viaggiatrice's Profile

When I lived in my tiny city apartment (for five years), I absolutely stored my 8 pack of paper towels in the trunk of the car. It was convenient and a cost savings. No regrets.

As a twist on the "toss with pasta" idea, may I add "use a dollop to dip pasta in?" My Italian family always served a side of sour cream with homemade sauce. Not sure where it came from, but it's a delicious tradition.

Not sure where you're writing from, but check to see if your public library has a subscription to Zinio. Mine, in Maryland, offers full access to digital editions of many of those magazines for absolutely free. It's my favorite new thing for my iPad. My library has Ideal Home, Dwell, Natural Home and Garden, Elle Decor, and House Beautiful available. Unlimited users, totally free (for you, if not the library), and you don't even need to return it.

A variation on this has been one of my main summer dishes for several years now...ever since Trader Joes was giving it out as a free sample and I became obsessed. The way I learned to make it was watermelon, gorgonzola, fresh mint, sea salt and a balsamic reduction. Of course it's best if you reduce the balsamic yourself, but I've been known to just use a bottled glaze or even plain balsamic.

Seriously, I planted mint just for this purpose. I eat it several times a week.

There's a reason they don't make that kind of taffeta anymore. It's looks dark and dirty and awful and not like anything most teenage girls would want in their room. Just because you like painted furniture does not mean you should be forced to resort to cheap furniture. Buying an Ikea bed for the same purpose would have cost several hundred dollars for a much less quality product. In 2012 twin beds are only going to be of use in a child's room. Nothing about that previous finish said child or teen. It said Grandma.

Well done. I would have done the same (and sort of have when I made off with an Ethan Allen desk at a yard sale that I quickly repainted green for my guestroom. I love it. The original owners never need to know).

You definitely want to get the PVC wainscoting. They sell it at both Home Depot and Lowes. Sometimes it's hard to find though, so don't be afraid to ask. I just redid my bath in November 2011. When I bought the house the previous owners had covered all of the tile (including the inside of the bath stall) with regular MDF beadboard. Needless to say, it didn't hold up. What was in the shower disintegrated and got moldy. What was on the walls started warping and coming popping off. I ended up spending *a lot* of money to have a contractor come in and fix the mess. I chose to remove all of the tile and put PVC beadboard over greenboard, but I probably could have gone over tile too. I just couldn't afford to make any more mistakes.