drawers. I like drawers for this sort of stuff. easier to get out, easier to sort, easier to store. Open draaer, stash stuff, close drawer. Get those Sterilite 3-drawer sets (or an Iris-brand cart w/ the shallow drawers, if you want), and put in dividers. iris makes a nice one for this that I use in my Sunday School classroom--it has two shallow drawers on top and a deeper on one the bottom; I got it at Office Depot. I put the scissors, glue sticks, etc., in the upper drawers, and the paint and playdough in the bottom deep drawer. I used those "score and snap" drawer dividers from the Container Store (actually got mine at Target, though) to divide the drawers so stuff doesn't slide around everywhere. At home I have those little drawer organizing containers from Rubbermaid, which work almost as well, but not quite. For markers, the secret is to have a drawer that's EXACTLY as wide (well, OK, an extra inch is OK, but NO MORE) as the marker is TALL. Then, the markers can't end up at an angle. I was lucky to find a little skinny 3-drawer set exactly wide enough, but I can't find them anymore. Though maybe the small Sterilite ones would work. And Rubbermaid makes a small one--not sure if it's skinny around side-to-side If all else fails, put some sort of divider inside a larger drawer, to keep the markers from sliding end-to-end, and ending up tipped at an angle. I just cut cardboard into strips and taped in place w/ packing tape in one of my drawers. I do find that I keep too much. Right now I've used drawers and other containers to fill a shelf intheir room, but most of it just never gets used. I need to weed out. I have actually thrown away, in the past, and entire shoebox full of crayons. Here is a link that might be useful: Sterilite's three-drawer chests--other companies make similar ones

Yippee Becky!! I've been mulling the thought over about making some porceline tiles to use in mosaics And also to make some nice dichroic glass nuggets for said mosaics!! It's all about the mosaic materials!!! Hope you are enjoying your class and will post pics, if not here, then on the conversation side!

I don't have a functioning camera right now to make an electronic photo file, but will remark that it is easiest inside a nice cabinet to use combinations of pex tubing and push to connect fittings such as Sharkbite brand (among many others) to avoid sweat soldering damage. All that is needed is a means to cut the pex to a clean flat end. Mistakes are easily remedied by using a different size piece of pex. Adapters exist to go from the pex to the fitting that dangling faucet hoses use. 3/8 poly line along with John Guest type push to connect fittings will be good for RO lines or such. Pex and poly are at their limit when used for pressurized water at boiling temperatures, so the hot water source in the house needs to be under some form of temperature control. A boiler type of water heater with potential for overshoot to 220 or so would be a risk in my view without a working moderator (required anyway by code). Some water chemistries tend to degrade the modulator so that needs to be kept in mind. My primary sink cabinet base includes garbage disposal and DWV plumbing, stand pipe for dishwasher hose, hot/cold feed for main faucet and to moderating valve for dishwasher (gets mix of hot and cold). Also there is the touch faucet control box, the fiber-optic garbage disposal control box, and quad electrical outlet. RO connection to both hot and cold sides of a pull-down faucet are present. All of the plumbing is mounted on stand-offs on the back or side walls of the cabinet base. kas

Find your closest Michaels Arts and Craft stores and then go nuts!! A huge assortment of supplies tailored specifically for kids of varying ages. You name it when it comes to arts and craft supplies and they've got it!! Prices are very reasonable, IMO. And get her one of the new "adult" coloring books :-) Even though she says she doesn't need one, she will be fascinated by the patterns and details these offer - I've yet to meet a real adult that wasn't very taken by them. I've been into arts and crafts all my life and draw copiously but I love these things!! btw, this was my first request as a child when asked what I wanted for my birthday - art supplies!! I'd include: Prismacolor colored pencils - come in sets of just a half dozen or so to dozens. Probably your most expensive investment but worth every penny. A simple water color paint set with brushes. Or acrylics. Scissors Drawing pencils and an eraser. A smallish sketch pad A selection of colored tissue paper or printed art paper (often sold with the scrapbooking supplies). A set of gel pens or colored markers. Elmer's Glue or modge-podge at least one very good black ink pen, like a fine line rollerball. LOTS of paper - newsprint as well as printer paper