Tools For Life, from the 'not martha' blog

Pulled from the 'not martha' blog, here are my favorites of user entries for "Tools for Life":

Swiss Army watches
Zippo lighter
Swing Away Can Opener
Starr Bottle Opener
Swingline Stapler
Tweezerman Tools

And, generally, both Costco and LL Bean got several votes from people who mentioned generous return policies (and, by the way, LL Bean offers free shipping and free monogramming if you use the LL Bean Visa Card).

Cast Iron Pans

Cast iron pans are superior to other pans in many ways. They are non-stick, retain heat well to brown food in a way that other pans do not, are incredibly inexpensive and last forever. Care can be somewhat tricky but I've found that now that I've got it down it really isn't so bad.

The key is to properly season the pans. I actually had to go through the seasoning process I found on a website twice with mine before I got the right non-stick finish. But the results are worth it.

Lodge has many different types and sizes of cast-iron pans (the Lodge site includes instructions for seasoning and caring for cast iron). I bought an 8" Lodge skillet at the Sur La Table in the Pike Place Market, and I use it for everything, including omelettes. I also have a larger one that I bought at Crate and Barrel.

Someday I might even cook stew over an open fire with one of those big cast iron pots (not the Le Creuset kind, although these are also wonderful, but the kind you get at the general store out somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula with a handle on it so it can hang over the fire).

New Uses for Old Jars

When I was a kid, we never threw away jars because my grandmother would clean them and use them for jams, jellies, and assorted other things. I love glass because of its reusability- whatever it was used for before, it can be cleaned and repurposed.

Photo from marthastewart.com.

Favorite Renovation and Furniture Stores

Here's a list of some of my favorite renovation and furniture stores. I hope to continue to add to it as I find more places and possibly even add a GMap.

Antique Liquidators
503 Westlake Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: 206-623-2740

Rockler Woodworking
3823 Stone Way N
Seattle, Washington 98103
(206) 634-3222

Rejuvenation.com

Found this site and, apparently, they have a store in Seattle:
http://www.rejuvenation.com/

I'll be visiting soon and shopping for new doorknobs.

Cole Haan

The shoes here are sort of on the expensive side, but they last forever and look lovely when they get old. Also, they have sales- I think they have one right now- that sometimes reach 40% off or so. Great deals can be had on boots post-season. Sometimes the photos online do not do the shoes justice. I go to the store at U Village, and apparently there is an outlet up in Marysville although I have never been there. I only have one Cole Haan bag, and although I love the design I prefer the quality of Coach, and find that the prices on bags are about the same at the two stores.

http://www.colehaan.com/colehaan/home.jsp

Walkscore.com

This website evaluates locations based on walkability.