Yippee!'s Profile

we just put in 2 rooms of Ikea's Markland white laminate wide plank flooring http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60138090 and are very happy. it has a very high-end look and after 4 weeks i have yet to be able to scratch it, even with a rolling office chair, 2 dogs and moving furniture around. it was surprisingly easy to install, and we plan to continue it through all 4 bedrooms. we put it down over concrete that was not perfectly smooth, but with the moisture barrier and foam underlayment (the flooring also has a built-in felt underlayment) it cushioned and spanned any low spots (high spots were ground down).

installed example:
http://www.styleathome.com/blogs/stylesleuth/files/2009/02/ikeafloor.jpg

its not really as reflective as this, and not slippery at all. it has a very subtle 'orange peel' finish that you cant see unless you put it right in front of your face at just the right angle. but it allows a nice grip for socks and slippers, more than our wood floors.

check if the fixtures have dip switches!

Adjusting the dip switches:

Each fixture/remote combination is set to work on a specific frequency, much like tuning in a specifc radio station. Some allow you to set this frequency by means of a set of small switches called "dip switches". There is one set located inside the remote, and the other set would be positioned on the fixture, with the remote receiver electronics. This would be inside the switch housing or ceiling canopy. These switches "tune" the remote and fixture (received) to the same "station" and therefore must be set to the same setting. If a fixture is not responding to the remote you can check to make sure that the switches are set to the same setting in both locations, and/or try a different setting. They are also useful if you have two remote fixtures, you will want to be sure each is set different so the remotes do not interfere. Lastly, if some other wireless device is interfering (causing it to turn on and off seemingly at random) such as a garage door opener or cordless phone, you can try a different setting on the dip switches.

yeeeeah....the istockphoto thing is bothering me. i know some folks who illustrate for them, and they really do deserve the peanuts they charge. that image probably only cost $10 to legally use. as Seth and Amy would say..."Really?!!"

ugh this place is such a dump. i had a friend who lived here for a short time and whatever they were going for with the original vision has long since been eaten away by termites, junkies and stray cats.

I've stayed at Robin's Nest on the lake. It was a great B&B experience with no other guests, appropriate attention from the owner, eclectic and thoughtfully decorated/landscaped and very reasonably priced.

best creamy scrambled eggs i've ever had delivered to my patio table!

yikes. haunted house prop?

Yeah, i live in Austin so i'm biased. but it would be great to see some TX up in here. check out the design guide Grace did a while back for design*sponge:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2007/11/austin-design-guide.html

you can also paint bottles from the inside out. i did that this year for xmas ornaments. i bought the plain glass bulbs at target, then mixed regular acrylic craft paint to custom shades. i had to play around with the viscosity a little, slowly adding drops or water and mixing until i got something similar to melted chocolate. then i poured some through the opening of each bulb, trying to get a few tablespoons into the bottom. then i turned the bulbs upside down and nestled them in egg crates. the paint sloooowly runs down the sides until the whole inside surface is coated, and the excess drips out the opening into the egg crate. they take about 48 hours to dry. they looked so good i was thrilled! glossy finish, nice solid, opaque color. i'm sure you could do this with bottles. you might have to move them around a bit to get the paint to cover.

is the accent color red or orange?

I know a lot of people just don't have pets or aren't into sharing a home with animals, but man i would enjoy some AT Pets! I have 2 whippets and a cat and like it or not they take up much of my time and are always factors in my design descisions. Plus there seems to be a surge in good pet-related design lately and it would be great to have a resource to help wade through the majority of the unsafe/ugly/low quality crap that's available for pets and owners. I rarely look through the Kitchen or Tech sub-blogs, (and since i don't have babies, never Nursery) but you can bet i'd favorite Pets.