the one where she makes a list (the william morris project)

photo via lisa congdon

at the beginning of the year (january first, to be exact) i made a written request to our rental company to have our washroom and its ridiculous mold issues taken care of.  long story short, we were eventually blessed with a contractor (lazy and hurried but skilled in the art of concrete and paint and such so at this point i'll take it) and our washroom is finally mold free and bright white and clean.

with one major job out of the way i found myself taking a look around our apartment space and realizing just how much i have slacked with my 'organized life' projects and posts.  so with inspiration from jules at 'pancakes & french fries' and her WILLIAM MORRIS PROJECT i took pen to paper and MADE A LIST.

brian rolled his eyes and sighed.

ENTRYWAY

• empty closet for cleaning, sorting & purging
• make space for easy storage for lola's carrier in closet
• dry clean heavy coats not being purged
• invest in garment bags for fresher storage
• find a better system for shoe/boot storage
• clean the existing shoe basket

HALLWAY

• empty closet for cleaning, sorting & purging of linens/personal care/medical/laundry stuff
• sort linens by colour and utilize plastic zip bags for fresh storage

KITCHEN

• line all shelves and drawers with contact paper for easy cleaning
• empty all cupboards to sort and purge
• finally get permission from brian to purge all ugly mugs to save cupboard space
• utilize larger basket for tupperware storage
• install back-of-door system for broom & mop
• donate all unused and duplicate small appliances
• invest in small serving bowls for dips & things (white)
• CAN WE PLEASE FIND A MORE SUITABLE PLACEMENT FOR THE TRASH CAN?!?!

LIVING ROOM

• use ikea gift card to purchase rug to add colour to the room
• invest in a new couch to replace brian's much beloved but broken couch
• finish painting all walls in white
• hang brian's favorite art gallery style
• make a final decision regarding the giant ottoman ---> re-arrange furniture pieces?
• *proper lighting is needed for dark corner to be more useful

DINING ROOM

• add backs to "stools" to complete table & chairs set
• invest in under table rug for pattern and colour
• invest in new curtains for large window (currently too small)
• add to and nurture window box garden.  because, greenery.

BATHROOM

• continue to beg and plead with landlord to have the tub refinished and taps replaced
• touch up paint at tile line
• remove all paint from tiles left by lazy contractor
• replace old caulking in tub area
• invest in storage/shelving system for beside tub (no higher than my waist, no wider than my elbow)
• invest in a proper heavy duty plastic shower curtain liner instead of continually having to replace the dollar store ones that suck anyway
• invest in a curtain rod cover to hide rusty metal shower curtain rod
• invest in new towels to replace existing threadbare ones
• invest in new shower curtain to add colour

BEDROOM

• research (i.e. pinterest) & use breathing friendly polish for mid-century furniture instead of just dusting (i cannot bring myself to "pledge" with lola in the room)
• invest in complete bedding set to replace old threadbare linens (ensuring proper fit for fittted sheet, darn pillowtop mattress)
• invest in new pillows and purge old manky drooly ones
• find a suitable dish-thingy to corral brian's jewelery, colognes, etc.
• paint all walls (probably white)
• hang artwork

BEDROOM CLOSET, DRAWERS, SIDE TABLES

• empty all drawers for sorting and purging
• move decorative front drawers to their proper place
• reduce brian's junk drawers from two to one for added clothing space
• empty entire closet for sorting and purging
• invest in "hanging shelves" for folded bottoms
• empty and donate giant "catch-all" plastic hamper

OFFICE

i can't even right now...

if you made it all the way to the end of this list you may have noticed that i used the word "invest" a lot.  invest does not mean expensive.  it simply means i am going to stop "making do" with inferior quality or design that i do not believe to be beautiful simply to replace something we may already have which is currently useful.  i will continue to thrift and search out bargain prices and unique pieces which i love but hopefully now that i am armed with a written list and requests to the universe for specific items the thrifting gods will reward me for my patience.

failing that, there is now target.

*added after original publication