apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

FINALLY getting around to painting my heinous pink living room walls this weekend - and taking Friday off to do it. Has anybody ever painted a fully-furnished room before? Suggestions?
Wish me luck!

Well, yes, yes I have painted a furnished room. I was doing so yesterday in fact.

First - if you want to work around the room with one coat (and probably around again with a second) - I suggest moving everything towards the center of the room. You need 3 feet minimum in front of the whole wall (four feet is much better and safer). Do not plan on accessing any part of the wall in some precarious manner - you WILL fall and drop the paint bucket over everything.

Second - cover stuff on the perimeter of this pile with drop cloths. I think the canvas cloths work best because they absorb the paint rather than let it run around on top as the plastic does. (It's no fun to pull of a drop cloth only to discover by doing so you've sprayed paint over everything.)

That's it.

The alternate, is to do one wall at a time -- moving furniture related to that wall - painting both coats and letting it dry about 2 hours before returning it all. This is sanest if you need to return it to normal at the end of the work day (before supper).

I am personally a fan of the one wall at a time system. I move everything away from one wall and dropcloth everything, I find that by the time I have finished one coat and then gone and done all the trimming around the ceilings and whatnot, it is ready for a second coat. I then usually wait until it's mostly dry and move everything most of the way back. I tend to not put everything back if it has to be against the wall until the very last minute, usually last thing at night - like if I want to go to bed and need the headboard and bedframe back in one piece.

This is how I did my office and our bedroom, and I ended up with no problems that a damp rag or a touch-up brush couldn't clean up. Good luck! Hope you post pics when you're done!

I've done it, but it's really worth the time to clear it out if you can. If nothing else, defintiely get anything mobile (books, rugs, small furniture, art) out of the room. And cover everything. I have a suitcase that was the victim of a paint mishap...ugly, but now easy to pick out on the baggage carousel. I guess every spill has its silver lining.

Good luck! And post pictures!

maxwell -- do sconces follow the same rule as pictures? or if i have a built in sconce/light fixture (not hung according to rule), should mine be hung at the same level as the built in one?

although i'm not going to be finished within the 8 week time frame (the schedules of the painter and the upholsterer's who's making my curtains, as well the arrival of my couches work on their own unique clock), i'm very happy with all of the progress i have made. the support and comments of everyone here have been awesome. i'm looking forward to the next cure. watch out rooms, here i come. (i think, coincidentally, the next room is going to be the bedroom)

i'm also a fan of the one wall at a time method. that way if you're NOT done by the end of the day, you can get things back to some semblance of order and start again tomorrow. you can also use the rest of the room while the paint dries, which is big for those of us in small spaces where one big room serves a lot of different functions.

abby -- sconces don't necessarily have to be hung at 57". first off, they should really be hung at whatever height you need to hang them to use the light they give off. for instance if you're installing a sconce next to your bed as a reading lamp, you'll want to install it at a height such that it will illuminate your book properly. if there's more than one sconce in the room, you definitely want to even them all out at the same height, unless for some reason you really need a light much higher or much lower. so if you're adding a sconce to a room that already has one, you want to make sure your new one is even with the pre-existing one, unless it really impairs the function of the light. i should say, however, that if you're not constrained by any of that, i think roughly 57-60" is probably a pretty good height for sconces in your average room with 8 foot ceilings.

and can i just say, ACK! it's week 7 already? how did i get so behind? i still have to hang curtains and move furniture and set up my desk and hang art and do a tad bit of shopping for accessories. i'm still not 100% about the level of light in the room. i've just bought a wee desk lamp for my desk, mostly as task lighting, but i think i may end up replacing it with either something more substantial or a table lamp, eventually.

also, i wanted to talk about the bedroom, and splurging.

this has been the absolute hardest part of my one-room remedy. worse than design decisions or physical labor is the task of allowing myself to have something nice for a change. i was in bed bath and beyond last night buying new pillows. i should say right now that this is the first time in my life that i've had more than one pillow at a time, and the first time that i'm buying my own pillows or even so much as having a pillow that isn't a hand-me-down from someone else. so actually spending real money on pillows (which are the key to both a good night's sleep and a swank and inviting bed) was one of the hardest things i've done in a long time. not because i can't afford good ones. not because i don't think i'm worth it, but because it's just kind of staggering how much good things cost. so i'm in my head, rationalizing, saying things like, "oh, i think it would be ok to have only one really great pillow" when i know i want 2 standard sized ones for sleeping and a few decorative ones just to make things more inviting.

and i have to admit that i couldn't even settle on a sham, because the idea of spending $30-40 on less than a yard of fabric was too much for me.

fuck that. if what i want costs $30, and it will be perfect and make the room complete, then i'm getting it. i held out last night and came home with 5 pillows (and gave myself permission to get at least one more fancy one at west elm when i go overe there later to look at curtains).

i can do this.

I too am a believer in painting one wall at a time. However, I don't think this is the fastest method - but it does allow you to live through it.
it works if you are painting over 2-3 weeks or if you can't move everything into the center.

However, Holly is planning to take Friday off to paint over the weekend. She can easily move furniture and prep on Friday. She should have time to prime or get one coat of paint up, depending on her plan. Saturday, she can paint 1-2 coats and let them dry overnight. And Sunday, she can move everything back into place. This is a neat tidy contained job. She has the luxury of a separate bedroom to relax in when not painting as well as put some of the stuff from the room being painted. If she moves and paints wall by wall, the repeated set up and prep by area will take longer in the long run.

Holly - in the end, it is what you think will work in your space. Most important - use drop cloths, tape if you aren't comfortable cutting in neatly, never attempt to paint any area from an unstable position, take breaks, get a couple good tapes to listen to - and if you are really lucky, bribe a friend to help out.
Good Luck

Hey Tara--someone has been reading our minds. Freaky. I wonder how he dgot these to stay up without any visible supports?

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/closeup/close-up-small-niche-ceiling-shelving-014766#comments

Yes, of course you can, opo!

I too have a real problem with spending that kind of $$ on that kind of thing esp. when it comes to things made of fabric.

But you do need to do it, once in a while. It's a luxury. And we all deserve a little luxury once in a while.

(Says she who just wants to take a bath!)

It could be a cleat on top of the shelf, at the back. You would not see it from below. Nice shelves. So who's name(s)was removed from the fall color contest? I'm not missing anybody whose comments I liked.

Hey, alex: don't you and holly live in the same city?

Maybe you should meet up for a drink somewhere while the paint dries! :)

And don't mind me, I'm just procrastinating going out shopping. Have I mentioned I hate shopping?

A lot of "no's" are gone. But 50 aliases! And over 100 comments. Wow. That's some determined hate.

I went back a took a good look at those shelves: you can see, barely, two large angle brackets on the wall. Clever.

Yes, you can barely see them.

Well, haven't gone shopping yet. Hoping dh will get home soon and I can go out sans kids.

Angle brackets that attach to the top of the shelf?

Hey, I already have 5 of those...

For those feeling behind - All I am doing this time is LR & MBR. They won't be finished on time, but now at least I have a list of what to do, and I know where I'm going. DD's room will get worked on as well, but more 'quick fix' than Cure. -Just replacing 2 things, & rearranging. The rest can wait till after Christmas chaos is over.

I feel so much more in control, so much better with everything in general, with what I *have* gotten done, that I refuse to freak out if I take a little extra time. It's been worth it.

I gave in and bought proper curtains for the bedroom. The shams are still on order but I think it will look very sereneand put together once they're all in. Link to my new curtains in my name, I got the white ones. What I want to finish it off is a nice contrasty accent pillow, I've seen a big orange mum print I like as well as those Inhabitat grass pillows you see everywhere, but I am going to see what I can find at the local Ross first, maybe they have something that isn't velvet with tassels. I tend to resent paying over $50 for anything smaller than a breadbox. Curtains were right at my limit but they will hang better than the cheapo Ikea ones (those can go in the master bath, they're fine for a smaller window, just too wimpy on a really big one).

opo - have you tried overstock? i got two down pillows for $30 (free shipping). i find that it's an awesome place for bed linens. also bed bath & beyond if you're good with the coupons -- their sateen hotel bedding is to the bed as chocolate mousse is to the mouth and they get softer with each wash. their towels are also excellent. esp the big size. and i know this goes under the eww gross factor but if you don't have dust mite covers, my ear doctor suggests changing out your pillows every two years at least.

Go, opo, go! Indulge yourself. :)


Bedroom? Eek! I don't wanna!!! *hides under couch*

....okay. Big deep breaths. It won't be that bad. I've managed to get a few things done since I last posted pictures. New duvet, bedskirt, sheets, and a bit of cleanup. There's still a ways to go, but I shall prevail!

Not tonight, though. I have plans. lol

I second the sateen hotel from bed etc. I love them.

B'lynJacquelyn--that is a lovely pic at the top. The lighting is really nice and I love that loveseat.

Cathy, I just went and looked at your pics, and your place is one of my favorites! Your bedroom just looks a little neglected, I bet it looks waay better with new bedding and a cleanup - it just needed a little love!

Also, thanks for all the tips, I'm stealing Opo's idea and hunting for throw pillows...

Oh, blech, the bedroom. I've been dreading this week. My bedroom is so small, and my bed and dresser are so big, that I fear it will always look crowded and cluttered. I was disheartened when I read the part about deciding where to put the bed - there's no decision to make for me, because the bed only fits in one spot - otherwise it blocks the closet, the window, or the door.

I guess I'll just concentrate on making the bed itself look as inviting as possible. Even a small improvement is better than none at all.

Tangentally related to Opo's not being able to justify expensive sham purchases - for me, sometimes it's difficult being a DIY-er because I look at stuff in the store and think "50 bucks! I could make it for 20!" The problem is, of course, that I don't have time to make *everything*, and so I go without.

And speaking of making it for yourself--I haven't been able to find the *perfect* shower curtain--I'm at the point that if I had found the perfect one and it cost $70 I may have considered it!

However, I did have a fabulous idea while out looking and a quick run to the fabric store confirmed it was doable.

Yes, I'm going to tease you and not tell you what I have in mind until the great unveiling! The best part of it is, I won't need all new towels or bath mat (whew).

Has anyone added up what they've spent so far? If I had space on the dining room table to spread out the receipts to add them up, I would.

I bet your home is much more pleasent tonight, Anne in Reno, with the smell of roast turkey curling into all the corners and crevises.

Maxwell, in this week's assignment you mention air purifiers. Can anyone recommend one please? There is a bad secondhand smoke problem in our building--someone down the hall smokes and it permeates our hallways and is starting to creep into our units. Will a purifier help?

Pixie -- thanks!

Vivienne -- I know you asked Maxwell about the air purifiers, but thought I'd put in a plug for the ones we have. Honeywell HEPA filters -- one is about 4 years old and still works perfectly and we just bought a 2nd one a month ago. The new one is pretty much the same, but updated with a permanent hepa filter (the older one needs a new filter every year). Both have a pre-filter that needs to be changed every 3-6 months depedning on pet hair etc.(there is a light on the unit that let's you know when to change the pre-filter and the hepa filter.) Both are quiet -- one is in out bedroom and it doesn't interfere with going to or staying asleep.

Here is the amazon link for the new model...

http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-17000-Permanent-Quietcaire-Purifier/dp/B000050AQ5/sr=1-15/qid=1163686046/ref=sr_1_15/102-5365828-5716922?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

I notice that several reviews complain about noise -- it is not silent, but I think that either they expected way too much or are very light sleepers.

PS -- Don't forget to check out NY Times article on Maxwell and Sara Kate's 9 month cure -- link in my name.

thanks for the encouragement, everybody!

so i went out last night and did almost all of the rest of the shopping. which was even harder than the bed-bath experience because it involved not only buying functional things that tend to be expensive, but this time buying cute decorative things which for whatever reason i feel even guiltier about.

between two different stores i spent going on $200 on 2 pillow shams and a cover for a throw pillow, another whole throw pillow, a small picture frame, and a lamp. so difficult. i felt like a spoiled brat. and an evil american chain-shopping consumerist pig.

and i've realized something, sort of along the lines of what Anna and Alana said about DIY. living in new york, there are so many cute little shops and great resources that people in other places don't have access to. and one of the great things about living here is that you don't HAVE to go to bed, bath, beyond or west elm or target or whatever. and a lot of the time i do try to avoid the chain stores and support local businesses or DIY via all the interesting art supply and craft stores.

but sometimes, at the end of the day, i just don't have time. unless you know exactly what you want and where to find it, it can be a huge hassle hopping from teensy housewares boutique to teensy housewares boutique hoping you'll happen on something acceptably 'authentic' that also works for what you want. so you inevitably end up buying cheapo crap as a placeholder until you have time to browse the boutiques in the east village or the flea market in park slope. or, more correctly, you just have boring carb stuff because you NEVER get around to doing that kind of stuff.

and half the things they carry at the chain stores are just as good as what you'd find in a boutique, anyway. i mean, a desk lamp is a desk lamp is a desk lamp.

this isn't to denouce that kind of intimate and neighborly shopping experience, or to say one shouldn't support local businesses.

but sometimes it's just not within my ability, for a lot of complicated reasons. and i'm tired of feeling guilty for shopping at West Elm or Crate & Barrel because "i'm lucky i live in NYC and can shop at little cute places for unique stuff they don't have everywhere else".

i realized last night that a lot of my splurge guilt comes from that, not so much a sense of money. the idea that i gave $200 to crap chain stores instead of cute little shops whose owners need the money more makes me feel like crap. the fact that i spent $30 on a pillow that thousands of other people will have makes me feel insufficiently creative.

the reality, though, is that those thought patterns ultimately prevent me from having nice things.

wow, what a tome i'm writing here.

anyway, i also decided that i probably am going to go with the Umbra shades. i didn't end up loving anything at west elm, and the trek out to ikea for a few measly yards of fabric, cheap though they may be, is repellant in the face of Week 8 and the oncoming holiday insanity.

Vivienne, it also depends on how much you want to spend. The mister got a Sharper Image "Ionic Breeze" Quadra or something with a complicated name like that and I thought he spent way too much but I am now the one that makes sure it's on every night before we go to bed. It enabled us to sleep reasonably well in there the same night after I painted the whole room. So it might be worth looking into, they have different sizes for different sized rooms too.

Hey folks, I'm still lurking. Been a bit under the weather this week so I don't have anything to report, yet. Hope to tackle some more this weekend with a very free schedule and DH studying/writing madly for finals.

Thank you also for all of the support and kind words, I really appreciate it!!

I'm hoping to take off the Wed-Friday at the end of the month/beginning of Dec. to tackle things like painting in the living room and the like. I know that's outside the 8 weeks before I'll get things really wrapped up, but with getting a bug this week and being gone all Turkey-day weekend, that's just the way it's going to be.

It'll be really good, though, to have a stretch of time to focus on the apartment, and in turn, on myself.

I'm all for spulging on a pillow for under your head. It makes a really inviting bed even better. My parents freaked a bit when I spent like $40-$50 on a single, smallish down pillow back in college (the feather pillows we have are from the old country and would knock anyone down in a pillow fight on the first try), but it's the most wonderful pillow.

I'm kinda the pillow queen, because I sleep with 5 when I'm at home...one between my knees, one "old country" one that I hold pressed up against my chest to try and keep my shoulders open, and two under the one I mentioned above to get my head to the right height. I have to sleep on my side or I don't get rest. I think I have sleep apnea, which I'm going to go get checked out soon, yea!

Anne - Nice curtains, those will look great.

Alana/Tara - I have a shelf above the door in my bathroom I spray painted to match the paint on my walls and used L brackets to hold it up. Easy-easy to do, and you don't see the brackets at all. The hard part, I would imagine, would be lining up the shelf to be straight, because I had the top of the door to serve that purpose.

SCBeth, thank you for your kind words on my blog, I really appreciate it.

Anna - I used to think that all the time, I can make this for so much cheaper, but like you, I would never get around to it. If you have the money but not the time, then it's worth it. If you have more time than money, then make it yourself. If you never have the time, then you use it to decide, is this something I REALLY want, or is it just something I think would be cool?

DH is sick of my unfinished projects, so when I went to put a test color on the wall, he freaked. I had to explain to him that I've begun to change in that regard, so I want it wrapped up shortly, and I'm starting with only one wall!

Jacquelyn - The picture of your place is great, the room is so beautiful. And your office turned out great too! Thanks for the NYT link, I'm anxious to read it.

I was wondering whether Holly was also planning to paint the ceiling of her living room. It probably is best to paint the ceiling if you're painting the room (as well as trim etc). If you freshen up one area, the rest looks old and faded. I don't see how the one wall method would work if you factor in painting the ceiling too. I think you'd have to just put all the furniture in the middle of the room, cover it with dropcloths and paint the ceiling. If you just painted the area above the single wall you were painting, surely the result for the ceiling would be patchy, due to different drying times.

i disagree about the ceiling.

i've recently painted 3 rooms in my apartment, without touching the ceiling (and in 2 out of 3, the trim). i don't find that the unpainted parts look old or faded at all. now if the ceiling needs painting, it needs painting. but you don't HAVE to paint one part of a room just because you're painting the rest.

I was afraid of this.

We had a "patch" of some sort right next to the tub. It's so horrible looking I didn't even take a pic of it. (I did while I was ripping it out though, so you will see it eventually). Meanwhile you can click my name to see sort of where it is in relation to the tub. Sort of.

It's right beside the tub at the front. The fixtures sit on this wall (and it's the back of our coat closet).

Somebody created the hole for a reason. Probably to help install the tub. But the result of the amateur patch (They used Benjamin Moore paint sticks as braces!) The wall is crumbly and flakey.

The only proper way to fix it is to rip out the wall (with the "liner" on it and the tabs and tub spout, etc.) and build another one.

dh is going to have a bird.

"taps and tub spout" sorry.

Cube Cure problem solved!!
http://mentalhygiene.com/index.php/2005/06/04/post-it-mosaic-howto/

Just need to come up with what I want my picture to be, and decide if I'm going to be insane enough to use the smaller 1x2 post its to get better colors, or if I'm going to use the bigger 3x3, and if I want to do the wall behind the computer (above the mountain pic) or the bigger wall (though covered with less than sticky cloth on parts) behind me.

Any suggestions for what my pic should be of?

Link to cube pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36969466@N00/274795932/

Also, I called about getting a glass shelf cut to the size of the radiator, and it would be about $75. Not sure, is that worth it? It could really class things up, but it's a small item in the room as a whole. I could also look into getting a lack shelf to set on the radiator in whatever color (probably brown-black) I decide on for the TV stand...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36969466@N00/285939645/

Ignore the green table, esp. its proportions, in the pic, it's a garish version of what I want to get.

Scratch the lack idea, I don't think the lengths for Lack would be good...my radiator is 57" long.

The reason glass is recommended for radiators, Kate, is because of heat. What are you going to put on it? Do you need the storage space it'll give you?

Have you thought about asking an auto glass place how much they would charge to cut some glass? We got a window repaired there (the insurance company reffered us) and it was dead cheap. (But of course, the insurance company paid it!)

Scratch my comment, lol!
I see you said the cost of a piece of glass would be $75. I don't doubt it. But do you have an architectural salvage place you can go to to try and find something close to the dimensions you need? You can esaily remove an old window frame if you don't want it.

Kate,
If you have an architectural salvage place - you could also look for scrap stone for the radiator. An shelf made of marble could look really nice.

The more I think about it, I'm thinking I do for sure want it because it'll create a focal point in the room. And probably the cost is because I'm going to get the edges rounded, so that if/when we have kids, they're not likely to hurt themselves on the edge. Or me, for that matter, I'm clutzy.

I'm planning on putting lamp(s), and candles in cool holders (the black ones that inspired the room and silver candle stick holders, like on my landing strip).

I was also thinking about using black pool balls to raise it up off the radiator, I saw that one time used in someone's apartment with a radiator like ours, it was really cool. I'll probably position them so that you don't realize it's pool balls immediately. Those will add another $35 to the total cost, but I feel are well worth it if I'm going to go for it.

Has anyone ever renovated a bathroom?

Is it normal for the baseboard (and wall) to sit about 1/2" in front of the front edge of the tub?

I'm going to take a stab at posting this on the open thread as well.

Are you talking about on the sides of the tub or in front of the tub? It's normal if it's on the sides of the tub (as in, to the left and right of the front of the tub)...of course, this can create a little place for water to wreck havoc on the drywall or whatever is filling in for that 1/2 inch...

Alex...just read your comment - way awesome idea! Will have to see what I can find....

Curtains: I need them for my living room, and I want them to pool on the floor, and make them out of velvet.

Is there an easy way for me to do the top? Would very minimal clips make them hang ok? Do I need to starch them to make them fall right? What about lining them? I need to get this all ready so that I can sew them quickly over Thanksgiving weekend with mom...

Basically, I only know how to do curtains one way, and that's to hem fabric and use the clips to attach to a rod. I know I can find a very minimal clip, so that there's little distance between the rod and the curtain, but is that too informal?

Need all the curtain advice I can get (or good websites)! Thanks!

Kate, before I tackle the curtain question (and there are a million ways to do the top of the curtain/drape check out Martha Stewart for starters) some quite easy...

yes, I think you've got it.

I drew up a plan and elevation view of the "hole in the wall."

here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46773919@N00/298983663/in/photostream/

Anne in Reno--I blame you for this! (j/k)

could you sew the top of the fabric into a loop/tube, and thread that onto the rod?

i've never worked with velvet, but that's the way i've seen most curtains made unless they're tie top or somesuch.

i'm not sure about lining them. it will definitely make them more 'finished'. not sure what that will do to the drape and such -- whether it's needed or not. i have a feeling you're not supposed to iron velvet, though i have no idea how true that is.

Skywaykate-if you want pleats, the fabric store has pleating tapes and hooks, very easy to do. Clips sound fine to me, for a more modern look.
Velvet can be ironed over a needle board (fabric store also has it), on the reverse side, otherwise the iron will leave a very shiny permanent print.

Kate,
For curtains that you want up and ready for the holiday - I recommend keeping it simple - no lining, no special treatment on the top.

I don't thinks I would try starching velvet - I would be afraid it would affect the nap.

You will need fabric 2X the width of the rod at minimum. If you can afford it - go for 3X - this will look more lux - I am assuming with a puddle at the bottom that this is what you are going for.

Sew a simple hem at the top - leave the fabric at longer than you think you need. Add clip rings or sew on rings for a more finished look (both can be found at most bed/bath store). With velvet, you may want a larger more solid looking ring to coordinate with the visual weight of the fabric. I think you want to place one ring every 5-6 inches.

To hem the bottom - I would hang the curtains and just like pants pin them in place to determine the right about of puddle. I think you will probably want about 6" extra length but you may want more. I have heard of some designers liking as much as a foot extra - I don't know if this makes a difference in look. Fold twice for a deep hem of at least 6" - 12 .
FYI - Lining does affect how the fabric hangs - just like clothing and depending on the material and the amount of detail in how it is installed can really affect the look of the curtain. But, just like clothing, this is a kind of tailoring and it is very time consuming. The velvet should be of sufficient weight to hang well without it. If you want to line them, I'd recommend saving that part of the job for after Xmas.
Good Luck!!

Rod pocket curtains, with

here: http://www.silktrading.com/stcProductDetail.aspx?categoryid=28&id=199&catid=4&check=

or without a heading.

here: http://www.silktrading.com/stcProductDetail.aspx?categoryid=28&id=202&catid=4&check=

Super simple to sew. Difficult if not impossible to draw back and clear the window.

Tab top: somewhat easy to sew. Can be difficult to draw back. The wider the better.

here:

Pleats: Pinch pleat, sort of standard formal, goblet pleat, very formal and rich, here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46773919@N00/295861990/

Oh, you have to get metal prongs that go with the pleater tape for these. (Two prong or three prong.)



I think this is called a shirred pleat:

http://www.silktrading.com/stcProductDetail.aspx?categoryid=27&id=4&catid=4&check=

again, there's a special pleater tape available for these too.

These take a LOT of fabric. But they are easy enough: mostly because you can buy a "pleater heading" tape which sews right on to the fabric: it has strings and when you pull them, viola, pleats! Great stuff. My mom and I sewed a great pair of drapes (lined) with these once.


Found a site with all the pleater tapes and prongs and such. Pictures to help you see what's available:
http://www.denverfabrics.com/pages/static/curtains/curtain-hardware.htm

Looks like there are instructions here, too.

Happy sewing. Velvet is lovely. Depending on how thin it is, you should probably line it for proper drape. But if they are pretty heavy already, you'll be fine. But you don't want them to look like skimpy walmart thingys you were to lazy to hem!

I was composing all that when alex was posting.
What she said!

Sorry Alana! I had to patch a lot of holes in my bathroom but nothing like that! I had no idea what I was getting you into!

But that first bath will be awesome when you finally get to have it.

Also, I am noticing that reno is everyone's shorthand for renovation. Every time I see it written I think there's somebody on here from my neck of the woods.

Thanks Anne. I appreciate it. Turns out dh knew: he's the one who used the paint sticks.

He brought home flowers tonight, though for no reason except I "had dinky carnations" on the kitchen table. :)

So, we're going to wrestle the rotting baseboard out of there and dh says he can make a piece of wood to fit the contours of the tub (???) and then we'll screw it into the part of the wall that's solid and put corner round around it. I'd be happy with a well secured piece of window plastic.

As we were planning this, dh says "do you want to get new flooring in here?" Right now, when the kids splash a bit too much the water lands right next to my (clean) laundry in the basement!

Um, ok. yes.

So, come Spring: deep treatment on the bathroom. Maxwell's book is going to come in super handy for that as I've never ever taken a room right down to the "studs" and subfloor before. Interesting.

Wow Alana, that's always a good sign, when they start asking about the repairs themselves instead of having them pointed out! I bet he was a bit mortified about those paint sticks too, sounds like an interesting fix!

Side note, I suddenly have an end-of-Cure celebration now, the family is coming up after Thanksgiving to hang out and my sister decided she couldn't host so now everybody gets to see my nice slicked-up house! Too bad they'll be spending most of their time in the living room (AKA gets it's own Cure in the spring) but they'll still get to enjoy everything that I'm starting to enjoy now!

Alana, the paint chips are up. They are in my style tray, with notes etc. (link in my name)

I got the bookshelf back today. Looks much nicer with the slipcover - I will be posting pictures after I finish the roll of film.

Anne - enjoy having your family over!

And Alana - sounds like you have a happy husband! Enjoy it, enjoy him, and enjoy that new bathroom when it's complete!

Skywaykate - I envy you. Velvet puddle curtains. They sound like they will be wonderful.

And, Alana - I bookmarked the shelf page you linked way up there. The more I think about it, the more I think that will happen. Esp. after a shelf broke this morning - apparently not meant to deal with all the books she keeps on it!

Alright, I'm off to finish mopping. Will probably be checking back frequently anyway.

i'm rethinking my post-cure celebration. mostly because, erm, my cure has been mostly limited to the bedroom. and i can't exactly have a dinner party in the bedroom.

i can think of the PERFECT way to show off my bedroom cure ;), but it doesn't seem to be in the cards between now and thanksgiving, alas.

FINALLY hung my big piece over the bed tonight, after lots of wrestling with ook hooks. damn plaster walls. i also need to break out the drill to hang some small shelves, which i'm not looking forward to because A) i kinda can't find the bit kit, and B) even with a masonry bit, drilling into my walls is a huge pain in the ass. the space is really coming together, though. once i get the desk and window treatments in here, i'm at 90%. and it's gonna look great!

except i really have got to empty the outbox. i don't know why this has turned into such a chore, considering all i have to do is bring it down to the lobby of my building. just lazy, i guess.

Well, emptying the outbox is a chore. My grandmother had a rule: never go up the stairs without carrying something up. (She always had stacks of laundry, whatever, waiting on the stairs.) So, you can adapt the rule from now 'til it's gone: don't leave without taking something from the out-box down with me. (Except you are probably like me and your hands are too full already! However, you can set a timer for 15 minutes and just go up and down for that amount of time. Something like that.)

And oponomax...I sure am looking forward to seeing that bedroom of yours on the party cure thread!

Tara. I've been playing with Benjamin Moore's personal colour viewer again. Link in my name.

iT MAY NOT BE CLEAR FROM WHAT i WROTE AT FLICKR, BUT WHAT i MEANT WAS THAT THE TWO PAINT CHIPS: ONE WITH STEM GREEN ON IT AND THE ONE WITH wALES GREEN BOTH HAVE A NICE VALUE RANGE ON THERE FOR YOU TO PLAY WITH.

Ack. Sorry. Hope you don't mind if I don't re-type. I didn't mean to get caps lock stuck on!

And Anne, that's fantastic! Any decorating afficiando's? Can you get gentle opinions on "what to do?" Or will it be time to forget all that?

There will be a cure sometime in the Spring, I expect. Will you do your living room and I my bathroom then?

btw I've ditched my sewing the curtains idea (for the bathroom) turns out that even on-sale the fabric will cost me $52 (plus tax) and that seems absurd when 1) I have a perfectly functional one right now 2) with a bit of trim I can fix the yellow ones and 3) if I do want a change, IKEA has that pretty polka dot one for $15

Truly, I'm just a bit tired of all this now and I still have a list as long as my arm to "finish up" --ncluding sewing the living room curtains!

(And it doesn't help that I came up with a "brilliant" idea for fashioning a great headboard wall of curtains for my bedroom! Drat creativity! though the hardware will only cost me $25 and a new duvet cover $35.)

What's the list, you ask?

Living room:
1. stain cd rack and install.
2. stain underside of new corner shelf.
3. Sew topping on curtains.
4. Sew roman blinds for side windows
5. Recut curtain rod
6. rehang curtain rod supports, sand old spots, re-paint spots.
7. Cut and Install new molding.

Bathroom:
1. paint
2. sand and stain/verathane shelves for bathroom
3. clean rust off of shower curtain rod. (Another discovery I made today.)
4. Decide about the curtains in bathroom.
5. Finish stripping chrome in bathroom.
6. Repair hole.

Office/dining Room:
1. Drill four new holes in bookcase and put up new shelf.
2. re-wire favoutite lamp. (Just blew a couple of days ago. Don't understand what happened.)
3. Finish covering "drawer" boxes in desk.
4. Date and File about 2 months worth of photos.
5. Purchase and sew terry cloth curtains for upstairs bath. 12. Hang hardware for said curtains.

I can't fix this up right now, all h** is breaking loose.

Tara - thanks, hopefully they'll turn out 1/2 as nice as I imagine!

Alana and Alex - thanks for the resources, definitely got me thinking...now I'm scouring magazines looking for examples to draw from...

I haven't touched my outbox either, but if I get those days off, I'll do it then. And I do need to go to the Salvation Army to find a white elephant gift for my aunt, because I "swiped" the one my mom had found for my aunt to give, because it's more appropriate that it go to my friend than to one of my aunt's friends. So I should at least take a few things with me this weekend.

Arrrrrgh. My personal life blew up a little bit (AGAIN...so sick of being stressed out) last night, so no major Curing or picture-taking for me. I did manage to clear even more stuff out of my bedroom and get the okay from Mom to pass the heirloom rocking chair back to her for a while. I also emptied my outbox again. I did it once before, but I think things breed in there.... My goal for tonight is to get some pictures taken and finalize an arrangement for the bedroom.

Anne (in Reno), thanks! I'm really starting to like my place too. :) And thanks for the encouraging words about the bedroom. I looked at it again after reading your comments, and you're right! It's not quite as dire as I thought.

Alana, maybe you should cease any work on the bedroom this week and spend some time just tying up your loose ends. You can go back to the bedroom next week! Those lists seem daunting, but when you take a closer look, there's quite a few things that can be taken care of fairly quickly, like the sewing (assuming you have a machine ;) ), staining, and hole repair. After you get a few things checked off, you'll get a boost of energy that can carry you through the rest! Or at least make them feel less overwhelming. You can do it!!

Thank you, CathyinMin.
Dh would agree with you! Last night it was mentioned that it is "time to clean up." Things are their regular chaos...but then when you add the contents of the bathroom to the hallway and the dining room table is...well, you know. We've all been there!

I am sorry to hear there was trouble last night.

Looks like we need a little week seven challenge" empty the outbox! I have folks coming to pick stuff up on Monday so I need to get that too.

have a good day all.....

Alana-don't stress so much. If it does not get done right now, is OK. Take it easy.

Am I stressing?

I guess.

The reason I took on the "cure" was to get to all the little things in each room I hadn't made time for....

But why did the "to do" list get longer the more I did, rather than shorter? Is this the way it happens?

Has it happened to anyone else?
What are you doing about it?

"If you are working on your bedroom this week, enjoy yourself and DO SPLURGE to make it really nice for yourself."

Well, I guess I took Maxwell's statement seriously even though I didn't intend to: I just ordered new pillows, a new comforter, new bedside lamps and I might buy a new mattress tonight. If not tonight, it will be within a week.

This is all stuff I've been meaning to buy for a while, but always put it off. But the fact is that I haven't been sleeping well for a long time, and it's time to do whatever it takes to make it work. I mean, seriously, how can I justify buying *another* pair of shoes or a cute new lamp for the living room, but keep sleeping (or not sleeping) on a 10 year old mattress and 4 year old pillows? Sheesh!

Wow, everybody's doing so much, and everybody's commenting so much when I'm not hogging the thread! Maybe I should stay away...

... very short time passes ...

Nope, can't do it. Can't stay away. Y'all are stuck with me for another week. :)

Alana, my to-do list keeps growing, too. I keep coming up with more ideas of things to do, and I see what other people are doing, and that gives me MORE ideas, and well, it seems to snowball. Take it easy on yourself, though. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I have a feeling that Home wasn't either.

I'm up for the OutBoxEmptying challenge! I missed donation day this week (drat) so the kitchen chairs are still here, but they will be hidden away once the stuff on them gets cleared off. Half my OutBox stuff is going this evening, over to my parents' apartment building for the rummage sale. A bunch of it will go tomorrow, to the Symphony Book & Record sale donation drop off place (if I can find it -- I've scouted the mall it's supposed to be in, and I can't figure out where it's supposed to be.) Then I'll just be left with the 2 kitchen chairs that I'm donating to the Mission, which will now get picked up the third Wednesday of December instead of November, all being well. It will be so good to have space behind my tv-watching chair, and it will be extra good not to bump into the table where all the rummage sale stuff is, every time I move a little in my computer chair! So, OutBox Emptying, here we come!

I bought some deep red lampshades for the two little lamps, so I could put them back in the kitchen (which was where the little lamps were intended for when I bought 'em a couple of years ago). Good thing the shades were cheap-cheap, because I got the wrong kind, and they don't go on the lamps! Anyway, I seem to still be puttering in the kitchen. Put the leaves up on the table today, to try "Round Table" for a while. Round Table with Little Lamps. Little Lamps with Cream-color Shades. oh well...

I am about to go and get the new stuff for the bedroom out of the dryer. Will hang the drapes tomorrow (forgot to buy a rod cover thingy, so can't hang 'em now).

Before I sign off, just wanted to give everyone that's been working so hard a cheer, and especially say, good for you, shanabanana, for getting the mattress and pillows and stuff. You're worth it!

Will upload pics tonight. Left 'em at Mum & Dad's.

Yay! I finally found a couple of throw pillows for the bed, and the curtains are supposed to arrive on Tuesday. I still have no clue when the shams are supposed to get here, they said 2-3 weeks and that was 1 1/2 weeks ago so I should really just be patient. I also changed the ugly light fixture and put up a very plain one (which is WAY better in my book). So the bedroom is shaping up very nicely.

I also emptied the Outbox (5 full shopping bags donated!) and I already have another bag started. AND sold the bizarro coffee table that was sitting in the garage. Once all the new linens and whatnot are in the bedroom I will post a final pic, because I am pretty much going to call it DONE. Which, in this Cure, is a bit of a stretch, because (as Alana noted) I keep finding more stuff to add to the list. But none of it is a rush and everything is so much better than it was that I can be satisfied with that for a while. The stuff I'm not even calling part of the list is the replacement of carb furniture with protein stuff, that will be ongoing as we find the right stuff and we are in no hurry right now.

Let's look at that list:
Entryway:
change light fixture, replace grotty chair pad.
Office:
attack Cordtopus, find new lampshade for side lamp (finally realized it's too tall and I need a shorter "harp" so the shade will not look so disconnected from the base, and then I don't need a new lamp anymore)
Bedroom:
hang curtains

Those are the things that I really want to achieve by the end of the Cure/when family descends. The living room list is a whole separate page and I wish that wasn't where they'll be spending most of their time. But heck, my dad will be bringing up the new shelves so that will be like acheiving something off my list that I'm not looking at! Also, that room requires the most negotiation and the biggest investments so it can just be on a back burner for a while.

Anyways, Shanabanana, congrats on the purchases! I think there are some things in the world that we need to view as necessities when we really do not treat them that way. A new pair of shoes may be nice but it probably won't make you sleep any better.

And Cathy, I'd love to see some of your potential bedroom arrangements. Do you subscribe to the "bed must face the door" school of thought? Are there any windows in there?

Alana, some of those projects sound like they're not that time-consuming, and others sound like they might be acceptably back-burnered for a bit while you do a little mental recovery. Sometimes it's not bad to just take a day off. Off topic, I have to ask, have you tried terry-cloth for curtains before? I would imagine it would hang a little flat unless you got some really thick stuff and then I would wonder how hard it is to sew. But that's just me. I applaud your progress and your gung-ho-ness and I really like what I've seen in your flickr photos. Good luck on that bathroom, I'm rooting for ya!

Go to IKEA for a shower curtain, come home with the shower curtain, and a new chair! Yes, CathyinMin, I succumbed to the lure of your reading nook. A poang chair will soon take up residence in my living room. I got it at "as-is" and spent 45 minutes getting what I needed to disassemble it to get it in the car!

I also got the curtain hardware I need to do the treatment in the bedroom...for which there is absolutely no rush, though we do need a new duvet cover and linens and things has something I could live with!

So, big afternoon of retail therapy--oh, and I took a bath! That REALLY helped!

I actually kind of like the bathroom as it is: one wall all scraped looking cosily "distressed" and a big gaping hole reminding me we're going to get the walls fixed properly and tile installed.

I bought a TON of new towels in orange, blue and white: and as I was going through the checkout someone asked me if I was coordinating the bathroom to the colours OF our local NHL team.

ack.

and small citybeth--I missed you!

Do you ever buy a piece of furniture, put it in your room and then ask yourself: what on earth is this stranger doing here?

I made a mistake. The black frame is too "modern" for my living room. It really does need to be the dark stained wood they currently came out with. Oh well. And the cover is too pale: blends right into the fireplace. How come you don't know these things 'til you get home? And, of course, since it is an "as is" I can't take it back.

Dang. Next cure, the new chair gets a make-over!

CathyinMin--anyone--how does the little "head" cushion attach to the back? I have one with leather straps and what look like biutton holes--but no buttons! Maybe I'm missing a piece?

The one I purchased is here:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=3&langId=-15&productId=11055


Thanks!

Well, we can tick one thing off the list: the drawer/boxes are now recovered. Yay!

I know I've been a little self-absorbed lately.
Sorry.

Thank you all for your wonderful encouragement and stories! It is inspiring! I think that with all of us busy working on our homes and sharing with each other, I sometimes I think I have the energy of many instead of just one!