While I was in the suburbs of Philly last weekend seeing Mom, I went to check out a new garden story called Terrain. What would it look like if retail stores Anthropology and Smith & Hawken had a baby? You would get a huge selection of plants, garden tools, books, moisturizers, a cafe, full service restaurant, furniture, lighting fixtures, decorating ideas, vessels, pots, bird baths, outdoor seating, a service that does container gardens for you... basically I was in heaven. What follows are some pictures I took. The place is just amazing. If you want some inspiration this weekend, hop in the car and take road trip, you won't be dissapointed.

Rumor has it that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Why not wow your guests the moment they arrive with an attractive, welcoming and functional entryway? It can be one of the most inexpensive spaces to update but the most important places in the home since it's the first to welcome your visitors and one that will greet you and send you off into the world daily. It's not a bad idea to actually like a place you see so often.

Image from LivingEtc magazine (UK)

What can you do to spruce things up?

1. Remove everything that can be moved and place it in another room.



2. Give the space a thorough cleaning from floor to ceiling. Pay attention to scuff marks on the walls, cobwebs, and the condition of rugs or throw rugs if you have them. Now you can start with a blank slate.



3. Make a plan of action. WIth pen and paper in hand, sketch a rough outline of the space, marking doorways, windows, etc. Consider the flow of traffic and whether or not the space is working for you and your guests in the best possible way. Now it's time to write a separate TO DO list as you consider the following...



4. How about your door? Can you update the doorknob? Have you considered painting it on the inside with a bold color? Are your locks working properly? Notice also which way doors open and close. Is your front door opening into an awkward wall or directly into the entry to another room? Switch the door so that it opens in the opposite direction - perhaps to a solid wall where you can place a console table and a mirror or art.



5. Consider the walls. Paint, beadboard, wallpaper, a chair rail or some crown molding may work wonders. The average entryway is a small, transitional space so you can often go with bolder wallpaper or more dramatic paint colors - brights, darks, this is the space to go all out and have some fun!



6. Look at your lighting. Should you install a few sconces to flank a mirror for a softer, more inviting mood? Does the pendant light need updating? Maybe your chandelier needs a few crystals replaced or a good dusting? Is your current fixture the right proportion for the room or is it too small or large? What about the bulbs themselves, are they making you and your guests look lovely or do they bring out every flaw? If you like to control matters, install a dimmer switch. Brighten for tasks like cleaning and entering the home, dim just a tad when you're expecting guests for a dinner party and you're trying to set the mood.



7. Storage for coats, umbrellas, shoes, hats, mittens, you name it -- These are essentials that need a home. Consider a boot tray for winter and rainy seasons. If you have a coat closet great, this is a good time to organize it. If you lack a coat closet you'll need either a coat rack or some type of wall system (hooks, for example). Can a bench seat with storage keep gloves and hats? Maybe a few baskets or storage boxes arranged neatly on a shelf beneath the console will hold everything?



8. Furniture needs to serve a purpose and look good. Whether it's a single shelf or a console, it's good to have a place for everything from Sparky's leash to the newspaper, daily mail, paper/pen, your cell phone, keys, candy/mints, etc. You may find a bench or chair helpful for putting on shoes or placing a handbag or groceries. Is the furniture sturdy? Clean? Would paint, new upholstery or hardware make it stand out more? Think about what you currently have. Are you using it? If not, consider other options.



9. How's your flooring? If you cannot afford to update it, scrub and shine what you have and top it with at a lovely, durable rug.



10. Decorate! Flowers, a plant, fresh flowers, a fancy trash bin, a decorative umbrella stand, a framed mirror, wall clock, some art... Shoes on or off? If you have a no shoes policy, try creating a cute sign asking guests to remove their shoes. Place the sign on a shelf or console table, or frame your words and hang it where guests will notice it upon entering. "Remove thy shoes", "Please slip off your shoes and stay awhile", "Shoes be gone!", "Care for a pair of slippers?", "Shoes go here (with an arrow pointing to location)", or "Lose the Shoes" are some ways to get your point across.
    

Has this motivated you to take on a weekend project? If so, send in your before/after photos to hollybecker AT gmx.net and I'll consider posting them here next month. Deadline May 30th.

(image from livingetc)

There is no question about it, I LOVE color! It takes hours to put away laundry because I insist on organizing my clothes by color. While this may seem like an tedious and daunting task, the result, a seamless rainbow of vibrance, really makes all the difference between a mishmash mess and a beautifully organized statement. Anything can be organized by color, so go ahead, go color coordinating crazy.
Most people have book collections of their favorite authors, I've developed a liking for books with pretty spines.
One design trick that really infuses a sense of organization and also makes an artist statement in a room, is a color harmonized book shelf.
While this person's collection is particularly more colorful than most--creating a similar looks is possible for any shelf. Dig out that dusty box of old books from the attic and sort them out into color piles. When finished, line them up on a book shelf in order of the color spectrum. If you don't have stashes of books lying around, scout out a used bookstore, there will be tons of pretty and colorful cover choices to pick from (you may even find a good read!). You can then pull out one shade to use as the accent color in the room.

What else have you color coordinated? Was it for the purposes of organizing or design? I'd like to hear about it!

Image courtesy of chotda's photostream

This past weekend, I went home for Mother's Day. What better was to celebrate than with a meal from my Victory Garden starring fresh asparagus and sage. I figure she spent 18+ years nourishing me, so this is the least I could do for her.

I've made risotto for my mother in the past. This time, I wanted to surprise her with a new take on an old stand-by. With harvest in hand, the flavors would focus on fresh spring ingredients. There are a million different ways to make risotto, just follow the instructions for the basic dish here. To put my own twist on it, I sauteed two types of mushrooms, grilled three thick stalks of asparagus, and chopped the thinner stalks into small bite size chunks. All would be incorporated with frozen peas (mine from the garden weren't ready yet), fresh chives, and fried sage leaves. As an extra 'thanks for being such an amazing mom' touch, I seared diver scallops until they got a nice crispy brown lacquer.

Needless to say, the meal was excellent. We had several bottles of wine and shared all kinds of family stories and memories. Even if you don't have ingredients from your garden to work with, the mere act of setting the table, turning off the TV, and having a special meal will provide such great memories. I can't wait to do it again. Do you have any kind of special meal rituals? I would love to hear about them.

Renting an apartment or house may be a wise decision in the current real estate market, but that doesn't mean living in these spaces is necessarily ideal -- especially when it comes to storage and organization. Often, you're not allowed to put nails in the walls or take on any remodeling projects. You're expected to keep the space exactly as it was when you first moved into it, which means that you may have to deal with things like poorly designed closets the whole time you're there.

Thinking outside the box is crucial when you're a renter. So, here are some "out of the box" options to help you better organize your space:

Add more shelves to a closet or cupboard with variable height shelving or undershelf baskets:

Hang a lower rod in a closet without drilling holes into the wall with an adjustable closet rod expander.

Create a portable closet in a corner of room:

Cedar lined under bed storage boxes are good for holding out-of-season clothing:

Take advantage of closet doors with over door pocket storage, rods, or hooks:

Build extra shelving of all kinds with InterMETRO shelving:

What out of the box solutions have you found to help organize your rented space? Any tips, tricks, or products you've found are welcome in the comments!

I was a girl scout. And while our motto wasn't "be prepared" (the boys got that one first), I've taken it upon myself to embrace that motto having belonged to the sister organization.

I spend a good portion of my day at work, as I suspect many of you do as well. This means that for about 8 hours each day, 40 hours each week, my living space consists of a 6-foot by 8-foot cubicle. Talk about living in a small space. So I've dedicated a drawer in my workspace for the daily essentials.

I'm sure many of you have similar drawers in your desks. Here is what mine contains:

• 3 different kinds of tea bags
• mini hairbrush
• mineral powder foundation
• clear nail polish
• emery board
• concealer stick
• natural hand sanitizer
• oil blotting sheets
• a lint roller
• dryer sheets (for combatting static cling)
• baby wipes (cleaning & stain removal)
• flower shears
• flower food
• gum & breath mints
• band-aids
• tampons
• ibuprofen & allergy medicine
• toothbrush & tooth paste
• vitamin C packets
• snack or granola bars
• cold medicine

What do you have in your "essentials drawer"? Am I missing anything that should really be in there?

In the spirit of full disclosure, here is what my drawer looked like before I decided to post about it:

All this talk about updating the bathroom and now I'm on the prowl for a new shower curtain! If you're looking for one yourself, here's a round up of some of my current favorites along with a few additional shower curtain resources.

Anthropologie currently has some of my favorite prints, especially the ruffled ones. Oooo.

India Rose is a San Francisco-based textile company that has some lovely shower curtains, too.

If you tend to go for a more modern, clean look and love geometrics, check out the selection over at Plush Living -- all for under $40.

Pottery Barn always seems to carry a fresh assortment of colors and patterns, closely following current trends. I only wish they had more of a selection!

Target is a great place to find shower curtains and most are priced under $30! Their in-store selection is quite good but online they have a ton more to choose from -- nearly 200! I love the crisp look of black and white.

How about a New York City subway map as a shower curtain? This destination and more over at Izola.

Every now and then Urban Outfitters throws in a good one made out of fabric vs. their usual plastic variety. This tree for $40 is quite nice I think.

Here are a few additional resources to add to your list:

• Bed Bath & Beyond has a strong collection to choose from, but they're mostly neutrals.
• Shower Curtains is loaded with every style imaginable to mankind.
• Pristine Planet offers organic eco-friendly choices.
• Eco Bathroom is another good one for a green selection.
• Bed Bath Store stocks many shower curtains including extra long sizes.
• Shower Curtains Galore -- The name says it all.
• Saga Living has a few Marimekko styles to choose from.
• Restoration Hardware is a good stop for classic, tailored styles.

Where do you shop for shower curtains? How often do you change yours?

(images linked above to sources)

An easy and inexpensive way to add life and personality to a stark or bland bathroom (without going overboard), is with decorative soaps.

Nowadays to sell a product, packaging is everything, so why not take advantage of these marketing tools and use vibrant wrappers and pretty pigments as decorative accents. A streamlined invisible bracket shelf like this one (found at your local housewares store) accented with stacks of colorful glycerin soaps or colorful body washes, can be the perfect vibrant focal point in a bathroom. It can also be a subtle way to introduce color into a room, without the commitment.


With glycerin soaps there are just about every color option to choose from. So, go for a monochromatic look, or try several mixed colors, swap choices until you find the right fit for your room and personality. The great thing about glycerin is that in a light filled room they really take center stage.

Check out these sites for a wide selection of colors:
American Soap Company

The Body Shop

Lush Natural Soaps

What other rooms in your home are in need of a color splash?   

Soap image courtesy of www.flickr.com

Would you believe that if you planted asparagus today you would still be harvesting stalks in 2028? Twenty years (or more!) is the average life span of a healthy crown of asparagus. I know this sounds crazy, but let me explain. Asparagus can be started from seed, but if you want to fast track harvesting (which I did) you can purchase established crowns. A crown is basically a root system that has been growing for a few years. Picture a mass of tangles you would never want to comb out and that is a crown. Looking to purchase  established crowns? Click here.

Once your crowns have arrived, they need to be planted in trenches. I dug out out three trenches measuring 12", 16", and 20" in depth. Why the different depths? The rationale is that the most shallow trench will yield the first crop, followed in a few weeks by the next deepest, etc. This would help prolong the asparagus season.

Digging so many trenches with just a shovel and a wheelbarrow might not have been the smartest thing. It is  back breaking work. Next time, I think I would rent or borrow some kind of tilling machine. You also need a temporary area to put the dirt once you have excavated it from the earth. I say temporary because you will fill the trenches back in once the crowns are planted.

Now the waiting begins. I'm sorry to report, but you really can't harvest anything for the first two years. Why? You are trying to establish a root system that is going to outlast the next four presidents, so you want to give them some time to settle in. All of this might sound like too much work for some. But keep in mind, you will be harvesting and eating asparagus into your old age.

So after years of waiting and resisting the urge to sneak a stalk, I'm happy to report a bumper crop has started to emerge. What have you planted that has taken more than a few seasons to mature? Has it been worth the wait?

I'm going to start to harvest so check back later this week for a spring recipe using asparagus that is sure to impress.

Whenever I misplace an item, I call myself a Searching Sally. Searching Sally is usually irritable and irrational with everyone and everything she encounters. Calm, even-keeled Erin is gone. Get in my way when I can't find something, and I'll be snippy and frustrated with you until I find whatever it is I'm seeking.

Do you know Searching Sally? Maybe you know Searching Stan? Do either of them come to visit you when you can't find an item?

In most cases, the reason I can't find something is because someone has used an object and not returned it to where it belongs. Often times, I'm the one who hasn't returned the object to its place, so my frustration is with myself. The time and effort I waste looking for an object annoy me greatly.

To keep these negative situations at bay, I try my hardest to have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. If I use something, I try to put it back when I'm finished. If I bring something new into my home, I immediately find a place for it to live.

If something doesn't have a permanent place to live in your home, then it will get in the way and create a mess or cause clutter. And, the likelihood that you'll misplace it is pretty high.

Here are 8 ways to avoid being a Searching Sally or a Searching Stan:

1. Have a landing strip for your keys, purse, and/or briefcase.
2. Have a charging station for your cell phone, iPod, PDA, and other handheld electronic equipment.
3. Don't have more clothes than you can fit in your closet and dresser when everything is clean.
4. Keep a trash can and small shredder near the entrance to your home so that junk mail never makes it into your living space and valuable mail never gets confused with junk.
5. Use a label maker or index page to properly identify what is contained in storage boxes in your basement or attic. PackAndFind.com is a good online resource to use for setting up an inventory system.
6. Pin socks and gloves together before laundering so that you know you have a pair going in and a pair coming out of the wash.
7. Create a place for your television remote to live when not in use, like a small basket or space in a drawer of a side table.
8. Try not to save things for the last minute. The more pressed you are for time, the more likely you are to get worked into a frenzy when you can't locate what you need when you need it.

It's inevitable that something at some point will be misplaced, but creating permanent homes for your objects will minimize these occurrences and will benefit your overall happiness and stress level.

The New York Times ran an article last Thursday in their House & Home section about home goods that are specifically designed to be biodegradable. We're not talking small trinkets or disposable dishes, but instead sofas and textiles.

The article raises several questions about whether making biodegradable sofas is worth it because who is really going to put their couch in a compost heap?

What do you think? Would you buy home furnishings that are biodegradable?

(image from nytimes.com)

Do areas of your home desperately need updating? This week I plan to reveal tips on how to spruce up your space without going broke with a few simple updates.

First up, the bathroom. Not just a place to shower and shave, it should calm and be a place of retreat, your very own home spa. How do you create a beautiful space on a budget?

1. Clean + remove everything. Give your bathroom a good thorough cleaning. Remove EVERYTHING that can be moved out of the room, slide on those rubber gloves, and go to work! Clean everything, gut the drawers and cabinets, open the windows to allow in fresh air, and put on your favorite tunes. Once the bathroom sparkles, give it a long hard critique. I'm sure you haven't seen your bathroom 'naked' since the day you moved in. This is the best way to figure out exactly what needs updating. Write a list, most important items first, and determine your budget. Now you can get started with making your updates.



2. Hate your floor? Peel-and-stick linoleum tiles are the easiest (and cheapest) way to cover up ugly floors. Top with a bath rug or if you have some spare cash to splurge, go for a 100% teak bathmat for that spa feel (plus it's a good 'green' choice).



3. Outdated bathroom sink faucet? Set aside $100 or so and buy a new one, you'll be surprised at how much of a difference a stylish faucet can make! Bloggers Gareth & Teresa Embrey wrote a handy how-to replace a facet in case you're interested...



4. Boring mirror? Why not swap it out for a new one or add a frame to an existing one? You can find MDF or wood and cut a 2-3" wide wood frame, paint it or stain it (I love lacquered mirrors personally), and attach it directly to the wall or the mirror itself. If you have a medicine cabinet you can find a new one that looks great for under $100 at most large home stores or IKEA.



5. Cabinetry need help? What don't you like about yours? If it's color, paint can do wonders. If they lack detail, try installing panel mouldings, I suggest 2" in from the edges but it's your call. A more expensive solution, but still less costly than replacing the entire sink unit, is to remove only the doors and buy new ones to give the entire unit a new look. If you like the doors as is, find some hardware and make a few updates. Nickel, ceramic, whatever your taste.



6. Light fixtures a bit 1985ish? Unless you are 12 years old or Miss Piggy, you may want to replace those round 'dressing room' lights over your mirror (or anything that is rusty, crusty, or just plain ugly). There are so many affordable, attractive options out there, some as low as $50. Check your local Home Depot or Lowe's. You can swap out overhead light fixtures in a snap too, stores like West Elm carry some pretty nice ones for those who have expensive taste without a budget to match. Flush mount lights and double sconces are pretty hot choices right now.



7. Paint the walls A new color on the walls works wonders. Add drama with chocolate, brighten things up with grassy green, think of a look you're going for, a mood you want to create, and find a color that accomplishes the look and feel you want it to.



8. Accessorize! A stack of fluffy new towels (that all match - without torn edges or holes!), a shower curtain, new shower curtain rings, a new trash bin, new hardware or some floating shelves -- any or all of these things can really give your bathroom a fresh new look so go for it. OR you can alter what you currently have. Add trim to your towels or a border along the edge of your shower curtain. Paint your existing trash bin. Buy and frame postcards, greeting cards, gift wrap, prints from artists, etc. A little art and some floating shelves that are styled nicely can make a big difference.



9. Dirty drawers? Clean beneath your sink and clean out all of the drawers replacing only what you use regularly, store what you use only once in a while (deep treatment conditioners, wax, hair color) in either your linen closet or under your sink in a clear container (so you won't forget it's there). Line your drawers with wallpaper scraps from your last project, scrapbook paper, fabric, contact paper, or gift wrap to add some color and pattern and to protect the drawers.



10. Organize! You'll be surprised to know that a good deep cleaning following by a very strict afternoon of organizing (I mean strict, don't allow yourself to keep what you don't use) can make a major impact on how your bathroom looks, functions, and feels. No need to store your cleaning supplies in plain view. Those go beneath the sink in a plastic container (in case they leak). Toilet paper rolls should be stored out of sight as well as hair products, boxed soaps, tampons, and anything else that clutters up the bathroom or lets guests know a little too much about you. Hide reading materials beneath the sink (please!). Stack towels neatly, arrange with folded rounded sides facing outwards.

Have you updated your bathroom on a budget lately? What did you do?

(image from west elm)

I found this article in yesterday's New York Times about Wendy Johnson and her garden in Muir Beach, California. Inspiring reading for your coffee break today. The slide show has some beautiful images.

We've covered bulbs and the different types of lighting in The Ultimate Turn On: Lighting and Bulbs on Wednesday so now for the fun part (insert big happy face here) shaaa-opping! We all love this part, right? This post will lead you to some of my favorite sources for lighting but of course please chime in if you have any to add to the list so Simply Stated readers can be in the loop, too. Ready? Okay, let's go!

The Emperor's New Lamp from the portfolio of Swedish decorator Isabelle Halling.

I've tried to group them into categories to make this a little easier to navigate...

Handmade Indie Design

• Perch Design - I am 100% smitten by their ceramic birdie pendants. Can you resist such cuteness?
• Cicada Home - Handmade lighting for as low as $38 on Etsy. Yes, Etsy!
• Draw Flowers - Handmade retro lighting from Italy on Etsy.
• NICE - Handmade lamp shades that are feminine, affordable, and fun. Another Etsy shop.
• Orike Muth - I am nuts for Orike Muth's handmade Asian-themed lighting. She's based in Germany but ships to America and she's really, really nice (I met her). Her work is far better in person, trust me on this, photos do little justice. When I get to Germany this summer I'll show you her atelier if you'd like so you can see for yourself...
• Re-Surface - A Brooklyn-based indie lighting designer with work that has a very urban edge to it, it's super unique. Also an Etsy seller.

Modern - Other

• Scandinavian Design Center - They carry some awesome Scandi lighting, I have a soft spot for the Emperor's New Lamp (shown in the photo above), the stylish new Can, the Norm03, and the Bumling in white. 
• Roost Living (UK) - Love their lighting. Not a lot of inventory, but what they do have is excellent and their selection rotates throughout the year so check back each season.
• 2Modern - A terrific source for modern lighting from task lamps to pendants, the selection is great.
• Design Public - Great lighting from lots of companies, I'm looking into ordering the Orbit chandelier myself, I've been wanting one for ages. I ordered a large pendant Mibo light from them last year and it's great. The guys who own it are super nice too, I've placed a few orders with them and I'm always impressed with shipping and exceptional customer service.
• Greener Grass Design - Unique lighting, lots of European designers represented, tons of different shapes and materials, makes decision making hard!
• Velocity Art & Design - Modern lighting, fantastic people to buy from (they have an excellent relationship with their clients), and they carry some fabulous lights from Jason Miller with a definite hip hunting lodge vibe.
• Modern Dose - Family owned and based in New York, lots of modern goodies to choose from.
• Hive Modern - A modern lighting lovers dream. What a massive selection!

New - Classic, Romantic, Whimsical

• Shades of Light - Everything from Sconces to table lamps. Prices vary. Don't miss their sale items.
• Ballard Designs - Lots of classic and romantic styles, a very large selection and good customer service. Be sure to check out their chandeliers.
• Horchow - Lighting for all decorating styles, sometimes the prices can seem a little hefty but if you sign up for their email newsletter you won't be disappointed. They frequently have 20% off sales announced via their newsletter.
• Maura Daniel - "I can resist everything except temptation" - Oscar Wilde. When a website greets you with a quote like that, you know you're in for a treat. Maura Daniel gives you a chance to customize your own lighting, from shades to bases.
• Michelle Varian - Love her wood veneer shades, brass accordion lights, and her very unique cluster lamp.
• Stray Dog Designs - Colorful, quirky, whimsical.

Vintage/Hollywood Regency/Industrial

• Pieces - I frequently cruise this shop for vintage lighting in bright colors and crisp white shades. So fresh!
• LUM - A place you go when you have money to spend, but wow what a GREAT place it is. Vintage finds like you've never seen before. So haute!
• Tonic Home - The owner is fabulous, I've heard so many great things about how she deals with her customers, it makes me want to sing her praises from the rooftops! The fact that she carries exquisite lighting doesn't hurt either. A little Hollywood Regency and a whole lot of fabulous.
• Paris Hotel Boutique - Vintage lighting with a French flair, the owner is sweet, her San Francisco home has been featured in several magazines, and her eye for all things French is impressive.
• A Glow - A vintage lighting shop on Etsy based in Texas. Affordable and nice!
• Empiric Studio - A great source for new and vintage lighting, some industrial styles available, another small business with a great reputation.
• Frenchblue & Co. - Great vintage finds, bookmark this site and cruise it often so you don't miss a thing.

A simple black task light can add so much style to a room.

Please note that I intentionally left out larger stores like Pottery Barn, West Elm, Anthropologie, IKEA, Home Depot, and Restoration Hardware because I assume you are savvy enough to know that they carry lighting so why waste your time!

The above list also does not include to the trade only lighting, or else I would include my good friends Zia Priven -- you can only go through a showroom or designer to purchase from them but wow, are they high quality, glamorous, and totally drool-inducing to say the least. And I'm not just saying that because they are friends, their lighting is what created our friendship in the first place. I found them and had to know more and a friendship developed. I digress...

Have a lovely weekend everyone... I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning!

(images above from Isabelle Halling)

In recent months, I have morphed into the salvager of street strewn antiques. Although my tiny apartment cannot bear another thing, the horrific thought of a dump truck crushing the potential in these one-of-a-kind items, is well worth the space loss in my digs; hence the latest addition to my closet/office.

On a routine drive through my neighborhood, my sister (b.k.a partner in furniture-recovering operations) came across an antique desk that some unimaginative person discarded. One phone call and a borrowed mini van later, and the desk was on its way to my place. I had no idea what I was in store for, all I knew was that an antique desk had been dumped on a street corner--that was all I needed to hear. When it arrived, I found it to be the perfect workspace for my computer and sewing machine.

The only visible wound was a crooked door (which a new hinge would easily fix) and a few paint splats on the top (perhaps the reason for its untimely disposal). In my excitement, I neglected to take a photo before I got to work on it, so you'll have to use your imagination. The base was a forest green and the top a worn out maple.

Bringing this baby back to life took only four steps; strip, shellac, prime, and paint.

Tools Needed:

• Chemical stripper
• Paint brushes
• Paint scraper
• Fine grit sand paper
• Soft cloth
• Eye protection
• Chemical-resistant gloves
• Paint primer
• Paint

Good to Know:
Go with the strongest stripping solution you can find, it will cut down on the time and reapplications needed to break through old coats of polyurethane. Also, ask your home renovation store for an empty paint can. Pour the stripper into the can when using it, the chemicals will eat through any other flimsy material like plastic.

The Steps:

• Make sure that the area is well ventilated
• Brush on one layer of stripper and let it sit for about 20 minutes
• Use the scrapper (while the stripping solution is still semi-wet) to scrape off the loosened coating
• Wipe clean with a dry rag
• Apply a second coat of stripper and follow the same process as before until all of the polyurethane is gone.
• For areas that will be re-shellacked, once the surface is wiped clean, sand it with a fine grit paper.
• Use the soft rag to thoroughly dust the area clean
• Paint on two coats of polyurethane (using a tinted one prevents having to stain the wood first)
• Prime all other areas the be painted
• Paint with color of your choice

Do you have an antique piece that you would like to restore? Let's see it! Or if you've redone a piece share that as well.

How do you know when spring is here? Do you notice some bulbs are popping through the ground or that the days are getting longer? For me, the first true sign of spring started back in February when seed packets went on sale at K-Mart and Target. Going through the huge assortment of plants and vegetables presented in small 4" x 3" size seed packets is like being at a vast nursery, only everything fits in your pocket.

The first thing I'm looking for in seed packets are if the growing instructions say 'Sow direct as soon as soil can be worked' or 'after signs of frost have passed.' Otherwise, you will have to start the seeds indoors, under lights, thin your seedlings out, gradually expose them to the outdoor elements once they mature, etc. I have tried to do this in the past with some heirloom tomato seeds. They started off great inside, but then were zapped by a strong gust of cold wind and I was bummed. Someday, when I have the time, I'd love to start more seeds indoors, but for now, sow direct is my favorite seed starting method.

So far sugar snap peas, mesclun, arugula, and radishes (French breakfast which are a long, red, and white variety and Raggae which are plump and scarlet) have been planted. The method is pretty easy: you just take the grass up in an area that gets direct sunlight, mix some compost into the soil and you've got a bed that is ready to plant.

I had never seen lettuce seeds before. They are so small and sand-like. Planting these requires a technique called 'broadcasting' which for me meant putting the seeds in my hand and scattering them around. Per the instructions on the seed packet, I covered them with a small scattering of soil because the seed needs light to germinate. A light sprinkling of Garden Tone, an organic fertilizer, completes the process.

Radish and snap pea seeds are much more traditional looking. These are planted in rows. I'm not very exact in my row making skills, I just kind of drag a trowel in the dirt and plant in that line. What's fun about radishes are they begin to germinate quickly, sometimes in under 10 days, so you get to see some results pretty fast.

Once all the seeds have been planted, then they are watered thoroughly and some netting is put up to ward off any deer or other critters. They they are left to fend for themselves as I head back to New York City. Cross your fingers and hopefully I'll get some results.

What veggies or plants do you like to start from seed? If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them.

Unless you're sending your children off to sleep-away camp for the entire summer, you may be worrying right now about what you're going to do to keep the "I'm bored!" chanting to a minimum when your kids are out of school. Day camps and swimming lessons can keep them entertained for a number of hours, but you will still be faced with many evenings and weekends full of warm weather and kids who want to take advantage of their free time.

To stay ahead of the game, consider making a Summer Fun Kit. The purpose of the Summer Fun Kit is to have a book with a seemingly endless supply of ideas for summer fun. You'll need to do some brainstorming and decide how much you want to spend on possible activities, but it doesn't require much work after these decisions have been made.

To set up a Kit, you will need plastic sheet protectors, paper, and a three ring notebook. You can either print ideas on the top of each page with your computer's printer, or you can write them with a magic marker. Whatever is the easiest for you, go with that idea. You want to keep the majority of the page blank, however, so that your kids can write about when they completed the activity and provide pictures and reviews in the blank space. You'll want to use the sheet protectors so that you can put tickets and passes in the pages ahead of time and the kids can put mementos into the pages after an activity is completed. (For example, if you have a local pool, you can keep the pool passes in the sheet protector so you don't lose them.) At the end of the summer, your children will have a book full of memories and you'll have notes on what worked and didn't work when you're making plans for next summer.

Except for planned vacations or theater productions, I would avoid scheduling when an activity takes place. This will leave the choosing up to your children and give them some control over their summer.

Here are more than 15 ideas to get you started:

• Picnic in the park
• See a movie on the big screen
• Family bike ride to [X]
• Sleepover at grandma's
• Trip to local children's museum
• Afternoon at the zoo
• Painting piggy banks at the pottery center
• Trip to the amusement park
• Watch favorite movie at home complete with popcorn and soda
• Create a sidewalk chalk art gallery
• Rainy day board game tournament
• Morning hike to [X]
• Build sand castles at the beach
• Paddle boats at the lake
• Rainy day living room maze building
• Create a puppet show
• Family talent contest

Being organized and prepared with a Summer Fun Kit will reduce your stress and help keep your kids entertained. Please add more ideas in the comments section so that everyone can have the best Kits possible!

One of the hardest things about a small space is fitting in a dining table. With out the luxury of an eat-in-kitchen or a large living room my roommate and I normally end up eating on the sofa or at our desks (and breakfast in bed on the weekends).

A solution to this lack of space is a dining table that can be put away and then used for other things. My favorite option is from Tiny Living, a store in New York City run by a husband and wife team dedicated to living small.

This photo shows the table open, but when not in  use, all four chairs slip into the door in the middle and the leaves fold down. When you're not eating, it can be put up against a wall and used for a landing strip or slip behind the sofa as a lamp table.

My sister has a gorgeous teak version of this table that I've been scheming to steal ever since I moved into my own apartment. But I don't think she'll ever give it up.

What are some of your favorite furniture multi-taskers?

Have you ever arrived at a restaurant or the home of a friend and felt immediately welcomed and at ease because of great lighting? On the other hand, do you recall sitting down to a delicious meal but because the space felt like a cafeteria you couldn't fully enjoy it? I am extremely sensitive to lighting, I won't return to a restaurant no matter how good the food is if the lighting stinks. And we all know what I mean by stinks. Either too bright, not bright enough, flickering, buzzing, or it casts a funny tint that gives you and your friends an alien-like glow (Greetings earthlings). Some lighting can make you look downright bad, showing every blemish and line. Lighting in the home is equally as important. Not only should your home color palette look good on you (choose colors that you would wear to decorate your home, if you look great in red use plenty of it), but it should make you, and the things in your home, look like a million bucks.

What are the different types of lighting? Here are a few of the most common ones:

• Accent  - Also called 'mood lighting', it's primary function is to highlight something that you want to stand out. A bookcase, art, plants, a vase. Some use accent lighting in corners behind plants. It's suggested to use it sparingly.
  
• Task  - Most commonly used in an office area or near a cozy chair, task lighting gives you a beam of light meant for a specific task like reading, knitting, or drawing. A table lamp next to the sofa is a good example.
• Ambient - You find this most often in schools, medical offices, labs, office spaces, etc. Overhead lighting is the most common, fixtures, ceiling fans, etc. It mimics sunlight and illuminates the entire room with an even amount of light.

Then there is Decorative lighting -- Pendants, chandeliers, sconces... These not only provide ambient lighting to a room (most often dimmers are placed on them so they can create a mood for an event or dinner) but function as an attention grabber -- often one of the first things that you notice when you enter a room. Some decorative lighting also functions as an accent - such as sconces to accent a painted wall in the living room.

Now let's talk bulbs because a you can't do much with a lamp without these little guys. The most common are:

• Incandescent - These are recommended for living rooms, dens, dining rooms, and bedrooms. They bring out warm yellow tones and can be used on a dimmer. You can find decorative, bug, shatter resistant, 3 way, antique replica bulbs, you name it. My first experience with an incandescent bulb was when my mom and I had to replace the one in my Easy Bake oven. :) It provides good color rendition of human skin tones. If you don't like a warm glow, try GE Reveal bulbs or MB Halogen bulbs for clean, beautiful light.
• Fluorescent - Energy efficient, they often have a bluish tint. Most are linear, u-shaped, circular, or grooved. These are commonly used in kitchens, bathrooms and tanning beds. You can sometimes 'hear' them, as they make these cracking sounds and sometimes they flicker.
  
• Compact fluorescent (CFLs) - a smaller, even more energy efficient fluorescent bulb because they last up to 10x longer than standard fluorescents. The most common ones have this white swirly shape (think Dairy Queen soft serves), which not a lot of home owners like so they use them in lamps where the bulb is not showing. You can find some that are encased too. Not suggested in the bathroom as high humidity can shorten their life. You can use them in the living room, outdoors, bedroom, dining room, and kitchen. A panel of New York Times employees evaluated energy-efficient light bulbs in Any Other Bright Ideas? highlighting the benefits of CFLs though many are not sold on them yet. Common complaints: headaches, they make some people's eyes hurt, and they feel a bit institutional.
  
• Halogen - They last longer than other bulbs, cost the most, but are the brightest of the bunch. Think bulbs with flat tops and flood lights. Halogen light contains more blue and green than a standard bulb so the light appears whiter and brighter. There are also MB Halogen bulbs that look like your standard incandescent bulbs with the round top.

Quick tips:  Bulbs between 75 and 150 watts are the best for tasks and reading. Mood lighting is nice around 40 - 75 watts, use a dimmer and eyeball it. You should be able to see what's on your plate and the person in front of you. Distribute light evenly in a room, don't neglect corners or the room will feel closed in at night.

Now that we know all about the various types of lighting and bulbs, how do you use them to create the perfect environment in your home? Instead of telling you myself, I'll let the lighting experts over at GE  show you the way. They have an amazing site all about how to design with lights, you can click on any room in their virtual house and learn all about the best ways to illuminate it.

On Friday I'll be back to reveal some of my favorite sources for actual light fixtures including NICE, you can see one of their handmade pendants above.

(image from NICE)

A friend of mine is a psychologist who specializes in child and family treatment. I ran into her last month and before I could get out the standard niceties, she was bombarding me with questions.

"How do you do it?" she asked. "How do you work from home? More importantly, how do you work from home with your husband without getting on each other's nerves?"

Since she and her husband don't telecommute, my assumption was that she must have a client who has just started working from home and is having difficulties. I told her that I would forward a list to her that I started about a year ago on this very subject. After I sent her the list, I realized that some readers also might benefit from seeing it. So, if you're considering working from home, here are some tips for making it an easier task. A few of these items are specific to working next to your partner at home, but most of them apply to anyone who is telecommuting.

Must Have/Do:

1. Designated workspace with a door.
You need to be able to shut the door on your work, literally and figuratively. There are times when you just need to put physical and mental space between you and your work. Also, there are times when the creative process takes control and your desk becomes a mess of outlandish proportions. Most importantly, though, you need to find a way to feel that you’re not always at work when you're at home and a door is a good starting point.

2. Separate workspace from your partner.
I’m not advocating that you need two rooms in your house set aside for offices (our desks share the same room), but each person needs a defined "my" space. This means that you need two desks, two computers, and two phones. Experience shows that the minute you need to make a phone call is the minute one of his clients calls with an emergency.

3. Knowledge of your UPS/FedEx/Mail carrier’s first name.
Delivery people are not accustomed to your being home during the day. Make friends with these people so that they will actually ring the doorbell and wait for you to answer the door when they have deliveries.

4. A cleaning service.
Feel like procrastinating from your work? It’s amazing what you’ll clean when you don’t want to write a report. Additionally, it keeps you from being upset about working somewhere that isn’t clean. An office building has a cleaning staff, you need to afford yourself the same luxury. I’m serious about this one, even if it’s just twice a month.

5. Earphones.
Ultimately, there will come a time when you’re in "the zone" and your spouse decides to play music, talk loudly on the phone, or feels compelled to tell you about something funny one of his clients just e-mailed to him. Music playing through the earphones allows you to tune out his conversation or bad music selection. Additionally, if he wants to be chatty and distract you from work, he most often chooses not to do so if you’re wearing earphones — even if you’re not actually listening to music.

6. A dedicated work phone line with a Do Not Disturb button.
Often, clients assume that because you work from home that it's okay to call you at all hours of the night and on the weekends. If you worked in an office building, they would never have the expectation that you would answer your phone at 2:00 a.m. Just because your office is in your home doesn't mean that your home is in your office. When your work day is finished, press the Do Not Disturb button on your work phone and let it ring straight to voice mail.

7. Your desk and television in separate rooms.
You won't be tempted to watch television when you should be working if work and the television are in different rooms.

Good to Have/Do:

1. Single brew coffee maker.
My husband likes dark coffees and I despise the foul nastiness, preferring milder blends. Instead of brewing two pots, we simply brew our own cups. I highly recommend the Nespresso C190. Plus, you order your coffee over the internet and the nice UPS delivery person you’ve befriended delivers them right to your door. Yes, the machine is expensive. However, it’s much cheaper than going to the local coffee shop everyday. We learned that the hard way.

2. Get ready at least a little bit every morning for work.
It’s fun to work in pajamas, but it’s not fun to work next to someone who hasn’t showered in three days. Brush your teeth, it’s good for your teeth and your relationship with your family.

3. Leave the house once a day.
You need to get out into the big blue room at least once a day, if not more.

4. Agree when work will be done for the day.
I usually finish working around 6:00 and my husband typically finishes around 6:30. I will answer e-mails, start a load of laundry, or just play busy quietly until 6:30. Flipping on the tv or doing something to rub in the fact that you're done isn't fair to the other person. The same applies to family members coming home before your work day is complete. They need to know that you're in the office until a set time and respect that boundary.

5. Have breakfast and/or lunch together.
Take turns making meals and spend time together. One of the benefits of working at home together is being able to spend quality time with each other.

Do you telecommute? What must have/do or good to have/do items would you add to this list? I'm interested in hearing your advice.

New to Simply Stated, I wanted to explain what I plan on writing about. Simply, I'm here to help take the daunting out of DIY, by sharing easy and creative ways to spice up your space -- all without breaking the bank. Here's one option...   

A few months before our wedding, my husband and I were in need of a new bed. With wedding expenses boiling well over our budget, my dream queen was needless to say, out of the question. So, we settled on an inexpensive piece from Ikea Hopen Bed Frame. The faux wood slats (reminiscent of a park bench) on the headboard definitely did not fit in with the cozy and modern bedroom that I had in mind, but it had just the right structure for my first project. It was an easy solution that took one lazy afternoon to complete. The most difficult part was deciding which fabric to use!

From park bench blah...to contemporary boudoir. Here's how to do it:

The Goods:

• Ply wood (cut to the desired size and shape or you can use your existing headboard if it's unpadded)
• Foam
• Fabric (go with a heavier material, it will hold up better when folding and stapling)
• Staple Gun
• Batting
• Glue Gun

The Steps:

• Prep all of the components before constructing, it will make the flow a lot more organized.
• Cut the fabric to double the size of the wood (so that there's enough to cover the front and back)
• Stencil and cut the foam to the desired shape (for non-traditional style). Use the outline of your existing headboard as a pattern for the stencil.

Useful tip: If the foam needs to be cut, it's best to use a box cutter or straight blade that is long enough to cut through several inches in one swipe. (I of course learned this the hard way. What was I thinking trying to use scissors?!)

• Glue the foam onto the wood using the glue gun.
• Add a layer of batting for extra cushion and staple it to the back of the wood.
• Fold the fabric around the wood as if you were wrapping a present, tucking the side edges in and stapling down onto the wood. For a neater look, avoid wrapping the material from the sides around the back.
• When finished you should have a linear fold across the back and a fold on each side of the board.

Good to Know:

• A great company that I stumbled across in my search for foam was www.rochfordsupply.com. It's literally foam heaven. I was able to find a huge assortment, at great prices. The selection is a bit overwhelming, but just consider the level of softness that you prefer in a chair back and use that as your guide.
• In addition to measuring the width and height of your wood, be sure to take into consideration the thickness. You don't want to end up with a piece of foam that is layered too thick, it may look unbalanced against the rest of the bed.

Play it Safe:
Keep the back neat, if you decide later to move the bed away from the wall, it will look finished no matter where it is positioned. You can also cut an extra piece of fabric and glue it over the back to hide any folds or staples.

The best thing about this project is that if for any reason you decide to switch the color scheme or decor of your room, a simple fabric change can transform the entire look of the bed.

Is this a project that you would try? Let me know what you think about it.

One of the things that Real Simple is best known for is the feature "New Uses for Old Things." It's one of the hardest sections to brainstorm ideas for, as they're normally for small household goods--just things you have laying around. Well, I was forced into my own new use, due to the lack of outdoor space available with my small Harlem apartment

To keep myself busy during the New York winter, I decided to refinish a desk chair that I'd purchased at a prop sale. I stripped the chair down to bare wood and metal and then set about refinishing it. The problem: how to spray paint in a small apartment in the dead of winter, when the outside temperatures kept me from sneaking up to the roof. So I repurposed the one room in my apartment where I figured a little errant spray paint wouldn't be a big deal.

Yes, that's my shower stall--covered in newspapers with the chair seat upside-down inside. This was taken after the first coat of paint (with two layers of primer underneath). As questionable as this plan seems, it worked out very well. Although, I did have to shower at the gym for a couple of weekends. Here's how it turned out:

A lesson learned from this project: always take "before" pictures--you never know if you'll need them.

Do you have a home DIY project you're proud of?

Wall stenciling, decals, wallpaper... It's all good. Once viewed as passé or, "So 1980's", stenciling can be quite a neat DIY trick for those with a creative eye or who have a strict budget that doesn't include $180  a roll wallpaper. When most people think of stencils, they imagine rooster motifs as borders in kitchens, or pink roses on dressers. Let's change the mental picture. I want you to envision Wary Meyers in place of all that, okay? Think hip and now, not has been.

Images from Wary Meyers.

Wary Meyers is this super cool couple living between Brooklyn and coastal Maine who paint, design, DIY, and stencil their hearts out transforming mundane objects and spaces into swank pads. Yup, these hip New Yorkers stencil in style. Need proof?  Here are some custom stencils that they did for a few of their clients.

If you'd like to try your hand at a little faux-paper effect like the one above, here are some sources for stencils that I suggest. If you know of any others, please add to this list with your comments.

• Henry Donovan Motif
• Modello Desgin
• My Stencils
• Royal Design Studio
• Stencil 1
• Stencil Library
• Stencil Planet
• Victoria Larsen

Do you stencil? If not, would you consider it?

(image from wary meyers)

Let me start off by saying that I am not a gardener. I'm an art director for Real Simple and I am a busy person, just like you, who has found a love for digging in the dirt.

During World War I and World War II, Victory Gardens were cultivated by average citizens in the United States to reduce pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war efforts. These gardens were in people's backyards and considered a "morale booster" in that gardeners could feel empowered by their labor and rewarded by delicous produce from their backyard. The sowing, reaping, and consuming became part of a daily life on the home front and connected people to the food chain and their communities.

In 2008 the wisdom of a Victory Garden seems timely again: we are at war, the economy is on the verge of a recession, and the general atmosphere is one of fear. But today we have our own challenges like rampant obesity in children and adults, constant food recalls, and a climate crisis that threatens the very existence of the human race. Now more than ever is the perfect time to start a Victory Garden.

When I go to my local Shop Rite, there are all kinds of questions that I annoy my produce guy with like where did this lettuce come from or how can asparagus be so cheap when it's coming all the way from Chile? Then there is the amount of packaging that goes into selling a box of pre-washed lettuces. Sure the plastic clam shell box it comes in is recyclable, but can't there be a better way?

Victory Garden is my attempt to forge a different path. What if I could harvest ingredients for a meal right in my own backyard? My very own slow food movement! Shop Rite will always be in the picture (I'm not going to start raising my own live stock or pressing my own olive oil) but at least now I will know where some of my food is coming from.

What can one person do? Plenty. The journey begins with some simple seeds and soil. From there, I'll show you how things evolve from baby seedlings to harvest and then incorporating it into a meal. My garden also has some perennial herbs, fruit trees, and flowers, so from time to time I'll show you how those are progressing. By planting a seed, I'm taking a leap of faith that all the natural elements will align and produce some delicious food. I know there are bound to be some failures along the way, but hopefully the success stories will out number them.

"Think Globally, Act Locally" is a phrase you often hear when it comes to the environment and what you can do to help. My solution is to plant some food and flowers I love. I challenge you to do the same. Who knows, maybe you'll discover a vegetable or herb you didn't know you liked. You'll get outside and away from the computer or television and get some exercise while you are at it. That might even lead to some weight loss or other green changes. Before you know it Victory will be yours.

Hi everyone, I'm one of the new bloggers joining Simply Stated from the Real Simple staff, and I'll be focusing mostly on living and decorating in a small space (New York City apartments can be quite tiny) and on do-it-yourself (D.I.Y.) projects. I'm currently an assistant editor and have been on staff for just over a year. I work with several departments in the magazine and spend my time researching and writing articles like fun pet gear, nutritious fruit juices, and fair trade goods. I also get to work on our gift guides every year--searching through hundreds of products to find the perfect ones for our magazine.

I'm very excited to be joining such talented bloggers as Holly Becker and Erin Doland--I've been a fan of both of their blogs for quite a while--as well as two other staff members Heath Brockwell and Nykia Spradley.

I've been doing D.I.Y. projects for as long as I can remember: making ornaments when I was little, sewing handbags in high school, and writing a column for my student magazine in college, aptly titled Get Crafty. From which, I learned bookbinding, how to felt knitting projects, and how to silk screen.

As for living in a tiny space: I've been in a small New York apartment for a year now. It's quite a change from my former apartment in the Midwest--2,200 square feet for four girls. So aside from drastically paring down my possessions, I've been figuring out ways to use my space wisely, and I'm excited to share those solutions here.

Is your home or apartment spatially challenged?

I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

If you are new to purchasing original works from artists, here are some tips that may help you get started. First, you want to figure out what exactly floats your boat, that's a good start -- then you can start shopping. When it comes to art ask yourself: What do you like? Watercolor? Oils? Mixed Media? Still life? Encaustic?

Some practical ways to figure out what you like and then, where to find affordable works for a new collector...

• Art blogs - There are many great ones out there, do a little research and find some with work that speaks to you.
  
• Attend gallery shows.
• Look for originals at flea markets, auctions, and estate sales.
• Shop eBay, Etsy, Trunkt, DaWanda, etc.  If you find an artist that only sells prints of their work, ask them if they accept commissions or would consider selling you an original. Most will consider it.
• Take a class (community center, art school, etc.). Learn more by diving in yourself. Pick up a paintbrush and have a little fun. You may realize you can display some of your own work!
• Don't ignore the younger peeps in your family -- children and teenagers often have some pretty amazing stuff that they bring home from school. Frame and cherish it.
• Talk to an artist and ask them about their work and how a new collector can get started, they may know of some local artists or shows that aren't as well known.
• Find out if your city has artists lofts or a designated spot in the city where independent artists live and work and see if they offer public shows, most do.
• Visit museums and take note of artists names that you like and do research when you get home to learn more about their inspiration and technique.
• Visit school exhibitions. Most schools have annual art sales around the holidays where you can score some major finds, original works of course, at amazingly low prices compared to what you'd find in a gallery. Just call your local art school to inquire or check out their website. Some even have Spring/Summer shows. It's a nice way for a new collector to get started, or for an old pro that knows what they like and buys art for art itself, not for its current or future value, but because they simply love it.

Speaking of art blogs, New York Magazine has this great entertainment blog called Vulture that I just started reading. As in yesterday. I never paid much attention to it before but when I noticed Vulture has this daily feature called Art Candy where they spotlight one artist per day, I perked up. It seems as though the artists featured are ones currently showing at some New York area gallery, it is New York Magazine so of course the focus is going to be on Gotham City, but for the rest of us it's cool to follow what's happening for the sake of discovering new talent. I found a slew of artists I'd not heard of which makes me want to keep tuning in for more. Plus I like how writer Emma Pearse gets her point across. She's witty, to the point, and slightly sarcastic, a fun and easy read -- something you often don't find when you read articles about art. Pearse has the charm and ability to draw us in with gorgeous imagery and more, words that entertain and not put us to sleep.

One such artist Pearse mentions over at Art Candy is Susan Homer. At first glance Pearse calls Homer's paintings, "Something our grandmother would hang on her wall." After viewing them up close and personal her view changes and she concludes that they are,  "Actually lovely: bright and happy, featuring tiny birds with big personalities". I agree with Pearse. Still life paintings of flowers and birds doesn't fall into the grandmotherly category at all, to me they are charming and I'm pleased to see that she noticed this as well. Think of Homer's works displayed over a lush velvet sofa in gorgeous wood carved frames, perhaps in a grouping. Still life paintings, especially of birds and branches, are hot. Especially coupled with floral patterned tablecloths and delicate teacups.

A little background on Homer that I was able to find online... She lives and works in Brooklyn, studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (M.F.A), the Rhode Island School of Design (B.F.A.), and she primarily paints on canvas using oil paints.

(images from metaphor contemporary art)

Based on my wardrobe when I graduated from college, one might have assumed that I attended every fraternity party and school event ever held. The majority of my t-shirts, shorts, and jackets bore logos for parties, concerts, events, and organizations. I wouldn't have been caught dead in a Polo shirt, but branding for the Phi Delt date dash in 1992 was totally fine. (Too funny ...)

Within weeks of starting my job and saying farewell to collegiate life, I packed up the logo-laden clothing and had them sewn into a quilt. I'm not really sure why I went this route, but it made sense at the time. Now the quilt hangs out in my closet unless someone comes to visit and needs a blanket. It's a little cringeworthy, but my friends from college days get a laugh out of it when they see it.

Unclutterer reader, Megan, recently sent us a suggestion for an alternative to making the college t-shirt quilt, and I think it's really terrific:

After 7 years, I decided it was time to get rid of my sorority and fraternity t-shirts (I had over 20). While I've heard of making a keepsake quilt out of them, I see that as a lot of effort just to create more clutter. I took my old t-shirts back to my sorority where they were warmly embraced as cool "vintage" items.

This is a really wonderful idea, Megan! I can think of so many of my friends who were still in school who would have accepted my t-shirts -- I wish I would have thought of this.

If you have old t-shirts that still have some life in them, consider passing them along to others who might find them "vintage" cool.