swingjingle's Profile

Just because the gravel 'must' be there (which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me) doesn't mean it's the only thing that must be there. I agree that a fresh layer of gravel will look nice. If you .insist. on cleaning the gravel, you'll probably have to do it by hand. get a couple of big buckets, some slightly soapy water, gloves and a scrubber and get to work. But you'll only scrub off the dirt, not the natural rock coloration.

Purchasing or acquiring pots for plants of your choosing will not hinder any 'drainage' requirements. If they're colorful and happy you will help to freshen up the space with their artificial color as well as the goodness of growing things. I'd suggest leaving the gravel as is and distracting from it by adding lovely plants. Oh! And garden art!!

It is a very pretty quilt indeed. The pattern is called "Grandmother's Flower Garden". My own grandmother made one for me when I was a baby, and I'm sure you can find lovely commercial versions by searching for the pattern name. :)

Lovely photos. Lovely ceramic pieces on the shelves!

I don't often pop open AT and say "oh wow!" The implementation of your imagination and vision is inspirational (alliteration not intended). Many of these images are now saved to my computer! I'm not a fan of animal-based design, but the exotic appearance is subtle and refined. I see no identity crisis, just complex personality.

Careful with magic erasers. They like to remove paint from colored walls.

This makes my heart sing!!
What are the essential elements that tie together the liberal use of color (as seen here for an example)? My eyes crave brights and contemporary colors as well as dark and traditional patterns. Is it possible to unify the two together? I don't see many traditional or dark elements in this example and it makes me wonder if the two are not meant for each other (poor souls).

Cute. Cute joke, b-rad. ;)
It's delicious to see Mackintosh even mentioned in passing. He doesn't get the lime light that some others do, though lord knows his style deserves the attention!

Without doing further research on the photo in this post, those cabinets certainly appear to be stained, or varnished at least. That is a far cry from unfinished wood (which generally has a slightly dull texture). My kitchen table is wood (stained and varnished) and I have never had issues with oil or grease despite the numerous chinese take-out spills (oops). Unfinished, or even oiled only wood, could be more prone to oil absorption. Sealing the wood allows the glow, pattern and texture to come through without compromising on kitchen maintenance.

I can understand some people are purists and need order in their surroundings, but in this kitchen the wood and organic glass shapes contrast with glossy smooth surfaces for a delicious balance of texture.

I can't stand the hideous beige linoleum in my rental. I've wanted to make a floor cloth ( http://www.sandpoint.net/~rafter4/floorcloth.htm ) for years, but my DIY backlog is huge. At Target this year I found a cute canvas rug that fits in my kitchen precisely. A coat of waterproofing, a broom to sweep it off, visually much better than 'ick' and provides just a hint of insulation between bare feet and cold floor.

Mead.
It's hard to find proper mead in Indiana.
I had three bottles that I was keeping for 'something special'...then one day I thought, "Today is Tuesday. I'm alive and happy. Today IS special!" and I popped one of them open. OMG delicious. The mead was savored for a few days and in a moment of profound philosophical discovery I realized that the memory of the drink is so much more enjoyable than waiting for that 'special' day that may or may not come. After learning that little lesson, I only have one bottle in reserve that's waiting for not a 'special' day, but a proper spring day on which to fully savor the flavors of mead and appreciate my crocus blooms.

Though I do have an expensive vanilla bean that's waiting for me to figure out what to do with it.

I borrowed a huge bottle of iron-out from a friend.
It leaked (without my knowledge) first a few drops on my desk at work (had to clean that after the weekend).
A cup or so spilled on the carpet by my door (baking soda, i love you!).
I spilled a large quantity of it outside during use.
THEN tightly capping it and placing it in a new clean bag it dumped the rest of the contents (tons and tons of it) into the trunk of my car as i was going to return it to the friend I was borrowing it from.
ugh.