Thanks so much for that link to the sewing machine article. I just now realized why my sewing machine kept ripping threads on cotton and linen (I was using universal needles and they were always sort of "punching" through the fabric in an unwanted fashion)

How's it holding up in the laundry? I've got an ikea bladvass (see below) and I was thinking of coloring it at one point.

I like the idea!

I made some Mama Pad nighttime undies. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=421062.0#axzz2MOnlWpZE


I wasn't sure if they should go in Bath and Beauty or sewing clothing but there were other mama pads here so..

Was thinking of making that for "auntie Flo". Any tips?

Seriously? If you've got a car big enough to pick one up, you can get very decent ones starting from 40 euro's here (in this size; smaller ones are much more expensive). People move and can't fit them in their cars...

Totally.  Most Americans know someone with a pickup truck.    And you can rent a truck pretty cheaply for a couple of hours.  The last time I shopped for a fridge it was new, stainless steel, and freezer on bottom (almost all fridges are fridge/freezer combos) and mine was too crazily priced at about $900, delivered and installed.  I did some research into quality factors when choosing, though and the SS and freezer config are ones that cost more, so I guess I don't really have my finger on the pulse of used ridge prices, but I know when we bought used SS stove and dishwasher last year they were $275 and $125, respectively.  I assume a fridge would be about the same or more than the stove.

Heh. The only thing you won't be able to get nearly for free here is a decent washing machine for your laundry.

Everything else you can get for free or nearly for free, except it'll look horribly dated (but you can paint that!), like this dishwasher or this dishwasher. When my mom and stepdad split some 5 years ago, my mom picked up an identical dishwasher to the last one shown, which was also identical to the one they had, up for I think 25 euro. Still works.

Of course, you're going to have to uninstall, load, transport and unload it yourself for that price.

One of the reasons to love your acquainted "white van driver"...

Hee, I just tossed mine but I was using fake pringle cans, printing a design and then just putting the sheet around them. The fake pringle cans had the exact tallness of the width of an A4 sheet, so that worked well for storing rice etc.

I like what you did to these cans!

Looks much better! I re-covered mine a while ago as well, it feels better knowing the old dirt is gone than to just stick a clean elastic band one on top over it, IMHO.

Seriously? If you've got a car big enough to pick one up, you can get very decent ones starting from 40 euro's here (in this size; smaller ones are much more expensive). People move and can't fit them in their cars...

Yes, there's still snow outside. It's an unusually cold March, even here! But I can't just not start prepotting because the weather doesn't agree with me. This is the first batch of stuff that's going into the garden. I've got kale, garden beans and swiss chard in little individual tubes. They're newspaper rolls, so I can stick them straight into the garden and not damage any roots. Plus the paper seems to keep in moisture really well, which is an unexpected bonus.

So what has everyone else been up to? Any itching to start planting?

Exactly like that. I have my windowsills full of starter pots (cucumber, tomato, pumpkin, etc). I also went ahead and just planted the radishes in plastic boxes indoors, since the 14-day weather forecasts don't believe it's gonna stop freezing any time soon. Days are as long as in september atm.

Well theirs doesn't have a line run down the middle, that's probably the only difference. Not sure I'd pay a boatload of cash extra just for not that line. Besides, dunno what 85 dollar will buy you, but 85 euro will get you a used fridge in very good condition off ebay and such around here.