home is where the heart is...

i recently checked out the book "apartment therapy." the book is written by the guy who runs www.apartmentherapy.com. here is a little about the book -

"From not enough space and too many things to not knowing what color to paint the living room walls, many of us struggle with our homes. Now Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, frequent makeover expert on HGTV’s Mission: Organization and Small Spaces, Big Style, shares the do-it-yourself strategies that have enabled his clients and fans to transform their apartments into well-organized, beautiful places that suit their style and budget.

Week by week, Apartment Therapy will guide you to treat common problems, eliminate clutter, and revamp even the tiniest space. Here is an eight-step process that includes:

• A therapeutic questionnaire to help you get in touch with your personal taste and diagnose your home’s physical, emotional, and energy flow issues
• A prescription with recommendations for each room based on your needs and lifestyle–including tips on how to use color, lighting, and accessories
• A treatment plan, including regular maintenance schedules to ensure the ongoing health of your space
• Illustrations of floor plans and decorative examples that allow you to visualize concepts before you begin

With surprising ease and without elaborate professional help, Apartment Therapy will help you clear a path through disorder and indecision–to reveal a home you’ll love."

i've known about the blog for quite some time and have always been interested. it's funny because i very much believe that your environment affects you. whether you are in a cube, stuffy old house or bland school...you are affected by your surroundings. yet, i do very little to make sure my home makes me happy. between having limited disposable income (or at least after buying my thrift store finds and eating out), not knowing how to fix anything and simply laziness...i do little to better my home and often don't enjoy it. so i'm taking some steps to change that behavior or at least reading a book about it.

but the point of my post is...www.apartmenttherapy.com has a yearly contest for the smallest, coolest apartment. wow...people do some creative things. granted i don't live in a small apartment in a big city but i'm always amazed by people's creative. anyway, just passing it along - i figure we can all use a little inspiration.