Yes. I used candle molds for the cucumbers and chocolate molds for the sqaush. It's fun and different. I like to switch it up every year.

When I did a hang out room for the kids years ago I did it with the thoughts that all tops needed to be nearly bullet proof, the sofa had to be leather so I could clean it, I would revamp used things so I would not worry about things getting destroyed and the room had to be suitable for adults as well. I do not have a picture of the sofa area on the other side because that area is now an office but the sofa was leather and matched the drapes (and hit dirt). Those bar tables on each back corner were rusty and used so I painted the base stalk to match the used bar stool bases and added glass mosaics to the bottom and painted the tops adding several coats of poly. The picture frame came from a thrift store and I added my own mixed media art on top of an old painting I also painted the other picture. The room would only take a small pool table, I bought it used for $150 and had it re-felted. The coffee table near the sofa came from a garage sale and I added a bullet proof granite top. On top of the coffee table was a very cool antique brass chess set (from a garage sale). I also had two ottomans near the sofa and coffee table in reds, raisin , purple and teal tapestry fabric for extra seating and also because it would not hamper the pool playing in limited space. From that area (sofa) you could view a wall mounted TV for sports. So, even though the room was not large I still had areas, areas for game playing and TV watching, areas for snacks, and the center for pool playing.

She is being inspirational Snidely. There are people with her disease and many others who need to know they are not alone and that life is worth living while you're on this earth. She will be presenting in the South Coast Plaza general area in October and is currently getting the word out. Orange Coast Magazine just contacted her yesterday for an interview. I just came here for suggestions on fundraising that isn't mainstream. Stuff that is not typical or generally thought of immediately when trying to raise funds for a cause. She has already done that approach. Just looking for other ideas. This kind of stuff has always been in her blood. She was accepted into the space program many years ago but met the love of her life, fell in love and got married. At the time, that disqualified you for that program.

If the problem is that the current fabric is too busy and distracts from the carved wood, I don't see how the above suggestions help the problem. Though I personally don't think the fabric is particularly busy (it's pretty tone-on-tone, and from a distance, it definitely doesn't look busy), or particularly dated. But I will concede it doesn't really compliment the fabric on your other chairs. What about a stripe fabric picking up one of the colors from the rug. I think I see green in the larger rug--maybe a green and cream stripe? Or a solid, or very subtle pattern in green?