Yo, ya gotta see the Christmas lights in Dyker Heights at least once in your life. It’s a schlep if you don’t live in South Brooklyn and yes, there are lines and traffic. A Slice of Brooklyn gives a 3.5 hour tour of the neighborhood lights including a stop for cannoli and cappuccino. Sounds like a plan if you don’t want to get lost deep in the heart of Brooklyn on your own.
Elf Door
The Moxie Spot on Atlantic Avenue has the best door in the world. I’ve always thought of it as a door for adults, kids and dogs. Well, it being the holidays season and all, let’s just say that baby entrance is for little elves. Have you ever noticed that door? It’s da bomb!
An Upcycled Craft Show in Gowanus
This past weekend I participated in Build it Green’s Crafted at the Canal in Gowanus. ‘Twas really nice to take part in a show where all of the goods were made out of recycled materials. Not only that, but it was my first time in BIG’s new Brooklyn location. OMG, it is huge! I’d say that have it only about 30% filled with used building merch as they only moved in about a month ago.
Anyway, back to the craft show, which will be happening again this weekend: Dec. 17th & 18th. 10am-5pm.
WoodKnot Design is a couple of extremely talented guys who know how to work old wood. It’s obvious the photos depict items made out of antique shutters and doors, but the medicine cabinet above was once an old swing set. Always impressive to hear about the past lives of objects.
Bespoke Glass Tile gets a percentage of it’s glass through a commercial recycling resources, including Build it Green. They are a green company, right down to their shipping supplies and web host. Ellen and Lesley create beautiful glass tiles for backsplashes and house projects, but I love their gifty tile creations made out of cabinet doors and sewing machine drawers.
I was severely crushing on these recycled t-shirt pillows by Tura Lura. This talented chick does gaw-geous crocheted and embroidered jewelry too, but she had me at hello with the old shirts. Darth Vader? Awesome. Superman? Who doesn’t want a Superman pillow?
So, y’all should swing by this weekend to support these and many other upcycled vendors (including myself). Need more persuading? Check out what Build it Green has on hand….
Reclaimed Dog. A Holiday Miracle.
Sean Casey Animal Rescue does some amazing work. They try to find homes for less adoptable pets with illnesses and flaws. Sometimes these pets stay in the shelter a bit longer than they should.
Such was the case of Tyson, an 11 year old Pitbull with a history of cancer. Tyson was abused most of his life. He wasn’t just abandoned. He was a real rescue. Unfortunately, Tyson’s woes didn’t end once the shelter took him in. He had surgeries for his tumors and sat in a cage for 15 months. It would take a pretty strong person to love a dog knowing his time is very limited.
Anybody paying attention to Sean Casey’s site knows of Tyson, the longest running resident at the shelter.
Well, yesterday when we were at the park with our dogs, we ran into our doggy circle buddy, Ed. And guess who was with him??? (Excuse me, I’m getting verklempt.) Tyson has found a forever home with the couple and their two dogs, Bianca and Des! He looked so happy running around off leash. Not that he was able to stay off for long because he kept running off. Who could blame him? It’s his first taste of freedom! He wasn’t even house trained when they got him. Truly neglected dog.
Now Tyson will live out his last days knowing he’s loved. He’ll get to the park everyday and go upstate for hikes. Isn’t that a the best happy ending ever?
Are you crying yet? Yeah, me too.
Photo via Windsor Terrace Blog.
Upcycled Crafty Stuff
Build it Green’s Crafted at the Canal starts tonight! Come and get your free beer from 5-9pm courtesy of Brooklyn Green Drinks.
About 30 crafters are taking part in the 5 day show which is on all of this weekend and next.
These are some of my newer creations. Haven’t gotten them online yet, so you’ll have to stop by if you want them. 🙂
Beacon to Rhinebeck Under $200k
Beacon 1900 three bedroom home on 0.09 acre. Needs work. Not much to look at. The price? $99k “present all offers”. I’d say it’s well worth consideration.
Yeah, it’s a mobile home. But hear me out! It’s a 1950’s mobile home. On a lake. In Rhinebeck. With almost 1/2 an acre of it’s own. For….drum roll please…..$99k.
Hmm, a small, nothing house with a hideous renovation for $169k? What has it got going for it? Well, it sits on .78 acre within walking distance to the Village of Rhinebeck. Now, that ain’t half bad.
This is my favorite! Look at the historic farmhouse interior! Very sweet! Located on Main Street in Hyde Park, the asking price is $195k. Hyde Park is home to the Culinary Institute, FDR mansion, a drive-in movie theater and a great antiques mall. It’s also a good jump off location for the Upper Hudson Valley.
Wednesday Linkorama
Pop Culture Gingebread Houses. Flavorwire
DIY Birdcage Chandeliers. Treehugger
Mofo Snakes Made out of Mofo Rebar! Make
Holiday Giveaway from Dewalt. Bob Vila
Snowy Mantel Holiday Decor. Funky Junk Interiors
Antique Decor in Period Condo
No, it’s not for sale and it’s not in New York. My witty friend forwarded some photos of her friend, artist Roberta Glick’s apartment because she knew I’d flip out over it. Roberta decorated the unit in what I like to call “Hip Old Lady Chic”. It’s not quite “Shabby Chic” because shabby chic tends to be the just-slap-some-white-paint-on-it style. Hip Old Lady Chic has a dusty old Victorian feel to it rather than the crappy Mid Century vintage these kids today go for.
Antique frames don’t need anything inside to look amazing on the wall. They are works of art in themselves. Here, they’re displayed on the table as well as the wall.
You just don’t see too many crystal sconces around these days. Maybe because they didn’t survive or maybe because they are a bitch to clean.
The beautiful old armoire would look great on it’s own, but the inclusion of vintage hats and hat boxes puts the fun into it. I’d imagine that armoire is filled with vintage clothes! Or just a bunch of clutter like my own antique armoire.
Yeah, that’s where this apartment is! The National Park Seminary. Very Mohonk Mountain House, no? It’s actually an old resort in Silver Spring, MD built in 1887. It served as a girl’s school and a rehabilitative hospital for wounded soldiers over the years. The property is an historic treasure open to the public. The condos are only part of the structure.
What Was That Noise in NYC?
Didn’t hear it in Bed Stuy, but everyone on Twitter and Facebook was asking WTF that noise was last night. Fog horn? Aliens? Terrorist attack? Nothing too exciting. Turns out the culprit was a steam release at Ravenswood Generating Station in Queens. Resume your day.
Recycled Crafts Fair in Gowanus
Top 50 Green Blogs
Seametrics has put together a list of the top 50 green living blogs. Who is Seametrics? The company designs and manufactures a wide variety of flow metering products. They provide solutions to users in industrial water treatment, energy management, irrigation, utilities, transportation, and chemical handling. In other words, big industry.
There are some awesome green blogs on the list. It’s going to be fun exploring them. But my favorite? Oh, something called “Reclaimed Home”. Ever heard of it?
It’s a First Dog Christmas at the White House
This year’s White House Christmas tree theme, at least for the blue room anyway, honors the military. That’s wonderful and it’s the admirable thing to do because the military deserves our respect. But guess who got the oohs and ahs out of this gal? The dog.
Christmas has gone to the dogs in the White House this year and Bo’s approval rating is probably higher than his Dad’s these days. Wonder if Bo would let the Republicans keep him on such a tight leash?
Bo 2012!
Via Washington Post
London for the Holidays
Want to go away for the holidays? Here’s a deal. A Wimbledon studio with a balcony for £400 per week. It’s my brother in law’s flat and he’ll be out of town December 20th-January 7th. Sublet it for the entire time or a shorter stay.
The flat is located in a suburban area within 10 minute walk of Wimbledon Station which is about 20 minutes to the center of London. Wimbledon itself has some nice restaurants and shopping.
The studio has a separate kitchen and one bathroom. There’s a washer/dryer, toaster, coffee maker, wifi and DVD player. It’s up 3 flights of stairs, so good news for you if you want the exercise. Not so good if you can’t do the steps.
This will be available during the Olympics, but it won’t be £400.
You want in? Email Me and I’ll pass it along to him.
Marble Window Sill
This is a work in progress and it doesn’t look like much now, but I’m excited that after oh, about four years of plywood window sills, we finally cut the marble to install. The plan has always been to use the recycled marble that came from our fireplace hearth. Two slabs were sitting in the backyard. Don’t know what took so long.
The pieces are not wide enough. We’ll use smaller cuts on the sides and fill it in with grout to make up the difference. Wood molding will be added to the front, painted to match the radiator cover.
It will take about another four years to for the finished product.