What do you think of when you think of Florida? Me? I think of those senior developments as seen on Seinfeld because that’s where my mother is. Or some other horrible developments. Or McMansions. But at least one woman in Miami has devoted herself to saving an old house.

Sally purchased a 1924 Spanish Colonial Revival in Coconut Grove that had been derelict for years. Her blog, “This Old Coconut Grove” has some incredible before and after shots. Love to see inspiration coming from this neck of the woods beach!

Check out some of the “afters” and then shoot on over to her blog to find out where she obtained her salvaged pieces.

The post Reclaimed in Miami appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Upon cleaning up the blog roll over here, I noticed a number of blogs that no longer exist. I loved them at one point in my life, but it’s difficult to keep up with this blog, no less keep track of others. Some of them stopped posting years ago.  So, RIP to the following blogs….

Across the Park. Last post was in 2008.

Brooklyn Optimist. Last posted January of 2010.

Bushwick BK. Said a temporary and perhaps permanent goodbye in October 2011.

Bed Stuy Blog. Officially folded in June of this year.

Bed Stuy Banana. Final goodbye posted the end of 2009.

Brick City Love. After a post about renewing the blog in April of this year, she just vanished.

Brooklyn Hall of Fame. Postings stop July 2009.

Brooklyn Born. Last posted end of August, 2011.

Crown Heighster. Last post August 2010.

Clinton Hill Blog. Postings ended in July 2010. The blogger moved to Bed Stuy.

Donkee House. Last heard from talking about fabric back in February 2011.

House Blogs. This one was a shocker because they were the directory of all house blogs. Only the Twitter still exists, updated in July.

Fancy Pants. It hasn’t been that long, so there’s a chance she’s just taking a break. October 2, 2011?

Here Be Old Things. February 2011 and then silence.

Ready Made. There was an official goodbye back in June of this year.

Shore Chic. Surprised by this one, but I think she got a new job. Last heard from in May, 2011.

The post Blog Graveyard appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

My Bed Stuy is not a new blog, but I’m sometimes slow in catching on to things. Since the demise of Bed Stuy Blog earlier this year, the local blogosphere has been left with a void. Well, it hasn’t really, but I was unaware it’s been filled.

My Bed Stuy is “just a place for you to come and share all things Bed-Stuy”. Exactly. So, we DO have a neighborhood blog other than the Patch!

And it’s a good one! Go check it out.

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Well, this just sucks. After 4.5 years, Petra (aka The Changeling) has decided to terminate Bed Stuy Blog. Guess she wants to have a life or something.

Bed Stuy Blog launched shortly after I moved into the neighborhood and about six months before I started my own blog. Petra alerted us to retail openings, events and even crime warnings. She feels the blog is no longer necessary because Bed Stuy is being represented by other blogs now in a way that it wasn’t 4.5 years ago.

I disagree, but what what are ya gonna do? Petra and her small team of writers (Where the F is MY team?) put a personal face on the blog. Posts and comments were always friendly and never snarky like you might see on other sites. The blog was a microcosm of the neighborhood. A place where everyone looks out for one another and says good morning.

Guess this site is going to have to get more neighborhoody to pick up some slack.

On a bright note, we still have Bed Stuy Patch and Bed Stuy Gateway.

The post Bed Stuy. Do or Goodbye appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Better After is a blog that asks readers to send their before and after shots of furniture and renovations. There some ab fab pieces on there that make me miss my furniture upcycling days. The room redos are ta die for too! Most are not even full renovations, just some paint and good taste. Love it!

DIY Showoff similarly posts before and after shots sent in from readers. It’s, dare I say, more mainstream, less precious-crafty. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! The site was started by Roeshel who has been restoring her own 1927 farmhouse. She has frigawesome taste. I was salivating at her marble subway tile backsplash.

Shabby Blogs is another blog that relies on reader participation. Actually, it’s more than that. It’s like a prettier version of Houseblogs. No, it’s more than that. You can create your own blog with their design templates. All for free! And they’re quite purdy too.

DIY Insanity asks “Is it nuts to design, permit and build an addition to your house by yourself?”. I saw the header and thought “No biggie” but when I started reading the posts I realized this was a huge job they undertook. Like big cranes and shit. Yikes! I like the “Gardening with a Sawzall” post. Good idea!

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Did you get your tickets yet for the 2011 Brooklyn Blogfest? Why not? The event takes place Thursday, May 12th at the Bell House and you can purchase tickets online.

So, what does one do at a Blofest? Eat. Drink. Schmooze. Network. Learn. Be Entertained. There will be speakers and videos, strippers and fire eaters (not) and then we break off into groups at the end.

The group thang is called “Blogs of a Feather”. Categories include photo and video, journalistic ethics, beginner blogging, parenting and more. Each group is hosted by a veteran. I’m the “veteran” running the Food, Craft and Home break-off, so please come say hello if you’re there.

Hope to see you!

The post Brooklyn Blogfest Tomorrow appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Did you know there is an Upcycle Magazine? I do now. The site goes over how-to’s, products and ideas. It is a tad heavy on the Etsy crafty stuff, but there are some great ideas for the home and garden. “Bigger projects” as I like to call them.

Looks as if the site launched in 2009 but the content in the archives isn’t too overwhelming. In fact, I wish there was more.

Well, since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll shut up now and show you. As always, click on the image link to learn more.

Via Best Green Blogs.

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As promised, welcome to part II of my Brooklyn Blogfest post. No matter how good the planned program, my favorite part of the evening is the schmoozing at the end. I get to put faces with the blogs and get to hear about new blogs-a-launching. Most of these are food blogs, as my break-out session was “food, crafts and home”.

So, I met….

Paula from Undomesticated Me. I believe we bonded (She friended me on FB!). Like me, Paula can’t cook, clean or entertain. But unlike me, she is learning. And that’s what the blog is all about. It’s witty, charming and she uses some cool 1950’s imagery. What’s not to like?

So Good TV is another established blog. Heather and her husband are professional filmmakers and do cooking videos on the blog. There are recipes and such, but I couldn’t find the menu and call-for-delivery section. Heather does, however, have a wine section for those of us whom just refuse to cook but want to know all there is to know about the drink.

Historic Cookery. So, as if cooking in 2010 isn’t difficult enough, Carolina Capehart cooks using early 19th century techniques, ingredients and recipes. That means her microwave is an open fire hearth. She mentioned to us that she didn’t own a blender or mixer. I was like “Yeah, neither do I. But I own a phone and microwave.”

A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn. Susan LaRosa doesn’t reach quite as far back in time as Carolina, but she too, uses old recipes for her baking…and reports about it on her blog. Susan obtains her early to mid 1900’s recipes from flea markets and estate sales. Everything looks so yummy on her blog! Weird thing is…she was pretty thin.

I met Ameet from Rice of Life last year. Now, HIS recipes are right up my alley! They’re all vegetarian! And they look good! Now if I could only get someone to cook them for me. Note to self…work on the husband. PS: Gluten free too.

Miss Masala joined us in the group, as did freelance writer Julie Knapp who blogs about fitness. I had a good 10 minute look at her blog this morning in lieu of working out.

The gals from Brooklyn General Store stopped by because they will be launching a blog and wanted to learn the ins and outs.

But the new blogs! Exciting and awesome!

OMG, OMG, OMG, you have to check this out! Brooklyn Flea vendor Lon Black (whom I know as “the postcard guy”) started a Bad Postcards blog. Awesomely funny mid century kitsch.

I saved Dinevore for last because I have a feeling it’s gonna be BIG! The web application is currently in Alpha now (yeah, that’s before it gets to Beta….I never knew the lingo) so to get a preview of the site, you would have to email founder Jeremy to receive your username and password. It’s kind of like Yelp and Facebook combined for restaurant reviews. You can see where friends ate and what they thought of it. Huge database of restaurants! I didn’t comprehend half of the computer geekiness Jeremy was spewing, but all I’m gonna say is that he’s the next Craig Newmark. Just search Dinevore on FB or Twitter to get updates if you don’t want to join yet.

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The Brooklyn Blogfest was super professional this year! Not that Louise Crawford aka Madam OTBKB didn’t do a fabulous job in the past, it was just totally streamlined last night. Of course, having Absolut Brooklyn as a sponsor and Spike Lee to launch the new vodka flavor might have had a little something to do with it.

There was a performance by Aaron Costa Ganis, Charlotte Maier and Natalie Paul for starters. “Blogs Aloud” was adaption of posts from several Brooklyn blogs through the years. Video: Part 1 and part 2.

After a photo blogger video tribute by Adrain “Brit in Brooklyn” Kinloch, Lemon Anderson came out to rap his ode to Brooklyn. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it looks like that’s the Absolut Brooklyn ad.

Then it was time for Spike. He skirted the issue of gentrification and let us know that Fort Greene was fine just the way it was back in the day. He only hinted at the divisive issue and spoke mainly of Absolut, his relationship with Brooklyn and took questions about breaking into film.

Andrea Bernstein of WNYC was the moderator for the panel discussion. Panelists included Heather of So Good TV, Atiba from Visual Stenographers, Brokelyn‘s Faye, Jake from Gothamist and Petra of Bed Stuy Blog.The question was posed to the panel “Why does Brooklyn breed creativity?”Some nice anwers…. (I’m putting them in quotes but they’re not the exact words. My bad.)”It has attitude.” Heather”Newcomers feel we must live up to the reputation.” Petra

“People have an attitude problem 2 minutes after moving here. We’re always giving advice. We wanna tell people how to live.” Jake

“We’re full of ourselves.” “Everybody gets a chance to show their stuff.” Faye

“Brooklyn made NYC in 1898…..People will defend Brooklyn to the death.” Atiba

Towards the end of the evening, we broke up into smaller groups. I’ll post part II tomorrow and fill you in some awesome new blogs in the works!

The post Bloggedy Bloggedy Brooklyn appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

A freshly launched forum based website hit the internets a couple of months ago. City Beams covers 4 out of 5 of the boros (the ones that matter), plus Boston.

Here’s how it works. People can ask questions about NYC for know-it-alls like myself to respond to. A beam is a vote, so the question can be voted up or down just like all this other newfangled social media these kids use today.

The kid (Well, look at his photo…He’s about 12!) who started it is right off the pick up truck from the sticks. Ok, maybe not that bad, but he’s relying on people who know the city to respond to questions. So, go on over there and shake it up a bit.

You can ask anything. Here are some fun questions being asked…

“Anywhere to get non-skinny pants in Williamsburg?”

“What do you think of the people in NYC?”

“What’s so great about Astoria?”

“Moving out of NYC?”

The post City Beams: Ask About NYC appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

The 2010 Brooklyn Blogfest will be back in Park Slope’s Brooklyn Lyceum after last year’s detour to Dumbo. What is a Blogfest? Well, this is what the 2009 Blogfest was all about. It will be much the same this year, only bigger and better, as it keeps growing every year.

There will be a panel of experienced bloggers talking and taking questions, a photo blogger video, a new blog shout out and break out groups of like minded bloggers. Also, face painting!

No, I was kidding about the face painting. But there will be food. And drink.

So, you should come. You don’t have to be a blogger. If you read blogs (and you’re reading this), you’re welcome to come.

June 8th. See you there!

The post Brooklyn Blogfest Coming Up! appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

They’re out there. Watching you. Call them Green Big Brother or the Green Tea Party, but if you mess with the environment, you’re put on notice.

People for Green Justice is a newly launched web based system that allows you to send a citizen’s citation to an eco-offender. Alternatively, you can issue a green thumbs up award to someone helping the environment. There aren’t any real fines or consequences other than embarrassment or recognition of a person’s actions.

The accompanying Green Justice blog focuses on handy green tips and such. Cool stuff!

The post Meet The Green Police appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Hey, dy’all know about Old House Web? It’s a mega website that has just about any information you need to find on older homes.

Although some of it is paid advertising (no problem with that-they have to make money), there are blog posts and diy tips that are pretty handy.

My favorite section of the site is the forum. It looks like lots of people use it, which always makes for a good forum. There are pre and post 1900 house categories with topics ranging from wallpaper to countertops to foundations.

Such a shame I actually have to do physical work on my house today or I’d be on Old House Web all day dreaming up some crazy new restoration scheme.

The post Old House Web appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

The post Blog Action Day Coming Up appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Rachel from Northborough, MA lives in a raised ranch. The gal is determined to give the house a makeover that will get rid of that 1980’s look. Because, let’s face it: 80’s music = good. 80’s design = embarrassing.

My Raised Ranch blog is sort of Rachel’s wish list. There, she thinks out loud and grabs inspiration from other raised ranch renovations.

I’m just posting some of my favorite photos. They may not all be raised ranches, but her facade can probably be altered enough to resemble one of these. Good luck, Rachel!

Related: Updating Raised Ranches

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