Very nice color. I wonder how many new varieties you'd end up with if you just sowed a batch of C. ovata seed. I would guess there'd be quite a bit of variation if you could succeed in growing a good number of them... next project! I actually thought about it a few months ago when my daughter grabbed some flowers from a Jade and wound up with a handful of seed.

Weight isn't always the decision to buy. The amount of true "down" is what will determine warmth and weight. Plus the cover material. I bought two down comforters 15 years ago and they are still in great condition. Couldn't find them to buy another until recently, but they are called FairyDown from the UK. You can get them online now and still at a very good price. I also bought a sheep wool mattress cover, they are wonderful to sleep on. With this company you will know also where the down came from.

I had most of mine made custom. Ready made usually aren't: 1) lined or interlined; 2) weighted and interfaced; 3) sized to fit correctly, including the return; and 4) cut correctly (fabric weave is off).

We ordered pre-hung, solid core, prefinished Masonite doors for our downstairs remodel. We are DIYers and thought through the cost of renting a paint sprayer and doing the finishing ourselves and it came out nearly even to just buy prefinished - wasn't worth the extra work for us. We ordered ours without the jamb finished to match but you can order it matching for an extra charge. Of four doors (ordered through Lowes), two had to be returned and reordered because of finish problems. The return and reorder process was bumpy between Lowe's and Masonite because we ordered the doors on sale and had to repurchase at the non-sale price and Lowe's issued a refund (the refund exceeded the difference in price to compensate for our extra hassle). My DW had to do some work on installation as the door isn't quite square with the frame. The one door that is hung so far looks great, though. Ours are one of the white finishes vs black, so I cannot comment on the depth of color or black finish, but the white finish looks great. They came with the basic hardware which is also quite sturdy and nice. All in all a positive experience with some hassles but a nice finished product.