u/Em_Designs

I added a paper towel to hopefully white balance the camera.

First photo: Left - Partner’s old sheets, Right - My duvet cover.

I was lamenting to my partner about how much I loved the color of this duvet cover, and how sad I am that the color is so difficult to find. It is a discontinued Ikea item and pills so bad, so I don’t think it will last as long as I would like. It never photographs accurately, and depending on the light it may look green, yellow-green, or white. So I don’t even trust photos of other objects in a similar color.

They then replied that it’s the exact same as their old sheets that I dislike. They get regularly confused between the old sheets and this duvet set, and thought that I had started using the old sheets again.

I am a bit embarrassed because I can admit they are similar. But at the same time, they are so different to me! We have always disagreed on whether they are blue or green (in the general sense, not the specific color name), and now I am also worried that one of us needs to get our eyes checked.

What do you think?

Edit/Update, I cannot reply to everyone:

- I don’t know how either of these are being read as beige. Boring? Maybe. But the overall color palette of the room includes the light green duvet, dark teal, red brown, dark/red wood, and light blue. I like to have a variety of values, but admittedly decorate mostly in blues.
- The green duvet bounces the most beautiful springy/sunshine when the light hits it. It’s so crisp, I love it. Makes the gray walls that the landlords chose much less depressing. The camera can never capture the true color of this fabric, because so much of relies on the context of the environment. It’s very close to the shiny underside of a leaf.
- I am not color blind, thanks for the concern though! When I say that I can admit they are similar, I should have clarified that their use as bedding is similar. They both live in a similar light blue zone, and when put on the bed with our other linens they could be swapped out without it being clear to everyone. I still wouldn’t confuse them, but I very much can see how my partner had them confused. I am more confused about that because one of them is a fitted sheet, and the other is a duvet. But oh well.
- My partner actually regularly fails at least one or two of the slides on color blind tests, and has difficulty with at least a couple more. But has never had eye doctors show concern. It’s all in good fun and is not an actual argument.

It was $12 at the thrift store and I have a soft spot for cool chairs.

Any tips for getting started? Should I put it in the curb for someone more experienced?

I have some things that may work for materials:
- Canvas stapler (not powered)
- Spray adhesive
- Sewing machine
- Thick upholstery foam that was for another project
- Thin upholstery foam that for another project
- Way too much green upholstery chenille leftover from, you guessed it, another project

Currently the padding is very thin, but I am curious if it would be possible to give it thicker padding for a more comfortable seat. The current seat looks like a molded foam but I haven’t gotten in there yet.

I thrifted this beautiful rug a couple months ago, treated it for potential pests, and have had it quarantined. There were no signs of pests when I thrifted it, but did not want to take any chances! Then I beat it outside and thoroughly vacuumed front and back before bringing it inside.

Now that it’s inside, I’ve shampooed it 12 times! The first 5 passes were all pitch black when I poured it out, and now on pass 12 it is still a medium gray. On about pass 9 it stopped being downright muddy and full of sediment. All of the stains are out, and there was a small bit of something gummy and gross that thankfully is fully shampooed out now.

When do I stop shampooing??? The carpets in my rental were a similar situation where I eventually had to just quit. It really does feel like I could go for 12 more passes and still not have “clear” water. This has definitely turned me away from thrifting another rug, at least until I have professional rug cleaning money 😅.

Product list:
- Chemical Guys Lightning Fast Stain Extractor
- Shark Deep Clean Pro Carpet Cleaner Formula
- Hoover Power Dash Pet Compact Carpet Cleaner Machine

My lease this year specifies that picture hooks and nails can be used on the walls, as long as we fill them.

I saw that these have very good reviews, with some people showing that they’ve hung heavy mirrors and wood shelves with no problem. The spacing between studs in my unit has stopped me from hanging items in the past, because getting a good layout is very difficult. These also seem easier to remove than the standard drywall anchors, and would leave a much smaller hole (if it doesn’t rip out of the wall). But that’s just an assumption.

Has anyone tried them?

What do you think?

I’ve been very slowly updating my living room since deciding to stay in this apartment another year. Pretty much all of my stuff is from secondhand Facebook marketplace and/or my previous apartments. It just hasn’t been working, but I had been planning to get rid of everything when I moved cross country.

The old curtains were bought on impulse because I really like that shade of red, and had much more of a primary color theme going on a few months ago. These new ones make the space so much better that I don’t even need to replace the rug. These new ones are also long enough that I can raise them 🙌.

The old rug is beautiful, but really darkens the space and is very busy. It’s a very small space, so I swapped it out with something brighter to reflect more light in the space. The rug is a yellow/gold that photographs more brown, and is so soft.

Now that this is done, I’ll be getting art on the walls and finally replacing my old throw pillows. Just gotta make it all first!

Edit: More accurate photo of the old rug in the comments, the iPhone color boost really changed it in these photos.

I also thought that I would just add some of what’s missing in the original post to clear things up. I struggle with depression, and realized that the original space was really not helping. Any clutter against the rug is magnified, and the space was just so dark. I really struggled in a space that had this effect, as much as I typically love maximalism. I love art, but anything I added to the walls was just too much with how overwhelming the space already was. I was getting overwhelmed and starting to hate existing in the space, even though the individual elements are good. It’s boring now, but I am excited to fill the walls. I really needed a reset in here, because the clutter and darkness was not helping my headspace. I also assure you all, there will be color and lots of it! I love color, which is how I ended up with too much before.

Color palette of the unit (duplex) for context.

I currently live in a small duplex. The property managers are great and very helpful. The unit is missing some updates, including windows that have a constant draft, gapping around the front door, damaged laminate flooring, and this very patchy color drenched blue-gray paint job. Each room has a slightly different shade, so you can see where previous tenants have patched holes and painted with the color of another room. In the bedroom, for example, there are at least 5 different colors in large patches. No major issues that aren’t fixable by rugs, draft-stopping tape, and curtains, but the paint really irks me.

The property managers were unable to find new tenants for the next year and we were able to release with them for another year when our plans suddenly changed. It was very close to the end of leasing season, and they were willing to not increase our rent despite previously wanting to increase it $200 a month. Yay!

Since we are here another year, I would really like to change this paint. It has bothered me the entire time we’ve been here, really makes the space feel darker and smaller, and the poor paint job makes it feel even worse. It’s just paint, which is why we put up with it for a year, but we’ve been trying to make this place feel a bit more like home.

Here’s the thing: painting an entire 700 sq ft apartment, including the ceilings, is not something that I would like to do twice, let alone painting each room a slightly different gray-blue. I also would feel bad for the next tenants. We were very disappointed when we moved in and realized the walls were this color, but we only had ourselves to blame for not realizing. I would be upset to lease expecting white paint, and then move in to this color.

I think it’s honestly very reasonable if we requested to paint it white and leave it white when we leave. There’s a lot of poor patch jobs left from previous tenants, which we would also fix while doing prep.

Any tips for approaching the property managers about this?

Event: A family gathering at a nice restaurant to celebrate a wedding. The wedding is very small (<10), and out of state, so this is for the entire family to get together in place of a reception.

Dress code: Was formerly expressed to me as “nice, but not fancy” and “church wear, like nice jeans.” I was nervous, so I double checked and turns out it’s “formal, like a step below a suit”

Added context: I am the long term partner of the bride’s cousin. This is a very large dinner, and after looking up the venue I got nervous about the dress code I was told. I am unsurprised to learn that it’s formal, but don’t think I have anything that fits that dress code. Going shopping is almost not an option but I might abandon everything else I had going on today. My partner has decided to just wear a suit, which makes my options even more underdressed. I do have a couple of black tie options from my sister’s wedding, but one of them is too big, and the other is a little too sexy 🫣.

Do any of these come even close to working?

Side note: Sorry about the hair and lack of heels! Heel options are tan or black sandal style heels, I took these photos before I knew the dress code was actually formal.

I recently made a post showing the results of one application of MCT oil, and figured that I would give an update. It’s actually only been 9 days, but I am busy tomorrow and I don’t think there will be much change 😅🫣.

Application technique: I use a dropper bottle for a better saturation, such as when I am applying before a shower. For use during the day, I put my hair up and use a minoxidil applicator. I prefer this because it only gets roots of the hair in that area greasy. I have been applying it pretty much every day, more on that later.

Other consistent treatment: Ketoconazole 2% shampoo, applied every other hair wash or every three washes. Amazon off-brand T-gel shampoo, applied every three washes.

Previous treatment: Just about every psoriasis and seb derm treatment besides biologics. Seriously!

Okay now that the housekeeping is done, here’s how I’ve been liking the MCT oil. It still feels like a miracle! I am 10 years into having psoriasis and seb derm, and really did not think I would ever have a clear scalp like this. I have been seeing insane improvement in how many scales I get, redness, and itchiness.

You may notice a couple spots that I have picked at today 😅. I actually decided to retry pyrithione zinc shampoo based on seeing people have good results on this sub. My dermatologist said that it caused more irritation years ago, but since then I realized how much fragrance is a problem for me. I got my hands on the Cera Ve dandruff product, thinking that maybe fragrance was always the issue. It’s not and caused a lot of dryness and itchiness today. Let it be a lesson to listen to your dermatologists! Lol.

The MCT results are much better when I use it daily. When I apply it, it provides immediate relief to itching and dryness. Without it, it’s still much better than before, but the sandpaper feeling from psoriasis does come back. I definitely do need to get my insurance sorted and get back in with a dermatologist, but it’s really not an option right now. This is a lifesaver.

Mini Addition: My partner has seb derm on/in their ears, and around their eyes. It helps them too!

Photos: Before (mild flare up), After leaving overnight, A few hours after washing out.

This stuff is a miracle for me. I have been struggling with combined Seb derm & psoriasis for 10 years. You can’t see very well in the photos, it extends through the entire back of my head and behind my ears. I’ve tried almost every possible med besides biologics. This significantly cleared me up, reduced my itching by about half, and the flakes are more minimal now.

My routine is prescription Ketoconazole shampoo, glycolic acid toner (will be swapped out for salicylic acid when the bottle runs out), generic T-Gel, and the Ordinary’s Hydrating Factors serum.

I am celebrating so much now. Just one application did more than any treatment I’ve tried before. Maybe I can actually make progress now! I would have never tried this stuff without this subreddit, so thank you all so much!

I currently am redesigning my space a bit to make this bedroom a bit more functional, intentional, and aesthetically pleasing. I “rendered” the changes in Paralives to hopefully get some better feedback.

Total planned changes are:
- 8 x 10 rug (bought secondhand, currently treating for pests just in case)
- Low profile bed frame
- New laundry baskets
- Centering the bed frame - it currently is not centered so that we can open the closet door all the way. We decided we would rather have balance than to a door that can fully open 😅.
- Changing out our lamps for wall sconces - the cat is obsessed with lamps and will ruin any lampshades as pictured in the before
- Swapping the curtains out with cream toned ones from another room, and mounting the curtain rod a little lower for a less aggressive gap between the curtains and the floor

The DIY Headboard:

- Two bookshelves, one 9 ft long wooden plank, and a faux wooden or hand painted mural backing.

We’d like a more built in look that makes the room appear larger. A headboard horizontally across the midline of the room will trick the eye into thinking the room is wider. I love the idea of using two bookshelves, a mural or plain backing, and a shelf on top. This creates extra storage, is much cheaper than buying a headboard of this size, and would be easy to take apart and move to the next place.

Originally, I had the shelves going a little over 1/3 up the wall. This was visually balanced, but as I was thinking it out I realized we’d have difficulty sitting up in bed. I like having the wooden plank there so that we don’t have to mount our projector (a projector looming over your head is not a great feeling when sleeping).

Option 1: Low Bookcases with Same Peel & Stick
- the bookshelves within budget at these dimensions would require contact paper already, so that same contact paper would be put on a board behind the bed against the wall. The projector looms overhead.

Option 2: Tall Bookcases in the original color from Ikea. These bookcases are a bit more expensive than Option 1, but look far less cheap. The projector can sit safely on the shelf above us. I feel as though the blue color minimizes the lengthening effect a bit.

Option 3: Tall bookcases from Ikea painted to match the bed frame. Slightly more lengthened, but more work.