the mem's Profile

2bd/1ba about 850sq ft maybe 900; loads of cabinets in the kitchen, a separate dining room - new appliances, new bath, new carpet, I can paint and I love it. The one drawback - smaller closets than last place - a concession to get an 8' x 40' covered "mardi gras" balcony with a view of the river and a small backyard where I can garden. It's $550 a month and includes sewer/water/heat = thereby reaffirming my faith in a supreme being.

2 stars - because the of the price - it is gorgeous but I can get a huge piece of Roseville for the same price. If it were offered in other colors, cobalt blue, copper or a deep green then maybe, but it would have to be money from Xmas or B-day - because I am expected to buy something frivolous for myself with those funds - I could justify then.

If you don't want to keep cleaning whatever you put up - I suggest you buy some trailing ivy plants and a few window boxes. Attached monofilament with eye hooks to the ceiling and let the ivy grow up the lines - diamond pattern looks great. you'll have a wall of green privacy and no mold. You may be able to get the ivy plants from a friend - cuttings are easy to start - and any recycled containers with drainage holes if the window boxes are cost prohibitive. Good luck with whatever you decide.

It may be an Oscar Onken - from the arts & crafts movement - I do not know if he had a manufacturing plant in maspeth, new york - he was based out of Ohio. if the screws are original and not replacements (phillips head) the piece is probably of more recent manufacture than his earlier goods - it may take some research but if it is his - it's worth more than the above estimate.

and it's a nice table - hope you bought it because you love it.

Like this better than the entire wall thing -and dusting this would be much easier.

Since your ceilings our twelve feet high, why not paint white down to the level of the bottom of the shelf all around the room. It will make the space more intimate - then put two or three boxes covered with either wallpaper that coordinates, or painted to match the walls there. This integrates the archway, dosen't draw too much attention to the area and takes care of what I presume is the white smoke detector right next to the space. Also it gives you storage for those infrequently used items. This is less expensive than drywall - presuming you can match the paint exactly - and even if you have leftover paint - depending on how long the paint has been on the walls it may show. otherwise you'll need to paint the entire room.

call a professional cleaning service - I can recommend Chem-dry

On the DIY meter this is a two - harder than screwing in a light bulb, much easier than refinishing an antique carved oak bedroom set. Make sure that there isn't much "give" in your fabric since this is your first attempt -denim or duck works great.