amanda bee's Profile

My parents gave me nothing but practical for years. A good knife and a saucepan when I got my first apartment. A vacuum cleaner and a wool blanket when I moved to the east coast. A set of Japanese teacups when I was more established.

Lately, now that they're retired and I'm relatively solvent, dishtowels and cloth napkins are easy and modestly priced.

Okay, it's been four years and I'm dying to know how these have held up!

We got two stelton thermoses as wedding presents and they're pretty fantastic.

For serious? I don't wash my jeans to get the bacteria out. I also don't (usually) eat off of them so maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Sweat is salty, skin has oils on it (and I have dry skin), oils attract dirt. If I don't wash my pants they get dirty. Freezing isn't going to break down the oils.

My grandmother had a blender built into her countertop. Very 60s. (50s?). I think it really predates our appreciation of planned obsolescence -- today we all look at that and say "uhh, but what happens when a better blender comes out?" She thought she'd keep that blender forever, no doubt. It *was* the future, why look beyond it?

What I want to know is how Maxwell's felt barn door is holding up.

I've got a National Geographic subscription for some utterly unknown reason. I've been stockpiling maps for wrapping paper and managed to wrap almost all of our smaller gifts with photo spreads of jellyfish and saharan windstorms.

Am I the only person in here who shudders to see plants right on top of books? I mean, it's pretty but they'll regret that lovely vignette the first time the plant overflows its saucer.

There was an SF house tour a while back with grey kitchen cabinets that I really liked. I can't find it, but here's a nice before and after of painted cabinets (not grey):
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/kitchen/before-amp-after-laurens-first-kitchen-096974

I think your grey looks a little darker than I'd go for.

My advice is to use a shellac based primer-sealer for the first few coats, so you get even color.

Did someone already suggest replacing the TV stand? Yeah.

That end of the room feels really dark and cluttered. Maybe just because things are in the shadows?

I'm not sure what kind of coffee table would really make the room, but I think it needs to be something closer to the honey end of the color spectrum than than the black end, to keep the room from getting too dark.