bobbi, thanks for saying that. C P is a good guy. You wouldn't want to do what those two do….yuk, disgusting and he smells awful when he gets home.

Girls, a decorating question for you. My master bedroom is painted BM alexandria beige, the trim is Devine icing. I want to change the fabric(s)…dust ruffle, euro shams and possibly the window treatments (panels on a slider). The other windows have plantation shutters and the bath is wallpapered in a Schumacher paper. I'll see if I can find it. Furniture is Asian. Right now the fabric is the same color at the alexandria beige, in silk, with an x raised design, but the fabric is too delicate for the use it gets.

Any ideas for colors or fabric?

yes bob, that dresser. is that in the guest room you are working on?

aaww judyg, that sounds so beautimous! what about adding a silvery blue with the beige. I helped someone a while back with something in this vein, but I think the duvet cover was silk too....dang it. I'll look for some ideas though.

michi, that is one crazy nursery, eh? she is a very colorful mama! HA! (very sweet though I might add)

I never heard of "Devine" before .. looks white to me; is it better than BM?

Revere Pewter!!! I'm just kidding. Can you post a pic?

MP, yep, that's the one in the guest room. It's about 1/3 done, and I'll post some pics when all done in a few months. I still have a whole lot of work to do in there!

judyg..how do you feel about velvet for the top of a duvet cover and yummy sheet on underside with piping around the edge?

OR just using a coverlet over your comforter....that's what works best for me. I'm pretty rough though. I found a pretty cool modern one. Last one was modern as well. That's why I did it again!

No, I can't post a picture. But when I get my new whatever this weekend, I will be able to post.

astraea, I found Divine by accident and the trim color (white) was the perfect white for my house. The store stopped carrying it as it is sooooo expensive. The color choices were "divine" and the color charts were simple to use.
Thanks, mp, silvery blue could work. Think I will surf around and see what is out in the fabric world. My good friend is a high end designer and is always willing to get for me, at the Boston Design Center, anything I want. But it is so overwhelming to go there, all those showrooms, all those products…

Girls, think of my alexandria beige bedroom as you travel thru houzz. Thanks.

Mpoulsom that vacation house screams permanent vacation to me! Good luck. That person (you mentioned the first 4 letters of their name) I have looked back and noticed he/she is a serial nuisance (being polite here.)
That nursery is a nightmare to me, you'd have to be colourblind to stand it. I don't know about your kids but for the first three months or so mine only ate, slept and got diapers changed. They only looked at me and my husband when they were awake because I couldn't leave them alone for a minute.
Bobbi will you post a picture of your handiwork?
Feeney I saw on the F.B. post a couple of cheeky types! Some people can't leave others alone or play nice eh? I think you've had a run in with one before -am I correct? I've ignored that person as I'm unsure of their motives in general. F.B. is lovely and doing no one any harm - I guess that's what's annoying me about their input.

Lisa, I will when I'm done, or at least closer to being done. What is F.B.?

F.B. is Frank Bright is a poster from a while back re "Learning that pillows make the room..once again." About 200 happy comments then a bit of sniping. Really nice fella, very responsive and posts updates. Have a look.

Right, I know Frank, one of Aja's friends!

If I could change the subject for a minute....what do you all use to wash your windows? I've been using Glass Wax but it's a 3-step process, too much for the sliders. Anything work as well in one step?

Good morning all - almost afternoon. Had 133 emails to work through this morning, although you guys have been very busy.

Bobbi - window washing - I just use a product we have here called Windex, spray it on and wipe off and buff with paper towel. I used to use newspaper, it was supposed to have been the best thing to use, but quality changed and I noticed it scratched. Also use it on shower screens, mirrors, glass in photo frames. Plain vinegar and water is supposed to be good too or metho, except I don't like the smell of that.

judy, I would just write to Emily and express your concerns, she'll know exactly what to do.

Thanks, roo, I've used Windex and it's good on some things but not my sliders. I don't think there's much hope for them, the previous owners dogs really did a number on them.

Back to the bed - I wondered what those memory foam toppers would be like. Trouble is I sleep in about 10 different positions so I wonder if it might become a trifle uncomfortable. I like to have a really thick woollen underlay, my old one has had it and I have to look out for a new one but like everything else, nothing seems to be made as well as the "old days". I love the snuggly warmth of it in winter but it allows air to circulate so it is cool in summer.

Most mattress stores here sell everything bed and bedroom related, but I will have to go online and see if I can find something a little further afield.

Feeny, the only reason I don't like low beds anymore is getting in and out of it with my damn knees. Trying to keep to a granny height for the future - I'm sure it is all downhill from here. Already I have my toilet extra high and my new lounge extra high. I definitely don't want to end up with the "Princess and the Pea" look either. My mum was very tiny and I think she shrank as she got older, and her bed was quite high.

Now I will spook you all ............ how do you get into bed????? Do you sit on the side of the bed and swing your legs in? or do you kneel and crawl? Doing the kneel and crawl is an old lady thing and it gave me quite a shock when I realised I was starting to do it myself. Promptly stopped. Anyway Mum used to do this but because her bed was so high she regularly slid off and onto the floor from where she could never get up. As she would get up two and three times during the night, her slides were frequent and I would get calls from her emergency service at all hours of the night to tell me they had an ambulance on its way as she had had a fall. Nearly drove me insane, but she refused to move into a hostel where should would get better and immediate care without constantly waking me up. Her favourite expression was she didn't want to be a burden - like waking me at 2 and 3am every other morning wasn't a burden?????

Judy, I am really over the white, I had 5 white chests of drawers from the time we moved into this house and repainted quite a few times which was very time consuming, so that I why I really want to keep to natural timber. I didn't have any choice with my desk but as it isn't really part of my bedroom furniture I don't mind it being odd. The only thing I have noticed though is that it is getting little chips in it for no apparent reason, and it isn't a finish that can be repainted so that puts me off the Ikea white even more.

bobbi, try a product that cleans the ceramic cook-top. It is alcohol based. When I have my gas fireplace cleaned that is what the fellow uses on the glass doors.

Eztia - just message Aja back that you were writing a general article in response to threads on decorating nurseries and didn't keep any specific references. Aja has time on her hands at the moment so I'm sure she would have no difficulty tracing references she wanted to double check on.

Thought that was a hoot the way Becky recognised her chandelier problem - even Aja got a kick out of it. Has opened the whole thing up again. Funny all the women have come on in the spirit of it all, it is the males who are floundering and keep trying to make sense and logic of it all.

Judy, I don't quite get what you mean about the other blogs, but I'm too time poor to really get into any other blogs so I have never noticed anything. My poor battered brain doesn't take in too much at the moment anyway, I have a couple of people I have my eye on as I think they might be more the sandwich short of a picnic type so I'm just not getting involved with them if I can help it.

I agree with Bobbi, put your concerns to Emily with any factual data (you can be more explicit in an email) and let her take it from there.

Judy, I like to think we can give each other support at times like this but unfortunately it is too open to put any real details. Actually, I discovered the other day someone posted on my profile page, comments about my ideas books (nice ones) and asked various questions and when I replied I ticked the make comment private and it only showed up on my profile page and not in the general area. Thought that was handy to know - it would mean a comment would show here but nowhere else on Houzz so hopefully that would include the internet in general. Of course it doesn't stop anyone trolling to see it but at least it isn't out there for all to see.

olldbobbi, for small glass cleaning projects I swear by Sprayway foam glass cleaner sold at Target. It smells awful, but is truly streak free. For large window cleaning I have the best luck with warm water, a few drops of Dawn dish detergent and 1/4 cup of ammonia removed with a squeegee. judyg, social media certainly allows for "made up" profiles and "fake" relationships. My skeptic son even asked me if my olld friends are who they claim to be.

OK Michi - lets make up some stories for your son.

I got the impression this was really serious Judy, definitely sent it to Emily with links.

I will, roo. If I am correct, this person is someone to avoid at all costs.

You really have me digging deep now.

Thanks everyone for the glass cleaning tips! My favorite is Glass Wax but like I said, it's a three step process. First you wipe it on, then when it dries you wipe it off which makes a powdery mess. Then you have to go back and polish the glass. Then you need to vacuum the powder so I guess it's a four step process. I'll def try what you all have suggested!

judy, I don't think it's cloak and dagger stuff! I don't think you're prone to hysterics, so if you believe there's a problem I believe you. But aside from emailing Emily I don't know what we could do! Let me think on it, see if I can come up with something.

roo, how do I get into bed??? I never even gave it any thought to tell you the truth! I think I'm a kneel and crawler. My bed is up really high as I have the frame sitting on risers. I use under the bed for storage of out of season clothes so it works out great for me. I guess I'll have to pay more attention to these things!

MM, tell your son that I'm really an FBI agent, I work for the BAU hunting serial killers! hehehe See what he says!

Isn't it funny how we never think about everyday things that we do. My DD works in hospitals so she observes heaps and caught me out one time when I was ill and I got quite a lecture from her. Actually, of late the rats are constantly picking me up for things I say and do that are exactly what my mother said and did. OMG - I am being cloned!!!! I was out with them a month or so ago and said something that totally stopped me in my tracks when I realised it was my mother speaking. Getting my revenge though, they are also picking up things they say and do that sound like me.

Still trying to think up a cover story for MM's son.

roo, one of my biggest fears in life is the thought that I will become my mother. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see her and I cringe. But then I remember, that's just looks, not personality!!! We all have our demons, don't we???

I definitely couldn't be as narcissistic and vindictive as she was and that is enough for me.

What are we going to talk about today???

When I got my “This week on Houzz” e-mail yesterday, and read a few articles, I began making notes for posts .. then decided it just wasn’t worth it to say anything partially critical, and get beat up for it by the “Pollyannas”!

Have a paint question this morning – What would you use to cover up a small scratch or chip in the paint? Do you think I could get away with using a make-up sponge to apply the paint? We’re talking about covering a patch that’s overall smaller than 4 sq. inches.

Between Houzz & AARP comments, I had 50 e-mails this morning .. daunting! No wonder why I spend half the morning going thru it & responding! (LOL)

Roo & Bobbi – Had to laugh; we have Windex here too!! I remember my grandmother using newspaper for the windows too many years ago .. no lint, but I’m sure the composition of the paper has changed since. That’s why eyeglass professionals want you to use the microfiber wipes they give out .. even tissues today have wood pulp or something else that can scratch glass! I also remember Glasswax, and that it was a lot more effort .. maybe that pre-dated Windex; no wonder Windex took over!
About mattress toppers – I would love to go totally organic, but honestly I think some of the synthetic materials stand up longer. I don’t recall being warm on the topper in the summer, but I know it’s better at retaining body heat in the winter .. much appreciated! As far as getting into bed, I’ll use the excuse that if you sit on the edge of a bed with a topper, it’s more likely you’ll slide off .. so I guess I’m a kneel & crawl type!

I think most women fear “becoming my mother”; maybe that’s one reason I’ve always kept my hair light, although she kept hers her natural dark shake. I know what her major weaknesses were, and work especially hard not to fall into those patterns!

Guess I should move on to "today" now (LOL)!

Just remember ladies even if you are like your parents in some ways the next generation is an improvement on the previous. I see bits of my family in my children but they are better brought up etc.. I feel nature is what you're born with nurture is what you do to overcome it! Some of the nature is good though.

Window cleaning - a spritzer bottle half water half white vinegar and a tall teenager with perfectionist attitudes and a roll of paper towels- works brilliantly!

astraea, where is the chip in your paint, like on a cabinet, or molding? I've used a q-tip to touch up a small ding, but you can use a cheap artist's brush for a small section, or try the makeup sponge, what do you have to lose?!!

lisa, can I please borrow your tall perfectionist teenager?

Q-Tip .. why didn't I think of that?! One spot is on the hall wall, where the electrician began to put a light switch (wrong place) & I stopped him, and the other spot is on the stairwell wall,where I must have brushed into it carrying something up or down .. and it won't wash off.

I didn't think it possible to use "teenager" and "perfectionist" in the same sentence. We are speaking the same language aren't we?

Funny, I came up with the q-tip idea out of pure laziness, I had several small spots to touch up, different paint colors, and I was too lazy to wash the paint brush out a bunch of times!

Astraea, I came on to 133 emails this morning, quite a shock as I thought I had been restrained. I think half of them were here though, we do get very chatty.

I have touched up paint in various ways, sometimes with a brush and sometimes I brush paint on and then use a small roller to spread it, depends on the size I need to cover and how the paint was put on in the first place, generally brushing will show brush marks. A makeup sponge will leave a bubble finish so check the finish around the patch.

Glasses should definitely only be cleaned with soft cloth. Tissues are made from paper and paper is made from wood so you will always get scratching no matter how soft the tissue feels. Be careful of microfibre too, it can often hold bits of dust that can also scratch.

Have any of you seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? Wasn't it Windex the father used in that to cure every ailment? It always makes me laugh.

Now I've got no excuses not to get the painting patched .. LOL!

Roo the perfectionist teenager is perfect in his own mind! To be fair though he likes to finish what he starts, never quits but has trouble following orders because he knows better. We could only get him to take time off college when he was sick because he was infectious otherwise he'd never have missed a day.

judy, your MB furniture is Asian - is it black and red, or just black? What color is your comforter? If you had the drapes made in the same beige, but a heavier fabric, would that work? Or off-white?

@olldbobbi. I like Sprayway glass cleaner. Home Depot.

Thanks, ez, Home Depot, I'll pick some up this weekend!

@olldbobbi. Michi likes Sprayway, too. Target.

Oh, you're right, sorry Michi! I will def try it because my arms are about to fall off using Glass Wax!

Now you are making sense Lisa. Added to that the fact that he is a male, and males have their own perfect opinions of themselves - losing battle happening!!!

Let's face it, teenagers are all legends in their own minds!

bobbi, I am not doing my share here keeping up with the threads..:

Huh?

bobbi, I am not doing my share here keeping up with the threads..:

bobbi, I am not doing my share here keeping up with the threads..: