I went to a house sale in Hollywood Hills in a lovely hillside home that was benefiting children with some illness. Several ladies planned it. The home was emptied of furniture except for tables, end tables,dining tables, coffee tables & several trees were decorated with salable items, they also had the patio set up with tables, card tables & I think a pool table. They had cookies & punch or coffee(before you worried about hot coffee getting spilled) but the eating had to take place in 1 area of the patio.(garage perhaps if cold there) this was 1 fine home, the upstairs was off limits. The downstairs bathroom was black marble, large pieces(12x18in with gold vein imported from Italy) floor, walls & ceiling, toilet & pedestal sink were black with beautiful gold faucets,very fancy, & glass shower with gold fixtures- everything spotless & nicest bathroom I've ever seen. It was a very comfortable experience as everyone there was very nice,helpful if you asked about something otherwise left you alone to look. Tables were in center of rooms so you could walk all the way around them since dining room tables were large,with plain colored table cloths on them but that way you could have taller items at center of tables & flat things that weren't breakable near edges of tables. I think a couple of card tables on patio were covered with a 4x8 piece of plywood to make large table out there, a round table was a large piece of plywood cut to 60 or 72 in or removed from a table like that & placed on something else, maybe a built-in bbq. I did that with 60 in round piece on a card table once but you need to have someone there so they don't tip it, think my hubby anchored it to the old card table some how but some don't. There were few pics on wall not for sale but too hard to move but otherwise personal stuff was moved out. We could tell a lot of work went into it. Lucky for them it was lovely day so no problems with rain or snow like you might have to deal with & heavy coats etc. I would keep the food & drink in 1 place tho, as we used to have "dime-a-dip" luncheons & I saw people take their foot & grind spilled coffee or food into the carpet instead of trying to get it up with a paper napkin or asking for a damp cloth to try to remove the spot. Hope it works out well for you! And do help her with cleanup. So many times at different functions whether PTA,school or church minute people are full they "have to go" so rest of us always got stuck cleaning up, most times it was OK as fun bunch but if 2-3 are stuck with ton of dishes to clean-no fun!! Jan

I don't yet have a room to show! We are building a house and I am just looking for ideas from people who've already done this. There is a new thread about organizing a craft room, and that one could help me too. I will have a relatively small space, approx. 7'x9', and I am looking generally for ideas that might help me decide how I want to organize the space -- put in counters and cabinets, arrange work space, etc. It's just a big blank sheet at this point! I've cross-posted this on the building forum and now that someone has posted about organizing a craft room here I'm sure I will get some ideas. Thanks!

These are both at night, on with a flash ,one without. You can't see many of the ornaments, but a lot are as old as I am..at least!! Anyone good with window treatments? I hate my front window Maria

So, I've been working in that room a LOT! Packed up and donated a ton of stuff, but still have plenty left. The fabric and trims will be getting another thorough culling after I regain some steam. I wish I had taken a "before" pic, but it was just a mess. Imagine tubs and stuff and junk just strewn everywhere. Here's my "during" pics: That lamp was a $2 thrift store find! I just found an inexpensive shade, dressed it up with a little ric-rack and painted the finial to match. The desk is getting new paint and hardware. The shelf is also getting fresh paint. That yellow chair is the inspiration for the feel and color scheme of the room. The table...also getting fresh paint. I wanted a table big enough to really work at. Something big enough to sew, paint, cut fabric, etc. I already had that table, and decided this was the perfect spot for it. It has another leaf, too, so I can add another foot or so if I need to. I was looking for a rolling cart or shelf to store the sewing machines on, but couldn't find anything that met all of my needs, so I just made one! I used a piece of heavy plywood, added casters to the bottom and handles on the sides. The paint is still curing, but both machines will fit on it, and it stows nicely under the table. So far, the only new things I've bought were the lamp, the red rolling chair, and the hardware. I'm still searching for closed storage for the fabric, either a pantry or an armoire.