Thank you all. As I said, I did this late at night and I didn't spend a lot of time with it. Next time, I would make a good template. With wrapping paper, there will be so many options. I'm going to be keeping my eyes opened for a good plaid for next Christmas. Christmas Tree Shops have shades for $1? Wow, I wish we had one near by. I've never seen the chandelier shades for less than $4 except when they're on sale. The ones I have were $2.50 on close out. - Gail

I see what you're facing there. Are you really tied into the basket weave pattern? If I was doing this, I would have considered different tile with a different pattern. Several years ago, I laid tile in a "T" shaped hall. The tiles were 12x12 and I was laying them diagonally. I started my layout in the hall coming from the foyer because your eye hits the floor right away when you're standing in the door. I married it to the rest of the hall and the center of the middle tile wasn't exactly in the center of the hall but with that pattern, you don't notice it. But back to your issue. I could see a real nice transition tile in the area where you're having a problem. You've probably seen these. They are about 3 or 4 inches wide and have many types of patterns. I've seen them with wildlife on them, mosaic, small stones,etc. I installed one of these in the doorway of 2 rooms, that have the same tile thickness, just for a decorative effect. I've also seen this treatment in some commercial installs. So you're on the right track. I can't see how you could go wrong. When people see that, DON'T tell them you did it just to make the tile transition. Tell them you did it because of your incredible style sense!!!

The show that I really like is Bang For Your Buck. On BFYB the camera takes its time and actually shows whole rooms and details with a well-photographed and easy eye. No jarring editing. No dumb "reveal." The owners explain why they remodeled as they did, how and why they made their decisions, what worked and what didn't, etc. Then the designers come in and critique the rooms. Of course, they're supposed to find something wrong, so they always do, even if it's silly. But you actually have a serious discussion of a room by two separate parties. I don't actually care much who got the biggest "bang", but I've gotten a lot of decorating ideas. Love HouseHunters just for choosing the house I like best and guessing which was the one chosen. Some of the stories on HH are very moving. Unless, of course, it's some 20-something whippersnapper who whines about granite or looks at a perfectly usable bathroom and says "dated". In that case, like some other posters here, I yell at him/her to go live in a village in Afghanistan or Iran, where the toilets are literally a hole in the floor (or the ground). Sometimes we don't realize how great our lives are! As an English teacher and cranky grammar-nanny, I do blame HGTV for its cruel assault on our beautiful language. However, I'll spare the forum my lecture. :o)

I have the type trinitytx linked. They were hard to find but when I did find them I bought several and use them on the sidewalk also in the winter. Much less trouble with ice buildup. I don't bother washing them. Rain and snow take care of that but I just pick them up and slap them against the side of the steps occasionally to knock out dust and dirt. For me, form follows function. Don't want a "pretty" mat, I want one that does the job. jae_tn, I had looked for something like that ever since I saw an Andy Capp cartoon decades ago where they're looking at doormats and he asks the salemsman "Have yer got one that says 'BUZZ OFF'?" :) Has stuck in my mind ever since.