pandora's Profile

Futons will always look cheap and uncomfortable to me. I don't care that #2 is made of cedar. At that price I can only guess that they ran out of money for fabric and had to settle for cheesecloth. The "rollbar" sleepers are the worst looking of all. Why would I want to sleep on what looks like the exam table at the OB-GYN. Ugh.

Thank you to everyone who has posted your ideas for go-to lazy night dinners. I'm looking forward to trying several!

Saute up some fresh veggies in a wok. After several minutes, make a well in the center by pushing the veggies up the sides of the wok & add a scrambled egg to the center to cook. I add some soy sauce & at least a cup of leftover rice, Gently fold it together & you're done.

Pasta primavera is a really quick dish. Sauteed chicken, veggies, fresh garlic, olive oil, fresh Parmesan cheese. A nice artisan bread & salad rounds it out nicely.

My teenage daughter's favorite these days: Chicken Caesar salad with artisan bread. That's about as easy as I could ask for!

I live in the Seattle area in a small apartment with my teenage daughter and have to consider the probability of rain for most of my projects. Typically I have several different types of projects going on, depending on what the weather is like. Good planning & using lots of containers are key.

Last summer I refinished a cool dresser I found for my daughter at Goodwill. Most all of the painting was done outside.This summer I started using reclaimed wood from pallets (yes, you have to be careful with checking all treatments & finishes beforehand). I washed & scrubbed the wood clean & let it dry in my bathroom. Then I hung out my bedroom window over a narrow, covered balcony with my electric sander to prep it & finish it. I brought it inside to paint @ my work table which is in my living room. It's a 2' x 6' art table from a local elementary school that was going to the dump. The head of maintenance was more than happy to give it to me. I get my pallets for free from them, too, and have deconstructed them on the weekend by their garbage bins (gross, but free). Once when it was pouring rain outside I used wood finishing spray in my bathroom with the fan on...never again! It gave my daughter & me massive headaches.

This winter I'm deconstructing pallets in my sister's carport. With the rain we're experiencing it probably will be a long-term project and that's exactly why I have several different types of projects going at once.

Under my table I have containers for power tools, wooden wine crates w/casters for project supplies, fabric, painting canvases, wood, etc. All I need is a fabric skirt to hide it all from view and that's on my project list, too!

I dream of having my own studio for building, upcycling & repurposing things, but in the meantime I'd settle for renting a workshop or co-op which would come with all the tools that I don't own and have no space for. Who's with me!!