Loving that craftiness

So while I have finally settled in to my apartment (although it would be that much more wonderful if Grant was here, but I digress), I have set about fine tuning the things that will make it more beautiful to me. I absolutely love coming home to a clean apartment, but there are a few things missing.

So here is the dining room as we last saw it:

I'm still not sold on it, but it's okay for now. I need to fill my photo collage divider as right now it just has the factory brown inserts. I really would like to add in some stools for the counter there on the left, and maybe once I do that, I'll be able to rearrange the whole dining room to a more appealing layout. I also need some things to fill the walls. Maybe I'll create something tonight or tomorrow for that, and then I'll submit that with my photos that I want printed for the stand.

Second, I have my living room portion that I love, but it still needs work. Now because the apartment is only temporary, and we'll be purchasing a house next year sometime, I don't want to buy too many things that may not fit in there. However, I hate my curtains. They're brown and ugly, and I want something to brighten the room. Since I have white walls, I've decided to go ahead and try and find red curtains. Yeah, that's not easy.

I did stumble upon this wonderful fabric site: Kitty Craft. I adore almost all of the fabrics, and who wouldn't with such cute stuff as this:I think I've decided on this one though:
I think the freshness of the design and the red will be perfect, but I'm still hesitant to purchase unless there is truly a red fabric that I like with some sort of design. Maybe I will wait a week, and

Still making the apartment home

Well, it's home in the sense that when I leave school or need to eat or sleep, it's my home. I think I've decided that until Grant is with me it won't be home. However I needed to get the dining room set up. Before it just had the table and was rather bare, but the living room was sort of overwhelmed with too much furniture. So I moved some over.

Here is how it looks now:

The box in the lower left hand corner is part of my collection to get rid of 100 items and declutter my life. I will hopefully have the auctions up this weekend or next, but we will see. It will be nice to no longer have that box of stuff I don't use anymore.

Seriously Neglected Scrapbook

So while I worked very hard on the pages that I have. I have seriously neglected it, so my plan is to work on it next weekend some. I do have an exam on Monday and a list of things to do this weekend, so it will have to wait a little longer. Here are some previews though:

My Kitchen

So I finally got all of the kitchen boxes moved in, and I have everything at least in a place that's easy and organized for me to get to. Here are some photos:

I have a physics exam on Monday (the one a week away - not tomorrow), so I'm starting to study for that. I will update as the week progresses on how that is going.

On a more sad note, my dryer died. So I'm now in need of a new dryer, and I really don't want to buy a brand new one. So I'm on the hunt for a used one that works fairly well, and it won't cost too much. Wish me luck!

Declutter

Every time we move it helps us to gain perspective and remove a bunch of the items we no longer need or use, and part of this move and the new year I have decided to get rid of 100 items. I'm donating several bags of clothes, and then I'll auction some off at Mompack Auctions. Anything that doesn't sell I'll donate as well.

I also hung up several of our photos (some of my favorites) on the wall behind the couch today. I'm not really sold on it. There's also a lot of white space, and I am just not sure yet. I also hung them with red ribbon, and I'm not sure about that yet either. Here's a general photo without any other furniture. I should have some apartment photos up here in a few days.

Hmmm...I'm just not sure yet. I still need to find some cloth to sew pillow covers for the couch pillows. I think that will add some more color to the room, too.

Breaking down boxes

I'm finally getting through the boxes and breaking them down. I'm hoping to have most everything in place by the end of this weekend, and I think that can be accomplished. I'm very excited, and with the studio coming together, it's making it much easier to work already.

Moving = No fun

So while if it was just myself moving, this move would be a breeze. Maybe not a breeze, but finished in one day. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We had to move all of the boxes from the garage in my grandparents' house to the storage downstairs, and then all of the boxes on the trailer downstairs (notice STAIRS). Now we are moving my stuff tomorrow upstairs, and then boxes from my parents' house to the trailer and downstairs. Then the furniture from the new house to the other house, and if you guessed then move it downstairs, you are correct!

Did I mention I hate stairs?

Dishes, Sofas, and packing

While Grant purchased these absolutely gorgeous plates and serving dishes from Japan last year, we are need of actual every day dishes. We had these wonderful glass plates and bowls, but alas, they did not last. They cracked and chipped, and then I threw them away and donated the ones that lasted. I made a drastic different purchase of plates tonight. They're black and more of a rounded square. The bowls are "squarish", and so are the cups. They're quirky, and I like them.

I only purchased a set of four, because I found a different style that are red and black. I think I'm going to get that set, too, and mix them. I love them both. I'll post pictures once I move in and open the box. As of right now though, they're going to stay in the box until I move.

Hopefully all of the paperwork will be complete by Tuesday, and I can move in on Wednesday. That would be wonderful. That also means I need to get a move on with packing everything .

Also, after thinking through everything. I have decided I don't have to have a sectional sofa with a chaise, so I'm going to get a regular sofa in white. Then later purchase a separate chaise to go with it. I think the original sofa we had chosen, well, I was falling out of love with. Something simple, but comfortable where I could maybe update the pillows some would be perfect. I am on the hunt now!

Pack, pack, packing!

So I've begun packing, and it's always so exciting and sad. It always marks a huge change in my life, and this is no different. However one of hte nice things about moving is that I go through all of my stuff as I pack it and evaluate, "do I really need this?" Sometimes I keep some of the stuff I know I don't need or will never wear, but usually it's gone within a few months anyway. However, I do get rid of a lot of stuff, too, so that always feels good. I'm sure the Salvation Army loves when I clear out all of my stuff. I know that we will always have a lot of stuff, but it feels good when you clear out unnecessary items and make room for the new changes in my life. I absolutely can't wait to move! I'm so excited, and I have a wonderful view outside my porch. It will definitely be nice during the spring and summer.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

With all of the holiday marketing and trees, I've started feeling more festive! I will post pictures soon of my holiday decorating. I've been a little behind on photos and with my near future move (next week!) I'm not going to go all out until I'm in the new place.

Sofa

So while Grant was here we went sofa shopping and decided on one that we both liked. I think when I actually purchase it I will do some updating to the pillows in comes with. I think I will use some sort of funky red fabric to cover them with to tie in with the red that I like.
At first I wasn't sure about the couch, but the more I look at it the more I like it. Plus Grant liked it when he sat on it, so that did make it better. Plus I love the chaise at the end.

Area Rugs

So while I have a rough sketch in my mind of the colors and styles of furniture I would like in each room, area rugs have been more of a problem. One key factor that is holding me back is price. I'm a frugal person, and I search and search for the best buys.

I have a general idea of what I'd like, but I haven't had much luck finding what I'm looking for. I have found some that are "sort of" what I'd like, but in addition to not being exactly what I want, they're way more expensive. I would spend more if it was exactly what I had envisioned in my mind.

I currently have one area rug and a runner that I sort of like. Actually I love them, except for the fact that the colors are not as bright as I would like. I love vibrant colors, and the colors in the rug are more natural but the reds and purples and blues are on the drab side.

However I am currently on a mission to find an area rug for the bedroom. I've decided on a light blue and dark brown color combination. I like colors versus themes, and it has always made updating the styles easier.

So while I am patiently looking for an area rug I have had no luck thus far.

Silverware: International (palisades frost)

I heart my new silverware set. I got the 77 piece set with service for 12 and one set of serving silverware. I absolutely cannot wait to use it. Here's an image from Amazon.com of the set I purchased: