Thanks for all of your help. I briefly looked at the Terrell site and will need to study that. I didn't find the Joann-Chelone post, but do think I have enough to work with. Mqmoi, I will need to find out how and if I can mount these in my current windows. I think so. I think I am going to start by attempting one for the "pathetic bathroom" I have been working on. It is coming together. If anyone remembers, I posted a few weeks ago about the ugly green tile I had to work with. Since then we have put in a new floor, countertop and painted. Yesterday, I returned the towels I had bought (prior to painting - stupid move) and bought some rust and salmon colors - opposite the color wheel of the green. I think Patricia had suggested that for paint. But I painted a creamy white and it looks greatand am using her suggestion for the towels. I also bought a rug in rusts and salmons and greens with a botanical print. I wasn't too crazy about the rug, but thought I would carry it out with the WT and today trekked off in the blinding cold here looking for fabric. I found a stripe that has the exact color of green of the tiles, the exact color of the walls and the exact color of the towels. I couldn't believe my good fortune! So now the botanical rug will go back for probably a solid color and I am thinking a roman shade would be great (Les had that idea for me a few weeks ago). I hate seeing bare windows, but that's the way it will be for a while, maybe a long while. I think I should do the side panels in the bedroom first, then the bathroom shade as it is the smallest window, then the bedroom shades. Terriks, those are fabulous shades, absolutely fabulous! What an inspiration you are! Red, I didn't find the Joann-Chelone post you were referring to - and the site you referenced was only pictures unless I missed something. Thanks again --- PS --- DH came in and said "Now you are putting the towels in baskets? Pretty soon you are just going to kick me out of my bathroom as you won't want anything touched!" We are both pretty impressed with what we have accomplished in the last few weeks.

This is from www.creativekids@home Cooked Playdough (flour and salt) 3 cups flour 1.5 cups salt 6 tsp cream of tartar 3 tbsp oil 3 cups water Dissolve salt in the water. Pour all ingredients into a large pot. Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides. Knead the dough mixture until the texture matches playdough (1-2 minutes). Store in plastic container. Should last for at least 3 months. NOTE: This recipe is made from edible ingredients and not toxic in small amounts for children. However, a dog got sick after eating a batch of playdough. It is not intended as a food item. Please be sure to put it away after your children have finished playing. Notes from Visitors: After my cousins and I made playdough, we played with it and didn't put away. In the morning it was dried. I added a little bit of water to it and it turned soft again. I decided to just let my playdough creation dry naturally in a window in the sunshine. It is almost dry now. A few cracks developed, but I just filled them in with playdough and smoothed them over. I kept turning the totem pole to let the sun hit it from all sides. Cooked Playdough (baking soda and corn starch) 1 cup baking soda 1/2 cup corn starch 3/4 cup water Have your child mix the baking soda and corn starch in a pot. Use hands to make sure all the lumps are broken up. Add water. The adult should put the pan on the stove over medium heat and stir constantly. As soon as the mixture gathers together, remove from the heat. When it cools, have your child knead it into a smooth playdough. Note: Don't over cook this playdough or it will crumble when the children use it. Alternative Recipe for childrens playdough 2 cup cornstarch 2 cup baking soda 1 1/4 cup cold water Gradually add water till smooth. Heat, stirring constantly until mashed potato consistency. Turn onto plate, cover with damp cloth, let cool. Knead dough. Uncooked Playdough (salt and flour) 1/4 cup salt 1 cup flour 1/4 cup water Have your child mix the flour and salt in a bowl then add water. Knead and squeeze the dough to make a clay consistency. You may need to add more water. Note: Your child will find that this playdough doesn't last as long as the cooked recipes. Kool-Aid Play Dough The children will love the smell of this playdough! 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup salt 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups boiling water 2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Wearing gloves, knead for 10 minutes. Store in zip lock bag in refrigerator. Notes: Your hands may smell of the Kool-Aid flavor even with gloves. Kool-Aid is a powdered drink mix sold in North America. Parents just add sugar and water to make the drink. The powder has both flavoring and color which makes it great for this craft. Oatmeal Clay 1 cup rolled oats 2/3 cup flour 1/2 cup water Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add more flour if necessary for the dough to form a lump. Have the children knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth. You can add food coloring to the water before mixing the dough, or divide it into balls and add the coloring after the children mix and knead it. Your children's finished crafts can air dry overnight. Note: Children can store the clay in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag for up to 3 days. Cornstarch Clay 1 (Porcelain type) Ideal for items under 3/4" thick 2 cups (500 ml or .5 liter) cornstarch 2 cups (500 ml or .5 liter) baking soda 11/4 cups (310 ml) cold water In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and baking soda. Gradually add water until the mixture is smooth. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a moist mashed-potato consistency. Turn onto a plate, cover with a damp towel. Knead clay when cool enough to handle. Clay is now ready to shape into craft projects. children can add food coloring to make different colors. roll out the dough into 1cm thick (under 1/2 inch) and have children make hand prints. takes a long time to air dry or dry in a warm oven (200F) but it may brown a bit. clay may crack if items too thick or bulky Cornstarch Clay 2 1/3 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup white glue Mix completely. Add extra corn starch or glue to get a workable consistency. Store in plastic baggie. Should last for months with no mold. Projects can be air dried. Try rolling out very thinly, then leave over night. In the morning use punchies to create designs before it is completely dry. Dries like china.

Thank you so much Lucille, I appreciate that!! I guess with the bottom, I got off pretty easy because as you can see, it was in reasonably good condition. I just sanded down the original white paint, first with a medium grain paper and then with a really fine paper so everything was good and smooth. I didn’t worry about stripping it because I was going to be using white again. That Behr color is the same color we used for all of our trim and doors and I love it! It’s a very soft and creamy white, so when I found that cabinet, I paid the consigment store to repaint it and requested they use the same color. (They had done a crackle treatment on it that was nothing short of hideous). I love the shabby worn out look but didn’t know if it was right for the room. I went solid first knowing I could sand down the paint here and there if I wanted to age it a bit, but when it was finished I was smitten with it just as it was. Then I went on a chair hunt and found these and thought they were perfect. (Their seats are walnut and the white is a perfect match to the table) I think going with the white bottom would be really lovely with the cherry wood top especially when you consider how much poly work redoing the bottom would take. If you were going for a color that leaned more towards vintage, like a teal or worn red, using one of the specialty paints would make sense, but for white, unless you want that old worn look, I really don’t think it’s necessary, if anything, I’ve found that the latex wears better especially with the table. (It’s a semi gloss and easy to clean) I ended up doing the top of our table a couple of times because I didn’t care for the stain I had used. I also had a couple of poly spots that I didn’t like. For those I used some steel wool to get the spot out of the poly and then I polyed back over it but I didn’t mix it with anything I just used straight non yellowing poly. It’s all trial and error, right? Also, you’re probably already aware but I’ll throw it out there anyways, cherry wood darkens over time, so in the beginning, you should avoid keeping any kind of runner or mat on it for longer periods of time or you’ll have a permenant reminder of them being there. :c)

I didn't know you wanted to make flour tortillas. Here's a video I like showing how to make those: I thought you already knew that the tortilla press was only for corn tortillas! I have not experimented with using different flours in flour tortillas, but I have made other types of somewhat similar flatbreads, such as lavash, pita bread, and naan. I've also tried making injera bread, which is more like a crêpe, but without much success, but it does use a different type of flour (teff), which you might like. What types of flour do you want to use in your tortillas? I think buckwheat flour might be good, and it might be less glycemic than white flour, but I would still use 50% white flour to make them. I've made whole wheat flour tortillas and also used 50% white flour when I made them. You always have to let the dough hydrate when making flour tortillas, the same way you do when making pasta. I let all bread dough hydrate for 30 minutes before I knead it. I agree that homemade flour tortillas are better than ones bought in the store - even if the ones from the store are very fresh - and the difference is much greater than the difference in corn tortillas, but you have to use the flour tortillas right after you make them. It is easy to make a very small batch of flour tortillas.