Designing the World’s Most Pretentious Garden Shed

...ties. Nevertheless, I came up with a few scribbles: Thankfully, most of my thoughtstylings stay in the sketchbook like the idea of a 20-foot tall observation chair on top of the shed. Kelly pointed out that the neighbors might not like that idea. After dashing off a few sketches I created a Pinterest board to gather more notions, mostly from Ian Hamilton Finlay’s garden, Little Sparta: The garden shed design I settled on is a kind of mashup of Ian...

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Non-Toxic Cleaning for the Home

...ally not all that safe–there is no regulation of the use of these terms in labeling. (e.g. Simple Green is neither “green” nor simple!) Check all cleaning products against the EWG database, and keep in mind that even within a single brand, some formulations will be well rated and others poorly rated. A good rule of thumb is to seek unscented products, because fragrances and perfumes carry toxins, and are often at the root of a poor EWG rating. Gre...

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How to Organize a Small Workshop

...ial out-feed table for a table saw, miter saw etc. Use chalkboard paint to label cabinets and drawers. Clean as you work. I don’t always live up to this principle in the workshop or in the kitchen, but when you don’t have a lot of room you’ve got to put stuff back and get rid of scraps otherwise things get ugly and dangerous. Thou shalt not store crap in thy workshop. A clean and organized workshop is inspiring. Banish the crap and you’ll make spa...

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