Jess shows off her weekly flowers
Quote of the week from wende in san francisco :
"One factor that stops me from buying what Maxwell would consider "protein furniture" is that I like being able to change things dramatically. So we have a couple Major Pieces that are Quality (the sofa, the bookshelves, the tansi), but occasional furniture, I treat like costume jewelry."
This is for all those who finished the Cure as well as those who are continuing to work through it. We support you all.
We will be threading this post on Wednesdays, and you can always find it by looking at the top of the Book Blog which is under the Book Ad on the right. Currently we're planning on the next Cure to start 8 weeks before Thanksgiving, but those who begin sooner on their own can use this thread anytime.
Thank you for this thread! It makes me happy. (I have nothing to report at the moment, but I'm hoping to soon.)
Well, my place doesn't quite need a cure, per se, but occasional bouts of mini-cures that could be considered "treatment of occasional isolated outbreaks", and did recently happily toss a few things like my fat pants, and stuff like that.
I really enjoyed reading the book, although I wasn't exactly doing very much of the stuff that was in it at the time.
i think i'm going to do the cure in the fall. my goal is to get my place nice enough to enter in smallest coolest next year, though i'm not 100% certain that i meet the square footage requirements.
except that i'm already in the process of purging, fixing, rearranging, etc. so i'm not sure what there will be to cure come october.
oh, who am i kidding? i've lived here 8 months and so far just scratched the surface. there will be PLENTY to cure come october.
Since I just checked the last post and have curious people about my new lovely coffee table--I'll post pictures later! I got it at Miss Pixies, Pixie, (not you, is it?), and it's a round, brass table with a glass top. I used to have a wooden bench that I used as a coffee table that, although slender, was just boxy and not the look I was going for...I really like the change. Little by little, I feel like I'm settling into an actual style that's more grown up than college-looking. appropriate, I guess, since I just turned 30 yesterday!!!
No relation! (although one of my fave stores)
Happy birthday, Christine!
Happy birthday, Christine! I was in Miss Pixie's recently. My friend lives right there. It's so cute, but I *really* love Dada.
Cure-related make-life-simpler stuff:
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/40039
The only thing I have left is the bathroom, specifically the bathtub. I'm working with my building manager to have the glass doors and plastic wall covering taken out. Then the tile underneath will probably need to be regrouted and the whole thing recaulked. I'm also in towel hell: I bought two different brands of dark blue towels, but they both shed like crazy, no matter how many times I washed them, and they didn't hold up to the laundering very well. I bought white towels today, so I hope those work. I'm very pleased with the new window treatment in the main room of my studio apartment and the new table lamp, as well as the new metal desk fan I got from Target. When the new dinette set arrives, I will be thrilled. Also, I'm finding that as time goes on, it is getting easier for me to part with things I don't really need.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! I like Dada too! I never really even knew they were there...I think I'd been past Dada once, but never went in. So, 2 weekends ago, I finally went (and to Good Eye) and last weekend, after measuring the space for the table and testing it with a paper cutout, purchased. The funny thing was that my cocktail table was delivered 15 minutes before the start of my cocktail party! What timing!
Happy Birthday Christine! My 30th is approaching early next year, good number!
I really like the idea of starting a cure 8-weeks before Thanksgiving since I think I will be having a crowd of about 12 this year. My first time handling the full responsibility and I will look to you and The Kitchen for support.
I think I will finish my cure next weekend, 6/23-6/25. Things have been so busy with my summer classes and every time I went to start, it never happened. My landing strip is a disaster and I did take some photos of that (which make it look even worse) and I will share the results when my husband and I work on it that weekend. We're also painting and hanging wallpaper and are hoping to build some sort of sliding door/shelving contraption. So we'll see...seems ambitious but that's kind of how we like to do things. A really intense 3-day-weekend cure.
A Cure starting 8 weeks back of Thanksgiving turns out to start the week after my summer quarter ends, which is perfect for me! At that point, I always feel that the apartment has been Let Go.
Still hanging:
--New mini-blinds. I think we're going to let the building manager put in the standard ones after all, as the cat stopped sticking her head through the slats.
--Painting dining room chairs. This project was not a success in its early stages. I'm waiting to see what, if anything, my father did about the ones I left at their place.
--New mattress. Scheduled for after I get a couple paychecks this summer.
I also have a little daily to-do list of incidental things that I tend to let slide. But I did Car Therapy: cleaned it out and had it handwashed inside and out!
I hope to be ready to start the Cure by the fall. My entire apartment needs to be cured. You can just imagine that I'm going through the motions everyday in my little comfort zone.
Still have yet to get the book...shame on me.
Christine, Pixie, Fiona!
Where are these stores? (I'll bet it's U Street.)
Jean,
They're both on 18th St in Adams Morgan:
Miss Pixies, 2473 18th--a couple of doors above Tryst Cafe and a few doors below Columbia Road.
Dada, 1814 Adams Mill Road, NW--just above Columbia Road.
Websites:
Miss Pixies: http://www.misspixies.com/index4.shtml (Miss Pixies recently moved and all the address citations on here don't seem to have been updated)
dada: www.dadadecorativearts.com
18th St. becomes Adams Mill Road when you cross Columbia Rd.
I'll add my birthday wishes to all the others...
and glad to see there's life after the "cure"
Clutter is like Herpes.
It never *entirely* goes away.
And it has embarrassing break-outs that cut into one's pleasurable activities...
On a *completely* different note, happy birthday, Christine!
Everyone who is continuing the Cure, why don't you share your pictures on the Unofficial AT Cure Flikr group? (click on my name below) I remember loads of pictures at the beginning and now there haven't been any updates since about week 4. Even if it's not a lot of progress it can still inspire the rest of us to keep going. Think about it.
Happy birthday, Christine!
Thanks again everyone for the wishes! By the way, DC folks, I went to the drag bingo at club chaos for my birthday...so much fun, if you've never been.
I've uploaded pics of my new table on flickr! I also got a new mirror, an unplanned purchase (though, I have been on the lookout for a mirro) that I found at a yard sale in Dupont (after dropping off donations at Green Door, but I digress...). I really got the mirror to hang on the wall near my dining room table, but I kind of like where I put it for the time being!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43851127@N00/sets/72157594166153625/
Drag bingo! You're my kind of gal!!
Always fun when they pull "I 69!"
I add to your congrats for a year past, and well-wishes for many more ahead.
Good on ya for the Green Door donations!
Are you going to hang the mirror? I have one about the same size that's been leaning against the wall until...you know! But I like having the mirror to reflect some light without having to look at, uh, myself. There was a full length mirror pane (no frame) in the laundry room up for grabs recently, and I almost nabbed it to put it down lengthwise against a wall.
Very cool, Christine! I love the ram's heads, too, and it is an amazing change from your old one.
Joan, it has hooves for feet too...what a riot! Yeah, I wish I'd included a picture of what the LR area looked like with the old table in front of the sofa...very different. I seriously feel as if I transformed my living room. Okay, I'm being melodramatic, but it does have a different feeling now. Jean, I don't know if I'm going to hang it...part of the reason I haven't already is that there are only hooks to hang it vertically, and I want it horizontal. So, I'd have to put new hanging loops in the back.
P(too), thanks for the wishes....and drag bingo was definitely a blast! O-69! And, as I said to my friends (a few who were a bit prudish, which made it even more fun!), no pressure of finding my "future husband." Though, there was a pretty hot straight guy there (or so he said) who the queens got to take down his pants...I'll just leave it there! :)
Christine,
That's a very elegant coffee table - reminds me of the 40s. And I like it with the mirror, which I would definitely find a way to hang up.
Christine--
Can I spend MY birthday with you?!?!?
Last night I completely emptied out the file drawers in the room I've been working on. They are now empty save for ACT tickets for June 25. I am now horrified by the amount of stuff I'd been saving (cancelled checks, bank statements, etc.)from years ago. I am making inroads, and I'm beginning to believe that it will get done. The Cure is the catalyst, although it's more an 8 MONTH cure than 8 weeks.
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
go ebrown!
Way to go ebrown! I have a box of file stuff I need to go through...so good for you for actually doing it!
I'm getting continued inspiration from having this thread ongoing and the efforts of others, like ebrown.
Last weekend, I finally scrubbed down my bathtub/shower and took a bath. Decided my bathtub is awful. But, I will continue to take them.
This weekend, I have to finally go through the mass of stuff that used to live under the bed and that is now malingering in the LR for clean up. A lot of antiquated stuff since I've gone digital on as much stuff as possible. Paper lists of books, movies, music. Old rolodex address cards and address books (including one that my cat vomited on). Articles I've saved with product and travel info I might want. Old camera with film in it. Files of old paid health insurance claims; educational records. VCR tapes.
It's not really that much stuff--it's more of a headache.
Chuck or keep? If keep, where? I have to go through it all to even decide.
I have to clear this up this weekend, because I'm finally having my post-Cure event this week, a small gathering. My Scarlett O'Hara vow: I will never see this stuff under the bed again!
By the way, Curtis, you tossed your fat pants - cool!
I just got so much done on my list above in an hour and a half! It's always easier than I think when I look at it. I set a timer for 45 minutes, then kept extending it. I'm not completely done - eg, still don't know what to do with all those health insurance reimbursement papers (wish they would get that stuff online--but then they'd have to reimburse faster, so I'm sure they don't want that). But, I've greatly reduced the mass. And I've created a box for stuff to put into my computer/pda. And have another box to scan. I feel so accomplished! Now, out into that hot, hot DC day...
Christine in DC,
I have clothing donations for Green Door, but the website doesn't say whether I can just go over anytime and drop them off. Were you able to do that, or did you have an appointment?
Hey, I'm monopolizing the thread!
it's kind of buried at the moment, so perhaps no everyone has found it yet. A planned business trip was cancelled, so the extra time goes into more cure stuff. progress has been slow but it's been progress.
Today, I'm going to reread chapter 1. I want to be grounded in facts and not simply my "notions" of what should be done. I see areas that desperately need attention, especially linens. They do not fit in the linen closet. There are quilts under the bed, mattress pads folded and lying on benches. Linens need to be consolidated and stored. But where?
bed linens were a problem for me too. I wound up storing them with the towels under the bathroom sink. I don't recommend that, mind you. It's just that when you live in 550 square feet, you get over inventive
ebrown--I have a similar problem with my linens. I have at least 3 places where i keep them.
Pixie--I went to the "wish list" at green door's web site, and contacted Maureen and one of the other case managers or whatever they're called. I'm not sure what kinds of things they need...so I'd contact them first. I ended up having to meet up with the case manager on Saturday, but there are people at the clubhouse during the week! I'd send them an email or call and see what's up.
Although we sleep in a queen-size bed, I have linens for the airbed (full) and the chair beds (twin) for those times when I have several guests. Plus, I adore quilts, so I have a number of them. Some get used, but other are under the bed. They aren't graphic, so they don't need to be displayed against a wall, but I think they would look nice folded and stacked in something. But what? This presents a dilemma because I'm just getting used to the idea that I have too much stuff and I'm not ready to buy anything new. yikes.
ebrown, What about stacking them on a wall shelf. This isn't that helpful of a suggestion, but if you actually have attractive linens, that could work and wouldn't be another piece of furniture to take up space. Or, you could hang a series of towel bars or curtain rods on a wall and make them into a work of art! I don't have any quilts, but I think they're lovely.
Christine, I think that's a good idea. Just a riff on your suggestion: I could put them in clear boxes and stack them, thereby protecting them from dust while still keeping them "out." What do you think?
That's an idea. I wonder if they make sort of large acrylic boxes you could then mount on the wall---like huge frames. I'm getting complicated, but I'd love the way that looked!
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71227&PRODID=62430
I think I've found a solution. Using these boxes, I could create what amounts to a floating linen closet with a much smaller footprint than an armoire or other similar piece of furniture
hey, don't know how i missed this, but thanks for posting another flower photograph, maxwell! after all the curing, the flowers are by far still the most attractive things in our pad. if only i could be a professional flower photog - they're such dutiful, reliable models.
our deep treatment has kind of morphed a bit into a one-room remedy for the bedroom. as we posted elsewhere, we painted in there, bought a fabulous new mattress and linens, and removed some pieces of furniture that were creating clutter. now we're looking into new lighting and retooling our bedframe and headboard for our thicker mattress. or we may invest in a new bed.
Hi Lisa in VA!
I am just starting the cure. Considering what I am starting with, I will be lucky if I graduate along with the Thanksgiving class! Anyway, I posted whole bunch of "before" pictures in the flickr pool. If anyone needs to feel good about their place, go on over and take a look.
If you have ever told yourself "If only I had a bigger place, I wouldn't have clutter anymore" I suggest you go take a look too. My husband and I rent a big old 4 bedroom house and it looks like it is inhabited by trolls.
Over the weekend, I stripped every table of every piece or art, mail, paper, plants, etc. and corralled everything on the dining room table. I am now going to show this to the Prof. Org. Many things (candlesticks) are going to be boxed and put away so that I can have some breathing room. And two of the plants, which I placed outdoors seem to have expired from contact w/fresh (?)air. This is a way to see what I have with new eyes.
Hello all. I bought the book last night and am embarking on a Deep Treatment.
I moved into my apartment about a month ago, but between family and friends coming into town, trips out of state, and my usual procrastination, I've barely unpacked. It's such a depressing mess that I end up fleeing to my favorite coffeeshop as soon as I get back from work. Blah.
But no more! I'm determined to make this place into a home! :)