i've been living in my apartment for almost two years now and because it's an apartment and not a condo or a house, i've been content to treat it like a hotel room or somewhere that i would be able to leave in pretty much the same state as i found it. however, after realizing that it's been almost two years since i moved in, i've realized that there were a lot of things that i could do that would make living here more comfortable and homey.

i've had the same bathroom stuff for almost five years now, and the way i had things set up in my crowded little bathroom was inconvenient, disorganized, and not altogether pleasing. so one of the tv-inspired adventurees that i set for myself for this week was to make my bathroom a more comfortable and personal place to "spend my time". i always liked those shows where they didn't do anything structural or even wet a brush or added a sheet of wallpaper, but made a space more useful, inviting and attractive and i thought i could do the same with my apartment bath.

i went to solutions and the home outfitters to get some new stuff. i bought a couple of bins to double the amount of storage space in my bathroom cupboards (where all of my bathroom stuff was simply crammed into plastic bags and left there to pile up in a ridiculously inaccessible fashion) and i bought all new "espresso" coloured towels and clothes to provide a more neutral colour scheme than the sweetie ocean blue-green that i had had previously. i added an over-the-door set of hooks for towels so that i wouldn't have to screw anything into the walls, and i put up some picture frames with some of my artwork (now, when i stand at the toilet i get to look at the drawing i did of lara croft earlier this year - a very nice touch, if i do say so myself) and i even bought my very first cloth shower curtain which incorporates the browns, creams, and even the ocean blues of my former bathroom colour schemes, in a manly and sophisticated fashion. i also added some suction cup shower holders for soap and shampoo that will make cleaning the bathtub much easier and quicker, and keeps everything i need for showering at a suitable height.

i spent less than $300 on all of this - far less than it cost me to get my '03 honda civic tuned up and maintained this week - and i get to reap the benefits every time i step into the bathroom. the only thing that i have to be embarassed about is how long it took for me to decide to make these changes!

- g

ps.  i'm sorry that the photos are so crap - it's hard in a little bathroom to get a proper shot of the overall effect of the decor... of course, i need to ask myself how many people even bother to try :P