Great, thanks for the help! Would they grow better if separated? I love those flytraps that are so thick they're almost like a ground cover, and while I doubt mine would get like that since they are not grown outdoors, that's what I'm shooting for. I am currently growing them in plastic pots, but it's the tray for the water I am not too sure of. I currently have them sitting in plastic trays (about an inch deep) but I would prefer to use the glazed ceramic saucers that I bought - I just didn't know if, since they're cheap, it would pose a hazard to my plant with stuff seeping from the glaze. Thanks again...I'm excited to get my old trap repotted!

I don't keep old herbs, but then I don't keep many of them, since I keep most of what I want in my yard. Basil won't last past January, and then I just buy it fresh until I can start a new crop. Spices do keep for quite a while, but I never buy them powdered, and I have a coffee grinder that I use for grinding them. I don't drink coffee, and so that is a good way to use the coffee grinder. Ginger I only use either fresh or pickled - I never used dried. I keep ginger root in the freezer, but I also have a jar of ginger paste that works well when I'm making Japanese or Thai soups. There are very few dried herbs that I like, but I do keep dried sage on hand, even though I could grow it. I also keep dried oregano and dried thyme, even though I have fresh in my yard at all times. Sometimes the dried versions suffice, and they do save a bit of time. Lars

Dianne's link is the same one I was going to post, too. It seems to be one of the better ones. I'm just learning this, so I wouldn't feel comfortable teaching a class just yet. But doing a swap would be fun. Linda, you wouldn't even have to deal with the postcards, just swap addresses (like for Red's surprise your partner Christmas swap) and then each person could send directly to their partner. The postcards can be mailed without envelopes and should be taken to the post office and hand cancelled (with a letter stamp, 41 cents at the moment), but sometimes they want more for embellishments, etc. That would be a hassle for you to mail them all. Much easier for the swappers to just send them directly. Maybe a New Year's swap? I just think I'd be too booked up before Christmas. -_Amy

Color palettes/relationships/harmony is a huge topic and is impossible to fit into a single post. Harmony means to change from one condition to another with a sense of ease and pleasing variation. I get those palettes are meant as inspiration but there's not much practical use for them beyond that. They're creative and pinnable but what are you suppose to actually do with them kinda thing. And you're right, since these palettes exist in the digital realm, a lot -if not everything- is lost in translation to in real life colors - it's a clumsy correlation at best. When it comes to color harmony, there's no shortage of theories, methodologies and philosophies. My process is determine the hue families for important elements and fixed finishes, map them out on a color wheel, and let the geometry of classic color relationships map out the options. Starting with elements, like your new sofa and a neutral rug like in the picture below, can lead you to color combinations you (probably) never would have thought of on your own. Can also buy a rug that works with your sofa and pull colors from the rug for other elements like pillows, lamps, Artwork can work the same way - use it as a jumping off point, let it inform the color of all the other furniture pieces and décor.