apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm not a fan of FLOR because I don't like the feel of the tiles, but wow, the colors and patterns here are amazing!

What I want to know is how everyone gets these great wide-angle shots of whole rooms at a time. It takes me at least three photos to encompass what's going on in one room and I don't know how to do the panorama thing and stick them together. It kind of depresses me to see everyone else's awesome pictures. How do you do it?!

Wow, the space has really pulled together nicely. Be proud!

That is a cute-cute-cute living room!

(I got sidetracked by work and can't claim to have finished the Cure, though I did find one more accent pillow during bedroom week.)

Do you know what I love about this? Instead of fighting the toys in the room, you embrace them and incorporate the colors into your overall room scheme. It's terrific! Fun and child-friendly, yet sophisticated.

People are usually struggling to hide all the toys because they clash with the furniture. But really, why fight it? Hiding the toys is a no-win situation, which you obviously recognize. So instead of hiding them, you use them as accessories! Brilliant!

Thanks so much for all of the compliments!

Hiding the toys was not an option. We are in a one-bedroom apartment, so it isn't like we can make the kidlet keep her toys in her own room ;-)

We needed a living room that worked for cocktail parties *and* toddler playdates.

We're creating other play zones, too, one in the bedroom and another in the hallway, which would otherwise be wasted space. I'll post more pics soon.

I love what you've done with your living room!!

Do you mind revealing the name of the pink Harper bird print? My mom has been collecting Harper since the 70's and I would love to get her that print for Christmas!! Also, any advice about where to purchase it? Thanks in advance!! :-)

I'm not a big fan of the FLOR tiles because people seem to go a bit nuts with them. The room pictured above certainly sticks with a particular colour scheme, but I find the final effect quite busy because of the randomness of the carpet contrasted with the bright white dot of a table. I think a single cohesive rug that incorporated those colours would work better than the checkerboard of patterns that FLOR tiles create. Each to their own, of course, and it might not be such an impact when you're actually in the room.

I got it on eBay from this seller:

www.chrismanart.net

It is from the Ford Times series.

They have a huge selection of Harper prints, so I'm sure they can help you find something special, whatever your price range ;-)

Allison:

We had a hard time finding a patterned rug with those colors that was within our price range -- especially since we wanted something the toddler wouldn't be able to ruin. The beauty of FLOR is that we can wash individual tiles in the sink, or replace them for $10-20 dollars.

If you know of any moderately priced, patterned rugs with lime, brown, fuschia and orange, do let us know ;-) The only one we saw was by Mary Kate & Ashley, and even though we did buy a PB Teen lamp, I don't think I could buy a rug from the Olsen twins on principle...

Thanks so much, Mama Chilanga! I went to their site, but it seems that they no longer sell Harper's work...Thanks anyway for the info :-)

^ Disregard, I just found it on Ebay!!! Thanks again!

Can a person be tired and invigorated at the same time? There wasn't a choice in the survey for "tired but happy", which is what I would have picked if I could. I have a feeling that Maxwell's suggestion of getting to sleep early may be helpful in sustaining the energy level. I chose the "invigorated and energetic" choice because I'm definitely not the same as I was before the cure, and I'm not depressed by the Cure. So I must be "invigorated and energetic".

I'm definitely happy about the Cure, in general. I tried to do too much, but I don't think I was the only one! I'm going to work at the Head and Heart stuff. And I'm looking forward to just enjoying my Cured home. (After three Cures, it's looking so much better. Now I have to learn to enjoy it!)

And, Mama C, it's so good to see your living room featured. You did such a good job! Has your new rug for the bedroom arrived yet?

Just wondering -- who all's still with us to celebrate graduation? We don't have to be absolutely finished to graduate (at least, in my opinion), we just have to have made progress. Right?

true confessions of the opoponax:

my cure is still only 90% finished. actually, maybe like 91%, because i did buy most of the curtains and the last pillow cover. but i've been really dragging on finishing the window treatments, and i haven't put up any more art at all.

i did, however, add a lovely pile of winter coats to the floor, however, after the coat hook fell off the landing strip wall last Wednesday night. have i gotten around to fixing this, going on a week later? of course not.

heck, i haven't even had time to get my 90% photos on flickr! mostly this is due to an insane week at work and a piss poor internet connection at home.

i'm also feeling discouraged about having a celebratory dinner party, as the living room has really taken the brunt of the bedroom's cure and is not looking its best these days.

at least i know that when i finally hang the curtains and the art, get the coats off the floor and the living room a wee bit touched up, everything will be SOOO nice...

"...Can a person be tired and invigorated at the same time?..."

Oh yes. I made progress, but there's still tons to do.

I am exhausted...I scrambled to clean and fix as much as possible before we had our families and our friends over for a Saturday Thanksgiving party. Now it's kind of a mess again, so no pics until it's cleaned. But it does look and feel much nicer in here. Certain things are just going to have to wait until I have the budget to take care of them, but we did something to each room.

Great use of bold colors - I'm impressed! You've inspired me to give FLOR a try. I'd also love to know, if you don't mind, where you found the couch - it's just what I'm looking for!
Thanks.

The Sofa is the small-scale version of Room and Board's Eugene. The fabric was not one of the choices listed online, but one recommended by one of their sales consultants. It is a stain-resistant microfiber that feels almost like an extremely fine wale corduroy.

Well, kids, I guess something must have worked right. I was mostly finished with my cure when a Realtor friend of mine called and asked if I wanted to sell my "cured" place. I said that I had thought about downsizing off and on over the last year. She said she had a cash buyer waiting for me if I wanted to sell. I said I needed xxx number of dollars. She said "no problem". They came to look and I had a full price sale the next day. Now I get to do "the cure" all over again in my new place. But I was able to downsize since I had gotten rid of so much sheer crapola - 4 trips to the dump and 4 trips to Goodwill. So this time I'm a "lean mean organized machine" and only have to worry about the condo itself - not all my "stuff" too. So, thanks, Maxwell! The new place makes noises like a "flip" starting.

I'm depressed because I can't make up my about anything from what color to put on the wall to what kind of bookcases. I envy people that know what they want.

Lucy -- sorry you're feeling down about stuff... just wanted to say that throughout the Cure, there were lots of us who didn't exactly know what we wanted, and people helped us with suggestions and examples, floorplans, paint chips -- maybe even at this stage, if you put the question out, someone might be able to give you some suggestions. Maybe you just need to step back from the process a bit, and try not to put pressure on yourself about it. There's a phrase from a book I really like (a book about some people in the Society of Friends), "Way will open". At some point, "way will open" for you and you'll get some ideas about paint color and book cases -- you're a very creative person, and I'm sure you can do it! Just give yourself permission to take some time.

Lucy - start a style tray and see what that shows you. Also use the quiz in Maxwell's book to help you. Try easy-to-replace things to start with - throw pillows, etc., and see how you like them. Maxwell has a lot of other good ideas in the book as well. Just give it some time & explore things, and I am sure you figure out what you want for your home.

Windwolf - congratulations on selling your home!

As far as his question above - I am worn out (did a home-marathon over the holiday too) but much happier with the house. I'm not done, and will be finishing things slowly over the next few months. I expect to be back for the Spring Cure - the kitchen needs its own deep Cure, and I'm planning on using another book as well for that one. It's called Itsy Bitsy Kitchen (I think) and I expect it will help me get a fully-functional kitchen that isn't quite bursting at the seams.

I changed my answer from the last poll to this one, because I'm very pleased with my work now that I've had time to settle in to the new layout. I also had an old friend over, who had seen the old apartment and agreed that it was much more organized and cozier. I'm still focusing on several small things, still caulking holes in my kitchen where roaches are coming in, and dreaming about my fire-escape garden come next spring.

Great work, everyone. I really had fun with this cure, and your comments were helpful and encouraging.

Lucy -- Along with what smallcitybeth says, consider:

--You may need time to gather more information about your options. If you don't feel comfortable with the amount of information you have, you won't feel good about making a decision.

--You may be a person who has a slower decision-making style. Some people do. Nuthin' wrong with that.

--What you actually want may not be "out there" right now, at least not in any source you've checked. Deciding among options that are 80% right is particularly tough.

--There may be other decisions you need to make in your life before you're ready to choose a paint color. (Sometimes just living with a newly decluttered apartment helps.)

--You may be putting too much pressure on yourself to get things "perfect." You cannot predict or control the rest of your life, so there's no such thing as perfect in decorating. There is "really nice for the foreseeable future," and that's it.

That said, when it comes to bookcases, it's hard to go wrong with IKEA Billy.

Mama Chilanga - We are in the same situation - the living room is the toddler playroom too. Your living room looks comfortable, inviting, fun, relaxing, bright and just perfect for family life. I would rather have a cocktail at your place than in some ultra-sleek space - it has personality! I really think you made a good choice with the coffee table.

My party is this weekend!

My Cure is, I'd say, about 80% done. I'm very happy with the downstairs (a friend came over last week and jumped up and down when she saw it! I didn't think I'd made THAT much of a difference!) but I fell back a bit on the bedroom and bathroom.

I had the electrician come this morning - I feel GREAT about that because I'd been procrastinating on that for over a year. It doesn't make a difference to the look of the house, but I now have a hall light that WORKS!

Things I have to do before the party are:

Laundry
Declutter bedroom surfaces
Vacuum, mop, dust etc.
Empty outbox
Buy flowers & candles
Shop for snacks (I'm keeping it simple: brie & crackers, edamame, fruit, an alcoholic and non-alcoholic punch, and I'm trying a nut shortbread recipe)
Hang a few more pieces of art

I think that's it!

Lady J I totally agree with you. I like what Mama C has done and appreciate it for her, although it would not work in my space. That is one of the things that is getting to me about this website in general. For all the pleasant people willing to share helpful tips and info, it's the ones who snark that stick in my memory (thanks boopesf, I really wanted you to tell me to get rid of my living room rug - not that my question was totally unrelated or anything).

Anyways, I think I am fully recovered from my party, only lasting effects were lots of compliments and a new kettle to replace the one my brother-in-law melted (electric kettles should NOT go on the stove). I am really enjoying the flow in my house and so many people commented on what a great party house it is, which I never realized.

Anna in Saskatchewan, good luck and have fun at your party!

Wende and Opo, so glad to see you guys again! Maybe I've been skimming some of the comments but it feels like you've been gone a long time! Hope everyone posts more pics soon, what I have of After pics are linked in my name, they're still kind of In Progress more than After as only a few rooms feel finished.

And Lucy, I am a total convert to the Style Tray way of life. Start collecting pictures of stuff you like - from magazines, catalogs, even just a random photo with a pretty color in it can be inspiration for the future! You don't have to do everything at once, heck knows that most of us on here have been working away at this stuff for months now! Just relax and start collecting ideas for what you would like to surround yourself with, this should be more enjoyable than stressful. I'm definitely going to keep doing it even though I'm taking a break from house projects for a while.

I looked; the book I referred to is called Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook, by Justin Spring.

I am aiming to have pics on-line Saturday for our on-line party. I need to clean & finish decorating for the holidays, and just work on the too-large to-do pile.

The link in my name was changed to go to my Sets, so that Maxwell can use it.

Everyone - I did far more than I expected during this Cure, and without the help & encouragement I received here I don't think I would have achieved this much. Thanks!

I just can't resist this...

So, Tara, you're saying that Just In the Spring Cure you're going to be using a book by Justin Spring???

(speaking of spring, it can't come too soon. We got 3 inches of snow last night, and it has snowed all day. Tara, how can I send it to you?)

I, too, accomplished far more than I would have without all the help and encouragement and suggestions. Thanks!

What exactly is it Maxwell wants us to do?

Snow is the least of my worries today. It's -40 with the windchill. Everything is cold. Walk in your socks on the wood floor: cold. Take a mug out of the cupboard for tea: cold. Got get the laundry out of the drier: cold. Sit in a chair and read: cold. Forget to cover up your feet with your blanket in the chair: cold.

It's almost enough to make me want to get in the car and go get some rum for my coffee but wait, that would be: cold.

I love what Mama Chilanga did.

I wish people would remember that this is not a style critique. It's not a poll of who appreciates the posters style and who doesn't. It's just about how well the poster improved the functionality of their home in regard to their life.

Alana quoth: "What exactly is it Maxwell wants us to do?"

He wants you to leave in this thread a link to your "after" photos, regardless of your state of mind. :-)

I think someone else asked this question too: how do people take great pictures of their home interiors? Can it not be done with an ordinary automatic digital camera?

mama c -- this is so lovely and colorful! and you're right -- good for toddlers and the folks who begat them!

i lost a week & a half in curing since i was in ny (argh, i miss living there -- really there's no place like home). my mom's little kitchen got put up on the kitchen tours. she was so intrigued by the whole idea of apartment therapy, i left my copy of the book with her! just before i zipped off for thanksgiving, the upholster came over to measure for curtains and the painter came to give me an estimate for painting the walls so although i think that realistically, with the holidays barreling towards us, i won't be finished with the cure until after new year's, i'm very satisfied with how much progress i've made, not just in the living room but in all of my rooms. i've been very encouraged by the comments to my work and, more importantly, by seeing everyone's phenomonal (sp?) progress; i find it just awesomely inspiring to see what other people are doing. thank you guys!

Alana -- glad to "see" you, I was concerned that maybe there was something wrong. (Guess I need to get used to not seeing comments from everybody all the time, since the Cure is fast winding down...)

Anna in Sask -- have a great time at your party! I don't know what part of the province you're in, but I bet I'll hear the people jumping up and down in delight at how nice your apartment looks!

Today I took my final-photo-shoot films to be developed (yes, films plural, I took way more pictures than I'll post!). I'll get the pics back on Thursday, and will upload them on Friday morning before work (I plan to get up really early on Friday morning...we'll see if that really happens!)

I, too, am glad to see Wende and Opo posting -- Opo, you'll get there! Wende, you've had so much else going on in your life! I thought of you the other day when I was buying flowers for my "Party", because I saw (you guessed it) orchids. In pots. Growing. In (of all places) Safeway. If I could've sent one or two to you, I would have.

smallcitybeth in canada - I will happily trade the 70' weather expected Thursday & Friday for your snow. I just can't figure out how to send it either.

For the Spring Cure I plan on using *both* books. I know I have a kitchen with a decent amount of space, but it's bursting. I can't find the food when I need it, if I'm 'decently' stocked up. I want to host nice parties & I keep thinking that means more stuff - the last time I had friends over, I made a trip to the store for serving items, and that was informal... I think between the two I'll be successful. Maxwell's book for the style, the other for what I need to have around & what I don't. I haven't read the other, just the description, so for all I know it may be great or it may be useless - we'll find out!

And, this time I fixed the link (last one gave a 404, not what I wanted).

The book about kitchens sounds interesting, and should make a good companion to the Cure. (I was trying for a pun on Just In Spring/Justin Spring, but my puns often fall flat!)

Um, the link still didn't work for me, Tara. I keep getting "The page cannot be displayed". Even with your new link. Computers are great when they work...

Thanks, Beth.

My brain has frozen. I hemmed my curtains crooked--or hung the rod crooked--or both--and I'm trying to muster up the energy to decide what to do about it. Unfortunately, for complicated reasons, rehanging the curtain rod straight is not an option. As someone, was it CathyinMin? said she was "tired" of the cure--and with it winding down, I feel out of place talking about what I'm doing (or not doing, as the case may be.) I guess I'm a bit tired too.

I also got discouraged by the fact that Ikea may be out of the curtains I need. That they definitely didn't have the curtain rings I need (if I had the curtains I want) and that the chair was the wrong one and the fact that my bathroom is still pulled apart and its contents are sitting outside on the dresser in the hall.

See why I haven't posted? I just feel like I'm whining!

OK: "after" photos. Thanks, Wende. Your response made me laugh. (out loud). My bedroom should be ready for its little photo shoot about a week from tomorrow....waiting on the drycleaners.

Oh--Tara--I clicked on your link above and got an error message. Glad you fixed that!

About photos:

This is an excellent tutorial on making photographs in general:
http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/

Another on interiors and architecture ( a few basics)

http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/

A quick search in google didn't bring up any more.
Hope that helps!

oops, that second link should be:

http://www.photo.net/learn/architectural/interior

It's on the first link anyway, under the learning tab.

Hi, Alana!

um, um, um, I think the same gremlin that got my floor lamp link in the last thread got your "interiors and architecture" photo-making link... the two links are the same. Just sayin'. (As for the floor lamp link, the dratted lamp company website puts the same url at the top no matter what page you're on, or what lamp you're looking at. The one I was looking at was a rather attractive two-pole, two-shade lamp that looked sort of like two of the droopy-headed roses in my vase of what used to be Party Flowers. Sorry the link just gave the home page with the chandelier. Chandelier is definitely not the look I'm going for.)

Maybe my drapes-of-two-different-lengths would work on your curtain rod? (trying to inject a smile -- just swat me.)

oops. you got your correction posted before I posted my comment. sorry.

gremlins galore!

OK: I REALLY REALLY want to (someday) make a "slideshow with music" --just like some of the colour contest folks did. (I still can't get the Staunton Lick out of my head).

I would absolutely love to present my photos in the "party cure" thread this way. But I doubt I've time to tackle the learning curve in so short a time! Still--it's a thought for the Spring cure....

How do I do it?

I don't really expect anyone to take me through a step by step tutorial (I don't even know how to get music off the internet) but could anyone just sort of point me in the right direction?

Thanks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldy-tara/sets/

*that* is the link, had someone check it to make sure it works!

smallcitybeth in canada, your pun didn't fall flat, I just couldn't quite be sure you meant to do that - mostly because I wasn't expecting it.

I took a few final photos this morning! I was in a rush, and it was dark outside, so the quality is a bit poor. But at least they're here! I put them together with my "before" photos in a Flickr set (link in my name).

After looking through them all, I must say that I'm rather proud of me. :-D When I started, one of my goals was to have a space that encouraged me to pursue my hobbies (reading and knitting), instead of inspiring me to run away to my favorite coffeeshop every night. In the last few days, I've finished one book, gotten halfway through another, and made decent headway on a knitted Christmas present!

Alana, I did say that I was tired, but it was "tired of making decisions", not "tired of the Cure". I *agonized* over every little tiny thing, which was very draining! I've really enjoyed watching everyone's spaces come together, and I'm going to try to pop in now and again to keep up with the people who are still working through the Cure. But now that I've wrapped up my Cure, it's time for me to get back to the normal flow of my life. :) Please don't let my decision make you feel unwelcome!!

Cathy, I love what you've done with your bedroom! It's a great space, I love the chair and nightstand in there and your duvet is lovely! What a dramatic change!

CathyinMin--your place looks fantastic. It's encouraging to see what a little tidying and some agonizing but right decisions can do for a home! The bedroom looks wonderful!

Tara, the link works!

Is there any way to set up the "sets" differently? Give them new titles and new pics? I want a style tray and a couple of other categories--I hadn't realised that I could only have three when I set it up!

Alana -- I removed all the pics from one of my sets, then deleted the set. I think I could have just deleted the set, because it says no pics will be lost (or words to that effect). Then I'm going to set up a new set with my Virtual Party on it. There might be an easier way to do it, but that's the work around I used. Like you, I didn't realize I could only have 3 sets until I tried to set up the fourth. Bah. (if you have a pro account, you can have all the sets you want, but I don't expect I'll use Flickr for anything but Cure stuff, so pro is not the way to go for me.)

Hope this helps.

Thanks Beth. I'll try that.

Call me stupid, but when I'm in "organize" and I have my sets loaded, I do not see a delete key. How do you delete them?

Alana, I refuse to call you stupid.

I went into my Flickr (more fun than working for the last bit of the day! ...but don't tell anyone...) I clicked on Organize, then on My Sets, then double clicked the set, and the pics appeared in a window, and over yonder to the very right near the top are the words "delete this set". The safety precaution I took before clicking those fateful words was to drag and drop my pics back into the line at the bottom. That's probably unnecessary, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Once you've deleted the set, I think you should be good to go on creating a new one. At least, I'm counting on that being the case.

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out!

oops... sorry for the double post!

Thanks, Beth. I got it. They sure don't make that little button easy to find!

Glad it worked, Alana!

I had a small triumph tonight. A neighbor came to the door, collecting money for the managers' Christmas gift. Other years, I've stood blocking the part of the doorway that was open, so that hopefully she couldn't see inside. Tonight, I asked her in, confident that my apartment looked great and I was ready for anyone to drop in! Yay! (Well, it looked great except for the droopy Party Roses. They're going out tomorrow. Poor things, they did look pretty, for one brief shining moment...)

That's great Beth. No more c-h-a-o-s.

I'm at the opposite end: sort of drowning in my mess. I need to end this. Finish up a few things, take a few pics and celebrate what's done. I'm just going to have to NOT paint the bedroom until Spring and live with things being not-the-way-I-want-them for a while (including the unfinished bathroom). Christmas is coming and it's time to make gingerbread houses and paper chains and what not with the kids.

I'll compose my shots into a set of "before and after" later today or tomorrow....

And so it is going to end...not with a bang (as I'd hoped) but with a whimper.

Alana, I think Maxwell's planning something with a bit more "bang" later in the week. After all, he did ask us to get our pictures together for a new post. :)

Alana, I am in a similar place as you right now - I can hear the exhaustion and sense of defeat and it sounds a lot like I feel. However, I know you have already gotten so much done .. and it shows in the photos you have posted. Your list of what you have done is crazy long - we are all in awe. You should be proud of what you have accomplished!!! (I probably need to take my own advise) Hopefully, after we clean up a bit we will appreciate all the work done already.

The parties are filling up my calendar and I know I won't have time after this weekend to do any work. Heck, I won't have time to step over all the stuff piled in the middle of the floor!! So I will work through Sunday to finish SMALL tasks and clean up so I can make some cookies, buy presents and try to gracefully survive the drunken chaos of Christmas in Washington.

I do notice that (despite the long TO DO list for next year) that my place feels more like mine. All this hard work and elbow grease has been an act of claiming and I FINALLY feel that this apartment is my home .... and a home is a pretty good place to have this time of year. Well, with that thought, I feel better already!!

I am hoping to have some photos on the web after the weekend (after a little spit and polish) to show off the little that is done if anyone is still around to check them out.

Well, perhaps I can make up the bang for everyone else on the whimpering way out...

I am on my second of 5 days off, and am finally feeling really refreshed and ready to tackle things, especially since I found out that my volunteer commitment for tomorrow is only 3 hours, as opposed to 6-7, which means I have even more time tomorrow to get on cleaning and decorating and the like.

Work has been INSANE, then travelled for Turkey-day weekend to family in multiple locations, and yesterday was just laying around and then baby-sitting in the afternoon/evening. Hunger is finally going to get me out of the house today, as we have nothing really to eat in the house, and a needed trip to IKEA is also on the docket.

We got our Christmas tree on Sunday, but it's blocking where I'm goingn to hang the left side of the curtains, so I don't know what to do about that. (It's where the keyboard had been, in the left corner of the living room.) I'm going to get a new TV stand at Ikea as well, and want to tame the cord monster, so I don't feel inclined to put the TV where the tree is and the tree where the tv is in the meantime, because that would also require rearranging the furniture...not sure what to do!!

But the gray velvet curtains are fabulous, can't wait to get them up and show you the pictures...once I figure out how to avoid getting sap on them!

So, even though most of you are tuckered out, I promise to keep you busy with new pics and things to help me decide....after my trip to Ikea, an appointment, a coffee date with a girfriend and yoga! ;-)

See you all later tonight!

Wow...it really has slowed down around here...I've never been on the site and come back 4 hours later to no one having had posted!

My plans have changed, I have to get a sleep test done and they have an openning tonight, so I'm going to take advantage of it while I can...but I'll definitely still be working on stuff.

Hopefully, talk to you sometime soon!

Yes, exactly, skywaykate. Things are winding down. I'll check this thread (and any others) at least once a day and I'll be happy to help!

You are all so wonderful, thanks for trying to lift my spirits. Alex, I'm really sorry to hear you feel the same--it's probably best for both of us to adjust our expectations about what can be accomplished at this, the "merriest time of the year." Getting the place functional again is the goal.

I was hoping to finish by Xmas, but my schedule is also full. So cleaning up for now, putting away tools and enjoying the coming festivities. See you next cure.

Okay. I have arranged some of my pics into a before and after slideshow. Here is the URL:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46773919@N00/sets/72157594399969850/show/

I will be adding more as I complete things. I've now decked out the kitchen with my "winter" colour scheme--you'll like it Beth--lots of red!

I'll have those pics up in a few days. Promise.

It has been fantastic working with you all. Hope to see you next cure too!

I realized this morning I didn't have that much to do to get my landing strip, reading nook, and living room ready for final pictures -- so I do have final pictures! :) The link is in my name. Given what I started out with, the place has improved 100%! Thank you, Maxwell, for the book and the blog. I hope to see you all in the next Cure.

Let the Virtual Party begin!

I've uploaded my Virtual Housewarming, link in my name. There are a lot of photos, because there's "way before" (that's before I started my Cure on My Own), "before" (when we were just getting started on this Online Cure), and "after" (which is, well, after the Cure).

I've had a wonderful time with you all, and want to thank you all for your help, encouragement, suggestions, and cyber-friendship. Especially thanks to Maxwell, for having the idea of Apartment Therapy, and for sharing it with us.

In the last week or so, I've kept thinking of a quote from Dag Hammerskold --

"For all that has been, thanks. To all that will be, yes!"

That pretty much sums up my feelings. I'll keep checking in, and look forward to seeing y'all next Cure!

Alana -- you did a lot of work! Your before and after slideshow was great!

Marilyn -- what a wonderful change -- Yay for you! (And I love your furry accessories! Hope the cats like the change!)

grat before and after show Alana: I like the paint job!

Marilyn, your place looks so cute! You did a great job! And I am totally coveting that bookshelf, it's great!

Alana, I agree, the before and afters are very impressive. I especially like the fixed up stairs, it's a world of difference!

Beth, I know you miss your mop bucket, but could that be a place for a tall reading lamp for that chair? Or is there already plenty of light from the little lamp? The red tiles look great! And I loved finally seeing some after shots of the bedroom, I like how you've added so much with so little. It is so much less washed out now! Very cozy, you should be proud!

Marilyn: is this the same place you were embarrassed to show photos of? Amazing transformation! Where did everything go? It's just amzing how much you have to declutter sometimes before you can really start to make any decisions about aesthetics. Well done. You've worked really hard!

Hey Beth: Dramatic change from the "way before" photos, too! No wonder you are happy in your "new" home. The bedroom transformation is gorgeous too--instructive to see how a few hits of well chosen colour accents can really perk a place up!

Alana: Loved the slide show, though I have to admit my favorite shots were the house exteriors with the changing leaves, the sprinkling of snow... We only have three seasons here: Wet, foggy and dry. (Winter, Summer, Fall.)

Just heard that the Company C rug and pillow I ordered for the bedroom will be hear on Monday.
So excited! I'll post pics as soon as I've put them in the bedroom. Then y'all can help me figure out what to do furniturewise ;-)

Finally, just put up my Oaxacan nativity scene in the landing strip. Will post pics soon.

Oh, and before I forget....

SMallCityBeth: LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your new bedroom. It looks fantastic!

Just posted some hallway pics, including landing strips (one for grown ups, one for toddlers), nativity scene, phone niche, and even a hallway play area (space is scarce; have to use every inch!)...

Mama--what a wonderful place you have. It's wonderful how you've made living with a toddler--and toddler parties seem like such fun. Totally not a daycare, though, which is just genius on your part. It's been a rare treat to see your place. Thank you.

It is so great to see people's befores and afters! Wow, a lot has been accomplished in the last couple of months!

Mama C, I love what you've done with your apartment. Just absolutely love it. Your resident toddler is so blessed to have such a bright, warm, loving space to grow up in. And your nativity scene is beautiful! I will put some comments on your lovely photos, and on other people's, when my head's a little less fuzzy (I'm home with a cold...good thing my housewarming is a Virtual one!)

I've been trying to post comments on pictures but Flickr must be really busy because I can't. Anyway, Mama Chilanga's toddler landing strip is cute and Alana's landing strip has class.

Well, I promised I'd keep posting about my progress: made a decision about the fabric for the (new) curtains for the bathroom. Pre-shrinking the fabric as we speak. Orange. Was there any other choice? It's a tad deeper and brighter than the chosen wall colour: that will be one invigorating bathroom when I'm done!

Marilyn, thank you. That's very nice to hear!

Where is everybody? Where's the party? Where's our Graduation post? (I need to get a life...)

Alana -- so you decided to use the orange paint in the bathroom after all? What will you use in the bedroom now? I'm looking forward to seeing what it all looks like!

Anne in Reno, good suggestion about the lamp, I think I will (eventually) get a floor lamp for that chair. Definite improvement over a mopbucket. Right now the Christmas tree is there, and it looks good in that spot (and I really like the dark green next to the chair).

I decorated for Christmas this morning -- didn't take long at all, with surfaces all tidy and whatnot. I found I didn't want to put as much out as other years, but I've got the tree up, and a few other things around. Because everything's so different in the apartment, all the decorations went in different places this year, which is good. Now I need to get busy and print out my Christmas card (designed it a while back, but need to print it and send it). It may not surprise you to learn that I'll be telling people about "The Cure" in my Christmas letter this year!

Oops, I see something I didn't tidy up after my decorating. Somehow I notice stuff like that more, now...

I'm relieved to hear from you, Beth. I thought perhaps something had happened with your folks again--and here you were just wrestling with the Christmas tree.

This is my second time checking the site, today. I try not to post again if the last name up there is mine: but I haven't quite managed to let go of this cameraderie yet. Funny, internet relationships: just to expect yourself to be able to "turn off" your interest and involvement in other folks....maybe we're just showing our age, scb, not having grown up with this way of communicating with other people.

I took the fabric out of the dryer this morning and I'm thinking I'll fill the bathtub and bleach it a bit. It is a bit bright.

About the bedroom: I'm thinking neutral, maybe a light gray. I'm not entirely sure how long the trees outside our bedroom window have to live: but I absolutely love seeing the sunlight in our room dappled through their leaves in Spring, Summer and, especially Fall. They are the trees to the left side of the house in my exterior shots.

Tonight's my party - today my roommate finally took a lot of the outbox stuff to the goodwill. I put the rest of it - stuff I think is nice or has some value - on a table in the room that was formerly my outbox, and put up a sign saying "free for the taking" in the hopes that my party guests will find something they like.

I feel like I failed in a big aspect of the Cure - I still have a bunch of stuff that I don't know what to do with, boxes I need to go through etc. that I just stuffed into my guest room and closed the door, so that the party guests don't see it. I never did cure the bedroom, really - a new bedspread and pillows are going on there for tonight, but I didn't go through the closet, flip the mattress etc.

I think for the next round, I'm going to start upstairs with the bedrooms - I ran out of steam by the time they came around this time. I'm mostly happy with the kitchen, living and dining room though...

Anna in Sask -- I don't think you "failed", you made progress, and in my opinion, that's what counts. I think that getting everything done in one 8-week period is nigh unto impossible. But you've made a good start, and you have an idea of where you want to start next time. So, yay you! (and be glad you have a guest room to stuff things in!)

Hope you have a wonderful time at your party! I'm sure your friends will be impressed with what you've done! Relax, and enjoy!

Alana -- thanks for your concern, sorry to have worried you. It *is* hard to just "turn off" the cameraderie. Like you say, it's probably an age thing. (Although I'm sure I'm a fair bit older than you.) Anyhoo, I've really appreciated the community here. It's probably a good thing that December will be busy with all kinds of stuff, so that we can wean ourselves off AT.

Anna in Sask: I'm sure everyone will have a great time: and depending on how well they know your apartment, very impressed!

Getting rid of stuff and deciding what to do about it is an on-going process. Try and tackle some of it a little bit at a time. Perhaps in January you can go in and spend, say 15 minutes a day deciding what to do about it all. Or, one Wweekend morning a month: whatever works for you.

"Deep treatment" does not mean to redecorate every room or do a "one room cure" on every single one, one week at a time, though some of us, OK, me, I did that. That's called "going overboard" and it's a weakness--not a strength!

You did what you could: and as scb says, that's enough. For now. You have the rest of your life to clean out the closet and flip the mattress! :)

And now I must get into my grubs and apply some more paint stripper to my bathroom wall, at dh's request. And I hope to get the second panel of my bedroom curtains hemmed at up by tonight.

For those of you who are tackling clutter, perhaps you should try the Flylady system (www.flylady.com). That is what I am going to do while saving up money in the interim for a one room cure next time. I think that the two systems are very compatible with each other. Good Luck! I can't wait for March! :)