I’m to the point where weekly updates aren’t really viable, so that’ll be slowing down. I’ll try to still get a weekly apartment post up, but it may be very short.
Anyway, week 4 was about projects! Specifically painting:
Those are my desk drawers. The insides were covered in crayon, ink, and wear marks. Even with three coats of Kilz some of the crayon and ink is still coming through. I meant to do more later, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.
There was more to do in my parents’ generously donated garage.
These started as grey rolling drawers from Ikea and a beige file cabinet I got for $7 at a thrift store. You’ll note the drawer fronts aren’t perfect. I have finished touching those up, although I haven’t put the hardware back (that’s this afternoon). You’ll also note, that despite turning the garage into a spray booth with dropcloths hanging on the floor, Mom and I didn’t do anything to the floor. Yeah, it’s now blue. As were my feet:
I ended up tossing the sandals – they were severely worn out anyway, and the thick layer of blue paint on the soles was the final straw. It took about two and a half weeks to get all the paint off my toes.
‘But the apartment!’ you say. ‘We want to see the apartment.’ Or maybe it’s just the voices in my head. Anyway.
I had made another trip to Ikea to pick up some things I missed. And I got rugs! I had also previously ordered a new cover for my futon (which I believe I mentioned earlier) and that also came. And a bunch of eBay purchases. So everything was coming together.
The baby blanket was handmade by friends of the family when we lived in the Midwest. The multicolored thing over it (which you’ve probably seen in these pictures before) was a Snuggie way before those silly things stole the name. Basically it’s a thin sleeping bag with snaps to form a hood. We had three and that’s the only one left. It’s kind of falling apart, what with being at least 20 years old. The quilt I got at the same time as the nightstand you saw in Week 2. It’s not handmade, or at very least it’s handmade in China. And it has a few stains and ripping seams that I need to fix, but I haven’t gotten to than yet, as sewing is one of my least favorite things.
Close up of the display case:
It should be noted that things aren’t arranged, so much as put in there so I can empty some boxes. The pictures a link (as always) if you want a better view. And hidden behind the pillows is these:
At my old place these were hung on the wall in the kitchen. I think I’ll hang them above the sideboard, when I get to hanging pictures.
Ikea purchase:
Rugs! Or rather sheep skins. But they’re super soft and nice in the morning.
Moving towards the kitchen.
For a while I had all my alcohol there, but then my boyfriend bought a bunch and it was taking over. So they’re in the kitchen now back on the shelf that wasn’t there for a while, which I’ll get to when we get there.
So we just have the cordial glasses, a homemade apple pie liquor my friend made and gave to me for my birthday / Christmas, and my sake set.
I also don’t want to leave the doll out in the open since she’s cloth. I’ve got another one as well, of a boy and a girl, but they’re too tall to go in the display case. I have a plan for them, but that’s a little way down the road.
And despite having an incense burner there (the tiny blue thing below the black boxes), I don’t burn incense there since it’s right below the smoke detector and that just screams bad idea to me. I do it in the kitchen.
As you can see, I moved the dress form back down. And, new rug from Ikea! That’s about it there. I need to get the record player fixed still. It works, but it’s really quiet. (And you can see that I still have the desk drawers out to paint more).
Note before we go on: I had my parents over for Labor Day. So we went to Attaboy Vintage, up to Grant Park, I made dinner, Dad did some work for me, that sort of thing. So some of this is last minute cleaning and decorating.
In the dining room:
The garland is temporary, naturally.
Dad hung the lamp for me. I forgot to get a picture of it turned off, so here’s the one from the eBay listing.
The seller packed it REALLY well. Each of those petals are separate and were each in a bubblewrap bag and then all of them were wrapped with tape. I had to cut at it with a knife for like five minutes to get it free. It’s been rewired in the last twenty years or so, because the cord is fairly new with the mismatched prongs. Very nice. The only problem is it doesn’t have a switch and the plug isn’t controlled from the wall, so I’ll have to add an in-line switch. I also should add a outlet splitter, because now both plugs are taken.
When I was at Ikea I got another Bygel bar and another silverware cup, leading to this:
So, that’s done.
Since this is California, I worry about earthquakes, especially since my dishes sit out. My mom borrowed one of the shelves (thus why I didn’t have a place to put my booze) and had somebody at her work bend some plexiglass. There’s a lip that goes behind the shelf and a lip so the dishes can’t slide out. It’s not a 100% guarantee, but it should do. (He still has to do the bottom one)
And I put all my Swanky Swigs on a turntable so you can pick out your favorite animal.
Now for fun stuff. At Attaboy, I got this:
When you open the top, the bottom drawer automatically opens. And it still has the key. They had it labelled as a men’s jewelry case, and that’s what I’m going to use it for. I haven’t done it yet, but all my cufflinks and tie bars that are currently jumbled in a bag are going in here, along with the few earrings and necklaces I have. I think it’s fake leather. The bottom drawer is a little bowed, I think from people not realizing you can’t open it without opening the top.
(We also went to a used book store, thus the books in the back. I got a hardback copy of Reaper Man, which is my favorite Discworld so far, and yet another Japanese cookbook – but this one is newer than most of my other general ones).
Like I said above, my parents and I went up to Grant Park and I took a couple of pictures. It was really windy – I swear next time I pick a community to live in, I’m not picking one on the ocean, because it is always windy – and a little chilly.
This hawk was just hanging in the air, occasionally flapping, for at least fifteen minutes. I could’ve taken video and it wouldn’t have looked much different from this.
You can literally see to at least Oxnard from here – it’s only identifiable because it’s the only town that has skyscrapers, and only two of them, but there you go (they’re not in this shot).
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I love the lamps!!!!
Thanks! I was lucky to get them.