fisheggs's Profile

One more thought - the wall on the left is an interior wall, am I correct? If you are lucky and it doesn't contain ductwork, you could pull off the drywall and recess your shelves into that space - it'd gain you another 3-5 inches or so. Paint or stain the studs to match and it could look really nice.

I also think that, if you aren't too desperate to use every inch of the space, that back L region looks like a fantastic place for an easy chair. You'd have the light from the window during the day and it could be really pleasant unless you're in an area where it gets just too hot.

One more vote for a laundry basket! We didn't really mean to do that for our first, but since she was born mid-November, we ended up spending the first two months traveling cross-country to see grandparents for the holidays. The laundry basket was the easiest thing to manage, it was there, and it worked great. We just used a folded up bathroom towel for cushioning and took her from room to room as necessary. Now we're planning on doing that with our second. It's essentially the same as a Moses basket, but even cheaper, particularly if you already have one of the appropriate size!

Looks like a great floor option for toddlers, too!

I love this house! The choices of materials are fantastic and really pop out of every picture, making you just want to touch them. I also appreciate how they reduced the impact of their television screen - I almost missed it!

The only one I like is the outdoor example at some sort of resort (last one). That one looks really inviting and fun. On a day-to-day basis, no way. Round sheets? Yikes - don't need my shopping to get MORE difficult.

The top photo is photoshopped thought, no?

There are lots of good geeky crafts showcased at http://www.spritestitch.com . There is definitely an emphasis on cross stitch and the like but they have some seriously impressive larger projects with steadily increasing frequency.

There are cultures who think eating parts of grizzly bears and ground up rhino horns will help their sexual prowess. That's definitely been great for wildlife on the planet! So the fact that a culture has a tradition of thinking something is good for you does not impress me by any measure.

Agreed with the cluttery comments. They need to edit and remove some things - particularly the small stuff that is just lined up along the wall, like the speakers. The items are all very cool and the house is gorgeous. It's very close to a fantastic space, just way too many small items. Perhaps a good bookcase could serve as a place to consolidate some of the things that are now just scattered uniformly around the room? The dining chairs appear to need a bigger table, too.

On the other hand, I love seeing a space where it's obvious that the owners have had a lot of fun bringing it all together.

I highly recommend the following (long) blog post about one person's quest to figure out who makes which sewing machine. Short answer: every brand (even Viking) farms out out the making of at least one of their machines, and most of them are made by the same small group of companies.
http://www.evidently.org/2007/02/too-much-information/

In support of previous comments:

Go to a place where you can try them, including some of the nicer machines. Do NOT be intimidated by the seller. They will likely not have prices posted - don't let this bother you. Ask them prices, write them down or memorize them, and plan to go home later and look them up. The salespeople are not on your side, so you want to be prepared with a good idea of how much you want to/can spend.

Don't underestimate the level of machine you will want. A straight stitch/zigzag machine is nice, but if you need to upgrade to something with a few more decorative stitches in a year, then you've wasted your money.

Places like J*anns will likely not provide support or service for any machines they sell. Even if they tell you that they will. If you buy online, you might save enough to make it worth it, but the local sewing stores will charge you as much as they want when/if you need repairs. That being said, most good machines like Janome's won't need repairs unless you really get a lemon.

Baby lock is a slightly less well known brand, also related to Brother but usually with slightly higher end parts (i.e., more metal).

When you do get your machine, the single thing that will make or break your projects is tension. If you have bad tension, the stitches look awful and pull out, with looped string all over the place. 99% of the time, this is because you loaded the thread incorrectly or are using a dull needle. Take all the thread out and rethread.

Personally: I have a low-end, mechanical Pfaff that I use for straight stitch/zigzag and that I love, and a low-end baby lock embroidery machine that I use for the decorative stitches and embroidery. Never though I'd need two until I had a baby girl who *needs* outfits with little swirls all around the hem.