Hey all this is my livingroom. 8'X 8' and I can't get it to look comfy. I could use a lot of ideas.



I thought maybe wall scones on each side of the curtains maybe. Something along the top of the wall like um i don't know china plates?

Something that would coverup or hide that access panel that is partially hidden behind the couch?

Maybe a fake fireplace on the blank wall?

I don't know what to do. I sure hope someone else might be able to guide me on this one.

Hey TK
You know, you could maybe put a hanging plant in the corner...just something green...easy, like pothos, or on that wall, put up one of those shelf things and put some picture frames or candles on it! Just passin through, thought maybe I could help

Thanks Quincy,

I'll take all the help I can get. I managed to decorate the bathroom 5'x 8' But with most of it being tiled that wasn't exactly a noteworthy effort. lol

I've got my eye on a peacock shelf [very ornate] for the blank wall but it is only 21" long and the wall is 8' so i'm wondering do I need 2 or 1 with something on each side that is plain in comparison. I just am not very talented in this area.

hi tk
thats a great idea!! the one shelf and you could put the "scones" on both sides of the shelf.
above the window(i like the idea that quincy had)
you could put pothos or ivy above the wondow and let it grow/hang down on both sides of the window.
i had a window like that in one of my apartments and i had 2 little sconces(scones ) on both sides,i had vinca vines on them and they grew down the sides of the window (looked really nice)
hope that helps

Thanks Phoenix,

That's what I needed. You really made it easy to picture. Kind of like a vine valance over the top of the curtain and down the sides and scones on the sides of the peacock shelf. Maybe I can even find some peacock feathers to arrange somehow in the scones. Thankyou again. The room was driving me crazy.

your very welcome tk glad to have been able to help pier 1 i think has peacock feathers. i think any craft store should and i bet they would be less expensive than at pier 1 post a pic when you have the room complete. i can't wait to see the finished work

Well I did it. I'm going to be eating peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches for months but I did it. I bought the shelf from Design Toscana and the wall scones from target. I even found a place for peacock feathers at a good price but you need to make a 20.00 purchase so that will have to wait. I'm so excited.

Sounds good! Definately post a picture!

Ok, I'll make a note so I don't forget.

i can't wait to see the pictures tk i'm SO EXCITED for you !!!!

This is a picture of the shelf from the company I bought it from. Is it ok to post it? It is simply fantastic.

I like using mantels to warm up rooms. In my shop I have broken mirrors that are arranged to mimic flames. I put a bunch of glass chimneys in front of the mirrors with Christmas tree lights and then enclosed the area with a screen.

People love it. Everyone that enters the shop mentions it.

Instead of the chimneys you could put canles on a tray infront of the mirror and have real fire!!!

oops candles.

If you did the mantel on the blank wall you could still use that great shelf over the sofa, under the pictures.

Hey check this out for peacock feathers:
http://search.ebay.com/peacock-feathers_W0QQsojsZ1QQfromZR40

or just go to ebay.com and put peacock feathers in the search. I saw somw really cheap ones today.

Hey Rue,

Thanks for the ideas. I particularly like the mantle idea with the mirror and candles. Do you know where you can get large candles that are scentless? I have a bad reaction to most perfumes/fragrances.

hmmmmmmm....I keep looking what you have arranged already there. I think you definatley need a focal point in the room. The window is the natural one because it is so big. The rug either needs to be turned in the other direction or put so it "points" to the window. Then your couch go at the opposite end of the room with a walk way behind it or put it at an angle but remember the window is the focal point.

The shelf is fabulous! I love it! I can't remember now where you said you were putting peacock feathers? Put the vase of feathers across the room from the shelf. Not on it. That would be too peacocky if you know what I mean. LOL And if you can get a peacock blue chenille throw (I have seen then for like $12 at Kmart or other discount stores) to put over a table or one end of your couch....would look really nice.

I am not a sconce fan but they could look real nice on either side of the shelf or 2 angled on one side. I learned to put groupings in odd numbers, it looks better, so shelf and 2 sconces makes 3....perfect!

So do you want the camera back now????

This is going to sound funny, I know. But there is no other side of the room lol. The space is actually "L" shaped with the other extension of the room being the entryway/dinningroom/computer area Path to the bathroom two bedrooms and kitchen lol. Needless to say their are 4 door ways and the eight foot alcove that I am using as my livingroom because it was too small for my dinningroom. The space is about as user unfriendly as it can get.

How do you point a rug? If I put it the otherway I end up with an uncovered edge and those are always so difficult to keep clean. But if you think that would be best I will definitely try it.

I tried putting the couch out in the open space but then I couldn't get by it to enter the space. Also behind the couch is a very ugly very large access panel to the bathroom plumbing that I kind of want to hide.

Do you think I could somehow put the couch out in the other part of the "L" area and still make it look like it is incorporated into that area? I can't go to far out in the other space because it's only nine feet across and the couch including back is 3 feet and the dinningroom table is 2 feet and I need some space so I can pull out the dinningroom chairs and still get by. And that is going to make getting by the computer chair to get to the bathroom a bit tight. I love/hate this apartment.

You keep the camera for now and bring it to the 4th of July celebration we can exchange then if no one else needs it.

I was thinking about some very small cobalt blue vases that they had over in the craft section of walmart. Put them on the sconces when they arrive and put maybe the eyes of the peacock feathers in there say three in each. But your right that may be way to much.

I don't have room for end tables in that room the couch with the arms takes the entire 8 feet lol. I was thinking about getting some black wall shelves for the wall behind the couch as a way to hide the top of the access panel that peaks above the couch back. I hate the three pictures that are currently in there. They are vogue covers from the 1920 and the colors are very washed out which did not show in the catalog that I got them from. They were suppose to be red and green and they turned out to be a very light violet which does not match anything in my house.

Do you think I could get a steamer trunk styled "coffee table" to work in there? It would cover up the center design of the rug which bothers me but I would like to have something in there that I can set an ashtray and coffee mug on.

In order for your rug to look right, it needs to be centered in the room. (that's what I meant by pointing it....making it even with the window, not the couch.) That is going to leave a border of whatever is under it all around the edges but the way it is now makes it look sort of off. Your rug should be an accent. It shouldn't matter if parts of it get covered. I agree though that it is very pretty. Have you thought maybe a couple ottomans or cubes to put as coffee tables to the sides of the couch instead of the exact center? That way the rug medallion still shows some and you have the table space you need. You could then walk between the cubes to get to the couch easily?

Put your gorgeous shelf up as sort of a fireplace mantle across from the couch instead of by the window. A sconce on each side with the blue vases would be pretty. Then you put your chair at an angle pointing towards the right corner of the room (as it appears in the photo?). Then put a huge vase of peacock feathers on the floor under the shelf.

I like your black shelf idea. But no matter what you hang...hang it so it is at your eye level when standing in front of it. It doesn't matter what the ceiling height is, hang things so they are comfortable for you to see standing in front of them. A big framed mirror would also look cool but those can be very spendy.

Oh I just thought that if you put your rug on an angle and left the couch the way it is.....

sorry....I love to decorate. Thank your lucky stars I live clear out in Idaho!!!

Hot Flash lol.

I've been moving the rug and couch around and boy did I warm up. I tried the couch out into the other area some and it blocked the bathroom and the kitchen so I moved it back to the wall it was on. But I took a tv sized tray and covered it with the tiger/leopard print and put that in the corner and the couch up against that and it only sticks out a little.

I tried the rug on the diagonal but it is to big and the corners crawled up the walls so I put it long ways with the window. It still doesn't look right to me. One side of the boarder and all of the background on one side is underneath the couch so it looks like I only have half of a rug.

The only place that couch is going to look good is if it is underneath the window I think. But it makes it so hard to get to the plants I hate to do that. Plus I wouldn't have any place inside for the tomatoes. But maybe it is time to harden them anyway. This week they have been losing what I consider to be to many branches on the bottom. Of course I don't have any sun to put them in outside since I can't plant on that one side of the garden due to the leaning retaining wall. shoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I put the peacock shelf exactly where you suggested and when the sconces come in they will go on each side of it and I think that at least is going to look very good.

Well I hate to say it but I'm done moving furniture tonight lol. There is always tomorrow.

I think your couch looks fine where it is. And it doesn't matter what a decorator thinks...how does it look to you? How do you like your rug and couch? As long as you are happy with it, then it is terrific. I just get carried away sometimes.

Please don't quit on me now. I really really want a nice room. And I can't afford to hire a decorator. And believe me I've tried for years and year to create rooms that would pull together and never been successful. I watch those decorating programs all the time and never can understand how they do what they do.

I'm thinking that if I point the rug the other direction it will fit better. And I like the mirror fake fireplace with the candles idea for underneath the peacock shelf. Do you think that idea would work? If so I could use some ideas on what materials to use for creating it. How tall and wide to you think would be best? The shelf is at the 4 1/2 to 5 foot height so that I will be looking at what ever goes above it when I am standing and I'm looking at the peacock when I am sitting down.

I forgot to mention earlier that I am trying to draw attention away from the window because the panes are cracked and ugly and impossible to get clean on the outside because I am on the second floor. I have covered them with a plastic frosted material to help hide the cracks but it still is not the best feature in the room by a long shot. lol.

I think the plants on the window sill and the brocade curtains have helped on that score a great deal. To finish that wall I was thinking of a matching valance. And I would like to add a window shelf half way up the window. To put more plants on of course lol.

Now for the wall with the couch on it. I was thinking of three shelves the lowest one really long and narrow. I don't want anyone to bang their heads on it when they sitdown. But I haven't a clue what the other two should be. I'm trying to cover/take attention away from the popcorn texture that is on that wall and that I really hate!!!! lol. I was thinking about doing a diagonal lowest shelf far left middle shelf centered on the wall and the top one far right. Does that sound workable? And how wide do you think I could get away with? 4, 6, or maybe 8 inches wide?

For lighting I was thinking about trying to get some of those miniature stainglass table lamps that they sell at collections inc. from time to time. Would that work in the room I am trying to create? There is plenty of daylight in there so it would just be for accent in the early evenings. I go to bed pretty early as I'm sure you can tell lol.

Let me know what you think.

Actually I really liked the idea of a living valence made with a plant over the curtain. The shelf for more plants sounds good but you will be drawing attention to the window. It is big, it is going to be noticable. Do what you can to minimize the bad. Actually I think the shelf/plant thing might work pretty good at doing that.

I like the idea of your rug turned around the other way. I would look very nice.

To get the fireplace look....you could use mirror tiles below your peacock mantle....about 4 or 6 tall? (measure, measure, measure) Then line up bricks side to side (as opposed to end to end) or some other type of narrow hearth to put candles on. You might get some varying heights of wrought iron candle holders. Big white pillar candles I think would look awesome. You would probably need to go on the internet to find a source for scentless candles. Do you know there are peacock fireplace screens? A small one could look really awesome. Or put a big one on the window sill? No light blockage but ugly glass would not be so noticable?

Your shelves over the couch sound terrific. About 6 inches wide I think and do watch that bottom shelf so no one whacks their head on it. And don't over fill your shelves. Leave enough space to just be there to really point out what you are displaying.

Tiffany type lights would look nice....make sure you don't go too off your color scheme and maybe you could even find a bird pattern. That would really go with the peacock theme you have going.

I still like the idea of a peacock blue throw over one arm of your couch.

I think the blue throw would be great for the couch. I also need something big enough to cover the whole couch. It is getting very worn in places and there is one place where the spring is comming through the back.

A peacock fan in the window would be fantastic do you know where you saw it?

I was thinking of getting the molding for around the mirror and painting it glossy black and using some ceramic tiles inside of it in a cobalt blue/emerald green combo. and then continuing the blue green tiles for the hearth Is that to much? Maybe going with black for the hearth would be better? or should I maybe just do it all in white since black really shrinks the room and it is small enough already?

I can tell I am going to love my living room when it is finished.

No no no....I love your fireplace idea. NO white. White would just blend it into the wall and make it less instead of popping. I just got the most fabulous idea though. What about, putting your peacock shelf over the couch since it is only about 2 foot long and the 2 sconces when they get there and then taking your 3 shelf idea to the opposite side of the room and the bottom center shelf you make into a mantle and then do your other 2 shelves to the sides like you said? Make your fake fireplace under that bottom shelf just like you said. I can see it Tammy.....right now all in my head.

check out ebay for the peacock screen. Or else pier one or like that on internet. I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw those screens.

Also keep an eye on the clearance shelves at Kmart or Warmart for couch slipcovers. A nice cheap way to get new furniture! I got a nice new couch out of an UGLY blue one that way. Only cost me like $70. I found a chair cover on clearance for $5 at Kmart! Your room is tiny though and since you are doing the peacock and stained glass theme, keep your furniture less busy and more plain. Though peacock green or blue would be cool.

Beeswax candles are your best bet. They are all natural and have a wonderful very faint scent.

I am allergic to scents too. It seems like everyone is wearing so much perfume and cologne these days.

Regular candles are petroleum based and actually pollute the air AND it is one more way of using oil!!

oh and another thing....make sure the wicks don't have metal in them. Do you know over time (a long time granted) you can get lead poisoning from that? I just found that out a couple years ago. The better quality beeswax candles cost more but they burn longer and are better for you just like Rue said.

my long post went cattywampus!!!!

Grrrrrrrrh.

Rue, beeswax that a great idea.

Are we talking the glossy black or the tile here? I'm so confused.

Tammy, I went to Overstock.com today for the first time. They have kazillions of tiffany type lamps and things for really cheap. Every style imaginable. Of course not every price is the same or as good. You have to comparison shop like crazy.

Also....the peacock screen is on ebay. It is all brass but can be folded up like a fan when you want to put it out of the way. I think it would look awesome in your window.

The glossy black around the tiles around the mirrors was what I was talking about for the fireplace. Just don't paint anything white. <img border="0" alt="[tongue]" title="" src="graemlins/tongue.gif" />

A little imagination a lot of work and this is what I am thinking I will come up with.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v660/TKHooper/e1a0ecbe.bmp[/img]

I don't know how to get the picture any bigger. Do you know how to do that?

I have no idea why the top is black.

YES!!!!!!

That looks awesome!

Did you go on overstock.com? Tammy they had these votive holders that look like they have branches or really twigs around the votive cups. Six to a set and black. I don't remember the price but I am thinking they would be a cool look for a fake fireplace in front of the mirror.

Or....Rue can you explain again how you did your lights behind a screen thing? I was thinking of your Allergies Tammy and Rue said she put up mirrors and then electric lights instead of candles. Then the fireplace screen in front. You can buy strings of amber colored lights that would be perfect fire color and reflect off the mirror like flames. Especially if you took broken pieces of mirror (again like Rue) in the shape of flames and put them up behind the lights...sort of a mosaic. A bit more work but less expensive I think in the long run.

Do you want me to quit coming up with ideas now? Do I have your head spinning yet? I did warn you!!!

I have been looking at website all morning to price the materials list for the fire place and I am having no luck. That's me and search engines I HATE them.

The tiles alone may cost over 100 dollars so inspite of it being a fantastic idea, I don't think I can. I'll look again tomorrow and probably the next day and the day after that, but it's not looking good.

I don't think I want to try cutting glass. I'm a bit of a clutz always have been and I always find broken glass foot first.

have you thought about making your own tiles? You can go to a ceramics studio and for a small price, glaze your own tiles. They should even have the greenware tiles for you to buy. Since they will be simply decorative and not used on an actual fireplace you wouldn't have to have special tile.

That sounds like an interesting thought.

I am playing with the camera again today. So do you think I really should help you decorate????
This is how I did the back patio...



And this is my wake you up in the morning kitchen...


my dining room....hey you could help me with this...I hate the china cabinet but I can't afford to replace it. How can I change it to go with my scheme?



and one side of my living room.....

Hey Fernie,

I would love to help you with the china cabinet but my eyes are so bad I couldn't get a really good look at it. Is the mirror the center section of the cabinet or is that infront of the cabinet? Are the drawer fronts rounded or flat? Are the glass cabinet doors sliders or do they open out? And are you going for an italian resturant look? BTW I love your yellow it's perfect.

My first thought is that maybe the piece is a little to large for the space. If that's true my first thought would be to use a wash in your yellow and then a dry brush technique in a slightly darker color over that to bring the grain up. That is if the grain has a texture. Some wood furniture does and some doesn't and I don't know why. But I bet you do. My second thought would be to take the flat surfaces and add a light tile or marble alternative to them. You could even continue the tile to a few decorator tiles on the front of the drawers. Leaving some of the wood around the edges I believe that might also help shrink it into porportion. What do you think? My other thought would be to take off the cabinet doors and leave the shelves open but that does mean more dusting and washing of knic-knacs and special dishes.

Yes I definitely want your help. You have a home something I have never been able to create and I want one. I may be going for a very minimalistic style furniture-wise. But that is because I will probably be moving and will have to leave any furniture behind. But it is far enough in the future that I want to be comfortable here as much as possible.

I haven't quite figured out the white door thing on the patio but I wish I had it for my kitchen lol.

I love a bright kitchen, not white but bright. And the bold color is marvelous. It makes me want to bake bread and can veggies and put up preserves. It is very user motivating which I can always use.

BTW I love your table lamp.

I was pricing things for the dinning room. I'm up to 871.00 and still need a few things lol. I'm going to have to find cheaper materials.

Thankyou for the tour of your home.

You are definately welcome.

I just like table clothes so I happen to have a burgandy and beige checked on the dining table at the moment. I use lace and/or chintz more than anything.

The china hutch is fiberboard covered with a cheap walnut veneer. The mirror is the middle of the hutch part. The glass doors are sliders. What I am thinking for the moment is just get rid of the glass doors completely. Paint the whole thing a green color and then put either a white or a gold glaze over that. The cupboard doors below I have to leave on. The inside is very deep and not finished. I was thinking of adding hardware to the draws and cupboard doors to make it look more old fashioned. My aunt had it made in the 70's and boy you can sure tell that!!! The mirror was my grandmother's and hung over her couch until she died.

Did you see the secretary desk to the side? I wish I had a better picture. YOu lay down the front to have a writing surface. It is hand carved, my hub's brother got it in Thailand and gave it to their mom who gave it to me several years ago. The piano in the living room was a wedding gift to the hub's grandmother. It was made special in Nebraska for her in 1918. It traveled part of it's trip to rural Washington by freight wagon.

Different woods have different kinds of grains. So they take stains or washes differently. I actually like less of a wood grain if it is going to be stained, myself. But it is a matter of personal taste.

The door on the patio is a door that was ruined by being trimmed wrong. It is very heavy as it is a solid exterior/interior door. I just decided to use it for a panel for the heck of it because it is beat up and cool looking. I am going to buy some brackets so I can make it free standing instead of leaning against my potting shelves.

Don't paint fiberboard with a venner on it. It will bubble at the very least and it will weaken the structure at the worst. I think we need a different approach to creating a different color for the outside of the cabinet. Adhesives are out for the same reason as the paint. The veners(sp) would not hold up to it. So what about this it's a bit out there. Quilt it. Get some batting and material that goes with your room or a bedspread and put it up with apholsery tacks. (If you do this spend the money to get good tacks or you waste half of them because the point bends.)

I notice that the mirror has a "swag" style of upper edge. After I took the glass doors off I would add matching trim/molding to the two sides to carry that theme all the way across. Or I might go with mirrored doors (hate cleaning those.) but it would make the room look much larger which might be a bonus.

I would also be tempted to add a light underneath the upper cabinets to make the top of the breakfront less shadowed. Maybe that string type lighting with a piece of trim infront of it so you didn't actually see the lights but had the benefit of it.

If you made a thin plywood cutout of the breakfront top and put the tile on that with a tile border on the front that will show you could still have the tile top. Or the "marble look-a-likes come is slabs so they could just be layed on top of the existing one. They will cut that stuff for you with cutouts and everything as a part of the price of the material. And there is a thin borderstuff that creates the edge so it has a finished look.

You know I might take out the mirror and give myself a center display cabinet. I have mirrors in my apartment, not because I'm vain, but because it makes it look larger. And I like having a lot of space. Or at least thinking I do lol. But since it was your grands mirror another idea would be to add glass shelves in front of it. But then I would definitely match the mirror with mirror doors on each side.

I saw that secretary you have it's great. But again I think it is to big for the space it is in. Heavily carved items I think need a lot of space to really let them be the focal point of their space. If I could pull it off I would have it in front of my bedroom window. With a straight backed chair that I could move in front of it when I wanted to sit down and write. But it just so happens my bedroom doesn't have a window. I get migrane headaches so I love the fact that I can close the door and it is totally dark in there.

I love your upright piano. My parents had a wurlizer that I had lessons on all the time I was growing up. Do you play?

I wish I could move the desk and make it a focal point in my bedroom. But the house is very small and there isn't anywhere else to put it. I have some big furniture everywhere. Yep the china cabinet is too huge for the space but it is what I have so I have to use it. The table and chairs is actually shoved back a bit, it needs to be pulled out about a foot.

Even if I sanded the veneer good I couldn't paint it? I am stuck with this ugly cheap walnut junk? Well you have given me a lot of food for thought, that is for sure.

My middle daughter, Annie, plays. Kristin, my youngest, likes to teach herself. I paid for lessons several times but she hated the discipline of having to practice and she is dyslexic and reading music is extremely difficult for her. But she keeps messing with it. I was one of those kids who always wanted lessons but we had one slight problem....no piano.

No you can't paint it. Well at least not without risking damaging it. That fiberboard swells something awful. There are some humid climates that will do it in even if it is kept waxed. If you know a "wood expert" you might ask them if there is a way to do it. Bill or Digger might be able to suggest a way. Don't sand veneer. It is very very thin. Like thick paper almost.

I keep on thinking that there is a spray adhesive that might work. Then maybe apply a new veneer in a color that you like better. Maybe a golden oak? My concern is ventilation for one thing. And the other is the spray going places that it shouldn't. It might make a thin enough fast drying coat that it would stop any damage from occuring. Also that would require a lot of veneer and that stuff is not cheap by any stretch. The other concern would be the trim around the top of the mirror. Is it rounded or flat? If it is flat it wouldn't be to hard to add the veneer but if it is rounded it would be beyond me. Let me know what you find out ok?

Now I am thinking....maybe just a new top? The hutch comes off by the way for ease of moving. Of course I have to unload all my stuff out of it first.

All surfaces on it are flat.....nothing is rounded. And the veneer is peeling off the edge of the buffet part. I was wondering how to fix that withuot have to buy a router!! Now I am thinking.....drillng holes to put handles on drawers and cupboard doors, 86ing the sliding glass doors just because they are so 70's looking (I would save them just in case but take them off for now), and thinking of how to put some kind of mosaic or marble looking top on the buffet top. My mind is really churning now!

Mozaic is very easy. Get a piece of thin plywood the same size as your top, some liquid nail and some grout and a design you like. And the colors of tile that you need.

Starting on a piece of paper the same size as your top lay out the mozaics in the design you want.

Then smear the liquid nail in areas that you can finish is short time frames. Personally I would do 1 ft square sections at a time. The liquid nail sets up quickly and once the tile is down you can't move it. Leave a little gap between the individual tile pieces for the grout.

Once you have placed all the pieces let it dry and then grout it. It will look spectacular.

I would plan on doing the mozaic on the edge as well as the top, on the side that will show. But a piece of molding would look just as good.

I have seen craft programs where they bust up old plates that they find at the flea markets to use as tiles.

I love the idea and then they have those really smashing ceramic drawer pulls and knobs.

Regluing veneer. The best thing is a spray adhesive I think. For the same reason as stated above. You want something that will make a very thin coat and will dry super fast.

I would first have to buy some new venner to reglue. It has broken off and peeled off the front of the buffet top.

Ok....quarter inch plywood, and a mosaic pattern. hmmmmmmmm I love the busted up plates idea. I wonder if I could get some to sort of match my china?

I found the knobs & drawer pulls I want....ceramic flower shapes. But they cost a bunch per knob. And I need 14. Ok...heading for a street corner now wearing my finest rags....

Veneer can be found on a roll in some of the wood working catalogs but it's been so long I've forgotten the names of them. If it has pulled completely away and it is only the edging add a piece of trim instead that you can put on with trim nails. the ones with really small heads. Use a nail punch for getting the head flush that way you won't damage the trim. Use an angle cut on the ends to give it a finished appearance rather than a blunt cut or not. That just what I like lol.

Your knobs sound pretty but you are right they are expensive.

Don't know about matching your china pattern for color I need a close up of your plates lol. But then the light would probably make them just a bright spot anyway lol.

Designs: Sunflowers, or a Rooster with a simple vining flower border, An aztec sun burst, A double wedding ring quilt pattern, A fruit basket full of fruit and flowers. I'm having a lot of fun with this.

Just to be prudent I'll make two suggestions that are probably unneccessary. One be careful with the tiles especially if you are going to smash plates. We don't want any cuts. Second of all I would make some mosaic stepping stones first. The kits are easy and not to expensive and would give you some practice.

I'm a baaaaaaaaaad girl.

I bought the selves for the other wall before I finished the peacock wall. The sconces won't be here until the 21st and the snapdragon seeds wouldn't be mature for quite a while. Anyway the floor lamp is going to be so expensive that it will have one months income tied up all by itself lol. So, I figured that I could go ahead and get the shelves now. It has changed from a set of three to a set of four but the 4th one is insignificant and I may not even put it up. And I am so tired of looking at the top of that access panel I just had to.

Bless your heart! YOu aren't bad. You just know what bugs you the most in the room. I don't have to live with it so I wouldn't know. I may just send the camera back to you so I can see a picture!

I took the sliding doors off the hutch part of my cabinet which was a huge improvement except I think it is going to entail a lot more dusting now. Oh well. I am going to Home Depot tomorrow just to get some "general" ideas for the buffet top other than mosaic. I bought a mosaic book by the way as I have this old dresser that the top is in awful shape so I was going to do mosaic on it but so far I just put a dresser scarf over it. LOL I will try the tiles or maybe a little stool first before any big projects. I am not going to match my china with the mosaic. My china is mostly white with a very small soft border of blue and pink flowers. Blue and pink ain't happenin ya know????

lol, tell me about it. I packed and move pink china with a gold border for twenty years until I could hand it off to my daughter. Horrible stuff that was the grands so there was nothing I could do. My daughter doesn't like it any better than I did lol.

Good luck at home depot. Hopefully you have better helpers than I get when I go there. I had a guy tell me the only way I could buy veneer was in full sheets, NOT. They didn't have the rolls of edging but the woodworking catalogs did.

If you want to send the camera back that's ok. Hopefully with the additional light comming I can get a much better picture. But Target takes a long time to ship so it will be about 6 weeks. And I'll take a few pictures of the dinningroom too.

ok...I want to take a couple of pictures in the next couple days (when it isn't raining) and then I will mail it off. Should get to the P.O. by Thursday ok?

Do you know they have this ribbon stuff that looks like veneer for edging? YOu put it on with an iron! They also have tape that looks like veneer for the same purpose but you wouldn't want to use that unless it was on a piece that didn't get alot of traffic which my china cabinet does. I found some of the coolest glass tiles for like showers and kitchens that you can get on the smaller side that would also make a cool top. I got a ton of ideas now. Whoooo hooooo you got me started.

Whenever the camera arrives is fine Fernie. I don't have any new blooms to show off anyway. Enjoy refinishing your china cabinet it sounds like your well into the planing stages now.

I have an idea for your secretary. Tell hubby it's time to build an addition on to the house.

Did I say that lol.

I found the bamboo shades for the computer area and they are almost perfect. But I will have a border of wall around them. So I thought that when it was time I would try and find some nice Hawaiian styled print material for a valance and side curtains and a skirt for the modified computer desk. I know I am going to love this room when I am able to complete it. I never would have dreamed of an island theme but it is so perfect. I can't thank you enough for that idea. I'm thinking of painting the dinningroom wall the rust color. With the ceiling off white it shouldn't be to dark should it? I hope I will be able to start it next summer. Well have a pleasant evening.

No....I think the rust would be fine. I love the skirt, valance and curtain idea for around your bamboo. That will be awesome.

My husband is domestically challenged shall we say? I asked him to repair a door sill when we were going together. I went to the grocery store and when I got back, he had nailed a piece of kindling to the door sill. I knew then, if I didn't want to pay for work around the house, I would have to do it myself.

Actually when my daughter moves out, she has a lovey lavender room I am going to fix up. The secretary will go in there I think.

Later.....

And you married him anyway. Now that must be love. lol.

well he was the first guy I met that said, you have kids? cool lets take them fishing!!! And he bought a picnic to take and ran up and down the bank getting the kids unhooked from rocks and brush. I knew he was a keeper even if he couldn't fix a doorsill.