runner for the hallway

Our hallway needs a new runner. Currently, we're using two overlapping Ikea Alvine runners, which I love, but they are not durable at all in this location. The one closest to the door is now gray, and it has barely survived a month. What we need is an easy to clean, synthetic material instead of indoor-only cotton like we have now. The hallway is 2'6" x 12', so the runner needs to be 11 feet long. I don't have a lot of choices because most runners are 8-10 feet, maximum. I found a website, HomeDecorators.com, that has a good selection of rugs, though most are much to contemporary for my taste, so I've had to spend a long time weeding through all of the rejects. Luckily, we've narrowed it down to two different rugs, both have the same dimensions of 2'3" x 11'9", and they are the same price of $79.99.


For some reason I've been smitten with southwestern decor lately, so I really like the Pueblo outdoor rug.


And then there's the Persimmon rug, which also has a great feel to it!

I think both will hide dirt relatively well, and they're both made of the same synthetic dercion, which I've never heard of before. The boy prefers the persimmon rug, while I am leaning more towards the pueblo. I'm going to have to sleep on it.

Any thoughts?

so many things to do

I am counting down the days until I'm done with school. Only 15 more class days left, and I couldn't be more excited or distracted, thinking of all of the things I am going to do when my days are free (shopping, for a start.) I'm so distracted that during a particularly boring part of class today I wrote my entire to do list for the apartment, detailing what needs to be done in each room. It feels good to have it down on paper; I work better that way.

The list was started because we had such a successful weekend. The boy installed shelving in my closet, put together the other chest of drawers in the living room, and assembled the last bookcase for the kitchen. That one was tricky because I needed to hack an ordinary Ikea Billy bookshelf. I wanted to make it into a utility closet, complete with doors, but it needed to be built without the fixed middle shelf, which is integral to its strength. So the boy had to brace it from the inside with 2x4s, and it was a whole lot of work. You'll see the photos of it sometime in the future. I'm shy about taking pictures of my apartment because I want it to be perfect! I tend to forget to take 'before' or 'during' shots, only to regret it later. I have some poor quality pictures on my iPhone from when the apartment was empty, though, so perhaps you'll see them for comparison.

Sorry for such a jumbled entry. I just wanted to write that I had a productive weekend, except that it gave way to so many more things I have to do (paint, changing hardware, installing hooks, getting curtains, etc.) Luckily, it's all stuff I can do. Before, it was a lot of waiting around for the boy to do important construction that I wasn't experienced enough to do (he was taking drills and saws to stuff like you wouldn't believe.) I hate it when I need something to be done by someone else, that I can't do. But at last, it's done, and his work in the apartment is largely done in general. Now, for the next few weekends, as well as late August, and into September, I'll be playing decorator, so maybe, finally you can see what my apartment looks like!

outbid

I was outbid on my very first auction at Housing Works! This rug would have looked so nice in my living room, but I decided that $150 was my max for a rug less than 4x6 in size. Should I have bid more? The highest bidder's maximum was set way above mine, it's still going now for $159.50. Le sigh.

looking forward to brighter days

I came by to post because I had another one of my flashes of feeling good. It's been a long year already, full of stress about when I am going to finish college. First it was May, then it was August, and now it's December, but hopefully it's for keeps this time and things are finally winding down. I am taking two summer semesters of class, each with two courses. Tomorrow I finish the first two, and on August 13th, I am done with the other two. Then, I have to take and pass two more CLEP tests for a total of six credits. One I will take in the coming month, and another in September. I've already earned nine credits this way. And finally, this fall I will be taking a three credit independent study with my graphic novel professor from this past spring (more information on what I created last semester later!)

But soon the major hurdle will be jumped because after August 13, I will no longer be attending classes at all. Any work left will be done at home, on my own, which is a huge step. I can't believe that I have less than a month until this day. In my mind, on August 13, I am basically done. And I sort of am. I'd be free to get a real job with real hours, since I won't be in class at all. But I'm not going to do that. I'm going to go back to photography and try again to get this business off the ground. I don't need it to be a full-time wage (I don't really need it to be any wage), but it will be a full-time job until I can either make a happy living at it (unlikely, but a recent college grad does not have a huge salary to aspire to) or find a good job.

I love photography and I really loved starting my own business. It was an amazing feeling. I don't want to give up on that. I feel like if I have the time, instead of coursework constantly looming over my head, and I can budget the time well, then I will succeed more. Living in Brooklyn now, I can also try to get local shops to carry my work and go to fleas and craft fairs.

Anyway, I just thought I'd update with that information. I am starting to feel good again. I'm starting to feel hope and excitement, and I'm looking forward to brighter days.

Photo above: A Brooklyn rainbow. On or around July 4th, near home!

wardrobe

Ok, I give up. I'm so sick of scouring Craigslist for weeks trying to find a stylish, affordable armoire that has drawers and shelving, that isn't laminate, that's sturdy, and preferably white, to house my printers, scanner and photo accessories. So I'm going to buy the Leksvik wardrobe from Ikea. Technically it's a children's item (the best department at Ikea, in my opinion! haha) but it is not too deep and just wide enough, plus its tall and has shelving inside. And it's not ugly. At first I will put it together and use it, but I fully intend on painting it a color eventually and papering the insides all pretty. Well, I want to paint it white, but I might think of a color, like yellow. Will get back to you on that. But my Epson's been sitting in a box since we moved over a month ago! Oh, photography business? Yeah, right. I'll have to get back to you on that one, too.