sunday dinner

sunday dinner

Originally uploaded by -maris-

I need to cook more. Sunday dinner seems like a good start.

cure stalled…

I would love to know how people actually finish every single cure task on time! This is my second attempt to get my house in order and my efforts have completely fallen off. With that said. I did manage to finish a few projects. It’s a step in the right direction.

I needed a dresser and saw an awesome Ikea Hack on design*sponge (LOVE d*s). One trip to Ikea (thank you, zipcar) and I now have bedroom storage.

My other project was less intensive. Since my plants are still thriving (hey now!), I wanted to give them a proper home. Ikea to the rescue once again as their frosta stools were the perfect size. The painted surface was inspired by this hack from door sixteen.

This weekend, I’m headed to the One of a Kind Show in Chicago. Held at the Merchandise Mart, hundreds of artists and designers gather to showcase and sell their wares. I loved it last year and cannot wait to go back. The cure may be on the back burner but shopping for it never ends.

Week #3: Entry Update

The Container Store is quickly becoming my favorite store. It’s filled with all kinds of ways to be super organized in ways you didn’t know was possible. I walked in with a list so that I wouldn’t stray and within minutes that list went out the window. By the time I made it to the register, I put my foot down and put back the gem shaped magnets (Seriously, wtf?).

The goal was to find items to help organize my entry way. Here’s what I bought:

Now, I already own a charging station that I keep in my bedroom. Did I need to buy this one? Probably, not.  Either way, it will end up on my desk or in the kitchen.

I'm a sucker for 4.99 pricepoints.

Mobi Charging Station

I also bought a shoe rack system because the photo on the left is what my hallway looks like on normal basis. The hallway is clear now and I’m happy.

10-Compartment Canvas Hanging Shoe Bag

Finally, I worked on a few options for the dresser.  There were piles of junk mail on the surface (and on my desk).   I’m going to live with this for a while.  There are a few placeholders for art.  Any suggestions? 

 

Fall Cure: Week #3 The Entry!

This week’s focus is the entry way.  During the Spring Cure, I set up what I thought was the best solution for organizing things like my keys and the mail.  It worked for a while and then I noticed piles forming on my desk and various other places.   The fix was no longer working and I’m back to square one.  Sigh… let’s get to the list.

 

Week Three Deep Treatment 

Vacuum, dust, and mop throughout your home.
Clean entrance and related closets.
Arrange to have all repairs taken care of in the next three weeks. 
Declutter your entrance.  Almost there. 
Move all old mail, catalogs, and magazines to the outbox. Done! It will take at least two hours to file and shred but that’s on the list for this weekend.
Look into what you would need to create a landing strip.  I need to find a way to organize my shoes and crap mail.  Oddly, I see nothing wrong with spending $100 bucks on an owl stand to hold junk mail.

cute right??

Cancel any unused subscriptions.  Done! 
Identify cool rooms and warm rooms. Done! 
Apply the 80/20 color rule.
Cook two meals at home.
Design an invitation for your housewarming.

Week Three One-Room Remedy
Research your shopping list.  This is a work in progress.  My budget keeps changing but I hope to have it finalized this week.
Start a list of proposed interior changes.
Identify cool rooms and warm rooms.
Determine whether window treatments are necessary.  YES! I think I’ve found the perfect treatment but it will all depend on the final wall color.
Apply the 80/20 color rule.
Research and call in help this week.

This will be a busy week but I don’t feel overwhelmed…. at least for right now.

6-8 Weeks til Arrival

After a four year search… I bought a couch.  It’s not the vintage gem I expected to mysteriously stumble upon for but I think I like it!

Week One/Two: Catch Up

Between school and work, finding the time for the Cure is proving to be very difficult.  I do a little bit here and there when I can.  It’s unorganized but it works.  Let’s get to the rest of week one! 

Bones

Fix one thing in your apartment Fixed the drawer on my tv stand. It’s a temporary fix as I need a new stand  but I like it.  

I watch Gilmore Girls...

 

Clean your kitchen from top to bottom and throw away old food  DONE! 

Buy a water filter and use it  Done! Carryover from Spring Cure

Breath

Run your hands over every wall in your apartment Another one of those weird tasks. (I’m committed so I’ll do it-again!) I’ll admit that I haven’t done this and probably won’t

Clear space for and Outbox Use Outbox   Done! Using an outbox was never a problem.  It’s the getting the stuff out of my house that I just can’t figure out!

Heart

Buy Flowers:    I always forget about flowers until I’m half way home from Whole Foods.  On the bright side, my plants are still alive! Baby steps… 

Determine your style   I’ve settled on Modern Vintage. (Yay for oxymoron!)

 Head Find a new recipe and cook one meal at home.   Done! I forgot to take pics but let’s just say it totally looked like this!

 

Spicy Orange-Glazed Drumsticks with Green Beans

Real Simple

Choose a date for housewarming.   Done! I travel a lot during the holidays so I decided to have people over for NYE.

One Room Remedy:  No updates for the bedroom.  I worked on a floorplan but that’s about it.  

Next up…the entry way.

Fall Cure: Week 1

The cure is finally here and it’s time to start on the bedroom.   So far, I’ve worked out a budget and started a repair’s list.  I went on a bedroom cleaning binge last weekend, working on the floors, baseboard, the radiator… even the closet (including a clothing purge). 

Bones

Fix one thing in your apartment

Clean your kitchen from top to bottom and throw away old food

Buy a water filter and use it

Done! Carryover from Spring Cure

Breath

Run your hands over every wall in your apartment

Another one of those weird tasks.  (I’m committed so I’ll do it-again!)

Clear space for and Outbox

Use Outbox

Heart

Buy Flowers

Determine your style

I’ve settled on Modern Vintage. (Yay for oxymoron!)

Head

Find a new recipe and cook one meal at home.

Choose a date for housewarming.

One-Room Remedy:

Decide what activities you want in your room and where they will go.

Buy, borrow, or make a floor plan tool.

Map out the room that bothers you most and work out your solution.

Done.  I moved some furniture around and tried out some new things.  Originally purchased for a plant stand, this Frosta stool is doing a pretty good job next to my bed.  Not to mention this arrangement will save a few pennies on my budget.

 

Paint or Stain?

Name your vision.

Build a Shopping List.

living room update

While at Ikea, I bought a few items for the living room.  My overall goal is to have the room (close to) done  by the start of the cure.  It’s definitely evolved but there’s still room for improvement.

Please excuse the poor lighting.  Thankfully, my photography skills have also improved.  I cannot wait to take a class.  Moving along.

Lighting aside, the room felt very dark.  The furniture, the limited light sources, and lack of accessories were all guilty contributions to the overall fail in the room.  During the cure, Iwanted to make the space more open.  You wouldn’t know it but this room is fairly large and open.  The lack of flow in the room hindered that openness.

During the Cure

 The revised layout resolved a lot of issues.  It looks far more balanced, right? I increased the light sources by adding a lamp the dresser (to the left of the photo frame) and moved my desk lamp to the top of the bookcase (to the right of the photo frame).  The furniture placement makes more sense.  I spend more time in my favorite chair and I love it.  The opposite corner still needed work but the clutter was greatly reduced.  Leaving it in the outbox forced me to think about owning stuff simply for the sake of owning it.  I wanted to have things because I loved them.  This thought process has had a huge influence on my shopping habits.  Impulse purchases are limited to things I simply cannot leave the store without.  Planned store visits have become the norm.

At this point in the cure, I also starting to hang some of my artwork.  Yes, that is the Ork Chicago poster.  I don’t care if everyone has one- I flippin love it.  

New layout, Same old clutter

I’m trying not to focus on this but just look at the vast improvement on the photography!?

Here’s what the current view looks like.  During my latest trip to Ikea, I bought the rug and coffee table.  Initially, I was going to buy a knock off slated bench from Domicile.   However, I’ve decided to save money for the real thing.  It’s time to start treating myself  While good design doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, a fair balance of both vintage and modern makes a room more interesting.  The Ikea (Lack) table is just a stand in to replace my current one that is falling apart.  You can’t see it in the other photos but the state of the old table was embarrassing.  Thank you, crappy lighting!!

morning view

 Future plans:  

• Media Storage Solution: When I updated my cable box to HD, I lost one drawer space.  In the photo above, you can see how cluttered it looks.  I’ve played around with a few options but nothing seems to work right. 
• Purchase side table and chair:  See the empty space in the top right corner, I want to fill it with a chair and side table.  Another idea is to finally put a shelf above the radiator.  I cannot decide.  It will probably depend on the dimension of the new chair.
• Hang mirror over entry way: I go back and forth on painting it but it needs to go up asap. 
• Purchase side table and chair
• Art Project of wall parallel to the TV
• Purchase floor lamp
• Paint walls (White)

 

let there be light

the faint smell of paint and rubber cement

School is going well but it is slowly taking over my apartment. No matter how many candles I light every day, there’s a faint smell of paint and rubber cement. Gross. It needs to be contained, asap.
Inspired by an Apartment Therapy post on double duty work spaces,  I’ve decided to turn my dining room into a work space. 

 

love this (photo from Apartment Therapy)

In my dream world: I’d stretch the dining room out by 9 or 10 sq feet, add some built in shelving and more windows. Actually, a window seat with a nice view to sketch would be lovely.  With that said, I still want a proper dining room where I can have my morning coffee (per my mother’s request- she firmly AND wisely suggests a little quiet time in the morning, just you and a cup o’ joe) or have people over for dinner (for those home cooked cure meals that I’ve stopped making months ago- hello, takeout!) 

With the new 2010 catalog in tow, I went to Ikea for some storage options.  I know I shouldn’t like Ikea as I do but I believe good design doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

time goes by..

Wall Clock

Originally uploaded by solbeam

School has left me completely drained. I took today off to do nothing. Well, I hung this clock but now I feel like something’s missing. It’s smaller than I thought it would be. I still love it but the space needs something more.