ecuadoriana1's Profile

Wow!!! Would love to see every TV equipped with this for all those Couch Potatoes and chubby little Couch Spuds, out there! Put those kids to work if they want to earn TV/video game/movie time!!! I'd use this myself! Love it!

@ laura110: Yes!!! We did this too!!! Took out the pipe under the sink, have a 5 gallon bucket to catch any water running down the drain, pour the grey water in the garden! Having the bucket under there really helps remind us of how much water we are using. I also use 2 dish pans in my double sink for dish washing, pouring the used water into the bucket to be carried outside & poured in the garden. Hubby is good at lifting that bucket for me ever since he saw how low our water/sewer bills are!!!

Hey, food scrapers: Scrape dishes into a plastic bucket & take outside & put into the compost. Also, dishes can be rinsed/scraped off directly into a 5 gallon bucket which can then be immediately pored into compost (don't water plants in garden with food scraps),

I keep a small bowl in the bathroom sinks which, after washing hands, letting water run into bowl, we use the water to pour into the toilet to flush it. Works best when it's "yellow water" in the toilet- LOL! Still, when you think about how many gallons of fresh clean water you are using just to flush down, what, barely 16 oz of urine.... that's a LOT of water literally flushing down the toilet!!!

We keep a mop bucket in the shower to catch excess "grey water" when showering (especially that gallon of cold water that first comes out of the tap while waiting for the hot water to come). We use this water to: flush toilet, water house plants, rinse food scraps from dishes, mop the floors, water the garden, soak clothes....

Yeah, we're a bit obsessive about our water saving, but with 4 adults in our house our water/sewer bill is only about $25 per month!!!

OMG, Leslie! I love what you've done with this space!!! And you said the truth; "Renters, don't worry so much about getting your deposit back! Paint is the cheapest, most transformative [sic] thing you can do. And if you create a beautiful space you won't want to move anyways." Yes, if landlords could just get over the "white only" concept & tenants could just get beyond the "but I won't get my deposit back" mindset! A few gallons of paint can do wonders to lift the life of a drab space. And if/when you move out a few more gallons of cheap white paint (that's what the landlord used anyway!) will easily cover over what the landlord can't appreciate. OK, so back to complimenting you- Your place is awesome & is a true inspiration for those who are living "square foot challenged" whether by choice or necessity. Furniture placement is balanced & knick knacks are tasteful & not over done (totally love the mini blue fridge storage cabinet next to the coffee maker & that car clock is adorable. Also, that coffee table is delicious!!!!!). You have a very talented eye & if I lived in LA I would so love to work with/learn from you. "Design it for how you live" should be the motto of every house/apartment dweller!!! Thank you, Leslie for sharing your home with us! (PS- I LOVE Raincheck!!!!)

Looks like weird embryos. Too weird for me.

Will we be able to see her pee in the shower?

Sorry, I couldn't resist continuing the dialogue! Anyway, brilliant idea & it's about time someone designed this! It beats my conservation style which involves keeping a 5 gallon bucket in the shower with me to catch excess water that I use later to water the plants.

I don't bother with all the bins & fencing type composting. For years now all I do is take each days kitchen scraps & dig a hole with a small shovel in my designated compost area & dump the scraps in & fill it back in. Each day I just dig another hole next to the previous day's hole. I go back & forth in rows about 4 feet wide by 6 feet long. I also put in the grass clipping & other compostable yard debris Every couple of days I turn the whole thing over, chop up the soil with the shovel blade, & start again from the beginning. I also water it with gray water from my dish washing pans. I get some good healthy (& interesting) sproutings coming up & I transplant those stronger ones that I am able to identify into my garden area. Anything that dies off I simply turn back into the compost area. Periodically I scoop up a few shovels full of healthy soil from the compost area & work it into my garden. No fencing around the compost area means critters are more likely to nibble on the compost sproutings rather than bother to dig under the fencing around the garden. I've been doing this method for so long & I have successful veggie gardens every year. Because of this method I NEVER have to buy seeds (I save the seeds from my crops) or "starter" plants from the nursery. All that bin nonsense was just too much work for me. You can tell that I'm a lazy gardener, but I grow enough every year to keep me happy.

@ galaxiekat: Go to the local social services department. They have access to that information. They can not give you the names & locations of the safe houses (obviously) but they can put you in touch with the organization officials who will take the items for you. Also, some churches can pass those things on for you to battered women's shelters. Something people who want to donate to women's shelters should remember: The women often need "professional" attire so as to be able to go out and job search. Donations of old, torn, stained, and shabby clothing do not help much when one is trying to not only rebuild a self esteem, but to go out & look presentable in the work world- a place many of them have been out of for a long time.

Totally agree with ALL of these tips- especially the first one! So many people I know figure since they have a big yard they can be the Urban Farmer- buying tons of pre-sprouted veggie plants at Walmart & trying to grow every vegetable in existence. Ha! If it was that easy we'd have no use for produce departments! Anyway, yes, start small, a raised bed space of 5 x 5 feet, grow one or two types of veggies that do well in your area. Compost, compost, compost!!! Each year add a few more feet & another veggie. And compost!!! Collect rain runoff from your roof. (Oh, and did I mention compost?!)

Several of the window curtains in my place are actually fabric shower curtains. I've picked them up either on sale or at Goodwill- type stores. I split them lengthwise down the middle and stitch them up. If they are too long I just hem them. They seem to be the perfect size for most windows AND they come in such nice colors and patterns. Best part- MUCH cheaper than buying fabric and having to do all that grommeting and top tabbing myself!!!!

Love it! I once made a mobile out of my beat up water & oil paint brushes. But never considered making something with house paint brushes! Cool! I think I may try this & incorporate my beyond use roller brush as the frame.