Thanks ya'll, so much. I love working with the silver plated flatware,so many projects you can make for your garden and to wear. I use 1/16" drill bits with my cordless drill. I am ashamed to say I have a Dremel and I never use it( don't tell the DH!!) I use the same size for drilling my bracelets and for drilling my wind chimes, and Scrabble tiles. For the wind chimes, I use beading wire and crimping beads that I use my pliers to tighten after I string the beads on(two crimping beads). I have a small 4x4 block of wood I use to do my work on, like drilling holes, or flattening silverware (soften it by sandwiching it between some old towels or soft cloth to prevent tool marks)I curl the fork tines by flattening them with my ball peen hammer(this seems to make the metal softer,too) and using my pliers to twist them. If you have a vise it's much easier. If you're selling bracelets, it does go much further using one handle,LOL! My DH bought me some of the magnetic clasps,those are so nice,but get expensive after a while :) The spoon pendant with the copper swirl is an old copper earring that was my mothers. I also printed out a picture of some brown velvet and glued that in the bottom of the spoon before I set the earring in it. The flatware pins are short tips of the handle, with a hole drilled in the bottom for a charm, some are not drilled, I glued bead fringe on them. I use very small porcelain roses I chop off of trinket boxes I buy at TS's and yard sales( I use those in my mosaics for inside and in the garden,too)I use a flathead screwdriver and hit it with a hammer to break flowers off the trinket boxes. Hopefully they break off clean,if they are broken just a little, I'll glue them back together with superglue and it holds up really well. And glue on pearls and beads with those, with E6000,onto the pin,glue a pin back on with E6000,too. I use silver plated coasters or trays, the small ones, to hang my wind chimes from, and I will sometimes glue the porcelain roses and beads with E6000 onto the tray. The "pixie" or "fairy" jars are old blue canning jars I collect. You can use anything,even the frappicino milk bottles. I use photoshop to make wings on the photos, you could find wings online and print them out and cut them and glue them to the back of the photos. I go to Walmart to print them out sometimes, it's about 12 cents a photo,saves my printer ink. Then I used glitter glue pens to decorate them,maybe some rhinestones,what have you...and cut them out.I kinda curled the photo to make it fit flat against the front of the jar, and the filler holds it up more. I think I got the blue Easter grass or gift bag filler at a yard sale in a box of things I bought...but that's what I used, the pearly kind.I used adhesive velcro tabs inside the lid to hold a battery operated votive for the light. They looked great outside, but I finally brought them back in. You could use other paper sent through your paper shredder for filler ( sheet music is pretty)or old book pages. I gave these to my daughter and ex DIL for Christmas. Sorry this was so long...I hope it helped!

Forget twice a week, water when the plant is dry. That might be every day. 50% shade cloth would help with the desert sun altho I don't know where to get a small piece, just the big rolls are at any greenhouse supply. Try total shade during the hottest hours, full sun morning and evening.

Thanks so much, Homebody! Although it has not ALWAYS been FUN, we have really enjoyed this house project. I hope your dream comes true very soon...and cannot wait to see pics of your home too! =) I have enjoyed hearing about this Beadboard Wallpaper. I am wondering if those of you who have used it think it will withstand the MAJOR moisture of our 2 young sons' bathroom??? Is this paintable so it can be sealed? I am worrying what the spattering and running drips of water near the pedestal sink will do to it over time if not 'sealed' with paint???? I am still curious about the 'rules' in my initial question as well as these points about beadboard wallpaper. Thanks for the input =)

UPDATE: I made a purchase. Purchased from Overstock, (2) 45 piece sets so service for 16 and 10 serving pieces, had a 10% off coupon code courtesy of another GW'er so my total came to $152. Apparently since I paid with Paypal I will be getting 15% cash back which would bring the cost down to $129. The set is Cassidy by Hampton Forge. I was a little concerned with the quality of Hampton Forge, but I had lunch in a nice local restaurant yesterday and this is the pattern they have. It reminds me of the Kate Spade with the dots (pattern doesn't show up much on the picture), but obviously a lot less money (I'd be able to get 3 placesettings of the Kate Spade for what I paid for 16 plus serving pieces of the Hampton). Maybe not quite the panache, but on a budget just fine. Plus as you mentioned I can return it if dissatisfied, but I have going to the restaurant for years and he has always had the same flatware so if it is holding up under those circumstances I am sure it will be good enough for me. Thank you all for your input!!