MelissaM's Profile

Love the combo of different textures, lines, colors. it's yummy - like a box of designer chocolates.

It's girly without being frou-frou, and so well organized and thought out. Great job!

All the apts I ever rented lacked dishwashers, and were located down the block from laundromats. Now that I "own" a condo, I have a dishwasher and appreciate it, but would much prefer a washer/dryer (if I could have only one of those things).

The lack of an in-condo washer-dryer is a hassle because you have to time it right so that there's a washer and dryer free in the communal laundry room, and make sure you have change, and get your stuff out promptly (if you're courteous), and deal with it in all kinds of weather and probably not as late at night as you might like.

And look at it this way: there's nobody else competing for a chance at your kitchen sink or your dishwasher (LOL), but there's often competition for a condo complex's limited number of washers and dryers.

One of the few good things (in addition to possible cost savings) about me doing my laundry in the condo complex laundry room is that my 2 cats like to accompany me back and forth to the laundry room and "supervise" part of the action. For them, it's an excursion - but then, so are my trips to the mailbox and the trash bins. ;)

This is a terrific thread! I especially admire RetroGeek's list of tips, but everyone has so many good ideas.

For me, the cat odor and cat pan solutions that have worked out best for me are:

--using clumping odor-control (baking soda built in) cat litter

--being faithful about scooping the pans

-- being able to keep fresh air circulating much of the time by keeping the sliding door to the patio open when I'm home (easier for me to do since I work from home part of the time), mainly so my 2 cats can dash in and out without using the cat door, but it has the fringe benefit of bringing in fresh air and dispersing stale air

--providing 2 styles and locations of pans; one is an extra-large, high-backed pan in a hallway closet and the other is in my bathroom, housed in a faux wicker "hutch" or cover sold for that purpose. I originally thought that my larger cat (a big male tabby) would balk at the latter because he is so big, but he alternates between the 2 pans. His smaller sister prefers the pan that's covered by the hutch, possibly for the privacy aspect. And both setups help deal with the boycat's weird habit of wanting to scratch surrounding *walls,* rather than the litter, after he's done his business.

The plastic-wicker cover also has the side benefit of being an additional type of scratching post (but so far, showing no sign of being scratched on, despite years of use).

As for other littler types: I tried some corn-based litter many years ago and found it to be a total mess, so I quickly stopped that experiment. And my cats didn't like the pine litter. The litter I wish I'd known about early on (and wish was easier to find) is one made from green tea leaves. Better for the cats and for the environment. Harder to find, though (I've only found it online) and much pricier.

As for cat food: I only use dry. I tried one of the fancier, more protein-rich specialty brands some years ago and found it made both cats' poop stink to high heaven.The change was immediately noticeable in a big, big way. So I reverted to a more common brand.

I don't honestly think that my cats add any odor or funk to my place. My kitchen garbage can - well, that's another matter!

Here's a link to a product that is either the same as, or a close approximation of, the cat pan cover that I have in the bathroom; I totally recommend it:

http://www.amazon.com/Wicker-Litter-Cover-Large-Brown/dp/B000UGBDRI

What the... ? ...

I can't even get my bearings and figure out what I'm looking at in the Before photo.

Makes me think of the old SNL skit where Steve Martin and Bill Murray keep saying, "what the HELL is that?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV7Qz640OeM

So, yep, the After is better.

I don't actually understand all the clamor for floor plans; it's not as though these are homes that AT readers are looking to buy ... or are people looking for ideas on how to create flow from one room to another? ...

On a practical level, I'm mostly interested in the AT tours for getting a sense of the personality someone brings to a space, with a combination of color, paint, fabric, furniture, accessories, personal items, family mementos, use of light, a range of purchases (bargain, high-end, cast-off, repurposed, DIY, vintage...) etc.

Beyond that, it's just plain fascinating to get a look inside so many people's homes and to see how differently people live in terms of their tastes, interests and what makes them feel at home -- whether it's feeling relaxed or energized or wanting a refuge or a social gathering place.

LOVE IT !!!! .

I'm a sucker for Moroccan elements anyway, but some people would really mess up this whole idea. This looks cozy, intimate, enticing and elegant. Totally swoon-worthy.

Amazing job!! I am blown away! Look how light and airy and warm and welcoming the After photo is. Really lovely.

I can't get over the fact that you got all that done so soon after moving in. Very admirable.

@ToasterCat -- Strangely, if I click on the SMALL image of the rug on the Target website, it shows up as Available and can be added to a cart -- and it's the same size rug as the large image, as far as I can tell. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

Unsubscribing from limited-time-offer "special" deal emails in recent weeks has helped me a lot. Much less temptation, less hassle. And you know, many times, those really aren't such great deals, especially with restaurants. (I've done a side by side comparison of regular menus with the email deals and found you might save about $3 in many cases. But the limited -time-offer angle creates a sense of urgency, so you take the bait.)

I'm also unsubscribing from a number of catalogs and in particular taking steps to reduce my plant-buying, since I have mixed success with plants, and who wants to spend money on something only to see it die a few months later? I need to be more realistic and admit to myself that I don't have that kind of money to throw around.

In addition, I've dropped out of some Meetup dining groups. Those are great fun, but really eat up (haha) a person's income over the course of a month. For me, the challenge is how to cut down on entertainment expenses but still have a social life. Some ideas I've started looking into are: potuck groups, reading groups and biking groups.

LOVE this!!! Adore the combinations of patterns and colors and textures. Bright, airy, sophisticated, playful. My gosh, I'm in heaven. Bookmarking now for sure.

One question: is the totally Fabulous wallpaper in a full bathroom or a powder room? I ask mainly because I'd really like to wallpaper part of my full bath when I get that room re-done, but I'm sure some pros will try to talk me out of it (wallpaper plus steam plus lack of window - but I'm going to get a stronger ceiling fan installed, too). Realistically, I could see where wallpaper is more realistic for a powder room (with no shower or tub), but I bet some people have made it work for a full bath, too (or no?) ...