Hey there! I know, I know. It’s been awhile. Yes, I’ve definitely given up on blogging. Who reads blogs anymore when we can just look at pretty pictures, watch video or get the info from 140 characters or less? Reading and writing skills are soooo yesterday, man!

Oh yeah, Happy New Year! Yeah, 2017 is gonna suck as much as 2016. Let’s try to carry on like or lives and jobs matter. With that being said, I wanted to give you an update on Reclaimed Home.

It’s been a year since the brick and mortar shop closed. Happy Anniversary! Life since has gone according to plan, or something within that range. Sold a house in Queens, bought one in The Bronx. Funny thing about the Bronx house though. It was NOT a fixer upper. It was some developer’s idea of a flip. I know not to buy flips, but it seemed to make sense and it still does, but I’m totes ripping it apart and putting it back together because they did a sucky renovation.

Perhaps there may be a blog post or two filling y’all in on re-renovation deets, but I’m here to tell you to follow Reclaimed Home on other social media venues.

Instagram. I can just snap pics with my phone and write hashtags. What’s not to love? This is mostly about restoration, salvage and renovations, but maybe sometimes food or new haircuts might find it’s way in. Oh yeah, and pets. Lots of pets!

Pinterest. I definitely keep this strictly business. Totally house related, plus there are separate boards, so you can unfollow if I’m posting anything annoying.

Facebook. Used to be set up to post blog updates, but since I never update my blog, I use it to share other people’s blog post. Some overlaps with Instagram or other social media sites.

YouTube. Every now and then I may post a video to YouTube. I probably won’t be doing much of that since I’m no longer blogging regularly.

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Seriously, who needs to blog anymore when there are social media options where one can write a few words or merely post a photo? But hey, I’m a chatty person and sometimes I feel like writing a few paragraphs, so here I am.

How you been doin’?

So, the news. No, I haven’t been sitting around eating bon-bons nor have I gotten a full time job (heaven forbid!). When we last left off, I was fixing up the Rockaway house to put on the market. Done and done. Four days on the market and some surfer chick/hat designer/art director snapped it up. I’m now just waiting to close which will hopefully be next week.

So, I started looking whilst in contract because I have to do this 1031 exchange thing for tax purposes. Hopefully since I’m inspired at the moment and have time to kill before closing on the new place (yup), I can explain what the hell a 1031 is in another post.

Suffice it to say, because of said 1031, I needed to find another property to purchase quickly. Yada, yada (again: deserves it’s own post), looks like the next project will be in The Bronx!

So cross you fingers for me that I’ll be going into contract on the 1899 two family frame that needs a whole lotta tender loving care from the basement right on up to the roof!

See ya next time.

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Finally! The Rockaway house is vacant and spruced up once again after 3 years of dweller wear and tear. It’s going on the market right this second because if I waited for every little detail to be finished, it would be 2020. I so wanted to finish the basement, but I’ll leave that as an option for the purchaser. Either I can do it for a higher price or they can finish it.

A few new painting techniques and Ikea hacks. Whaddya think? Who wants to buy it?

The Ikea Maskros pendant lamps in the living room above didn’t hold up so well after 3 years. The paper “flowers” totally wilted. I was bummed to find out that Ikea doesn’t offer replacements, you have to buy a whole new fixture. F dat! I stole someone’s ping pong ball idea online and I’m lovin’ it! Ten bucks for a bag o’ balls.

This mudroom had a simple painted plywood floor that needed refreshing. I used a damask stencil that I happened to have lying around. Because plywood isn’t smooth, it came out a bit sloppy. What’s the solution to sloppy? Distress, distress, distress! After some sanding, it looks like I meant to do that.

Guess what? The pipes froze this year. And burst. Luckily, I was there to know they had broken because I was unthawing them with a heat gun in the basement when the water starting pouring out. Emergency plumber guy had to break through the walls in the bathroom. The pipes WERE insulated, but sadly the insulation had shifted. Insulation is now taped on and not going anywhere. I lost my original wall technique which I wasn’t in love with anyway. The new copper patina matches the copper sink.

There’s still loads of touch ups and basement and exterior tidying, so it’s not open house worthy yet. But appointments. Appointments I can do.

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Happy New Year a month late! Sorry about the lack of communication, but the end of 2015 was swamped and I needed some time to regroup.

You may be wondering what’s cooking in the Reclaimed Home pot. Well, there’s the plan and then there’s the reality. The plan was to take a couple of weeks off to relax and then get cracking on freshening up the investment property in Rockaway. I took about a week off, then started on some custom jobs for other folks. So Rockaway, not quite happening yet, although I’m using it as my work space.

Do I miss the shop? Just the people, not the daily routine of being there. I’m enjoying the freedom even though I’m busy. At least I have the flexibility to make my own hours again. Still doing the same work for clients on furniture, so that’s the same. But there’s also renovations which make me feel so macho. Lovin it!

Rockaway house goes on the market this Spring. Hopefully it will sell and then the plan is to purchase another property for rehab. It may be a flip or I may want to sit around and eat bonbons while being a slumlord for a few years.

Whatever the case, I’ll do my best to keep some informative posts going. Social media has killed the blog, at least for me anyway. Hell, I’d rather take a picture or write a couple of words than make any real effort. Oh, gotta go…my bonbon delivery is here! Laters.

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Let’s get our holidays on, kids! The 2015 Crown Heights Holiday Stroll is coming at ya on Saturday, December 19th! There are seven venues participating this year on both the north and south sides of Eastern Parkway. We’ll each have sales, events and/or refreshments planned throughout the day.

There will be raffle prizes from everyone! Each venue is expected to donate a $25+ prize. Shoppers get a free raffle ticket with each $25 purchase, so multiple purchases mean multiple tickets.

Tintype on Parquet

Reclaimed Home has donated a tintype backed on painted 6×6 parquet tile as our prize. It’s ready to hang and made from 100% recycled material.

We’ll have wine and prosecco until we run out. Also offering 10% discounts on all handmade gift items.

And then there’s this:

It’s a tough thing to juggle closing down the shop while rockin the holiday season, but anything that is not handmade and not claimed by Reclaimed Home or friends of Reclaimed Home needs to go. In other words, MASSIVE liquidation sale going on all weekend long! So, please do try to stop by to at least toast us out as Sunday, December 20th will be our last day open to the public.

Cute gift cards from Lady J!

Whats going at at Lady J +1? Stop by on Stroll Saturday and enjoy a free sample of Tay Tea while you shop.

For the raffle they will be donating a gift card to the store in the amount of $30.

Owl & Thistle will be raffling a $25 gift card or gift box.

Shoestring Press is raffling off $30 gift certificate. They will have a Kids and Families Workshop running from 2-4, in which they teach parents and children together how to make prints of various kinds. They’ll also have members working all day (and happy to talk to passerby about their art and printmaking in general), and their wide and weird selection of art by members, affordably priced and ready to take home.

Also participating:

Butter & Scotch

Suzette Lavalle

Lifestyle Statement

Elements Athletics pulled out of the event after the above flyer was created if you’re scratching your head over seeing 8 participants on the flyer but only 7 here.

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Happy Holiday Season!

Oy, it’s been hectic over here at Reclaimed Home. If you’ve been neglectful of reading past emails, you may be surprised to learn that we will no longer be at 945 Carroll as of the end of this month.

Yes, we are closing the shop. It wasn’t a matter of raised rents or slow business. We’re not being pushed out. We are not sad. In fact, having a retail storefront was never a dream, it was more of a whim. Fortunately, the store lease was only two years. We gave it a go and decided it wasn’t our schtick. We’ll miss you all and thank you for being part of our live for the past couple of years.

Which brings us to sales and events.

Here’s the thing. We will still be rockin the holidays big time with our small handmade gift items. We’re still creating them and they will be available after the death of the brick and mortar through our online shop and at craft shows. Actually, all you have to do is go around the corner to Owl and Thistle for our upcycled smalls because they will be taking on some inventory!

But let’s start with the discounts.

Other than the handmades we still have a shitload of merch in the shop that needs to disappear before the end of the month. In fact, it would be nice if it was before Christmas so we can just chillax. That’s why we are starting to slash prices and take best offers starting NOW. Not everything is online, especially smaller tschotskes, so swing by this coming weekend or set up an appointment to dig through stuff in the back or basement during the week. You can see a sampling on EstateSales.net. This is an ongoing sale until the end of the month. We’ve discounted items but there may still be more wiggle room on some. Just ask!

Now for some holiday cheer…

Save the date for the Crown Heights Holiday Stroll on December 19th! We’re joining Owl and Thistle, Lady J Jewelry, Elements Athletics and probably a few more. Details haven’t been finalized yet, but like last year, shops will be raffling off items, having sales and offering refreshments (some of us, anyway). There will be a separate email for that one, but it’s definitely the 19th and if you’re around you definitely have to come say goodbye as the 20th will be our last official day at the store.

Hope to see some of your punims helping us clear out!

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Hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving without too much drama. After having worked my arse off for the Small Business Saturday event and going right back to the shop on Sunday (Big thanks to those who came out!!), I am spending the day working from home in my pajamas.

You too? Or perhaps your body is at work but your mind is not there?

In any case, it’s Cyber Monday. Here’s a 10% off coupon code for today only at Reclaimed Home online. If you’re local and it’s giving you shipping costs, just shoot me a convo and I’ll deduct that if you want to pick up. It’s even good for gift certificates if you really don’t want to put the effort in. But keep in mind that we will no longer be a brick and mortar as of the end of December…so the gift certificate will only be good for small handmade items at the start of 2016.

CODE: CYBERMONDAY2015

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Stuck in Brooklyn for Thanksgiving weekend? By Saturday (November 28), you’ll have had enough of the family and leftovers. It’s time to get out and get in on those sales! What sales, you ask? Well, we shop owners in Crown Heights are brewing up a little shindig for you.

Reclaimed Home is excited to be a part of Small Business Saturday in Crown Heights again this year. Last year we did it on a smaller scale, but for 2015, we’ve teamed up with a bunch of business on BOTH sides of Eastern Parkway.

Every participating business will feature an event. It may be a sale or a DIY workshop or a tasting or all of the above. Follow the Facebook page for updates and shop links.

The fun at Reclaimed Home starts as soon as we open the doors at 11am on the 28th. Here’s what we’ll be up to:

10% discount on all merch
Silent auction (10% does not apply)
Make an offer sale (10% does not apply)
DIY crafting table
Free booze

Hope to see you there!

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 Mug $15

Happy Back to the Future Day! Missing a piece of classic pop nostalgia in your home? No worries. There’s plenty of cool stuff on Etsy.

No home should be without a Crispen Glover prayer candle. No home! $8.99

How about a Flux Capacitor Illuminated Sign for $65?

Lamp complete with DeLorean and Clock Tower $74.95

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Oh my! The holidays are almost upon us and our work area is too cluttered to create our glorious handmade one of a kind gifty items. Check it out: Clearance Sale, y’all!

NYC Hookrug. Just came in but putting it in sale. $45 

Up for grabs (cheap) will be as-is merch from multiple estates that were purchased over the years and ended up in boxes in the basement or work area. We seriously have to clear this stuff out because WE ARE NOT RENEWING LEASE AS OF 2016!!!

Set of 4 vintage Arvin metal chairs. $25 each as-is.

So, items that never made it onto the sales floor are what this sale is all about. As-is furniture, tschotskes, artwork, kitsch thangs, lumber and found objects. We’ll also be marking down older items that we’ve had for awhile. Not enough? Let’s do 10% off newer items too!

Tons of tschotskes $1-5. Fill up a box and let’s make a deal, Monte!

Once we paint this coffee table, it will be at least $150. Yours as-is for $45!

Sale is at the shop this Friday 11am-5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. Hope to see you there!

Estate Sales link

Flickr link

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Reclaimed Home is a vendor on the new site. So, what is our take away? Some kinks need to be worked out. As a seller, uploading products is (How do we put this gently?) a pain in the ass. As of this writing, only 3 listings are viewable and the image isn’t showing up on one of them. Granted, only two of those listings were actually uploaded before launch, so it’s most likely our fault that we waited until it was live to upload in a frenzied state.

Etsy has lost some folks recently due to their decision to accept non-handmade vendors. On the other hand, it seems like lost of sellers aren’t embracing Amazon because of the higher fees. Us? We like to throw things out there and see what sticks. Hey, if it sells on Amazon as opposed to Etsy, we feel like they’ve earned the fee.

As a shopper, the site looks like a cross between Amazon and Etsy. Well, what did you expect? The benefits of shopping at Amazon over Etsy would be one stop shopping, most likely. You can purchase a sink drain and artisan vintage inspired apron all in the same transaction. Some vendors can offer free shipping through Prime or have their goods sent out directly through Amazon. On the other hand, the Etsy experience is between you and the artist.

Etsy won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. There’s enough room for plenty of handmade products. At the very least, perhaps the marketing of handmade by a mega company is exactly what each country needs to wean them off the import habit.

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Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturday: 11am-6pm
Sunday: 11am-6pm

Prices will be LOW! We do not want to schlep this stuff back downstairs. On the other hand, we didn’t really leave room to negotiate so please be nice. ALSO!! Lots of store merchandise will be marked down as well. #MAKEROOMFORNEWSTUFF!

Here’s an idea of pricing…

*Chairs that need seats. $25+
*Light fixtures that need to be rewired. $30+
*Table bases and legs. $15-$65
*Table tops that don’t really match said bases and legs $20
*Ugly end tables that need some updating. $15+
*Tschotskes from the shop that we’re getting tired of looking at: $5-10
*Tacky Artwork $10-$15

Check out our Flickr album for more images. Here’s the Facebook event page.

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Ok, this one is for all of you DIY project bargain hunters out there! Our storage basement is OUT OF CONTROL! It’s completely cluttered with projects that we haven’t gotten to and we now realize that we probably never will at this location. It is time to purge.

Get ready for the basement clean out as-is sale! Comin’ atcha July 31, August 1 and August 2.

What’s on offer?

*Chairs that need caning
*Reclaimed lumber
*Light fixtures that need to be rewired
*Table bases and legs
*Table tops that don’t really match said bases and legs
*Ugly side tables that need some refreshing
*Tschotskes from the shop that we’re getting tired of looking at

Expect updates and photos as we drag stuff up from the basement, but know this….everything will be priced to get it the eff out of there. Here is the Facebook event page.

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Soooo, notice that it was quiet here for awhile? That’s because I was in Morocco. ‘Twas a vacation but of course I chose that region for it’s architectural style and antiques. Schlepping around Marrakech in the boiling temperatures while being tourist-harassed wasn’t fun, but I think I’ve come back with enough cool ideas to have made it worthwhile.

Firstly, I want to recommend the amazing hotel that made the heat and harassment bearable. Our (Hubby and I) original plan was to sign up with an off-the-beaten-path tour and trek though the desert on camels staying in tents and such. Then I realized “summer”. Since the price for these rough tours are not cheap, Diva here came up with a brilliant plan to stay in a quality Marrakech hotel with concierge service that would arrange our trips and dinners.

Enter Riad Kniza in the old medina. The Moroccan owner is also a tour guide and antiques dealer so the choice was a no brainer. A few back and forth emails with them prior to booking and they set us up for overnights in different areas and included transportation, some meals and massage with our room package. All for the same price of suffering through the desert. The place was gorgeous. And air conditioned. It was wise to choose a riad with a highly rated restaurant because we ate here most of the time. Marrakech restaurants were not all that impressive as far as vegetarian fare.

We didn’t come across markets full of glorious antiques, nor did we see much architectural salvage. One theory is that the artisans still exist, so it’s easy enough and inexpensive enough to recreate historic masterpieces. Personally, I was trying to figure out a cheater way to reproduce this stuff myself.

Who doesn’t love Moroccan tile? You know when you buy mosaic tiles in the U.S. and they come on 12 x 12 mesh sheets? Well, mosaics are old school in Morocco. Each piece is hand cut and placed into the design. Tedious work! We came across this abandoned building in the middle of town and wanted to rip the tiles from the wall to bring home with us.

Tile and hand painting

If there is something that is just as fabulous as the tiles, it’s the hand painted wood ceilings and plaster detail. These boards were painted before installation but even still….lotsa work! Nowadays people can replicate the look with wallpaper as seen in some super duper Victorian renovations.

These ceilings got me thinking that I can make up panels of wallpaper or less extensive painting for future installation. It won’t be cost effective but it will be fabulous!

Even the modern lighting is meticulously cut by hand. At least that’s what we were told by this fairly expensive (even by U.S. standards) shop. The thing is, there are similar, less expensive lights in loads of souks, so it makes it difficult to justify paying for something that looks the same. Not sure if the mass produced lights are even mass produced. They could very well be hand made also. It’s all cheap labor, no matter how talented the labor is.

Finally, there’s the plaster and carved woodwork. We did come across some souks that were selling these but didn’t want to ship or schlep back. The carved wood panels are used to cover electrical and plumbing work instead of ugly Home Depot metal panel doors like we have here.

So now I either need to renovate my house again or buy another one so I can do Moroccan designs. Or….you can hire me to do it in your place so I get it out of my system.

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In the tradition of over stretching ourselves, we’re going to be in two places at once this weekend.

Well, the first place is the shop. But here’s what’s so special about that…. We’re offering a 20% off on everything in the shop for The Total Crown Heights Immersion. Not taking part in the immersion? No worries. It’s too complicated to offer the discount to some, so we’re offering it to everyone! The immersion is on Saturday, but why not keep the discounts going the whole weekend?

On Sunday, we’ll be taking part in a pop up shop at Delia’s Lounge in Bay Ridge. It’s 12-5, so come, get drunk and spend all your money. Delia’s makes fun cocktails with umbrellas and plastic animals and stuff!! Apart from us, there will be some other extreeeemely talented makers there. The guy who owns Delia’s IS Brooklyn Bowls, so there’s that. Also participating is Reuse America, Urban Chandy, Yarona Jewelry Designs and Circa Vintage House.

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