The Metaphorical Magpie

Kicking the closet addiction

I have a major closet clear out on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I've definitely chipped away at my towering collection of coats and other wearables but there is much more editing to be done.

Over at 3191 Miles Apart, MAV posted a great list of rules she follows when she does a clearout of her closet. 

Now, MAV, proclaims she is "addicted to giving things away." I and some of my closest friends are addicted keeping everything and anything for a future use.

Finding a nice balance, a flow if you will, between bringing new things in and allowing them to flow back out into the world is something I am striving towards. Often when I begin to clear out, I get gripped with this weird hoard-y impulse and never cut close enough to the bone. When I open my packed dresser and realize there isn't much in there that I actually want to wear, I feel frustrated. And then when tempted to buy something new, I feel guilty because I don't "need" anything new, knowing I have tons of so-so items at home to choose from.

If you too are struggling with too much crammed into your drawers and closets that you have a uninspiring relationship with, I encourage you to visit MAV's post and ponder the insightful questions she asks when going through her belongings. Reading them made me realize, many of the clothes I have stored away are of no use to me or make me feel weird, fat or dumpy.

Wouldn't having only items I love in turn help me feel more love about myself? 

Last month, I was getting ready to go somewhere and moaning about my lack of clothes I love. Sweets , someone who has a rating system for everything, made this astute observation -"based on a scale of 1-5, 1 being pajamas and stuff you wear around the house, 2 the chef clothes you work in, 3 things you wear to go out in and 5 special occasion- you have alot of 1-2 and some 5's but you really need some more 3-4 items."

So... basically my husband is telling me "hey, you're basically shlubby most of the time unless we're going out someplace fancy, can you kick it up a notch?

In the dope rhymes of A Tribe Called Quest, I answer the query, "Can I Kick It? Yes You Can!"

This rhythm really fits like a snug glove
Like a box of positives is a plus, love
As the Tribe flies high like a dove .......

Can I kick it? (Yes, you can!) *7X*
Well, I'm gone (Go on then!).....

Boy this track really has a lot of flavor
When it comes to rhythms, Quest is your savior
Follow us for the funky behavior
Make a note on the rhythm we gave ya
Feel free, drop your pants, check your ha-ir
Do you like the garments that we wear?
I instruct you to be the obeyer
A rhythm recipe that you'll savor
Doesn't matter if you're minor or major  ...

The sofa saga

I really, really want a new sofa. Finding a vintage one has been a high priority but in this economy everybody who would have rather died than bought used is now out there scrounging the thrift shops, too. Just a few years ago we scored a gorgeous vintage sofa for our upstairs studio/media room for a whopping $90. Yes, that figure is right. Nine-zero. It took four of us to wrangle it up the stairs to its new home and it is doubtful we'll get it out of here in the future but it is awesome in it's vintage loveliness, situated in a dog free zone and comfy enough for us both to stretch out and watch a movie.

Our current sofa in the living room has been with me since I bought the house in 2001. Back then, it was a major purchase. I thought it was a classic style and meant to last. Unfortunately, several years of chihuahuas depositing copious amounts of barf and anything they could drag off the dinner table while your back was turned has made it gross. Did I mention the scratched up cushions? I attempted to jazz things up a few years ago with a slip cover. That has seen better days now, too.

I've started to really whine and drool over sofas. When Maggie passed, I thought perhaps we could really agree on getting  a new couch. I assured Sweets she was the main barfer in the family. She loved to go outside, eat grass, come back in and yack it back up in the couch. I guess when you are a dog, your entertainment options are so limited, watching humans wave around Febreeze bottles muttering must be a blockbuster.

There have been flirting bounces on the couches at Crate and Barrel. Long lingering glances at Anthropologie. Window shopping at Nieman Marcus. Lots of fantasizing about stretching out with a book on a tufted back sofa in a handsome shade of blue, green or brown. We were getting somewhere. The iron clutch on the purse strings was going slack. We considered giving up the search for an inexpensive vintage number and buying something glorious and new.

And then Quentin barfed on the couch.

Twice in one week.

Can't a girl catch a break around here? Geez Louise!

I'm going to still keep dreaming until I find myself sitting on something sassy.

Like this baby, the Azure from Crate and Barrel. This one, oh wow, it looks so amazingly soft and cozy. Wouldn't I look cute perched on this one's rolled arms? This silver velvet  one exuded Hollywood glamour. Turquoise leather is invitingly clubby and possibly barf resistant. Can you deal with the punch this one is packing. The Eugene by Room & Board in understated and reliable looking, just like I'd imagine a fella named Eugene would be. The Clarke is the only one I like with pillows.

Now if I could just find a whole lot of change between the couch cushions to pay for one of these.

Dreaming of country living

The other day on the way home from work, I stopped to buy a snack and picked up a free real estate guide for the Catskills on a whim as I walked back to my car. I keep returning to look at the listings lovingly again and again. Sweets will turn to me and say, "are you looking at your rural porn again?" shaking his head. I'll reply with "ooh, listen to this one... french country cottage inspired by an artist , this 2500 square foot cottage boasts four unique fireplaces (squeal), 2 and a half baths, large eat in kitchen with fireplace and built ins (swoon), art studio 20 x 29 (almost as big as our house!) ... private deck with hot tub... 2 garages, small pond and pretty gardens...That could become our B&B!" I crow, while I scour the tiny photo for more details.

This little booklet holds the promise of a whole new rural world that fascinates me. Stone houses, red barns, river frontage, plowed roads, old landmark restaurants, faded inns and acres of wide open quiet.

I keep coming back to this one listing for 12.5 acres of land. Boasting valley views, trails, and a small pond, I fall slightly more in love with the idea of this parcel every time I turn to that page.

Coming from the Midwest, Sweets moved east to escape the desolate emptiness of the landscape, the lack of things to do. In my heart, I  yearn for pitch black skies punctuated with a plethora of stars, afternoons spent wandering trails, cooking over a fireplace, being accessible to nature at any moments notice with no obligations pulling me away. Perhaps this is a dream for retirement. Whether the image in my mind shifts from a stone house, a small cabin, a modern structure with a wall of windows to let the spectacle of nature in or just a bench in the middle of some acreage, I see myself there... someday.

Friends on screens large and small

It's not often that you can see your friends on television, so I was excited to see this clip of my old pal, Amy, who is now features editor at This Old House magazine. We worked together in a newspaper photo department about 15 years ago. She's just returned to work after having a gorgeous little girl and made a big splash on her television appearance today giving excellent tips for working around the house. I really like the one about saran wrap.

Going even further back in time, when I lived in Ocean Grove, my friend Tiffany and her then husband, Michael, used to live blocks from each other and spent many an evening traipsing back and forth to each other's houses. Michael was often cooped writing a screenplay while Tiffany and I cooked dinners and worked on our photography. They parted ways a few years later, Michael moved out to California and became a filmmaker. A new film that he wrote, Greta, should be coming out soon. It stars Hillary Duff and Ellen Burstyn. Set in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, I am very curious to see it when it hits the theater.

The big switcheroo

Every once in a while, I feel like it's necessary to play 52 pick up with the contents of our home. Just take all the stuff in a room out, toss it around, bring it back in and put it in new places. Leave some things out of the mix. Next time you rearrange you may find yourself loving something you were totally over a few months or years ago.

 If you're sure something is really past it's prime- like our coffee table - pitch it.

I find myself becoming accustomed to all the things in our environment that doesn't work. I start to accept the piles of magazines that only seem to grow, the curtains that are too short, the hand me down and thrifted furnishings that look shabby instead of chic. This spring, I've had about enough!

When I bought the house in 2001, I was unpleasantly surprised by the condition the hardwood floors in the living room and hall were in after being covered in a carpet that a previous owner's kitty used instead of litter. My naughty pup, Maggie, likes to sneak and leave her own addition to those spotty areas on the floor. I keep saying one of these days it will get fixed. Close to eight years on, I think the time has come.

The plaster  ceiling in the living room was popcorn treated before I bought the house and chunks of the textured paint had flaked off exposing cracks in the ceiling.

One of the requirements for finding my dream house was a house with a fireplace. We have one but the original red brick creates a focal point in the room I can't bear.

Since I've been in the house all the rooms have been painted.In 2001, I used a Klimt painting as the inspiration for the whole house.  I fixed up the bathroom and renovated the kitchen. When Sweets moved in we tore down the walls upstairs and rebuilt them withproper  insulation to create our studio. We put in landscaping in the back and front yards. All the windows and exterior doors have been upgraded to energy efficient models.

Somehow the living room just languished.

Now is it's time.

Last week we moved just about everything out to have the ceiling fixed. The painter we had work on the outside of the house happened to mention in Sweets' earshot that he was doing a popcorn ceiling repair at another job. We asked him to take a look at ours and he said he could fix it. Instead of taking down the plaster ceiling, his crew applied a new thin sheet rock ceiling over it, taped, spackled and painted. I can't tell you how happy I am just to gaze upon the smooth, serenity that is now our living room ceiling.

During the work, we moved the television upstairs into the media area of the studio. Without it's huge presence in the room begging to be attended to; we've had so much more energy for other things. Like reading and talking. Passing a book on garden design back and forth excitedly brainstorming possibilities for a new backyard layout. When we talk to each other we are really listening, instead of kind of listening while keeping track of what's happening on Iron Chef or nodding in agreement with Rachel Maddow.

The furniture that is left in the room, we have switched around. Now the couch looks out onto the flowering trees of the neighborhood. Our houseplants are situated closer  to the light. With sparser, rearranged belongings it feels calmer in the room.

On Saturday, we picked up some paint chips and we've settled on a color change. We're moving away from the sky blue color to a light, nuetral yellow. I'm finding over the last few years, I don't feel the need for such saturated colors as I did in the past. Now I'm interested in using accessories as color punctuation in a nuetral zone.

The floors are going to be dealt with. We had one estimate done on Friday and we'll solicit a few more.

The fireplace will most likely get a facelift with tile and wood.

When this room is done, I'll really feel like the house is getting there. With the living room all cleared out, we felt like we had just moved in (ironically, this weekend  is the 4 year anniversary of Sweets' arrival). It feels good to look around the house with fresh possibilities. I know some people never work on their houses but we are constantly doing one or two major projects around here. We like it that way. I think we both love the collaboration of designing together.