How will we live without ....

... Hobby Lobby? I've never been there but if you're progressive and crafty what are you going to do? Here's some made in USA ideas. You can sketch, doodle, scrapbook and paint on one of these:

http://www.ecosystemlife.com/

The blogger takes no responsibility for health care options available to the staff.

I forget what we bought ....

... but it must have been great. I found them in my "Good stuff made here" folder so it must be just that. And it must have been storage. That's what they make, we have way too much stuff and nowhere to put it all.

Look for these folks in shops like the Container Store and other fine hoarder solutions retailers. Here's the link and a well drawn argument as to why we read the label.

http://www.unitedsolutions-plastics.com/madeinusa.html

For my next kitchen.

If you watch the DIY network you know the design principle of: pick three objects you love then find tones, color and materials that compliment them. When I remodeled my condo I had a selection of handmade Mexican tiles I'd found at a local import store. http://www.ttazteca.com/ 

Each tile was the perfect design to bring the outside in. The owner travels south each year to visit craftspeople in Mexico. He even looked for themes I wanted like kitchen implements, more of the sun and moon imagery, squash and melon image tiles etc.

So just match them, right? It took forever to find Travertine tile to match the size, texture and tone. By the time I found some I was beyond caring about their country of origin. I was just happy to find tile that complimented them.

But had I known about this I may have bought direct from them. 

http://www.trikeenan.com/index.php

Oh well, next kitchen. That's how we learn. 

Clean, calm and serene.

That's our motto around here. You can't see our home so I can get away with that at least till I learn how to post pictures to the blog. We like to envision the bath as a mini day spa; lotions and soaps attractively out for use, the laundry basket eeks, where did all that come from!? But anyway we try.

One of my earliest posts was about Swan Haven soap. Just in time for Mother's day they are having a sale. Her soaps are practically art, they both smell and look wonderful. Create a gift basket for Mom and the Moms in your life;

http://madeinusareviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/cleaning-up-my-list-of-good-things-to.html