happyfarmr's Profile

I looked for months and ended up with a pewter colored linen duvet @ charles p. rogers (mail-ordered) from New York:

http://www.charlesprogers.com/european-linen-duvet-shams-p-162.html?cPath=3_15

It's well made and looks great - only caveat is that linen wrinkles.

One more thought on the old medications - the US just had its first ever "Take Back Day" on September 25th sponsored by the Dept of Justice/DEA - there were sites all over the country where anyone could bring in old/expired meds and the DEA disposed of them properly (not landfill or water supply). Please watch for it next year!

I use bon ami cleanser normally, but I think that the trick is a bigger brush. I have one with bristles about 4x longer than a toothbrush and if I put a little elbow grease into it, it doesn't matter what I am using to clean it with. The cleaner kind of gets all over the place so I just wipe it up with a clean, damp rag (t-shirt or old towel).

Great kitchen!! I was totally sold on getting a Liebherr refrigerator until I read a bunch of reviews that said there were problems with the durability of the plastic parts and the compressor (I think, or something that made the freezer alarm go off a lot). But I absolutely love the look, the size and the efficiency. How is yours holding up?

i have a few of the ikea shelves in my apt and toggle bolts are definitely the solution to the leaning forward problem, particularly if the stud doesn't line up with the holes in the supports...i lost a few in the wall before i got the hang of it, but they aren't too difficult to install.

According to a press release on 8/11 by the Federal Trade Commission:

"Looking to be a more environmentally conscious shopper? You’ve probably heard about bamboo. Bamboo stands out for its ability to grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides, and it is used in a variety of products, from flooring to furniture. But when it comes to soft bamboo textiles, like shirts or sheets, there’s a catch: they’re actually rayon.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that the soft “bamboo” fabrics on the market today are rayon. They are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air. Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don’t feel silky smooth.

There’s also no evidence that rayon made from bamboo retains the antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant, as some sellers and manufacturers claim. Even when bamboo is the “plant source” used to create rayon, no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product.

Companies that claim a product is “bamboo” should have reliable evidence, like scientific tests and analyses, to show that it’s made of actual bamboo fiber."

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt160.shtm

University of Maryland Cooperative Extension has great publication with diagrams and directions for building and planting 'salad tables' that are similar to the above: http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/documents/hg601.pdf

don't forget the best use of doors as decor in DC - peregrine expresso near eastern market:

http://capitalspice.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/peregrine-wall-art.jpg

None of the above!

I bought this in-counter knife storage from franke (http://www.frankeksd.com/productdetail.php?prodid=369&node=9&group=16&lvl=1). It holds 5 knives and you should have enough clearance between the the wall and where the drawers end to install it (if your kitchen is somewhat standard). It comes in three pieces - the top black piece comes off for cleaning, there is a small container underneath that you can pull out for cleaning and the permanently installed frame. I installed it pretty easily myself with a little help from my Dad. I love it! And anyone who comes to visit remarks on how functional it is. My only complaint is that it isn't large enough to hold my large chef's knife, which I keep in a drawer in a sleeve.

(If you have butcher-block countertops you can also drill holes directly into the wood.)