I can't really display my plants because of light reasons. I just have to smoosh them up against the window and hope for the best. Honestly I don't even see a good number of them for most of the week because they're behind closed blinds. Actually I think my worst-displayed plant is the Pedilanthus. It was braided around some plastic stake that I can't get out of it, ever, and is also topheavy and growing at a weird angle because of said stake. So I have it flopped over on its side behind my NIP. The parts that get light are growing normally and look fine although the pink variegation isn't showing up. I should get a picture of it actually. Maybe get some advice on what to do with it short of a complete disassemble-and-reroot.

As you can see, I'm in even a colder zone...I have had a Japanese Maple planted directly in the ground for 5 years, it has always come back like a charm. Very slow grower, but I don't mind because it's just off my front stoop...someday, perhaps it will shade the stoop gracefully, but I'm in no hurry. I do have hostas growing in its territory, but then, my whole front yard is maple tree territory, as I have 4 HUGE maples across my property. Unknowingly, I planted a hosta garden all the way across the front of the house, right under and just off the maple dripline. The hostas directly at the dripline did diminish on about the 5th year, as did some lilies. However, the ones 8 feet from the dripline are doing just fine. I'm not moving the garden or changing it. I just keep putting young ones in there and watering. When I have my garden plant sales (to pay for this habit), I pull the med sized hostas right out of that bed for the folks. It works pretty well, actually. I guess you could just call it my nursery! And a pretty one, at that!

That carousel is great! I love lynn's photo groupings too (and your home, lynn -- so fascinating & creative). My son gave me a digital photo frame for Xmas, & I love it! The color is very good & brings out the best in photos, but the fun is in the mix of photos in the slide show. It's so easy to add photos & make themes on an SD card with a computer. A 4GB SD card holds a lot of photos. I have 200 pictures on one & have room for more. I just got a great new printer/scanner (Canon Pixma 8120), & am enjoying scanning old family photos for the frame. A benefit is that scans of old photos can be edited in a picture editor to make them brighter, sharper, more level, or for cropping. I want to get another frame & do a black & white portraits theme. (Picasa will make a b&w copy of a colored original.) Or maybe I'll do my sons' school portraits in chronological order to show how they've grown... Anyway, digital frames are fun and versatile.

Leah what a pretty collection for a powder room wall's art! Do you have a picture? I would also never hang a towel not meant to be used, except in the case of antique linen like Leah's, but I'd guess that she does not have those at typical towel bar use height either? I have a bunch of antique hankies framed that I need to get hung up. I think maybe I'll sneak them into the powder room :) We only use white towels throughout the house, and while they may be on a towel rack, or rolled on the train rack, they're all still totally usable towels. I never keep old ones when they get worn (but they're great rags). I just buy new white ones. So the most my towels are displayed are just in the form of pretty white piles near the area they're used.