My project is my entryway! It's an eye sore as soon as you step foot in my house! I hate it!! I can't wait to get started on it. I would love to post my before and inspiration picture, but I am not sure how to put a photo in the comments......please help!

I'm tackling my office room closet. It's one of those projects where once that gets taken care then everything else can fall into place; a clean closet allows space for other items that don't have a home yet and are taking up space elsewhere. One of those domino effect projects, haha.

It's definitely going to be the upstairs bathroom, which I started months ago--all energetic and excited--and then...just...lost...steam. And not only have I not managed to finish that project, but it's keeping me from moving on to the next one--so bathroom it is! The first challenge is installing a shower curtain rod in between 2 perpendicular walls, which requires a ceiling anchor (no longer a common design, so finding the proper hardware has been a major challenge), but I am feeling renewed in my commitment to proceed. Onward!

LovelyGeek: you are so right about the domino effect! I have the same problem. I need to declutter my bookshelves so that I can move in 'new' stuff which are now in four boxes on the kitchen floor. But these projects are also cyclical - soon enough (not just yet) I will need to get rid of these 'new' stuff for 'newer' stuff - is there ever an end?

Hi Sara, you can link to before photos (hosted somewhere else on the web) or email them to us at januarycure@apartmenttherapy.com!

Last Christmas, I gave my daughter my old dollhouse. My grandfather made it for me when I was about her age. We agreed to make a long-term project out of remodeling it together. We've gotten to the point where we're ready to work on it in earnest, but I don't like sitting on the floor to do intricate work like measuring wallpaper. Our only option was to put it on the sideboard, which is fine, but the craft materials and furniture are strewn about the living room and need to be corralled. I think our project is going to be cleaning out the sideboard (outboxing most of the random kitchen linens, barware, and serving pieces we never use) and using the drawers and cabinets to house all of the dollhouse project materials so they're all in one spot and hidden from view when we're not working on it.

I decided to post the same thing that I posted to the Day 5 Cure post, in case someone doesn't see that who can help me with my question:

I'm putting up new IKEA Expedit shelves in the living room and two IKEA tables that I will use as a desk/dining table. I already got these things last weekend.

Does anyone know how to put together these IKEA tables so they don't wobble:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/workspaces/18623/

I got two small tables rather than one very long one to increase flexibility--so I can move the tables around if I need to. But I put one together and it wobbles. I haven't readjusted it yet, so all input most welcome. I hate to have to bring these back and unsolve this problem.

Oh wonderful kismet: Pegboard storage is the Cure project for my kitchen. Thanks so much for this post.

Perfect timing!! I'm not doing the Cure, but we just decided we need a pegboard in our kitchen. My wok is too shiny and new for the black hole under our counter. Thanks!

Did you make sure the legs are all the same length?
Is your floor level?
All screws have been tightened properly?
Do you have the "Adils" legs? Looks like those can be adjusted to accommodate uneven floors but then it'll wobble when you move it.

Thanks so much!!

I have the legs that can be adjusted. I need to check the screws again--the instructions said to check again after first placement and then approximately every year--but I haven't had time to do it yet. I just need support that these tables are not hopeless before I even put more effort into them.

I'm really going to bite the bullet and clean up the garage. Not the least bit exciting but it's along similar lines to others - I need to clear the space before I can move on with other projects.

Tara, your photos have inspired me to send in a before photo of the hot mess that is my kitchen nook. I hopefully will have a decent after photo to send in in a week or 2! I am committing to finally cleaning up this spot. When we renovated our kitchen (as part of a large reno when we bought the house 4 years ago), we ran out of money & made do in this spot. Ugh. I really hate looking at all the stuff on open shelves. And I am a piler- I inherited this bad habit from both sides of my family, so it's a hard habit to break.

I can't wait to outbox the cheap table there, and the little drawer unit- one that we bought 15 years ago, but neglected to get handles for all 9 drawers! We've been using a heavy magnet all this time to open the little drawers. I am eye rolling at myself right now at my slowness! Ugh. Again.

I just put up a full wall pegboard this past weekend in my kitchen. AND it's right next to my dishwasher/sink - so putting things away is sooo much quicker. LOVE IT

I am going to work on creating an entry way for our apartment. As it is now, there really isn't a set area; I have a catch-all dish on the kitchen counter, which is directly to your left when you walk in, but that just isn't enough space. To the immediate right, we have a closet, that is used only for storage and I want a console table there, but my husband is against it, so we need to figure something out. What I cannot tolerate is my husband leaving his keys in one spot, his wallet in another and then his phone in another spot. I despise clutter and it's driving me crazy. Does anyone have any ideas? I would also love a doormat, but our door opens inward and is very close to the floor, so none of the rugs that I like will fit. I am open to any and all suggestions you guys may have! Please help me!!!

I am going to work on creating an entry way for our apartment. As it is now, there really isn't a set area; I have a catch-all dish on the kitchen counter, which is directly to your left when you walk in, but that just isn't enough space. To the immediate right, we have a closet, that is used only for storage and I want a console table there, but my husband is against it, so we need to figure something out. What I cannot tolerate is my husband leaving his keys in one spot, his wallet in another and then his phone in another spot. I despise clutter and it's driving me crazy. Does anyone have any ideas? I would also love a doormat, but our door opens inward and is very close to the floor, so none of the rugs that I like will fit. I am open to any and all suggestions you guys may have! Please help me!!!

Kristy from Spain, try a little wall shelf with key hooks. The wallet and phone, plust a catch-all dish, can go on the shelf, and you can hang up your keys. There's lots of homemade ones available on Etsy. I use an old-fashioned collector's spoon rack for keys.

Grawr! Nothing like pegboard for making your room look like a big mess! It's like the floor of a child's bedroom.

Hey, when did you come into my house and take a pic of my lower corner kitchen cabinet? Now, why did I never think of putting a pegboard in my tiny kitchen? I have one in my craft space in the guest room and it is the best. I'm adding this to my project list!

agree with duluth...displaying all your cookware just creates visual pollution. it might be handy, but looks cluttered.

My project for the month is going to be our bedroom. It seems to be the catch-all for anything we're not sure what to do with, kind of an out of sight out of mind thing and with holiday parties the problem has gotten completely out of hand. It's looking a little like an episode of hoarders actually and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to post before photos. But I am totally motivated and will get this done.

Kristy from Spain: I am doing the cure project on my entryway too. I always say I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to leaving the house on time because I tend to scatter all my stuff around. I'm hoping that I do it because I don't have a place for my stuff to land. I just bought this and I'm going to install it behind my door because my entryway is non-existent:
http://www.amazon.com/Umbra-Cubby-Mount-Organizer-Espresso/dp/B001MWSQZ6/ref=pd_sim_hg_3

and I really like this, it hangs over the door:
http://www.amazon.com/Magazine-Storage-Pockets-Organizational-School/dp/B0019S20CS/ref=pd_sim_hg_5

I have a 1740s townhouse with an "addition" from the refurbishment in 1965, which was a storage shed that they gutted entirely because it was falling down. So the kitchen is 1965. But not a cool 1965.

The kitchen is what I call "60s Cabin Chic." The cabinets are TINY. The upper cabinets don't fit our IKEA dinner plates, much less a pot or pan (and the lower cabinets also require turning everything sideways to fit in.) The countertops are a neat honey-colored wood but there's barely enough counter space for our appliances and a utensil cup…

Soooo… pegboard!

I'm a researchaholic and here's what I learned:

Pegboards are NOT made equal. Most are made out of stuff that's barely stronger than a cereal box. If you put something heavy on the pegs, they will tear out. If heaven forbid they get moist, they will dissolve. Most pegboards you can buy locally will be just 1/8" thick of this powdery, fibery stuff… and they're nearly unpaintable because they will just soak up the paint like a sponge.

Because hanging a pegboard is actually a fair PITA, you don't want to get a cheap one and then risk that it'll tear and not hold your skillet etc.

There are some sturdier pegboards out there --- 1/4" thick instead of 1/8", with a harder material so they're less mushy and easier to paint. You may have to order them online, though, because your typical hardware store only stocks the cheap stuff.

After a few hours of research, I ruled out the plastic bulldog-style ones you could get on Amazon, because people complained about them warping, etc.

In the end I settled on the 1/4", pre-primered masonite ones from Diamond Life: http://diamondlifegear.com/pegboardsystems.htm

The fact that they're pre-primed is going to save me a LOT of time and paint when I paint them yellow. And considering I've got 2 skillets and 1 wok plus a bunch of other stuff hanging off one of them right now with no problems, I'm a happy camper!

So when you shop for your pegboards, be careful to avoid the cardboard-y ones and get one made out of masonite, aluminum, or something else! This isn't an advertisement for DL; I am sure they aren't the only ones who sell better pegboards. I just want to warn you away from the stuff at Lowe's/Home Despot!

I've been in my apartment for a little over a year, and still haven't hung either the pot rail in the kitchen or the basket-and-brackets in the bathroom. To be fair, I made a serious effort at the pot rail -- only to discover that either I don't know what my walls are (I thought they were drywall, but maybe they're plaster/lath? It's an old-ish building) or am totally incompetent (quite possible), because I couldn't even get the fancy heavy-things-on-wall screws to work properly. That was last March. I still have an unhung pot rail, unhung basket-and-brackets, and four strange-looking holes in my kitchen wall. Mission: found.

(...so how do I tell what my walls are made of, then?)

I took before photos, which I'm unlikely to show because they are mortifying, and began pecking away at the clutter in my office/writing/knitting room. I tossed a few things, moved several stacks of books downstairs to the bookcase, moved a box one floor closer to the basement (though am having second thoughts about putting it there), and managed to keep my wing chair clear of stuff, which makes me happy when I peer into the room. I still have a long road ahead, but I did enough (despite still recovering from the flu, which is making everything go so much more slowly than it should) to be able to see a difference, so am heartened.

My project is curing my living room of its randomness. Too vague? Half of the (large) room is not functional with random pieces of furniture I've brought from the last few apartments. I need to part with some things. There is a desk that I never touch that I am considering turning into a reading nook. In the same section of this room there are two closets that desperately need organization (lots for the outbox)!

Okay, time to address the kids bathroom. My hope is that fixing the issues in there will mean that my daughter won't leave her millions of hair things all over my bathroom, not to mention the rest of the house. It's not the most obvious spot to choose first, but it may have the most practical effects in the long run.

Re. the pegboard comments: if you have attractive pans, colanders, etc. it seems like a nice way to display them while freeing up some cupboard space. I think my mismatched batch of cookware would be frightening on the wall, but the right enameled skillets and painted pegboard combo could be charming.

Not productive. The comment, not the pegboard.

ditto my previous comment...

En Veeous and Veggiemar: Thank you both for the suggestions and links! I love the idea of the cubby (from Amazon) being attached to the back of my door! Such a great suggestion. I need to order that ASAP, as my husband just came back into the apartment and asked me if I saw his badge for work. Grrrr! This entryway is definitely happening! Thank you both again!

Pegboard looks nice if you actually hang the pans up in a pattern across it. Oh when I first saw Grawer I saw Gwar, I ike that band.

Don't be silly I doubt most people using pegboard hang all their cookware on it.

So much choice! I think this month it is going to be finding a home for the books, half finished sewing projects, random objects gathering dust on top of my chest of drawers in the bedroom. Then maybe I can display some framed family photos up there instead.

Mine is my home office/3rd bedroom. I had shelves built instead of using Billy ones from Ikea, and they needed to be painted. Ugh. Four days and (yes, I neglected to use primer) 4 coats of semi-gloss white later, they're STILL not done and I have actual job-related work to do, so it occurs to me that making time to get to these projects is going to be an issue this January. I messed up the removable shelves by painting them while they were lying on a plastic tarp; now they need to be lightly sanded and repainted. And my friendly painter told me that semi-gloss should be dried at least 36 hours, otherwise anything you set down on it and pick up again will pull up patches of paint. He's right.

When we moved into our apartment with our teeny narrow kitchen, I knew we needed a pegboard. The available space was only about 4' wide but I made it well over 5' tall, and the accessories they sell like paper towel holders, hooks and baskets, all make it very easy to switch things up. And now, no bending over constantly to get the pots and pans.

Tara - How is your project coming along? I need to hear of your progress and setbacks to motivate me!!