. They are perfect in color. I used a varnish that left them a bit too shiny for me, but everyone else in the house hold loves them. I beat them up fairly harshly before painting, and sanded through with each coat. I took a hammer, nails, wire brush and believe it or not, pliers. The pliers did the best damage. I also took a sharp knife to smooth out the edges. They do not look anything like they did. I have two left to varnish and I am finished. We had rain all weekend so I will wait until our dry dessert heat comes back before I varnish them. I am in contact with a guy in Florida that might have the perfect cowhide for the seats. Here is my next opinion question. I can either take hide and cut it out irregular. I would them use the brass tacks to tack them down over padding. Or I can cover the entire seat. I am not sure how simple that would be since the backs are slatted. I'd have to cut holes for each slat, 8 on each back. I think I could make it look professional though. But the seats look so great the way they are. I do want the hide though.

Hi Everyone: I got a flyer this weekend about a Kohls "Super Saturday" Sale this coming Saturday 9/25th from 7am-9pm. In this flyer, they say that many things are marked up to 75% off. I do not work for Kohls or anything like that ..I just thought that I would pass this on as it looks like it might be an end of season sale and those are great for finding great deals on anything for the house, clothes, etc. Please check with your Kohls stores nearby to make sure that they are also having this sale but I believe that it is probably a store-wide sale but check just in case before you make the trip to your Kohl's store..probably, the earlier you get to the store, the better because as it is a big day sale, the sooner you get there, the better the pickings. Just my opinion of course....

Boy am I disgusted. I thought I had my wall color all picked out. I liked the colorwash that Lowes had on their website. I thought all I would need to do is show them the picture from their website and the color they named, get the products and start painting. Well the picture they show for colorwashing is not the same color they named. American clay is not a brownish beige color it is more a purple color. I have read several articles on glazing and colorwashing. One says to add color to glaze another says to use a lighter shade of paint. The colorwashing articles are just as confusing. Now I am confused about what to do. I want a warm inviting color in the living room. Something that feels like the room is hugging you when you walk in. Suggested colors have been dark tan beige, tea with milk color, cocoa's I like these color suggestions. How do you know what glaze to use? The lady I spoke to at Lowes was not a lot of help. I explained to her that I had never used a glaze or done any kind of faux painting before. In addition, she did not really explain the difference in the glazes or if she did it still did not make me understand. I am about ready to just throw in the towel and leave the living room just as it is.

In a message dated 9/16/2004 4:12:39 PM Mountain Daylight Time, ced011@... writes: I got the taupe and loved it and got a Mint Green in the Queen and that was gorgeous -- I am sure that they are all real pretty. Which thread count did you buy? I am definitely going to order a set of these but wanted to know if the less expensive are what you bought or the other one. I recently bought a set of sheets at Stein-Mart that were fairly expensive in my book (more than these) and they are not soft at all! Grrr! Nancy

In a message dated 9/17/04 8:48:09 AM Central Daylight Time, mistyglen@... writes: On some of my other groups, if we get off subject, we just put O/T (off-topic) in the subject line along with the topic. If people aren't interested in the O/T topic, they just hit the delete button. Thanks, Joanna

Quick Question: Is Shabby Chic more of a California country style or when someone refers to Shabby Chic, are they referring to some of the Shabby Chic collections at Target and other stores? One of my girlfriends wants to get a "Shabby Chic" feel to her house and wanted some suggestions ..how can you recreate that look and feel on a budget?

Hello Everyone! OK. So I am a lurker. Must be my shy, retiring personality. ;-D However, I would like to respond to Marion in Nevada as regards her recent post concerning Walmart.com. I, for one, appreciate this kind of information. I have gleaned much from this group and also appreciate knowing where the good buys can be found to make my home attractive and comfortable. Whether online or free standing, retail outlets are a minefield of junque and poor quality and an endorsement of a product that we all need is very helpful, indeed. I bought new sheets for my king-sized bed just 2 weeks ago and, I'll swear, you could read a newspaper through them. They were supposed to be 300 thread count. They went back. Again, thanks for the information. Sandra in Racine, WI

Hey, what is happening here? Why all this correspondence about sheets? Is IM turning into an advertising site for Walmart--and who the heck is getting all the benefit from this spam? I wonder why this is allowed to go on--Kitty, are you there? Marion in Nevada

My dh and I are painting a bedroom. The ceiling and walls are all done. Today, we pulled up the wall to wall rug that has been on the floor for over l5 years. You guessed it. We found one big dirty mess on the surface of the oak wooden floor. I need to know what is the best way to clean up this floor before we get a new rug. thank you for your suggestions. Hugs, Alice (Pudggiebunny)

Has anyone seen a Toile fabric with sage green background with lavender print? My sister did my neices bedroom with it but I can't find it anywhere. TIA, Joanna

Do you know if they have these in the store are they just online? Hope they have them in the store, because I am getting hypersensitive to the rough feel of my cheaper sheats--if they're in the store I can do the poor man's purchase plan--LAYAWAY! DD just got given a queen size water bed, so we need to get sheets for her, too! Thanks for the info, Marci

I'm still facing these stools. I have decided to paint them distressed and use irregualr shaped pieces of cow hide as seats. I'll add a little padding under them, but I don't want to try and fold them or "hem them. I think raw a natural will hold up well. But I'm still at a lost for the backs of these chairs. Someone mentioned rops o twine wrapped around the tops which is an option. I like the look of beat up metal. Does anyone know of a metal that is thin and can be wrapped around the "spokes" or is there a paint that will look like metal and hold up well? Angie

Debbie, I'm with Beth. I love your window treatments. They look professionally done. If you did them yourself, good on you! (And how do I get instructions?) We've just bought a new home, so I have to face the window treatment question anew. Thanks. Kate

Thanks for all the help. Linda

I purchased some Blue Nile Linen Egyptian Cotton Bedsheet Sets (440 Threadcount) at WalMart.com for under $60 and I am in HEAVEN! These are the SOFTEST sheets that I have ever slept on and they are real heavy and thick too...I can't believe the price..... I am going to purchase several more because you know, you can never have too many Bedsheet Sets with all the people living in the house.... If you don't want to pay around $60 for a Bedsheet Set, they have a 270 Threadcount Egyptian Cotton (Blue Nile Linen) Bedsheet Set for only $39 instead... Anyways, I am SO HAPPY and wanted to spread the joy..go to WalMart.com and go to the Home Section and go to Bed and Bath and then go to Sheet Sets and you will find them on the 1st page..... Happy Dreams everyone!!!

Debbie, I saw the photos of your kitchen on the group's website. I love the valances in your kitchen. Did you make or buy them? If you made them, would you mind telling me how, otherwise...where did you get them? Beth in Ga

Hi, Jennifer and welcome. Sounds like you know exactly what you want. One thing I've seen is to take the navy blue or red and paint it solid over a chair rail (about 36" up from the floor), then take the sand color and apply it with a turkey feather sparingly. It kinda looks like fireworks and the effect is pretty cool. Over a solid wall, it might be overwhelming, which is why I mentioned the chair rail. They're pretty cheap, just measure where you want it, paint the top & bottom of the wall, and install the trim. They have this new laminate pre-fab stuff that's inexpensive, flexible, and pre-finished. I'm sure others have some wonderful ideas. Hope you find something useful here. Lisa

Has anyone on this list used toile wallpaper? Did you do the whole wall or just half. If you did half what did you use on the lower half? Linda

I covered one of mine just by sewing a tube of the fabric & sliding it over. I made it gathered of course. Judy

Does anyone have a link for how to faux finish curtain or drapery rods to coordinate with the various colors in the fabric? Thanks, Burt

Debbie, I'm in Kansas City, Missouri proper and Olathe is part of the large metro area (kind of the fartherest Western edge). Not sure what type of job your DH is looking for, but some of the larger employers (Sprint, Gateway, SBC)in the area have been laying off regularly for the past several years and continue to do so. However, I'm not sure how much different that is from the rest of the country. When I was laid off from Gateway almost 4 years ago, it took me 7 months to find a job (in tech sales, that paid even close to what I made previously), went to work at SBC--almost everyone who was hired at the same time I was, have since been laid off; but I've been out of the market for 2 1/2 years due to disability so haven't been paying real close attention. Check www.kansascitystar.com this is the large metro paper & you can access both job and real estate ads online. Olathe has been booming housing wise (and mini-malls), but can be pretty pricey, as are other suburban communities on both sides of the state line. If you don't mind living in an older, urban neighborhood that is a veritable United Nations of people, there are some neighborhoods that have excellent real estate buys. Mine is one- -you can get 100+ year old mansions for a quarter of a million to just old 2 story, 2+ BR shirtwaists for under $50,000 and much less if you're willing to take on a fixer-upper. Having your own transporation is pretty vital as public transportation is only available outside the urban core during "normal" rush hours, if at all. I could go on forever, but so list mama doesn't get us both, please feel free to email me directly. Marci (in Old NE Kansas City, MO)

Does anyone know of a tutorial or website that shows how to cover a drapery rod and finial with fabric? Thanks, Burt

Hello, I am a SAHM to 4 kiddos. I homeschool and am on a very small budget. (for the time being)I am wanting to paint my living room. I have the Americana theme, and I like it. I'm wanting to use a neutral color, so I can change decor without repainting if I want too. My colors I have picked out are a dark sand color, a deep red (rich looking) and a navy blue. I love the country style, but I do not want the cutsie look. I was thinking one wall should be red, the rest the sand color and paint accents like small wood shelves and small decorative things the navy blue. There are many things I would like to do like wainscoating, crown molding, thins like that, but it is not in the budget. Can anyone give me some ideas? I was in a Mc Donald's in Liberty, Tx last weekend and loved the decor. They had red wallpaper on the top half of the wall. It had a sponge look to it with two shades of red. It was dark. There was a navy/dark blue chair rail. I can't remember what was on the bottom of the wall.It was very nice. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Thanks, Jennifer

My husband is looking to relocate to that area. He wants to find a good job though. How is the job market in that area? We found out we could sell our house and have some thing out of it to move with. He would want to be able to buy a house in Kansas after moving. I am not sure how to go about relocating. I have a brother in Olathe Kansas and that is how we know the area. However he rarely checks his email so I haven't heard from him. I thought I would try here. Debbie

Well, I don't actually have that many kids - although sometimes I have to check the family records to make sure - there sure have been a lot of them around here a lot of the time, and all of them wallowing my furniture! Maybe it was using the pvc to help hold them on, but keeping mine on is never ever a problem, as long as I kind re-tighten a little bit daily. Like I said, that's no more work than fluffing loose pillow backs or something. As if I wasn't sold by just how much better the new slipcovers looked than the old upholstery, the final 'sell' happened when I looked in the washer that first time. In our house, 'wallow' also means eat, sleep, do nails, eat, do homework, eat, play with the dog, eat (unfortunately all too often at the same time as playing with the dog - ugh) cuddle the cat, brush your hair, etc. Checked on those slipcovers at the end of the first wash cycle to see if the dye had run and was appalled to see that water was more like sludge. Ye gads those things were more filthy than I could have imagined. In fact, after that wash water spun out, I restarted the machine for a second wash. I told dh that was it - we would never have another piece of furniture that didn't have a cover that could be yanked off and washed on a semi-frequent basis. I'm no clean freak, but that was just gross. And of course the same dirt is on non-washable fabric - so I was sold. I hate to even imagine what it was like on the old furniture back when I had toddlers throwing up on it. Turns out that there is quite a bit of furniture out there sold with a muslin cover, and the upholstery is intended to be the slipcovers sold to go with. Land's End home is selling a set right now, but a sofa, ls, chair, and the covers together are over $5,000. Denise "The good news is what may be over our head is under God's feet, and He is big enough to accomplish what we can't."-Micca Campbell

OK, this may not be "your thing", but what about stenciling a "brand" on the seats in a darker stain to go with the whole rustic look? Deanna : I like that idea. DO you think I could pull it off with paint? If I paint, do I need a primer? I would like to rough up the paint (sand through in places) would a primer ruin that? I like the idea of a brand. Maybe paint the chair a redish brown with a black brand? How deep do I need to sand them? What kind of paint will work the best? would an eggshell type paint work? Or should I go flat? My fiance owns his own brand from cattle, and I bet his family would lend me their personal brands as well, adding a sentimental touch!

Or, you could cover the tops of the stools with leather to match the leather on the other furniture. It's very easy to do with a small amount of leather and a stapler. That sounds like a wonderful idea, esp. since you can get calf skins on ebay so cheap. But let me toss this out... the back of the stools that that very generic back, vertical oak "slats" with the "bent would" in the rainbow shape around the top. I HATE this style, but won't be able to change that. How difficult would it me to add a little padded seat area and use brass tacks to tack it down? And how durable would it be (as in: will the tacks stay in with kids crawling on them?)? Anyone know where to get those large tacks? Any ideas on changing the appearance of the backs? I can already hear "slip covers", but that in leather would be pricey, and I might as well buy new.... I'm going into the mountains for the weekend ... but I look forward to reading all your reply's Sunday evening!!! Angie

Marci, this sounds so interesting. Where did you find the medallion stencils and where can I find instructions on what to do? Thanks a lot. Daisy

Hi All. I'm hoping someone can help me. I was watching HGTV and saw this show where they decorated all of the walls in the bathroom with tile. I think it might have been Designer's Challenge, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the tiles were small so I think they may have been sheets instead of individual tiles. If I remember correctly, these were some kind of shiny pinkish pearl color. Does anyone have any idea what I am talking about and what these are called? I have been searching on the net, but so far I haven't found anything that looks or sounds like this tile. Thanks! Teresa

look. What is everyone's opinion of paint vs. a dark stain? Well ... it sure would be easier to paint over whatever is already on the stools than to strip them and re-stain them! To paint, you would just have to clean them and scuff them up some with a little sandpaper. Stripping is ... well, stripping. (Unless someone else knows a good method to re-stain that does NOT involve stripping.) Good luck! Ann

I moved in with my fiance and we have dramatically changed his home from a county/classic style into a "western/Montana" type décor. We combined our rustic furniture, and the rustic leather furniture. The furniture is a dark red/orange color with large brash tacks. Our living room, dining room, and kitchen are in one large great room. We bought a new table that is a pub style table, very rustic, large brass tacks and all. The color is a dark red natural wood look. It matches the leather perfect. The kitchen cabinets are light oak. The walls are in a Tuscan style finish with 3 contrasting colors from pale to dark nutmeg. The cabinets look fine. But there are 6 bar stools surrounding the sink area that are plain Jane oak swivel stools. They are of good quality and swivel nicely. They just don't match. It would cost a fortune to replace them. I am thinking I'd like to refinish them in some manner. I do want a rustic look. What is everyone's opinion of paint vs. a dark stain? Thanks for your help... Angie

Jane if you want the cleanability but might prefer a lower sheen, Benjamin Moore's eggshell finish paint is near miraculous. I clean houses, and in one house where that paint was used lived a very energetic boy. As he started growing toward getting tall, he thought it was cool to see how much higher he could jump and touch the door headers. There was a 'black cloud' of fingerprints over every door in the house! There were also walls in the stairwells that were just black with fingerprints - I guess those boys had something against bannisters. Anyway, a spritz with scrubbing bubbles and a swipe with a microfiber cloth, and that paint looked ( this went on for years mind you) like it was brand new. Denise "The good news is what may be over our head is under God's feet, and He is big enough to accomplish what we can't."-Micca Campbell

I am hiring a painter to paint the walls and ceilings of my kitchen, foyer, and 2 hallways. I have had a few in for estimates. All have been so different. Would you go for the cheapest? Also I would like to use semi gloss paint. Since it is a kitchen and busy hallways and I have little kids I thought this would be best? Jane

Sorry ... but didn't I see something on the main site (www.freecycle.org) about starting your own? If you can't find one that is reasonably local, maybe you could be the local Freecycle maven and start one for your area! :) Ann

I saw something similar in a decorating magazine a while back, but I'm sure they used regular construction "stuff", but not sure what. I've since found stencils for ceiling medallions and am going to use the technique in my entryway, living room, study/dining room (still debating my room & the bathroom). I think it will be a little more artistic than the plastic medallions and I won't have to take down & re-install all my ceiling fans. Also considering doing a corner &/or edge treatment on some of the ceilings. I can heartily recommend freecycle! Our local group was celebrating it's first anniversary & asked all members to offer at least one item- -I think everybody cleaned out their garages & attics this weekend because it was wild. I got a great antique clawfoot tub and the papsan chair my daughter has been dying for & tomorrow I'm picking up the fencing for a dog run. Something that has happened a lot recently are freecycle yard "sales"--a great way to get rid of the stuff that didn't sell at the real sale. Marci

I'm redoing the walls in my house (rewired & had to open up all the walls, replastered... w/ plaster not plasterboard). Now I'm starting to fix the living room. I wanted to go back to the wood, there were spots where the paint had chipped off. I'm taking off the paint, it's only got 2 coats, which I think is remarkable since the house is 80 yrs old. I found WALNUT!!! (Very uncommon in California) Now, what product is the best to finish walnut? I want a traditional decor for the room (whole house). I don't want to put up wallpaper, but I dont' want a large expanse of plain paint. So, I've decided to do a faux finish, very subtle. But I'm torn as to what colors would go w/ walnut. Unfortunately the carpet is Vanderbilt red (the red carpet that they roll out...), it came our of the Ambasador Hotel (where Bobby Kennedy wass shot). It's pure wool & /very expensive/ I can't afford to redo the floor that's underneath & I can't afford to replace it. I'm just not a "red" person & my roomates don't like it either, but it's there & it's gotta stay. So, I have to find something for the walls that goes w/ the walnut wood & Vanderbilt red carpet.

Hi all, The Christopher Lowell show is one of my favorites (HGTV daily) and the other day I saw a demonstrator from Plaid Enterprises who was using Plaids new dimensional product (much like joint compound and I would assume quite a bit more expensive... but worth it?) that you can add bottled acrylics to. But the thing I loved was that she was using a "rubber" scraper that was very flexible (I'm assuming that's sold in the craft stores now). As she was spreading the compound, she was able to get marbled effects from it. The stencils they were showing (I'm assuming were theirs) were very thin and I wasn't impressed at all with the amount of raise she was getting, but was taken with a technique she did afterward. After the compound was dry, she painted the completed surface and once that was dry, she then took sandpaper and went over only the design... yes, it did take off a bit of the raise, but what it did was to create a pure white design that showed through the paint that now looked extremely old (since some of the paint also came off of the wallboard). It was very beautiful. Give it a try and see what you think! Would also be just gorgeous on a table top! Victoria

sounds like a great floor... since we won't be doing it soon, maybe you can give us an update in a few months to let us know how it's holding up.. how long have you had it in? it's fairly recent since you're still building, right? "Ray@..." <ray@... In our house the stain is permanent and we will not have to reapply at all. We did get the walls a little splashed so will have to repaint a couple of feet up the inside of our exterior walls but they already got concrete splashes on them so that was inevitable. Once our interior walls are done we will clean the floors and apply a more permanent top coat. Ray robin grunzweig kitysmom2@... mission viejo, ca usa "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." --Joseph Chilton Pearce

Hi all, Although I have a full time career as an editor, I'm currently looking for a part-time job to cover some extra expenses. It'd be great if I can work at a home-decorating type store to fuel my interest in interior decorating and gain some experience for my future plans as a decorator. I'm wondering if any of you have worked at any major chain home stores and whether you gained valuable, rewarding experience from the job. Your feedback is appreciated :) Jen

I'm remodeling our bedroom, this summer. Construction is nearly complete. As pretty much any of my remodeling projects go, I never do anything simple. The fundamental reason for the remodel this was to replace the windows. We had those old 1935, double hung sash windows and we could feel the January wind blowing on our faces as we slept. Not good. Time to fix that. I didn't like the full length windows where they were at. It seems pretty stupid to me that full length windows are used in bedrooms, making it impossible to *not* cover them up with the headboard of even the lowest bed. (Dumber than that, is putting one in the bathroom over a tub, which they did in our place and I've since remedied.) I changed windows, window sizes and window locations, which meant tearing out the outside walls and completely reframing them. It also meant tearing out the plaster and lath walls. I decided to tear all of it out in the bedroom, that way I could replace the old, crappy wiring and add insulation. Another thing I decided to do <heheh simple?) was to make the ceiling a barrel vault with soffits on the sides of it. I was inspired by a casino here in Kansas City, where they painted the ceiling like a twilight sky, illuminated at the sides by soffit lighting, ostensibly to con the dum-dums into believing that there's a perpetual state of twilight and the party's just getting started. I'm taking that idea a step futher, by painting said twilight sky in a style reminiscent of the style of illustrator, Maxfield Parrish. Some nice 'poofy' cumulus clouds, rich with color. The soffits are going to be 24" wide and laminated with a simulated cherry, that matches the dressers and bed we've already purchased. Long story short... (Too late, eh?) The missus and I have been wrangling over how to treat the walls. Both of us see a sort of amber color happening. She wants to go with one solid color. I think it needs that textured look. She's just afraid that it would get too horsey and detract from the focal point- that ceiling. I am with her. I don't want it to be too much either. I want the 'texture' to be fine, not big glunky chunks of sponged on stuff. Another thing I'd like to do is to cover it all in a clear semi-gloss glaze. She seems to think it would be a nightmare if we ever decided to repaint it. Has anybody here done any of that stuff? I've seen that done well and I've seen it done hideous. As intrepid as I am with everything and anything else, this one's got me a little spooked. TG

We had a similar situation with the red & blue ink from a grocery bag on a natural color table top. I used a wood care product with orange oil in it, assiduously rubbing the ink marks every couple days. With it and possibly the sunshine, the marks gradually faded & eventually disappeared--seems to me it took a month or so, but I'm not sure. Marci (who now manages to leave such rings only on her formica countertop, where they clean up with cleanser)

I don't recall if this is the same brand, but we used similar non- adhesive faux frosted window film on our bathroom window & predominantly glass front door. Had problems with both peeling off around the edges in cold weather and the bathroom window also had a tendancy to peel in really warm & humid weather. I finally got tired of dealing with it & pulled it off, although I loved the look. You can get the same look, probably less expensive and more creatively by using a frost spray (believe it's made by Krylon, but available at HD) or permanently with Armour Etch-All (it actually acid etches the glass)--either can be used with or without stencils. We used the Etch-All without stencils on our basement windows (our shower is there--for now), since they didn't admit much light anyway and plan to use it with a stencilled design in the regular bath. We're using the spray on the front door (with stencils) as it's the original 100+ year old beveled glass and could be removed (with effort). Marci (who sure hopes her DD decides to front for cable or satellite, I'm dying to watch HGTV!)

Has anyone tried to faux paint with cheese cloth? I heard about a technique where you used squares of cheese cloth and dab paint through them. Has anyone tried this? Angie

Hi everyone, The question: <<snip Subject: Need help with Ink on table I hope someone on this list can help with this. A friend went to get some things from Wal-Mart last night in the rain. She came home and set the wet bag on her kitchen table <<snip My reply: A number of years ago I had a stain, caused by liquid ink, on an antique oak table with polyurethane finish. It was large, and I was desparate. I used baking soda on a damped soft cotton rag. I rubbed gently, going with the grain of the wood. I just used my fingertip. It took a while and I frequently changed to a clean spot on the rag. I think I may have used baking soda on a Q-tip to start, just to see if it worked. Because there was some moisture, the grain of the wood rose up a little bit, but it gradually become pretty normal. I am not sure if I could now find the spot on the table at all. It might be worth a cautious try. LMK if it helps. Good luck from Eldonna in Ohio

My mother put apple wallpaper on the part of the wall above the plate rail & on up to the ceiling in her kitchen. She siad it reminded her of being in her uncle's apple orchard when she was a little girl. family home 2 years ago and have made slow little changes to it with what the pocket book could handle, but now we are ready to make some bigger changes! Of course I am looking for the most frugal ideas possible! Right now I am looking for suggestions on what to decorate my kitchen in. We just bought the flooring and got that down. I want a look that is inviting and warm! Anyone have any cute ideas for walls? ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated as I decorate my home!

No, I suggested that very early this morning.

Hey Leslie, can you tell me a little more about the concrete flooring? I have the same exact feelings about carpet that you do - and that's even if there are no animals on the carpet. Add the animals and... EEEEEWWWWW. We have long been considering concrete flooring when we're ready to build, and if you are in OKC like I think you are, prices there should be comparable to ours in Ft. Smith, AR. Can you give me a general idea of what it runs a square (foot? yard?) as compared to an unfinished slab? I have heard both ways - that it is far more expensive than other types of flooring and that it runs about the same. Any chance that staining a slab is a DIY process? BTW I had intended to welcome you as practically a neighbor. We hail from Duncan ( yep used to be Halliburton folks long time ago) and lived there in OKC for a little over a year before they shipped us to Indonesia. We're through the City quite often and keep a closer eye on what's going on there than here at home! Be blessed and be a blessing! Denise Christian homekeepers defeating C.H.A.O.S. www.move.to/calm

***This message was edited by a moderator**** check the filter screen. Unhook the hoses and it should be on the washing machine side. suzie

My washer hasn't been working right lately. It takes forever to fill up with water. If I'm using warm water, it takes about 3 hrs for a load of laundry, if it's cold, it takes 4 hrs. Does anyone know what this might be? Leslie, Xena, Zeus, Hercules, & Thor Oklahoma City, OK

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny. I am a 28 year old stay at home mom. We bought our first family home 2 years ago and have made slow little changes to it with what the pocket book could handle, but now we are ready to make some bigger changes! Of course I am looking for the most frugal ideas possible! Right now I am looking for suggestions on what to decorate my kitchen in. We just bought the flooring and got that down. I want a look that is inviting and warm! Anyone have any cute ideas for walls? ANY help would be GREATLY appreciated as I decorate my home! Jenny L

I can tell you this much: When Beverly Enterprises moved two of its big office locations and the people that worked in them from southern cal and Virginia Beach to Fort Smith, AR, those people made the fanciest housing areas grow like crazy! Many of them had sold very basic houses... you know, 3 br 2ba tract houses, and made enough money selling them that they were able to buy big houses in fancy additions when they moved here. They all talked all around town about how much nicer their houses were here than where they moved from, even though the move did not usually come with a bigger salary. Be blessed and be a blessing! Denise Christian homekeepers defeating C.H.A.O.S. www.move.to/calm

and i hold it dear in my heart, there is no humidity out here in southern calif :-) (and the beaches are nicer) ... she is right tho... texas is wonderful! Ditto! Texas IS wonderful! LOL! That said ... SPOILER WARNING: I'm going to get into a bit of a sensitive subject here, regarding politics and gun laws. I am not going to go into the Right and Wrong of these things, and I will not respond and debate the Right and Wrong of these things. But after thinking about my last post some more, I realized that there are two issues that might spoil living in Texas for some people, so I thought I should address them honestly (as I see it, that is). You've been warned ... * * * * * * * * Okay, the two other things that might make *some* Californians (and others) unhappy with living in Texas are: politics and gun laws. Politics: If, like many Bay Area Californians, you believe that all Republicans are intrinsically evil, then you should not move to Texas (except for maybe Austin, which is considerably more liberal than the rest of the state). OTOH, if you really feel that way, there are large parts of the South and Midwest that you should not move to either. If you are more of a moderate, or if you don't care a lot about politics, you should be fine. Guns: Texans are not all gun-totin' nuts. Most of my friends in Texas did not even own a gun ... but some chose to. If, for example, it would make you horribly uncomfortable to know that your very nice, very friendly, perfectly sane neighbor across the street owned a hunting rifle (which he kept carefully locked up away from his children), then perhaps you should think twice about moving to Texas. True story: I knew a Californian who had moved to Texas, though a national social organization I belong to. He and his wife seemed pretty happy for the first few months. Then, at a local meeting in FW, someone else mentioned in passing that he had a concealed handgun permit, and in fact often carried a handgun. He did not mention whether he was currently carrying, and no one asked. The conversation moved on ... but the newbie Californian got VERY upset at this news that it was even possible to carry a concealed weapon to a meeting, so much so that he began a big campaign lobbying the national office to create a new rule restricting members from carrying heat to meetings (even when it was perfectly legal in that jurisdiction). This did not go over well, as you can imagine. I don't know the end of the story, as we moved soon afterward ... but I do know that the Californian was upset with his new state, and he wasn't making many friends with that attitude. So I will now shut up about all this. Last word: If you are thinking about moving somewhere permanently, try to take several vacations there first, and live like a native as much as possible. Look up meetings of the local garden club (or whatever organizations you would be interested in) and attend them. Drive around neighborhoods you think you would like (by yourself, not with a realtor) and if you see someone out working in their yard, stop and (nicely) interview them about what life is like there. Read the local paper every day you are there. Be polite but nosy. And try to be open-minded. If things were *exactly* the same as your original home, there wouldn't be any need to move, would there? :) good luck! Ann

I have an antique pedastal tub...it's like the claw foot tubs but sets on a castiron pedastal. Luckily my enamel on the interior of the tub is in excellent shape, but the outside has been painted and is now flaking off. There is also a place on the rim where some spray paint is. Would a power washer take the flaking paint off, and clean the interior, it was being used as an outdoor planter, with out damaging the the finish? Any suggestions for getting the overspray of spray paint off? And lastly what should I use to finish the outside of the tub to make it look good and have a durable finish? I eventually want to have this tub in my house, but right now dh is very opposed to the idea, so I may wind up using to decorate part of the yard. I would really like to try this as a diy project because I got this for $1 and if dh won't help me re-enforce the bathroom floor to hold it, it will never get into my home...so if I mess it I'm really not out too much. Laura in OK

I'm sorry.... Why would you varnish a painted cabinet? Varnish w/ yellow anything it's put on. The most I'd do is a clear verithene coat. But it doesn't need that. Paint is the protectant. painted. Now I have to apply the varnish to protect it. What a difference in my kitchen. I painted dark fake wood look cabinets to a nice white and I distressed them in the areas with a stain. They look great.

Ann... Well, actually, no... I guess I wasn't clear. This was *during* the quake. (The quake was just a little tiny one and lasted about five or ten seconds, else I would have been out the door!) I just happened to be standing by her when it happened and so saw this behavior. I actually have seen no signs in any of my cats that they sense quakes in advance. We lived in Seattle for a while and went through a sixer there. I was at the grocery store when it happened. When I came home a few minutes later, my cats were all very agitated. The funny thing that time was that they weren't hiding under the furniture, but were out and about, and my oldest cat kept "pointing" toward our office, as if someone or something were still in there. I don't know if the quake came from that direction and he felt it, or he just heard things banging around in there and assumed that a person had to be doing it. The only preternatural facility I have seen in any of my cats belongs to this same old cat. He has a fixation on cheese -- his nickname is Monsieur Fromage -- and DH and I both have often had the experience of thinking about getting a piece of cheese as a snack (we both like cheese, too!), but before you can get up from your chair or make any move toward the kitchen, the cat is at your feet meowing and clamoring for his share! He doesn't do it every time but he does it quite often. It's really rather strange. Ann

take it to a professional. The stuff that's coming off on your hands is a DIY job. Only professionals have the equip to re-enamel it. Don't fiberglass coat it, when it was new it was enamel, and it's not that expensive to have done. this or not, but I'll try anyway. DH and I just purchased an antique claw foot tub, and we were wondering how to go about refinishing it. I've read a few horror stories from other do-it-yourselfers, but nothing that would help me learn from their mistakes. We think the tub is primed right now because the inside has a white coating on it that looks like paint, but that rubs off on your hands. The outside is black, and there's no visible rust anywhere on the tub. Does anyone have any advice?

BlankI posted here a while back looking for an answer to the question: How do you get brown hard water stains off white grout? Acidic stain removers weren't really an option, since the grout in question was vertical. I tried a rust remover, but the brown is caused by manganese, not iron, and the rust remover didn't touch it. I tried both Bon Ami and Barkeeper's Friend and had only a little success. (It took the brown off the high spots but didn't get it out of the cracks.) I also tried OxyClean but I couldn't really make a paste out of it, and it didn't make any difference that I could see. But then I found a small hint on a web site and tried this: household hydrogen peroxide mixed in baking soda to form a paste, scrubbed on with an old toothbrush. Bingo!!!! I cannot believe that the stain is actually gone! The downside is that it requires a good deal of elbow grease, but the great thing is that ALL of the stain is gone, even down in the cracks. As soon as I can treat the whole shower this way, I'll be sealing it again -- with a GOOD sealer this time, not the junk I got at HD -- and hopefully this issue will not be an issue any more. Yay! :) Ann

Hi all - My husband and I are partway through the process of painting our bathroom, waiting for the first coat to dry. (It's our first time painting a room - so far I think it's going well, but ask me again when the masking tape comes off... ;) I was thinking that an interesting paint effect would be something that gives the wall a kind of blurry, hazy, watery effect, very soft and filmy, but I don't know how this could be accomplished. I presume we'd start with a lighter shade of paint mixed in with glaze... but then what technique would give us a soft cloudy look (without actually painting clouds)? All I know about thus far is moving the glaze around with things like plastic bags and sponges, and those have very crisp & distinct patterns. Is there a particular type of glaze that would do it? Not sure if it's even possible - I work in web development and use Photoshop much of the time, so I'm used to being able to achieve whatever effect I need in an image... I've noticed the real world is a little more complicated to manipulate ;) Thanks! Kirsten

Oh Deanna, I think you have hidden treasure! I didn't jump in on the silver discussion before because I have no idea how to keep it from tarnishing. But the truth is I loooove silver. Shiny, beautiful silver. And Wright's Silver Cream is no harder to use than dish soap - it really is just like washing dishes. Polishing silver is one housekeeping task I really enjoy - once you've cleaned it, it stays that way longer than almost anything else in the house LOL. And the results are just soooo beautiful. MIL had a silver serving set displayed on top of her refrig and, once she started using the Wright's instead of that linty stuff that looks like gun wadding, she had no problem keeping it shining and beautiful - about every two months I think. So if you don't mind cleaning those items every couple of months, I think they would be really gorgeous there. The soffit area makes a wonderful place to display beautiful but not-often-used serving pieces- which are often oversized and rather hard to store anyway. I have some cake pedestals, a metal ivy three-tiered dessert server, and a 3-bottle wine rack up there along with the platters. All that is required to get them for use is to grab the stepladder in the laundry room and get them down. I have my eye on a killer-gorgeous picnic basket that I plan to get, once I measure and make sure it will fit. I'm not sure how a lot of rich, opulent items like silver and crystal will fit with a tuscan motif. I think of tuscan as being earthier and more primitive. You might try mixing some of the silver and crystal with the more primitive things and see if you like that or if it looks out of place. The grapes are a great idea - have you seen how real the plastic (well maybe they are latex) grapes look? I thought you could buy online and get the weekly sale prices from Hobby Lobby, since they publish each week's ads online. But I found the answer to that question, and it was NO. bummer. Michael's ads usually come in the Sunday paper, and it's not at all unusual for them to run silk bushes at 50% off. NOTE: to anyone who has really BLACK silver to clean, there is a very easy way. It will take the black out of the design and you'll lose the antiqued look, but it's nontoxic, and works like a charm. Use the biggest pot you have and bring water to a boil. Stick some plain - cheap is good! aluminum foil in the pan and pour in a couple tablespoons of baking soda. Use tongs, and carefully let the silver piece down in the boiling water. The tarnish comes right off of the silver and sticks to the foil. For very large pieces, I've put foil and soda in the sink, then set the silver down in it. Then pour the boiling water over the whole thing. It takes a lot of water to do it this way, as the water cools down very quickly and it has to be boiling hot to work. This is a fairly safe procedure if you are careful and keep small kids and animals out of the kitchen while you're doing it. This will not 'polish' the silver, and the soda should be washed off before the metal cools. Then you can polish it with Wright's and only spend a fraction of the time you'd have to spend on a really black piece. Be blessed and be a blessing! Denise Christian homekeepers defeating C.H.A.O.S. www.move.to/calm

What do you all do with this area? Do the baskets/pottery look OK? My daughter collects antique cake plates and has them all lined up there. I have antiques mixed with traditional in my home and since you can see the kitchen from the living room, I needed to make sure it all went together. I have a combination of items on mine. I have a cake plate, a wooden chicken from the Sundance catalog, an antique watering can, a pewter platter, pussy willows and some greenery. It's all very easy to get down and wash every now and then. I even put the greenery in my sink in sudsy water and rinse and dry and it looks very good still. I also have an old cookie jar and an old bag that looks like flour. Joan

I need some ideas for something to use as a kick plate on an entry door. I bought a beautiful wood door at auction for $5, and thought it was solid...well dh didn't check to see if it was solid and just started sawing it down to fit the opening we have...can we see were this is going? It isn't solid wood even though it isn't a hollow core door, so now I am having to do major repairs and paint it...making it a $35 door. The bottom is kind of rough looking and I though I could just go buy brass kick plates...well they are $40.00 a piece and since I need two they are not cost effective. I found some gorgeous glass tiles and was going to apply them but since I have two kids I don't think they would last. Would peel and stick tiles with a wood trim around it look ok and stand the elements on the exterior portion of the door? I am painting the exterior forest green, with the interior almond if this helps come up with any ideas. Laura in OK

***This message was edited by a moderator**** We have a antique heavy wrought iron headboard and the foot boards that just wrap around the corner. We were give a new box spring & mattress as a annv. gift but it set low, so we just used the old box spring on the bottom to raise it. It posed a similar problem; solution for us was to take three dust ruffles, nothing frilly, we placed one under the first box spring, the next over that one & the last one under the mattress. Since these were bargain aka thrift shops they were of course completely sew around for a bed w/o a footboard. Not being a seamstress, I carefully split the corners, ironed and 1/8" seam allowance & used the iron on tape. it come's in different sizes so it made it simple, the very top one I did open the corner a bit to allow the faux pleat to be hidden. Now we have the high bed we love, and I can store things underneath. The skirts were all complementary colors of the quilt and/or duvet we use depending on the season. I had to slip some toile in somewhere :) It was the binding at the bottoms, no one knows that it's really 3. I used the same no sew / iron on for them & they have washed up great. Just a pain flipping to box springs though. ps I used the same toile on some quickie neckroll pillows. Good luck. Sorry to ramble. meg <aggie9293@... You don't use a some type of springs on the sleigh bed? MEG

little circular vacuums that claim to do it themselves. A friend has one. It does not do deep cleaning and only gets the dirt on the very top. They are not very powerful suction. IMO they are not worth the high price. Be gentle with YourSelf Sue

***This message was edited by a moderator*** My house is a mix of old and new, it just depends on what I like that catches my eye. We also bought a house built in 1920, so that helps. suzie

Thanks, Dale! But the space is open above my cabinets, with a little turned spindle railing to hold things in place (useful in earthquake country!). So the air is free to circulate there ... and tarnish my silver .... Other ideas? Thanks! Ann

I have also been wrestling with an above-the-cabinets dilemma -- I hope someone here has an answer! I inherited a very nice silver tea set from my mom, and since I don't have tea parties very often, I put the various pieces up above my natural maple cabinets, mixed with my blue & white china. It all looks lovely ... except that the darned silver set has to be polished every time I turn around! Is there any kind of wonderful gunk I can apply to *keep* this stuff polished? Or is there a particular polish I can use which has anti-tarnish properties? I don't mind polishing the pieces every few months, but doing it all the time is just ridiculous. And tarnished silver up above my cabinets is not such a wonderful look. :( Thanks in advance! Ann

Thank you all for your input. It sounds as if several have successfully repainted formica cabinets (the cabinet recovering kits are out of my budget), so hopefully my white will prove just as successful. I'd much rather do all white, with just a bit of sponge painted trim so that the tiny area will seem larger & brighter. Yeah, I know plain sponge painting is kind of passe, but country blue is a favorite color and the sponge painted dishes were a gift from daughter when she was younger, so why not do the kitchen to match and fashion be d*mned! Marci

Please share your creativeness! I bought these at an auction for a dollar. Noone else wanted them, and I thought I'd donate to a school or art program. When I started looking at them, there are some that are really neat, I decided I wanted to do something crafty with them and eventually donate the leftovers. Apparently there were no crafters at this sale, or at least none that wanted to pick these books up. It loaded a full size van from front to back, top to bottom. I don't really know how many there are, but it takes about 3 hours to move them. Thank you for your wonderful brain! Denise

Do any of you decorate your home with antiques? I would like to give my home a different feel when you walk through the door. I have done things like put in wood floors and stenciled the walls. I have even put in old fireplace mantles. The modern stuff is a problem. How have you delt with these? Linda

Freecycle is a wonderful resource, both to give & receive--I love it & only wish I'd discovered it sooner. However, if you'd like to keep some for yourself, here are some ideas: Paper- scrapbooking, handmade books & journals, origami, covering all sorts of decorator items and the latest craze-artistic trading cards (Google for lots of examples); fabric- sane or crazy quilts, patches, necessary or decorative for clothes, handmade books & journals, covering decorative items and Sashiko (a kind of origami with fabric), check your library for books. My creative juices are positively seething at the thought--your samples are VERY much in demand in crafty circles! Marci

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any idea of what to do with a couple of hundred wallpaper sample books. I also have maybe 50 fabric sample books. Many of these are still current ( or at least I am told ), and there is no way that I'm going to open a decorating store. The only thing I can think of is decoupage, and maybe scrapbook people. Please try to come up with ideas, and who may be able to use them. Thank you for your collective brilliant ideas! Denise

Christine... Just off the top of my head, I would say that either the oak or the distressed ivory pieces should predominate. Whichever finish you pref