apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

A recent night out with a fellow blogger led to an intense discussion about goal setting. And with the holidays and the new year right around the corner it got us to thinking about how we best lay out our plans for the year ahead and how it usually starts with the sock drawer.

This year we are all about keeping it simple. We don't need to spend a ton over the holidays, don't need to run ourselves ragged getting everything perfect. We just want to spend some nice, quality downtime with people we love and appreciate. So first up no elaborate centerpieces, just some simple arrangements that will live to see next year.

We're beginning to think we only throw parties as an excuse to decorate. Most of the time this is easy: choose a theme and a color palette, rummage through saved supplies like crepe paper and vintage tablecloths, find a simple centerpiece, light some candles and go! And when we need to restock supplies (the fun part!) we look to a couple of sources:

We've all got them. Framed pieces of art leaning against the wall because a decision hasn't been reached about where to hang it. Or piles of photos or images you've been meaning to frame and haven't had a chance to. Or a drawer of birthday cards and soon...holiday cards that you'd like to enjoy, but where do you put them? It's almost the holidays and that means guests, time to get the art off the floor and get it hung.

Name: Modkat Litter Box
Price: $180
Rating: Recommend*

Right before we got our new kitten, we started shopping around for an alternative to the litter box we'd been hauling around for years. We needed something covered (she's a kicker and a digger) and wondered if there wasn't something a bit more modern than the aggressively ugly boxes we were used to.

We don't know about you guys, but we're of the school that you get your holiday shopping and DIY-ing done early so that there's time to enjoy the holidays and not be panicked about presents. This means we try to have everything bought and made by December 1st. A huge help is gonna come from One Yard Wonders:

I recently had the pleasure of getting the flu and being confined to a bed for the better part of 10 days. No, it wasn't H1N1, it was just the regular seasonal flu and it totally sucked. So living in a house with my boyfriend and two small children meant I could have been patient zero. Instead, we were able to keep everyone else healthy and flu free:

Name: Corey James Gash
Location: Orange County, California
Size: 700 square feet, plus 220 square feet
Years lived in: 8 months

Corey's the kind of guy that can figure out how to do almost anything. Not only does he love to figure out creative ways to solve problems, but he's really good at it. Case in point, he turned a dilapidated barn into a modern home almost completely on his own using skills he already had plus a little help from Google. And did we mention he only spent $3,600 on the whole renovation and was able to do it green?

• Cure Clock: 3.5 weeks to go
• Assignment: Read Chapter Four: Retail Therapy
• Members: 1,737...
>> New Flickr Group: AT Home Cure
>> Submit Your Photos Directly to AT

I am the world's worst decision maker. Given a choice between two things I can agonize for hours or weeks over which one to choose and still, when I make a decision, I'm always wondering, "Did I make the right choice?" When I was doing the Cure, it was this week, retail therapy, that was the one I dreaded the most. I was going to have to plunk down my cash for stuff, because of my budget most of it on Craig's List, that I had to make snap decisions on and that was not returnable. Oddly enough, however, when this week came, I knew exactly what I wanted, including a pair of orange lamps I chased down from Alex on This is Not Ikea. Woooah, what? How did I do that?...

It's rare that we find a store that not only has a selection of furniture and accessories that remind us of an awesome flea market stall but that also has prices that remind us more of craigslist than an LA showroom. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this sure isn't Ikea, but we still smell a bargain:

Now that Halloween is over and the time has changed we're settling nicely into Fall and looking forward to a bunch of entertaining from now until the end of the year. This weekend we stumbled on our new secret to being prepared and stress free in all matters of entertaining.

We spend a lot of time on AT talking about the virtues of keeping a clean house. For some, this comes naturally, for others it's a struggle. Jump below to embrace your inner slob:

• Cure Clock: 7 weeks to go
• Assignment: Read Read Chapter 1: Creating Your Own Vision
• Members: 1518

We're rounding out the beginning of Week One of the Cure and if you're just ramping up, don't worry you're right on track. This weekend you can start gathering inspiration (like csharpe's bathroom inspiration above), taking your before pictures and spending some quiet time in the least used parts of your home:

With school back in session and work on overload a good small desk is a necessity. We work on a vintage left handed desk we found at a garage sale and have found loads of great small desks on craigslist. But for those that don't have the time to scour and just need a great small desk for under $250, jump below: