Day 21 Style Cure (Final day!)

Day 21.
I made it. An entire month! Okay, so to sum up: today I vaccuumed the floors as I was cleaning so the 'after' photos would look amazingly awesome and I moved the new red rag rug to find...

Days 16-20 of the August Style Cure

Days 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 all in one go!

Day 15 already! Style cure and other stuff...

Day 15

Day 13

Day 13... already!

More DIY: Style Cure Ideas

So to complete the Cure,
I need to get some more materials...

Media Frenzy and being Famous

So I was just browsing the local news and realised I'm famous...

Interruption to the usual programming

We have an interruption to the usual programming, to announce that we're being rocked by Earthquakes.

Day 12 Style Cure

Day 12 of the style cure is already upon us!

Day 10 Style Cure

Day 10: Wednesday, August 14
Assignment: Make a Shopping List & Set Your Budget

Day 9 Style Cure

Day 9: Tuesday, August 13
Assignment: Your Decor Pairing: Project or Product

"Yesterday, in addition to locking down a color choice for your upcoming paint job we also asked you to think about a decor pairing - a well-considered project or product that will improve the interior design of your room by fulfilling some identified needs, both visual and use-based. Now that you've decided on the pairing, you need to figure out whether is is something you are going to buy (product) or make (project) and then do your research..."

Day 8 of the Style Cure August 2013.

Welcome to day 8! How time flies when you're having fun!
Today we're choosing pint colours and thinking about our décor pairings.

Style Cure Day 7.

So we're up to days 7, 8, and 9 already!
Today (day 7) is all about cleaning the space.

Style Cure Day 6

So we're up to day 6 of the Apartment Therapy Style Cure.

Style Cure Day 5!

Style Cure Day 5 is to create a floor plan.
Because I'm not doing over a whole room - rather I am doing over parts -due to finances I went with brainstorming more ideas for how I'd like the space to look.

Low Poo and No Poo hair journey.

There's something on pinterest called No Poo it's a hair system and it's an interesting journey.

Baker's Lung Occupational Asthma: In other words My Story

I am one of six New Zealand Adults who live with Asthma.
However my story is not like the norm!

My name is Lisa Taylor.
In 2009 I moved from Taranaki to Wellington to study at Victoria University. I was nearly 21 and had decided to uproot my entire life; To live in the Capital city of New Zealand. A place where I knew no one.
After I'd met some amazing flatmates who are now my best friends, and I had been living in Wellington a few weeks. I'd learned my way around the university campus and been going to classes where I met more friends.

I decided I needed to supplement my income with a part time job. So I searched around. One day I was in the local mall and saw a bakery position. I applied and naturally got the job.

After a period of around 18 months I found I'd become quite sick, all of a sudden over a period of around 6 months,  I had developed allergies, a constant cough (worse at night) and sort of wheezy breathing. I didn't know what was wrong. I'd also moved house and I was still studying and working at the bakery. It got so bad that I was seeing my doctor nearly every second or third week (luckily for me it's free when you're a student).

It was suggested to me to try to change a few things in my diet - one doctor thought it may have been a food allergy symptom. So I went Dairy Free for over 9 months, no changes. I went semi-vegetarian as well. I eliminated 95% of the dairy I was consuming. (I allowed myself yoghurt and even that was very occasional).
I also did a food/body awareness course through the university health clinic. This taught me that I was "dieting" all wrong, eliminating the wrong things for my body and it wasn't making any effect on my health/ allergy symptoms or cold house. This lasted for months. Months and months of sneezing, coughing, allergies... This became a daily battle with anti-histamines. Yes, I was treating what I now know to be daily asthma attacks with an anti-histamine. This is because I don't have "normal" Asthma!

One day my usual doctor was away so I saw someone else. They noticed my breathing wasn't normal. It sounded wheezy and I had a cough. They listened to my chest. They asked if I had Asthma? When I said no, they looked confused. The doctor gave me some medicine and it made my chest relax and my breathing improved. I coughed less often. I continued with the medication. I was sent to get an allergy test done. (Skin prick test). The tests came back negative.
After a year of getting the allergy symptoms, the night time cough, the chesty weird wheezy breath I finally had an answer: I could have Asthma.
I was given Pulmicort to take 2 x per day (morning and night). It is a preventer. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/p/pulmicort.pdf
I was given Ventolin to take if I had another Asthma attack. It is a bronco-dilator (it opens the airways).
http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/v/VentolinCFC-freeinh.pdf

I had a bad Asthma attack when I was running late to a doctors appointment. (Luckily I was going there and not somewhere else!) I took my Ventolin as I'd been told to do. My doctor noticed I was very, very flushed (bright red face) and asked if I always look that red? I do have a skin condition/allergy on my face which means I flush easily - so I often look red. Never *this* red though! She realised I was having an allergic reaction to the Ventolin. The Ventolin had calmed my lungs and breathing (as it is supposed to), but instead it gave me another problem: Acute Sinus Tachycardia. In other words a very, very, very fast heartbeat.
With my heart racing out of control I was put onto a bed and an ECG machine was hooked up to me. Wires crossed my chest, legs and arms. I stayed lying there for hours. Three ECG's later, I was sent to the hospital. They inserted an IV line into my arm which left me in pain and bruised. (Curse thee tiny veins).

8 hours after I'd gone into the doctors with the initial Asthma attack I was finally allowed to leave the hospital.


A few weeks later I saw a respiratory specialist at the hospital. for my follow up They ran all sorts of tests. They tested my lung function, my ability to 'blow' into a machine. They re-tested my allergies, another SPT. Again negative for any allergies. My lung function is Normal for my height/size. I don't have anything wrong with my lungs. The only problem they found was that inhaled Flour Particles cause an Asthma type attack to occur. As such I have been formally diagnosed with Baker's Lung. (A form of Occupational Asthma).

When I was at the specialist, he also changed my medication, so I would be off Ventolin and onto something else: A green inhaler called Atrovent. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/a/AtroventInhaler.pdf
Although - they left the Ventolin with me as well - if the Atrovent fails I take the Ventolin and go to hospital regardless. I also was told to leave the Bakery job immediately. I have been away from the bakery for over 2 years now, symptom free for months.

Although it seems like I have had a lot of turmoil and uprooting, my life (and Asthma) is better controlled and well balanced now. I live in a newer apartment, I'm warm and dry. I haven't had an Asthma attack in months.
My skin condition is still a daily challenge, but some days are better than others.

Day 2 of the Style Cure

So we're at Day 2 of the Style Cure already.

“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” 
― Oprah Winfrey
Thank you Oprah, that sums me up at the moment. With a budget at $0 and a head filled with ideas and dreams of ways to improve our situation, ah, one can do little but dream sometimes.
-- Hopefully in the near future I can afford to fulfil some of these ideas!

Today we're looking for ideas of what we like, things we desire and so on.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/day-2-weekend-chore-go-on-a-style-treasure-hunt-apartment-therapys-style-cure-192595


I created an inspiration board type dealio over on Pinterest;
You can look at it here;

http://pinterest.com/listay1/style-cure/

This is my main board which I am adding to every moment I can.


I also have other boards which are pretty sweet.
I started this one about Apartment Style's I adore.
Since we live in an apartment I am always looking for new ways to do things - soundproofing, neighbours noises, quiet zones in the apartment, colours and creating hang out zones.
http://pinterest.com/listay1/apartment-love/

And another one here about life in New Zealand:
Just interesting/ pretty pictures I've found online or added on myself.
http://pinterest.com/listay1/new-zealand-home/


“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes.” 
― Neil Gaiman

August Style Cure from Apartment Therapy. Day ONE

This August I have decided to do the Apartment Therapy STYLE CURE:

Here goes, First challenge is relatively easy;

Fill in a questionnaire: 
The questionnaire can be found here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/atads/2013StyleCureInterview.pdf

1. List your favourites in each category:

Actor: Johnny Depp.

Actress: Meryl Strepp.

Artist: Mark Ryden (http://www.markryden.com/)

Writer: J R R Tolkien.

Music: Macklemore's Rapper: "Thrift Shop", "Wing$",  "Same Love" and "Can't hold us".

Restaurant: Tulsi (Indian restaurant).

Automobile: Mini. The old school ones from the 70's.

Movie or Television Show: Moulin Rouge.

Clothing (pieces, designers or stores): Pagani / Glassons. (It's a tie!)

Furniture (pieces, designers or stores): This is a tricky one for me. I'm trying to upgrade the furniture, but it's expensive and time consuming. As a result I have quite a bit of stuff made from MDF and it's on the cheap end of the scale. Ideally I'd like to get a whole bunch of New Traditional type stuff.
(I like the lines and styles of the traditional things, but Dan also likes the more modern pieces.)

2 Choose three words to describe your personal style: Eclectic: I have items from thrift shops and more expensive items (like shoes).
On the edge of the Hip Hop culture. (I love hip hop as a dance form).
Conservative yet slightly Rockabilly: if I could rock the 1950's look all the time, I would.

3. Think back over all the homes you have lived in, both as a child and an adult. Which 
rooms would you choose as your favorites and how would you describe them? 
Favorite room from a childhood home and description: A toy/ storage type room my dad built one weekend in the wall of our shared bedroom (Sister and I shared a room). Our bedroom on the 2nd floor had a void in the wall where the angled roof came down, so dad and some friends cut a hole in the wall and put a floor down. That's where we stored our soft toys and it made a great hiding spot!
Favorite room from an adult home and description: A spare bedroom at the end of the house. I made it into my art studio. It had great light and was very private because it backed straight onto a very large park: Pukekura Park (in New Plymouth, New Zealand).
TIED WITH: Our current bedroom: although I feel it still needs just a little bit of love to make it perfect.

4. Whom do you consider a role model? My Boyfriend Dan.

(Props to those who get the Macklemore reference here).

What three adjectives describe the qualities that you admire in this person?
That he is accepting of whatever I throw at him: no job, no money.
That he is kind.
That he is hard-working to help ensure we keep a roof over our heads and that he succeeds in his occupation.


5. Every home has areas that are “just right”. Which three spots or things in your 
home do you feel are beautiful and feel proud of, right now, as is:
1. My DIY shelf I created from a set of old drawers which had seen better days.
2. Art that I've created around the place. (Paintings).
3. The pin-board I put up a couple of weeks ago, in the lounge, showing off my photography.

6. A month from now, at the end of the Style Cure, how would you like your friends 
to describe your home?
Even better arranged & even more homely!

• Then, afterwards, analyze your responses: Go over your answers and make some connections to reflect upon.
  
  Questions 1 and 2 work together to help form a picture of your style - do the choices feel connected and consistent or varied and eclectic? Which of the words that you chose for question 2 could also be used to describe the majority of your favorites in question 1? What are the outliers? Example: Are you into the classics or searching for what's next? Do the offbeat notes or items in a space make the room for you or simply make you uncomfortable?

Eclectic with Modern Traditional. 

The offbeat things that just don't work in the space don't stay there long, they're not comfortable pieces or designs so they get moved out quickly. One example is our couch. It folds out to a sofa bed thing and it's really uncomfortable as a couch as well as a bed! I'd love to upgrade it at some stage... but it's also the BF's loved piece of furniture. Need to convince him that it's seen better days and can't be around forever. 

Questions 3 and 5 are different ways of connecting with what you find pleasing, comfortable and beautiful. You've tapped into your preferences in both a memory-based emotional way and in a practical, observational way to form a picture of a room you will enjoy spending time in. Example: Bright, simple and sparsely decorated sunlight-filled space or moody, happily cluttered, knick-knack embracing rooms lit by candlelight?

The spaces are eclectic-ly cluttered with pieces on every surface. The walls however are pretty sparse, we have posters, prints, and a lot of canvas' hung but they each have space around them. They're visually pleasing. Some of these surfaces *are* a little too cluttered so I may work on that.  

• Questions 4 and 6 are both about your aspirations and therefore can help to form a direction and goals for your Cure in terms of what you want your room makeover to provide to your homelife. Example: You'd like your friend to say "everything works so well together!" can be translated into a goal of "putting more thought into coordinating pieces". Think about the ways your aspirations can lead you - will they translate into going for better overall organization or finally embracing a more fearless use of color?

Overall better organisation. We moved in to the space around 7 months ago and it still doesn't quite feel like home. On the whole it's 70% home but not quite. Some things just feel a little out of space. However considering we're renting as well we cannot change some of the things - the horrible carpet which is stained, the paint colours, the white-ware, they have to stay. We can't change them.
Our items can be changed however, so I'd like to open up the entry way and declutter things. 

We don't have that table and so many chairs now. So that helps. 

The white trolley things looks better now as well. 

 

The blue smaller table with 2 chairs. 

One chair is now over in the lounge, so it doesn't look so crazy with 2 chairs for one table-space.

The competition/event can be found here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-style-cure-is-coming-sign-up-now-to-update-decorate-a-room-this-august-192191?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAILY+8113+-+The+Style+Cure+Begins&utm_content=DAILY+8113+-+The+Style+Cure+Begins+CID_05905176652bf7e72764972daf1be485&utm_source=email_newsletter&utm_term=although%20I%20hope%20you%20are

Day one starts here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/day-1-fill-out-a-style-interview-apartment-therapy-style-cure-192586?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAILY+8113+-+The+Style+Cure+Begins&utm_content=DAILY+8113+-+The+Style+Cure+Begins+CID_05905176652bf7e72764972daf1be485&utm_source=email_newsletter&utm_term=interview%20questionnaire