apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Sorry i can't remember your name but i'd like to say thanx to the person who posted the thing about getting candle wax off things using a credit card. My dressing table and bookcases say thanx too!

use the cardboard tube from a paper towel roll to store plastic grocery bags. just stuff the bags inside and toss it in a drawer.

Great product: Magnetic covers for your vents. I don't use most of my heating/cooling vents (and one is totally defunct). Recently I covered them with custom-cut magnetic sheeting, and - suddenly - my place looks so much cleaner and calmer and neater, and no one can quite tell why. And it's surprisingly quieter, too, and less sooty. Got mine from a friendly, informative, and helpful guy at "Magically Magnetic":
http://www.lyt.com/
I think the owner takes his own orders, and he doesn't seem to mind really small orders.

I also got small covers for the building vents, for the times that I don't want to hear the kids above me yelling to each other - the other times, I store the cover on the side of my fridge.

The OXO good grips foamy dish wand is the best thing to ever happen to my kitchen - it cleans everything from drinking glasses to my stovetop percolator super fast and easy, and I don't hate doing dishes so much any more. No piled up dishes = nicer looking kitchen.

At amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/2pytw3

use a old used toobrush, that you are about the throw, to scrub the corners near the burners of the stove top. That is the toughest spot to reach with a sponge, you can't use abbrasive material. Squirt a bit of 409 and scrub with the old toothbrush. sparkling clean.

I also use the same tool for scrubbing stain remover on a cloth. Squirt a small amount of liquid on the stain, scrubb with toothbrush, throw in the washer stain gone.

tin_angel - you are welcome

If you want something to look nicely framed but don't want to spend the money to custom frame it, buy a frame (pottery barn, wherever) and have a frame shop cut a mat for you. It'll be perfectly suited to your art/photo and still fit the ready-made frame. Usually costs about $10.

Once you've finished painting your walls -- especially if it's a multi colored treatment that's kind of complicated -- buy some empty paint cans of the next size down from the can that they're in and save the remaining paint, because the air in the can will dry out the paint and at the very least, will change the chemistry and the finish of what lies beneath the "skin" that would form.

Anyway... then type up and print out from your computer a label onto some 8-1/2" x 11" labels and cut them to size something that will tell you later what that color was for, kind of like I just did with this thing I've been working on:

Benjamin Moore FLAT finish Aura line of paints
COLOR: 2104-70 Strawberry Yogurt
PALEST “Brown-pink” of “under-stripe” in MASTER BEDROOM in TOP quintrant of wall

Especially when you're working with 11 different colors, it will be good to be really specific like that.

Curtis - link to pics, link to pics, please!!

If you need furniture, I found a very affordable online store, http://www.ILikeFurniture.com. I bought a modern storage bed from them that fits great in my space, plus a matching dresser, headboard, and nightstands, all for far less than I'd pay in a store. They had Free Shipping, and I used a coupon on the site to get an extra 5% off. Then, after I ordered they sent me another coupon for 10% my next order which really surprised me because their prices are the lowest I've seen for the particular brands they carry, and I've done a lot of research on the Net to find the best deal. I plan on shopping there again, and would recommend. I think they have a pretty good variety, and it seems like they add new things to their site often.

kate -

I did a link on a different thread, but here you go:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artycurtis/sets/72157600170975527/

Discussion of CFL and LED lighting on Talk of the Nation/Science Friday on NPR today.

ESP - that is a great tip! thanks!