Good choice to post the after before the before!
Those yellow drapes are so pretty.

I'll be cleaning up around here today--tidying and what not. I want to establish a "base-line" of tidiness for the cure. The thing I actually need most ou of this enterprise is to establish a routine for cleaning up.

It's a whole new way to look at the "Cure" for me (I did it last fall for the first time). --But when I did Maxwell's quiz on p. 46, I realised that I'd gain 4 whopping points. Questions # 5, 9, 12, and 16 can all be addressed with regular cleaning.

Who knew?

While you're waiting for the floors--or the paint--to dry, you can read all about it here: http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/

alana - seeing krisalis903's before/after shots totally give me hope for the "needs improvement" areas in my own home.

i'm hoping that cleaning is one of those things that's like going to the gym -- once you get in the habit of doing it, you feel bad if you don't do it.

and i love your blog!

In the spring, I started doing the 8-week cure on my bedroom. I managed to do a lot of planning, replace a broken window, and put up new curtain panels, but then I got pregnant. I put the bedroom on hold to concentrate on putting together a nursery.

Now it's months later, and the nursery has yet to be put together. So I thought that I might as well use the structure of the 8-week cure to get me going on the nursery. I will post some pictures of the before (current) state of the office, which will become the nursery, soon.

I've already purchased a sofa bed, which I need to reupholster. I've already got the materials, so it's a matter of doing the work.

I've already ordered and received a glider, the Luca Glider, http://www.montedesign.net/modern_nursery_glider.html, which was a birthday gift to myself/birthday gift from my husband. It's in the living room now, and I love rocking in it, so I think it will work out great for the nursery.

My mother and stepfather ordered the crib for me -- the Stokke Sleepi. (http://www.stokkeusa.com/sleepi.htm) It should arrive in a few weeks.

I still have a lot of decisions to make! I will post again once I get some pics up.

Thanks anh-minh.
Congrats heps!
Has the little one arrived yet?

Update:

Washed the stairwell and landing. The husband and I had put up some new shelves, which involved some painting. So, I tackled those floors first to get up the paint drips before they totally dried.

In so doing, I removed probably 1/4 of the varnish on the landing. So, even though I'd got a jump start on the cure, we are now officially behind.

I'm hoping the husband doesn't back out on the promise to sand and re-varnish the stairs next weekend.

Question: they are orangey-red. Old, reddened wood red. I don't like it--but they do "match" all the old orangey-reddened 50 year old trim, railing and balusters.

Our floors are "golden oak."

What "colour" should we stain the stairs?

OK: I got some pics up on the blog.

http://prairiehometherapy.blogspot.com/

(I really need to get a digital camera, don't I?)

The little one is due in December, so there should be time to get the nursery in order before then, if I don't procrastinate too much.

I just got a call saying that the crib I ordered is now at the store, so I will probably pick it up this weekend.

Alana, I think it would be fine to have the stairs match the floors and have the trim just match the trim. Does that make sense? Can you do the stairs to match the floors?

Thanks Anne, I can. We have a tin of stain in the basement called "classic oak." That might work. It's stain and varnish in one.

The TSP stripped the handrail too. Maybe it should be 0rangey-red to match the trim--or would it be OK to make it darker? (Though I'm afraid it'll look like s big slash on the wall.)

The little carpets on the treads are rust coloured and blend right in if that gives you a better idea of the shade of orange-red we're dealing with. (This "style" of putting carpet on the stairs actually has a name: it's called the "New York" Isn't that strange?)

Any other thoughts?

That's great heps. Nothing like getting the crib to kick-start the process.

Hello.
Just checkin' in. Still have to get my pics posted and get to chatting away, but in the meantime this is the "group" which is closest to where I live. Waaaayyy up North about 6 hours above SF. Where all those famous Redwoods are.
I'm doing the less sexy Deep Treatment, but I'm loving every bit of progress everytime I do a Cure, either on my own or with the group.
Someday I'll see my Kitchen counter, I just know I will.

i just bought my book at stacey's in SF today and am SO excited after even just reading the very begining. i am also taking an survey of interior architecture class online this fall so i think it will be really cool to do both things at the same time. i've just recently become interested in interior decorating and the concept of creating a home so i think this will be a great way to stay motivated and learn a lot :)
- i need to post my pictures and get through the reading!

Hey StaciaD and rachelJ--great you could join us.
I find it so motivating to do this with others.

When you do get your pics posted, do put a link to flickr in your profile here so we can just click your name and go right over to see them.

That Apartment therapy pool has got way out of hand! I feel sorry for the AT Teams weeding through them!

I'm still waiting for my book to arrive, but in the meantime I've been clearing out lots of paper and old magazines. Not that it will be all that obvious once I post pictures, but that's the whole point, right?

Congratulations, heps, I'm impressed you're taking this on with a little one on the way!

Hm, I am a bit confused as to where to turn first for the latest Fall Cure news and commentary...here or on FlickR?

My own photos are posted. I'm wholeheartedly seeking advice on how to revive some really rough looking wood tile parquet. I also need to remove wax/refinish some tarrazzo stairs. And finally, should I replace or reupholster a set of danish modern chairs? Please do help me decide!

At some point, I will also need to get offline to do some work ;-)

Stay here, wig3000.

I'm trying to keep up with folks here, AT: New York and various cure blogs. I just can't spare the time to do flickr too.

I'm off to see your photos...

Ack, wig--where are they?
I don't see a link in your profile.
I'll try AT SF Flickr--and then I have to get to varnishing....

alana - i think you need to sign in to view wig3000's photos. try that and let me know if you still can't view.

wig3000 - as far as discussing things here vs. flickr ... hmmm ... i think flickr is good when you want advice/feedback and it's important for people to see the space you're talking about.

but if it feels like people aren't checking in on flickr as much, you could post here and point people to a specific flickr photos?

maybe someone who's done a cure in the past can let us know what worked best for them.

Both.

At flickr, post below each photo what you want to do in that room. Ask questions. It's a great place to be able to go in depth on a discussion. For example, in the fall 2006 cure, a woman and I got pretty nitty gritty discussing paint clours for my living room. I wouldn't do that here. Here I just said. "I want to lighten up the room, what do I do?" and linked to the flickr photo.

That's why it's helpful to have the flickr site in your profile. Saves you work copying and pasting your photo link--and it gives chatty folks like me a chance to easily offer an opinion.

I didn't see wig's photos, and then I did, and then I didn't. It was very weird. And, as far as I know, I'm always signed in to flickr. I'm scraplolly over there, by the way.

alana - oh, that's a good idea -- telling folks here what your flickr name is (in case they don't match up).

over on flickr, i'm "am_le"

and the suggestion to save your flickr site in your profile is also a great one. thanks!

How can I make it so that when you click my name it goes to my flickr page? Is that what everyone means when they say to link flickr to my AT profile? I do have my Flickr Cure set in my profile where it has a blank for 'website' ... is that all i need to do? ( i will also be tagging my images properly)
Thanks!

Oh yeah, whoops, on flickr I'm ajftuba. Had a kitchen cleanout moment over lunch today that made me late back to work, but man was it satisfying! I am so going out of order, I hope my AT book gets into the library soon!

I'm glad that there's some other newbies around - it's a little imtimidating, hearing all the experienced people already bouncing ideas! I'm enthusiastic about this, though, now I just have to go take pictures!

Another random flickr tip - for those ongoing discussions, there are two good places to click under the tab up top that says You:
Recent Activity, and Comments You've Made. It makes those conversations much more easy to follow since it shows you any new activity first.

Thanks for all of the illumination. I am a newbie in many regards: here at AT, on FlickR, and with the AT Cure. I have just inserted my FlickR page in my website profile here on AT. My account name is the same in both places as well as in real life (minus the '3000'). I also go by Cynthia.

Alana, thanks for the comments over in FlickR land! I have no idea why my pics would appear and then disappear. That's a little disconcerting. I've uploaded my pics to both the Pool and via my website profile here.

I'm hoping to come out to meet Maxwell tomorrow if the work schedule permits. Onward ho.

ooh, I'm so envious you get to meet Maxwell in person. Not that I worship the ground he walks on or anything, it's just interesting to meet people you "think" you know!

I apologise if I'm intimidating you all. It's kind of difficult to remember what it was like the first time--and it's just my personality to jump in with both feet (into the deep end) and then I wonder where the heck everybody is.

If it's any reassurance to you--I did not get the kitchen floor done today...nor yet am I finished my two varnishing projects.

BUT, I did get something like five boxes of books and a box of extra dishes dropped off at Goodwill today. But then, of course, I bought a few "new" dishes and a cool old oil painting with a dreadful frame. I'm hoping I can do something with it.

And hooray for you Anne!

Someone was asking about cleaning and restoring parquet floors.

The product I've heard of, that can do this without sanding, is by varathane called Varathane Renewal. AT:NY did a post on it at some point, I think.

Here's a blurb:

http://www.overflex.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=72&SBL=1

However, it may not be the best thing for you:

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=165005

here's the caveat, in more detail:
and a little promo diy ditty:

http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_dv_index.asp?page_id=35721693

Drat. It won't work for us. We do have scuffs that go all the way down to the bare wood, discolouration and cracks which need filling. It seems that the primer will stain these areas black. The finish coat won't--but you can't get the finish coat to stick without the primer--at least I think that's what Jan Eakes is saying.

The "and a little promo ditty" should have been deleted. I took out the link.

The link that is there instead leads to a terrific bit of information about the product that everyone considering it should read.

oh and that $100 price tag is Canadian.

Thank you for the information, Alana. I do believe we have more than the surface scratches that Varathane Renewal treats. Does anyone else have suggestions?

wig3000 - I love the coffee table in your living room! I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions for the parquet floor. I did help a friend sand and refinish her hardwood floors a few years ago. The floors were pretty water damaged, but she was in a rental, and she justed wanted it to look better, as a temporary measure. It really did look better, but not perfect, after our efforts.

Alana - I'm impressed that your organized enough to blog so regularly! I haven't even managed to get my pictures posted, yet.

Yesterday, I ordered our changing table. It won't get here until the end of October/early November, unfortunately. Hopefully, it won't be much later than that. It has some drawers, so it can be used as a dresser, too. In fact, I wanted to just use a dresser with a changing pad on top, but I husband and I couldn't find one that we agreed on, so we ended up getting the changing table. This is the one we order, in birch (to match the crib): http://www.argington.com/furniture_delphi.php

heps, I have a confession to make: I have a big cold. Can't really do much else than type and find pics!
As the cure picks up I may become more sporadic. But I do have a habit of writing out my thoughts as they occur to me, especially when I'm doing house related stuff.

heps, that's a nice changing table! what a sleek thing.

and thanks for the complement. the coffee table is our most recent furniture purchase. we're not normally ones to spontaneously purchase, but in this case, we did. a lighter rug would probably show it off a bit more. it's a vintage piece that we found at a place called The Touch on valencia street in SF.

all floor stories are helpful too. at this point it is sand or replace. i can't bear to seal them in their current shape.

i hope you feel better soon, alana.

It's a busy weekend here in SF in the home improvement world. Has anyone ever attended the San Francisco Home Show at the Cow Palace? There is also the Dwell on Design conference at the Moscone Center. We're trying to decide which to go to. Any opinions?

Yay. Just finished washing the dining room/home office floor.

It was great to get the spatters from a recent re-staing job up off the floor.

How is everyone else doing?

I posted some "before pictures" of the our office, which we're turning into the nursery. We're moving the computer and books to another room.

My weekend project will be working on reupholstering the sofa bed I got on craigslist. The sofa is currently in the guest room/exercise room, but it will be moved to the nursery, to make room for the computer and books in the the other room. I'll try to take some pictures of that project, along the way.