sarahjade's Profile

These images are fantastic. Kudos to the artist for editing and collecting.

Holy Cow. I think this is fantastic! Really impressive carpentry skills.

I love that there's such a deep story behind the whole piece, and that the look could change dramatically if paint colors changed. Genius.

I don't understand all the comments about how expensive these options are. We've all shopped on craigslist, yes? And certainly others of us have experienced a DIY project or two? The point of the post is that there are ways to use DESIGN to solve problems that otherwise would only be addressed with MONEY or SPACE. That's the whole point of AT, right? Using design to work within our lives and within our means? People have children in a whole host of constellations for a whole host of reasons. What if you knew that these were step families? What if they are foster homes? What if they are surprise (natural) triplets? Would that change your judgement of the parents/homeowners/renters featured? If so, I suggest withholding judgement altogether.

This goes doubly for those of us who have no children of our own.

All these rooms are beautiful, and I would have loved growing up in any one of them! Sharing is fun.

What kind of permits did this require? At two stories tall with electricity, that would at least need a building permit around here, even if it's just an accessory structure. I'd be interested in hearing what needed to happen to build this play house. It's lovely!

I have to say, I think trying to keep the pink sink, toilet, and butterfly tiles is going to make you batty. That bathroom has way more tile than it needs already, so I think removing all the white tile and replacing the toilet with a new, efficient, white one is the way to go. You can find very simple and affordable sinks and faucets at any hardware store, and save your money to pay the tile and drywall guy. I like your idea of vertical subway tile in the shower area, you may even be able to find an affordable source for this. Depending on your skills, you could spend the 1.5k on materials (the shower valve and tile will be the big ticket items) and do a lot of the work yourself. We hired a drywall guy to tape and mud after we hung the drywall, and a tile contractor to do the shower plumbing, install a window, and tile in the shower (we did our own tile on the floor and backsplash). If you're planning to hire a plumber, and a tile professional, I think you'll need at least $3-5k. We did our project in two phases for a similar reason. Everything was more expensive than we'd hoped, and we needed more professional assistance than we'd anticipated.

Overstock.com has a good selection of modern/simple fixtures at reasonable prices. Also check your local salvage yard for sinks, faucets, and tile, if you're lucky.

Good Luck!! It will be so satisfying to have it done! And you are starting with some seriously adorable tile on the floor, so that's lucky.

This post reminded me to get my rear in gear and make my donation for the season! We chose CASA this year, www.casaforchildren.org!

Yes, the link to the homemade Nutella is broken!

I love how fearless this party is - perfect for a big 6-year-old! And I admire a parent who is fearless enough to risk a twisted ankle or broken limb.

Being so close to a major city, I'm not a fan of the new format. I miss seeing 8 items from San Francisco. I don't need to know what's for sale in Seattle or Portland, or even LA. I wish we could just have MORE scavengers, rather than the regional summary.

The book "Parenting with Love and Logic" is a great resource on allowance. The basic point they make is that giving them allowance allows them to learn money lessons while they are comparatively cheap, i.e. wasting money on impulse-purchased toys that break quickly at age 5 is much easier than on an impulse-purchased motorcycle at age 18.

And I agree with all other commenters that chores should not be tied to allowance. Duh. I mean, I don't get paid for my chores around the house, so why should they?