Monday Inspiration: The Landing Strip

Today starts another week of the home cure, centered around the creation of a landing strip--an area where you can leave the clutter of the day (such as mail, coats, shoes and bags) so it doesn't invade the home. I had previously set a space for "landing" when I arrive at home, but over time things began to build up and...over. So, today this image will be my inspiration for a pure, clean landing strip, complete with an area to hang that pesky laptop bag.

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken with Creamy Spinach and Shallots

This week's cure requires a new recipe to cook at home--I'm not very shy about cooking (what I scrubbed off of my stove last weekend proves that) but I do get bored with the same old stuff--this recipe requires chicken thighs (a departure from the normal skinless chicken breast) and a creamy sauce--what could be better? Enjoy!

Monday Inspiration: Pantry Perfection

How's this for inspiration? After a full weekend cleaning my kitchen from top to bottom (and removing an embarrassing amount of expired food) this gorgeous pantry is my next step--I'd love to get some vintage see-through containers to store bulk items like rice and flour--doesn't this look nicer than chip-clips on plastic bags?

Refinishing Butcher Block

Though next week's Home Cure tasks revolve around giving the kitchen a good top to bottom scrub, I can't help but envision what I want for the future, when the remodeling budget is full again. I know I want to have butcher block somewhere in the kitchen--it's durable, usable, and it warms up the space immensely. Being the far thinker I am, here's a great little tutorial on refreshing your butcher block. It's about as easy as you'd think, and it includes a great product for polishing and sealing.

Monday Inspiration: Home Cure

photo from Lillian Day

I'm finally working on the Apartment Therapy Cure this spring, after reading the book but never having the time or energy to get started. I'm going for the whole-house fix--getting things super-clean, and repairing all of those small, nagging things that are building up over time. If the opportunity presents itself, however, I would like to room-cure my office--right now it's a clutter or mismatched tables, chairs and shelves. Something like the setup above would be lovely--clean, with a definite flow around the desk and shelf...someday.

Great Tool: Wishpot

I've been looking into signing up for the spring round of Apartment Therapy's Home Cure--Wishpot is a great mobile tool for keeping track of those 'wish-I-had' things while I fix up the old homestead. You can even do price checks and compare reviews to make sure you're getting the best deal!