Harmony's Nook

It wasn’t Serendipity, but Joanne (the sofa owner) was lovely and was actually an ex-actress. I’m not worried though the right piece will come. Today I’m obsessed with my Living Room wall art. I’ve decided that I hate all of it. I want all new wall art!

It’s nice to want, isn’t it?

Being a starving artist has it’s pros and cons. On the one side I am surrounded by the most talented, creative, and interesting people you can imagine. I am friends with everyone from an operatic dramatic soprano (the best I’ve ever heard), an amazing funk diva (who gives new meaning to lung capacity), a ridiculously handsome crooner (who could give ole blue eyes a run for his money), and a practically technically perfect musical theater star (and she’s nice to boot). I consider all of them my close friends and equals and feel extremely lucky to do so. I am in a field where creation is my job. I get to do what I love and get paid for it…just not a lot.

On the flip side I’m always broke, rejection is plentiful, and you literally have every inch of you judged at each audition…from talent to weight and height to the way you say hello. I’m ALWAYS broke! I live in a one bedroom apartment with my best friend and I eat a lot of Ramen! While I’m waiting for my big break I call my couch my bed. Don’t get me wrong. I love my couch and am actually quite content sleeping on a couch, but unfortunately my neck and back disagree with me. I really need to have the option of sleeping in my own bed from time to time.

I’ve been scouring craigslist for a daybed or a sleeper couch to no avail. They are either way too expensive for me, or something that I would not put in my home. I need a bed, but my aesthetic sensibilities just won’t let me bring in an ugly or ill-fitting piece despite my neck problems. That may sound silly to some, but I take what I bring into my home very seriously. Besides, most of the sleepers I’ve seen look like they’ve spent 10 years in a frat house. No thank you.

So I’ve had no luck….until tonight…..

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Sofa bed from Crate and Barrel is covered in antique gold stripe (has elegant green-gold cast) and measures approx. 6′ 4″ long and 3′ 8″ deep and 35″ high. Please note – the fabric is matte, it looks shiny in the photos due to the camera flash off the silk threads.
Bed seldom used. Is in excellent condition, and mattress pad included. Sofa recently professionally cleaned.
Also adding a matching coffee/cocktail table for free!

Couch originally $2500 – selling for $300!

Ummm…..Come to Mama! I am hoping with all I have that this hasn’t been promised yet. This couch would fit in perfectly with my home and it would give me a bed. I can see my vintage European travel posters hanging over it. I can see the amber glow of my eclectic collection of lamps illuminating it. But more importantly I see ME quite comfortable on this couch reading, blogging, and ahhhh sleeping. Is it serendipity? I sure hope so!

I came home to St. Louis for a break from some of my Chicago madness. This is the longest I’ve been home in 10 years. I’m really enjoying it, but so are my parents. They are so pleased to have me home and they are spoiling me rotten. Now I’m certainly not complaining. I like being catered to and spoiled a little. BUT I can’t take any more stuff into my apartment!

My mother is a bargain hunter. One of the best I’ve ever seen, especially when it comes to clothes. The first thing she showed me when I got home was a SUITCASE full of clothes that she had gotten for me. She spent under $150 for the entire suitcase. Everything was actually really nice quality and fit me really well. BUT now I’m going to have to go home and get RID of an equal amount of clothing. I can’t bring more items into my wardrobe without getting rid of more clothes…I just can’t. I’m trying to streamline!

I also got a beautifully illistrated copy of Peter Pan and a hard-backed version of Great Expectations. Two of my favorite books. I scored a dresser/sideboard for my entryway/landing strip, a new rug, some organizing containers, a mirror, and this GORGEOUS hot pink poppy fabric that my mother is making into two accent pillows for my couch. I had planned on doing it myself, but she insisted.

The thing I’m struggling with is I feel really guilty about getting this stuff.  So far it’s all things that will be used and/or replace something I have, but I can’t help but feel guilty anyway. Also this sounds like a lot of stuff, but it’s NOTHING compared to what I’ve turned down. Every couple of hours I’m turning my mom down on something else that she’s asking me if I want. I’m beginning to see where some of my habits are coming from. My parent’s home is comfortable, nurturing, and wonderful…but it’s spilling over with things. It seems to work for them, but I don’t want to live like that. I want my place to be organized, peaceful, and much simpler than it is now. I want it to be a refuge.

BUT at the same time I can’t let myself feel guilty any time I bring something into the apartment. I just need to learn to manage my home better. When I get new things, that’s wonderful, but it means that it is time to let some of the old things go. I think I’ll feel better when I get everything home to Chicago and have a proportionate amount of things in my giveaway/outbox pile.

So the moral of the story is we don’t have to feel guilty about bringing new things into our homes, but sometimes we have to JUST SAY NO!

I’m starting to miss Chicago…which was the whole point of me taking a break I suppose. One of the best parts of the cure is buying a new bouquet of flowers every week for your apartment. It’s supposed to add life to the apartment and if displayed in an unused area it helps bring your attention to that area. Well I’m in St. Louis! AND while I’m really enjoying my break, I’m missing my first week of flowers!

Growing up in Upstate New York our backyard was brimming with Lilac bushes. That intoxicating scent is synonomous with Spring and Summer for me. My mom would have dozens of vases spilling over with lilacs all over the house. It’s one of my strongest memories and has been my favorite flower ever since.

My second favorite flower grows right outside my Chicago apartment building. I love honeysuckle . It’s not the most beautiful flower, but the aroma more than makes up for it.  Even the name….honey…suckle. It just sounds delicious. I always want to find a way to smell exactly like that all the time.

I don’t know if I can find bouquets of these flowers. They’re wilder, more common, less coveted I suppose. They grow where they aren’t cultivated, but I cherish them. They truly add some very happy moments to my life. I guess sometimes you just have to stop and smell the flowers.

I have two sides to my “making a home” philosophy and they are always at odds with each other. Part of me wants to get rid of as much as I can so that when I get that starring role on Broadway I can pick up and leave without much hassle. The other part of me wants to nest and create a comfortable home for myself that doesn’t always feel like it’s in transition. So it’s extremely difficult for me to make decisions as to what to keep or what to buy because of this. An actor’s life can change drastically overnight for better or for worse…and you have to be prepared for it.

In my Spring cleaning and as part of my cure I have pared my book collection down to two narrow bookcases. This was really difficult for me because I adore books. I love them so much! I have such fond memories of every book I own. Well I’ve been through them now 3 or 4 times and I think that I’ve reached a point where I categorically refuse to get rid of anymore books. I’m not getting rid of any of my classics, art books, plays, or poetry. I WON’T DO IT! I’ve already weeded out most of my Anne Rice, Stephen King, or book of the month selections. Everything that I have left inspires me by having it.

Whew! So anyway the vagabond minimalist actress in me always wants me to get rid of more. Well the “nester” in me has always dreamed of a library: floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves, relaxing in a caramel leather club chair parked in front of a roaring hearth with a cup of hot whiskey cider and a fabulous book. Sigh…that’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

Well I can’t afford the hearth or the caramel leather club chair. The book and the whiskey cider…I can handle. The built-ins…not yet, but maybe I can create the look of it with some IKEA! I’m eyeing the expedit shelf system. I know that everyone and their mother has this shelf unit. In my defense, I have wanted a grid-like book shelf system since I saw the one my parents had in the 70s. I had never even heard of an expedit until a couple of days ago. But, YES, I am jumping on the bandwagon. IKEA has a new convert!

*Now which color do I get to go with my dining room? hmmm….

I thought I should explain why I have the sudden urge to paint all the rooms in my apartment! LOL! I am participating in the Spring cure from Apartment therapy. Basically the cure is based on Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s book Apartment Therapy: the eight step home cure. The book “…will lead you through the eight weeks and the basic cure requires minimal expense as it takes you from room to room and helps you declutter, organize and clean your home.” I figured since I already got a good head start with my Spring cleaning that I should bring this to the next level!

The great part about the cure is that there is an online community support group (for lack of a better word). It’s based on the Apartment therapy website. You join the group from the city you are closest to. The cities are Chicago , San Francisco, L.A., and New York. There is also a Green Home option. People upload their pictures to flickr.com and get feedback, suggestions, and general support from other cure members. It helps when there are others going through the same thing as you!

I’ll be posting from time to time pictures of my own cure process…and maybe some inspirational pictures from other cures. Wish me luck!

It’s 71 degrees! I have sandals on! Could this be it? Is it SPRING?!?!?! I hope so. I can’t take any more snow. I’m really into Spring colors right now. I’ve been looking for the perfect color to paint my kitchen when I get back. I know exactly what I want but I haven’t found the perfect shade yet! I want the color of that gorgeous juicy green apple. Yum!

My kitchen is also where I display my vintage Marilyn Monroe pictures!

I’m so excited about the results of our Spring Cleaning. It’s not done yet. There is a lot more to be done, but honestly are we ever REALLY done? Don’t answer that! Well now that I’m not hating my apartment, I’ve been in the mood to redo some things.

Right now my dining room is stone brown on all four walls. There are Stainless Steel furniture pieces that I dumpster dived for in there! I also collect vintage vogue covers that are displayed. I think that I want to paint one of the walls aqua and feature the vogue prints on that wall. I’m so excited!

*My prints are aged and worn and are a lot less vibrant and I have two more of them.

**The cabinet on the right is the same finish as the one on the left.

Ugh…this Spring Cleaning/Simplifying my life thing is really difficult. I’m trying to get rid of all the “stuff” that seems to be suffocating me in my apartment right now. It’s like I have to do it in steps. It’s really hard to part with a large amount of stuff at one time. I’ve done the initial sweep. This includes huge garbage bags of give away clothing, 4 or 5 medium boxes of books, and an additional 4 or 5 medium boxes of randomness. I have a lovely couple coming to pick up my vanity on Friday. I also got rid of all my dvd cases and put my dvds into cd books. I know that that doesn’t sound like much, but the amount of space I’ve saved is kind of remarkable.

This second round is harder. I still have too many clothes. I need to do another sweep and try to part with more. I should go through my books again and even sift through my sheet music. I have a tendency to keep ALL of my sheet music in case I might need it. I think I can safely say that I could probably part with about 1/3 of it. The same goes for any Navy memorabilia or items I have with sentimental value. I am extremely nostalgic, so that is a lot of stuff. I would like to get rid of 1/3 of that too.

Actually 1/3 is a good ratio. At the end of this process I want to have 1/3 less stuff than when I started. I know that’s a lot! I think I can do it though. It’s taking way longer than I thought. I started in late January and we are almost into March. I’m hoping to be finished by Sunday. That’s my goal. Wish me luck!

I’ve been trying to simplify my life and my apartment. I’m in the middle of a Spring clean and I’ve already bagged up 6 very large garbage bags of giveaway clothes. I have 3 more large boxes of random giveaway. I’m going to get rid of all my dvd cases and put the dvds in a large cd book. I’m even going to phase out my tv since I don’t have cable and my roommate and I watch all of our movies on our computers anyway. I’ve given away boxes of books which is really hard for me to do. I love books.

So, while the apartment is not anywhere near finished , I have made some strives to change. Here comes the really tough part. Through my travels and especially during my Navy years I have amassed a collection of furniture that means a lot to me. Now I’m not talking about my generic khaki couch or Weekend’s Only bookshelves: nothing that I had to put together by myself. I’m talking about solid, sometimes vintage pieces that I scavenged to find. I found these pieces everywhere from thrift stores and second hand shops, to the attic of an old farmhouse, and YES even in some dumpster diving. I lovingly restored some of the pieces and enjoyed the worn look of others. I also pride myself in never spending over $75 on any of them.

I didn’t find my honey brown, art deco vanity in an abandoned barn off the side of the road. I found it on Ebay. I was stationed in West Virginia at the time and was going through a very girly stage. I wanted an “Old Hollywood” styled vanity that I could litter with make-up and fancy perfume bottles. I wanted to hang autographed pictures of my favorite actresses around it and maybe even drape a feather boa from the mirror. I found this lovely gem on Ebay and won the auction for $75. I drove to Cleveland to pick it up. I had work the next day; so I literally picked up the vanity, drove back to base, and had to be at work in one hour.

When I got to Cleveland the loveliest older couple you’ve ever met was there to greet me. The man was in a wheelchair and his wife was bustling around the kitchen offering me hot apple cider and spiced cake. She stood at the bottom of the stairs directing me the whole time, “a little more to the left…ooh do be careful…are you sure you don’t have some strong men to do this for you?” After loading the vanity I went to say goodbye to these wonderful people. I shook his hand and she took me in her arms and whispered in my ear with tears in her eyes, “I got dressed to get married at that vanity and someday you will too.”

Oh boy. Don’t tell Harmony that. The next thing you know that vanity was attached to any happily ever after fantasy I’ve ever had. It was a package deal: the perfect man, the perfect house, the perfect career, 2.5 kids, and YES the vanity. I could vividly see myself getting ready for my OWN wedding in the slightly faded mirror.

It’s been 6 years. I’ve had to move every one or two years ever since and I’ve lugged that vanity with me everywhere. I’ve never littered it with beautiful perfume bottles. I don’t use it to put make-up on because it’s a weird height and it’s easier to use the bathroom mirror. It has become a glorified dresser and ashamedly a landing ground for a lot of crap, it doesn’t really have that much storage space, and it takes up half the wall in my bedroom.

I’ve been toying with getting rid of it for some time, but I always get caught up in the sentimentality and the fantasy of the piece. Well, early this morning I finally offered it up to Freecycle. I’ve already gotten 9 responses from people who want it. I didn’t want to sell it because honestly it doesn’t hold a monetary value for me. It’s emotional. BUT I want a simpler life and in order to do that some sacrifices must be made. I’m sad about it, but it’s time. Don’t hate me lovely lady from Cleveland. I’m sorry I won’t be preparing for my own wedding at your lovely vanity. Don’t hate me vanity…It’s not you…I think you’re beautiful. It’s me…I have to let you go.