smellofsawdust's Profile

I bought a large calendar (22" x 17") at Office Depot, a "month-at-a-glance" one with no dates printed on it. It probably had 24 pages. There's absolutely nothing cute about it, but I love it. It was very inexpensive, and I haven't minded filling in the pages with dates. It's become my "comand center."

I buy extra bags of fresh cranberries in the fall and keep them in the freezer all year long. We like a bit o' tart in our baked goods, so I often toss a handful of unthawed berries into muffins and even cornbread. (I'm O.K. with experimenting and with food not turning out "perfectly," whatever that is.) Our favorite is pumpkin pie--We call it "bobber pie," because the berries float to the top and look like lots of red fishing bobbers. We took one to a get-together last year, and the host, who said he doesn't usually care for sweets, asked us if he could keep it! Mmmmmmmm.

P.S. Is marine varnish slippery? Slippery when wet?

Wet Chi just might be my new favorite person. As far as thinking beyond my own needs/means/desires goes, instead of spending my money on luxuries I desire, I'm happier sharing my means with people with more needs. I'm also happy with my small galley kitchen. It's efficient, and it's kinda fun running into each other.

The more people to help you, the better. The last time I tried this with a friend, a third person jumped in, and the project was manageable after that. One of us held part of the paper up with a makeshift "lift," like you might do if you ever hang sheetrock on the ceiling. You might be surprised at how heavy wet wallpaper is--not too heavy to hold up, but heavy enough to be susceptible to tearing. It's a good idea to have extra wallpaper on hand, too.

Maggie, have you thought about laying IKEA butcher block on top of your laminate counters? Here, there, and/or wherever? My counters are extra-high and I'm short, but I've had no problems working on them.

Set some guidelines and let her run with it. Besides budget, you might suggest NOT painting things that can't be un-painted, like the wall-to-wall carpet (sorry, I saw that on "Trading Spaces" years ago). Most things can be un-done, although another thing you might teach her is that she needs to think long-term, meaning that, even though she might get sick of her wall color next week, she has to live with it for a long time. My daughter wasn't allowed to paint her apartment, so I made stretchers (like people make for their painting canvasses) and stretched brightly colored fabric over each. You can do the same with canvasses or frames that you buy at the thrift store. Anyway, I think that letting her be the project manager will work wonders for her self esteem and for your relationship.

I did this in our master bath, one for my husband and one for myself. No mirror, no jewelry, but I love both ideas. I don't use harsh cleaners; I just dust them. They've held up for at least 7 years. I didn't have any trouble installing a shallow shelf in each, even though my suitcase is round. There are several ways to install the shelves. I nailed into the shelves from the back (the unseen side against the wall) and, on each side, hammered a couple of decorative nails. This was so much easier than cutting into the wall and installing manufactured medicine cabinets.

As a sculptor, I've worked with various woods, including pieces I've found on our property. I've never resolved the issue of wood-eating insects, and this has kept me from bringing stumps into my home to use as end tables, etc. I heard a horror story about a sculpture in a local Art museum and I've seen sculptors trying to fumigate their wood with non-toxic products, but I'd love to hear others' solutions.

My fiction and non-fiction are on separate shelves, just like at the library! Fiction is arranged by author, non-fiction by subject. Unlike the library, though, I keep all of the unread books lying flat. I enjoy the visual; it's like a to-do list.