If at all possible, use the email function. I prefer to start the conversation via email than call, especially when I need more information, such as measurements. I don't like giving my phone num...

Do you know of anything that is made to sit on top of a stove for added room? I have a full-size stove in my little studio kitchen and a lot of the time I am using the sink for other things but my...

Kpaige13--if you want interesting cookbook covers, you can make covers for the books you have and take them to an office supply store (OfficeMax, etc) and have them bound. They can drill for 3 rin...

I peeked at this post because I have a print from Chapon of St. Martinique too:-) My favorite mementos are usually textiles--I buy scarves for myself and others, but I also enjoy yardage of fabric...

Another fun option that a friend and I do, especially when traveling alone, is to take "feet" pictures. It all started when she was at Omaha Beach for D-Day anniversary and didn't want a picture s...

I work in the Financial District and I love walking to the garden on the south-side of the Art Institute and eating my lunch by the fountains. It is quiet and cool even though it is right off Mich...

I have found that if I don't have the fan on the shaded side of my apartment pulling cool air in while I am away at work the ambient temperature of my apartment is 5-10 degrees warmer when I come h...

Aside from Corona with the tacos, my favorite summer beer is 312... but I am a Chicago girl and probably a bit partial.

Living in Chicago usually means that two hours might just get me west of Batavia or into Kenosha... Do you have some recommendations for 2hr trips? I am currently living in Berwyn, but have lived ...

Oh... was also thinking that it could be fun cut out of brown kraft paper or old grocery bags.

I love paper, and think this idea is fun, but only if interpreted to reflect your personal design love... For me, I see an interesting font, blown up and cut out of foreign-language newspaper. Ano...

Best tip--make sure you have something both bleed-proof and absorbent under the blinds as a drop cloth when painting. I prefer old drapes with the vinyl backing. It keeps paint from dripping thro...

As with many above I heartily vote for the yellow wallpaper. In a decor that is almost entirely blue and green it will add a great bit of zip and yellow and navy is a fabulous combo!

You could easily stuff it with an old comforter from a thrift store... after it has been well laundered. You could pick up one for $10 and be re-using as well.

My sister and her husband live in about 1000sqf (including a partially finished basement) with 4 kids and another one on the way and a large dog, terrarium and a variety of live things around on a ...

When I have been car-less (which is most of my urban-living life and some of college) my MO was to live either within 3 blocks of a grocery store or have one that was en route home on my commute. ...

Charlotte-- believe it or not, if you iron the paper with a low temp and no steam, it smudges a lot less and often not at all. Also, you could spray it with a spray acrylic from the craft store wh...

Mine regularly looks like it was hit by a tornado, but I've found if you start with a place for everything and put them away as you work you can have a desk that looks like this after a minute or t...

I've been painting used furniture for years and always think it is a good idea. A few suggestions if you you are new to this: make sure you sand everything well and wipe it down befor...

whytephoenix-- you have a couple of options. An environmentally sound option is to reuse mason jars for soupy lunch items. If you want something that you can reheat in and eat out of, I recommend...