Pomuk's bedroom caught our attention with the novel use of drip lights.
Big weekend, so I send you best wishes. Tis the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I imagine this to be your last dash if you are having folks over (or travelling) next weekend. On the other hand next weekend could be a perfect time to get a lot done if you don't have plans. When I taught school, we were always prepping on Saturday and Sunday because after this the holidays are upon us.
Abby - I agree with Opo that sconces don't follow the 57" rule and they should probably have another rule entirely. I would say be consistent. Match the ones you have already up or - if starting from scratch - find a height that gives you light but doesn't get in your way.
Vivienne - With air purifiers I used to buy fancy ones, now I just buy simple Hepa filter ones that won't disappear in a year (along with their filter replacements). I like Bionaire and Honeywell lately. Get whatever size fits your home best.
Good morning everyone!
Hope we all have a great therapeutic curing Saturday!
Well, I'm sure trying. Would be sound asleep till noon, but I'm waiting for UPS to deliver my decorative door from Pier 1. No one understands this purchase, but I'll post a photo later. Till then, I'll be under the bathroom sink sorting crap from keep.
ok, i have so much to do this weekend, and i've got to get mobilized. starting with dismantling the TV and AV equipment so that we can FINALLY FREAKIN MOVE THE DESK.
then in need to paint the window hardware (the chore i'm least looking forward to), set up the desk, and change up the wiring in the room so i can charge my computer and iPod over there.
i also need to get a few new drill bits and the rods for my various curtains.
and empty the outbox!
so that's what i've put on the table for today. now let's go!
Was way too tired to do anything last night, but today's a fresh, sunny, new day! Got the old bedroom curtains down, and washed the inside panes of the windows. Tried to wash the inside of the outside pane (that sounds confusing, but I didn't know how else to word it) and realized that's not a good idea in the early morning when the temperature is below freezing. The vinegar and water just froze to the window, and I really had to rub to get it off again! That part of the project is gonna have to wait. I'll get the curtain rod thingy when I'm out this afternoon, and then can get the new drapes up.
Discovered a problem with ordering from a catalog -- although everything for the bedroom was supposedly color #206, chocolate brown, I found when I opened the package that since they weren't all from the same "collection", they're all different varieties of chocolate. The bedskirt is dark chocolate, very high percent cocoa; the sheet for the headboard is milk chocolate; and the drapes are somewhere in between. Sigh. They'll have to do.
I have uploaded new pics -- Bathroom "After" (although the color turned out strangely, likely because of the lighting in there), Slipcovered Loveseat, Kitchen Tiles, and Properly Framed Wildflowers. The bedroom won't be done until sometime next week, since I missed a few days of Curing this week. The more comments on the pics, the merrier. I'm really wondering about pink on the slipcovered loveseat -- all opinions gratefully received.
Yay for the weekend! (And just by the way, I love the pink of Pomuk's bedding in that picture at the head of the thread.)
Trying to figure out where to go with the bedroom.
I want it to have color.... but I want it to be a more soothing pallet than the living room, which has a lime green, fuschia, orange and brown color scheme... kind of like the Fall Colors contest logo).
The bedroom walls are already palest green... and I own this Dwell Silhouettes duvet in Aqua, which I love).
http://www.bluefly.com/pages/products/detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=2027461717&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2354137&N=937+4294966868&Nao=36&Ns=Popularity%7c0%7c%7cProduct%2bCode%7c1&Nu=Product+ID
The rugs in contention:
http://www.2modern.com/s.nl/it.A/id.975/.f
This would look fine with the duvet in aqua (which I already have)and spectacular with the duvet in brown (which I can get on bluefly and which was the other resident adult's fave anyway).
Another contender, in a COMPLETELY different vein but which might offer a nice change of pace from the living room and look nice with the bird counting cards on the wall and my Grandmother's victorian dresser:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-6/qid=1163827181/ref=sr_1_6/601-7456967-9979342?ie=UTF8&asin=B000HM2YKU
Attached is a snapshot of the wall in the bedroom which I have designated as the resident toddler's play area... (We're in a one-bedroom rental).
http://sanfrancisco.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/111606/look/reversible-decor-the-magic-of-papertak-014683
Do I understand correctly, I thought I read on here somewhere, that we were doing an A/V system round-up? review? contest? or something like this?
Off the Cure subject, Opo, I totally forgot to contact you and tell you that I did a panel about women in comics this past week, with scholar and Crumb-detractor Trina Robbins (love her scholarship, disagree with her about Crumb, but she's still very cool), and some others. It was fun, though I ended it by telling everyone how much I hate all-female anthologies and exhibitions, and I also called Veronica a ho and then later found out that a Betty & Veronica writer was in the audience.
Cure: I think we're in the home stretch. The Outbox has been emptied twice, the kitchen and part of the living room has been painted, we now have doorknobs instead of gaping holes in the hall, bath, and bedroom doors. Still need to:
- Paint the other big living room wall
- Fix the peeled paint in the kitchen (damn drywall)
- finish swapping out cabinet and drawer pulls in the kitchen, and the closet pulls
- Paint the wall behind the computer
- MAYBE tackle cordtopus, but I might just give up on this. It's hard with my machine, a flatscreen G5. I fear that tying up all the cords will create too much weight on the spot where the cords connect with the computer, and will disconnect things like my scanner and printer.
- Finish my surprise with the lamps
- organize my desk area (daunting, though it's about two foot square)
- Fix dining room light cord
- Fix cable tv cord
- General cleaning
I'm sure I'm forgetting something! But I want this all done by next Saturday, when my family, in-laws, and about 15 of our friends are coming over for dinner.
I'm waiting for lumber delivery from Sid's Hardware. In the meantime, I will be going through stuff lying about in my BR and toss as much of it as possible. Got my twilight carafe from CB2 and looks really good on nightstand.
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=230&f=3336
The lumber will be used for below (although I still have to figure out a way to have someone come over and cut the mortices--If anyone knows of a good diy site for this sort of thing, please send it my way):
http://www.instructables.com/id/ELJQZB9L0YEP2863OB/?ALLSTEPS
Today will be a constructive day indeed!
Leela - Congrats on getting your outbox emptied!
For the cordtopus - what I have done in the past is to screw a simple hook into the back of the desk, and hang the cords from that. It will hold the weight of the tied cords so that the other items don't have to. Maybe that would help you too?
Smallcitybeth - your place looks great! The loveseat cover looks wonderful, and I thought the pink flowers set it off nicely.
My plans this weekend are simple: regular chores, declutter the main living area & empty the outbox, and try to find the right fabric for the MBR curtains/headboard.
Next weekend I don't have any major holiday plans, so the MBR closet will 'explode' - I will be putting up Christmas decorations (stored in that closet), re-organizing the closet, and replacing the badly warped shelf in there. So I'll end up with a large mess for a few days & after that the closet will be much better.
On the last post we were talking about growing to-do lists. Mine did that as well, and it will take several months to complete as it involves a few larger purchases - new glasses, new silverware, new futon cushion/cover, new coffeepot, new dresser, new items for the bathroom, etc. I can count the house Cured without them, but I still plan on doing these things as time & money allow.
ok...Sid's Hardware just called and said their truck broke down and will have to attempt delivery tomorrow before noon.
argh...
Truck broke down my ass. They always pull that or the truck was in accident. An appliance store once pulled this on us the day before Thanksgiving. We had put our old stove out for the trash that morning. We got a better stove delivered that day.
My one room cure is finished!
My outbox has been emptied, my pillows sewn & my art re-hung.
I painted my living room yesterdy & it has made such a difference - those pinky walls were really mkaing the room look smaller & darker.
The photos don't really do the new color justice at all - Cloud of Cream from McCormick's.
I love my apartment! Thanks to everyone for their help & suggestions!
and, AND...
they charged me tax on the delivery!
sorry, just venting a little.
The only way I know how to make motised joints is with a router. Can you borrow one?
The other way requires a drill and a saw. You can probably figure that out.
Too bad about the wood!
Holly, the place looks great!
Aren't those tiles shiny, smallcitybeth! Looks like the room is serene with your cover.
new photos linked in my name!
they're added to my set based on narrative reasons (i.e. i wanted the newer photos of the bed to be near older photos of the bed so you can see the progress, etc.), so you'll have to look out for the new ones.
Opo,
great idea, I changed my Cure set too. Mine now follows my floor plan so the changes to each area are more noticeable. It makes me feel better, this being my 2nd Cure and STILL not being finished.
Off to buy fabric...for some clothes this time.
you guys motivated me to finally tape and repaint my planned focus room in the living room. waiting for it to dry now, and regretting for not going with a deeper color.
i matched to a canvas print i have of this piece by hokusai: http://www.oneposter.com/UserData/Poster/Poster_1942.jpg (bought it in japan!)
the one on my wall is more blue toned, and i matched for the lighter blue. should have went with a darker sample though. maybe i'll go buy new paint tomorrow...
but, otherwise, yay. bf's sister coming here to visit next weekend is definitely a motivator!
Everybody's places are looking great!
I definitely need to work on my room today.
Oh, Holly.. Your place looks AWESOME.
Congratulations!
Come sprinkle some of your fairy dust here!
yeah, holly, it looks awesome!
also, Mama C, i think you should go with the angela adams rug with the aqua duvet. the second option is ok, but not nearly as cool as the angela adams.
everyone's doing such a great job!
ok, i have a question. is there some really obvious way to match drill bits to screws in such a way as to be able to drill a scout hole that is neither too big nor too small for the screw/anchor? i just made a nice big hole in the wall that is just a hair too big for the anchor. how can i keep from doing this again? this is not the first time this has happened to me.
congratulations holly in dc!!! Your place looks amazing!
oh, and leela, i actually agree with both those points (Veronica being a ho and the all-female thing). firstly, Betty and Veronica are the CLASSIC virgin-whore dichotomy in comic book format. and you can guess which one is which there. secondly, while i will inevitably buy an all female anthology and check out an all female show, um, i'm a feminist. i look out for that kind of stuff. not everybody does. and i feel like if we always have these all-female niches, there will be less pressure on curators to include women artists in their regular not all-female shows. which is where the viewership (and the money and success and all that) is at. by having these things, we sort of ghettoize ourselves.
which is a really contradictory opinion for me, considering that i still hold a grudge against Bluestockings for converting to a "radical" bookstore and letting guys work there and stuff. (Bluestockings used to be the women's bookstore in NYC and carried almost exclusively books by, about, and for women, pretty much only hired men, only had feminist signings and events, etc. now they're just lefties, with all the patriarchy that comes packaged with that.
sorry for my leftist political rant, but there's my answer for you, Leela. wish i'd known about the panel -- i'd have stopped by!
d'oh! only hired women! they only hired women! sorry!
though it would be interesting for a feminist bookstore to only hire men, considering what a pink collar field retail is...
Wow, oponomax, you've done wonders in there! Absolutely fabulous.
oh, opo, drill bits come in sizes. Sometimes their size is engraved on the side of the bit. The wall anchors are also sold by size. Match the numbers and voila.
However, since you can't always see the tiny numbers and you may have already thrown your packaging for the anchors away, I always eyeball the end of the drill bit with the end of the anchor (The "tail" if you will.)Physically hold one to the other and always pick a drill bit that looks a tad smaller.
If you are consistently making the hole a tad too large: then choose the next size down you think you should have. You can always make the hole a little bigger!
Another possibility: be sure you have US measurement drill bits for your anchors. There's a remote chance you may have picked up metric bits: that may account for things being "off." I doubt it though!
Oh and Mama--that rug from target is NOT calm! Bright and beautiful, but not calm!
Is that a vote for the Target rug over the Angela Adams?
BTW: Yeah, it is colorful... but trust me, it is calm compared to the acid/neon colors of the living room (fuschia, lime, orange and brown)...
Opoponax:place the drill bit in front of the screw. It should hide the body of the screw, but not the thread part. This method works with wood, but I'm not sure about masonry.
It's a vote for the angela adams, lol!
Sorry if that wasn't clear!
I got some staining done today and drilled some holes in an old ikea book carcass so I could put a shelf where I wanted it. Went to assemble the klasset boxes I'd purchased to corral the stuff to go on the shelf and they are the wrong size. errgh!
One step forward, one step back.
Click on my name to see a couple of shots of the bedroom work-in-progress...
BTW: I'm thinking of getting the 3ftX5ft version of either rug, for the foot of the bed only. So when you look at the pics, take that into account and consider that the rug would be directly in front of the cubbie unit with the bird prints.
Opo - My feelings exactly, and I actually ended the panel by commandeering the microphone and telling the assembled crowd (half cartoonists and college students, the other half Jewish Museum funders and members) that I was sorry we had to have the panel, sorry we had to be there at all, and that this keeps happening because it keeps happening, and we keep going around in a circle. What you said about how this makes it easy for curators not to include female artists is *exactly* the problem I have with this, and it's why the panel was organized to begin with; the Masters of Cartooning show at the JewMu and in Newark has NO women. No Lynda Barry, no Marie Severin, no Nell Brinkley, no Julie Doucet, etcetera.
Anyone else remember Womanbooks in upper Manhattan? I remember my mom taking me there in the late 70's when I was real little.
OK, sorry. Back to Curing. I'm doing something very cool tonight that I will hopefully have pics of soon! But Opo, feel free to email me off-list: lcorman(at)glittercannon.com, and I'll put you on my mailing list for future events, if you're interested. There are tons of cool gal cartoonists in Brooklyn! And guy, too.
Oh, and I called Veronica a ho because she was so mean. I always wanted Betty to win and as a kid I thought it would be great if they'd write a story where she'd just slug that smug meanie! It was totally a class thing, too, if hamfisted.
OK, sorry, end of off-subject-ness.
Holly in DC, opoponax, Mama Chilanga -- your rooms are so gorgeous! Well done. And Mama C, I vote for the Angela Adams rug, too. (I love the color scheme in your living room, but agree that the aqua makes such a calming contrast. You've done wonders with the resident toddler's bedroom wall -- those counting cards are so cool!)
Thanks for the suggestion about Reveal lightbulbs for my bathroom, Belledame73 (Leela?) and lsaspacey. I will see if I can find them in the round bulb version that this light fixture seems to need.
Lsaspacey, I'm glad you like the kitchen tile idea -- just one note of warning, they're not waterproof! I've already got a couple of waterspots on one of the tiles nearest the sink. I'm pondering trying to put a clear (unprinted) label over them to protect the printer ink from running, but wonder what that might do to the clearness of the color. I figure if a tile or two really gets messed up, hopefully the label will peel off and I can replace it. (I used 8 1/2 by 11 clear shipping labels, and printed three 3x6" tile covers on each page.)
I got the new bedroom drapes up this evening. The dark chocolate color looks so much better than the light yellow did, against the beige wall. But there's a small problem. One of the panels is about 3 or 4 inches shorter than the other one! They're both supposed to be 84" panels. Arrgghh. Guess there's some hemming in my future (not tonight, though).
Oops, sorry Belledame & Leela! I get muddled with the dual names on AT and Flickr! It was Belledame who suggested the Reveal lightbulbs.
Darn it! I'm behind on comments again. This is what I get for going out of town every weekend. lol
I put pictures of Coink up in my flickr. I'm not usually one for cute, but oh man, do I ever love this piggybank!
Anne (in Reno), I definitely like having the foot of the bed facing the door. I've decided (with the help of the SO, who is a good extra set of eyes) that I'm going to put the bed all the way in the corner, which frees up enough floor space for a little chair or bench for pulling on socks and tying shoes. It doesn't follow the "two nightstands, two lamps" perscription, but if I pull the bed out far enough to accomodate even a small nightstand, the room ends up horribly cramped.
Alana, have you figured out the Poang chair?? Mine has a different kind of upholstery. The pillow part is attached to the rest of the chair upholstery and attaches to the frame with velcro. :-/ But I think the pillow strap on yours is supposed to go around the top rung of the chair and then attach to itself. I thought there were snaps but maybe not? If you call Ikea customer service, I'm sure they'll be able to help you out!
Opo, I love your bedroom! So chill and comfortable.
Looking into a few more alternatives -- especially more affordable ones like:
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=2079058
I also really like the rug in your living room, CathyinMN. Where did you get it? Is it Crate and Barrell? Do you think it might work in my bedroom? I think it would look nice with the counting bird cards..
I like the last one very much, but I think it may fight with the cover too much. In fact, now that I see it on the bed, all of them will. You need something simple: maybe just an aqua stripe on a pale ground (or something).
Is the wall behind the numbers really green--or is that just the photo?
I forget who was looking for a way to avoild multiple panels on their bay window. Here is a bit of hardware, from the Sears Canada catalogue. Maybe Sears in the US will have something similiar?
http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B000FRZL1G/sr=1-3/qid=1163919260/ref=sr_1_3/104-7885244-9839966?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=16345111
As I am waiting for my son to fall asleep, I am wondering: what do you all keep on your dresser tops? True minimalists probably have nothing: packrats, everything.
What's the most practical?
I'm thinking a lamp, a jewellry box, some toiletries (I'd like to hide these but keep them accessible: any ideas?) Propped up picture frames.
I have no wall space for a mirror or I might keep a brush and comb.....
Oh and a dresser scarf. I have a wonderful woven shawl on it as a dresser scarf: does anyone else have one on their dresser?
Oh and smallcitybeth--don't put up with drapes that are too short. Call customer service, tell them to send you a replacement and send them back. That's just shoddy business on their part.
This is for Opoponax:
I just saw your post from the last Cure thread about window treatments. When I think Gypsy Caravan (don't we all?) I think that Urban Outfitters might have something that would work in your space. maybe one of these will work: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=26354&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=854&iProductID=26354
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=11139&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=854&iProductID=11139
This one is a great orange block print with blue satin ties.
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=21808&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=336&iSubCat=854&iProductID=21808
gretch0r-
Nice use of Boston Clips for picture hangers.
Lisa from VA-
Great colors.
Is it me, or is this site turning into a girls club?
Chris (nyc) -- I don't think the whole site is turning into a girls' club, but most of the people who post comments on the cure thread these days are women -- just how it turned out. If more men posted, it wouldn't look so much like a girls' club. Are there guys out there doing the Cure this time round?? Speak up, don't let chris feel so alone!
Alana -- I'd send the drapes back, but I didn't notice the discrepancy until I'd already poked holes in them to hang them. I'll just hem up the longer one and chalk it up to experience.
Lisa from VA -- I really like the second one, the turquoise one. It'll be interesting to see what Opo thinks.
In my little corner of the world, it's a good thing I missed donation day, and my extra kitchen chairs are still here. A friend phoned yesterday evening, and offered to host a 50th birthday party for me next month (I was delighted, I usually host my own birthday parties!) -- she needs to borrow all my kitchen chairs to have enough seating. Good thing I've still got them all! (And the party is before next month's donation day, so that will work out, too.)
Alana in Canada - on my dresser top I have a picture drawn by my husband, a candle in the shape of a curled dragon, several other pretties, a little container for my earings (I don't have a jewelry box right now), and for a dresser scarf I have a piece of red felt with reverse-block kanji on it that I added this morning.
I'm really enjoying the house this weekend. I went through a lot of the things scattered around the LR yesterday, and last night I got to lay around and read for the first time in a couple of weeks. I'm going through more things this morning while I finish weekend chores. I'm really taking advantage of waking up so early today!
Mama Chilanga, I agree with Alana that you should go with something simple on the floor. You want the rug to accent the other items in the room, not compete with them.
not only do i like the turquoise one, it was one of the inspirations for the room!
unfortunately i went back to urban outfitters last week to look at curtains and such, and the one near my work isn't carrying them anymore. and i won't order them online or try other stores because i have SERIOUS issues with UO as a company and don't like giving them my money. i don't mind it if it's something i really have to have (i do think a lot of their stuff is cute, in both clothing and housewares), and if i can find what i need in a convenient location. but i'm not going to go out of my way to shop there when i can find something just as good somewhere else.
so basically, had the convenient UO had those curtains, i'd have already picked them and purchased them and hung them yesterday! and the room would be finished. alas, it was not to be.
seeing everything set up over here by the windows, though, i agree with anne, who said i should go with something simple. between the desk and bookshelf there's a lot of visual activity happening over here, and i think a print might overwhelm. i also think there's already lots of color in this corner of the room. additionally, there are books and plants and things in the window sill behind the desk (photos to come!) that would make a long curtain difficult.
so i've decided to get the Umbra blinds, which i will probably leave virtually untouched and white. i may dye them with tea if they seem too stark in the room -- the white on my walls is both patina-ed with age and not a true gallery white, and it's already bugging me in comparison to some objects in the room (photos to come!).
oh, and by the way, i am proud to announce that this entire post was typed out and (hopefully) submitted right here at my new desk, sitting in my new chair, in front of the window of my 90% cured bedroom! w00t! pwn'd, transient closet of a boring white bedroom!
oh, yeah, and alana, you can see what's on my dresser in my flickr set.
mine is an old secretery, so i have a lot more surfaces and nooks and crannies and such. the goal is generally to keep the bottom surface clear and the top only for the specific objects that belong there (as seen in the photo). the reality is that the bottom surface is a haven for clutter and the top probably should have less stuff living there.
now that i've moved the desk in, i have more storage options out of view, and i also have a brand new surface to cover with junk. so i'd like to clear off more of the dresser surfaces. we'll see how that works out.
also, a bit OT, but i have to say it.
i don't know which of my neighbors is blaring "Sweet Caroline" at 10am on a Sunday morning, but he or she is officially my new hero.
perfect soundtrack for typing at my brilliant new desk.
Opoponax-- loved your print from MOMA - the tree- do you know who the artist is?
Opo,
I understand your feelings about Urban Outfitters, but I'm happy to know I was on the right wavelength style-wise. Looking back at your inspiration pic I see that those were white drapes with just a stripe of color on the edge anyway. Can't wait to see the Cured 90%.
By the way, I just now ordered this http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprojects/300289706/in/set-72057594116205674/
blue and lime print for the purple sofa's bolster pillows and am buying the pillow forms later today. Also debating on placing the order for these lamps today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprojects/300289709/in/set-72057594116205674/. Maybe one or two? So I AM still working on my Cure.
Yay, Opoponax! What a wonderful feeling to be using your new desk, in your new "Gypsy Caravan", and to be feeling so happy! Yay! (Sweet Caroline, good times never felt so good... indeed!) (and thanks for the earworm!) (hope I've got the right "Sweet Caroline", I hail from another era, you know...)
Alana in my home and native land, when I had a dresser, I had way too much stuff on it, is what I had on it. I tried a dresser scarf, but I wasn't good at dusting at the best of times, and the dresser scarf suffered for it. One of the reasons I got rid of it as one of my One Big Items in my summer Cure on My Own, was because I tended to use the top more than the dresser itself. I really miss it for a place to set my hairdryer and curling thingy, though. I'll find a picture when it was dressed up and on its best behavior, and post it on my Flickrs for your amusement/edification/as a cautionary tale.
This morning I wrestled with the new bedskirt, and I won! I didn't find it easy getting it hoisted up the length of the bed, with the mattress fighting me all the way (I was wishing a few of you could come over and help) but I won, and it's on, and it was so worth it. I just came in from the laundry room, and saw it through the open bedroom door, and it looked so good (it's tailored, I'm not a "ruffle" person). The differences in shade of chocolate aren't too glaring (but I may look for a darker sheet for the headboard. When the sun shines on it, it's definitely milk chocolate.) With all these chocolate colored things in my bedroom, I'll likely wake up feeling that my bloodsugar has gone through the roof!
I'll post a few pics in a few days, but will wait for the final Final Pics until after Dec 1, as the new stuff makes me definitely want new pillows, two not one, with shams.
A couple of people mentioned that they were reorganizing their Flickr pics -- I plan to do that for my Final Photo Shoot in party week. I've decided that it's too hard to get people together for a housewarming in December, so I'm going to have a Virtual Housewarming, sending an email to the friends I would like to invite to a real housewarming, explaining Apartment Therapy (for those who haven't been getting a running commentary all along!), and giving them a link to my Final Photo Shoot. At this stage, that seems to be the best way for me to share all that I've been doing. I'm going to included pictures labeled "Way Before", which will be from before I started Curing On My Own, and will be the way my friends know/knew my apartment.
I've just added two dresser photos to my Flickr, link in my name.
Must get other things done...
Yay opo!!
I'm thrilled for you. Anxious to see the finale.
I managed to find an orange I am absolutely in love with. I went to be last night thinking it was so beautiful I may want to paint my bedroom in it!
I overdid getting up so early yesterday. Stayed up too late too. But I'm on my feet now and will try to make more progress over the next three days. I worked all day in the kitchen and bath though the progress looks minimal. Also, full cart to Goodwill. Old space heater, mismatched mugs, two glasses, a flannel robe, and some shirts I'll never be skinny enough to wear again.
The door panel was worth the wait.
Lady J--all that stuff in the outbox does make a difference! And a clean kitchen just feels good.
Lisa in VA--where are these lamps to go? Do you need two? Will you want two eventually (as side lamps in the living room or bedroom.) They are gorgeous. So is the fabric.
Good for conquering the bedskirt, smallcitybeth. I've bought a new one for my dd's bed and I fear I will have to call in manly help to get it on! (Well, I'll need his help to get the mattress off the bed. Same difference.)
Painted some dowels in a stick for ds to use in his closet to hang up his various costumes. dh got them installed to my specs this morning.
I'm still trying to decide whether I want to keep the tofbo shower curtain from IKEA. It is very busy (though pretty) and it has no yellow in it. The dark blue and bright orange just isn't working for me as a colour scheme. I'd rather go with an orangy/yellow (closer to the tile which isn't true orange) a light blue and yellow.
But as I'm looking for orange--and not finding anything--I'm wondering--have I missed the boat? Or is it just the wrong season? (or both!)
augh! halfway through the 90% finished photo shoot, my camera battery died! it's charging now, but depending on how long it takes i'll probably be racing the light to get any more daylight shots. the past couple weeks the winter light has come in (full dark by 4:30), and it drives me nuts.
i'll also be able to take some night time photos this time, as i've added in more lamps.
somebody above (and in my flickr comments) wanted to know who the MoMA postcard illustration is by. i haven't been ignoring you, i just couldn't figure out the answer without taking the postcard off the wall. i'm now reporting back that it's by Laura Owens.
and alana -- i had a similar problem finding just the right shades of blues, teals, and greens. i'm actually surprised that you're having trouble with oranges, it being fall and everything. this is something that kind of annoys me in houseware design. the big companies try to change colorways seasonally when, at least in my experience, people just don't replace stuff like that frequently enough for that to make sense. in the end i just decided i was going to have to be looser with the colors of my accessories and maybe gradually augment as i run across things that will work better. depending on what you're looking for, you could also try thrift stores, flea markets, and other places where there isn't some corporate bigwig who decides that Winter 2007 is going to be All About Prussian Blue or whatever. though having gone down the same road, i know that's easier said than done.
Mama Chilanga, lovely duvet cover! My livingroom rug is indeed from Crate & Barrel. It's called "Sevilla", and, unfortunately, a lot of other people liked it too. Mine had to be shipped in from another store, and they only have a few of the 2' x 3' left online. Even if they had the right size left, I think the colors would be a bit too deep and yellow-based for your room.
Off I go to run some errands!
Alana -- It's the wrong season for orange. Fall merchandise seems to have been cleared out for Xmas, and that'd be especially true in Canada, where you've already done Thanksgiving and thus have no more call for orange and brown ceramic turkeys with matching towels, say. (Gee, was I at Target today?)
Do you know what's next down the food chain in terms of where out-of-season merchandise goes in your region? I've lived in places where certain Goodwill stores got new-with-tags department store goodies once the store's last clearance efforts ran out of steam. Or you may do better at the store's own clearance outlet.
I don't claim to have done anything Cure-ish other than hanging out half our pictures; too much going on.
Hi all,
Everyone has been doing such great work, I'm feeling more than a bit behind. I did, however, get my outbox pretty much emptied today. I have one more box to take to Goodwill and some stuff to take to my storage space in the basement.
My bedroom is much tidier than it has been since I moved in, but it's still utterly lacking in style and charm and...well all sorts of things.
I put my linens on a set of shelves, but I'm not sure I'm too fond of the setup.
I've pretty much ignored the bathroom, but there's not much space to do much in, so it's mostly okay, I think.
Any help anyone can give will be most welcome.
wrtmaus - I left you a note in flickr.
Alana and lsaspacey - I uploaded a new paint chip picture. My apologies for thinking you meant the Green Grapes instead of Granny Smith on there, Alana! It makes a lot more sense now. The pic I added is just the paint chips under discussion, so one can see how they look together.
Today- watched football (won in last 32sec!), did chores, and now you can see the coffee table and kitchen table. Also, the outbox is empty and the magazines are sorted. I'm happy with that! DD did a 50-thing-fling boogie in her room, to my delight, and that will leave by Monday (next week) as I posted it to Freecycle.
For recently out-of-season... a local Salvation Army gets Target scratch/dent/unsold items; also for Target, find the nearest Target Greatland as they get the other Target's off-season stuff and try to clear it out (my local greatland, for ex, *always* has 3-6 racks of clearance women's clothes.) They may have stuff slightly longer.
Crashing the hen party again,
Technically, my wife and I are not doing the cure. We (mostly me) just use this site for inspiration and ideas, however, we planned a housewarming party... As a housewarming party, we wanted to have the party before the holiday party season kicked in, which gave us a deadline to work against.
I cannot tell you how much having a party will inspire you to get things done that you've procrastinated on.
We've already had our party, but this weekend we've been doing a little more work on our bedroom. We took another bundle of donations to our local church-owned thrift store.
Our bedroom project happens to coincide with those who are actually doing "the cure", so I've been checking in here for inspiration.
I'm the one most guilty of being the pack-rat (mostly books and magazines), but we're both compulsive "collectors". I have a piece of advice for collectors- find something small to collect. I few years ago, I began to focus my collecting on cufflinks (actually, a very specific manafacturer from the early part of the last century). I have a respectable collection, yet even in their jewel boxes they can all fit in less than one square foot of drawer space.
On another note, a little off topic, but I thought I read here that we were going to do an entertain-system thread. Does anyone recall this?
I feel like a lurker now, haven't posted in what feels like forever. I feel like nothing has gotten done recently and I'm not sure what else to do. The shower curtain developed a hole after being washed so I need to replace it. The curtains and shams for the bedroom are still on the way. The Outbox is slowly filling up again. I just feel like there's nothing really proactive I can do right now and it's getting me down. And I am DEFINITELY not shopping for the party next Saturday until Friday, the stores are crazy right now! So basically I feel like nothing will be happening until after Thanksgiving and it frustrates me. I really enjoy seeing everyone else's progress, though, it really inspires me.
So sleepy. But before I turn in, I just wanted to thank everyone who has left comments on my bedroom photos. There have been lots of great suggestions, and I'm much more inspired than I have been in a couple of weeks (during which I had not been posting much or putting up new photos...hmm). Tomorrow I'll get hooks so that I can hang my quilt, then I'll decide what else I need to do to make things better in there. Putting the duvet cover on the comforter may help too, I suppose.
I really want to make this cure work, and I think I've come a long way, but I'm really tentative about what my style is (if I even have one). It comes across in how I dress and the lack of art on my walls, and I really just don't know where to start most of the time. I know it's way late in this process to be mentioning this, but that's the way it goes.
I'm so impressed with how all of you are pulling your spaces together so cohesively, and I wish I could figure out how to do the same thing here.
My downstairs neighbor moved into her place a couple of months after I moved in here, and the glimpses I get when her doors or windows are open are of tons of colorful art on the walls and a pulled-together space that looks like someone actually lives there and enjoys the space. I love my apartment, but I don't know how to get there from here.
It's working better than it was a few weeks ago, but it still feels like I'm waiting for something, permission to settle in? I don't know.
Wow, sorry that got so long and rambly and tangential. Thanks for reading, if you actually made it all the way through.
Anne in Reno - Friday is Black Friday (I'm guessing you're in the US). Do you ~really~ want to go shopping that day? Just thought I would mention that; I know some people do.
Chris - I don't remember anything about an entertainment-system thread, sorry. Glad you've got a small collectible though! I can appreciate the space my (much larger) items tend to take up.
Oh Tara, I didn't think - by party shopping I mean grocery store-type shopping. All the Week 8 chapter is about is party prepping. I have a huge list because I'm expecting at least 15-20 people (possibly more) on Saturday night and what I love best is to be prepared waaaay in advance. But the grocery stores will be SLAMMED for the next 3 1/2 days. So I can't party prep until Friday a.m. and that frustrates me to no end.
On the collections end of things, I keep my collection small by only sticking to one hard-to-find author and thus my collection is less than half of a shelf on my bookshelf. Walt Kelly, if anyone has heard of him, is not easy to find. But he always has space reserved in the bookshelf, no matter how much I cull out of there.
P.S. Wrtrmaus, if you like what you've seen of your neighbor's space, go talk to her. Maybe she can give you some advice/suggestions or at least give you a tour of her place for some inspiration.
Sounds like your game was more exciting--even though we were watching the Grey Cup! dh is a huge Montreal fan--and fortunately the team showed up for the second half--dh was really grumpy! They lost. We go over to my mom's to watch the game while she goes elsewhere ot entertains the kids. So, I didn't get any curing done either--except dh did by a heavier sander! The one we had was all right for boards and stuff...but for walls....that's another matter. He tried it out and is quite proud of his ability to "feather." Yay dh. I don't think he's ever done so many "home repair" type stuff in his life before. He also screwed the cd rack into a shelf above the TV for me today...so another little project is completed.
Except for painting the bathroom, and sanding the shelves for the bathroom, all the "big" projects now involve sewing, I think. So, my dining room table can change from "drop cloth central" to a sewing station!
I love the orange paint colour so much (BM August Morning) I think I want to use it in my bedroom. And that means I'm back to square one for picking out a paint colour for the bathroom!
About the store food chain: really, I have no idea. There's no Target here, so no Target Outlet. Goodwill is overpriced here for second hand goods. I've never seen dept. store "downgrades" at charity stores in this area. They work strictly by donation--and we don't get a tax receipt for them here either.
wtrmaus and tara I'll be off to look at your flickr comments in a few minutes. Oh--and congrats to your dd, Tara! A 50-fling boogie--good for her! Tell her I'm proud of her! :)
Tara wrote:
> Chris - I don't remember anything about
> an entertainment-system thread, sorry...
Ah, I'm glad I'm not going crazy.
The Media Room - Posted Nov. 14th
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/news/at-wants-you-014497
So, they're adding an entire new feature to the site in January.
They're seeking contributors.
Hmmm...
Go for it, Chris! Glad to have you with us at the "hen party."
Anne in Reno--if you want to keep "curing"--keep adding to your style tray. And don't just look as if you are "shopping"--pick out whole rooms that make you feel good. Don't even worry about whether they express a consistent style. Same advice for you wrtrmaus. Your style will eveolve too! I have stuff in flickr, but I also have a computer file for on-line images I find and a scrapbook to paste things in. I actually dargged out something from the scrapbook to explain something to dh this evening!
And I'm so glad to see you again Wende. Someone said you had "left the site" because of all the nastiness with the colour contest, so I'm glad to see you. Found any orchids, yet?
Ok Alana, I don't know how you can work on your style tray without it feeling like shopping. However, I have found a potential replacement for the hideous dining room fixture. The fact that it's in my price range worries me about it's quality though. But for the price, I might give it a shot (I think I just paraphrased Ikea's business plan).
well, at the risk of soliciting comments from "our" lurkers, it's called "fantasizing" or, if you prefer a less loaded term, "imagining."
If money, time, location, etc were no object, when looking at a spread in the mag, ask yourself, "Would I like to spend time in this room? What do I imagine myself doing in this room?"
egads. I'm not. going there.
Okie dokie....
As we start our last week together (already I'm feeling sad) I think one of the things each of us must take a moment to do is reflect and record all the work each of us has done these past eight weeks.
I'll start:
What have dh and I done in the last 8 weeks?
Repaired stair nosing on 3 back stairs and laid new tile on stair tread and riser.
Washed kitchen shelves and decluttered
Covered all photo boxes and painted the lids
Tossed decorating and hobby mags
Installed new dimmer switch.
Purchased one lamp and two lampshades.
Covered drawer boxes
Hung shelf in bookcase
Varnished living room floor
Painted coving in living room
Decluttered all shelves. (Made $20 taking old books to 2nd hand bookstore)
Purchased, cut, stained and hung new corner shelf in living room.
Purchased, stained and hung cd rack in living room.
Purchased new chair.
Purchased fabric for living room blinds and top treatment
Stripped, primed and painted bathroom ceiling.
Stripped one bathroom wall to the plaster.
Decluttered bookshelves in bedroom
Decluttered jewelry box in bedroom.
Decluttered medicine cabinets.
Touched up paint scuffs on stair risers and door trim.
Wow. Doesn't seem like much, really!
Alana in Canada said "Doesn't seem like much, really!" Ack! Alana, you have done so much work throughout the Cure! I have been in awe of your energy and your stick-to-it-iveness! Besides which, you didn't list all the help you've given all of us, which was phenomenal, and really, really appreciated!
I don't have time to write a list right now, I should be concentrating on finishing breakfast and getting to work (but this is more fun!)...I will work on a list later, though, because it seems a good idea. A very good idea. This being pat-ourselves-on-the-back week, and celebrate all we've done (and even being in a quandary, as you are, wrtrmaus, is progress, because it shows you're thinking about things in a new way).
Wrtrmaus, I hear you about having trouble defining your "style". I don't seem to fit into any category that Maxwell has listed -- I've finally dubbed my style "Mid-Life What-I-Like". As for personal style, in dressing I mean, I found enormous help in a book I came across this summer, "Nothing to Wear? A Five-Step Cure for the Common Closet" by Joe Lupo and Jesse Garza. It's like apartment therapy for clothes, helps you figure out your personal clothing style, and gives help for choosing what will work for you to wear.
Must eat that (soggy) cereal and get to work...
P.S. Anne (in Reno) -- Walt Kelly? Pogo? "We have met the enemy and he is us"? "Deck the halls with Boston Charlie, Walla Walla Wash and Kalamazoo"?
Gah. Not "Deck the halls".. "Deck us all with Boston Charlie..." If I'm gonna quote Pogo, I'd better get it right!
"Not much," Alana? Uh... uh... if that list is "not much," I'd hate to see what you're like on an energetic month.
Although Sunday amounted to almost nothing, I rallied around 10:30pm and emptied a lot old toiletries down the loo and rinsed the bottles out. They are now bagged for a trip down the trash chute. As I love the smell goods, this quite a lot of crap being cleared out.
Not the best I could have done, but progress.
Hmm, the wrapup list. I was doing some painting and stuff before I started Curing and overall in the last weeks I don't think I was quite as busy as Alana, but here goes:
General: cleaning/dusting/mopping/vacuuming. Lots of window shopping and working on style tray.
Prior: stripped entryway of wallpaper, painted entryway, hall and office as well as most doors and trim.
Kitchen: rearranged dishes, got rid of some extraneous Tupperware, replaced gross old pans, whole oven project culminating in a nice new functional oven, removal of old too-small curtains, cleaned and wiped down floors, counters and small appliances.
Bedroom: painted, got media frenzy under control, decluttered a bunch of old clothes, ordered curtains and shams, successfully got plants, new bedside lamp and throw pillows, new switch and outlet covers.
Office: decluttered and organized bookshelf to display objets, framed and hung art, cleaned and decluttered desk and closet, boxed up computer cds, hung curtains, cleaned out magazine stash.
Bathroom: cleaned and decluttered vanity and medicine cabinet, hung curtains.
Living room: not much yet, cleared off shelves and tidied up a little bit, emptied out most of coat closet, hung up actual coats in it.
I guess once the stuff I ordered for the bedroom comes in I will do a final set of "After" photos as I am pretty much done for a while.
Hi everyone,
I just got my book but obviously on the tail end of this Cure. I was wondering if it will repeat, and if so, when. It seems like way more fun to do the cure with a nice group of people through this blog. Thanks!
Hi, Meredith! Welcome to the group! I'm expecting that there will be a Spring Cure next year, if Maxwell follows the schedule he set up this year. This year, the Spring Cure ran from the beginning of April to the end of May -- there are a few of us who plan to be back for the Spring Cure, so we'll look for you to join us. In the meantime, you can look through the book, maybe make plans, do some stuff -- I found I was really able to accomplish more during this Online Cure, because I'd done a bunch of behind the scenes Curing on my own prior to the start of the Online Cure. But it was definitely better working with the group!
Yesterday, I was just thinking about encaustic for the first time in ages and sure enough along comes somebody who works in encaustic. Nice work, Meredith.
meredith -- well the first cure was in march/april when the book came out. and this one started, what, beginning of october? so i'm guessing they'll probably wait till spring to do another. but who knows, maybe there'll be a "ring in the new year" cure.
wrtmaus -- my advice would be to start out from a focal point or something you already have that you want to play up. for instance my main goals were making my bed more inviting and setting up a work area.
i wouldn't get hung up on "style" in terms of a choice between a, b, c, or d. i don't fit into those categories either. and i'm not sure how what i did in my room matches up with who my favorite actors are, etc. it was really more a matter of having a few goals in mind for the space and a few ideas i wanted to try. the execution was all about putting together the pieces and filling in the blanks.
my wrap-up list:
made superficial improvements to my landing strip
then i moved into the bedroom where i:
*did a major decluttering and cleaning
*framed art i already had
*bought, begged, and scavenged a desk, chair, bookshelf, and rug
*finally broke down and got new linens, pillows, and lamps
*painted the trim around my windows, the radiator, and its accompanying pipe
oh, and i bought a new media stand for my TV, etc. though that's outside the room.
by the end of the holiday weekend, i also will have hung curtains in my windows, as well as a long curtain along the backs of the bookshelves to act as a door and room divider.
wow, that really doesn't sound like a whole lot...
Thanks everyone for the advice re: air purifiers! Vivienne
Hi,
I love your bedding. Can you tell me where you purchased it and if it might be available? It';s just what I've been looking for.
Well, my list is going to pale in comparison with Alana's -- and others' -- but here goes. This is what I have accomplished in the past 8 weeks. Well, 7 weeks. This week is just starting.
Got rid of a lot of clutter.
Sorted through old manuscripts and drafts, and shredded/discarded many, filed the rest
Did a lot of shredding (more to go, but I'm going to corral it so it no longer takes over the storage room)
Organized the storage room
Set up a landing strip, admittedly a carb one, but a neat, tidy, and functional landing strip nonetheless
Cleaned the kitchen
Reorganized some of the kitchen cupboards
"Invented" a way to turn white tiles into red tiles, and decorated the counter ledge with them
Tried out some "art" on the wall above the stove
Worked on a style tray (on my computer)
Started to learn about color and the color wheel
Cleaned the living room/office
Reorganized the desk and the desk area, put away the fax machine, moved the phone
Made a "reading nook" sort of...
Slipcovered the loveseat
Reframed some photos and displayed them
Deep cleaned the bathroom (including scrubbing grout and tiles)
Bought new accessories for the bathroom
Decided on a new color scheme for the bedroom
Purchased new bedskirt, blanket, headboard sheet, drapes, toss pillows, alarm clock, for new color scheme -- set them up/installed them/whatever
Still decluttering and cleaning bedroom
Had two "parental health" problems during the cure, so had to take two short breaks
Had fun
Made friends
Learned lots
That's about it. It's not as dramatic as painting or suchlike, but it has made quite a difference in my apartment!
Opo, if you're not convinced that you did much, take a look at before and after pictures of your room. They will speak volumes.
What I've done so far:
Mopped/dusted/vacuumed the whole place and cleaned icky scuff marks off the walls
Unstuck doorknob and started pestering landlord to fix peeling paint in bathroom
Bought and hung curtains in the kitchen
Rearranged dining nook and bought new dining chairs
Hung Knappa pendant
Organized closets
Rearranged livingroom
Finally decided on a slipcover for the couch
Bought new chair and created reading nook
Obtained side table for reading nook
Added table lamp, sidetable, and floor lamp to livingroom
Hung shelves over chair and in landing strip
Added hooks, whiteboard, and Coink(!) to landing strip
Tamed cordtopus
Traded big old stereo for new little one
Freed up space in the bathroom
Semi-rearranged bedroom
Bought bedskirt, duvet cover, blanket, and pillows
Obtained (or will obtain at 8:30 tonight) cute little chair for bedroom
Added touch lights to the closet and found a lamp for the nightstand
Fretted endlessly over every single little decision lol
Met fun people!
What I want to get done over the holiday weekend:
Hang the art and photos that I have
Obtain more art and photos
Hem showercurtain
Do another thorough mop/dust/vacuum
Decide what kind of headboard I want
Find better lampshade for floor lamp
Find light-blocking shade that will fit the bedroom window
Find smaller, dimmer alarm clock
Find rug for bedroom
Take "after" pictures!!
Wow. I've done a lot more than I realized. Nice. :)
Fantastic lists everyone! Yes, opo, you too. It's not just the physical changes that count--but the mental ones too and there were a lot of those for you and all of us, too.
"not as much as Alana" geesh--remember, I'm at home all day, twiddling my thumbs while the (not-so) little ones pester me about 9+6 and stuff. (In fact, much to my single-minded obsession with the cure, they didn't get much "school" and that can't happen again!)
I was obsessive, I was compulsive: and the achievements, though impressive, may not, in the end, be worth the cost. But it's done. I'm moving forward. Of their own accord both kids asked me if they could do some math today.
But enough. My remaining "to do" list is almost as long and as complicated as the "what I did list" and you can bet that without the energy of this group it won't all get done before the Spring cure. But that's a good goal to shoot for...
Maxwell is right about the party. One needs a sense of closure to this. Eight weeks is a good long time to be spending focussed on one's home.
I've enjoyed hanging out with you all. And we still have six more days.....
What ARE we supposed to be doing this week anyway?
Thanks Henrietta!
I suppose I'll just keep my eye on apartmenttherapy for the next cure. The new year would be perfect!
Thanks again for all of your comments and advice everyone. I went browsing today and found a possible substitute lamp for my bedroom. Also a chandelier, but I'm not sure I'm the chandelier type.
I bought a mattress pad and some luxurious pillowcases. I wanted to buy a bedframe, figured out how to put my backseat down and everything, but the place I thought I could get one from was out. I'll get new pillows tomorrow.
I'm debating moving my bed so that the head is on the wall where the bookcase is now. I don't think I like sleeping under the high shelves (which are a landlord innovation, by the way). Not sure if this will be a good arrangement or not, and too tired tonight to try and figure it out.
Also, I know Maxwell advocates lamps on both sides of the bed, but does this apply to twin beds as well, or just "grownup" sized beds?
As you can see, I'm still in a bit of a muddle.
wrtrmaus - I'd apply the dual bedside lamps to your bed as well, unless you have a reason not to do so. It provides visual balance to the room, which is calming.
Alana - This week we're supposed to finish Curing & get ready for the party.
Hmm, accomplishments-so-far list:
Rearranged bedroom
Rearranged living room
Removed extra furniture
Weeded books again (ongoing item, that)
Figured out color schemes for LR & MBR
Got a refresher course of colors (thank you!)
Have nearly chosen a paint color for the LR
Got bookshelf slipcovered
Figured out why DD's room irks me (clashing patterns, en route to being fixed)
Purchased bench for new landing pad.
Made plans for finishing MBR
That sounds like so little, for something that has had such a Major impact on our home.
So I wasn't going to shop anymore. Then my shower curtain ripped. Maybe I'm an impulse buyer, but I ended up getting a shower curtain, liner, lampshade and frying pan. But they were all things I'd been thinking about/shopping for for most of the Cure. So I guess it's ok. It's all little stuff like that now that's bugging me so it was pretty satisfying to get that stuff (annoyingly less than cheap, though).
Oh, yes, I forgot. I rearranged my desk at work Friday, where my back used to be to the 'door' of the cube. Now I face the opening & work is MUCH better on several levels.
Maybe I'm jumping ahead, and this will come up in Maxwell's next post, but I've just been reading the Week Eight chapter, and trying to evaluate what I've done -- I think I've done pretty well on bones and breath, and I'm working on heart, but when I look at head, I find a lack -- maybe it's because I've been so very busy Curing for the last 7 weeks, and when I haven't been actively Curing, I've been on the computer reading about other people's Cures, but when Maxwell says on page 234 "I hope you have seen your home in a new light...You have been using it more fully, and I hope you have discovered what a calm and comfortable refuge your home can be when it is a steady part of your life." I think I'll start discovering that in the next few weeks when I'm not so overly active in getting things done as I've been over the past 7-8 weeks. I think that "cooking at home" step, which I haven't done yet, would certainly help. The Cure has been highly successful for me on a number of fronts, but I can still see room for improvement. I guess that's natural, life would be pretty boring if there weren't always areas that could be improved, things that could be learned, growth that could happen. I think the Cure has opened me to a lot of possibilities along those lines. I'd kind of been in a rut, and I've learned to look at things with different eyes, a bit anyway -- that's good. Thanks, everybody. (That sounds like goodbye, and of course it isn't, yet, but I guess it's sort of winding down and thinking forward to what happens next, when we're back to regular life.) I think that besides planning and preparing for a party, real or virtual, and finishing up loose ends of the Cure, this week (and next week, if we use it as kind of a celebratory, posting pictures week) is sort of a decompression chamber, getting us ready to get back into our ordinary day-to-day lives. This has been a pretty intense experience, and it'll take some pulling back and refocussing to get back to life as it's usually lived. But as Alana said, 8 weeks is a long time to be so focussed on one's home. In the Week Eight Chapter, Maxwell asks if we're feeling more energetic this week. I might be, if I wasn't so tired... :) Maybe that last sentence is a signal that I should stop this rambling, and go to bed. Good idea. G'night...
I'm here! Busy day. (non-cure related-wise!)
I was wondering, if someone came up to you and asked, "So, what is this 'cure' thing, anyway?"
How would you answer?
Beth, I agree, I think. I feel like I've been concentrating so much on fixing and changing and rearranging that I've forgotten the living aspect of the Cure. I cook at home and whatnot on a regular basis but I feel like I skimped in the Heart department. Maybe the party will help that (it keeps getting bigger...).
And Alana, that's a very complicated question. I would say the Cure a way to take ownership of your living space instead of treating it like a dorm room. We want to be able to love and be proud of the places we live, as well as be able to get a good night's sleep. I have friends who move and then live out of boxes for months, to the point where you can't really visit them unless you want to climb over some boxes to get in the door and then hang out sitting on a box. This is the opposite of that - where we live may be transitory sometimes, but it never has to feel that way.
I would equate The Cure to the "Hero's Journey," from the Call to Adventure (Action) to Threshold Guardian (kitchen, repairs), Road of Trials (style tray, hanging wall art, clearing Out Box), Quest Companions (other Curees), the Final Trial (the party), the Boon (a complete new perspective on home planning and care) and the Return (spreading the word).
(Oh, plus those Moments of Illumination along the way: how nice fresh flowers are, how easy some repairs are, new retail resources.)
I hope you Fall Guys don't forget those of us still in the fight.
Lady J -- what a cool and insightful explanation of the Cure! And Anne, yes, yours resonates with me, too. Now, lets see if I can come up with my own thoughts (I should have worked out my response to Alana's question before I read other people's answers)...
For me, the Cure has been a chance to look at my apartment with fresh eyes, and a fresh attitude -- to really think about how things are arranged, and what would be best. In my Cure on My Own, I really worked hard on flow in my Living Room -- I'd had a combination bowling alley and movie theater, and tried to change that. It's a way to say "I am worth having a nice home". (I was going to say "having a nice space", but changed that to "home", because the concept of home is integral to the Cure, I think -- we're working towards seeing where we live as "home", not just "space".) It's a way of really getting in touch with what "home" means, and how to express that in the space we live. And it's about learning. Learning from Maxwell and his book, but especially learning from other Cure-people, who haven't known us before, so bring no pre-conceived notions of who we are to our spaces, as friends and family would, and who can give us a fresh perspective, and lead us to ideas that surprise and delight us. Along the way, the Cure helps us to clear out what is no longer meaningful in our lives, and to celebrate who we are right now. As I head toward my 50th birthday, I found that the decluttering through the Cure was really a way of owning who I am right now, celebrating how far I've come, and looking forward to all I can be.
The short version of that is "The Cure is a way of learning to be "at home" at home.
I completely agree with your sentiment, SCB. For me, the problem wasn't the decluttering or the cleaning (I'm innately driven to do those things) but to really 'feather my nest' in a logical and comfortable way. My apartment, like everyone else's home, has its good points and its challenges. I'll probably do a series of one-room cures, hopefully starting with someplace not even in my apartment - the fire escape. I want to make my own little hanging gardens there.