I Am Not Alone

(Note: This is not my apartment)

I received this comment about my apartment a few days ago.

"Not to offend, but this photo reminds me most of a children's day care center, not an adult living room. Then again, different strokes for different folk."

I wonder what they would say to this woman?

By the way, I love her style and I'm not the only one. She was featured on HGTV's Small Space, Big Style in the "Undersized Utopias" episode.

The painted cottage

$30

In Apartment Therapy's Eight Step Home Cure book, you were supposed to define your decorating style. I still have not come up with the right combination of words. However, one word would have to be Cottage.

A few years ago, I saw that L.L. Bean had a home store. One of their furniture collections is based on the country cottage and its painted wood furniture. They have quite a few nice pieces and I love the rich colors with just a hint of shine. Here are a few pieces and accessories I would love to own.

Each piece is $199.

This plant stand is $59.

This would look lovely on a side table for $99. Even though it is more than I will pay for a table lamp, it could go on sale. I hope.

This is the clock featured in "In Good Company" with Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace. This Moonbeam clock wakes you with a blinking light that gently increases in intensity. If you fall back asleep, a bell sounds. $36 Also available in Yellow, Green, Pink, and Blue Periwinkle.

This painted bed is only $499 for the Full and Queen sizes.
It is $599 for the King size. Also available in Black, Milk White, and Bronze.

Sweet Dreams

Makin' progress, oh yeah!

Installed new landing strip.
Instead of waiting for the shelf I really want, I decided to use this one that I had bought earlier, when I was feeling cheap. I might replace it with the Valter/Tryggve shelf later on. However, this one does match the hat rack that I already have.



BEFORE


AFTER

Mounted art and bulletin boards on the bedroom walls.
I was finally able to rip down those newspaper place holders.





Created a full-length bookcase cover.
This definitely improved that first look into the bedroom.



Ta Da!

Creepy Crawlies

The weather is beautiful here in Richmond; it's sunny and breezy right now.

Situation: My apartment has only two direct openings to the great outdoors.

• The 6-foot tall vintage casement windows in the bedroom, which luckily have screens.

• The pocket balcony in the living room, which does not have screen doors.

That means in order to have a breeze going in the living room, I am also inviting whatever flying things become curious enough to cross my threshold. Last summer that meant huge Horse flies. HUGE!

What a hoot it was to find these products sold through SproutHome for only $5.95. I love the packaging. They will be live plants and the most natural insect killer, as no chemicals will be used. The flying visitors that have the nerve to stay will be taking their lives in their hands/wings.

However, my hands will be clean.




The packets are 5" by 7" with a tiny pot (2" d) mounted in the card. The pots contain a peat puck, a seed pack and specific instructions. Price: $5.95

What happened?!

It has only been 11 days. (see May 14 post below)

• I did not overwater it.
• I did not underwater it.
• It was not left in the dark.
• It was not left in direct sunlight.

How could I have killed this?

Plus, the calla lilly looks fine with the exact same treatment.

Somebody help me out, please?



The poor daisy looks like it died from shame.

Thanks for the feedback

This is what I found waiting for me in my Flickr account as a comment for the picture below:

says: Not to offend, but this photo reminds me most of a children's day care center, not an adult living room. Then again, different strokes for different folk.



What do I think?

• Whenever someone starts a statement with "Not to offend..." it's obvious that they think what comes next could be taken as an insult by the person it is addressed to. So, why say it?
  
  
• Her name links to nothing, so there are no pictures of her own sophisticated and mature adult apartment.

But after that, all I could think was:

1. My apartment looks fun and unique! The same thing has been said about many of the interiors that I admire, such as Greg and Em's Silverlake Sanctuary apartment from Apartment Therapy's Smallest, Coolest Apartment contest.
   
   
2. It is true that my apartment is full of IKEA and second hand treasures. What money I do not spend on furniture goes towards my IRA, my 401K, and my continuing college education (of which I just paid $1,300 earlier today for the summer semester)
   
   
3. I love my place. Certain things that I love now; like my mosaic side table and my yellow coffee table, were items I was given that I made my own with a little hard work, sandpaper, primer, paint, clay tiles, and grout.
   
   
4. When I do start upgrading my furnishings, I will love my place even more.
   
   I sure hope Miss can say the same about her place.
   

There is life in the room.

I bought these two beauties outside of a convenience store this past Friday for $8 dollars. They were in perfect condition. A beautiful orange Gerber Daisy and a gorgeous purple Calla Lilly.



Yes, the calla lilies are in bloom again.

Now, what week is it again?

Well, now that I've read the entire book, I find myself skipping around and doing whatever I can accomplish.

In the kitchen, I've discarded the unused items in the fridge. I had lentils from, I don't know how many years ago. I moved them with me from Arlington to Richmond almost a year and a half ago. Ugh.

Next I will go through the Tupperware and make sure that I have a lid for every container. After that, the scrub down of the refrigerator, which hasn't had a deep cleaning since I moved in.

Yeah, 'I don't want someone else's dripped jelly and spilled salt, but hey, I can live with mine.' Again. Ugh.

As I said in my last post, I am feeding my Outbox very well:
Since this picture was taken, my sister's lamp has been taken down to my storage space in the basement.

I cleared a surface in my apartment:
Each time I look over there it seems so strange and empty to me.

I completed another project for the bedroom:
It is a much more attractive way to display my jewelry than as a jumbled clump on a ceramic tray.

Finally, I took off the inside-out and pinned sofa slipcover in order to sew the alterations. Of course, I will post a picture when I'm done.

I noticed when I took off the dark purple cover that the room was instantly improved, even though the couch itself is a faded and ugly floral. The slipcover was too dark, the purple sucked up all of the light. The naked sofa showed me that I really need to cover it with a lighter color or perhaps a neutral. I had earlier thought of covering it with painter's canvas and following Todd Oldham's example of just stapling it in place. However, I kept chickening out. I am now rethinking that idea.

Week Three Update

I know that I am very, very behind in the Cure. I just finished my spring semester and finals.

Week One tasks

• My sister reminded me that she was the one that gave me the lamp, and she would rather have it back than I throw it out. Do I need to put another item outside of the apartment?

Week Two tasks

• Kitchen has not been cleaned. Will do this weekend.
• I have not purchased a water filter but I already use a Brita pitcher.
  
• My outbox is being fed regulary.
• I have not chosen a date for my housewarming.

Week Three tasks

• I did get one repair done: the bathroom sink. I called apartment maintenance and it was fixed that same day.
• I need to buy the shelf for my landing strip.

*******
Last week I tried to create a floor plan tool for my apartment (One-Room Remedy). I have a good one drawn on paper, but I wanted one as a document I could play with onscreen. After seeing Bri & Chad’s colorful and patterned room layout from "smallest coolest" I wanted to have one like that; a more realistic picture of my space.

So I looked into the AT suggested programs Visio and Smart Draw. Visio looked too extensive and detailed so I signed up for the Smart Draw free trial. However, during its 7-day time period, it almost drove me crazy. I have created layouts with the design tools on the Better Homes & Gardens and Storehouse web sites more easily. Perhaps it could have worked out if I was not as busy and the trial was longer than a week.

Last week I did finish the curtains for my bookcases.


However, I am rethinking the half curtains after seeing this in the new Real Simple magazine.

I vow that I will catch up or perhaps be two weeks behind in the Cure. (I'll see how this weekend goes.) I do have a few weeks before the summer semester starts.