I didn't finish so will try to get it done today. Didn't get to work on anything yesterday due to a funeral (out of town), so I'm going to have to catch up.

I think I am going to have to skip out on this today, my two year old and three month old are sick along with myself. I made a magnetic knife strip this past weekend though (http://turningithome.blogspot.com/2013/01/easy-diy-magnetic-knife-strip.html) so I will just count that as today's project. That's okay, right?!

Selecting paint today for my double bedroom dresser refurb project. Aiming to repaint one highboy dresser this weekend & order some custom pieces for the lowboy dresser redo this week. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by 2 dressers, but I know this will be the only time I have to get them done! Can't lose momentum now!

Woot - sounds like I'll have another evening spent restoring the subway tile floors some previous owner of my home buried under cheap ceramic tile. Almost there: http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/150644_10152399944240234_298751493_n.jpg

Alternatively, realise that a week later, I still haven't done anything on the said task and I called in the professionals. The important thing is that it's done!

My project is to clear out and re-organize my kitchen utensil drawers and junk drawer. I did the clearing out part during the massive kitchen cleanup this weekend and put a bunch of duplicate utensils and things we just don't really use into the outbox. Felt so good! I also took our foil and other wraps out of the drawer they were in and repurposed that to hold our knives and the less-often used stove tools (i.e. ladle, potato masher).

Today I'll be hitting up Bed, Bath & Beyond and the Container Store to get a knife holder for the drawer and drawer organizers that I can puzzle piece together to hold all the various utensils. I cut out a piece of newspaper in the dimensions of our drawers to I can use that as a template.

And I forgot to comment on the kitchen cleanup post this weekend, so I'll just say it here: That assignment was a huge kick in the pants for me to finally, finally deep clean our kitchen and it has made a huge difference. Besides getting some of the layers of gunk off cabinets, etc., it made me rethink how we use our counter space and I took a lot of the clutter of of it. Didn't get to everything, but it is leaps and bounds better.

I'm planning on getting rid of a HUGE pile of cardboard in the stairwell. We don't have kids, otherwise we'd go crazy making forts, etc. Any awesome cardboard upcycling project ideas for growups?

My project is organizing an over-sized yarn stash and knitting stuff (books, needles, etc.). The shelf units arrived and are assembled and in place in the beddroom as of yesterday. I next need to go through all the bins and organize the contents. I'm still debating with myself on how to separate it. In the meantime - at least the bins are now neatly on the shelves and the shelves are hidden behind the screens. While I think about the yarn, today I'll work on putting my books in a workable order. They are in bookcases in four different places .... first step is getting them all into one area.

My big project is connected to yesterday´s assignment: I´m transforming my landing strip, and I´m almost ready, so this is my motivation to end it today.

How funny, I just posted my selected project on the Day 5, select a project page! Great timing. Take a look, its the last comment.... http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/apartment-therapy-january-cure---day-5-181810

I am going to need to use the next 16 days very wisely!

Update on Kitchen Assignment ... I went through my remaining kitchen cabinets last night, it was so easy! (I did not clean the uppers ... yet!) I didn't get rid of that much stuff, and was able to have more room for the stuff I kept. It was so much less cramped. I was truly surprised.

I realized I had a bunch of containers that were not being used at all that could be used to store pantry stuff in. One question about this approach to storing pantry staples (permanent containers instead of original packaging), how do you keep track of expiration dates, instructions for making, etc? I don't want to buy new containers just to have a chalkboard label on the container to write on. My containers are clear glass square with metal lids. I am not seeing an obvious way to attach a label. Any ideas that would be easy to maintain and view, yet inexpensive?

I'd suggest Toy Theater! Seriously fun and will make great use of your cardboard!

My projects are:
1) Entry hall: frame and hang pictures, buy and hang a new mirror, clean and organize the closet, get a waste basket.
2) Kitchen hutch: empty cabinet and shelves, purge crap and organize what's kept inside, fix closure of left door, organize cookbooks, find and install small in-shelf lights.

My biggest hold up for both projects is needing to buy things and being post-holiday poor. I'm doing my best to improvise good solutions and keep notes on better long-term fixes. As I posted yesterday, I'm loving the work I've done so far this month. The front of my apartment (hall, living room, kitchen) look fabulous, my floors look great, I've been overflowing with ideas about what to do with my bedroom and small closet ... can't wait to get started there and the move on to my crazy craft stash!

sarajanie, I use these erasable labels on containers that might change contents (i.e. tupperware for leftovers): http://www.amazon.com/Jokari-47826-Erasable-Labels-Markers/dp/B002MPH4OG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358264742&sr=8-1&keywords=erasable+labels And I got a label maker for Christmas that I'm going to use to put labels on containers that will always store the same thing (sugar, flour, etc.)

sarajanie, you can buy chalkboard paint, or better yet, Martha steward has chalkboard erasable, removable labels at office supply stores. these are great! I have 3 pets on 3different diets and I used these labels on their big containers.

I finished my goal project yesterday. I had the day off so I spent most of it pulling everything out of my kitchen cabinets and re-organizing them to make everything more functional. I painted, put up shelving, put up our magnetic knife strip, and styled the tops of the cabinets with my Pyrex collection. It feels brand new.

Well. I have cleaned out the hallway closet, now to put it all back together so it works as the landing strip I dream of. Still need to put up some kind of shelf for keys and ???? so off to get that. Also need to figure out how I want this closet to work for me. I find it hard not to get sidetracked into the "might as well" mode. Trying to stay focused on this one main project for now. I did remember to buy flowers, yea!!!!!!!

Well my project is painting a big chunk of the apartment, so that's scheduled for early next week...but we have done about a dozen other projects, no exaggeration! We purged/organized all the kitchen cabinets and drawers, gutted the office, I re-did my shoe mini-closet (the outbox got fed with about 8 pairs of shoes that had to be ripped from my hands) etc. So we've probably been doing too much so far! I'm starting to feel the burn-out and the month is only half over.

But today I plan on taking our before photos of the living room and main bathroom and make plans for all the furniture that will need to be moved for the painting. I painted a large swatch of the new paint color - Ben Moore Galapagos Turquoise - on a piece of foam core and hung it on the wall so it can sink in (Apartment Therapy trick! Thank you!)

World Market has chalkboard label stickers that are removable. I use Post-It brand Designer ID Labels which have removable adhesive for all of my dry storage and freezer storage. I found them at either Office Depot or Staples, can't remember.

@sarajanie, I'm always changing what goes in which container, so I cut out the instructions/expo date/sometimes a particularly pretty label and cover them in a layer of clear packing tape. I can then keep the info on (more tape...) the new big jar, move the label if I have to, and it doesn't cost anything.

today the electrician finally came and swapped out two fixtures for me. i feel like i can't really take any credit for that, since he did all the work. but my next big thing, which feels daunting, is getting a handle on all of my clothes, putting them away nicely & neatly, hanging them up, folding them, getting them up off the loveseat in the bedroom & the stool in the bathroom. i know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but it's my one sore spot for some reason. i pledge to have this task completed by thursday night.

Am I the only one still working on the weekend's deep-clean? I do have an enormous pregnant belly and a largish kitchen, I guess. And I did the landing strip yesterday. My superproject, the new baby's future bedroom , will have to wait. Good thing I've stored up all this pregnancy/nesting energy...

@Sarajanie -- I use masking tape. I've got a roll that lives in one of my kitchen drawers, plus a sharpie black marker. Works a treat, looks tidy, doesn't require fancy anything, and better yet, is insanely cheap.

Well, my project was supposed to be boldly paintin my small interior bathroom (no window) an olive brown. After painting another part of the wall I decided I prefer bright white, really, so my project has changed! Tonight I am picking up a huge (5 ft high by 3 ft wide) mirror for my entry/kitchen which I expect will really work nicely. 1/8 of my 322 sqft apt is the entry/landign. Photos to come soon!

I will be catching up on the kitchen cleaning today, but I am feeling awesome for doing two appliance repairs at my rental for $80 in parts plus my labor. Quotes from repair guy totaled $425. I am inspired by all of the TCB energy!

I gave myself the big goal of painting the living room. I'm really undecisive when it comes to colors, I like so many different looks, white walls, light grey, dark grey but I decided to stay in the white family for the walls as everything else is so colorful ( orange/red colored modern scandinavian rug & orange couch). I'll look at some paint chips today and buy, if I can find them, those little sample sizes of paint from Benjamin Moore.
I only got to cleaning out the frig last night. I clean it when it's looking a little grungy, and mop up any spills immediately so it wasn't too bad, but I never knew the plastic grill at the bottom could be removed and washed and I could vacuum under the frig. OMG the cat fur! After it was all cleaned I had to keep opening the refrigerator to marvel at it's sparkling cleaness. I used a solution of vinegar and dish soap for cleaning. For the harder to clean spots, scrubbing with a dab of baking soda worked like a charm.

I just cut up a cardboard box last night and made it into a decorative diveder to hide my cats litter box. You could make a divider to hide other things depending on the size of the cardboard. I cut the box into one long piece about40"x30." left the flaps on the bottom to help stabalize it, then cut the top to look like grass. Then I covered it in dark green duct tape and put light green tape here and there to add highlights. I haven't taken a pic of it yet but or I'd share but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

My big project for the month is my bedroom. It puts a serious damper on our romantic life! Somehow, in our tiny house, our bedroom has become the place we stash things when people drop by, etc., so it's messy.

My husband was enthusiastic, so we went nutso Saturday and managed to clean out our closet and my dresser. It was hard to get rid of some beautiful clothes, but I had to - some of them I hadn't worn in three years, but kept thinking I would. But now some lucky person will find a lot of great clothes at our local Goodwill this weekend! And board games!

I didn't have time for a big clean on the kitchen, but I did the most important thing and scrubbed down and organized the fridge & freezer. It's a thing of beauty now :-) This weekend, we'll vacuum the coils. I always forget to do that.

So nice to have this kick in the butt to get things done!

I'm so excited--this is actually going to happen! My pot rack gets delivered today, so I just have to harangue my husband into helping me put it up. I've already got the pots and pans that I'm hanging from it in a neat pile on the kitchen counter, and I've wrangled the lids and the cabinet space that used to be a disaster.

I still need to buy the baskets for my other project and go through my closet, but baby steps!!

My project is to hang a curtain between my living room/office and my bedroom to create separation potential there. I was hung up on a sense of dissatisfaction with the paint I chose for my living room (F and B Joa's White, which went up about 2 weeks ago) - all my next steps, including the curtain color, was hinging on this color choice being right - but a friend opened my eyes to how lovely it is. So I'm letting this be the color and moving on. It really is soft and subtle and so much warmer and more grounded than the bright white that I had going on before that hurt my eyes. And the red undertones really pull together my whole palette. It has a little more brown in it than I had hoped, but I plan to add a bit of brightness elsewhere (recovering a chair, pillows, trim, etc…).

So today (or soon): to Home Depot to see if they have the hardware I'm after (wood fluted rod and end brackets) and if not, I'll find them online and order them.
This weekend, ponder paint trim colors, get some sample paints, and move forward with painting the trim. Then I'll be poised to choose curtains that work with my evolving colors.

Thanks for the support.

The Big Project is rearranging my kitchen. For all the time I have lived here the refrigerator has felt like it is in the wrong place. Over the weekend I got started, took all the stuff out of a mostly awkward and unusable lower cabinet space and looked over the removal situation. It looks possible...But I need to get a different square bit for the drill. So this project is postponed till after a big town Shopping Trip. (35 miles one way, so there needs to be at least 3 good reasons to go)
I did use the momentum of that cabinet to look thru all the cabinets, drawers and closets in the house, and organize stuff. Big pile in the outbox plus big recycle pile. who knew I had stashed at so many empty jars and bottles. Some things can become 'collections', like white bowls or wine glasses. Old mayo jars are more like Hoarders.

My project is slip covering one of my chairs (I will be doing all of them over the course of the next couple of months - four dining chairs and two arm chairs). I was able to get alot done on my project this weekend because my kitchen didn't need that much work. Before anyone throws tomatoes at me, we JUST moved in and I did some serious cleaning before I put my things in it. I will still work on the project tonight. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can do the rest of the chairs. And paint my new dressers. And crochet a throw for my bed.

I'm feeling a little underwhelmed (honestly not bragging here) that I really don't have much to do for the "cure" at my home. My husband and I completed all our major projects last year and I keep the house tidy/organized/clean the rest of the time. I am lucky enough to work from home a couple of days a week and we don't have children (we do have furry children) so it is easy to keep up on the daily chores. I also did a pretty good clean/purge of my kitchen before the holidays since we were having overnight guests. I had even just had a piece of artwork framed just before the holidays too.
With all that being said... I did decide I would tackle my cookbook/receipe shelf today in my pantry. I have a folder full of receipes I have printed off over the years that needs to be tamed and several cookbooks we never use to go through.
One thing that helps us keep on top of clutter is we have a designated corner in our basement (I realize not everyone has a basement) that we put everything we want to get rid of or no longer use during the year. Once a year my neighborhood has an area garage sale. All I have to do is tag the items right before the sale and out of the house it goes. And we make a little money to boot!

@ musicalhat: Forts for grownups?? Could be awesome.

I would looove to make some forts instead of work on my goal. My project is a little out of hand. I was going to organize the closet from hell. Right now, I think it's a bigger project than I should have chosen. It's more of a tiny room than a closet, and everything seems to trigger another project. I'm at the hair-pulling-out stage!

You read my mind! I just finished my project this morning (evening here already...). My bookshelf that until today was bright (BRIGHT) red is now a relaxing white-going-on-beige and ready for all my books when the paint has set properly (tomorrow evening).

I am loving this project (the whole Jan Cure). I have followed about 85% of it, a couple things didn't fit for me- but I just replaced it with other items on the list. My outbox is working, my landing strip is almost there (just searching for the perfect, much needed coat rack), new photos ready for hanging (it's been very inspiring- my travel pics look better than I had imagined they would in 8x10!!) and my horrendous laundry room got attacked with organization and cleaning this weekend. I even painted it!! I also filled all of my empty spice jars, and created more counter space in the kitchen by installing a magnetic knife holder to get rid of the huge, ugly knife block- why did it take me so long to do that!!!!! Yahoo. that's all I got to say. Bring it on.

I think I'm going to switch today with tomorrow, as I'm at work today and out at a yoga class until around 9pm tonight...will do a media fast from 5pm on and tomorrow I will do this task. I also was out last night and didn't do anything related to landing strip...but....I have one set up, it just needs a clean, so I feel like I'm in good shape.
Still need to get around to the kitchen clean...maybe this weekend.

My project is to create a gallery wall over my desk with some of the prints I've been collecting. I already framed the pieces and just picked up some more hanging strips, so tonight I'll decide on the arrangement and hang them up! It will definitely end up growing and evolving over time as I find new things to add to the "gallery," but the 4-5 pieces I have now will be the foundation. I also have a mirror I need to hang up over my nightstand, so I might as well do that today as well!

I haven't even started the kitchen...we used this weekend to rearrange the bedroom and office, etc. My 10 week pregnant belly has me exhausted and nauseous and I think I am going to wait for some willing grandparents to be in town to watch my energetic 2 year old while I do the kitchen. Sad to have to wait that long though!

My project is my kitchen pantry. I took before photos at the weekend and it looks even worse in the photos than real life. I ordered a few bits from Amazon last night which won't arrive until Friday so for now will just start sorting through and throwing away/outboximg what we don't use or need.
I'm hoping I can sell a few things on eBay to help fund all this. My husband is starting to come round to the whole cure thing now so I'm getting some help tonight which is great. I was also thinking about labels on storage jars so the suggestions here have helped a lot.

Thanks everyone, you're doing great!

My goal project has been to locate a new couch and make my office more cozy.

I have been looking for couches but nothing is striking my fancy. I have the cash so one better pop up soon before I accidentally fall into Sephora or something.

I succeeded in my office in finding some art. I just need to hang it. I've been procrastination doing that because I would have to move around some furniture to do it. TODAY is the day!

I just got a little bit of a promotion at work and so I'm thinking I could get my mom to buy me these mirrors I've been coveting at Target instead of taking me to dinner to celebrate. She understands lol

Once I hang those in the office all I need is to find a couch for the LR so I can move the old one in to it.

Good job everybody! I think the most satisfying part of the Cure is marking the items off my to-do list. Feels pretty good.

@midcentmod my big project is my closet too! I have too many clothes and shoes, an emotional issue that I'm gonna deal with and clothes in piles in my closet and at my bedside. I'd like to have a more clean closet, fewer clothes, and a system that is maintainable. Tonight I'm going to tackle the piles of clothes so that I can get started on purging! Yay for clean closets, I'm in this with you!

My goal project was to create art for my apt. I have two finished and two more to go. I have a movie date tonight so it will have to start later in the week.

I completed one of my projects last week -- installing shelves in my storage unit so I can get everything off the floor (in the event of a flood), and to make room for my bike. The idea is that I can move more things from my closet to the storage unit for the "off season".

Still to do:
1. Go through closet and do a goodwill purge
2. Finish work on my landing strip. I'd created an effective one several years ago, but it's currently overwhelmed by unopened bills, and other stuff that needs to be put away.
3. Go through kitchen and do a purge.
4. Go through books and do a purge.

I've scheduled my party for mid-February, so we should be good by then. So much still to do!

we had to make chairs out of cardboard in college. Glue all the sheets together, find a friend w/ a bandsaw and start cutting!

My goal project is to hang curtains in my kitchen. I need an iron, so I'll be hitting up a thrift store in search of one later today. In the meantime, once my baby takes a nap, I can at least pre-wash and measure my fabric and find the curtain rod I bought a long time ago to install it. I originally had a much more ambitious curtain plan but several windows in my apartment need to be replaced and I'm waiting on the landlord (at least the handman agrees with me!). Sprucing up the kitchen is a good enough goal for now.

My big project for the Cure is to finally get rid of all my boxes--tonight, I'm going to sort through two boxes in my office aka disaster zone and decide what to donate, toss, and keep. If I'm keeping it (and I promise myself I'm going to be brutal), I need to find a good home for it, otherwise it goes too.

Dogmom ... Way to go! Sit back and enjoy the peace and cleanliness of your home. Give your furry babies some extra loving! If you can keep up with the pet hair, you are doing an awesome job!

Didn't get far last night other than moving a messy cork board from the entryway. I already have a place behind the door for shoes, and a functional (albeit not attractive) box for recycling. Still working out the coat situation. My project is to find a recycling spot for all the used batteries/lightbulbs that I have collected by the door that are not suppose to go in the regular recycling and cleaning the spider webs off the front porch light.

My home feels great after the wkd - all the glasses and dishes are moved closer so it will be much quicker to unload the dishwasher, all the dry goods (i have lots for making cantonese soup - good preventive medicine - haven't yet caught the flu) are organized with glass containers on their own shelf. Fridge is scrubbed inside and out, fur swept from behind the fridge. I think I might be ready for glass cabinet doors in the kitchen!

Anyone has a non-chemical smelling alternative to gooey SS cleaners? It doesn't leave spots but gave me a headache. The catch-all corner in the study was also cleared, clean, and organized. It will be nice to start having people over more often ;-)

SS=stainless steel
water and soap doesn't seem to work well on SS appliances

You can use a china marker to write on glass and plastic, it washes off for re use. Sometimes the package instructions are small enough to cut off the packaging and adhere to the bottom of the container or tuck inside the container.

Woot! Keep it up! Looks great!

I had the same issue! I used black contact paper (which acts like chalkboard) to cut out labels.

My goal was to fix our entertainment system area. Today I will measure everything (space and what needs to go into space) so we can get the right sized piece.

My Cure project is mounting the rear surround-sound speakers on the wall. When I bought a new sound system/DVD player 2 years ago, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the rear speakers, so I got stands for them, which I put at opposite ends of the couch. They're wobbly and collect dust as well as being visually distracting. This morning before work I got the right speaker hung. This required hauling out and unfolding a very large ladder (my ceilings are almost 10 feet). Now that the ladder is set up, it should be pretty easy to finish the left side after work and to attach the thingies to cover the wires. My art hanging project - hanging a huge, colorful quilt from Guatemala on the wall - is also in the living room, so there are lots of positive changes happening in that room!

I am slowly circulating through the tasks, and my husband has been inspired by my digging in. He cleared the boxes out of the mud room and cleaned the floor so we have a safe path through. He also vacuumed the rugs. I cleaned out the kitchen built in. The fridge is done except for the bottom drawers, which I have been putting off. Purple Hert came today and took more outbox stuff, yay! My landing strip needs hooks for coats, and I am inspired by all the photos of hooks in front hallways, since thy never occurred to me, and we have no closet.

My main goal was to find a place and move into it before the end of the month (when my lease is up). At the begining of the month I had nothing but a sick house. With the January Cure I have been healing it and myself. The set up of the outbox has allowed me to let things go and down size in a healthy way. I have been packing as I go so when the time comes it will be easy on everyone. My hope is that by healing the apartment before I leave it will allow the next individual peace with the new chapter of their life begining.

That would be Purple Heart.

I used dry erase board markers in a fun color for a few years on white ceramic containers. Just erase, or wipe with a dampened cloth if the writing has dried up! Also, a small post-it sized or smaller paper attached by a rubber band works! Sometimes I cut out the label and attach it like this.

I need ideas for my project... I'm working on a bathroom cabinet solution. I've sourced a vintage French light oak cabinet and bought the fixings. We've decided we'll replace the glass in the door with a mirror. What I'm stuck on is the inside. It has internal shelves which are quite stained. I don't really want to paint it but the shelves need some kind of cover up. Help!

I'm just living vicariously through AT and all the bloggers participating in the January Cure.

The most organizational thing I have done so far this month is making sure my ice cube trays are re-filled so that I can pour my Bailey's over it while I read all the blogs.

@sarajanie: A trick I learned working in the lab: glass can be marked with a Sharpie (something everyone probably has in a drawer somewhere), then use rubbing alcohol to take it off later.

Nice find, @alyx! The original tile is cute.

I decided to work on our office. I think I'm on a good way, I start to go through the stuff and throw away everything that I don't need. You can have a look at the project on my blos:) It is in german, but for you, I wrote this post in two languages, so my family AND you can have a look at the changes:)
http://sczibi.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/projekt-arbeitszimmer-project-office/
Have a look, and please let me know what you think about it :)

Would peel & stick tiles work for your application? I used them in the bottom of a vintage piece I repurposed as a bathroom vanity. Looks great & makes cleanup a breeze.

I am going to change my project for the month to "getting the house ready for appraisal". I am refinancing and if they low-ball my appraisal, I am sunk, so this is just going to take priority. Plus then I can say I really worked on it today! It's hardly a cheat, because check out what I've done so far:
-Cleaned out the fridge (leftover from weekend assignment)
-Trimmed a lot of greenery in the front yard to make walkways passable again, and generally cleaned and spruced up the front. Nothing is going to make my yard look "normal", but it can at least be more a more charming wild meadow/food forest.
-Received package from amazon with both my new front door knob and new thermostat and installed both immediately. They both work great!

Yet to do is patch the hole in the wall in my bathroom, which I will do in a bit. I am home again with my sick daughter, hopefully we can both be back to our normal duties tomorrow. I just really don't feel like cleaning out closets.

Baby oil - mineral oil - oil cuts oil. brings up a perfect shine too, i use avon skin so soft original bath oil i use it to buff laminate cabnets too revive wooden furniture toaster, kettle, microwave (outside) and my house is woodland fresh it will get off stickers too

@lavedalia, a friend of mine who used to sell appliances at Best Buy said the following when I asked him about cleaning stainless steel: "Take 10 minutes to apply some carnuba wax (yes, car wax) to your stainless fridge. It will last for years, and you simply have to wipe it down and the fingerprints come off. No special cleaner or anything is needed." I'd imagine you'd want to make sure your SS surface was clean to start with, but I was impressed that there was such an easy way to then make it easy to clean!

I just found the January Cure a few days ago, so I don't have everything going with as much momentum as I might like. But I love all the inspiration! As a somewhat relevant project to the weekend assignment, we just got a new fridge, which I am really excited about. Our old fridge was kept in the basement, because our kitchen is small, and we only had a mini-fridge in the kitchen itself. With some reorganization, though, we figured out a way to fit a normal (but on the small side) fridge into the kitchen. And since the basement fridge was kind of crappy and falling apart anyway, we got a new fridge! So today one of the things I'm working on is getting the food moved up from the basement and into the kitchen. :)

My selected project is to redo our entryway, which ties into yesterday's assignment, and we do already have a landing strip set up, the issue is that the furniture, lighting and decor are all stuff that was just moved to this space a long time ago, so it wouldn't be empty/unlit, it doesn't look or feel intentional and cohesive. I just want it to feel like our home the second we walk through the door and I've been wanting to redecorate this area for a long time but I'm paralyzed with indecision. Taking the first step is really stressful, but I'm determined to make some choices this month and select well made, versatile pieces that will enable me to play with a lot of different color schemes and styles in the coming years.

Wish some fool had buried tile floors at my house.

Getting there.... except today I discovered how important it is to read thru ALL the directions before proceeding to future steps. yep. So now we have to go back 4 steps to get ahead one. No big deal, but it did mess up my plan for the week! Guess I'll use tomorrow's media fast day to really work on our kitchen area like I was supposed to today. Hey, at least the upper half is done! And I got to Crate & Barrel to order the counter stool.

My big project is reconfiguring my former kitchen/sitting area into a studio apartment and clearing out my old bedroom. Getting there. Studio is basically set up, now I need to go through all the clothes and doodads, put the excess in the oubox while I make up my mind,then reintegrate all the bits and bobs I'm keeping. I think this will take longer than the rest of the month. This week I'm also working on building a storage hutch for my bathroom, sewing a wolf hat for a friend's granddaughter and starting a quilt for my new grandson. Good thing I'm retired!

Oh forgot, also cleaned and defrosted the freezer and organized everything. I share it with two other people and now we each have different coloured dollar store nylon mesh bags we keep our stuff in so we know who belongs to what.

We were sidetracked with sick kids over the weekend, so today I finished the kitchen deep clean. The landing strip is, as of right now, just a list of ideas. But in the meantime I am trying to standardize where I put my keys/wallet.

My goal project is to mount my bookcases to the wall—I failed to do this when moving in and one came toppling down not long ago! Got the hardware from Crate & Barrel today, but it'll likely be a project for the weekend. Maybe I'll clean my bedroom on media clutter day!

I can't express enough how good this has been for me. After much hand-wringing and a year of trying to make a cross-country move, we pulled our house off the market just before Christmas. The cure has been a wonderful way to move back in, mentally. After a year of intense stress related to the house, it's been great to center ourselves and focus on the present. Thanks, AT. Truly.

My project is to make better use of a built in alcove in my living room. It has what I am sure the builders think is a desk top built into it. And it has become trash central. Plastic bin underneath holding a printer, Paperwork from coupons to renewal notices piled on top. So it needs a major personality overhaul and, if budget allows, paint the back wall of it as an accent.

A note about the big kitchen clean this weekend. Not a single item that I weeded out - coasters, pots, silverware, etc., lasted more than one night in the outbox. My sister reminded me that my nephew needed everything for his new place. This is his first stateside army posting in 5 years. He's lived in whatever is the modern form of barracks in Korea, Iraq and Egypt, so has nothing. And it turns out his two roomies are in the same position. Hope they like the mugs with vintage shoes on them. :)

bathroom drawers and storage rack: makeup drawer, jewelry (esp older costume stuff) graveyard drawer, swiped hotel samples collecting for years and never used, etc halfway expect this to show up later on The Cure, but if it does, i'll be one step ahed of the game :)

My goal project, is our upstairs stairwell that has obsolete hardware hanging around the nude window, a plant that died slowly and painfully from dehydration, and mismatched unattractive art/frames random placed in holes made by previous owners (and we've lived here for 10 years!) Yikes it does need help. Thank you AT for this wonderful multi-step program.

NORTHSTORY.... too funny!! I love your choice for the Cure!!

For me, without the check-in on this site and seeing that others are having similar experiences, I would have zero motivation. Like someone else mentioned, it is the getting started that is the hardest part. That is soooo dang true for me. Even just doing something small (like cleaning the sink), gives me the initial energy and motivation to do a little more because it feels good! And it doesn't hurt to sip Bailey's (or wine) while you're at it, too.

Cardboard light fixture. You can buy the basic componets at home depot or IKEA.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=hp&tok=zdMWgSo9NYKVcnQxBfIeGA&cp=18&gs_id=24&xhr=t&q=cardboard+light+fixtures&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41018144,d.dmQ&biw=1340&bih=567&wrapid=tljp1358298196605036&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=R_31UOSAGOm_0AGHh4CYBw

DSP in DC .... Please share a photo of the quilt! I would love to see it.

No, Amanda, I'm still working on it as well. I'm taking the time to wash the items that were on those shelves, which is a good way to remember them. I've only done two sets of cabinets and have so many more to go. It may turn out that the kitchen deep clean will become my "Goal Project". But I'm ok with that.

Several years ago, I repainted my living room a light gray. I really like it, but if I were to do it again, I would consider a deeper gray.... one that doesn't become white so easily.

I used Ben Moore's Misty Gray. I also considered Bunny Gray (who wouldn't like that color name!!), but was afraid it would be too gloomy. They are both in the 2124 shade family. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/mistygray

After completing the paint job, the misty gray color looked very much like white when the sun hit my LR (north facing, but super large window). When the sun isn't at its peak, the gray shows up more as gray. However, my room colors are mostly neutral (tan, black, more gray, white). The paint color is really pretty gray against black.

The other thing I wanted to share is that I used the same color in my kitchen. It is mostly white/cream and has a south facing window. The misty gray has a visibly blue hue in this room, and looks white at full sun.

In hindsight, I wish I would have gone a little more gray than my very conservative choice... while considering the impact of sun exposures and interior colors. It seems like the brighter the room, the more the wall color will be washed out as white, and the less contrasting colors in the room, the less the gray shows up. I would also ask the BM paint specialist which colors will have a blue hue. I don't know much about color chemistry, but I would want the gray to be less blue and more gray, if that is possible.

Good luck!!

I've been doing my follow-up on moving along my kids' old toys, and it feels great! More tomorrow, thrift store for anything left on Friday, and I'll be done with my chosen job. Phew.

@sarahjanie, you can write on glass with a permanent marker, an then remove with rubbing alcohol! I use silver sharpie on my spice jars and I think it looks cute and not too science labby (which is where I learned this trick), but you could get one in any color.

I choose to hang art along my empty stairwell. I have the frames already and just need to pick out what to put in them. Can't wait to get them up and liven up the space.

So happy! big project done (for now) and after pictures to take tomorrow. I am happy to share that tonight marks night #3 when I there is NOTHING on my kitchen counters including my gigantic clutter magnet, i.e., kitchen island. I feel like a new person.

weeknights are though for me. i'm putting many extra hours on the day job this month, so my big project is suffering (i chose organizing my endless piles of paper work). i'm sure i'll put a dent in it before the end of the month though. i've done amazing on my other weekend projects.

thanks everyone for the inspiration. looking forward to seeing some before/after pictures. @northstory should we expect 'after' as an empty ice tray?

I'm not participating in the Cure officially but I'm definitely feeding off of everyone's enthusiasm and enjoying reading these comments! Over the weekend, I mopped the kitchen floor and finally cleaned up a problem area in my living room. I even bought some flowers! Love coming home to my apartment even more now!

I am in the middle of my project - I got a good start on it today. I am going through our Craftsman storage unit. It is filled with tools and various items that were tossed in before we moved overseas for four years. I spent a lot of time today with WD-40 and a heavy duty 3M scrubber cleaning the rust off of unused tools and sorting them out. Finding duplicates (how many screwdrivers do we need?), discarding junk and putting items away so that we can find them. We live in an apartment with lots of closets. The tool chest is in one of these closets - and I have to say that having it close at hand rather than tucked into a basement has been fantastic!

I love this! (and hey, only thing the guys notice is they gotta cuppa - really:) I'm sure all three are thankful. A suggestion if I may? Take another quick look-see at those items you were unsure of in the big kitchen clean. It's MUCH easier to let go of what's [arguably] debatable if you personally know someone who who really needs it. A gift of 'sacrifiice' is priceless. <<<voice of experience here.

Blerg. I've been really bad about this lately! My project was to fix up my shower room (I have two "bathrooms" — one with a toilet and bathtub and sink, and one just with a shower and vanity). I went ahead and bought the shower curtain I've been debating online tonight. I hope to put it up and paint this weekend!

I'm not really doing the cure this time around, but I am reading each day's post and I enjoy hearing what others are doing. I did pass on a few of my kitchen items the other day, and I felt good about that. I gave them to someone who needed pots and pans to furnish a new apartment. I passed on two saucepans and a skillet that I didn't need. Also, a couple of other small items as well. I felt so good about that.

I am planning some bathroom upgrades, but I won't be doing the work myself. I will, however, pick out paint colors, mirrors, light fixtures, and countertop materials. It's a big project for me, and I tend to get overwhelmed with too many choices.

I think the Home Cures are great. Even for those of us who do not participate regularl, or follow through to a T, it is a source of inspiration and helps get us motivated to do better in our homes.

Two words: grease pencil. Quick, inexpensive & won't smudge at a casual touch. A permanent marker is fine on your glass containers. Still smudgeproof but washes off easily with a nylon scrubber, no elbow grease required. Masking tape is another option as someone mentioned. Any of these are quick, cheap & easy and will get you moving. Point being, just GET MOVING, even if none of these options appeal to you. Just consider them temporary. Plenty of time to search for what pleases the eye after the hard work is done.

As for instructions & exp dates, I started by taping them to the back of the containers (or the bottom where possible so they were even less visible). My OCD wasn't appeased so eventually, I glued cork squares on the inside of an upper cabinet door near the stovetop. I cut out directions & tack them them there & just write the exp date on the bottom of the containers. Now I can run them through the dishwasher as needed without removing/ruining labels. Piece-a-cake.

Bottom line: do NOT get sidetracked by minor details (the bane of my existence). JUST DO IT! Then celebrate with a happy dance as you stand back & enjoy the view.

Spritz a microfiber cloth w/vinegar & wipe. Polish if necessary w/a dry microfiber cloth. I usually have no need. Alcohol also works as does pure water if you're super-sensitive to chemicals. TIP: Never, ever, use fabric softener when washing and/or drying microfiber cloths. It renders them useless.

I hung three pictures tonight!!! 5 more to go... and need to install a dimmer switch (w/ remote control) Woot!

Okay, this may sound stupid, but it is amazing how much more comfortable my whole house is with an actual working thermostat in place. It has been over a year since a painting fell on my old one and broke it, rendering it useless except as a sort of "on/off" switch. The new one works like a dream. I am really glad I ordered it online too, because the product reviews led me to try a different brand than I was going to use, which may have saved me a lot of frustration. I am basically having a pretty amazing month here working on my house and getting stuff done!

I organized my closet! :) I didn't think I would be able to finish doing it today but I did! Very happy with the results :) I have before and after photos on my blog! http://living-with-lemons.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-january-cure-day-10-presenting.html

My big project for the month is working on creating a landing strip. Today, I am picking up a mail holder and this weekend, we are heading to IKEA so that I can get 2 RIBBA frames for the postcards I want to display and possibly a small mirror. I still need some sort of table (very small), so I will check out IKEA for that as well. I had ordered an organizer for the back of the door, but, our landlord told us that he would rather we didn't drill into the door, so that idea had to be outboxed, so to speak. I have also ordered a rug from UO: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=25208968&parentid=A_RUGPILCUR, but it's on backorder! That last item will have to wait until it gets here. I have purchased some Command hooks for my purse and our jackets but, I am still looking for the "perfect" hooks online. In the meantime, they will work and serve the purpose. Ughhh! I had no idea creating a landing strip would be so time consuming!

My project was to empty and clean my hall closet, paint it charcoal grey inside, and get it organized when everything went back in. Well, despite being sick, I started emptying it last Saturday morning, and finished painting the walls and shelves by Sunday night Finally, after 8 years, I have painted every wall and door and shelf in my apartment a colour of my choosing. (Ok, well, it's been a few years since I painted anything much - the closet interiors got left apartment beige until the last couple of months!) All the stuff is kind of stacked on the floor in front of the closet while the paint cures a bit more, and I have to get the closet doors back on. The organizing is still to happen - I used to have a system but it got overloaded in there! I chucked a lot of things Monday night.

Also I forgot to take a "before" pic.

As usual, doing things all out of order. My first project is new furniture to fill in the rest of my plan in my rearranged living room. I had picked up new furniture at IKEA two weekends ago--2x8 Expedit (white, shiny finish) and two small tabletops and legs that will serve as both a long table/desk when put end to end against back of couch and be versatile enough to move around as needed for, say, a party. I put some together right after shopping and the rest this past weekend and arranged everything. I'm thrilled with the new arrangement. My inspiration was Small Cool winner a few years ago, One Space: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/finalist-3-davi-7880

I spent some time on my goal project last night -- organizing the bedroom closet -- and I already feel so much better! There are still piles of unruly clothes that I need to tidy up before the end of the month, and a growing pile of stuff to donate, but I've gotten rid of an old bookcase that was (ineffectively) storing some shoes (with plenty more piled all over the floor), hung neat shoe organizers in its place, corralled my purses onto hooks to use up blank wall space instead of useful shelf space, and starter storing pre-maternity clothes (and some possible clothes to donate) in a big Rubbermaid container, instead of on the floor. Oh! And hung over-the-door hooks to break us of our habit of hanging robes, hats, etc. on the doorknobs. Can't wait to share the finished project!

I'm making curtains for my dining room! 2 out of 3 completed!

My goal was fairly small - to find a shelving unit that will fit in the nook behind our bedroom door to organize the mess of grocery bags (mostly reusable!), laundry basket, and find homes for other random stuff. I bought a HYLLIS shelving unit at IKEA yesterday and assembled it last night. It's the perfect size and even though I haven't finished organizing, it improves that little space 100%! Such a relief!

ooh! I really like these! Definitely doing this...thanks!

I have cleaned out each cabinet under the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen they look great. I still need to clean out my hallway closet to the bathroom and buy organizing bins from the dollar store. I want to place the dry grains in containers. I will work on those next week.

I already did my big project last week: http://katskull.com/tag/the-january-cure/

This coming weekend I will be shopping for "my landing strip" which is a console table. Thrift stores better be prepared :)

My project is my laundry/mudroom/back entry. It was unwelcoming to come home to such an ugly space and the lack of a landing strip created a lot of clutter in the kitchen and den. I had previously cleaned out the area, placed a tabletop from a french desk on top of the washer and dryer, and bought a vintage piano bench to take off shoes and store hats, gloves etc inside it. Last night I worked on the DIY skirt that will go around the washer and dryer and my partner is going to mount on the walls some batik stamps that have been made into hooks for coats, bags etc. Looking for a rug and baskets for each family member.

Can't wait to share the before and after once its done!

Saw your comment, died of laughter, and then realized it was you. Hilarious.

Didn't do much yesterday...but we're ten days in! So that totally counts.

http://shoesoffplease.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/a-liiiiitle-bit-of-progress/

My media fast will have to be tomorrow. I'm still fixing yesterday's (this) project. It was simply replace handles on kitchen cabinets because, not loving the 80s oak and not having money to replace, we thought a handle update would be facelift enough. When I removed the dark once-brass(?) handles, the flourish design outline was left behind on nearly all cabinets. So I scrubbed, sanded, oiled, all to no avail and the new handles look horrid with the dirty outlines behind. So I spraypainted one of the old handles with Rustoleum Silver and while an improvement over the dirty brass, it still looked cheap. So I gave up and went to bed. This morning, I thought, black on the 80s oak shouldn't look bad since our fridge is black so on the way home, bought Rustoleum in Hammered Black. Am now waiting for the paint to dry (looks much better than the first round so far at least) and hope to get them back up before I have to go to bed and before husband gets home at midnight (he poo-poo'd spraypaint all along). So while I wait, I went ahead and started a full-oiling of cabinets and am on a wrist break before I wrap up with the peninsula. This is exhausting but I really hope it'll look so much better after I'm finished!

i am about a third of the way through the yarn i'm trying to use up by making this rug. getting there, slowly but surely.

Ordered samples of fabrics to coordinate with one that I've already purchased. I'm excited to create a new "color story" in my living room.

You can buy chalkboard paint and paint your own chalkboard label

Project completed! (For now, anyway ... )

The clothes have all been hung up on their hangers & put away in the closet. The other stuff has been folded and put away in drawers. it's not exactly organized the right way, but it's better than having every article of clothing I own look like it was blasted from a bomb all over my apartment.

My goals have been since we moved into our newly built, down -sized in law is to create storage "nooks." I have been looking for something to store the laptops, tablets and phones while charging--not really finding what is in my imagination; but I did find somewhere the use of an Ikea wooden magazine storage box, hung up sideways where the phones and tablets could be put, off the counter, into when charging. Also found that a picture ledge could be used as a spice rack, hanging it on the wall (getting the large, does not hold all rack) off the counter. And I also think that could be used in the bathroom. I am going to use a picture frame or old window and chicken wire in my bedroom for my earrings, necklaces and whatever else can be hung from it. And I need shelves in my closets. Also, in my bedroom, I am going to have underbed storage and a high shelf for storage.

Goal Project: Make the kitchen functional and less stressful for cooking! http://honeywithoutflowers.blogspot.com/2013/01/spice-rack-makeover-january-cure-post-3.html
CHECK!

Thanks to a (much needed and sunny) vacation, I am now a few weeks behind. In the spirit of stick-to-it-ive-ness, I'm going to try and see it through.

My January(/February) cure project has been creating a useful and visually pleasing entry way in my entryway-less apartment. So far I've corralled the ShoeSituation (closet door unable to close due to the avalanche-like pile of shoes in the closet) with a door hanging shoe rack on the inside and have framed a few small paintings that are going to hang nearby. Am still on the hunt for a few hooks for jackets/bag and a front rug that actually absorbs water and dirt (as opposed to the old burlap sack currently bunched up in front of the door)

What's wrong with building forts ;D

I was a late starter to the cure, and decided my main project would be to get new filters for the kitchen fan... A lot of the problem spots are covered by the cure anyways, so it seemed like it would make the biggest impact. living in a very small apartment, the smell of cooked food for hours after a meal is not that great. Anyways, the day I decided to do it, I got online, ordered the parts, and all I can do is wait for the mail :)