I'm making a pine countertop for my island. It will have a cooktop in it and I'm only using mineral oil on it. That way if something particularly ugly happens I can sand out that spot. I'd love to have that scrubbed look, but I think that's an age + multiple cleaning process. The sides have a chamfer so I'm planing the sides that will be glued & pocket-hole screwed together, then sanding for a smooth finish. $18 for the 2x wood in 8' lengths, which is the exact size of the ugly laminate that's there. I'm going for a rustic vibe and figure an $18 investment, plus the planer I'll use on other projects, is worth the experiment. The other laminate tops are painted and sealed. Unfortunately I have some areas that need to be retouched, after using Lysol Kitchen cleaner. I should have stuck with vinegar and water! Now, I have to figure out a top for my vanity. I'd love to have Water-loxed walnut, but DH is messy and leaves puddles on the current cultured marble. I might have to spend some dough for that one!

This thread (and Mtn's other gift thread) have given me a lot of great ideas for gift giving. I finally made a bookmark so that I can keep a list of these wonderful suggestions. I really like the recommendations about jewelry from small designers. I can mention another jewelry designer - Dana Reed Designs. I have several family members with Jan, and March birthdays so this list will be so helpful. Mtn - funny you mentioned coffee table books - I don't have any coffee tables, just end tables. I think it's a holdover from when my father lived with us and had trouble navigating through a room. DH gave me a luxury SUV last December and I was crushed that it didn't have a huge bow on it. Sue - I sympathize with your DH and DD. At least they're getting their MRIs now and then you'll know how to proceed. DD had hers last week and is scheduled to see the neurosurgeon this week - she has severe degenerative discs (just like me) and we're hoping injections will alleviate the pain. It's tough to see your loved ones in pain. It does make me wonder about the effect all those years of competitive sports have had on their bodies. Can't wait to hear about the great unveiling of your big box. Funkyart - good to hear you like the Garnet Hill cashmere wraps. They went on sale last week and I ordered one for my DDIL. I debated so long trying to pick a color that several had sold out before I clicked 'put in cart'. My daughter told me to get the gray color block but I wasn't sure about the design and ended up with the solid gray heather. The eggplant was personally calling to me but alas, it was sold out. Patty_cakes - congrats on your new car. I got a new one last year and it's as bad as getting a new cell phone - there's so many hi tech features to learn and I can only absorb so much in one sitting. As for the Chanel bag- have you looked at the online vintage sites? When DD was in college in NYC we went to the Manhattan Vintage Sale and I found a classic one for a very reasonable price since the chain needed a minor repair. I dropped it off at the Chanel Store to have the leather reglazed and they fixed the loose link. DH and I are contemplating a trip in late winter/early spring as our gift - maybe London or Scotland - he isn't a great traveler so I'm taking my time figuring out the little details. There are several recent threads here on trips that I need to read again.

I guess I am very late to this thread. I will not presuppose what the value of her show is to others, but I can communicate what I value. I do NOT watch Garden Answer to learn about gardening, per se. Laura is a highly commercial animal, and all of the products she uses are transparent product promotions. I don't know how much she understands gardening outside of the framework her sponsors feed her. She probably understands a huge amount, but I always feel she is reading from a commercial script. It is very clear that Proven Winners is her main product sponsor, and I do see some value in having her catalog their latest products. That said, the main value of her show to me is landscape design. She has a pretty modest property that she has turned into an oasis of small gardens with semi-formal design. She uses a lot of statues and formalisms throughout that really elevate the garden. I guess her co-producer/husband is a landscape designer, and maybe these are his designs? That really does not matter to me, because the main value for me is in seeing how they use space, and just as important seeing how their designs evolve over time. That helps me to shape my own use of my small space. Understood in this way, her channel is a kind of landscape design aspirational channel. It is a place everyone goes to dream about a garden they would like to have but probably will never get. Here is a recent overview video she did showing how their property grew from just under two acres to over seven acres in less than 10 years, and how they created 25+ named garden areas within this space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlJpdCIKvHs Considering that both she and her husband love gardening, and that they must be getting many/most of their plants and garden supplies for free and make considerable money on gardening videos in this space, it is a kind of dream job for someone who loves gardening.

nicole___, This is the one I bought, which is Wagner FLEXiO 590, but you do not put a hose in an open paint can. I can't tell whether it has a compressor or not. It got good reviews, but I don't know whether those are reliable or not. I plan to watch this video again before starting: I am going to try to have someone help me with this. A friend from San Francisco said that he wants to visit me and would help, as he has had experience with this type of painting. I plan to test it on the cabinet doors first, which I will remove and strip. I do not think I will use this for the cabinet boxes, unless I find that I can control the overspray well enough.