I agree that the walls will be fine with a nice sanding and a prime. A good quality primer should cover the walls in one coat.

I also agree for the wood grain on the cupboards, just think, the pain will be worth the result! For a light stain in any colour mix a squirt of water-based paint (artists acrylic is cheap and comes in any colour you can imagine) with water in a jar, shake well until all the paint is mixed and apply to the wood with a cloth. you want maybe a teaspoon of paint to 300mL  of water (start with a little paint and add more as you desire) and be sure to wipe the stain on in the direction of the grain or buff it in with a circular motion. The effect can be as subtle or as bold as you like and you will have a lovely tinted wood as a result. Just be sure to seal the wood with either wax or polyurethane (water-based) varnish.

Why not grab an offcut of vinyl flooring in a great colour or pattern and use it as a rug? It is waterproof and wipe-downable when it gets grubby and won't leave a mess when you leave. You could even get a couple of smaller pieces in different colours for the various area (in front of sink, near shower door, in front of toilet).

I'm not sure where you live (i'm in Australia) but our discount stores sell linoleum flooring for about $9 per meter, thats pretty cheap considering the width of the stuff.

Ok, you're on the right track.... you have taken the right bit out (the spring), that is where the staples go. Flip the gun upside down so you can see the hole left after taking the spring out. You just slip the staples straight into the hole (make sure the sharp ends are facing away from the handle side), they will fit nicely. Then put the spring back in and make sure it is in properly so it doesn't fall out. You will feel tension as you put the spring back in because it is pushing on the staples...this is what keeps the staples in place so they come out of the gun.

Be sure not to load too many staples into the gun or the spring may not fit back in...this is just trial and error. Also, when buying more staples, make sure you know what kind of gun you have, there are many different sized staples, just like a desk stapler.

If this doesn't make sense or you still can't work it just ask for help at your hardware store, don't be embarressed, everyone needs instructions now and then, even those big beefy guys  .

that is adorable! mum has a king charles too, i wonder if he would like to dress up too....

Excellent idea!

Melladh... 12 hours of sun would probably be enough, i'm in Australia and thats all we get. like GloryB said though, these plants grow pretty big, mine grew to about 6 feet, but then I love the idea of having a pot full of enormous flowers in my apartment .

I would suggest u just give it a go, the seeds are only a few dollars, and if your sun is bright and toasty, u too could be living in a jungle of flowers...

Now I know many of u out there love sunflowers. If u r looking for a cost-friendly way of brightening your garden or even a sunny spot inside, look for a cheap brand of parrot feed in your local grocery store. You should fing a big bag purely filled with sunflower seeds for only a few dollars, this is what you want. Just sow a few of these seeds in a large pot indors or sow randonmly outside in a garden, you don't need to do anything special, in fact I grew some in an old, dry container of potting mix and just made sure to water them.

Sunflowers are pretty much self-sufficient and sprout in no time, you don't need to buy itty bitty packs of expensive seeds...just sum good old bird seed. Did anyone have a pet bird as a kid? If so, you probably realised that if you throw out the old seed on the lawn when ur cleaning out the cage, u soon have strange tufts of grasses growing in that spot...

In case anyone is wondering, sunflowers have a teardrop-shaped seed, black with a few white stripes. The edible part is the inside kernel thats a slight olive colour.

Absolutely fantastic Hemi, I love it ! You could do a range of wall mounted fantasy animals too.

Ummm... do u have any pets? If so are they intimidated ?

Why not try the surgical steel for eaarings and the like, as it won't irritate or tarnish (and is still cheaper than sterling) and keep with the plated for things like head and eyepins and other areas where the pieces don't make contact with the skin?