jennyat's Profile

And if the red doesn't work, the uber-phallic obelisks in photo 7 should help!

My parents just sold their house and gave me their old coffee table -- a 6-plank chest that belonged to my great-grandmother that I've always loved. They had a piece of glass cut to size for the top. We also have a "close stool" (aka. commode, aka. child's potty) that serves as a side table (with the top down, so no one is tempted to make use of the toilet seat). It makes me happy to know that I'm using things that people in my family cared about.

I hope the resident is able to save enough money to eat out for every meal, because I don't see where to store a box of cereal, let alone a couple of bowls or a carton of milk!

I have a black and white photo of my dog on the fridge, but I am considering doing a Warhol-esque multi-colored print and framing it. Because he's beautiful.

Thanks for the post! I just got an antique-ish sofa for free, but it desperately needs reupholstering and I've been working up the nerve to do it/wondering if I was insane to even think about it. This is a push in the right direction. Great job!

I just went to the Kleenex website. Apparently there are people out there who feel that the best way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" is with a box of tissues. Perhaps it's meant as an accompaniment to a cry-worthy awesome gift or better yet, the old Valentine's Day, "Dear Baby, Welcome to Dumpsville. Population: you. And a box of tissues."

That said, I'm not sure I'm down with dressing up my tissues. Reminds me of my Grandma's. A kind of hip grannie, but a grannie nonetheless.

There's another copy in Great Falls, VA and a Monticello-esque house in Oakton/Vienna. Whenever we go home (NoVA), my siblings and I have a contest to see the latest worst/best McMansion monstrosity. Maybe it's a politico thing.

My husband and I have lived recently in Thailand and China, both of which tend to observe the "shoes off" rule in homes. In China (in my experience) people then put on slippers to walk around the house to keep their feet off dirty floors, whereas in Thailand they walk around barefoot and keep the floors immaculate. At home, my husband prefers the Thai manner, while I like the Chinese way. It reduced the amount of dirt that comes into the house and wearing slippers means that you don't notice the dirt that makes it! ;-) (i hate emoticons)

Friends are free to do as they please.

I think you have some really nice things in your apartment. It's a bit cluttered, but I suspect that part of the backlash has to do with your apartment not being in a cool, old building downtown with great bones and beautiful hardwood floors. Also, the kitchen cabinets are a bit dated... and for those reasons, it's not my favorite apartment (forgot to mention Anthropologie-discount jealousy - darn your cool pillows!), but I like what you've done with it. I especially love the beautiful bag by the bed and the cabinet behind it.

To make it a bit cooler, you might get rid of the glass coffee table and move the vintage one behind the sofa to its place. Maybe put a cool rug underneath. Also, try raising some of the upper frames behind the couch by a couple of inches to break up the line. Can you paint your walls? You might try that as well. And Craigslist some of the other little things (green stacked boxes by the window).

One more tip, from a textile conservator friend -- for getting bad grease stains out of clothes, use WD-40. The oils in it bind to the oils in the stain and loosen them so they come out. Spray on, then scrub (I think - it's been a while since I've done this one) and launder in the hottest water allowable for the fabric (helps liquefy the grease). I had a red chili oil stain in the middle of my favorite fancy white shirt and this got the whole thing out amazingly.

Also, check out the National Park Service "Conserve o' Gram" webpage for curator-approved ideas on cleaning and preserving objects. They have some good tips about dusting and cleaning furniture.