Need Judge Judy in the battle of the sofa slip cover

March 23, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Readers, I’m in a dilly of a pickle with my roommates. So, instead of me advising you this week, I’m crossing my fingers that you can help me by playing Judge Judy. Here’s the sitch: My living room is set up so that there is a darling red velvet couch in the center. Behind the…

Home sweet home

March 17, 2007 | By jen t. AuthorMy First Apartment

We’re in! Actually, we’ve been in for two weeks, and our place still looks like a tornado came though here. But we’re working on that. Moving day, for the most part, went smoothly, but only after a rocky start. We got up early, around 7:30 a.m., to pack up the last of our stuff before…

Redecorating to make old new again

January 12, 2007 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

While it’s true that some folks choose the wintry months to move into a new place, most of us prefer to haul sofas upstairs sans snow boots. There’s just something unappetizing about carrying boxes of delicate dishes along icy sidewalks. As such, for the most of us, we’ve been staring at the same apartment for…

Making an Apartment into a Home

November 10, 2006 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Think about every place you’ve ever lived; from your bunk bed at overnight camp many moons ago to your last college dorm room, there was something uniting about all your past abodes. And, even though living on your own for the first time might feel foreign, if not a bit terrifying, there are tricks to…

Crafts with Apartment #1

August 23, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

I grew up on the gorgeous, if climatologically unpredictable shores of the Great Lakes. On those summer days when it was too chilly to swim, I’d occupy myself sifting through rocks. Fun, right? Right. I hauled myself back to the car at the end of the afternoon with my pockets full of rocks. Not just…

Apartment Beautiful: Wall Decoration

August 10, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

A couple of months ago I realized that I’d never gotten around to putting anything on my walls. So I set to work: I went to the Rose Bowl flea market in search of wall art. Flea markets, by the way, can be a great place to find antique furniture, decorations, or more random things…

I love my new chair. And Craigslist.

July 30, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

Yesterday, I acquired a comfy new chair. It’s round and cushy with a straight back, shaped almost like someone got a very large barrel, cut out the front third, and upholstered it. It swivels, guaranteeing hours of revolving fun to come. It’s white leather, aged, to be sure, but nothing a little leather cleaner and…

The next step

April 27, 2006 | By Drew AuthorMy First Apartment

So I’ve found a place, and that’s all well and good. We went over the other day to sign a sublet agreement, and everything is set up for the first month. The landlady prorated it from the time I move in, which is awesome because it saves us a couple hundred. She did ask for…

Ode to IKEA

February 1, 2006 | By Jett AuthorMy First Apartment

After the lease is signed, you know where to go when you want some cheap-o stuff for your apartment- a new couch for under 200 bucks, mixing bowls for less than 5 bucks, or a set of pots and pans for $29.99. There’s really just one place, and that’s Ikea. For you Ikea newbies, the…