C. Dailey's Profile

Display Name: C. Dailey
Member Since: 1/3/13

Latest Comments...

Oh I wish I could use my stair space like that... My landlord had the 'foresight' to close-in the space beneath the basement steps, effectively making a mismatched storage space for us to contend with. Once I have a real place of my own however, either storage, an office area or bookshelves will be happening - depending on where the stairs end up being.


9 Clever Uses for the Space Under the Stairs
5/8/13 2:51 PM

My first home as a newlywed (still here 2 years later) has hot and cold neighbours if there ever were... The side that we share the driveway with is a great older Italian family who has lived there forever - always watching out if they see things going on in the neigherbourhood, they know if we are away for a few days to keep an eye on our place, etc... Our upstairs neighebour is also very civil - single fellow living there, works long hours, is quiet save for his steel drum music on the weekends when he is cleaning. I can live with that though.

The side of our house that is 3' from the next house however, we've got the most obnoxious neighbours I have ever experienced - screaming matches at 2 am (and nearly any other time during the day and night) about the most random s*!t I've ever heard pretty much takes the cake... Someone else in the area called the police on them once weeknight last summer because he could hear them screaming and he lives across and down the street from them - I remember overhearing his conversation with the police department that he "couldn't imagine how loud it is for the house beside them..."

Too bad there isn't a way to ask about what kind of people your soon-to-be neighbours are before moving in without seeming super nosey yourself.


Considering Your Neighbors When You Choose a New Home
4/11/13 11:21 PM

I think that a green thumb can be learned but that the interest needs to be there to start with - just like wanting to learn a foreign language or how to cook. You need to have the drive to know what your plants need to thrive and the patience to let it work too. Plants generally don't respond overnight to changes in their growing conditions - over/under watering, fertilizer and sunlight changes all take several days to work.

My mum always says that I have my Granny's touch with plants because everything thrives in my garden - not really a garden, just 3 flower beds around a sickly little deck and plenty of containers in sizes from 6" to 2'. Now to be honest, half of the time I don't know what i'm doing but I'm having fun and enjoying my time digging in the soil.

But be honest with yourself about your planting area - how much sunlight do you really have in different areas of the garden (shady plants will just keel over in full sunlight while full-sun plants will be spindly and weak in shady areas) does the soil need some 'help' to get things growing (it is heavy clay soil, sandy,salty or rocky?) Sit back and take a good long look at the area you are working in - knowing what you are working with will make the growing process much easier

Try a local nursery rather than the 'big box' stores as chances are the gardeners there will know what they are working with in your area also. Talk to people in the garden centers and nurserys also - nobody has all the answers but I've gotten some great advice from people who are browsing the aisles with me who live in the same area and experience the same issues and we're more than willing to give our advice.

Now if I could just get my cat to stop giving my houseplants 'haircuts' when she is bored I would be a happy gardener!


Is a Green Thumb Something You Can Learn?
4/11/13 10:30 PM

On the coffee-cup idea - I've used creamers that the handle broke off of as planters before. I just put about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of small pea-gravel in the bottom, used a quick-draining (cactus) soil and planted a few little Aloe Vera plants in it. Drainage was never a problem as I only watered them every other week and they were quite happy in their creamer. I think succulents or other plants that can withstand being 'dried out' between waterings would withstand this just fine.

Happy planting!


15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt
4/5/13 3:25 PM

My landlord was in the process of renovating the sitting room before we moved in (we got to see in while it was still in the works) and asked that the connection lines be run from the basement to the other side of the room.

Bar moving the connection sites, I would have the lines run around the outside of the room and then paint them to match the baseboards. Just make sure that they are securly tacked along in regular intervals and that they are pulled snug along the baseboard so it doesn't look sloppy. I think my husband once ran the lines under the carpets in his bachelor pad but it looks like you have beautiful hardwood floors so that might be difficult...


How Can I Hide Unsightly Cords Coming From One Room Into Another? Good Tech Questions
3/20/13 6:48 PM

I purchased dryer balls from Target a while ago - the look like spikey, soft plastic tennis balls that a dog might enjoy as a chew toy more than a useful laundry room item. I rarely use dryer sheets now as they help to reduce static and also help to keep everything moving around and everything comes out nice and soft. I also just try to dry the heavy things like jeans, towels and bedding as most of my other clothes get air-dried on a massive drying rack I got from Ikea.


The Best Time Saving Laundry Gadgets You're Not Using
2/17/13 3:45 PM

A cousin of mine bought one of those chairs a few years ago - they wear just fine (changeable covers, etc) but I feel like the chair itself is either a love/hate thing. My cousin liked it, his wife hated it, I always sat on their sofa as I wasn't totally a fan of it myself.


Day 4: 10 Minutes Critiquing My
Living Room Liveblogging the January Cure
1/8/13 9:44 AM

After living in my little place for 2 years now, it is time for a reboot. Here is the beginning of my list:

Entryway
-Corral shoes/purses/coats/hats
-Set up desk to 'work' better
-Organize closet for outdoor-related needs: gardening supplies, toys, etc

Kitchen
-Overhaul food-storage situation. Already started with new shelving in a disused area on the way to the basement, need to finish up
-Sort out the pet-food storage. It isn't bad, I just don't love it.
-Organize pot/pans and other cooking prep goods. After 2 years they have gotten away from me!
-Wash EVERYTHING

Living Room
-Dust entertainment center
-Reduce the 'things' sitting around
-Increase the height of the sofa to better fit the room...would those bed-leg 'lifts' work here perhaps?
-Sort out things living below the sofa
-Hang pictures (patching/repainting as needed)
-Install ceiling fan, will need help with that one...

Bathroom
-Really, really clean the shower and toilet
-Really, really clean up the area around the kitty-litter box
-Caulk the tub surroud and fixtures as needed
-Find a bin small enough to live behind the door
-Install shelves in the vanity to increase storage

Bedroom
-Scarves, scarves, scarves...need to find a home for them all
-Make the odd-sized/shaped closet work better. Already started with a shoe rack for the fancy shoes that don't live by the back door, need to figure out a shelving option too..
-Make better use of the dresser space, somehow.
-Clean up the 'things' on the dresser

Basement
-Help my husband sort through and sell on Ebay to reduce the amount of space used on storing 'stuff' that is never used/enjoyed/seen the light of day in the last 10 years to help fund our 'fun' for the next year
-Get the laundry area under control.
-Get the spiderwebs under control.
-Clean out the dehumidifier

All Areas
-Clean the windows
-Clean the baseboards
-Clean the baseboard heating units
-Dust/wash/wipe-down/retouch/repaint as needed


Liveblogging Day 1: Tara's List Liveblogging the January Cure
1/3/13 10:48 AM

I have already started a mental list of getting my little home into better shape this year, but this really broke it down into little steps that will make it far more manageable and quite possibly throw some fun projects into the mix.

Thanks!!


Day 1: Make a List of Projects Apartment Therapy January Cure
1/3/13 9:47 AM