DIY Spring cleaning

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This week I had 3 days off in a row, AND no personal trainer appointments since the guy had a baby (or rather, his wife did). So I let my back-burner projects come to the front.
I have been really fascinated with HGTV lately, and it made me think how I could improve my living space. I started a couple weeks ago by cleaning out the garage. When I did that, I saw how many paint cans were there, and that got me thinking.

My bathroom was ugly. The striped wallpaper was peeling off, and  there were holes in the walls, and no place to put the toilet paper. So I stripped the stripes (really easy, actually, as the wallpaper was the panel kind), spackled the walls, and painted 2 walls white and 2 walls green (I didn't think I could do all green, since I needed it to look bright, since there are no windows). I think it looks fantastic. Counting the primer and the toilet paper holder, I spent about $50 on that project.


I also tackled the downstairs, which has windows, but they are covered up by plastic or paper. So I hung some blinds that I found in the closet when I cleaned THAT a couple months ago. And it looks much better. Real blinds make a difference. Invest in them. Or find a closet that has invested in them. I only spent $5 for window dressing.
The next closet I focused on was my own. It's not very bright, as a light bulb broke inside one of the lightbulb box things, and it's a little cluttered. So I got some pliers and got the old lightbulb out, and put a new one in. [Side note: I went to ACE Hardware to pick up a lightbulb. It was my 4th trip to a hardware store in the past 3 days, because of all of my projects. As I pondered wattage, five (FIVE!!) male workers asked if I needed help. I suppose I should have been flattered with the attention, but instead I got mildly annoyed. It is not that hard to buy a lightbulb! I am capable of doing that, "even if" I am female!] Then I got more brackets and another shelf, and added storage space, and donated a couple things. This wasn't an overhaul, just a maintenance thing. Total: about $16.
Then I decided to find some green space. I swept out my balcony (the leaves hadn't been touched in so long, they were becoming dirt) and found a plant that I thought I had a fair chance of not killing. Don't know what it's called, and I don't particularly care; but it looks good, and should be low maintenance. That, along with an orchid I already have kept mostly alive for a year, and some ivy, gives me enough to test my green thumb. I hung some windchimes and an owl on a swing (really. it's cute), and already am enjoying the view. Total $35, most of that being the plants and plant food. But I plan to add a bench.

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