apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have taken today off to cure. I am knee deep in my office. I am purging like crazy and still have so much stuff. I decided to purge and organize, a little cleaning along the way to decide what I need to do to make it more workable. I hope to have pictures posted off the clean, organized and ready to cure office tomorrow. I do not have a lot of issues with cords, I gave my TV up last July, and have a air card for my laptop. I have a strong issue with cords and have a wierd outlet by my desk that is above desk level, hate the cord showing, but am stuck with that for now. Good Luck everybody on the cure this week. I fell a little behind last week, but am hoping to get caught up.

You have to promise me you will feature this living room when it's "done"--with the red trunk and all, OK?

Goodenss, I've never been so motivated to get it done in my life!

Hubby is currently cutting down the kitchen table by six inches lengthwise. Nerve wracking to me, and I hope I'll be happier!

Just finished a curtain project hanging around since the last cure! Feels wonderful. Our goals for week 5 are here:

http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/2008/04/week-5-goals.html

The office is my downfall in this house. It has become the dumping ground for the rest of the house, a place to put things before they go to the yard sale pile or longer term storage. My filing is fine but my art supplies are all over and so are the projects.
This is the week to clean my studio/office and to do some more work on my sons room. We have to take out the large dresser in his room, then I have to patch and sand the holes (it was attached to the wall so to prevent crushing the boy in case he tipped it over) and then paint them. I am going to paint the new secretary/desk for my son and then install that in his room. Then it's on to hemming his new curtains and finally the accessories!

Busy week, lorijo! I really hope you are able to whip that room into shape. You know, maybe a corner of it just needs to be "storage for garage sale"--if you did have a designated spot, you could always curtain it off so it isn't visually distracting.

The kitchen table project is complete. I have mixed feelings about it, but then I knew I would. I DO like the fact that I can get around it now without contorting my body!

Will do, Alana!

Aw shucks, thanks!

Three projects done today:

1) Second coat of paint for the trunk completed. Now I just have to wipe away all the paint on the silver bits and touch-up. As well, I want to make an "apron" type thing with legs to support it.

2) Finished a curtain project I started last cure!

3) Husband cut down kitchen table lengthwise by six inches.

Full details here: http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/2008/04/week-5-progress-report-daily.html

Raikenn--how did the day go?

Alana, you rock! What a huge change!!!!

You can see that, Olya? Good eye--but then you are a photographer, aren't you.
Thanks.

But perhaps you weren't talking about the table!

Oh well, posted to flickr now.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46773919@N00/

I am crazy! Why does my cottage look worse than when I started the cure? Sorry AT. I took the day off yesterday to work on my office. I am not even sure if that is the correct term for this room. I started the cure just doing the one room cure, my bedroom. Then why am I having such a problem with this room/office. Here starts the cure. My rooms are bare and cold except the office. I have shelves and boxes of things that I love and inspire me. Why are they in the office and why are they not in my other rooms? Cure confession, I want a creative job. I love my job now, but want to get in to a job that is more than love and income. I know nothing new, a lot of my friends are in the same situation. So back to the office. I want to make it a creative space to inspire me to get out of my current job and make a plan how to get out of it. This is a lot of pressure for one room. I think this room could be the answer to my Cure of other rooms in my home. It might even be the first plan on a change of careers. I took today off to train this room to be the leader of the rest of the house. Thanks Alana for checking in on me. Since I do not curse, I had to find new words to ease tension, like poop, crack a lack a , and brown yelled very seriously. It worked. Maybe I should go in to creative writing, just kidding. Back to the room, soon to be creative space....

Raikenn--what you're experienceing is very normal! I tend to get depressed and frustrated rather than angry...but it's the same thing--really--old energy stirred up. But it is all because something new is around the corner and it's part of the ritual of change. My house too is a disaster--and the rotten thing is, we live like this all the time! I'm sick of it.

Have you thought about becoming a stylist? Or even working somewhere, like a pottery shop or an artists shop where you can arrange and rearrange vignettes of beautiful things? You most certainly have talent--and your portfolio is on flickr! I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here.

A great resource for choosing a new career of field for your self is the book, "What color is your parachute?" by Richard Nelson Bolles. There were a number of different editions--They are full of great self-discovery excercises and practical advice.

For softness--one merely needs rugs, curtains, pillows, anything fabric, and upholstered furniture. It can be as simple as getting rid of all your blinds and putting up lightweight pure cotton sheets, trimmed with rope, or braid or some other textural element. Get painters drop cloth canvas and block out a simple design and paint it--there, a rug. Or get a nice inexpensive rag rug from Ikea. It doesn't have to be hard. Have you seen the comments I left on your kitchen photos? Just click on "recent activity" to find them.

I would love to see pictures of your office when you have it "presentable." (Notice I didn't say "done." It'll be a process. And you've only just started! That's exciting.

Not a terribly productive day, really. Ran errands. Bought a bunch of stuff.

If you're really, really bored, I don't promise you'll find it interesting:
http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/2008/04/week-5-progress-report-daily-version.html

Hey--for those of you with pets--what's your set-up for the animal's food and water dish?

I've got mine set up on a towel on the floor in the kitchen--but there's got to be something more attractive (and functional) out there. A tray? A placemat?

Thanks.

I've been very busy with my spring Cure! To start the process, I donated at least 5 bags of clothes and junk, thrown away piles of papers, organized my files, and took a long hard look at my apartment. I've determined:

-I will be giving my apartment a fresh coat of paint (cream), and changing my bedroom from green to cream. It's a bit too mint-chocolate chip colored, and I've gotten tired of it.

--Spruce up the bedroom with a new duvet set. Ballard Designs has a pretty pale blue one in a Moroccan print. It will also give some color to the bedroom (now that it is being painted cream).

--I'm about to order a new media console (the one I have is too Ikea-esque) and a new dining set. I'll be selling or donating the old ones.

--Buy covered baskets for odds-and ends. I have too much stuff out in the open, and I want to put it out of sight.

--Pare down my knick-nacks. I have a weak spot for flea markets and ebay, so this will be hard!

--I finally bought DVD and CD wallets, so I was able to throw away those bulky DVD and CD jewel cases. It has freed up sooo much space, and my collections are now easily portable!

--After I paint, I will be changing all the interior doorknobs. They're currently flimsy brass ones, and Schlage has really nice substantial nickel ones for about $20 each. I will also be getting fresh new switchplate covers (the current ones are paint-covered and grimy). In addition, half my lightswitches are toggle-style and half are rocker-style, so I may change those as well. They're inexpensive fixes to make the place look fresher!

--Maybe buy a small rug for my entryway. Overstock has nice inexpensive ones, but the colors might be different in person.

--Question: how do I pare down my library? Books and old issues of Martha Stewart Living are the only items that I can't seem to part with!

Ok, another dilemna.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/46773919@N00/2400738663/

Thanks!

Alana- on Shelterrific I have seen some cute elevated dishes for pets. Also Ikea hacker has a lot of pet stuff. My pets are garage pets for sleeping and eating and in the house or outdoor for petting, playing and grooming.

Raikenn's still life photos rock. Y'all should check them all out at the cure Flikr site. . . .

I am going to Canada to take a nap in Alana's cozy sweet living room. I will wake up, look around, and be completely energized and refreshed, so that when I go back home I'll remember what this is all about!

Thank you aulaire--you would be welcome!

There's apic of the living room with the red, red trunk done. Comments welcome.

http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/

We're off for a few days...encourage one another!

My cure has been slowed because I haven't been feeling well the last couple of weeks. I'm scaling my Cure Lite back to a Cure Xtra-Lite... will do a bit in the bathroom and a bit in the bedroom in the appropriate weeks. Silly blood pressure... (But it's getting better!)