Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
A couple of months ago my friend Scott made me join Facebook. Yeah, it’s fun, I waste lots of time and reconnected with some old high school buddies. I’ve been meaning to put the blog up there and I finally did last night. So, if you’re a fellow blogger, a reader or just someone who doesn’t want me to look pathetic up there, go on and friend me! Or “fan” me if that’s the only option. Please?
These Michael McHale chandeliers on Kim Valee’s site caught my eye because they are made with reclaimed pipe fittings. I can understand why the prices are outrageous…. it’s Swarovki crystal. House of European Design does similar work and hey, it’s under $3000!
WTF? Still too much? Come on, this isn’t a highly skilled DIY job here. Piece of cake. Forego the Swarovki and stick some friggin crystals and bulbs on a pipe and you’ve got yourself a fine reproduction. Hell, I’ll do it for you for a couple of hundred bucks. Who wants one? I’m taking orders.
Photo lifted from Renovation Therapy
No, I don’t mean late night clubbing. Am I showing my age? Do the young folks still call it “clubbing”? NYCWildlife.org has posted detailed information on what to do should you find injured wildlife in the city. This includes birds, squirrels and other wild mammals.
It’s a right pain in the arse to try to figure out what to do with a fledgling bird or wandering chicken when you’re in the midst of the situation. Study the list and bookmark it! Do as I say!
Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute is holding a Spruce Up Your Home Contest. One grand prize winner will receive an $8000 gift card plus an exterior paint job. Eight first place winners will receive new exterior paint. You have until February 1st to enter. Just fill out the form and let them know why you need it done. Yes, it’s an essay. No multiple choice.
This one I’ve gotta enter! My Beacon home SO needs an exterior paint job, it ain’t funny.
Did we all see this already? Forgive me. I just got to the style section today. Some innovative ideas on how students reuse trash and found objects.
Cute for plants and hats, but t’would be even better as cat beds.
I love this. I did some switch plates with old wallpaper and used gift wrap. Similar idea.
All they are showing here is that the person painted their walls red. No big whoop. I posted this photo because I wanted to show my husband that I’m not the worst painter in the world. Is that red paint on the crown molding? And they didn’t touch it up before the Times photographer came in? Come on, have some pride!
Get out! How cool is this? These igloo satellite cabins have been in use for over a quarter of a century in all sorts of climates. Each floor and wall panel is a composite of fiberglass and poly insulation.
The new Google office in Zurich has two of these that they use as “think tanks”. Why am I blogging from my cat piss house when people are working in red igloos? With 6 weeks vacation, no less! There is something wrong with this picture. Is Google hiring? Hello? Google? Hire me. I can make coffee.
Be on the lookout for a new flea market coming to the southern tip of Bed Stuy this November. The market will be across from Foodtown/Restoration Plaza on Fulton. If my guess is correct, that would be the empty lot I grabbed from Google satellite.
We’re talking a monthly market, open 7 days a week. The organizers provide tents and the rent is $1200 per month, which works out to about $40 per day. There will be approximately 50 spaces, including arts/crafts, electronics and clothing. No food.
The neighborhood is in a transitional state right now, so my feeling is that it’s pretty much anything goes as far as what would sell. There are old school brownstone owners, young hipsters, fashionable people and Sunday church ladies to name a few.
The website isn’t up yet, but if you want more info, contact Woody at 718-864-2876.
I know, I know. It’s only Tuesday and I’m cheating already.
A must read! Because it’s about me!: Shorehouse Chic
Guest book entries from hospital garden: TLDB
Bed Stuy Alive: Bed Stuy Blog
Crown Heights House Tour photos: Flickr
Dinosaurs at Ground Zero? Maybe.: City Room
How not to install an a/c: Neatorama
So, the Greenjeans Furniture Festival kicked off at the Brooklyn Flea yesterday! They had the most comfie booth at the flea yesterday….astroturf and all. There was some really great looking stuff. Well made eco-friendly designs from local craftspeople. I went around and took a few snappies and collected cards. Then I left the cards in my storage space. So please forgive my lame reporting. If you see something you like, ask Greenjeans! I think the 2 that I can’t place were Ninestories and City Joinery?? I’m going from memory here…..
Don’t remember but I love it.
Don’t remember but I love it.
There was a NY Times article last week on how to keep your computer green. They had some obvious tips, such as, unplug the darn thing when it’s not in use. But we all know to do that with every electrical appliance, right?
Here are some other fun facts and pointers:
According to the EPA, a standard PC and monitor left on all the time consumes 1,109 kilowatt-hours a year. Energy efficient refrigerators use about 514 kilowatt-hours a year.
Your computer should be set to go to sleep. Check. But FYI, screensavers may use your hard drive to power up, and photo screensavers may require use of a graphics card. The article says screensavers are a no no.
Google has a free power-management tool you can download. It will show you how much energy you can save by adjusting various settings and will make those adjustments for you in a few clicks.
Laptops are greener than desktops because they have been designed as such. But since desktops are easier to upgrade, they last longer.
According to Greenpeace, Nokia is the frontrunner in green computers.
Finally, when your computer dies, as mine is doing now, check out Computer Take Back for info on recycling.
The big event taking place around the city this weekend is Open House NY. OHNY celebrates the city’s architecture and design during the annual big weekend, but programs run throughout the year.OHNY kicks off with a launch party tonight which is $40 in advance or $50 at the door. The Saturday and Sunday events are free to the public unless you don’t feel like standing in line with the plebs, in which case you can purchase a “passport” for $150.There are tours of historic and architectural sites, concerts and dance performances, sustainability workshops and events for children. See the website for more info.And speaking of open houses, don’t forget that Crown Heights North tour I told you about!
Art Obama is a silent auction taking place tonight in the South Slope. Space is limited and pre-registration is suggested, so I may be posting too late. You can still try to get in at the door for $25.Works by over 100 artists will be auctioned off to support the Obama campaign and other Democrats. This all goes down between 7pm-10pm. Links to artists on the website.
Ethan Wolff ala “Frommer’s NYC Free & Dirt Cheap” has been answering questions on City Room about living cheaply in NYC. Since I have a bad case of PMS today, I’m just going to bitch about the questions rather than give you any real insight.
Question 1: As a recent transplant to New York City from a much more affordable city, the price of groceries has shocked me the most. What tips do you have for finding decent prices on groceries?
His answer: Trader Joes, Park Slope Food Coop, East Village Cheese, Chinatown, Shop Smart on Ludlow.
My answer: Go back to your little podunk town if you can’t handle it and stop your whining!
Question 2: Are there any classy bars where one can find inexpensive (like, $7) drinks below 34 Street during normal evening hours (like, after 8 p.m.)?
His answer: Verlaine on Rivington, Blue Owl on 2nd Ave & 12th St.
My answer: Classy? Who the F do you think you are? Jackie O? Look honey, if you can’t afford class, you’ll have to hang out at the dives with the rest of us. Holiday Cocktail Lounge: drinks are $4 any time of night. And PS….I don’t think $7 is so inexpensive. But then I’m not a classy broad.
Question 3: What are some good, cheap restaurants where you can B.Y.O.B. without paying a corkage fee (especially in the Hell’s Kitchen/Chelsea area)?
His answer: Nook, Wondee Siam or Zen Palate, all on 9th Ave. Tartine. Ivo & Lulu.
My answer: This didn’t annoy me. And woo-hoo for Zen Palate!
Question 4: Inexpensive, yet high quality theater that doesn’t require that I stand in line for hours on end? Also (am I limited to one?) cheap movie theaters in Manhattan where not everyone feels the need to yell at the screen or bring their screaming infants?
His answer: Off- and Off-Off-Broadway are your natural choices for affordable theater (I assume TKTS isn’t your speed.) You might also consider moonlighting as an usher. Alas, cheap movie theaters in Manhattan have gone the way of investment banks.
My answer: Gosh, don’t we have a lot of demands? Was Off Bway not obvious to you or is it not good enough for your high quality taste? I like the usher answer. As for movies, looks like you should get a subscription to Netflix.
Question 5: What is your favorite free or cheap place or sight in each of the five boroughs?
His answer: Manhattan: The National Museum of the American Indian. The Morgan Library. The New Museum. Governors Island
Queens: Queens Museum of Art. P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center. Socrates Sculpture Park.
Brooklyn: Green-Wood Cemetery
The Bronx: Wave Hill
Staten Island: The ferry. Snug Harbor Cultural Center. Staten Island Botanical Gardens.
My answer: Good question. Ok, you are spared my wrath. I would have added The Metropolitan Museum (suggested donation) and Coney Island boardwalk.
Louise at OTBKB posted her own list after seeing NY Magazine’s Top 10 Most Influential New Yorkers. Of course, I had to come up with my own list. These are not in any order other than the first one. They just came into my head this way. Who’s on your list??
1. Regular Folk. My neighbors, the people on the streets, in the subway, the teachers, the sanitation guys, the token clerks, the diner waitstaff, the FDNY and PDNY, the local hardware shop owner, the bus driver….you get the point. These are the people who make NYC what it is.
2. Rudolph Guiliani. Hated the guy! Hated what he did to the city. But changed the face of the city, so that makes him important.
3. Ed Koch. He’s the guy I think of when I think of the NYC I grew up in. Was he a good mayor? I was too young to have an opinion. Important? Yeah, why not?
4. Gloria Steinem. Too young to remember what I thought of her. I had Bella Abzug on the list because I remember her and her funny hats. I bumped her for Gloria because G was probably more important. My list is light on the women!
5. Al Sharpton. Ok, so the guy is a pain in the ass. I actually gained a lot of respect for him during his 2004 presidential campaign. I took a survey on which candidate had the same views as myself and he ranked second after Kucinich.
6. David Berkowitz. Son of Sam scared the sh*t out of me that one summer. Does a serial killer deserve to be on the list of the most important people in NY? Probably not. But in my mind, the fear he created changed something in this city.Therefore, I think he has an important role in history.
7. Gordon Parks. Not originally from NY, but he lived here most of his adult life. An incredible photographer, director and writer. He opened the door for black photographers in the fashion industry and gave us a glimpse into Harlem street gangs.
8. Curtis Sliwa. Yeah, that right wing guy on radio and TV. As a little girl (or tween) I remember the Guardian Angels on trains at night and they gave me a sense of security.
9. Loren Michaels. Hello! Saturday Night Live? I didn’t see him on anyone else’s list. Come on, this show is a New York institution. It’s been the catalyst for so many entertainment careers. And it just may take part in swaying this year’s election. (PS: He’s Canadian, but so what?)
10. David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Spike Lee, Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Simon, Martin Scorcese, John Travolta. I had them separately but had too many on the list, so I had to clump them together. They may not all be from NYC originally, but they are extremely important New Yorkers!
Bumped: Phillipe de Montebello, The Clintons, Chuck Schumer, JFK Jr, Jackie O, Donald Trump, Fred Trump
Very cool video from Declare Yourself. Please, please pass this on, stumble it, digg it, post it on your own blog. The deadline for voter registration is coming up real soon. If you know of any youngsters or people living under a rock, tie them to a chair and make them watch this video.
