I also use Eonindustries and buy far more than I ever think I'll need. So far, in 5 years, I've ordered over 300 twice. Ironically, I also reuse. I don't use a PTouch, because despite the tape being UV resistant, they've failed on me. I bought an old fashioned, kid's embosser thing. You know, those guns with the wheel you turn to choose the letter? Well, the tape might fade, but the embossing never does. Those babies don't come off, either. Since I reuse, I have to scrape them off with the sharp edge of scissors. Oh - another tip: Say you have a hosta, June, that you're labeling. You would think you'd type a label that says just that: Hosta 'June' right? Well, if you type a label that says Hosta, then another than says June (variety), if you reuse the marker, you only have to get the variety name off of it. Eonindustries is female-owned. They have a great, sturdy product. Don't waste your time with those marking pens, though. They all fade of wear away. Even the paint pen. A friend told me once to label both sides of the markers, for just these reasons. Now I use the back side to put HxW or exposure, or whatever particular to that plant. If I'm moving something, I don't need to come in and look it's particulars up. Labeling has become an informative art for me. [LOL] Christine

I have most of my seeds in Binders. As time went by, I was doing a variation of following: Regular wide binder (with clips) with sheet protector pages (Avery) - I stapled them into three sections and from side inserted seed pkg. Then I used dividers to sort out these see trough pages with seeds into Perennials, Annuals etc. 2. From Lee Valey 'Seed Keeper' - expensive, but Christmas gift. This is similar idea of filing seed pkgs as above. 3. Value Village find: Binders made for recipe cards or business cards. Same system as above, but much easier and cheaper. These types are the best. Now I have different binders and keep each for different category i.e. Perennials etc. Just to enjoy looking at what I have, I just started on pinterest (see on Internet). Hope I gave you good ideas and you will be able to organize your seeds well. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Pinterest

pinktoes The bus driver is correct - and you will have to work with your eletcrician on the placement of the items you want. I can't tell you how many studs were in the wrong place or blocked what would have been an otherwise perfect spot for a switch. I started to think the framers added studs just to make it hard to run the wires. I would get 2 copies of the plan - one for you and one for the electrician. When he makes a chnage - you make one on your copy. My plans were the size of blueprints - and kinkos can make those. The other thing I did (again - put this in the over the top category) was used highlight markers with different colors to identify recessed lights of different sizes, low voltage lights, floods , decorative fixtures , etc. Each light fixture and recessed also had a number - and that number was used to refer items when we were ordering our light fixtures. This system helped find things quickly on the plan and make sure we ordered lights, hosuings, trims abd bulbs (don't forget the bulbs!) for every item on the plan. I allowed the electrican to put outlets close to where I wanted them in most cases - except for a few specific places where they had to be exact (for outlets inside cabinets - the outlets have to be on the wall so when they put the cabinet in, the outlet isn't blocked by the cabinet framing). For switches, I allowed the electricians to place nearby what I had in the plans. But if they wanted to move to a different wall - they asked me first. The centering of lights was my biggest area of concern. If you want a light centered dead on in a room or on a wall - mark that on the plan. On almost every wall where it mattered - we had to add framing members in to make sure the box was centered. Smae thing for ceiling lights. If you don't specify this - they will place the boxes to the closest framing member and you may not like where the lights wind up. The plan will provide a visual picture of all lights, swtiches, and outlets which is easier for many (maybe not not all) to work off and review than a list items with text instructions. The placement of items should be specified if there are special requirements. Also - if you have heavy chandeliers or lights - you need to specify the weight to be supported. In some cases - special boxes may be need to hold the weight of the light or ceiling fan. The other thing you will want to do is get copies of the installation instructions for all of your appliances and make sure the electrician has those. We found several issues where the electrican had assumed a typical install for a microwave and refrigerator - and that was going to be an issue for the appliances we selected. If they have the install instructions - it will state the amperage required and the placement of the outlets for these units. One last thing - if you have exterior lights that are large - make sure you tell the elctrician the size of the light back plate so that they can install a siding block with the correct size face plate to mount to. I did not do this and have had to make custom face plates for all of my exterior lights. They installed siding blocks that were too small and I did not realize it unitl after the siding and stone was on! The plan will help you do an inventory check after the dywall is done. I am still finding boxes that were covered over by the drywallers. Take lot's of pictures after the electrical is in and before drywall so that you can find this stuff later. By far - the electrical was the hardest thing in our project to manage. We have a lot of lights and spaghetti factory full of wires. Even with the plan - we still had issues, but they were minor and workable. I cannot imagine trying to keep track of an electrical installation without a detailed plan. This is not something you want to wing. Hope that helps.

The chemical soup of love for my (dog) kids is pretty darn close to the joy I feel when I get to work on my new island...so the word 'love' seems to roll off the tongue quite easily, although I'd take my kids any day over anything kitchen (and lots of other things for that matter :). But, this space is exactly what I wanted, and I really didn't care what was in or expected. The work spaces to the left and right of the stove are perfect for tons of reasons. And i love the 18" wide elevated 'L' clear of my work space and large enough to be a useable space all its own. Facing our open space and looking out front and side windows while prepping and cooking (as I do all prep, except rinsing, next to the stove) is the best feature. I hated staring at a wall while working in the kitchen...I feel set free from a claustrophobic prison. (can you tell I have some intense reactions to being boxed in? ;-). As soon as we elevate the island hood, all will be perfect!