M. L.'s Profile

That "before" bathroom photo captures so much of what I've hated about the bathrooms in the apartments I've lived in--pink tub, tiles with flowery accents, acrylic sliding shower doors, beige tones, fake wood cabinets, vinyl flooring, Venetian blinds. I really like the cool color scheme of the renovated bathroom. I'd like to think the design will hope up better over time so that years later, the homeowner doesn't feel compelled to trash everything and install all new fixtures.

Great, simple idea. I've seen pictures of logs split longitudinally (?--I'm trying to remember my geometric terms right now) sold as candleholders. Because of their half-cylinder shape, they might be more stable. Still, I like the simplicity of your candleholder, and it was free! I'd just watch out for any bugs in the wood.

@bepsf, My parents used to own and manage a restaurant, and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year were the only days they took off. They were convinced if they took any additional time off that the business would suffer, but that's difficult for a kid to understand, and I'm still not sure it was a good decision.

I'm not sure what motivates other restaurant owners to keep their places open on holidays. It's hard to imagine business being such that it'd be worth paying to have everyone come in. Those are the restaurant workers I feel sorry for, the ones who are already working most holidays and weekends but who are not entitled to even one day off with family because the restaurant owner is more concerned about profits.

I love the pegboard orange. I was hesitant about using peg board in my own apartment because, well, it can end up looking a bit shabby, the board itself, but the orange makes it look like a piece of art.

I've read that there's a minimum you should keep your house at, even if no one is home. Might be 62 degrees or something. Part of it is ensuring pipes don't freeze, but there was also something about the amount of energy needed to kick-start a system that's heating up a very cold space.

Maybe trying to dry out the wood before it gets cold enough to use the fireplace? I love the pumpkins. There's something very comical about the way they're spilling out. I never thought to paint a pumpkin either.

Probably helps too to make one's bed. I like the center picture (matching couple) because the bedding looks so crisp and flat, it repeats the straight lines of their bedside tables.

I remember reading some guy's account: His landlord kept the heat turned low in the winter, like maybe illegally low. So his solution, for when he'd be getting ready in the mornings, would be to run a hot water bath. The steam would heat up his apartment, and he didn't have to pay for the water. Wasteful, I know. But it did remind me that taking a hot bath does help me warm up.

Cool, I never even considered making my own. I dislike how so many hand sanitizers contain some sort of moisturizer. They don't seem to keep well, and I end up with this gummy moisturizer residue in my hands.

Here's another plan that I noticed on the Instructables Web site awhile ago:
Green Roofed Dog Veranda.

It's not an enclosed structure but I'm sure you could modify the plans for your needs.