Getting my bookcase up was a BIG DEAL for this cure. Getting books off the floor will allow me to see the LR space and give it some flow.

Everyone's transformations look fantastic! Good work all!

As far as books go, I'm having trouble figuring out what to do with old paperbacks (50 or so)... the small ones look messy on tall bookcase shelves. A lot of them are classics, so I'd hate to get rid of them. Has anyone resolved this? Thanks.

For the paperbacks, I would buy a couple of the white ikea boxes or from the container store and put the paperbacks in there. You will not be able to see them, but will know they are there :).

I really need to do something with my jewelry! I don't particularly like jewelry boxes and I have a **very** small apartment (326 sq feet) which is undergoing some pretty big renovations right now. Anyone have any creative ideas on what to do with Jewelry storage that is creative and space saving?

Thanks Michael K! I'll check out those ikea boxes.

For your paperbacks you could also use those under the bed drawers or boxes, they are the perfect depth for them.

prou1069:

Totally random, but I was looking at pbteen.com last night and they have a "tres chic table dress form" that is perfect for hanging jewelry off of - that is, if you're not opposed to having your jewelry out in the open:

http://tinyurl.com/2vkq4b

They also have a dress form jewelry holder that's not quite as cute:

http://tinyurl.com/2nd2ac

prou1069- you can get a bulletin board and just use the pins to hang your jewlery up. You can do it decoratively so that it looks like a piece of art hanging up. As well, if you don't like the look of pins, you can glue buttons or small rocks to the end so they look nicer. This is easy to change as well as very cheap.
Good luck!

Thanks Eryn and MMadden! Both are ideas I can work with :)

prou1069, Urban Outfitters sells cool jewelry displays. And you could take nice ribbon to the wall and hang the jewelry from them.

prou1069, Real Simple also has a big article on jewelry organization in this month's issue. Lots of pictures and storage ideas, gave me some ideas too!

Most of my week 1 cure work is going to be this weekend, Rosh Hashanah services make it rough to find time to clean the floors. :) At least, for the past few days.

Earlier this summer, I started (but did not finish) my own cure. But I did manage to bring an amazing amount of goods off to Housing Works. It boggles my mind now, because I still feel like I have way more to get rid of. It's hard to imagine where all that stuff was being stored as I am still bursting at the seams!

aw shucks, my face is as red as that room!

Thanks Maxwell.

My friend once did something in her apt that was pretty much stringing twine between hooks on the wall.. it had a vaguely nautical feel to it. Anthropologie also has a lot of cute hook racks.

In fact, I have a question because I just bought one to put up on the 2.5 ft stretch of wall between my closet door and bedroom door. My thought is to put a low table underneath and create a mini landing strip to chuck my purse on (and hang my keys, scarf, etc on the rack) and maybe put a pair of shoes underneath. I like the idea of c table, but frankly, I would prefer something like the Ikea Lack square table, except half the width and a similar price... Am I just searching for the wrong thing? :\

SMM - if you want to display the paperbacks (since they are classics), most dvd bookcases (media cases? what are these actually called?) are close to the perfect size in terms of shelf height and depth, and there are some really good looking ones out there.

Thanks LizB and EastVillageAmy for the suggestions. Looks like I'll be shopping this weekend for storage - I feel inspired!

I have a collection of vintage and antique brooches. I'm not comfortable with public display of them en masse (on at a time on the lapel of my odd or suit jacket is what I prefer). I keep them in an old Chinese documents box from the 20's or 30's. Each drawer is just deep enough for one layer of brooches and I have enough "extra" drawers that I feel I have room to grow.

SMM , they have shelves at Linen's and Things that we have been eyeing. Actually, two versions, both look like iron and are open work. Just search on 'media' and it should pull them right up. We've checked them for storing books and they are just the right height/depth for the paperbacks.

Has anyone else noticed the url for this thread contains "spring-cure-week-one-weekend?"

I'm painting an accent wall in the bedroom in the morning- I'm very excited...I decided on Benjamin Moore's Silver Half Dollar 2121-40...anybody ever used it?

Also, does anyone happen to have a good source for discounted Dwell bedding? I'm lusting after several prints, but unfortunately they aren't in the budget...

alana

yes.

How cool that one of my pics got put on here! Now I have no choice but to forge ahead! :) I'm glad we were just preparing this week, I was worried that I was falling behind already! My days off are Sun, Mon, and Tues for now, so that's when i'll get the most done...

prou1069,
For necklaces, I used tiny "command adhesive" hooks on the inside of my closet door. Then I realized they smacked the door, so I put some fabric underneath them. Same concept as the pins in a corkboard, but out of sight...

Jonathan--
Does it matter?

alana

interesting question. some threads/topics do go off on tangents, some interesting and some not. and storage -- of jewelry or other objects -- is a legit cure issue. unlike, say, that there's a guy running around with a collection of vintage brooches....

During the spring cure, I had time but no money - and since I was renting and planned to move, I didn't want to spend much anyway. Now I have more money but less time, and there is a lot more to do.

One thing I've finally learned is that, in a new place, it's worthwhile to fix all the things that annoy you as soon as you can. On the TV "home staging" shows, a recurring theme is that something was broken when the owners moved in, or they hated the previous owner's wallpaper, but put up with it for years and years, until they wanted to sell the house. Then they changed it just in time to move out.

So far I've:

- replaced five light fixtures that were, variously, too dim, too ugly, too noisy (old fluorescent with magnetic ballast), or just wrong for their locations (e.g., low-hanging chandelier with no table under it).
- had laundry hookups installed in a convenient location.
- fixed bathroom exhaust fan that sounded like a 747 taking off.
- replaced an outside door lock for which there was no key.
- replaced range hood that was neither pleasing nor functional.
- painted dark paneling.
- removed living-room carpet.
- purchased replacement for a lighted switch (i.e., switch should light up when it's off) that didn't work, and GFI for the main bathroom.
- ordered large pendant lamp for the room that will be the dining room (current fixture is too small and in the wrong place).
- had an electrical receptacle installed in the living-room closet so that audio equipment can be placed inside it.

OK

I'd say from that list of accomplishments, you don't have too much to worry about as far as getting things done in limited time. I'm impressed. congratulations.

Oh! look, it's my living room! How exciting!
So I seem to have come down with a nasty cold...which is preventing me from going sailing this weekend, something I was really looking forward to, but on the upside, it does mean I'll have time for some curing this weekend...Things got a little out of hand as far as dishes/vacuuming/cluttered dining table mid-week this week (the two 12 hour days of classes, searching for employment, and going to extra-curricular club meetings really did me and the apartment in), so I need to do my usual weekend tidying up, plus I feel inspired to tackle my desk, so I may work on that...
But, this week I have:
-Removed 10 books from the bookcases, allowing all the other books to actually fit there. These 10 are destined for the library, but that plan was thwarted when the library decided not to accept donations...Goodwill instead?
-Swept & Mopped Kitchen floors.
-Sorted out plant box (Still need to find a better container for plant stuff, but at least all the stuff in there is staying).
-Eliminated one large cardboard box under the bed (containing one sweatshirt and some incense...yes, that was necessary)
-Got the sailing team to take back their 10 lifejackets that were being stored under the bed!
-Vacuumed once (not really an accomplishment, vacuuming usually happens once every 2 or 3 days in this house...).
-Happily added many small items and clothing to my outbox.
-Ordered a new filing cabinet for the living room, to replace the nasty cheap one whose drawer doesn’t open.

JonathanB, you have no idea how much more there is to do here. The plan for this weekend is to get things into place in the dining room - there is still some trim to paint but no furniture will be near it - and then work on the living room. Some depends on the weather since there is also work to do outdoors.

I passed by the Union Sq. green market yesterday to pick up some eucalyptus and none of the vendors had them. 'tis not the season? I need some very fragrant greenery in the space...suggestions?

catching up on flickr and other comments:

Thanks Maxwell.

plangel: I love the bookshelves myself.

staciaD in N.Cal: Thank you. If I had any decency I'd blush.

Jess2Nola,

I used Benjamin Moore's Iced Cube Silver, which is one shade lighter than what you're looking at, in my bathroom. I like it, and something a bit darker would be cool.

Picture is hopefully in the link below (actual color is a bit darker in real life--the flash washed it out a bit):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13628530@N08/1384564640/

For the Cure, I'm doing a mixture of Deep Treament--cleaning and decluttering--and then hopefully doing the 1-room cure on my bedroom, which needs help.

So far I've removed 1 item, tossed 3 bags of trash, bought flowers, and started a new outbox. Still have to finish the photos, etc.

Thanks moongrrl...I actually just put up the first coat on the accent wall in the bedroom...I ended up going half a step darker than I had planned (Pewter with 50% pigment?) I'm really liking it...

And it feels really fun to be painting when the lease says no painting...kind of illegal without the chance of going to jail...

*grin* It sounds great--good luck with it! I love colors--I was soo soo excited to be able to paint in this new apartment (though haven't done the bedroom b/c I have to finish removing wallpaper first. Ugh).

Jonathan--
No. I meant about the url.

But your reply made me smile. Why shouldn't a guy have a collection of vintage brooches? Much better, imo, than, oh, say, now-defunct company baseball caps.

In my kitchen I steamed off ancient wallpaper, removed paint from original tiling, and stripped paint from beadboarding. Then I spackled and sanded all the damage to the plaster caused by the '89 earthequake (I'm in San Francisco), and primed/painting the entire kitchen. It looks SO differnt and awesome now :-) I also removed THREE layers of ancient vinyl linoleum in the split baths and uncovered gorgeous douglas fir wood floors that I then sanded and refinished. In one bedroom and front room I also cut away all the cracks, then spackled, primed and painted.

Still on the list: tearing out the carpeting in our back porch and putting in the same new flooring that the kitchen has, fixing the cracks in the hall plaster and then priming/painting it, and priming/painting the pantry off the kitchen (already steamed off the horrid wallpaper, took the paint off the tiles, and started stripping the beadboards). Sooo much work but it's SO worth it!

Alana

sorry, didn't realize that.

As for brooches and baseball caps, you get to be known as the brooch guy, which is a mixed blessing. And do you have any idea how hard it is to find a baseball cap that a) doesn't have a logo, and b) comes in an actual size (as opposed to with an adjustable strap)?

Wow ChloeSF...very impressive...

Ok here are my week one accomplishments including before pics that I was to ashamed to post...

http://blackwhiteyellow.blogspot.com/2007/09/apartment-therapy-cure-week-1.html

So, is that what the "B" means in JonathanB?--and here I thought it meant "blowtorch." And no, my apologies. Now I know that "cryptic" doesn't really work on the 'net.

ChloeSF--you are my hero.

Progress for me--none, nil, nada, zilch. I'm heavily into procrastinating cleaning the fridge.

I haven't done nearly what I should, but I've started a repair list as well as an "outbox" (also a list at present, rather than a location). I've added a couple of floor plans (current and proposed) to my Flickr site. And before the day is out, I'll have photographed an old desk and either given it to friends or posted it for sale on Craig's List.

Notice I'm avoiding the cleaning bits?

jess2nola:

looks fantastic.

alana:

no, but I love the concept.

The b is for the first letter in my surname. When I started posting I posted as Jonathan, but there was already someone posting as Jonathan, who was not beloved. I had several requests to do something to avoid confusion, so I added the B.

Since I became JonathanB -- the J and the B capitalized -- AT has also acquired a jonathanb -- no uppercase letters -- posting in San Francisco and a JonB or Jon_B who also posts from time to time -- Jon being the preferred spelling for the short version of Jonathan.

Hope that helps....

Thanks JonathanB--that does help, actually. Now I'll know who YOU are! (Whoever you are.) But, still.

OK: I got the fridge done.

Now I think I'll procrastinate cleaning the oven.

I am doing both the Deep Treatment, as a Fall cleaning, and the One-room Remedy. I've started the Deep Treatment in bits. I have a tentative appointment with a repair guy later this week who will knock off some really irksome repairs from my list (some of which have been on the there since Cure #1). I've been rereading the pages for Week 1 and will finish that tonight, since we're almost at Week 2. Due to a complicated weekend (and other excuses), I haven't washed floors yet, as per Week 1, but will do that next weekend, which will be less complicated. I've started chipping away at cleaning the kitchen for Week 2.

I need to get going on my one-room remedy - the bedroom - but I also haven't read that far yet.

What I need at least as much as the Cure is Time. When will they invent more of it?

I did kind of an all-day cleaning and clearing today. It's not quite like my apartment needs any serious over-haul, but accommodating an extra person here living part-time, has made me convert all my shirts to being boxed instead of on hangers, so that more pairs of pants can fit in the closet, for instance.

Just stuff like that, but it's amazing how long it can take to go through things like old decorating magazines just to extract whatever wisdom you can out of them before tossing them, for instance.

I made all my kitchen cupboard doors over the weekend. I had hoped to get them fitted, too, but stupidly had not factored in glue drying time into my Grand Plan. Still, I'll get them in place by the end of the week.

I also plan to measure and order all the floor tiles I need. I've got to get all this big stuff out of the way before I can do any of the finer cure details.

i can't believe i made this post!! i worked very hard this weekend and posted new pics to my flickr site! i didn't get the floors done upstairs as i had hoped last night (so tired) but i have every intention of doing so this evening!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9566101@N06/sets/72157601935270229/

Ok - here's the list. It's not very exciting, most of the big stuff (flow issues, furniture shopping and major painting projects) got taken care of in the last two Cures.

Finished:
Vacuumed/mopped whole house
Did toilets
Reorganized dishes in kitchen and spice shelves
Cleaned fridge/freezer shelves
Organized MBR closet
Added to massive pile in garage for donation/pickup (mostly clothes, sadly)

Need to:
fix shelf in kitchen
clean rest of fridge (drawers/door) and pantry cupboard
possibly paint in the kitchen?
new kitchen curtains (roman shade?)
scrub tub
dust whole house
clean office/coat closets
swap summer clothes for winter ones (it's getting cold, so tanks and shorts get stashed to make room for sweaters and long johns)

The goal is to minimize shopping until the very end of the Cure, as there are too many little fun things I want but definitely don't need. I am going to try and stick with the format of the Cure a little better now as the book finally showed up, so I am going to try and get the kitchen stuff taken care of (esp. that shelf if I can find my masonry bit). Also, the light fixture for the dining area has been found! Gotta add it to the style tray...

Oh yeah, and isn't this the Fall Cure?

Also gotta take a load of books to the bookstore (to get credit for more books, yay!) and see if the PB in town has my light fixture so I don't need to order it.

Photos of the work in progress in the dining room are now on flickr, along with the vendors' pictures of the lamp and the wine rack that are on order:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7765379@N03/

Also: yesterday I took a heap of stuff - things that were left in my house, curtains that I took down, other curtains that I brought from Massachusetts but couldn't use here - to a rummage sale. Currently the outbox contains an assortment of mirrors, including two mirrored doors from a cabinet that must be long gone.

Anne- your list of things to do mirrors mine- it's kind of scary! I've been cleaning the kitchen all day and trying to track down a wierd smell in my place. It smells hot. I'm concerned, but then again, I used the oven today and it was cleaned a few days ago and maybe that's what I'm smelling. I really don't want to do all this cleaning and organizing just to have my house burn down

Hehe, thanks Alana and Jess2nola!

Holy cow Anne.

A fixture has been found for the dining room? This is breaking news! Honest folks, she's been looking for over a year!

There's nothing more motivating than seeing your room, in all it's pre-cure glory, up there, above the fold. Yikers.

Finally, today, I went looking for paint colours and I've pretty much decided 3/4 walls (Benjamin Moore, French Vanilla--or as it is called stateside, Papaya --a lovely vanilla)and the last is a choice between two equally beautiful blues.

I found four old ikea chairs at the second hand charity shop today (Yes, good second hand stuff around here is Ikea). The handy husband is doing his best to re-glue and rescrew. I'll sand and paint when he's done.

Yesterday Hannah and I spent the entire afternoon and evening in the bedroom, cleaning out the walk-in closet, emptying the dresser (which was our piece of furniture we were putting outside), and doing a much-needed sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing. It was so nice to sleep in that bedroom - it felt like we had just moved in.

Today the bathroom and living room are on the docket. We still have to figure out our paint colors. We ordered our landing strip materials from the Container Store yesterday as well, so they should be arriving in time for Week Three's landing strip project.

I can't wait to post our new furniture rearrangement for the living room. It should be quite different from the "before" picture.

Hi all! I'm jumping into the cure a little late. Mr. Gray and I are doing the deep treatment on our music room/home office (I just posted pix). We moved almost a year ago and this is our first real attempt to tame the disorganization in this room.

Accomplishments so far: We cleaned for an hour this weekend, and I've spent some quality time fantasizing about shelving while at work. We have a lot of random stuff to store-- microphones, cords, pedals, arcane music machinery-- and I think some combination of shelving, drawers, and boxes/bins is in order to get things under control. Also, a massive sort & toss party, which will probably begin next weekend.

Hello everybody, and Maxwell ! I'm jumping into the cure a little late too. I live in a studio and I will try to organize it and make better use of my space.
I have one problem thought, I live in Greece and the book is not available in the bookstores here! They told me it will take two to tree months to come if I order it. So is it possible to follow the cure without the book? Or better wait for the spring one?

Anne - I missed your little bit tagged on the end of your list about the dining room light fixture. Woohoo! Can't wait to see a photo. :-)

Katerina, if you can order with a credit card, Barnes & Noble could send the book to you by air mail, although the total shipping charge, $16, would be more than the price of the book. If you have a friend in the United States who could buy the book and send it by Global Priority Mail, the cost might be less.

katerina,
Also, while you're waiting, I believe some of the beginning part of the book is on the site somewhere - anyone know where?

In the book blog. Backtrack through the posts.

Uh, Katerina. I'm sure you can buy a book from AT directly. US Postal International Priority service is fairly cheap and very fast. They deliver in a matter of days. I used to sell old scifi mags on eBay.

Ack. I'm a bit depressed about my curtain issue right now. I have a wall of windows in my living room (two double hung windows with a 55" square picture window in between another set of double hung). We never bothered with curtains in our old place but are finding the glare on sunny days unbareable. I was hoping to do red dupioni silk panels with tan roman shades but am finding it a bit cost prohibitive right now. I can't really afford $400 for window treatments. I'm settling for a fake silk/satin look and found some nice drapes that I really like at JC Penny of all places. The roman shades aren't too insanely expensive until I get to the picture window. I can't afford to get a custom shade made. What to do. What to do.

Also, we have a heater in front of the windows and I'm worried floor-length curtains (What I hoped to get) might burn or catch on fire. Does anyone know if this type of heater gets very hot? Will I have to drape the curtains (I look I hoped to avoid) instead?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suziegoombs/1350838401/in/set-72157601926398386/

Anyone else have suggestions?

Katerina - you could also buy a copy via Amazon UK and maybe have it by the end of the week. There aren't any new ones, but under 'Used and New' there are lots of copies. I can recommend The Book Depository as a seller - I've bought lots of stuff from them and they are always very prompt in posting. (I also can't remember if there is a problem with having a Greek shipping address on the UK site, but you could always order direct from the Book Depository - just google them).

prou1069, following the other suggestion for your necklaces, how about this: buy a small classy antique-looking Hindu god statuette like of Lord Siva, Lord Krishna, Laxsmi Devi, or Saraswati Devi (you get the picture) and bedeck them in your lovely necklaces? you can look on ebay for some deals. That way, the statues would look enchanting and mystical and you'd get to see your collection all the time! Maybe even place your rings and broaches around their feet like small exquisite offerings (ok, maybe I'm getting carried away here...)...

Jonathan B: If you love your textiles, keep daylight from hitting them! The UV will not only fade them but also weaken the structure of the textiles. If you want a view, get a solar shade, but at least 95% if you get sunlight for more than a few minutes a day.

If you have a lot of jewelry, office supplies or other small things, to store, look at Bisely multidrawers http://www.bisley.com/multidrawers.asp - they've gotten more expensive with the delcine of the dollar but the smaller sizes with only a few drawers are affordable. If not, look at their plastic drawer organizer inserts at The Container Store, A.L. Friedman or other art supply stores - the organizers cost about $10 each and could be put into any box or drawer.