rappy's Profile

If that wooden plant stand is anything like my wine rack (and it looks exactly the same), those aren't closed holes - they're open at the back, so there should be plenty or room for root development. Not sure what kind of backing she put on that so that the soil doesn't escape though. We bought the wine rack on ebay and it hadn't occurred to me to use it for anything other than wine bottles. It's a great idea.

I live in Munich and we have compost pick up once a week. I use a paper bag (from the bakery - my colleagues collect them for me) and scoop the two litter boxes every morning and then take the bag out with me and dump it in the compost container on the way to work.

I saw a composting demonstration a while back and a full container of paper took two to three months to decompose, so I don't think the paper bags would stay in tact for too long at the compost site or the landfill.

Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!

I actually have no objection to the concept of professional organizing. Organizational skills are far from a given, as far as I'm concerned, and some people have them in spades while others lack them completely. I'm by no means a professional, but I do have above-average organizational skills, which I've used to help a number of friends. I used a fair bit of my own common sense, coupled with a lot of ideas that I found in the AT book.

My objection is to the tone of the post, which implied that the organizers are some sort of clean up crew, coming in to clean up other people's messes while they're off on some hedonistic endeavor. I think that an organizer is more than just a cleaning service; it is a service that, in addition to the physical work of sorting and paring down, imparts systems and methods to help those lacking in these skills. The process *has* to be done together with the client.

I can concede that some people need help in organizing, but I found this post a little offensive. I've helped friends organize messes like the one depicted in this post, but I've never done it while my friends were "off enjoying their Sunday". It makes it sound perfectly acceptable for someone to make a mess and have someone clean it up for them, instead of working with them to try to solve their organizational problems. Kind of like hiring a cleaning lady to clean up a child's room instead of teaching the child to pick up after himself.

I found these at the flea market for a total of €4.50 for 8 jars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rappyamhappy/1462870341/in/set-72157602208288844/

They are about 80 years old, with glass lids, originally used for canning. I love them dearly and have already filled them with pasta, rice, baking supplies, coffee, tea and more. I'll be on the lookout for more because they are cheap, gorgeous and just all together awesome.

They are much better than these, from Ikea, which are absurdly expensive and whose rubber sealants keeps sliding off (a two-person process to get them back on).

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20100249

My kitchen was once flooded from the apartment above and the wood cabinets reeked. I placed small cupcake liners filled with flavoured coffee beans (whole) on each shelf and within a week or so, the smell was gone and the cabinet was infused with a nice Kaluha coffee scent. Perhaps vanilla flavoured beans, or any other favourite flavour. Good luck!

Speaking of fridges, has anyone ever tried to paint theirs? I don't want to take it to an autoshop due to transportation and financial considerations, but I'm wondering if there is any way to make an ugly old fridge colourful and shiny.

I can totally identify with your dilemma, although I've kind of turned a corner on my own magazine hording. I

In anticipation of my fourth overseas move (I lugged my mags in the previous three), I've decided to purge. I don't actually plan on taking anything with me, since the move is for a limited time, but I am relying on a friend's storage unit and don't feel right about taking up too much space, especially since she's letting me use it for free.

I currently own collections of Cooking Light, Bon Appetite, Gourmet, Real Simple and Donna Hay, and have a few other odds and ends that I like keeping. In truth, I rarely refer back to my magazines, but like having them around.

The first magazine I tackled was CL. At first I was scanning, but then I realized that nearly all of the recipes that interested me are online, so I just saved them to my computer and put the mag aside once I'd finished with it. After a while, I realized that the CL mags are SERIOUSLY unattractive. They display food in a truly unappetizing way sometimes and the quality of the paper is fairly low. Next I'll tackle my Gourmets and Bon Appetites (most of the recipes are online at epicurious.com anyway), then the odds and ends, and the rest I think I'll box and store.

Sadly, there is virtually no recycling where I live (which is clearly under a rock. Hi, Israel! You kinda suck a lot sometimes!), so I'll be forced to toss most of my discarded lot. I'll post on a few forums for English speakers and see if there are any takers, although, in a way I don't really want to offload my clutter onto someone else.

Your "small" entry way is the size of my living room.