Screw Driver Bottle Stopper. $18
Today is Blog Action Day and the theme is global warming. Perhaps I wrote a “Winterize Your Home” post in the past, but since I have no memory, I thought it would be fitting to share my tips.
It’s only October, but it feels like winter. Especially since we didn’t have much of a summer this year. Whether you’re a homeowner or renter, it’s always a good idea to be prepared for the cold weather. It will keep you warm and save you (or your landlord) money.
1. Take the friggin air conditioners out of the windows already! You folks are like those people who leave their Christmas decorations up until Easter. The window units create a draft.
2. Any other drafts? Well, what are you waiting for? Insulate! You can rent equipment to blow insulation into your walls and attic. Seal around window and molding gaps with Great Stuff or fiberglass. Just do it. It’s not a big deal. Totally a DIY job.
3. The plumbing! Turn off outdoor hoses and insulate cold basement pipes. Trust me, I know from experience. They will freeze and the pipes will burst. It’s not pretty. If you have a weekend place, turn off the water when you’re not there.
4. Check your boiler. Admittedly, I never do this. And admittedly, I’ve been stuck without heat for a day or two in the middle of winter.
5. Clean your gutters. I’ll let you wait until autumn is over for this one. But do it before the big freeze!
6. Stock up on eco-friendly salt. How many times have I run out of my pet safe salt only to run to the bodega and buy that toxic crap? Lots. Not this year. Ok, maybe just once.
7. Do you have storm windows? Granted, there may be a couple of sunny days left in store, but you can start getting them ready.
8. Program your thermostat. No need to have the heat at full blast when nobody is home. If you don’t have a 5-7 day programmable thermostat, this is the year to get one.
Jonathan Adler is my hero. In this video, the New Jersey born interior designer gives us a tour of his Barbie Malibu Dream House.OMG, it would make me so happy to live in a home like this! Unfortunately, my husband would never go for it. Did I ever mention how he won’t let me paint the exterior of our house pink? The bastard!
Anyway, that Barbie sunburst?! Tears came to my eyes when I saw that! And believe you me, I have enough Barbies to make one of my own. Hubby be damned!
The Barbie chair? I gasped aloud when he turned it around to reveal the back.
The chandelier? Ok, I already kvelled over that one in a previous post.
Now mind you, I never played with Barbies. The few I might have come across in my youth, I tore apart. Much like I do now. But I’m obsessed with transformed Barbies. Why is that? Who cares? I’m gonna go make me a sunburst mirror.
Video stolen from Retro Renovation.
A couple of apartments for rent in Beacon, plus a Brooklyn share.
A Beacon realtor buddy is trying to post his own rentals on Craigs and some asswipe keeps flagging him. They are no fee, by owner. Owner is the realtor and he must disclose that fact by law. But really….they are no fee!
Ok, I’m cutting and pasting the descriptions, so don’t shoot the messenger.
2 bedroom, 1 bath. First Floor in Victorian home. Hardwood floors. Close to Metro North and Main Street. $1,100 + utilities. Available November 1st.
2 Bedroom with office. Centrally located 3rd Floor Main Street apartment. Updated kitchen & bath, hardwood floors throughout, exposed brick, deck off kitchen. Charm & Character. Rent includes heat & hot water. $1500.
Call Jon directly @ 845-453-8049 for either Beacon apartment.
Down in Bed Stuy, another buddy is having a hard time finding a roommate. It’s Olivia from Supervegan! Who doesn’t want to live with a super vegan?
It’s a temporary share available November 1-March 31st. You would have a choice of 2 rooms. It’s $650 per month and right around the corner from me (the super lacto ovo vegetarian).
Olivia has a page up with all the info.
This list has been done a gazillion times, but here’s my own version.
You know you’re a New Yorker when…..
Dinner is only a phone call away.
You have more packets of duck sauce and soy sauce in your fridge than food.
You have to walk in the street because people on the sidewalk are moving too slow.
Yiddish is your second language.
Manicured lawns, American flags and a sea of white faces scares the bejesus out of you.
You know when your neighbors are arguing or having sex.
Only other New Yorkers can understand you. Anyone who moved here after 1985 is a tourist.
You don’t need to pay for internet because you can steal any one of your neighbor’s.
You miss opportunities because you can’t lose your parking spot.
You are a bagel connoisseur.
You refuse to stop for pedestrians in those crosswalks outside of the city, but if it’s you walking, you just go and expect cars to stop. Because you’re a New Yorker.
If the gym is more than 3 blocks from your house, you ain’t joining.
You prefer to sit on your stoop than in your backyard.
A stoop? A backyard? What’s that? I live in a shoebox on the 16th floor!
With the holidays just around the corner, I’m starting to think about small, gifty merch. I had fun yesterday creating pendants out of found objects. Maybe I’ll even do my own advertising and wear them. If I ever left the house.
The Bewitched House. Hooked on Houses
BB does Bed Stuy. Brooklyn Based
That 70′s House. Retro Renovation
Brooklyn Has Fleas. Daily News
New Kitchen Stuff. Kitchen Designer
It seems like a lifetime ago that I posted part 1 of the Eco Brooklyn interview. This one needed editing and I finally got around to doing it. Can’t say I did a great job, but it’s done. Forget the fact that the house is probably finished by now and there are probably people living there. I said I’d upload the rest and I came through.
YouTube link
Yes, I stood out in the rain to do the Brooklyn Flea on Saturday. Let’s not focus on that. Instead, let’s talk dolls. As I was setting up, I saw these fascinating beings and dropped everything to run over and have a closer look. Suprina of 2nd Souls creates sculptures from found objects that belong in galleries and museums, not at flea markets where people say “Uh, would you take $25 for that?”
I did the Dumbo market on Sunday and guess who was my next door neighbor? Suprina! I was all like “Yeah, go get something to eat. I’ll watch your stuff.” So, I got to spend the day looking at these awesome creatures and chatting with my long lost sister from the Planet of Discarded Dolls.
An interior designer by day, she only recently started focusing on her art work. She is drawn to society’s castaways and reincarnates these abandoned objects so they can live amongst us once again. The little sculptures start at around $45. Something more elaborate carries a $1500 price tag. Suprina also does customized portraits.
To make ends meet at the market, Suprina offers small reclaimed wood boxes and vases in the $30 price range. The weathered wood fits in perfectly with the battle-scarred effigies. The boxes are not up on her website yet.
The 2nd Souls site is tons of fun to visit. Lovely music and dancing dolls. Even a freaky spinning Suprina head complete with blinky eyes. One thing it’s missing though, is an online shop. You want a doll? Gotta contact Suprina. Her studio is located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and y’all welcome to stop by for a tour.
“Hot Wheel” is a self portrait.
I was loving “Chariot” priced @ $450.
I just clicked through to her web site — amazing, really, and I agree the pieces are gallery-worthy. 
New kid on the block, Squish is a small, intimate, indoor monthly market in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The next event is coming up on October 24th. It will be their third since opening their doors.
Squish features live music as well as the market. Admission is free to the public.
They are currently looking for creative vendors. A six foot table is $110 per event. You can sign up here. Spaces still available for this month.
Join the mailing list for updates!
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