Reuse. Rehabilitate. Restore. Architectural salvage and repurposed pieces for the home.
Yesterday I shot this adorable brick single family in Beacon and fell in love. The owner has some awesome artwork around, including doll art!! It’s a 3 BR, 2 Bath 1432 square foot house built in 1870. Price: $239,900! It’s on the more “rural” side of town.
Always love a good purple and orange setting!
Fall is a great time of year, but the colors are so muted. Dullsville, man. I usually don’t like your average Thanksgiving setting, not that I ever have to worry about it since we never invite anyone over.
Here are some table ideas since it’s that time of year and I needed something to write about. We invited ourselves to our Boston friends for a Wednesday celebration because I have to work on Friday. You?
Very regal. Not like some of that cornucopia shit.
Clean, bright and fun! I like it!
The setting is nice enough, but I really chose this image because the photographer did a cool ghost effect.
The holiday show that I’ve been freaking out about is just around the corner and I have maybe the first few days worth of merchandise ready. But that’s ok. I’ll get my act together last minute, as always.
Gifted has it’s own website now! Check out some of the awesome vendors and follow Gifted on Facebook!
Hand beaded linen napkin by Anne of Ddot.
Tea Lights by Domestic-Construction
Owl Stuffies (aka pillows?) by Kate Durkin
Mini light fixture by Re-Surface
Last Supper by Anthony Falbo: $100,000. It says suggested retail is 10 million bucks, but there are paintings on his website for under $1000 and I can’t find a gallery representing the artist. A mistake? Very cool, whatevah.
Another awesome painting with a possible pricing mistake. $99,000 for this image of George and Barbara Bush. The artist is Outsider’s Outsider and all of the paintings are in this price range.
Now I know this one is a mistake. This photo by Rich Wysockey is priced at $80k when the rest of his work is $20-$175. It is a great image, but is it really worth $79,825 more than his other work?
Ok, not a mistake. This is a BIG sculpture. Artist Chris Weed installed the paper clips this year at The Plaza of the Rockies. It stands 24 feet high and will set you back $75k. Anyone want one for their front yard?
It started happening about 15 years ago and by the early 2000’s it was over. New York is a suburban mall now. With all of the large chain stores around, I don’t see much of a difference heading out to Long Island or New Jersey to get the same exact items and not have to brave inclement weather or slow moving tourists.
I don’t have clothes. I do messy work from home and sell at flea markets. I used to be really into clothes, but I never go out. Now, with a 5 week long gift show coming up, I realize that I can’t show up in my painting clothes every day. Hence, I need an entire wardrobe by Thanksgiving.
Yesterday I had 3 hours in Manhattan to buy said wardrobe. I made my way from Grand Central down to Broadway Lafayette, zig-zagging east and west.
I hit Daffy’s Herald Square and nearly teared up (in a good way). I found myself stacking up in pants and dresses that I actually loved….and they were all decent prices. Oh yeah, and well made too! The reason I can’t bring myself to spend money on new clothes is because they are so poorly made! But I had designer jeans from Italy and dresses from USA in my hands, and they were like 20-50 bucks!
Then came the dressing room. NOTHING. FIT. I cried to the attendant and she tried to console me by saying “Look honey, these designer clothes run a size or two smaller. I don’t know who their models are, but they are not made for real women.” I chose to believe her because they did look small for a size *2, but alas, there was nothing nice in larger sizes. Is this because they don’t make them or because they sold out??
So, Daffy’s was a bit fat tease. Let’s see, where else did I go?
Cheap Jacks, formerly on Broadway near Union Square is now on 31st and 5th. I swear I used to be able to find some nice things there. Now it’s all $100+ and wasn’t even nice. Jack ain’t so cheap.
H&M, where I often shop, looked crappy to me after what I found at Daffy’s.
Tried Daffy’s on 18th, but it’s now an H&M. Did this happen years ago and I just realized?
Angel Street was closed for an event.
Housing Works: Scored! A single pair of Levi’s for $5. Four sizes too big. I’ll wear a belt or grow into them.
Loehmann’s. Meh. Wasn’t impressed with current selection. (Hey, does anyone remember the original Loehmann’s on Bedford?)
Screaming Mimi’s. Nothing, but I did think long and hard about a fabulous faux leopard poncho for $150. I might’ve worn it once. Or never.
I’ve gotta take one more day to do this. Where should I go? Century 21? Another Daffy’s? Because if I could find what I found in larger sizes, I’d be a happy camper.
And now, let’s take a moment of silence for the stores where I used to shop that no longer exist (or aren’t that good anymore):
Unique Boutique
Zoot
Domsey’s
Alice Underground
* Size has been changed to protect the innocent.
Steampunk Hacks. Web Urbanist
Howard’s End House For Sale. Hooked on Houses
Modern Birdhouse. Materialicious
Love in the Time of Swine Flu. Luna Park Gazette
Hooks are big sellers. Coat hooks, hat hooks, key hooks. You know those hooks made out of old doorknobs? Personally, I’m tired of looking at them, but people love them. Can’t make ’em fast enough.
I’ve been working like a mad woman, even cutting my bathroom breaks short. And yet, I still don’t have enough inventory for even the first week of Gifted yet. Anyone wanna help? I’ll pay you as much as I earn. Next to nuthin.
I haven’t priced or uploaded these to the store yet.
Antique level coat hook. Easy to hang. It levels itself.
Dragon Fly parquet floor tile hat/scarf/leash hook with bakelite knob.
Antique child’s ski hook. Looks better in person. It’s hard to photograph a ski!
Oh, PS:
New blog alert! There’s not much there yet, but Hand Made Brooklyn looks very promising. I found out about it via Brokelyn.
Hand Made was started by a couple of chicks living in the boonies of Brooklyn (Boro Park and *Flatbush). They are inviting crafters to post DIY tips, self promotion articles and tips on all things crafty.
There’s also a free directory for listing your crafty website or Etsy shop.
* Flatbush is just a guess. She says “among the Victorian houses.”
So, it’s Halloween, I have no candy and I’m painting shutters at street level watching the kids go by, hoping they don’t stop at our house. Every now and then, I duck to avoid eye contact.
And then he walks by. Stalls in front of my house, meowing.
I wouldn’t open my door for a kid, but a cat? Sure.
We have a bad feral cat problem in Bed Stuy. I keep saying we should do the Trap, Neuter, Release program, but problem is, we’re not around enough to collect the caged cats. I’ve stopped to say hello to neighborhood strays before and they usually take off when I do. I didn’t expect this one to come when I called.
But he did. He walked right through the opened window. I heard my husband in the background saying “No, no, no!” but ignored him like he usually ignores me during our “conversations”.
Then it was “Don’t name him.” “Don’t get attached.”
By the end of the day, my husband had named him Hal, short for Halloween.
But since we don’t want #7 and we already have 2 orange tabbies, Hal is up for adoption.
He’s probably about 5-6 months old. Very sweet! Definitely abandoned, not a street cat. By the end of this week, he should be tested and fixed.
Come on, you know you want him!
If not you, please pass this along.
Or my husband will kill me.
Every year 313 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn turns into a spook house around Halloween. This year is no exception. Check out Robin from Clinton Hill Blog tap dancing away in this NY 1 clip.
Ever since we found old love letters and newspapers in a cubby hole during demolition, I’ve been meaning to incorporate them back into the house so they can remain part of the history. Well, four years later, the kitchenette resin counter top is finally (almost) finished!
The idea was to use the original letters and newspapers, but Emilia, an expert on various processes, thought it might be too thick and cumbersome under the sealant, so she recommended the photo transfer process. Nothing about this process is particularly green. The only thing reclaimed here is the history.
Here’s a step by step of what was done:
1. Emilia suggested we use a masonite board (There’s a name for this. Emilia?). It’s lightweight and waterproof with a smooth surface. Unlike wonderboard, it remains intact when screwed down.
2. Primed and painted.
3. Print images on an inkjet or have copies made. It doesn’t matter if it’s toner or ink. One thing you should remember (which Emilia didn’t!) is that you need to print backwards if there is writing. The transfer is a mirror image.
4. Apply painter’s medium to counter and back and front of photo. Enough so that it’s well covered, but don’t overdo it. I tried Mod Podge on another project and although it worked, I don’t think it transferred as well as the medium.
5. Use a scraper tool to spread the medium around once you place it face down on the countertop. Leave it for a about a minute.
6. Test a corner first to make sure it transferred. It doesn’t all peel off perfectly at once. There will be paper residue. Take a damp sponge or better still, your fingertip, and rub the spare paper away until smooth. Not too rough or you’ll take the image away!
7. Optional: We glazed it with a metallic bronze to give it an aged look.
8. Let dry overnight before applying resin.
9 and beyond. About the resin, it’s a 2 part solution. You just have to make sure to mix it really well. Keep mixing if it’s taking a while to apply. You can pour it or brush it on. Make sure it’s thick enough. I ended up doing 2 coats. To deal with air bubbles, use a heat gun for a few seconds. It will take a few days for the resin to properly dry, so make sure you stay out of that room so as not to kick up dust or anything.
And that’s it. Our resin is so smooth. It looks like buttah!
Living in Rosemary’s Baby. Design Sponge
Bedside Table DIY. Brick City Love
What New Yorkers are eating. City Room
Southern Living, NJ Style. Shore House Chic
Awesome Home. Original Wallpaper. Bradbury
How To Quiet Heating Pipes. This Old House
I have about 50 vintage salt and pepper shakers to sell at Gifted. I’ve been buying them on eBay like crazy because I’m freaking out that I won’t have enough handmade items to sell. Every time I open a box of these babies, I laugh, I cry…some of these are just too cute!
There are tons and tons of cute animals I’ve priced at around $15 per pair. I thought these were particularly unique and therefore tacked some extra $$ on to them.
Before
We’ve been sleeping on a futon on the floor for about 2 years now in Brooklyn. Maybe it was ok to do that in college, but we’re in our 40’s. We also don’t have a dresser. We pile the clothes up in our unpainted DIY closet. Since we’ll be down there full time for about a month during the holidays, we’re trying to get the living conditions under control.
This means a real bed (or a real platform for the futon). The bed in the photos was purchased as part of a set. The other pieces were sold off, but nobody wanted this boring old thing. I had intended on sprucing it up, but since it sat in the damp garage for so long and got moldy and warped, I had no choice but to do refurbish it.
Instead of finding replacement veneer, I ripped off the damaged bits and painted them gold. The Howard’s Restore A Finish was still wet when I took the photos. I was thinking of embellishing the bed with photo transfers or stencil, but I kind of like simple, clean lines (ok, it has to be cleaned up).
What do you think? More to do or am I finished? I don’t know if I’m just being lazy or I like it this way.
Ah, it’s finally been announced. Those secretive “craft shows” I’ve been mentioning that I wasn’t allowed to elaborate on until the promoters posted it first. Brooklyn Flea’s “Gifted” will take place in Manhattan this year, behind the old Tower Records on 4th Street and Lafayette.
Last year’s indoor holiday market was held right across from the flea market in Ft. Greene and it was awesome (as in…cha ching for me!). I’m totally psyched (like, fer ser!) to be in Manhattan because I predict twice as much traffic…and you couldn’t move in that Ft. Greene one.
Gifted runs from November 27th-December 24th, 5 days per week. The schedule goes something like this but may change:
Wednesday: 4p-9p (including a weekly after-work shopping party with special guest DJs and free booze)
Thursday + Friday: 1p-8p
Saturday: Noon-8p
Sunday: Noon-7p
Most of the vendors are booked already but there’s still space for a few more, if you’re interested. So, pass it along!
And come shop, shop, shop!