HollyDolly's Profile

We have a few lantana in our backyard beds. While it does grow crazy fast and can potentially take over your garden, I have found that it holds up well to being pruned back pretty much year round. And by "pruned" I mean I take a pair of crappy old scissors and I trim it down to the size I want for my garden. And it still thrives. Mind you, I'm in Arizona which I think must be one of the top Lantana growing places in the world, so maybe other climates wouldn't let the lantana bounce back as well?

Thank you for the ideas everyone!

To those suggesting planters with more vining plants, I love that idea and it would be my first choice to help cover up the cinder block but we live in Arizona so keeping planters can be...problematic. The dirt dries out *very* quickly, and even my drought-tolerant potted plants need to be watered at least every other day or they toast. We are going to look into extending our drip system and see if we can't jimmy-rig up a watering system that would make planters work without busting our water bill budget.

I was also considering using the wire-trellis method to mount a line of wire to hang outdoor curtains from. I think even if we could literally hide the block it would soften the patio's look for entertaining, and if we used drop cloths it could be done affordably...anyone know how dropcloths hold up outdoors?

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I have seen cloth and wooden toys for toddlers, but I appreciate all the help finding toys for babies under 2!!

We have made it pretty clear to our families that we would appreciate either handmade gifts or gifts that support the atmosphere we are striving for in our home, and even though we are the only ones out of BOTH sides of our families who are even remotely familiar with the term "eco-friendly" (crazy, I know) everyone has been happy to gift by our terms. I know that some plastic toys are inevitable as baby showers approach, but we have already committed to donating to charity what we can't return.

As far as organic and sustainable toys...I've noticed that most of them are fairly monochromatic. Has anyone noticed that babies are less engaged with these toys that look a little bland?

Like lakegenva3 I look at computer screens all day, and I loathe the idea of adding another to my routine. As someone who reads voraciously I prefer the tactile nature of books; it means something to handle the text and the weight of the book. Plus I have a thing about reading in the bath and I've dropped too many books in the water to think that using an e-reader would be a good call. Books dry out but I doubt the apple pad would fare so well.

If people are concerned about wasted paper products they should look more at the daily waste coming from their homes and worry less about books.

Love this fabric! I used it to reupholster a caned chair from the thrift store:

http://reidallaboutit.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-new-old-chair.html

Anyone have a suggestion on where to find an affordable version of that drum shade? I'm looking for something large and in charge for our dining area....

I actually really liked the "tufted" duvet and the tapedeck set. I see these working better in a dorm or a really streamlined bedroom without any other (or minimal) visual clutter. The "messy bed" set is just clever...not something I would ever buy, but still clever. I had to look at it 3 times before I realized it was a print. The striped set and the b&w cross-hatch thing are blah.

pxlchk1-
My husband and I are planning on doing exactly this (we are trying to wait and buy off of CL rather than spend 100 on the frame to compensate for what we will spend on our headboard)...do you have any pics to share? I would love to see how it turned out!

We had the same problem when we started refinishing a mid century bedside table we bought. Most of the piece was a lovely walnut but the top was formica. We thought about having the tabletop replaced/recovered with a veneer, but we ended up scuffing the surface with sandpaper and painting several coats of lovely white laquer (sp?) on the top. It took some patience and a lot of buffing with steel wool to get the sleek polished surface we wanted, but we love how it came out and ended up giving our other (all wood) side table the same treatment to make them look cohesive.

I always covet the beautiful Fiesta pitchers at my local antique shops, but prices start at $65 each! I wanted a yellow one to display in the kitchen in our new house, but was on a serious budget. Lucky for me, a local department store was closing and everything (including the fiestaware) was on clearance and I got my yellow pitcher for just $28. Not the vintage collectible I want someday, but a good start for now :)