Hi, I recently joined Garden Web, although years ago I joined in the gardening section. But, went back to work, long hours, long travel and just to many hours away from home to enjoy the beauty around us. I recently became unemployed due to General Motors (worked for a company associated with GM) and my husband has moved to MI to continue working for GM. Now I am back and forth between MI and TN since we are not giving up our home here that we plan on retiring at. So this year has been a struggle on knowing which direction to follow. I have extra time on my hands and I find recycling junk very interesting. I live in southwest TN and love it here. Although the weather has been far too hot to enjoy. I know it has been like this everywhere. So now that the weather is cooling off I should have more time outside to start and finish things I am in the middle of, due to getting involved with junk. :) I googled glass totems and found this site. My mother n law had made a couple and I fell in love. I have since made some and really got into making plate flowers. I also have copied many of the things posted here and hope to try them all in time. I plan on selling some garden junk items at the yearly OctoberFest in my local area next month. Just getting started and not really wanting to get rid of anything I have made yet. So not sure what all I will be selling. My birthday is coming up soon and I will be 57. Too young to retire and too old to look for another job. I want to be able to travel back and forth to MI to see my hubby so I need something flexible. So I am thinking of getting into re-purposing junk. Hubby will be home for the weekend and I might go to MI next week. I haven't been able to show him the mess I made of the barn with all of our junk we had and the stuff I have been buying at TS,GW and antique places. I have an area to work once it isn't 100 degrees and love it. I would love to go see Shabby Joes display at an art fair in Marshall, MI not far from my hubby. Well, this is it for me. I am excited and have things to finish before DH gets home late tonight. Thank you all for the ideas here and the support you give each other. Suzq

I found the tax shelter in this posting when searching for a gift for my brother. He is a tax preparer and has everything. So I just had to share what I did for him. I took one of those woodcraft houses from Walmart- removed the two screws from the base. I cut a 1" block of wood that fit into the bottom of the house. I glued this block onto the base thus allowing the top of the house to be easily lifted off the base. I cut a 1/2" groove in the center of the block with the table saw so I could set a card of thumb tacks into it. This was hidden in the house until the top was lifted off. I wrote a poem for this & read it to him while my daughter did a Vanna White presentation of the house. Everyone got a good laugh out of this and I finally did a complete craft project! It's been a while. Hope you have as much fun with this as we did. Here's the poem: I drew your name for Christmas It's an honor, don't you know To get my brothers name for Christmas Ah! ashopping I will go. But then I started frettin After searching high and low Whatever will I get 'im (Twas wrong to worry so!) I went into an office shop Maybe something for your desk? I talked to the clerk a lot She tried to aid me in my quest. He could use a tax shelter Is what the lady said It seemed a bit off-kelter But there was nothing left instead. So here's your little shelter All painted so very nice The foundation has been mended The roofs' been polished thrice. The flowers are all blooming In the big pot by the door The bumblebees are buzzing And there's no sawdust on the floor. It seems to be the perfect place I do agree she's right It sure beats a plain old case And your tacks! They're finally safe at night!

sjarz, you can felt by hand, but it is a tediuos process, I'm lazy!!!..as far as with a load of laundry..you can't watch it as closely, but you can surely do it. And yes it's the aggitation that causes felting...Wool is actually scaley. The hot water causes the scales to open, the aggitation causes the scales to "catch" on each other and then close up and shrink, causing them to "meld" together basically. I know that's not technicalogically the best terms, but a basic way to describe what happens. You get one giant controlled mat of yarn really, you have just controlled how it is molded. Vickey-MN Here is a link that might be useful: Felting by hand

I saw the photos of this masterpiece the first time around but was thrilled to sit through a more extensive tour - even if I had to remove my boots. Ha! newdawn, when we bought our house, the heating/lights/water bill here was more than our old house's mortgage! igloochick, you will have to put in intercoms for DS and any future ice cubes... My kids were young when we moved into our house and they would loose me. My house isn't nearly as big as your will be. We painted our house for $17,000. You have one lifetime project ahead of you.