Well, we are officially midway through the Spring Cure! Things have gotten busy here the last week or so, and I haven’t been updating as frequently as I’d hoped. I’ve been slowly going through things and finding solutions for my most cluttered areas. I’m happy with what I’ve done so far, but this unpredictable April weather has left my place looking a bit more disheveled than usual. When it’s 80ºF one day and 55ºF the next, your closet has to be prepared for anything. Needless to say, my bins of summer clothes had to come out of their hiding place and are now taking up the spare bedroom. Before I make the big seasonal wardrobe switch, I have to be sure that the cold spells are done. I know that as soon as I start packing away my sweaters, the weather will change and I’ll be digging them out again. Week 7 of the AT Cure will bring with it the bedroom/wardrobe decluttering, so I might just hold out until then to make the big switch. Hopefully by then the weather will be staying warm for good!

Since my last update, I have found some great solutions for my clutter and general disorganization. The first solution I want to share is this awesome light switch cover. One of my biggest problems was that I didn’t have a proper “Landing Strip”. I would come home and put my keys and mail on the closest flat surface (usually the kitchen counter). When it came time to cook dinner, I would move my keys to the kitchen table and when it came time to eat they would be exiled to the coffee table. Eventually, I would lose track of where I put them and well you know the rest…

Enter the Key Switch by Paul Koh. I installed it on the light switch right next to my front door and it has saved me from having to hunt down my keys in the morning. It’s also great for holding my mail (both outgoing and incoming) and my reusable shopping bag. It simply screws over your existing switch plate, so it couldn’t be any easier to install. I also took this opportunity to clean off my light switch. It was really gross looking. All in all, it was worth the money.

My next solution concerns my vanity. It was a big mess and I could never easily find what I was looking for. Luckily, the Container Store was having a sale and I picked up some great acrylic jewelry racks. Placing it all on a bright white lacquer sushi tray makes my vanity feel a little more pulled together. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m happy with the direction it’s taking.

Oh and I had to include a picture of my hyacinths. They make my whole apartment smell so good!

Week 3…the week I usually loose steam. Hope everyone can stay motivated with me and see this through till the end!

Week 3 To-Do List:

1. Vacuum, dust and mop throughout your home.
2. Clean your entrance and any related closets.
3. Arrange to have all repairs taken care of in the next 3 weeks.
4. Declutter your entrance
5. Move old mail, catalogs, and magazines to the Outbox.
6. Look into what you would need to create a Landing Strip.
7. Cancel any unused subscriptions.
8. Identify cool rooms and warm rooms.
9. Apply the 80/20 color rule.
10. Cook 2 meals at home this week.
11. Design an invitation for your party.

Since I don’t receive many unwanted catalogs or magazines, I am going to use this week to go through and unsubscribe from the many mailing lists that clutter my inbox.

I’m looking forward to designing the invitation…that’s always fun!

Week 2 of the Spring Cure is already here (and half-way gone!) Here are the items on this week’s agenda:

Week 2 To-Do List:

1. Fix 1 thing in your apartment yourself.
2. Clean your kitchen and throw away old food.
3. Buy a water filter and use it.
4. Run your hands over every wall in your apartment.
5. Clear space for an Outbox.
6. Clear one surface and use the Outbox.
7. Buy fresh flowers.
8. Determine your style.
9. Find a new recipe and cook 1 meal at home.
10. Choose the date for your party.

A longer list this time around, but nothing that’s impossible.

The biggest thing for me this week will be cleaning out my kitchen. I don’t usually keep a lot of stuff around, so I’m hoping it won’t take too long. I have one drawer in particular that really needs my attention. It’s packed with all of my miscellaneous kitchen utensils and it’s gotten so full that I can’t easily get it opened or closed. To help with this, I decided to empty the entire contents of the drawer into a box. If I need something that was once in the drawer, I will take it out of the box and put it back in the drawer after I’m done with it. At the end of a month, whatever is still left in the box will be thrown out or donated. By knowing what it is I actually use, I can make better decisions on what to keep or discard.

Cooking is something I already do a lot of in my kitchen, so that one will be easy. If you’re looking for something to cook, try your luck at Tastespotting. You can use the search function to find a particular recipe or simply browse the pictures until you find something that looks delicious.

Week 1 To-Do List:

1. Make a complete list of repairs and solutions.
2. Vacuum and mop the floors
3. Remove one item from your home.
4. Buy fresh flowers. (Doing next week since I won’t be around to enjoy them!)
5. Sit for 10 minutes in a part of your house that you never sit in.
6. Look into earth-friendly cleaning products.

I’ve listed all of my repairs and even checked one off my list.

My Outbox is also starting to fill up!

For the past few months, I’ve been using Caldrea cleaning products. They are biodegradable and smell amazing (Basil Blue Sage is great). I’m also very impressed with their cleaning power. I use the liquid dish soap, countertop cleaner and window cleaner all to great effect. They remove grease and don’t cause any streaking.

Caldrea doesn’t test on animals, so they cannot make the claim of being non-toxic (the FDA requires animal testing in order to receive the non-toxic designation). However, since they are packed with essential oils and as few synthetic materials as possible, I feel good about using them around my home.

When you begin the Cure, you are asked to complete an interview to better gauge your style and personality. It may seem silly to answer these questions before setting to work on your home, but they really will help you figure out your problem areas. If you leave some questions unanswered then perhaps you need to bolster your personal style and self confidence. Look at pictures of artwork, clothing, and other homes. Take note of the things that strike the right chord. Soon you will start to see a common thread among all of your favorite pictures. This commonality will be your guide for the rest of your adventures in the Apartment Therapy Cure.

Below is my interview:

Favorites

List your favorite for each category:
Actress: Zooey Deschanel
Actor: Johnny Depp
Artist: Raymond Pettibon
Writer: Daniel Clowes, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Brontë
Music: JigGsaw, Breeders, Hum, Toadies, Alk3 (so many…can’t decide on one)
Restaurant: Pasta Pomodoro
Automobile: Volkswagons!
Television Show: IT Crowd, AbFab, The Office, Flight of the Conchords, Peep Show
Clothing (designer or store): J. Crew, Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade

How would you describe your style (3 words)?
1. classic with a twist
2. vintage inspired/mid-century modern
3. esoteric

Personal History

Where have you lived?
Where you were born: Chicago, IL
Where you grew up: Ottawa, IL/Aurora, IL
As an adult: Champaign-Urbana, IL

Whom would you consider a role model? My mom

What three adjectives describe the qualities that you admire in this person?
1. determined
2. self-reliant
3. grounded

Apartment

What is the problem with your apartment (3 words)?
1. cluttered
2. disorderly
3. underlit

If your apartment could speak, what would it say is the problem? There is too much stuff in me!

What one thing would you like to do or do more of in your apartment? More creative work (e.g. drawing, embroidery, etc…)

Eight weeks from now, when this project is done, if friends come to visit, how would you like them to describe your home (3 words)?
1. cool!
2. cozy
3. smart

*****

So, because I gave multiple answers to some of my “favorites”, I know that I need to do some editing and pare down the clutter in my apartment. I also took my time when answering some questions, so I know that I am a careful decision maker and may need some pushing. I have a strong sense of my personal style, so all I really need to do is refine it and make sure that it stands out and not my clutter!

This past Monday marked the beginning of Apartment Therapy’s semiannual Cure. The Cure is an 8 week program that aims to thoroughly clean and de-clutter your home; thus making it more enjoyable to its inhabitants and guests. Along the way, you will learn more about your personal style and what it is you want to accomplish in your space. Does your home make you happy? Do you feel that you are able to do everything you want to do in your home? By finding the answers to these questions, the Cure will help your home become a true reflection of you and your style. Most importantly, your home will make you happy.

Like I mentioned before, the Cure is an 8 week program. The work details for each week can be found in the official Apartment Therapy book. In the interest of, well, getting you interested, here is a brief summary of the full 8 weeks.

Week 1 – Whole Apartment: clean, list repairs
Week 2 – Kitchen: clean, declutter, cook
Week 3 – Front Hall: clean, declutter, plan a Landing Strip
Week 4 – Living Room: clean, declutter, arrange color
Week 5 – Office: clean, declutter, organize office
Week 6 – Bathroom: clean, declutter, arrange light
Week 7 – Bedroom: clean, declutter, arrange art
Week 8 – Whole Apartment: get ready for a party!

You’ll notice that Week 8 mentions a party. The culmination of the Cure is a party to show off your new space. It seems to me that the party is designed as a test to determine if you can keep your home looking just as it did before you had the party. Look for there to be a little shindig sometime after Sunday, May 9th.

If you’d like to join me in committing to the challenge of the Cure, then please go here and sign up!

However, if you’d rather watch from the sidelines, then just follow my blog or twitter for updates. Also, keep an eye on my Flickr account for pictures of my progress!

Good luck and let the curing begin!

Apartment Therapy, the awesome community driven interior design blog, featured one of my photos today! The article is about Fiestaware collections, and they chose to run my photo as the main image for the entire post. Being an established reader and fan of Apartment Therapy, it’s a great feeling to see one of own photos displayed on their front page. Combined with the knowledge that many more people across the world will also see my photo makes for a very exciting day here at MissAnthropolgoy.com.

Thanks again to Apartment Therapy for choosing to run my photo!

When I first discovered this handmade file from lovelydesign, it was backordered and then temporarily discontinued. However, I decided to put myself on the wait list in hopes that they would eventually be brought back. After months of waiting, Sharilyn (the creator of the address file) contacted me saying that she had one ready just for me!

My lovely address file arrived the other day and it was definitely worth the wait. I think it will make a nice home for my recipes, which are currently scattered all over the place.

If you would like an address file of your own, contact Sharilyn directly at sharilyn[at]lovelydesign[dot]com. You will be put on the wait list, but don’t worry because it’s completely worth it! Also, please make sure you are doing business through lovelydesign and Sharilyn, because I have seen many imitators on Etsy.

It’s been almost a year since I switched back to WordPress and I’ve finally gotten around to making my site look a bit nicer. In the process, I’ve learned a lot about CSS and PHP and how the two work together. I caused a few fatal errors in my learning, but that’s all part of the process, right?

Things still aren’t exactly how I want them; I’m not totally happy with how images are handled when inserted into a post. Also, the header image is more or less a place holder until I take some new pictures. The aspect ratio is a bit odd, so I’ll have to find one with a fair amount of negative space so the cropping isn’t obvious.

Anyway, if you notice anything buggy/ugly/etc while you are using my new site, please leave a comment for me on this post. I’ll try and fix it as soon as I am able! It should be noted that I have only viewed my site in Safari 4.0.3, so I really have no idea how things look in IE, Firefox, what have you.

Thanks! Hope you like it!

-MissAnthropology

After playing with iWeb for a few months, I am finally switching back to WordPress. This is partially due to the fact that it is a pain to update my website the “old fashioned way” with FTP. While I really liked how my website looked, it just didn’t function as well as I wanted. With this newest version of WordPress, the choice was clear. WordPress has come a long way, and I know they will continue to get better (unlike my former WYSIWYG, or sometimes get…).

Now I just need to make my WordPress site not look like a WordPress site and I’ll be happy.