The bookshelf-building project has been going well (aside from the fact that the shelves don’t really have many books on them yet), but it’s been at the expense of the rest of the house. You know when you start working on something and you wind up having to make the most giant mess in the world and then you realize you have to actually finish this other project first and that leads to a secondary giant mess on top of the first mess, and you were up until 4AM and it still didn’t make any difference and now you just feel sick but you also don’t want to live in that MEGA-MESS you created?
That’s how I’m feeling right now, and I have approximately 10 hours in which to make things better. Get it done.
TO-DO BEFORE 6PM:
+ PUT AWAY ALL THE STUFF.
+ Cut and mount roller shades in the kitchen.
+ Cut and mount roller shade in the guest bedroom.
+ Bring the records downstairs.
+ Hang the Flentsed mobile.
+ Hang the String light.
+ Clean bathrooms.
+ Clean kitchen.
+ Bring all tools and supplies to the basement.
+ Dust.
+ Vacuum.
+ Mop.
+ Frame stuff and then hang it on the walls.
(You’ll note that several of these items are carried over from my vacation to-do list from a few weeks ago. Sigh…)
25 Comments
Good Luck! If anyone can do all that, it’s you!
I’m with sherry!
Goood luck, you will need! o/
Go Anna! You can do it!
I love your lists! 🙂
I’m feeling your pain right now. I have a fine layer of plaster dust all over the first floor and displaced coats and pantry items everywhere from a coat closet/pantry redo. And I have to wait another week before I can put it all away.
I love how your shelves are turning out – I have terrible luck hanging anything on plaster walls. Everything eventually comes crashing down!
Oh god, plaster dust is the WORST. It gets everywhere…it even makes your skin and hair all dry, which is extra gross.
Have you tried these? I just used them (in plaster) for mounting the cleats for the shelves, and they’ve been GREAT. You just make a teeny pilot hole (not as big as the package says…just use a small bit) and put them in with NO anchor. Minimal wall damage, and they really seem to be very very strong and tightly in there.
http://wedo.hillmangroup.com/viewitems/hollow-wall-anchors/hollow-wall-anchors-walldog-trade-cabinet-mounting
(Specifically the big ones made for mounting cabinets…they’re intense!)
Yes, I totally get that. Last night I started organizing my closet and realized I have to take everything out to do it the right way. Part 2 will continue tonight, but always feels so great in the end;) Love the shelves.
Your whole first paragraph is truth. Why is it impossible to organize without creating a giant abomination of a mess? Just thinking about that part threatens to make me break out in hives.
If I might boldly go one step further to describe the last year of my life, in which I’ve been living WITHOUT DOORKNOBS on any interior door of my house: Once you embark on a project and create a giant mega-mess, that mess you created in the pursuit of organization and beauty, well it morphs into a hostile occupation of your brain, and you lose all capacity to function until the damn thing is resolved. Or until you learn not to care anymore, at which point you’ve developed an acute case of renovation blindness.
Best of luck with the to do list today, Anna! You can do it, even if I can’t. 😉
[/maniacal laugh]
Thanks for that link to the plaster screws, I hate trying to put up shelves or pictures or anything in our plaster walls. I always end up having to putty and touch up paint something….
Also I love that Daniel Eldon book on your shelf! I bought it ages ago on a whim because it was so beautiful. I haven’t picked it up in a few years and opened it, I’ll have to make some time to do that this week. Thanks for reminding me of it. 🙂
I think I must have bought that book something like 15 years ago?! What an amazing, short life he had.
Anna, do you know about teuxdeux? I love that you share your lists with us here, but I have a feeling you would really like that app if you don’t already use it.
Thanks! We’ve never tried those before. I think we’ve tried just about everything else in the past. I’m working on a nursery right now and want to do some shelves for vintage toys in there so this is great. I’ve been scared to even try drilling into these walls – but I’ll give these a go.
Yikes, all the best with that! If nothing else, writing clean ALL the things is a good way to get the process started with a smile.
My to-do list is looking almost identical today due to a shelving project. Thanks for inspiring me to get the other stuff done! Also, good tip on the plaster screws.
I think my list of things that need doing keeps growing. I start one thing and then never finish because something else comes up that needs sorting first. Maybe I’m just really, really, disorganised.
The shelves are looking great. I have shelf envy 🙂
I have plasterboard walls everywhere and I’m not even sure how strong those are fixed up, not to mention plastic pipes behind, which are impossible to work out where they are! I already drilled through one before, not good.
I have to take a trip to Ikea to get bookcases (Besta? I think), I have a lot of big and heavy art, photography, design books thanks to my dad. Poor books have been in the garage for a bit to long. I should really get on with that.
Good gracious, I am right there with you. We’re re-doing the office in our home, and as a result, the rest of our teeny tiny space has felt the strain. We vacuumed for the first time in a few weeks last night, and I felt instantly better, despite the toppling mountains of STUFF.
List-makers: unite! Seems to me your crossing things off of the list…that’s wunderbar! Inspiring…I try not to start organising to avoid failing at it.
who is that charming fellow fishing off of the shelf?
Ah! The contingency factor is always in play when trying to get just a teeny tiny project done. I go into a straight up mania about things like that – at least that’s what my husband calls it. 😉
Totally pulling for you over here!
xo
cortnie
Your posts make me laugh. ‘GO, GO, GO’ I can just hear it in my head.
The Kubus light looks really good with the black wall!
The whole MEGA-MESS thing is what feeds into my procrastination about starting big projects. I remember the big production and how disruptive it is, so I avoid getting started. But it’s totally worth it if you make yourself power through it. Not that I’m starting any of my big projects right now…but it’s good that YOU are!
Your lists always wanna make me hop to it on my own to do at home lists, unfortunately, I’m usually reading it on my break at the day job and that feeling wears off by the time I get home.
So true about the mess…sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better 🙂
Your blog is so inspiring. I come here for fresh vision when feeling tired in the eyes. Im renovating in Brisbane and get lots of good ideas from your place.
I also have the Orb lamp and love it! Now I’m imagining how good it would look against a dark wall in my house… As always, your home choices are inspiring. Love the blog.