apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Max,

I ordered your book three weeks ago through Amazon and still have not received it - was there another place I could have purchased it without this delay?

I ordered the book (love it!) from Amazon too, and got it within 3 days. Must be something wrong there because I always find Amazon very timely. Check your tracking number, which they always send when they ship.

Thank you Atomic! I end up jotting notes in the yellow pages and the government white pages. I do use the online sections for the city and county too, but there's nothing like a phone call to find out what's happening with various street-related issues and calling "my buddy" at Traffic Engineering, the Sign Shop, the PUC, DMV investigations, Hazardous Waste at the Health Department, etc.

Then the numbers get transferred to my written phone book. But there's always a new issue and it's always someone else's job, and I have to start at square one in a new department to get a new problem fixed.

If they'd only make yellow pages with "businesses that don't suck" we'd be set...with only a few pages that could be tucked neatly in a drawer or folder.

I bought the book about a week ago and I can already see the problem I am going to have. I want to skip right to the end. In fact even before I bought the book I was already knee deep in purging. So now I am finding it hard to start at the beginning and be really patient. I just want to start shopping and replacing all my furniture already - which is driving my husband batty. I need to learn to slow it down - oy!

Erica, I know what you mean!

I was already in the middle of Purgefest 2006 before the Book Blog started. I had to force myself to go back to the beginning. "What, you're too good for Step One?" I asked myself.

I've always been a compulsive declutterer--I figure that way I'll have less to carry when I'm a bag lady in the street. But I'm finding that with the suggestions I'm taking from here, my decluttering has developed a new focal point: Get whatever you won't need for the next two months out of the house to give the installers, painters, etc. room to work.

It gets easier to move stuff to storage that way, and then you figure, is this thing important enough to pay to store? Under what unlikely scenario would I be likely to use this again in my lifetime? Then it gets easier to give it away altogether.

My timing is so bad for this. I really wanted to do the 8-week cure, but am moving this week. I bought the book anyway, and have been reading through it on my subway commute back and forth to the new apt as I tear down walls, clean and paint.

I find the ideas very helpful even in my situation. Certain chapters have made me think hard about what to carry on with me to the new place, while others are helping me formulate a plan as to how to place furniture and structure areas for different activities once I move in. Talk about an opportunity to start from scratch!

So I am really glad I went ahead and started reading, plus reading the adventures of others on the AT blog. It is really motivating me to make the right move. There's more than one way to take The Cure!

Amazon does not warehouse books, so it can cause delays. Go to Barnes&Noble.com. You'll get the book much faster.

Erica, I know the feeling! I've been skipping around a little, partly because we only have six weeks before leaving on vacation, partly because we did most of our decluttering last year, and partly because buying what I really love does not fit an 8-week schedule.

So my goal with the 8-week program is to hit the activities that I'd otherwise find an excuse to put off.

What I may end up doing is running through it twice: once right now to hit the nasties, and then once after we get back from Europe and are less rushed, to do more of the pretties. I grasp that we're supposed to do both in concert for a reason, but bringing in anything perishable right before we're gone for two weeks just seems imprudent.

I'm not sticking exactly to the schedule either -in fact, very little happened this weekend other than adding tulips to my fresh flowers, and cleaning the house for a party. I've got a wedding to travel to in less than 2 weeks, and then in 6 weeks, I'll be going to new york for 2 months, leaving my house behind. Add in pet sitting for a VERY LARGE dog, and well, the cure isn't going so well at this moment. But, I'm trying to be intentional and deliberate with objects adn possessions.

I did take the big puffy back cushions off my couch though, which changed the look SO MUCH, it was like getting a new couch!

My in-the-shower inspiration was that what I really should do is run through the Cure Lite a few times a year. That accommodates my weird schedule and preference for gradual shopping, while also forcing me to deal with Bones (which is just a pain on a rental) and Heart (where I'm innately weak) regularly enough to count as consistent improvement.

Guess I won't be putting that book in the Half Price Books bag.

I've been following the weeks of the Cure - it's just working out for me right now. I'm finding that just focusing on the tasks of the current week is really working for me, since I can ignore everything else that's coming up later and relax into the current week. I find I'm even looking forward to upcoming weeks (when's the office? when's the bedroom?) because I know that I will be able to exclusively focus on what's ever in that week when it comes.

Andree, they call it Angie's List. Which when I subscribed was a bit annoying and has its own set of problems, but as I have a limited social circle it was worth the $50 to subscribe. I'm going to reup because I have 2 big projects that I need to get done. (how I hate the "ask people you know for recommendations!" advice. If I a) knew people and b) wasn't reserved/shy/whatever and c) knew what I was doing, I could take over the world)

It's a little odd being the first one to comment.

I'm not sure I would have picked deep treatment if I were starting completely from zero. But being in the middle of setting up a fully-functional home office and having a pile of stuff to sort through -- an outbox that's more of an outmountain that I've dubbed the Leviathan -- made it the better choice for me. I'm hoping it will get things moving and on track.

On the other hand, it does make certain exercises difficult if not irrelevent. The floor exercise last week and the wall exercise this week are both obstructed by the Leviathan.

What else? I think I posted that the housewarming date found me. As for cooking one meal at home, that's something I actually do do. Thanks to a series of courses at ICE here in New York, I know what to do in a kitchen even though I don't cook as often as I'd like. I live alone and cooking for one can be more effort than it's worth. However, I've decided to vary that one and make it a day when all meals that day are prepared and consumed at home. One hopes this doesn't mess up the grand plan.

aimee's kitchen shelf is nice, but i really crave a metal one, preferably of the pretty persuasion. any one have any suggestions?

OMG! maxwell quoted me! That's even better than being welcomed on an open thread header!! ;)

I admit, despite the intentions to do so, I did not clean out my tupperware drawer yesterday. I did swiffer though! And there are fresh flowers in my house! Does that count?

You're funny. I was also excited that Maxwell linked to my photos. (I'm a little old to be acting star-struck!).

I splurged and bought white tulips this week. They "live" on the coffee table but when I "retire" to read in the boudoir, I actually bring them in with me for when I glance up from my book...

how does a bedroom advance to the status of boudoir?

Junedanish, that's an awesome idea. I put my fresh flowers in a vintage pitcher, it has a handle, I should carry it everywhere!

And yes, I too would love to know how to make my bedroom a boudoir!

BTW, junedanish, your first picture of your sunny living room with that dark wood and big open windows makes me think that you're in Key West, and Earnest Hemingway is going to come strolling in any moment with a vodka & tonic. Breezy and gorgeous. I love it. I still don't know what do do about your wood trim, but I'd love to see some palm green accents and a sisal rug, to maybe brighten up the brown...I love the floor though!!

As soon as white tulips cross the threshold, it magically transforms... if it meets these 3 criteria--

1. It must be a girl's bedroom (boy's can't have boudoirs).
2. It must have something lacy (like lingerie in a drawer).
3. It must be used for more than just sleeping and reading....

Shauna's apartment has a boudoir, rather than a bedroom. The headboard!

Our purging has gone pretty well, and we are finding a lot of new open space in the apartment. That part is excellent.

Unfortunately, we have reached quite an impass about what to do now. We need to lay out our furniture in a more sensible way, particularly in the living room, and we cannot agree on a good way to do it. Nothing seems right!

Maybe some of you fellow-Curers will offer advise? Please?

(for photos, click on my name)

As I look around the apartment, I'm beginning to feel the gravitational pull of the planet Flake-out. The first week I was full of plans and energy -- zipping around, quoting relevant bits of AT. I think I've just hit a lull: the logistics of getting so much out of the apartment (donating and dumping), the prospect of my daughter's birthday party at the end of next week (far, far sooner than the eight week target for completion), and, along the same lines, making all these changes, diving into projects, with a one-year-old at my side. While I have a history of sudden and sweeping (generally overnight) changes to my living space, I've never had to work around the needs of anyone else. Now that I am, it's forcing me to think systematically instead of manically -- a huge shift, and one that knocked me off my wheels for a bit.

Changes are afoot though. An old dresser, the vacuum that never worked well, extra coats-scarves-gloves -- all gone. Big cleaning went well; we could have woven another cat with the hidden dust. No flowers yet, but this my afternoon we're walking to a flower shop for our first batch.

The above sounds oddly confessional -- many apologies. Reads like I'm on a home improvement version of The Real World...though at thirty-five I think that would make me more of a Real World chaperone.

Best of luck to all of you!

Junedanish - I think I qualify - I've got lacy, my clothes are stored in the closet, the husband just sleeps there. um....reading and sleeping...I actually don't do anything but sleep in there....maybe I need to pump up the volume with blue paint....

Oh boy! More hits for my blog! I'd better go sweep up.

Shelby,
Sounds like you've already done a tremendous amount, and with a one-year-old to boot! Be easy on yourself and take it slow, a week at a time.

Brittany:

I like rachel (in denver)'s and junedanish's suggestions. I was thinking the same about the shadow-box-like shelves perhaps getting a little lost in that very nice graphical brown painted stripe.

Also sofa-height bookcases behind the sofa could serve dual purpose of storing books without the visual weight and as a console.

Congratulations on the piles-to-go!

rachel (in denver).

Or a pink lightbulb for a quick pick-me-up--excellent romantic feng shui!574
Thanks for the compliments on my living room. I've had many gin and tonics there...Did you know that poor Hemingway has had his name attached to a furniture collection at Ethan Allen.

Hey Rasil,

The shelf we bought comes in a metal version that we almost bought but felt that it would make our kitchen too sterile, we were looking for a more warmer feel and felt that this stained wood fitted the mood we were going for.

Here's a link to the metal version:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=4&productId=70381&langId=-2&parentCats=15561*15637*15648

Just in case, the shelf is called BJÄRNUM/JÄRPEN from Ikea, of course!

Well, someone suggested painting the wall where I've just put up the shelving and I'm very keen on this idea... it would bring some heart into the kitchen.

They suggested this color which I love!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47091571@N00/127662489/in/set-72057594105693993/

The kitchen is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house, we've ordered a marble bistro table to add some charm to the room...more pictures to come.

I've been bad and skipped ahead in the book and right past my kitchen, which is probably because I never eat or cook there. I guess I should go back and work on changing that. I am going to go through my cabinets this weekend and see what I could get rid off.

Aimee, I love that blue. It would look gorgeous in your kitchen.

Rachel (in Denver), Junedanish, Booizzy, and Deepa:

Thank you all for your ideas and encouragement!

It is reassuring that you had similar reactions as to what to do with the space - that makes me very confident about how to proceed.

Aimee I have the metal version of your shelf! It's still in its box though. They had such a beautiful display for it at IKEA, against a painted wall, with pictures and such arranged on it. Total impulse buy. I'm hoping The Cure will reveal a good spot for it.

I've continued to sort and throw out more magazines - some from 2001! yipe!

A work deadline kept me from cleaning much more but the dreary weekend ahead is perfect to catch up on it.

Trish- I bet it will look great! it's a good, REASONABLE impulse buy, I think! I have a huge pile of magazines to throw out, it's going to feel good to toss those. I did a rehaul of out guest room and moved all my beauty products/perfume/etc into the bathroom and had to throw out a lot of things I "thought" I needed, it was hard when I did it but now it's been two days and I see the decluttered guest room and bathroom, I feel great about it.

Toss the clutter! Just have to show my husband the light and get him to toss his clutter too. :)

I accomplished another repair, this one on my own (no elves).

I've updated my blog with more details to some of the changes I've recently made chez moi. Thanks for the shoutout, Maxwell. :)

http://putyourflareon.blogs.com/

brittany, I am so glad our comments helped. The first picture made me want to yell "Float that couch!" and then you did, and I was happy. :)

Another idea that might be nice: while lifting up those shelves above the chocolate line, get a similiar geometric configuration for below the line to store your books. I think this is an ideal setting to do the color coded grouping of he books, too.

Then across the way, two/three "raw edge cube" seating things from west elm in the green (or the red, but I think the green will enhance the 'airy' feel) lined up, and a vintage/flea market rocker refinished with a dark brown on the corner. Red or green rug in the center to anchor it, and bam, you got style.

---

Magazines: I'm hesitant to throw them out. I'm setting a deadline: go through them and pull out the parts I want to save, by May 15th. If I don't, they're gone.

Pixie -- Many thanks for the encouraging words!

It's going slow for me. I have an exam coming up next week so I still have unfinished projects out on surfaces.

But I did decide to buy flowers after all. I just have to check which ones would be better with my allergies, so no wild flowers with pollen-laden stamens. Does anyone have any suggestions? I love color, so they must be colorful. After seeing Jen's orchids, I'm thinking I might try those but how are they re: pollen?

Lisa in VA, I have allergies too and so far haven't been bothered by orchids, dahlias (tons of color variety) and tulips.

Lisa, I'm a huge fan of orchids. Can you tell from my pics? I don't think they have much pollen. Do you have any local plant stores that specialize in indoor plants? They could hook you up with allergy-friendly plants.

Rachel (in Denver):

So many ideas! I cannot wait to integrate some of them.

We use a lot of green in other rooms - one room is half-painted a green very similar to the West Elm 'stem' green. Bringing some of that in might look pretty zippy...

Brittany, you may find this helpful for furniture arrangement: http://tinyurl.com/jlrhe
Even if it isn't the same shape as your room, each page has solutions.

This one, on page two, shows how to set up angled furniture: http://tinyurl.com/hfztj

Notice how things line up with each other. You can also create your room in their Arrange A Room and move all your furniture (you can resize it to fit your actual furniture dimensions) around in the room in the program.

Rachel in Denver:

I have the stacks of magazines (and books) issue -- statement? -- clutter? -- as well. Didn't set a deadline per se, but I have set aside time each day to go through them.

Jen, Lisa -

I
Jonathan, that's a good idea. I have all my magazines in those files on shelves - but then there is also the stacks under the guest bed. Yikes.

I should just dedicate one hour to each stack/file a day.

Rachel in Denver:

the magazine stacks are now part of the Leviathan, but they were all over the place, including closets, under furniture, and the sad like. An hour a day is giving me nice steady progress on the mag stacks. I'm actually hopeful I'll be done within the eight-week cure.

Also, because I use public transportation, I'll toss a couple magazines into a shoulder bag to read on the subway. I have a feeling that might not work outside of a handful of cities.

Magazines are the worst. I never throw them away and constantly buy them. When I was moving out of my last place, the number that were stacked in the closet and under the futon was astounding. I snuck them out the night before the recycling pick up (so the supers wouldn't have to handle the weight). After all those trips down seven flights, my back was breaking. The pile was unbelievable!

And now I'm right back in the same spot.

I'm a magazine junkie too. Between the ArtForum, October, ArtNews and Exposure magazines that I'm 'supposed' to be reading, my husband and I also subscribe to Dwell, MSLiving, and Sunset. I just subscribed to Domino and Blueprint as well, and I usually pick up a readymade, wallpaper or realsimple if the cover catches my eye.

It's madness, really. I should stop. It's just that the magazines provide light and refreshing reading alternatives to Roland Barthes, Rosalind Krause, Clement Greenberg, Deleuze, Saussure, blah blah blah.....

By the time I'm done with that, "10 ways to fluff your pillows" is about all I can handle... :)

Andree,

Thanks for that article on fixing room arrangement problems. I'll have to look at it again when I get home, hopefully it can fix my living/dining room flow.

There are a few pictures of the entire room here at http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprojects/. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to share. thanks

My name is JonathanB and I'm a magazinaholic.

We're talking Arts in Asia, Orientations, Tribal Arts, the Journal of the Soceity of Architectural Historians. Elle Decor, Met Home, and House Beautiful. And Domino. And New York, Time Out New York, and Museums. Not to mention Outside, Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure. And then there are the titles I pick up just because I've walked by a newsstand....

Rachel - that's a blast from the past -- Barthes and his signs/signifiers as applied to furniture styles and arrangements as a communications system or paradigm or something. Do you have to tackle him in the orignal French?

OMG, Barthes... and who's the guy who did the pomo piece on the semiotics of pale pink sauces in 1960s food magazines? Barthes or Bahktin?

In the interests of Fixing One Thing Myself, I have spackled all the nail holes in the foyer from moving stuff to a better height and will do touch-up paint on Sunday. I also unstuck the run-off drain from the balcony and sent the dead plant to its final resting place.

The pal who was (I thought) unduly critical of my environment read at least part of the AT book while cat-sitting, decided I had better flow than he did, and is almost sort of pondering maybe doing some decluttering. So I figured I'd better get crackin' on my unwanted household chores before trying to chivvy him.

Lisa from Va:

I see you LOVE COLOR. And you love a lot of the same colors a friend of mine does. Sometimes it helps to see how other people have their homes set up, with lots of color, to get some ideas for your own.

http://tinyurl.com/mw6cq

And check out the TN House pictures.

She has bright yellow chairs greeting folks as they come up. Great lime green by the kitchen. And the whole master bedroom is lime green. Poke around there some, and see if you get any ideas.

It can make it easier to toss stuff when you see the colors you love in someone else's home and they don't have stuff all over.

Are you SURE it's not fashionable to have a pile of laundry, 'cause I always seem to have a mountainous one. Can't we make that a NEW trend? Please? Anyone with me on that?

Andree -- so helping you with that one. I've had ready to go piles sitting out all week. sigh. Today is laundry day though...

Fly Lady used to have a long section on taming the laundry monster, but I'm stupid before my 8th cup of coffee and can't find it this morning. Here's the main site: http://flylady.net/

The best part of her site is the stories of what people found while decluttering, I think. It's amazing how many people have extra body parts and roadkill lying around the house.

Aha! I forgot what she called it:
http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyLaundryQuandry.asp

The one problem is that she's fixated on doing laundry every day, which is not realistic for those of us who use communal paid machines (nor environmentally sound for small loads). I do put handwashables in the sink to soak when I hop in the shower in the morning, though.

Rainy weekend in DC - perfect for the kitchen part of the Cure. I got so much done this AM. I'm getting rid of quite a few things and now I've got some EMPTY cabinet space--can't believe it. I got rid of stuff that was just taking up room that I wasn't using and have put it in my Outbox. Going out for a while now; more this pm.

While part of me loves the serenity and calm of my monochromatic creamy-colored bedroom, the artist in me yearns for splashes of bold colors and a more funky daring feel--more personality. To this end, I've attached a link to a durrie rug (9x12) that I'm considering for the bedroom. If you could quickly check out the photos that Mawell linked to at the top of this "Cure" page, I'd love feedback..It's one of my last big purchases so I don't want it to be a "learning lesson." I'd like to get it right. Main concerns are that it might clash with the Anthropologie chair or that the zig zag pattern might be too jarring....??????

Normally I have the laundry under control, but I just haven't had a day off in April. My weekends have been eaten by work, and the laundromat is only open 'til 7. Still, I dragged a load of sheets and towels over there earlier today. It'll get done.

My big laundry revelation is that I pre-sort my laundry into three piles as things become laundry. I have four hampers -- two big ones for darks and lights and two small ones for colors and handwashing. They all live in my closet, and I just put things in the right place. It's one less chore to do, although it does take up most of my closet floor...

That chair of yours is the one lone object on Anthropologie's site that really speaks to me. I can look at it for hours.

If you like the existing monochromatic look, I'd think about adding your larger blocks of color in a more monochromatic way, by starting with the red of the chair plus -- well, plus one of two things:

Option 1: Analogous colors running from the red toward the blue you want, with maybe a tiny of yellow thrown in for contrast.

Option 2: Various versions of the red (so, that red's pink up to that red's maroon -- I can never remember if "tone" or "shade" is the right word) with a little of your favorite blue to punch it up.

June danish -- I see how that could work in your house, especially with the Anthropolgie chair... I wouldn't put them together, but if you choose a few things with white-on-color patterns, it becomes a theme. I like that they've put it with those blue chairs in the picture -- you might need a few pops of blue in your beige bedroom to seal the deal, as it were... I have the reverse thing going in my house -- I use white-on-color to relieve all the color in the place.

What's their return policy? Can you photoshop something in place and see if you like it? Maybe take an index card and draw out that pattern and then hold it in place as if it were under the bed so you can see if it works in situ...

Reds [and burgundies and pinks] don't always work together. My red walls are a pink-red. I can tell because the other colors on the card are deep rosy colors, but you can tell by finding something tomato red and holding it up to the other color. Tomato red and pink red don't work together so well. IMHO, Tomato red always looks a little cheap and washed out or faded next to pink red, and it makes pink red look a touch garish. Watch out for that. I know what I'm looking for when I go shopping, since I've had this red on my walls for so long, but if you feel scared about it, find a color chip that matches and carry that in your wallet when you go shopping.

We also subscribe to at least a dozen magazines. As far as I'm concerned magazines are in the same category as books: stuff that trumps streamlining your house.

On the other hand, our reams of magazines do drive me crazy, so I have racks all over the place to catch them. I steamroll through them every few weeks and out they go to the recycling. Those must-reads you didn't get to in The New Yorker? They're probably online and anyway, there's always another one coming around the bend.

October magazine! Whew, rachel, you do mean business.

This sort of begs the magazine question, but I rip out the articles I want to get back to later, so I don't have to keep the entire magazine. This of course assumes you are going to get back to that article.

Hello everyone! So I've had a busy few weeks and am just beginning the cure and the book right now. I'm getting a late start but reading through these comments and seeing these photos is really inspiring, thank you!

I just did a good clean of my kitchen: countertops, floors, stovetop and am currently finishing up cleaning the oven...it's coming along but smelly! a friend of mine sent a lovely red zinfandel to me so i'm also thinking of what I can cook tonight to go along with that. I'm hoping to tackle cleaning out the refrigerator and cabinets this afternoon if time permits.

I have a question about wallpaper, I have one small wall above the kitchen table that I am thinking of wallpapering in the next few weeks. My apartment is a rental so I am a bit hesitant to put wallpaper up for fear that removal will be time consuming. Has anyone put up wallpaper? Was it hard to get down if/when you had to take it down? I'm new to this and am trying to get an idea of what I am getting myself into. There are just so many beautiful prints out there!

I just don't have time to read that many magazines, so I only subscribe to a handful, and I leave them in the bathroom so I can read them while I'm soaking. I do subscribe to a handful of DVD magazines and those just pile up. I haven't figured out a routine for watching them, and life often interferes...

On Clean Sweep, the organiser often only lets the homeowners keep one year's worth of magazines, which is probably a good rule of thumb for most mass-market magazines. I keep a full set of my favorites, and toss anything I don't love on the free spot in my building. A lot of magazines also let subscribers thumb through back issues online -- check that out before you keep them.

June Danish! Don't! Okay, my PERSONAL OPINION...from a person who gets nauseated at the thought of being nauseated, or the thought of being dizzy, or strange patterns.

We have a very muted (and hideous) carpet in the hallways at the apartment complex, that has very faint squares, which are arranged in a very faint pattern, that had me gagging and banging into walls, and seeing the carpet rippling up and down, depending on the lighting.

The very faint pattern is a zigzag. I used to have some links on pattern-induced epilepsy too, which had to do with such things. Yeah, people can really go into a seizure from visual cues.

Secondly I wouldn't put it with the red patterned chair. And third, I demand all your windows. Oh, to have such WINDOWS!

Have you thought about mixing in more red/white patterns? Okay, this isn't the same shade of red, nor the same style you have, uh...how does it relate again? ;) Solids and prints, mixed.
http://tinyurl.com/jf4gc

You mentioned a light and a table, maybe a red shade? Maybe a solid red rug? Another framed art print with red/white? Red/white throw pillows?

By the way, I do have more pictures of that room, in the copy of the magazine it originally appeared in, from three years ago. But I NEED that magazine, it's full of GOOD stuff (that whole slideshow was all in the same magazine).

Some wall paper is easy to remove -- Sanitas (sp?) -- comes to mind. You can just about peel it off a wall with a fingernail.

For those of you that don't think wallpaper is the anti-christ and happen to have it and enjoy it, good for you.

For those of you that need to remove it ASAP because it's driving you mad, liquid fabric softner mixed with warm water is a miracle worker.

Holly

christina et al;

If you're looking for delicious wallpaper, try my new favorite website in the UK. They ship free samples, there is no minimum roll requirements, and they ship anywhere in the world.

http://www.interiors-europe.co.uk

Holly

Oh, on the subject of what to do with old magazines, rip out what you want and create your own magazine. I call it a look book. It's a lot of fun and I can't tell you have valuable my look books are to me. Here are instructions on

HOW TO CREATE A LOOK BOOK (with photos)

http://decor8.blogspot.com/2006/04/diy-project-look-book-how-to.html

Best,
Holly

thanks for the wallpaper tips! it's a pretty small wall so i think it would be fun to do something unique. it's either wallpaper or a large print with the Rastor tool...thanks so much for your input and suggestions. Once I decide, I'll post some before and after pictures.

"For those of you that don't think wallpaper is the anti-christ and happen to have it and enjoy it, good for you."


LMAO and spewing coffee on my keyboard!
Hail, Adrian!

Re: Look Book. I clip articles myself, but surely a file folder will do, which makes storage and culling in a file cabinet easier?

Wende, Mary, Andrée, Cupcake Panda--

I really want to thank you guys for the feedback. I'm new to this site and it's interesting that I've had almost 300 hits on the flickr
photos but only a handful of comments with advice. And, generally, the advice is from the same core of super nice and helpful people...while the multitudes hold their silence.

Andrée. I laughed out loud at your post. (in a good way) I thought I could be dramatic! :) I feel like you just stopped me from jumping off a bridge. If zig zag patterns can cause seizures then I'll stick to stripes. Thanks for saving me :) and thanks for your enthusiasm--it's really great.

JonathanB et al;

I agree, you can manage your clippings however you'd like. I have morgue files, color files, you name it. I also like look books because I can create my own layout and design somewhat of a DIY magazine that I can refer back to. I paste articles, photos, etc. without the guilt of trashing magazines because I'm actually gutting the magazines of what I like and neatly organizing it into a book.
One thing that makes a look book so nice is that guests can sit down and take a peek. People love going through your stuff - and often they love seeing what you're inspired by, whether it is from magazine articles, fabric swatches, paint chips, etc.

Another plus, you can make notes in your look book. You can comment on what you see, maybe ideas you have as to where you see the item in your home, how it makes you feel, etc. I know, I'm getting way to girly for the guys reading this. :)

I like to insert poems and funny sentences I create by clipping out various titles from publications and taking them apart to form funny expressions. For me, a look book is something I do for relaxation and to organize things better. It is also something I use because I'd much rather flip through a book than drag out file folders full of random clippings.

It's also fun to create a recipe book this way. I made one for my friend and she was so happy, I collected recipes for her for about a year from magazines and the web along with beautiful images and organizing them into a look n cook book. She cried when she opened the present because she was so touched to have something so unique presented to her. Hey, it's not Martha Stewart Living perfection, but it was created by my hands and so to her, it touched her heart.

I get about 2-3 look books out of about 100+ magazines, so I recycle the magazines taking only what I want and viola! stacks of magazines are somewhat smaller. :) Of course, there are two magazines that I never ever destroy, and those, I file on a bookshelf.

Holly

It really is whatever works for you -- I've discovered that I only use pictures of mine if they're digital, so I keep a bunch of scanned clippings on flickr. I set the thing to private and put in the right keywords so I can find them again. I used to keep big notebooks of things when I was in undergrad, but now all of my work is on a computer, and I need to be able to access them this way.

I also have a small plastic envelope that has paint chips, swatches and pictures of my house in it. When I'm seriously shopping for something, I bring that along... It's like a mini look book or style tray:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/czarina/53924489/in/set-1172842/

I was in Home Depot on 23rd Street this afternoon, talking with the kitchen cabinets guy. I told him that in addition to cabinets, I was also looking to put some thin sheetrock and beadboard on my walls.

"What installer are you working with?"

"I haven't made a choice yet."

It turns out that the same guys who install the kitchen cabinets can install the beadboard and sheetrock, and they also have painters. So I gave them my name and number to set up an appointment for a free consultation.

Has anybody dealt with Home Depot for installations? Are they reliable? Is the price competitive?

I don't wanna look like an easy lay when they call me for a date.

Junedanish -- I love your space and I also love Vicente Wolf -- do you have his book? Re your Durrhie rug consideration, I can't see it with the red/white print chair; although, I have a similar redwhite print on an armed chair that I have used in a room with a Turkish rug and it wasn't long before I tired of it rather (too much going on) and had a neutral slipcover made for the chair as the Turkish rug is the real thing, lovely, and a keeper (hard decision because I also had fallen in love with the red/white chair, as you have). I made the change when I realized the mix was not calming, the atmosphere I'm after. I tend to agree with Andree that a rug with some red it in would work better. FYI, on the MSN website home page today (top/center), there is a room featured, white couch with red/white pillows and a side chair with a red/white stripe -- very refreshing mix. BTW, I wanted to make a comment at your photo site, but didn't because I needed to register. Happy to tell you, here, I love your living room and think your use of large plants bring such life to the room!

mary,

I know that fabric swatch! Is it Peacock?

P.S. Your place looks fab in those pix.

Melinda -- I hated them! They came in and gave me an estimate that was $1500 over the next guys. I found the guy weirdly inflexible too -- he couldn't recommend an electrician to me and didn't want to look at any other problems I was having before he made up the bid. Not only that, the kitchen people threw out my ground plan when I went with IKEA for cabinets, even though I told them I wanted to use them for my countertop. I didn't technically need it, but I felt gyped, especially since they wouldn't give me a copy before they threw it out. I went right when they opened, and everything was pretty crazed. They might be better now, and I am sure that they won't rip you off other than charging more than the next guy.

Do you have a super? Is there a big building nearby that does? Ask him who works on your building or in your neighborhood. My super had a great recommendation for me. I used the same guy who did the halls in my building.

Also -- make sure you're not on Home Depot's mailing list. They sell names, and I've been getting ads for "Hobby Farms" magazine and gardening catalogues for the last couple of months. I'm on the no-junk list, but it isn't working... You can de-register at their website -- it's pretty painless.

Henrietta -- Thanks! They're the pictures I used for the I've got color contest. I just need to get my house back to its fighting weight...

Peacock? It's corduroy in a de-saturated turquoise-y color... I used it to redo my desk chair.

OK, wrong again! Very nice color, though. I picked up something similar from Silk Trading Co. when I paid my Cure visit to ABC carpet (after all, I cleaned 2/3 of the fridge).

Just to dream.

Holly, I have a "look book" as well, have had one for about 12 years. Over the years my tastes have changed and so I'm now slowly editing the book. I often buy a magazine just to get one special photo for my "look book"!

Mary:

Thanks for the heads-up on Home Depot.

We do have a super who will call in his own contractors, but their work is sort of hit-or-miss. More "miss" lately than "hit," or they would have been the first ones I'd called.

That's great Louise. I'm so happy that I'm not alone! :)

I was so inspired to clean today, thanks to Maxwell and his words to use the day to work on the cure. I gutting my kitchen - I removed everything from the cabinets, sorted through things I never use (they are going to charity this week) and after arranging everything nicely, I painted my kitchen, dining area and living room after filling some of the holes from pictures that I wanted to remove for some time now. I painted the rooms the same color (ben moore cameo white - we're in a rental - can't do much else) and the walls look gorgeous. I can't believe what a difference freshening up the paint made and taking down all the art and photography - the walls are bare and I'm going to sit with that for a few days since I'm awaiting an installation from my close friend. I commissioned six paintings from her (12x12 each, grouped together) and they should be ready in just a few weeks. I need to keep the walls bare until she brings them over and we decide where they would look best.

I scrubbed the floor, sorted through all mine stupid tupperware (sheesh I'm turning into my mom) and scrubbed all of my cabinets outside and then gave them all a beautiful shine using wood oil.

I'm glad the weather was horrible today - it encouraged me to stay home and get things accomplished vs. running around as I usually do on Saturdays.

Tonight, we're having sushi and wine and popping in a Jean Reno film. What are you guys doing??????

Holly

I've done both a portfolio book and keep a powerpoint presentation of whatever I find on websites. Actually, there are different .PPTs for each area of the apartment.

May I come over? All I'm doing is watching Trading Spaces while I decide what to get people for various May birthdays.

I have an idea for magazines. Grab post-its on the FIRST viewing of the magazine pages. Label the pages as you're going through with notes...NO, not ALL the pages. If some article, picture, even advertisement grabs your attention, give it a quick post-it. "Check ad website" or "Container garden tips" or "fab fabric" or "read whole article!!!"

Then you've saved time, you won't have to go through it again to figure out if there is something in there you liked. It's all labelled.

If just about every single page has a post-it, that magazine becomes a KEEPER in whole. If no pages have a post-it when you're done, that one can go right away.

sorry if this has already been posted before.

Holly, you brought back some fond memories of when I had energy. Ahhhh. That was pre-disability-shooting-nerve-pain. While you were cleaning, donating, painting, reroofing, and building a conservatory, I was considering vacuuming. Just considering it.

this is the eight-month cure for me. Yup, sometimes I end up sitting to vacuum. Oh, the pain. I figure one itty bitty thing puts me one more step closer. One thing into the recycling or donation piles, thats still a step.

JonathanB - If you lived closer... but I doubt you'd want to drive all the way up here for a clean kitchen and sushi - ha! :)

Andree - Your post really made me stop and think about your situation, how hard it must be for you. In 1997, I fell off a 3rd story balcony and hit the pavement below and dislocated 2 vertebrae and fractioned my tailbone and hip. I was in bed for 3 months, then about 6-8 months of physical therapy. My friends came over and we all ate pizza and played cards in my bed for the first 3 months because I couldn't move. I felt completely powerless and depressed many a night . I recall how big of a deal it was to do simple things, like get out of bed, change my clothes (that was horrible), taking a bath - something that was a no-brainer before now took an entire morning. So, although that was some time ago, I recall how I felt so I have empathy for you Andree. I'm sorry you struggle with shooting pain. Life can be tough enough without your own health kicking you in the butt. I'm happy that you look for ways to recycle, donate, move forward in life despite your limitations. It's people that are struggling with their health yet are still pushing to work on Maxwell's 8 step program that inspire us all.

:)

Holly

June, how about this rug?
http://tinyurl.com/jzmat

If that doesn't work, the link, it's at rugs-direct.com
Brand: Nourison

Collection: India House

Style: IH-07

Color: Red

Made In: India

Material: 100% Wool

Interesting queston, but since I don't drive, a moot point.

The husband is on software upgrade calls all day, so I think it's time to muck out the craft closet (the big closet off the foyer). It's the only one we haven't done recently.

Whoo hoo! By Thursday or Friday, the humidity may be low enough to repaint the dining room and bathroom shelves where all the paint had bubbled off. I pulled off the remnants a year ago but haven't had a good painting day.

Christina,

I was just looking into Sherwin-Williams EasyChange wallpaper because I have a rental also. They guarantee that it is easy to go up and come down. It's washable and you remove it by just pulling it off.
http://www.swdecorating.com/default.asp?fm=/wallpaper_home.asp

They have hundreds of choices. You can check them all out on the web site but they also have catalogs in their stores. I really like the Waverly Urban Attitudes collection. You can also order samples at $5 each. I was going to paint, but this would be so much easier. If you end up using it please summit a review to AT so we can all know how it works. Good luck.

Has anyone had experience with EasyChange wallcovering at Sherwin Williams? Great renter tip, Lisa!!! I like the Urban Attitudes collection also, some of the patterns are very subtle.

Also, I noticed on the site that if you order between April 1-30, you can take $25 off an order of $125 or more.

Still raining up here... heading to Starbucks and then over to Barnes + Noble. I spent time organizing my kitchen some more this morning, I can't thank Maxwell enough for motivating us through these boards!

Holly

I'm back to working on the kitchen. Hopefully will finish today! I'm having a good time going through everything, cleaning and getting rid of stuff. I usually only do this when I'm moving and I always envy what a nice, clean place the next resident will get and wonder why don't I do this at times other than when I'm moving, for myself. Yipee, I am! Also getting some fine ideas for improvements.

Who else is working on Week 2 today?

I am going through my hideous files today, a task I have put off for TWO YEARS.

Be brave, Henrietta.

Thank you, Pixie.

The horror, the horror.

Lisa from VA, thanks so much! I like some of the Urban Attitudes patterns as well and it sounds like a good solution for my space. I'm going to spend some time tomorrow afternoon going through the patterns and will definitely let you know about the experience if I decide to order. Sounds great!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. The sun suddenly came out in full force here in NYC so open those windows up!

Like Christina, I have been completely overwhelmed with work for the past two weeks so I am a step behind in the Cure - but thanks to the wicked wicked weather yesterday I got a ton done and I am THRILLED!

Ok, my place has a long way to go but I really can begin to feel it "breathe."

Two experiences I want to share: I have a wonderful table that was one of the first pieces of furniture I bought for myself. I love it, but it just doesn't suit my needs or my current apartment very well - so for the past year or so it has been stored as a kind of side-headboard between my bed and the wall! I would just waffle so much about giving it to charity, trying to sell it on Craig's list, or keeping it because I really don't have the budget right now to buy another table.

Of course when reading the Book I thought of it when round one includes "curbing" something in your apartment that you have held onto for too long. Personally, I won't curb, coz people in my area leave all kinds of stuff outside, no one takes it, the garbage people won't touch it, and it just sits there attracting mould and rodents (there are currently two Ikea dressers on my block alone, now hopelessly warped and moded from the recent heavy rains).

So for the first time I posted on freecycle, and within a day had a taker. Of course MAYBE I could have gotten some (badly-needed) cash for it on Craig's List, but it's not really valuable -- attractive, in good condition, but I read the Book as telling us "just get it out and move on." And having somethiing posted on CL for two or three weeks in hope that someone might eventually pay me a few dollars did not seem like moving on. And so someone who needs it will give my table a new home and I feel soooo happpy!

OK, this post is too long, I won't go on and on about my second tale.

Best everyone.

didn't quite do as much working on week two as I did reviewing what of weeks one and two I didn't finish or get to as well as reviewed what I should be doing in week three. Because I'm ahead on certain things -- like the outbox -- I think I have a good chance of catching up where I've fallen behind.

I'm still slow -- work has taken over my weekends lately, so I haven't gotten as far along as I'd like to be. I took a bag of crapola over to the electronics recycling thing in Union Square. Even with the rain, they had a huge pile of TVs and monitors...

I also decided that I want to have everything done by the next time my parents come up. My sister is moving to NYC for the summer, so they'll be up here sometime soon. I have an ulterior motive on this one -- I want my mom to take back a side table that she sent to me before I could say no. It used to be in their formal living room, and it's never fit in with my other furniture. I want to just donate it or sell it, but I have a feeling I'd be in deep trouble if I did. My mom suggested that I "put a lamp on it", but I really don't want it at all. I'll carry it to the airport for them if I have to...

Putting a lamp on it solves nothing if the table doesn't "go" in the first place. I speak as someone who hauled a library table of pleasant design but awkward size around for 20 years, across four states and 16 residences, before concluding that it had really worked in only *one* living room in all that time, and the living room it worked in was not the current one.

It's amazing how cheap solutions for storing 12x12 art paper refuse to present themselves. If I could solve this one problem, the craft closet would be infinitely easier to deal with. But every basket and file is less than 12" on some important dimension. *sigh*

After taking the pics of the room that I'm working on, I felt completely ashamed. The whole room is an outbox. It's like a dirty little secret in a place where every other room looks presentable. arghhhhhh!

I can't see myself posting them. Shame? Vanity? Both?

In no particular order -- and after two glasses of wine, as blind items -- I'm having trouble remembering my own name, never mind any of yours -- I'm not suggesting you don't get rid of the table, but table clothes cover a multitude of sins.

As for 12x12 paper. I have a shelf (or two) where I store odd sized stuff and rely on the container store for stuff to keep the stuff neat and separate. It's not the best solution, but it does work for most of the stuff most of the time.

the Leviathan is the other reason why I haven't posted pictures of my place, so you're not alone.

wende,

Not sure if this is what you're after, but Exposures sells a 14 x 18 shoe box art file that's on sale for $18. Not ideal dimensions for your purpose, but they're nice boxes.

Um, the url:

http://tinyurl.com/o368p

Henrietta -- You nailed it. Brava! *phew*

I'm going to see if anyone within walking distance sells similar, now that I have a name for the thing; but I'm betting I'll have to just order it.

That is PERFECT -- just the height I need, with a little extra space for scraps off the larger sheets.

ebrown-
"The whole room is an outbox." Thanks - good chuckle.

I am so close to finishing the kitchen, but no cigar. I'll have to finish after work over the next evening or two. "Curing" the kitchen is no joke. I would never have done this if we weren't all doing this cure together.

wende -- try art stores, especially those slightly higher end ones that stock photography stuff. Look at these too:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74540&PRODID=70951

wende, oh good!

Pixie, close to finishing the kitchen is great. Have yourself a glass of champagne.

Dick Blick turned out to be the winner, assuming their bricks-and-mortar store carries what they have in the catalog. They're not usually my first pick, but Flax and Pearl are being coy.

Mary, it would ordinarily be a great idea, but that much storage would just encourage me to keep buying. I can't decide if I'm proud of myself for not having a HUGE horde or embarrassed that there's a horde at all.

I'm now culling the older acrylic paints, hoping to get the herd down to a single plastic bin. This'll all have to be done again after a couple projects get done, but at least I have a clearer idea of what I have.

End Of Weekend Report: Over a thousand comic books gone!

Thank God for that rainy day. I covered my floor with books and did the painstaking task of sorting out what to keep, what to give away, and what to toss. When I thought I had gotten through all the books I found more. TWICE.

From Aquaman to Zatanna... you name it, they were laying around. It was exhausting. And there's still so much more to look at, file, etc. But at least it's been winnowed down to a few managable boxes, instead of sprawling into every corner.

On a side note, I had to get away from it for awhile and so took a walk which included Union Square. The big electronic recycling event was going on. Mountains of beige and grey boxes. In a way it was a little sad to see all the dead computers but it's definitely a GOOd thing to see them disposed of properly.

I took a bag of crap over to the recycling event. Even with the downpour, they still had a lot of people bringing stuff over. Most people were recycling old TVs and monitors, which kinda made me sad. I know that the new flat monitors use less energy, but I still felt like most of them probably still work. It's sad that these very expensive things don't wear out, but just get useless...

Mary, read some of the info on what is done with the computers and other electronics, and you won't feel sad at all:
http://www.crc.org/info/index.html

That's one local place here.

I dug a whole computer system out of the dumpster, my brother had a logic board for it, and it works. My brother took the printer. I was using the monitor until a friend gave me his (and then that computer broke). So I'm on another computer, used, bought from someone who takes in older units and fixes them and sells them.

There are lots of people that don't have computers. Any computer that will help get them going, so they can learn basics and then some, that's a great thing.

My backup computer is my original computer. From 1993. I can get online, and putter a bit. It's not useless, just slow. And, all my old games work on that computer! Woo hoo! Not on this one.

Remember the saying that someone's trash is someone else's treasure. thanks for donating!

Glad to know I am not the only one who will need to take this in bits and pieces. We are in a rental and painting is about as much as we can do in the improvement arena. No knocking down walls or replacing large appliances in this place! So... the decluttering and the making home feel like "A HOME" are my priorities.

Our biggest challenge is the bedroom. It is barely big enough to hold our queen size bed so right now it's shoved sideways against the windows at the back of the room. Hubby has to climb over me to get in/out of bed. Not ideal. Turning the bed 90 degrees (so head of the bed is against the windows) means not enough room for the dressers. So we are considering getting a much smaller bed frame. (currently have a bulky IKEA sleigh bed that is 7 years old and actually survived a cross country move and 2 NYC moves if you can believe it) Then we will probably keep the bed in the orientation it is in, but pull it away from the wall so we can have nightstands on each side of the bed with lamps.

We are going to have to accomplish a lot with paint, lighting and bedding in that room because it is just going to be tight no matter what. That is one thing I want to just buy NOW! (there's my impatient side coming through again...)

I tried to fix an item on my repair list by changing the flapper inside the toilet tank. It's been leaking for months, I'm ashamed to say. I've had a new one for weeks now- they're cheap - and finally changed it tonight. It took about 3 minutes! It helped, because the water is not running through like crazy anymore, but it's still "sighing," so I'm going to have to tinker with the other things in there. I hate this sort of thing since I don't know anything about it and have a fear of failure or that I'll keep doing things and nothing will work. I know that's not true. I have a Home Depot home improvement book, there's tons of information on the internet, plus there's a wonderful hardware store in my neighborhood (Logan Hardware) that I love to go to, where they'll help answer all my questions. But, I just have a resistance to doing these things. Like the time I took apart the pipe under the kitchen sink....

Pixie, if it is sighing, try tightening up the chain on the flapper just a few notches. As I'm sure you know, tank water is clean. Only reason to be squeamish is that it is very cold.

This makes me think of the noise thread; my toilet used to sigh heavily and often.

I've been looking at some of the pictures that have been posted or linked to, and I must say, you folks don't need to do The Cure. Your homes are GORGEOUS.

My place is such a dump. But I would like to ask a dumb question, where does everyone keep their phone books?

Big, ungainly, floppy things that they are. My yellow pages says boldly on the spine PLUMBING, which knocks it out of the decorative book category or tucking it on the bookshelves with other books.

Thanks for any tips.

Pixie, I'm the same way. The split floorboard in the hallway? I've known how to fix it for 2 years, just haven't gotten around to it. Yeah, I'm lazy and disorganized, but secretly I'm afraid I'll screw it up even more. I want to be handy, but to be handy you have to take the chance of wrecking things. Did Maxwell ever address this sort of fear?

Andree, my phonebooks are in the tv cabinet thing in my living room, since I'll usually call for pizza from the kitchen anyway. It's a catch-all, and I'm tempted to move the tv somewhere else and get rid of that piece of furniture. It's only useful because fatty cat likes to lay on top of the stereo and bask under the lamp.

Andree, to finish the thought, I'm not sure that paper phonebooks are worth keeping if you are v. good with the internet. As a librarian, paper can be helpful for browsing, but frankly the classification of businesses (meaning, "I want to find someplace that does *this* but what is the keyword or controlled vocab for that sort of thing anywat?") is a pain in print or online.

Andree, those nasty phonebook spines can be hidden by making a book cover from any sort of attractive paper that comes in large sheets. I'm being chi-chi and using big sheets of art paper, but a roll of gift wrap from a dollar store would work just as well.

If you only need the government pages, rip them out and just keep those. Is there a "311" type number you can call instead of relying on the white pages? Or does your city/state keep info online? [NYC is really good about this, but you still can't answer everything online here, either.] The Manhattan phonebook is just so unwieldy that most of my neighbors don't take it, but I do grab the mini-phone books to each cluster of zip codes.