apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Is DC really being categorized in a separate region from Maryland? That doesn't make sense, clearly MD should be in the South with DC.

How could you leave out NY?

eh?? NY is there...

I'm curious why there was the switch from boards for each city to doing an entire region - I had a hard time just keeping up when it was just us Boston folks on the string last time. Or even: why not using an actual discussion board format instead of just a blank post to comment on?!?

Moving on, I was hoping to get a bit of a jump on the start to my Cure and do a good amount of cleaning this weekend, but instead I'm miserable with a cold and blowing my way through a box of tissues faster than you can say "bless you". Awesome way to spend a long weekend! :(

I also want to get a head start on cleaning but my weekend is filling up so fast! I've done the first few weeks of the cure before but have never followed through to completion. Hopefully this will help!

I have started the cure about 3 times and never made it to the end. This time I have to buckle down and just keep going till my apartment is organized, clean and clutter-free.

I have to agree with morenagirl about DC and MD. Those two, plus VA (which is already where it belongs), represent part of the south!

cowbark, thought I was gonna' get a jump ahead and am sick also. Jus' saying in sympathy. Probably the late nites in the barn with the cats. They are starting to get adopted.
agree that Maryland is the South with DC.
Rodd, if I committed to my whole apt. I would fail for sure. So I pick what I want to do most - & usually more then that gets done. So at least it is improved, & some part of the improvement does carry over. You are not alone.

Hi all! I second the concern about the change from city boards to very broadly defined regional boards. It does seem more manageable, and less daunting, to just keep up with your local folks. But then again, who knows? It could turn out to be great: more support, more creative ideas!

I have started many Cures but have never made it all the way through. This time I'm doing a One-Room Remedy, which I've never done before. My room is the living/dining room, which also houses office space for my husband and me. Yup, it's pretty crazy to ask a room to do all that, but the other options are the bedrooms and the kitchen, and neither of those have worked out so well. So, here goes. . .

I'm also one of those who've started a cure and not followed through. In my case, I think it had partly to do with the fact that I never really felt at home in my last apartment. Now I'm a couple months into living with my boyfriend and I think the Cure should really help us finish making this place feel like home.

Yeah, a bit belatedly, I agree with cowbark...finding out that there are over 1,000 co-curees (with probably a good chunk of them on the east coast) is kind of overwhelming.

That said...I did the fall cure in 2007 and it was a massive improvement on the previous space. I've moved since then (twice!) and my style has evolved, big time, so I have a lot to do. I'm not sure if I will follow through this time. I have a full load already with class and work. But -- I would at least like to make a *dent* in the massive list of to-dos. Like hanging stuff up on the walls (I've been in this apartment over a year!), getting rid of my IKEA furniture, getting my files organized...that at least I hope I can accomplish, and maybe I won't cringe anymore at the idea of having people over.

oh man, mavieenrose, I'd been in my current apartment almost a full 2 years before I got stuff up on the biggest wall in our apartment, which is also one of the only walls in our living room....don't you worry about not having stuff on the walls after only a year! ;)

Chloe I hope you're feeling better - I'm feeling MUCH better, but it appears that my boyfriend is now coming down with the cold I had...oops! I hope lots of the kitties are being adopted!!!

larabee I'm not stalking you, I swear - but I saw the list of folks blogging their Cure on the Flickr discussion page - are you the Misadventures in Procrastination?

I haven't gotten started yet, but I put together a game plan back in August when I thought I would Cure on my own instead of waiting for the official Fall Cure to start...and then I decided to have lots of fun and make my apartment a complete mess instead! :) I'm excited to read through chapter 1 on the train tomorrow and then tackle the cleaning and other to dos over the weekend!

OK here we go. I'm still confuzed about where to write, I wrote somewhere else that I'll have to just copy & paste & hope your eyes don't glaze over if you see it again!
I have committed to the rabbit room.
Will be making the plan & putting some pics up.
The budget is non existant, & I just choked learning tonight that it might cost between $2-250 to get Demetri nuetered (which was part of the plan, to save space) yikes.
Along the way, have plans for the stairwell/entry, clean the kitchen, & make some improvements in my bedroom after Fluff gets moved to the rabbit room.
Thanks cowbark, I feel like s*. It seems to be all around us. Trying to eat healthy, drink less (alcohol) and get more sleep to get through it.

Larabee, I'm also curing a living/dining/office/kitchen space. After moving around all of the living area furniture last night, I've determined that the real issue is the flow in the dining area, so that's where I'm focusing. I've never done a one-room cure, and I think it'll be fun to think so much about design, versus thinking about organization.

How is everyone doing so far? I spent a few hours working on different layout options incorporating my husband's 30" x 60" desk that he will not part with. . . and finally decided that he is just going to have to part with it until we get a bigger place! There is just no way to fit it in AND create some workspace for me AND have anything like a functional living room.

Cowbark: No, I'm not Misadventures in Procrastination, but it would be a very fitting name for me, as that is what I'm doing right now! I do need to get on Flickr so I can post some before photos, but I die a little every time I have to open up some new online account, so I have been putting it off. . .

Lizzy: What is your multi-function space like? Any particular challenges? Do you have a floor plan? I will post mine soon, hopefully. My challenge (aside from fitting in so many functions) is that my room is long and narrow.

I just joined Flickr and posted some photos! Link is in my AT profile.

Weeee! I haven't done anything yet. Oops! Was planning to do lots of cleaning and Week 1-ing yesterday morning, but the boyfriend bought me Lego Batman and so I've just been playing video games whenever I don't have somewhere to be. Guess that means lots of week 1-ing tonight!

Hi, Larabee, I haven't yet done a real floorplan - just lots of sketches.
Here it is with furniture: http://ageographyofliving.blogspot.com/2009/07/heres-living-space.html
And without:
http://ageographyofliving.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-place.html
I've decided that the issue is how to use the kitchen/dining area. I'd love to be able to have extra storage of some kind - maybe a long buffet? - in there, but that makes the room narrower. I also need to create a landing string in the kitchen. Finally, I'd like a larger round dining table, but I'm not sure if it should go in the kitchen area or in front of the fireplace. You know, this makes me realize that a floorplan would be a big help!

Lizzy - I love your space! Those windows are fabulous. And in the first photo I didn't even notice there was a TV on those shelves! :)

I think a round table would look great, and I'd be tempted to put it in the kitchen area if you have room. The fireplace says "living area" to me--I'd curl up on a rug right in front of it. Mmm, fire. . . the weather is HORRIBLE today in Boston and my husband and I are wishing we had a fireplace. . .

Hi everyone,

I somehow missed Week 0 - was there an email? So last week I did a tour of my apartment, made a list of all the repairs (some of them require the landlord), bought flowers, and started putting together style trays for each of the rooms.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12654713@N05/

About two months ago I moved into a 2BR apartment after living in a single room for several years. It's been a little strange moving into such a big space, and I realize that I have been loathe to 'mess it up' by unpacking all of my stuff. The problem is, that is feels cold and uncommitted because it doesn't have any of my stuff in it! So I am going to be working on pulling together the whole apartment, though none of it requires anything too drastic. It's basically some kind of combination of deep cure and one room cure.

Look forward to meeting you all.

BB

I live in Idaho and I think Idaho should really belong in the "West" group, since the cities nearest Idaho are Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City--all cities that are in the West group.

Montana and Wyoming belong in the West group, too.

Whoops, clicked the wrong link, I meant to post that elsewhere!

oh great. so starting to clear the path in the rabbit-room-to-be & the youngest daughter who had abandoned the room with all the reptiles in it ( have found homes for most of them) practically started crying when she learned I took down her palm tree curtains and gave them away.
good grief.

BTW, we're still here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/homecure/
Stop by, share your progress, ask for advice.

got the rest of the rabbit stuff inside.
Made french toast this morning from beautiful Italian bread leftover from lunch yesterday, was late, and left with no makeup.
I love french toast.
Took a bunny pic and forgot the camera at home because I was late.
Had an emergency meeting at the animal shelter last nite that went very late so nothing else got done.

am getting this www.luckybunny.bigcartel.com/product/worldwide-poster
and this www.luckybunny.bigcartel.com/product/shut-up-and-do-somet...
for the rabbit room tomorrow.
They are local & great guys.
Can't walk thru the room, but I got some of the artwork picked out.

http://www.luckybunny.bigcartel.com/category/screen-printed-art
there. had hit post instead of preview.

So I've been making some progress... Posted my 'before' pics today, and my to-do list (thank god some of it is already done!)

I feel like I have the backbone (finally have all my furniture) but now need to add the touches that make it home (art, color, etc).

http://www.slipcoveryourlife.com

Can't wait to keep checking back with everyone's progress!

here's my inspiration for the rabbit room.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33057595@N04/galleries/72157622646120866/
took some pictures in the room - coming up shortly.

cleaned off one surface - the kitchen table.
cleaned out a purse I hate while I was at it, out it goes.
Now have to make a baby werewolf head on the clean kitchen table.
put up some pics.

baby werewolf head coming along.
Made wonderful pasta.
Youngest picked up last of the reptiles!

Have to paint the rabbit room sky blue.

uh-something happened.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33057595@N04/4044694552/

Hi Curees, I'm Katie. Working on my apartment in Washington DC.

Accomplishments:
1. husband agreed to an Outbox and has been putting stuff in it.
2. Tonight is final night of deep cleaning kitchen, while completing ALL laundry AND picking out at least 10 clothing items to part with (not hard).
3. Landing strip is finished for now.
4. Found wonderful green glass cabinet pulls on flickr and put them in my inspiration file. Later found out they were beyond my budget. THEN I found some similar ones for less than half that price and ordered them this very afternoon.

That's all for now. Tonight I'm home alone and happy to be focusing on Curing my home!

Hi Curees,

I must admit that I'm a little bit in need of moral support this afternoon. . . For one thing, the weather here in Boston is dreadful! For another, I've spent the past two days looking for shelving and filing cabinets to create a built-in office in our living room, and I don't feel like I'm making any progress. I spent 6 hours today researching Knoll products, and I just don't think I can click on one more photo! And you would not BELIEVE how much that Vitsoe shelving costs. Not sure where to look next: kitchen cabinets? Ikea? Custom built-ins? I don't have any experience with any of this, and it is all seeming really overwhelming right now.

In happier news, I just updated my Flickr account with a new layout and some inspiration photos. Please let me know what you think!

Larabee, I don't know if I have any good suggestions, but I'd love to know what systems you eventually find. I'd like to do a similar arrangement in our livingroom. Have you looked at the office systems at Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn. They're pretty expensive, but they look almost like built-ins, and they seem to offer so much storage.

Soooo excited! My before and after's made today's Cure Post!!!

http://www.slipcoveryourlife.com/?p=3177

This has definitely made my whole week and it's energizing me to keep up the Cure!!!

Keep up the great work all (esp DragonKatinDC, was just reading your comment, looks like you've gotten a lot done!)

Congrats on the shout-out, SYL! The new colors look great on your furniture.

now that the baby werewolf head is done I am back.
Have been sent home with a project that is piled in my living room, major bummer.
But that means that I can sneak off to IKEA on a weekday.
Realized I have to switch rooms with the rabbits.
Will be documenting here-http://www.flickr.com/groups/-home-/discuss/72157622717805382/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/-home-/discuss/72157622717805382/
here! so I don't keep repeating myself.

Thanks, Slipcoveryourlife, I've had another productive week tackling the bedroom. I've got pics posted now, on Flickr - both of the whole apartment in it's "before" state, and some after photos of house after general cleaning, then the after pics of bedroom which took two days of concentration to bring back to peaceful order. I'm so eager to move on to color and painting in the next few weeks.

Here are pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43707206@N05/sets/

truly impressive DragonKatinDC!

Just started to deep clean the two rooms that have to switch.
Cleaned out all the vacumn filters.

Made a real breakfast of eggs & toast, with strawberry jam in a little ramekin instead of spreading it on the toast in the kitchen
& it is all soggy when you get to the second piece.

Began the switch - some buns' are in the room on their Lacks.
Have to build two more & a side table, paint their room,
frame the prints & make a play area.
In MY new room have to paint, get curtains, rearrange,
& think about what artwork I want up.
This room is too small for my Pink poster, so it will probably go
to the poor excuse for a studio/workroom.

My living room made it to the inspiration pics on the latest cure update today!!

go-go-go-dragonkatindc!

SCREAMS: NOOOOOOOO!!!

I just flooded my kitchen. Left water running over meat to thaw it faster, went to do some laundry and came back to find PUDDLES on my floor, in my lower cabinets, counters, and a full sink overflowing -- apparently drain is clogged - I had no idea. WTF??!!

I was supposed to start painting tonight!!

NOOOOO!!!!

found this late dragonkatinDC-
but believe it or not this is normal,
and God does not hate you.
I'm sorry!
I'm sorry you had puddles and an overflowing sink.
I feel for you that your schedule is not what you planned.
You already got a lot of sh* done, so you are ahead in my book.
Just feelin' your frustration.

Thanks Chloe!

Fortunately apartment maintenance came quickly, fixed the clog (took him 40 minutes to get it!) then kindly mopped water out of my cabinets and dried things off, set a fan blowing to finish the drying.

Haha - it was karma: I didn't do the kitchen deep clean in week one. Well it's been cleaned now. :-)

whatta attitude! This girl will go far.

Bedroom almost HALF painted! My peaceful dove-gray bedroom is coming along. :-) I chose throw pillow covers on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27283041

and bought the inserts at IKEA yesterday.

Husband and I also bought an enclosed AV cabinet: tackling the cable octopus!

still bogged in the project that invaded my home.
I'm going to be so behind.
I am starting to get an idea for a party, even though I said I wouldn't.

Anyone in the NYC area looking for a painter? I just had Chris Cranberry, owner of Claddaugh Painting (www.claddaghpaintingservice.com), paint my apartment, and I am *so* happy with the result. My house feels like a home! Here are some pictures:
www.ageographyofliving.blogspot.com

YAY -- after pictures of bedroom with painting completed are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43707206@N05/sets/72157622798001218/

Congrats to Chloe and Lizzy for having their photos featured on AT this week!

I just finished mucking out my husband's old two-drawer file cabinet and transferring his files to the big lateral file that I use. You would not believe the stuff he has been keeping around: grocery, gas, ATM and food delivery receipts from as far back as 2006 . . . old-school receipts that don't even show what you purchased or the name of the store, just your total and your change . . . coat check and car valet tickets with no dates on them at all. . . AHHHHHHHH! No wonder he has been avoiding going through it all!! Now that it is organized by month and year, hopefully he'll find it easier to go through and get rid of some of this stuff.

But the good news is, we can at least get rid of the two-drawer file (which has been sitting in our kitchen for the past three years). Who knows how that will change the energy of the space and what possibilities it will open up?

I took prints for the rabbit room to the framers and am just about through the Interruption.
My truck broke today, the leaf spring mounts.
I just had other work done. This is a huge bite out of my small budget.
While I was feeling sorry for myself I experimented with cleaning silver with the aluminum foil & salt/baking soda.
It works, but the results were uneven, varying piece to piece.
I also studied up on macerating apples for pie. I can't believe how close Thanksgiving is, yikes.
Everyone is getting so much done, especially the sorting & organizing.

Hi Fall-Curers!

Have the best giveaway for artwork today, a 40x50 photo art print on canvas! http://www.slipcoveryourlife.com/?p=3582

Don't know if anyone remembers it, but there was this image of a huge black and white picture of two girls swimming (hung in a stairwell) in Domino a ways back... Ever since I saw that I've always wanted to use huge photos as decor!

And about my cure? WAY behind in the sorting/organizing (did do some decorating though?)

getting ready to paint this weekend. have looked at the blue choices for the rabbit room in all lights & at night & still like it, so here we go!
Because of the expense of the truck repair I'm having to scale back some of the plan, but I'm still going to paint.
It's a good thing that I already bought the Lacks and ordered the framing for the artwork in the room, otherwise I would have made do with what I had.

Enjoy your painting, Chole - I have to admit, I really like spending a weekend painting! Sorry your truck repairs interrupted your plan. I have had a few things not work out like I planned to and I keep telling myself, that's ok, there is a Spring Cure coming, I will do that then.

Can't wait to see pics after this weekend.

I've got spend this evening finally picking and hanging the artwork we want keep (I'm a photographer, so it's mostly framed photos). Husband's mom comes in Friday night to spend the holiday week with us, so I want to really push to get things done - I won't have much time once she gets here.
House needs general pick up again - vacuuming, dusting, etc. And fridge cleaned out to make room for Thanksgiving feast foods!

Dear Maxwell and AT crew,

As I type this, I am waiting for my husband to return from the airport with my mother-in-law. She's here for the Thanksgiving holiday.

A lentil soup is simmering, waiting for them. Candles are lit in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Gentle light glows all over our tiny apartment. Fresh sunflowers with autumn berries are in a vase on the coffee table. A Bobby Darin Pandora station croons softly. Everything is clean, and I've never felt more delighted to host a guest in my home.

Thank you.

This Cure has been the best thing I've done in a long time. I am totally and deeply happy with the huge changes in my redecorated bedroom. I love my whole tiny little house and you've made that happen. You've shown my house twice now on your website - such a giddy validation of my hard work.

Thank you.

Happy Holidays and all the best,

Katie (DragonKatinDC)

What a great picture, DragonKatinDC!
hope that your holiday with your family exceeds your expectations.

This is my first post here, but have reading AT for about 6 months. I've been laid off for just over a year and have been purging, cleaning, reorganizing and repurposing to occupy some of my time. I'm trying to work on one room at a time, but get sidetracked when an idea hits me... after that idea gets finished I regroup and go back to what I was originally working on.

O kids
had what may be the worst Thankgiving ever. Don't trouble yourselves.
The rabbit room is painted. I have funny stories about moving them all in.

The artwork is hung, and a new rug is in. The rug had to be cheap because the buns will destroy it.
And I just had the expensive truck emergency.
The buns are tethered to their Lacks and arranged for the time being.
I put the Christmas tree in there, & will post pics after I finish decorating the tree & vacuum. Maybe Wednesday.
I'm happy and have a new room.
Only thing is that this switching the rooms wrecked all the other rooms in my small apartment.
so the next couple weeks will be just trying to pick up & put things away from the move.

Chole C, look forward to pics of bunny room!

T'giving here went so well - and for the first time ever, I had guests over with my bedroom door OPEN!

yay to open doors!
People no longer enter my apartment through my room!
This is huge.

Snow in DC!

I am planning to take some final before and after pics of the apartment tomorrow - everything looks nice. I'm happy with how much easier it is to tidy the house now that so much "stuff" has been ousted.

We put up the Christmas tree yesterday, and I'm having a Christmas cocktail party next week. :-)