I am not sure, but wouldn't Mod Podge harden to the point you wouldn't be able to pin things through it? Or maybe I'm not quite sure what kind of base you are dealing with. I'd say if the original was made with spray glue, then I'd go with that again. Good luck!

Thanks SO much Pam, Boxer and Kas!! I live right near "Solid" in Londonderry, and have been many times over the last 5 years just dreaming.... but their samples are small-- as are a lot of kitchen places, and I had no idea where to start. I always assumed if places only have small samples that they order from the bigger yards and probably charge a 'markup.' I'm trying to get an idea of what I like and what it may cost so I can better estimate a kitchen budget as a whole. We're certainly a WAYS away from actually picking our stone. We're pretty certain our cabinets will be a DIY install job (we have contractors in the family and my DH and father are both skilled and handy, so we're not just gonna "wing" that part!!) So most likely we will use the granite yards' recommended installers. Kas-- your soapstone was from MTex?? I thought they were only in a few select areas of t+he country... Are they a national company?? I have a small sample from Vermont Soapstone, but I think they run $70.00+ a foot. Did you consider local soapstone, or did you go straight to MTex? And how did you order from them?? thanks, noelle

Congratulations on your new baby! I know about this problem very well. The best fabrics for cat houses (I intended that...) is a hard smooth cotton chintz. Next best is cotton velvet, and then microfiber/ultrasuede. Anything coarse with a large thread is doomed. Goodbye, beautiful linen....! As noted, leather holds up well with proper care. You can use Sticky Paws double-sided adhesive strips to keep her from getting in the habit of working on the spots you most want to protect, but it may not be safe for good leather. The label will tell you. Cats like edges and corners best. Get your vet to show you how to clip her claws correctly, and then get in the habit of keeping them trimmed. She'll still need to scratch, but not with such sharpness and frequency. When you catch her scratching the wrong thing, very gently take her little feet and move her to the thing you want her to use. Some people say shout "NO!" - but I can promise you that it will only make her avoid you and not care what you want. The gentler you are with her, the more she will cooperate with what you want. And lower your standards a little bit! Cats are cats, and declawing is really ten little amputations of the last joint of their fingers. They need to scratch to work the muscles of their shoulders and front legs because they are climbing animals and need to be strong. Some cats who have been declawed are fearful and tend to bite, because they know they can't use their natural defense of climbing to escape. (Way more than you asked. It's my character flaw....)

I used Bracho Marble & Granite in Newark. I got 3 estimates and they were the cheapest by a fair amount and also Da Vinci Marble, where I got my marble, recommended them. But I will say this, if you want to specify how to template the slab, make sure they mark front and back. One of my pieces ended up backwards, which I actually liked better, but still, be very specific how you want it laid out. Oh, also, Henry got me a discount on the stone even though I had chosen and had a deposit on it already. I can't remember how much I paid, I will find out tomorrow and let you know. Marble install was one of the most exciting days of my life, ok, well, you know, you get a little TKO when you spend any time here on GW.