reclaimedhome.com
Finally.One Hanson
January 29, 2010

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After a short holiday hiatus, Reclaimed Home will finally be returning to the world of winter fleadom. Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson (aka The Willamsburgh Savings Bank) has been packed to the rafters with vendors, but they managed to squeeze me in for this Sunday.

So, come visit! I’ll be in space #35. That’s the gorgeous main floor. There are 3 levels of vintage and handmade vendors, plus I think they are adding some more food vendors this week!

  posted @ 6:43 am Comments (2)
Thursday Linkorama
January 28, 2010

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Kitchen Upgrades from DIY Kits. This Old House

10 DIY Tips for Kids. Charles and Hudson

Wallpaper by NYer Cartoonist. Retro Renovation

Stainless Appliances. In or Out? Hooked on Houses

Williamsburg Marketplace Tour. Apartment Therapy

  posted @ 7:31 am Comments (0)
Celebrity Crafty Kitsch Craziness
January 27, 2010

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Kitsch is awesome, but kitsch plus pop culture kicks ass! I’m lovin’ these crafty items I found.

The Johnny Cash switch plate is only $8 on Etsy. It’s just the most fabulous photo ever.

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Once upon a time I found a crocheted Elvis at a tag sale for $7 and sold him at the flea market for $120. I still regret letting him go. If you can crochet, here’s a pattern for ya!

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As if the thought of Adam Lambert isn’t horrific enough, check out this scary embroidered portrait. There’s a how-to on the Craftster forum if you must have one.

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Um, maybe I should have titled this post “Scary Celebrity Crafts”.  Zombie M.J. and E.T. Did they have a thing? It’s a spray paint stencil and silkscreen for $80.

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And what pop culture collection would be complete without the Liberace prayer candle? $15 on Etsy.

  posted @ 7:44 am Comments (4)
Reclaimed Radiators
January 26, 2010

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FYI, There’s a Canadian company called Ecorad that converts antique steam and water radiators into modern electric systems. Imagine not having to look at those Home Depot baseboards! And it’s green because they’re recycling the radiators.

The drawbacks?  Well, they’re in Canada, for one. Cost is $475 per radiator transformation. Shipping to US would probably cost more than that. Electric heat, although cleaner than oil or gas, is the most expensive way to go.

On the other hand, they sure are pretty!

On the other hand, you can go to a salvage place and install an antique radiator of your choice. Below is my hallway masterpiece in Bed Stuy, under $200.

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Via Planet Green

  posted @ 7:55 am Comments (4)
Saving Bradbury
January 25, 2010

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Jeez Louise, what we are going through to save some Bradbury wallpaper border that we don’t even like!

We have some major plaster work going down in our dining room at the moment. Unfortunately, the ceiling wasn’t worth saving, so we laminated and lost the border up there. We even contacted Bradbury to see if there was a way to steam it off and reuse it, but they didn’t recommend that.

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In any case, we were determined to keep the wall border alive and well. It took the better part of a day to prep the room for plastering and painting. Between covering the paper, the mantel and all of the wood moldings, it doesn’t look like there’s a hell of a lot of wall space left to work on.

After all is said and done, the border will lose 1-2 inches because we’ll have to put molding on the top and bottom since we don’t want to go near it with the plaster.

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By the way, of course what we thought would be a simple “chasing out a few cracks and plastering” turned into a nightmare. It will most likely need a skim coat now, not to be done by us as we are not master plasterers. We found out that it’s not so easy to find hardcore plaster supplies in this neck of the woods (Beacon). Must be something to do with the renovation vs. restoration thing. Crappy new sheetrock for everyone!

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PS: How much do I love my new scaffolding?

  posted @ 7:55 am Comments (1)
Brooklyn Tours. Yeah, That’s Right.
January 22, 2010

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We all know that Brooklyn is the new Manhattan. Just ask Stacey Toussaint and Sheila Collins. They revere their native borough so much that they started up a business taking tourists to untouristy destinations.

Inside Out Tours offers bus and walking tours of Afro-Caribbean neighborhoods, gospel churches, Underground Railroad stops, urban farms and of course The Brooklyn Brewery. Because what tour would be complete without beer?

I think it’s a great idea. I’m just jealous I didn’t come up with it first. So, I have to mock.

* “Sample ethnic cuisine.”

Where are these tourists from? The mid-west or something?

* “Hang out with hipsters in Brooklyn’s trendiest and hottest neighborhoods.”

Oops, just puked in my mouth.

* “Enter a historic brownstone.”

Hey, can you bring them over to my house? They can help restore a historic brownstone!

Actually, it sounds like fun. Maybe they can hire me to give the Jewey Brooklyn tour.

Lifted from Brokelyn.

  posted @ 8:10 am Comments (2)
Hire “Our Victorian House” Guy!
January 21, 2010

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Last we checked on Craig and Yvonne’s Victorian House, it was on the market for $799k. Well, it looks like it’s still up for grabs. Down to $699k. Totally worth every penny, but alas…still not affordable for the likes of moi.

But here’s the good news! Craig has gone pro. Blackstone Architectural Restoration LLC works in Central Jersey. There’s not much on their website yet, but hello, have you seen his house? I’d say this guy does meticulous work.

Check out the video walk through of their house. It will bring tears to your eyes.

  posted @ 6:52 am Comments (2)
More Shopping for Haiti.
January 20, 2010

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Bored of all the talk about Haiti donations yet? Well, stop your bitching. You’re alive and well and you have a home and family. Or at least a computer.

Congratulations to Laura of Shore Chic for placing the winning bid on the necklace I was auctioning off. Yeah, she’s the same Laura I stole the idea from. It went for $50 and I’m matching her $50. Sooo,$50+$50=$100.

But I was thinking. I could’ve done more.

Etsy doesn’t have the wonderful software that allows the seller to automatically donate a percentage of the sale to a charity of their choice. But Ebay does! And so yesterday I performed the excruciating task of opening an Ebay store. I spent most of the day working on it and ended up posting only 10 listings. Plus, it doesn’t look pretty yet.

It. Is. The. Most. Boring. Thing. In. The. World. To. Do.

Anyway, 15% of any Ebay sale goes to Doctors Without Borders. Furthermore, since it’s going to take me forever to upload everything, so check out the Etsy or Reclaimed Store and let me know if there’s anything you want me to post on Ebay.

Oh, but wait! There’s more! Check out Jean’s auction over at Renovation Therapy! She’s auctioning off a handmade bad, a Pucci journal and a Grey Gardens keychain. All to benefit Red Cross.

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  posted @ 7:53 am Comments (2)
Goodbye Kings Plaza Cinemas
January 19, 2010

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Yikes! The Kings Plaza Cinemas are closed! And what is taking it’s place? A Best Buy! What’s next? Kings Plaza Diner? Maybe they can make that into a Starbucks.

I was catching up on my blog reading yesterday and I’d like to thank Brooklynometry for bumming me out with this news.

Ok, so I haven’t been to Kings Plaza in a while and it’s been YEARS since I’ve seen a movie there. In fact, the last time I did, there were only two large screens. At the time of the closing this year, they were a sixplex.

The last movie I saw there was probably Rocky or something of that era (although I know I saw Rocky on Avenue U). That doesn’t matter. I just liked knowing it was there!

  posted @ 7:34 am Comments (6)
MLK Day.
January 18, 2010

  posted @ 9:01 am Comments (0)

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