Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
I caught this on Web Urbanist. Rupert Blanchard is my new hero. He’s been creating furniture out of reclaimed materials for some time now, but these upcycled crate cabinets are really to die for!
Now, before you get overly excited, the guy is in London. Lucky you if you’re a British reader. For those of us on this side of the pond, well, we’ll just have to copy and go DIY (sorry, Rupert).
Make 2010 the year to get ‘er done! All of those little jobs you’ve been putting off around the house. Stop whining and just do it!
1. BEWARE THE FROZEN PIPES! Don’t let it happen to you. Have you turned off the main water supply to your garden hose? Are there any exterior pipes that need looking into? Are your interior pipes in a warm room or well insulated? Ya know, they do sell foam pipe insulation. Get friendly with that. You can also buy electric heating cord to wrap around pipes just in case the situation calls for it.
2. INSULATE! INSULATE! INSULATE! This is a frigid winter. What the hell are you waiting for? Your rooms may be well insulated (or not) but don’t forget crawl spaces in your attic and basement. If you can’t get to it, rent a machine and blow in insulation.
3. MIND THE GAP! Caulk is your friend. And that Great Stuff….ooh, that’s a keeper! Fill spaces around your windows, doors and molding. If you can’t feel the draft, you know the candle trick, right?
4. OUTLET INSULATION. Believe it or not, cold air can come through electrical outlets. You can buy outlet insulation pads at any hardware store. On a difficulty scale of 1-10, this is a zero.
5. PLASTER TOUCH UP. Ok, it’s not all about cold weather. You’ve been looking at those cracks in the ceiling all year? Get off your arse, chase them out and patch them up. The plaster fairy god mother ain’t coming to help out any time soon.
6. PAINT! Do as I say and not as I do. Once those plaster spots are finished, don’t leave them sit for another year. They are meant to be covered with paint.
7. YUCKY GROUT. They sell these things. They’re called grout brushes and some genius invented them. You can screw them onto a paint pole or mop handle. Use elbow grease and/or bleach and your grout should shine again. IMPORTANT! You’re not done yet! Seal the grout before use so it doesn’t soak up moisture and dirt by the next day.
8. DID I MENTION THAT CAULK IS YOUR FRIEND? How’s that caulk looking around your sink, bath and countertop? Yeah, I thought so. FYI, you can remove nasty old caulk with a heat gun.
9. GUTTERS. Oh screw it, it’s too cold to go up there now. You should’ve thought of that in the fall. Hopefully you did so when the snow and ice start to melt, your gutters aren’t clogged.
10. PESKY PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL. Leaky faucet? A light fixture with one non-working bulb? Clogged drain? Loose outlet? Bet you have it in your power to do any of these. No more procrastination. 2010 is the year!
* The WTF photo above IS NOT of my house. It’s in a work place. Let’s see if the manager comes forth.
I’m back, bitches! Kind of left you hanging the tail end of 2009. Well, the world didn’t stop spinning for any of us, so here’s the run down….
The crazy holiday schedule at Gifted kept me from blogging. I maintained the online store at first, but as the show got busier, I just put Etsy on vacation. Had too many sales go through of things I had already sold in person.
So, was it all worth it? The 5 weeks and 2 months of preparation? The moving pets and everything down to Brooklyn temporarily? Money wise, of course not. Yeah, I made money, but when you look at the bigger picture, not worth all the trouble.
However! It was worth it because it was a blast and it helped with some decisions.
This temporary Full Time Back to Brooklyn thing was a test to see if we really wanted to move back as we have been thinking about. Answer=Abso-f*ckin-lutely! It’s a long term plan, long term being less than 1 year. Once again, we have to finish renovating a house only to put it on the market.
It’s unfortunate that I’m in love with the house. It’s my dream house and this will be a sad one to let go. But that’s what I have to do….Let go of the house. Let go of the overpriced antique furniture we bought for the house. Let go of the thousands I spent on that Bradbury wallpaper. Oy. No, let it go!
Beacon itself? We can visit friends and they can visit us. Can’t say we’ll miss the suburban lifestyle though. It’s not for us. Took us 5 years to come to terms, but put a fork in us, we’re done.
So, that’s what’s been going on here.
What other news is there?
We said goodbye to Bed Stuy Banana at the end of 2009. She just couldn’t keep up with the blog. She will be missed.
Another NY landmark bites the dust. Goodbye, Tavern on the Green.
Let’s end with some good news.
Brooklyn Flea is taking on the Williamsburgh Savings Bank at 1 Hanson Place. It’s a gorgeous indoor location. The market starts this coming weekend without moi as I need to get my act together and regroup.
Happy 2010!
A long, long time ago I hooked up with an illegal Irish immigrant I met in an East Village bar. We had a brief fling just before I had planned to move to Germany. He went back to Dublin, then on to London for work. I met up with him in London where we lived together after only having been a couple for 8 full days before I left NYC.Christmas 1987 we sat in a Dublin pub and this song came on the radio. We weren’t too happy in London and wanted to get back to NY. He promised me that the following year we’d be back in NY-together-for the holidays.
We were. And 22 years later, we’re still living in the states. Only he’s legal now because I married his foreign ass so he could stay in the country.
We’ve spent Christmases in Dublin and Hannukahs in NYC having Chinese and a movie. This year it’s Dublin with the promise of a full time Brooklyn Christmas next year.
Every year for the past 20 years I’ve made my own holiday cards (minus a couple of years). It’s too hectic this year to photoshop my pets into a witty picture so hope you enjoyed this little story.
If not, happy holidays anyway.
And may all your dreams come true.
(PS: How about that Brittany Murphy, huh?)
Can’t believe how lame I’ve been about blogging. Well, it’s not gonna get any better. Now Gifted is open every day until Christmas eve. No more Mondays and Tuesdays off. Not that I updated this blog on those days. And it’s open until 8pm most nights except Wednesdays, which is the 9pm free beer nights.
I’m so tired.
Well, I’ve got nothing to say. Just wanted to post SOMETHING.
Hope y’all well!
Vintage hat: $10
Yeah yeah, I know I haven’t posted in awhile. I’m a little busy, ok???
I did have a chance to shop Gifted on a slow weekday last week. I bought a ton of recycled vintage clothes from Grace Napoleon. I don’t see any of her upcycled creations on her Etsy shop. Probably because she sold out because they are so fabulous.
Grace takes old hoodies and sweaters and matches them with vintage fabric to create one of a kind dresses and hide-the-fat blouses. Priced under $100.
Perfect for the Green Queen in your life!
Yesterday I packed up the 6 cats and headed down to Brooklyn to stay full time with the husband and dogs in our 1 bedroom garden apartment. It’s only for three weeks while I’m working Gifted, then we’re off to Dublin for Christmas. So actually, I’m home UNTIL the holidays.
Just wanted to check in and say I’m still alive….just too crazed to blog. I warned ya!
Hey, check out the rock exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. I won’t be able to go until after the New Year when life starts anew.
That’s it! I’ve done all the creating I can possibly do before the holiday market starts. It’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and I now have to start packing and getting ready for the big move down to Brooklyn (yay!). BTW, we are celebrating our vegan Thanksgiving with the Boston friends tomorrow so we can get more prep in on Thursday. Such is life.
Instead of putting my store in vacation mode, I left the listings up with a note NOT TO BUY! Hope that works.
Hey, enjoy your bird carcass while celebrating the massacre of our native peoples!
Well, it’s no vacation, but I can’t keep up with the blog at the moment. Been burning the candle at both ends trying to make enough crap for Gifted. If anyone wants to push their related merch or NY event, send a tip! Heck, write your own article and I’ll post it.
If something interesting comes up, I’ll definitely be here, but for now, I’m warning ya….I won’t be posting every day until after the New Year. Just had to let you know so I don’t feel obligated.
See? That’s my post for today. Lame. But enjoy the photo of my dog with her head up her ass.
Alexander’s. How annoying was this woman? And check out Jack Cafferty at the start of the video!
Crazy Eddie! His prices are insane!
Because I’m The Wiz! And nobody beats me!
Milford Plaza. Ok, so it’s not a Christmas commercial, but I had to grab it.
Gargoyles! Web Urbanist
Paris in the Stuy. Bed Stuy Blog
How to Replace a Kitchen Sink. This Old House
How To Book. Renovation Therapy
Art Tours of Brooklyn. Brokelyn
A thousand years ago we raided this Prospect Heights home for free reclaimed materials. The couple were about to embark on a massive renovation and posted their salvage on the Brownstoner forum. It was free for the taking, the only catch was that folks had to bring tools and remove everything themselves. Kind of like a demo party, only we had to be very careful.
We snatched up a bunch of goodies that we’ve used or I’ve resold. The two closet doors sat around for awhile. I thought of making tables out of them but then decided on radiator covers.
This was a pretty easy project because the radiators are set back, so we didn’t have to build sides.
All you need to do for this front cover is build a picture frame without the bottom. If you have all of the necessary power tools, I probably don’t have to tell you how to do this. If not, you’ll need a miter, hand saw, staple gun, hammer and nails or screws and a drill, glue and a tin snips.
Measure twice cut once. Measure twice cut once. Measure twice cut once. I can’t stress this enough.
So you you miter the frame, glue before securing and add the decorative piece to the back.
Here’s what it looks like from the back.
Voilà! Painted with the mesh backing. Now searching for salvaged marble slab for the window sill.
You saw the kitchen counter top a few weeks ago. Now the entire kitchenette is finished! Almost. Since we don’t live in Brooklyn full time and we don’t cook, there’s no need for a real kitchen. A microwave, toaster and electric kettle will suffice. Nope, not even those plug in burners. We have menus.
This cabinet, made from an antique sideboard, is pretty much the kitchen. We’ll probably build some shelves above the mini fridge and maybe try for more storage on each side, but what you’re looking at is the “work station”.
This is what took us about 3 years to complete (well, the whole apartment), but no more washing dishes in the bathroom sink! Weezy, we’re movin’ on up!
Film Biz Recycling in Long Island City is holding a holiday extravaganza! I’m reporting a few days late on this because I wanted to ensure I got my own shopping done first. Sorry kids, but it’s a jungle out there.
If you didn’t read the previous post on FBR, here’s the rundown….
FBR is a non profit organization that accepts donations of props from the entertainment industry which would otherwise be thrown out. Not everything is vintage, but it’s definitely all been recycled. It would be interesting to know where each item came from. I never ask about all of them, but it seems like “Taking Woodstock” is the gift that keeps on giving for me. The last time I was there, I bought a bunch of stuff from that film and I just ended up with more.
I walked away with 4 large tote bags of small, gifty items for $182. I’ve spent more than that for 3 totes in the Korean grocery! (Ok, perhaps a fib)
The holiday sale is not just gifts. Check it out for all of your holiday decoration, gift wrapping and ribbon needs.
*Tip: Parking is a bitch on weekdays. Weekends are easier.
Some of the items I purchased for resale…..
I’m going to castrate Bud Man. That thing is annoying me.
I bought the two red ones on the ends. I think the others were gone. I didn’t see them.
