Well I figured I would just ask this here, rather than starting a whole new thread....is there any good mailing lists/newletters that I can subscribe to on the subject of hoyas? I belong to one mailing list called the gesneriphiles, and it is quite informative. I was hoping something like this exists for hoyas. I do know about the Hoyan, but other than that, I cant find anything. I dont think I will bother with the msn forum, seems to me it is a little too personal just to chat about hoyas. I think I will just to GW, as it is free, informative, and friendly so far.

crazybusytoo, I only use Windows "Paint" to add objects to your photos and to assemble the 'item board'. No Photoshop, though I used Picasa to straighten your photo and crop it. Before I comment on drapes, I'd ask you where the yellow for the room came from? Because I have no idea how it ties into the rest of your home and its' finishes. I think the room could use a subtle pattern some where, and I am taking your existing color selection and layering soft yellow on soft yellow to enhance it's appearance.& create some visual texture. I recommended a classic stripe for the walls. That could be done with wallpaper or two tones of paint applied as larger scale stripes to the walls. Or simply flat and satin finish paint in alternating vertical stripes applied to the wall if you have an aversion to wallpaper. I suggested a subtle patterned drape also. From what I see in your existing dining room, you may be a person that plays it safe with your selections, so I'm only taking baby steps with my suggestions. A plain white drape, without a master plan for the room, is just a plain white drape. Safe like the Silhouettes.

Interesting thread. How often do I take a hard look at my home? Frequently, however that doesn't mean I do much, or anything, about it. I can relate to what stephf said and often play the game of "what would I change if I lived here" in other people's houses but also play âÂÂwhat could I change to improve my worldâ in my own. Most of the time I only change out accessories without buying anything new as have enough to rotate items. I satisfy my need for change by decorating seasonally. I'm not using as many accessories as I used to and my seasonal decor is much more subtle but there are changes to more seasonal colors. Now that it's fall I'm using accessories with fall colors, more natural and wooden items, and a few faux pumpkins/Jack-O-Lanterns. A few years ago we repainted and bought new upholstery with neutral colors so this works well. After many years of trial and error and sometimes not liking my house much I am finally happy with most of my choices and there's not much I want to change right now. When I move (likely in the next couple of years) I will be ready to buy all new upholstered items and will then change my color scheme and perhaps style. I'm a senior but will likely never stop changing things around in my house. I have never changed out everything all at once in 47 years. Have added and eliminated but never decorated from a clean slate. The only time I decorated 'from scratch' was when we moved to Europe for 3 years and bought almost everything new and a few things 2nd hand. Sold everything before we returned home as I had no attachment to any of it. I much prefer to collect over time and let my decor evolve as it will. Some of my old pieces have good memories such as pieces that belonged to DH's and my Grandmothers. I buy several new accessories every year, mostly handmade art pieces now. I have downsized and re-homed many items in recent years and continue to do this. I sell the better things thru a consignment shop and donate the rest to thrift stores. We had this house built 17 years ago and it now looks completely different from the way it did when we moved in. Different color walls, different flooring, different furniture. While I like to think I don't change things often my decor has definitely evolved over time. It has happened so gradually I have never realized until now how different it looks. I still have the same DR furniture, a chair that was DH's Grandmother's, and a small antique sideboard but everything else in the public areas has been acquired since we built. Only the upholstered furniture was purchased new, everything else is antique, vintage, or repurposed. I still have many of the same accessories but also many different ones, purchased new as well as from 2nd hand venues. Realistically I expect my house will continue to evolve subtly and will look quite different 10 years from now.

Hey walkin -- I'm *far* from an expert on this--people here helped me on the one I've done. I bought a kit of the precut wood and MDF parts, complete with screws and such, truth be told, just because I didn't want to have to do all the measuring and cutting--sometimes I hit "tilt" and have to take the easy way out. The kit was from eBay. We did buy better foam, however, than the kit came with. And we also wrapped it. Probably way overdoing it. It wasn't hard at all, in fact rather enjoyable in an instant-gratification kind of way (esp. since I didn't have to do the cutting :))--we did do two rows of staples, alternating spaces kind of like sewing stitches, because the fabric seemed to pull between the stitches so I wanted it anchored completely. We didn't edge it with wood, but we could--we just did a simple rectangle which extends 24" above the surface of the mattress (we have a high mattress--if you were to purchase the same set and not have as high a mattress setup, it would be taller unless you cut it down). We love the simple lines. It would be easy to put wood around this if we chose to, or to make a slipcover for it down the line.