Been there, done that. I built about 25 custom awnings approx 16' x 20' for large electrical transformers. Becaues of the size I had to use strut channel for supports. The custom made canvas were quite expensive and had to be replaced about every 2 years. We had to install grommets around the entire perimeter to tie the awning to the frame. They are no longer in use because the transformers were too expensive to maintain and got taken out of service. I think the expense of fooling around with the custom awnings was what did it. "How hard could it be to DIY?" How hard are you trying to make it? Is your goal to save money, or just prove it can be done? Is your tailor working for profit? It will be expensive to have something custom tailored. What are you planning on for the frame? Electrical conduit, copper, PVC? Strut channel is really too heavy and the edges cut through the fabric. Do you really have the skill to build a metal frame that a taylored piece of fabric will slip over and fit snugly? Unless you have much experience at bending conduit or pipefitting, forget it.

I have a wonderful "coffee table" book by Claire Jones titled "Monet's Table." It is a pictorial history of the artists life and includes his paintings and recipes. It inspired me to do the same for my family. I am a creative artist and use that creativity in my recipes. The biggest regret I have is letting my grandparents die without getting all that history and all those recipes. My mom was NOT a cook! OMG! All she ever cooked was meatloaf, mac and cheese, and ewwwww salmon patties. OMG I forgot that dreaded liver!! I am using Word for my book. It will take me a long time, but I keep it in my head and try to photograph the family enjoying my recipes at get together s (as is pictured in the Monet book). The one they will remember fondly is cranking the ice cream in the hot summer by the swimming pool. One cranking, one sitting, everyone supervising, and then the licking of the paddle! I've got all the recipes in the book so far. We kick em up every year. I love to grow my own herbs, cure my own olives, and make my own wine from things that we grow. I will include all that in the book, and I will illustrate as much as I can with watercolor and other mediums. I like the idea you give here of sleeving the pages in plastic. Kinkos will plastic coat pages also for a price, but that is an option, and they will bind it all also. It's a project, but a fun one! Love all your ideas!! Suzi

Thanks so much for all the stories! I LOVED hearing about your experiences! I was too impatient to do it the right way! Things are falling into place fairly quickly for my little redo...I love it when a plan comes together. :~) I have one wall left to paint. I sort of dove in...I had about 3/4 of a gallon of the Pavillion Beige. To that I added about a quart of Alabaster. It didn't really change much but it lightened it and warmed it a bit. Then I added about a 1/2 a cup or so of the rust and a couple of smidges of the black. A tweak here and a tweak there (more rust and black) and I ended up with something similar to SW Sand Dune. (I think that's the name). It's barely *greige* but that's okay and I really like it! Sort of a rich, medium taupey brown. Saving money and using up old paint was very satisfying to say the least. My furniture in the room will be a mix of antique white--one or two pieces, (not a yellow or stark white) a rich fruitwood brown and a little black thrown in for good measure. It's been the *computer/office* room and now it's also going to be the den/relax and watch the tube or surf the net* room. I gifted my mammoth double pedestal desk that was (too big for the space), black and had an oak colored top, to my husband's niece and her family (they're in their early 30's, have a big house and were thrilled--buh-bye) and purchased a small (30" wide) glass and metal computer desk to replace it. I needed something small with a lower shelf for the CPU--someday I'll have a MACBOOK !!!!!! I cleaned out 3 large file drawers and recycled/condensed a lot of paper into one file drawer! What a great feeling that is. I still have a few kitchen drawers I need to attack. I also have a loveseat on layaway thats a small, nondescript black/taupe pattern with black piping--it's so cushy! I'm excited for it all to come together. I may paint a curio that's black with the Alabaster (off white) and hang it on the wall. I have a large natural fiber area rug that's got some black in it, too. Gotta haul it out of the out-building. Alas, I have no way to do pics--but someday I'll justify it. Now, if I could just get Honey to clean all the crap off his desk (same room) and keep it clean, I'll be almost home free! Sometime in the next few months, I'll be getting window, door, base and crown mouldings. I've waited for this for 10 years at least! Nothing fancy, just primed MDF--works for me! It'll be SW Alabaster. As much as I like to decorate, I think I want to be done for a while. LOL! Did I just say that???? I've been downsizing and I've had too much stuff/furniture in too many rooms. I like the look of the rooms with less things and more space--also easier to clean. Don't get me wrong--love the layered look, too--I just am not disciplined enough to keep it all dusted. I spose being 57 helps, too. Any suggestions for accent colors? Wrote a book. Thanks again!

I just got a program called "Living Cookbook 2011" from my dd for Christmas. I was able to download a free copy from their website and use it for free for 30 days before she even spent the money. After a week, I was sold. It has a few built-in recipes, but I bought it for the build-your-own-cookbook feature. Then you can divide it into your own chapters. I've input a few pies and soups. I took pictures of my piecrusts, apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies from Thanksgiving dinner and was able to put them in the cookbook. There is also room for additional pictures and I have pictures of my nieces helping me roll out the pie crusts. My kids call me for recipes and my old favorites are in the recipe box, loose papers, my Betty Crocker & Better Homes & Gardens, Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cooking and a dozen other church cookbooks, microwave cookbooks. If I wasn't around, they were lost. So I've put it on my laptop and will be able to take it with me on vacation (Yes, we like to cook on vacation.) and eventually be able to print out copies of it. It also automatically calculates the nutritional values of the recipes once you put in the serving number. It has a lot of bells and whistles like meal planning and making a grocery list, but it doesn't have apps for you to go to the grocery store with. You can search by ingredient. But of course, my ultimate goal is to print copies of it out.