After much thought I have decided to take a hiatus from blogging.  My goal is to take about six months off to focus on all the other projects and commitments that have prevented me from posting quality content as often as I’d like.  

Even though I don’t have time to blog, I still want to show all of you the work I’m doing in my condo as I’m doing it.  There are very few people in my life who care much about home improvement and interior design like you all do.  The thought of saying goodbye to Cozy Condo Living (even temporarily) is depressing.   

Today it dawned on me that I don’t have to be completely disconnected.  I can use Facebook to share pictures and projects as I’m working on them.  It’s so much easier to take a picture with my phone and post it directly to Facebook than it is to take a picture, download it to my computer, edit it, upload it into Windows Live Writer, write the post, send it to blogger, and post it.

Now, I’m not going to be slacking while on hiatus.  My plan is to do the following:

1. Learn Photoshop Elements 
2. Get more experience designing rooms for people I don’t know well. This month I’m working on a living room for a woman I used to work with.  I’m very excited!
3. Finish my interior design course.  I started in May 2011 and have only completed 3 of 6 lessons.  My goal is to finish by May 2013.   
4. Work on healing my arm which is still bothering me.  I’m working with an O.T. right now which has been really helpful.
5. Get more organized and focused with all the projects I am doing around the house.  Currently I’m finishing the hallway.  The next big purchase will be laminate flooring for the hallway (which I will install myself).

I know that not everyone is on Facebook, but if you’re interested in following my adventures you can “Like” me.

Thank you for all your support.  

Lisa

I chose the fridge pack which comes with an assortment of colors and sizes.  I figured that I would try it out first and then buy more if it’s working out.

The concept is pretty simple. Put an absorbent, recyclable board under your food and you will have less mess to clean in the end.  The fridge pack covered most of my shelves, but not all. I could use a couple more large coasters for the top shelf and very bottom shelf.

Luckily my fridge was fairly empty when I took my pics so you can see what they look like.

I put two smaller coasters together for the long shelf.

As you can see they’re a little small for the crispers.

According to the FAQ sheet, Fridge Coasters:

• are good for 120 days unless you spill raw meat on them
• can be wiped down with a soapy sponge
• will not lose their form, swell, or fall apart when they get wet
• will not bleed ink even when submerged in water

I’ll keep you posted on how they hold up over time.  Maybe they’ll work out so well that Chris won’t roll his eyes at me next time a mysterious package arrives on our porch.

What have you bought lately on impulse?

Have a great weekend.

LISA

This conversation prompted one from my 18 year old niece who asked if I’d ever heard of yarn bombing.  What-the-what?  Apparently I’ve been living under a rock because I had never heard of such a thing.  Have you?  If you’re one of those readers who is in the know please feel free to move on.  If you’re like me-someone who thinks you have your pulse on the hot trends, but really you’re always one step behind-read on.

factfixx.com

According to yarnbombing.com, Yarn Bombing is “The art of knit and crochet graffiti”.  If you think about the impact that a flash mob makes in public, this is a similar concept.  The difference is that yarn bombing is done incognito and is mostly illegal.  It started in 2005 as a way to “reclaim and personalize sterile or cold public places”(Wikipedia).  It has since become a movement in which groups of knitters and crocheters come together to “bomb” a predetermined site.

bulkka.com

If you’re a knitter you know that in order to get these tubes on the trees you’ll need to sew them on when you get there.  Hmmm….sewing a giant tube-in public-in the middle of the night- without getting caught-sounds like something I’ll leave up to the artists and college students.

iclickfun.com

These colorful stairs are really cool.  I wonder what it would be like to walk up those stairs knowing that you created this splash of color in what looks like a once drab throughway.

bitrebels.com

If I was going to participate in the yarn bombing revolution the bombs above and below would be more my speed.

                                             wackyandwild.com

I’ll leave you with one more yarn bombing image that was done by an artist in Mexico City.  I’m thinking that these panels are machine knit.  What do you think? creative.com

Now that you know what Yarn Bombing is all about are you ready to knit a cute pair of mittens for your local statue or crocheted leaves for the trees in your nearby park?  If so, I want proof.

Have a great week.

LISA

There were only two things that made me cranky.  The first was our textured walls.  I had to go over them multiple times to make sure that the paint got into the valleys.  Luckily my arm has held up.  The other irritation came about when I was cleaning up.  We have a deep kitchen sink with a nozzle that extends and sprays.  I’m thankful for that.  However, every time I clean up paint it sprays all over the countertop.  I think I’ve cleaned it up, but end up with dried paint everywhere (Chris just informed me that I got paint on the stove-oops).  This weekend I found myself fantasizing about laundry room sinks.  I want one.  I need one.  I have to have one.  I’ve decided that when we look for a bigger home a laundry sink will be at the top of my list.

I want this one (even though it has more of a farm house look).  You’ve gotta love that faucet.

Apartment Therapy

This one looks like the sink we had in our laundry room when I was growing up.  It’s utilitarian, but does the job and is really deep.

Faucet Direct

I like the idea of a double sink.  Now that’s good livin’.

Design Sponge

This laundry room looks so neat and clean (unlike mine which I’m too embarrassed to show).  But most of all I like that sink with the countertops on either side.  I don’t know where this pic came from since the blogger didn’t source it.  I tried Tin Eye to do a reverse image search, but came up with nada.

Found Here

Now that I think about it, I may want a sink in the garage instead (a garage will be on my wish list as well).  That way I don’t run the risk of getting my laundry sprayed with paint.  On that note, here’s a garage sink that might work (I love the idea of a fridge in the garage and that cabinetry is pretty cool)

Garage Journal

What’s your take on having a sink in the laundry room or even the garage?  If you already have one what do you use it for?

Happy Monday!!!

Chris and I kept commenting that the park is so clean.  I was amazed by the sparkling bathrooms.  Apparently 40,000 people come through the park daily so they must be cleaning those toilets all day long.  Yuck!  The gardens were immaculate as well.  We figure that most of the work must happen between midnight and 8AM.  Amazing!

I don’t often get my picture taken since I’m the one behind the camera.  Luckily Chris took a couple shots of me and I was able to see that I could stand to lose a few pounds and get into shape.  I’ve known it, but it’s different to actually see yourself in shorts and a thin shirt that shows all.  Oh, but I love my sweets.  That’s why you’re only getting a head shot.

The mornings were always overcast so that’s why these pics look like I could have shot them in Seattle.  The funny thing is that Anaheim had cooler weather the week we were there than we had in Seattle.  I wore a jacket the first day I got there and pouted the whole time.

I’ll spare you anymore personal pics.  I’m not one of those people who invites you over and forces you look at my entire photo album of my trip to the Grand Canyon (if I had ever been there) so I’m not going to start now.

I’m very excited to share that I’m starting my hallway redesign this weekend.  I just got my new rug and am ready to pick out paint colors.  Next week I’ll show you the progress I’ve made.

Hope you have a great weekend.