When I show my disgust after finding out that someone is buying cheap Chinese crap at Walmart, the response is always  “Well, I can’t afford to buy American made.” Really?

Here are 5 ways to avoid supporting China this holiday season.

1. Etsy. Handmade right here in the old U.S. of A. The price points vary and there’s something for everyone. BTW, Krrb is the new Etsy. You heard it here first.

2. Vintage. Just because it was made years ago doesn’t mean you’re not supporting the vendor who sells it. Yes, I say this because we sell vintage. Is a cute $5 ceramic tschotske not better than a new piece of plastic? You know it’s better made, even if it was made in China.

3. Gift certificate. Too lazy or busy to shop? Buy an entire family a gift voucher to their favorite restaurant or an ice skating rink. Support the local business and give the recipients a chance to get out and spend some quality time together. Done and done.

4. Make it yourself. Not crafty? If you can cook, babysit, walk a dog or clean a house, you’re offering something of real value. How is this supporting local? It’s keeping money in your pocket that will hopefully be spent somewhere better than Walmart.

5. Buy from us! Recycled AND hand made locally. What more can you ask? No, it’s not as inexpensive as foreign mass produced stuff, but then you have the satisfaction of knowing that your gift didn’t come from the hands of slave labor. (You like how I did that there?)

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Goodbye Summer!  Hello the unofficial end of that summer retail slump! We endured the season by moving along inexpensive as-is furniture while working on design service samples and holiday smalls (Yes, THOSE holidays), but we’re back to creating some awesome one of a kind larger pieces now that everyone is returning from vacation.

The Mickey coffee table was a mid century piece with a bland white top.  No, it’s not meant to be a kid’s table, but perhaps only a handful of adults would appreciate it.  It’s nearly done.  Just needs a coat of resin and another coat plus sealer on the base.

We were planning on making a side table out of a few skateboards when Mr. Phyllis came in and said “A chair would be so much better.”  Fine, so YOU do it, hubby!  He tried to renege, but was forced into the closed shop this weekend. The boards need to be cleaned up and maybe we’ll change the color of the metal frame.

No prices yet but keep an eye out on the shop.  They should be up by the end of the week with some other fabulous new items!

The post Works in Progress appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Happy Snow Day Valentine’s! Doing anything special? I’m staying home to clean the house and then throwing some leftovers in the microwave tonight for hubby. Here are some wonderful Valentine’s projects that I won’t be doing.

The recycled book sculpture above is probably not a good DIY idea unless you’re extremely talented. $125 on Etsy to let the artist do her thing.

You can do this one. I know you can. Find some found objects and put them together on a board or in a frame. It’s easy and insanely inexpensive but will look like a million bucks….probably because you’ll spend a full day thinking up the design. Throw in some chocolates for extra credit.

This woven recycled paper heart basket is $15 on Etsy. Present it on it’s own or better yet, fill it chocolates and other small gifts. For next year, of course.

DIY some painted rocks. Nah, I wouldn’t suggest it as a gift unless you mixed in some chocolates.

This recycled pill bottle is so simple and it contains chocolates! No tutorial needed. If you can’t figure out how to put M&M’s into a pill bottle and print a label, you’re beyond help.

The post Recycled Valentines appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

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Did you ever wonder what beach water might do to paint? Well, here it is. These cans were in the basement, slightly opened, during Hurricane Sandy. Throw in some freezing and thawing over winter and this is what you get. It’s art. I meant to do that!

Also learned yesterday that 12 year old paint crackle glaze doesn’t work. Luckily, I learned it on a test board, which is sooo not my style.

The post Salt Water Paint appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Sadly, my Silent Paint Remover ended up under water during the flood. It’s possible that it survived but I’m scared to try it, so I’m waiting for The Husband to fiddle around with it. I’ll stand by to drive him to the emergency room if necessary because I’m a good wife.

Until he takes it apart, I’m stuck using chemical paint strippers. It’s bringing back some bad memories of stripping 5 marble fireplaces and a house full of wood molding with Rock Miracle. Don’t get me wrong, Rock Miracle is a great paint stripper, but since I discovered the SPR, I only use chemicals to smooth out the final (or rather, first) layer of paint instead of sanding.

The clawfoot tub I bought for $100 DELIVERED has at least eight coats of paint. It’s so thick that someone plastered in a patch where the paint had peeled. First I tried Peel Away for 36 hours. I spent half the day yesterday going through layer by layer with the Rock Miracle until I finally said “WTF am I doing? This is the side that’s going to be hidden against the wall.”

Is it nuts that I’m “doing the right thing” where nobody is gonna see it?

Anyway, if you don’t learn anything else from my DIY blog posts, listen to me now and hear me later. The Silent Paint Remover/Infrared Paint Stripper is the most friggin awesomest thing ever invented. It’s like 400 bucks, which is why I’m willing to send Hubby to the hospital rather than buy a new one, but it’s totally worth it! Multiple layers in a 12″x5″ area in one go. Saves tons of time and money spent on bullshit chemicals and make paint stripping a pleasure!

No, I’m not getting paid to say this. But then again, if the company wants to send me a new one, I would not turn it down.

I love you, Silent Paint Remover. And I miss you with all my heart.

The post Paint Stripping Deja Vu appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

We covered American made large kitchen appliances last month. They were mostly high end companies who manufacture laundry products as well, so please refer to that post so we don’t get redundant here. The list of made in America washers and dryers gets a bit fuzzy as companies manufacture products for each other and individual parts may be made outside of the U.S. Here’s a Consumer Report article to confuse you even more.

Staber Industries has been family owned and operated since 1976. They claim to be the only U.S. manufacturer of energy efficient top loading tumble action washers. Staber washers have been produced in Groveport, Ohio since 1993. Most sales are shipped factory-direct to the customer.

Speed Queen was founded by Joe Barlow and John Seelig in 1908. The Wisconsin hardware store owners bought several hand-powered washing machines from a company in Kansas City, MO and changed the product with the times (that means electricity, kids). During World War II Speed Queen halted its production of laundry equipment to manufacture 20mm shells as well as parts for airplanes, tanks and guns. The company is a big supplier of coin operated laundry machines as well as residential models.

Now the big name brands. As stated: fuzzy. Most of them are technically made in America, not necessarily the United States, but North America. They have factories in Canada and Mexico in addition to the U.S.

Maytag

Kenmore manufactures in North America, but they are also associated with LG from Korea.

Whirlpool

GE

Amana

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It used to be so easy. You stick an air conditioner in your window every summer, store it in the basement over the winter and that’s it.

Now there are options.

We decided to look into these options once our window units started breaking down. Now here we are. Weather is warming up and we are without A/C’s for 2 rooms.

Back to 2006 when we did a semi gut restoration of this house, it would have been feasible to install central air. Two things stopped us from doing this. 1) We were hemorrhaging money on this renovation and couldn’t afford the cost or time. 2) There were still plenty of original plaster walls that we didn’t want to destroy by running ducts.

Through-the-wall units would let us avoid the problem of having to move the air conditioners in and out of the windows, but that seems to be the only positive thing about it. A hole has to be cut through the exterior for each unit. Then what happens in winter? You can cover it, but it probably still compromises your heat.

Which leaves us with a ductless/split system. These systems are pricier than window units but cost less than central air. Two or more evaporators can be hooked up to a single condenser. In the long run, splits may not be as thrifty as central if cooling the entire home, but our ship has already sailed.

Why is it called “split”? The cooling evaporator sits on your interior wall while the condenser is located outside the house. Many people put the condensers up on the roof or in the yard (city yards are probably a tad on the small side).

The unit stays mounted on the interior wall throughout the year. Are they nice looking? No. Can you make a lovely cover for them? Sure.

Unlike a window or portable unit, the split system should be installed by a professional.

If anyone has any more info, please share! I’m just starting to research this myself.

Air Conditioner Buying Guide by AJMadison.com

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When we bought our house back in late 2005, we did a complete renovation. We purchased all new appliances. They were all Frigidaire because the company manufactured the best looking appliances for the lowest price.

Well, looks aren’t everything. To be fair, we purchased the most affordable Frigidaire models. Perhaps the higher end lines are far better.

Our washing machine had to be repaired after about 3 years. Just after the warranty had expired, of course. A $200 repair. It’s still not 100% but we’ll hang on to it until it dies.

Today we’re getting delivery of a dishwasher and gas dryer. Bosch and LG, thank you very much. It’s shameful that big appliances would only last 5-6 years. WTF?

Were we wrong for expecting more? In this disposable society, you get what you pay for. If I may pass on some advice from my mistakes….don’t buy big ticket items based solely on price and looks. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay a bit more. (Of course, this being said, I hope the Bosch and LG last longer!)

The post Frigidaire Sucks! appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

We’ve gone through our share of air mattresses. They last until the dogs get into the room and jump on them. Ok, so not even the best quality air mattress will hold up to two large mutts. But what of the comfort?

I can’t recall the names of Air Mattresses Past. The one we’re using now whilst Mother is in town is an Intex. I was very excited to find a queen size at EMS for like 80 bucks. Now I know why it was only $80. It sucks! Man, I’d rather be sleeping on the floor! In fact, last night I just moved on over to the couch.

If you fill it up too much, it’s really hard. Keep it a tad soft and you’ll be on the floor by morning. Oh, but that’s not all, folks! The “cushions” are so bumpy. My extremities actually fall asleep from this sucky mattress.

I’ve paid just under $200 for comfortable queen air mattresses that I was able to sleep on for extended lengths of time. I want to take a knife and slash this one.

Penny wise, pound foolish. An $80 Intex air mattress? Don’t do it.

The post Not All Air Mattresses Were Created Equal appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

I’m a Walmart boycotter. I do realize it’s a bit hypocritical since I still shop at Target. And Ikea. Walmart just seems soooo evil!

Salon has a great review of Ellen Ruppel Shell’s book “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture“. Shell depicts how we’ve totally become a disposable society. We don’t even expect craftsmanship any longer. Ikea is inexpensive because consumers take items off the shelves and assemble furniture themselves. It’s great design at affordable prices. But what about the skilled craftsperson? Has their value gone down?

Scarier still, Shell states that IKEA is the third-largest consumer of wood in the world and uses timber that comes mostly from Eastern Europe where wages are low and half of all logging is illegal.

I graduated from Ikea furniture years ago. I prefer vintage, so I have no worries about cost or the environment. But the next time I buy my 6 pack of wine glasses for 5 bucks, I might think about the little Indonesian children who made them.

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Reader Jill Fudo, architect, tipped me off to a newish product called Timbersil.

The wood and glass fusion lumber sounds too good to be true, but it’s definitely worth a look into.

Looks more like straight up wood than composite material.

Greener than pressure treated lumber.

More durable than wood.

Stands up to insects and water because of the glass.

Oh yeah, and fire resistant too.

This can be stained like any other wood product. Timbersil fabricates products ranging from building materials to finish materials such as trim and tongue and groove flooring.

According to the website, prices are affordable. I have calls in to the local distributors. I’ll let you know when I find out exactly what those prices are.

Two Tri-State dealers are Hood Distribution and Wehrung’s Lumber.

Related: Good Millwork

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Always looking for new ways to make a buck, I put together an Amazon store. This was a fun task as I was able to “shop” for inventory without spending a dime.

The store has four categories so far: books, tools, pets and products. I’m not in control of pricing or shipping, so I don’t know how it compares to others.

I pretty much chose items that are consistent with this blog. Many I’ve used myself and some I wish I owned. Tools I’ve raved about in the past, like the Silent Paint Remover. Lazy people’s pet products like the indoor Pet Loo and treadmill. There are books on New York, frugality, design and restoring old homes. Green products include things like milk paint and furniture restore. Ok, the furniture restore isn’t green, but saving the old pieces are! All in the name of preservation, hon.

Check it out! Give me some feedback. Purchase a bunch of crap you don’t need so I can make money. Thank you. Have a nice day!

Related:

Silent Paint Remover

Lazy Pet Owner

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Ladies, don’t be jealous! My husband came home the other day with a gift for me. A Makita cordless driver drill. He let me play with it for like 5 seconds and now I can’t seem to find it. Hmm, if I didn’t know any better…

So what makes the 18V Lithium Ion so great? Well, I think my old Dewalt (can’t find that either) is only 14V and much heavier because it isn’t lithium. It’s quicker to charge this battery and it holds the charge better. The drill weighs only 4.1 pounds and the ergonomic shape doesn’t hurt my drillin’ elbow either while the motor delivers 450 lbs of torque.

But best of all? It’s got a cute little light to illuminate the work area. Ah, there’s a sucker born every minute!

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I’d like to pay homage to some of the greatest inventions that I can’t live without. Whether they’ve helped me through a DIY project, a photo shoot or a cold winter’s day, they are things I need in my life.

Without further adieu…. A List:

1. Gorilla Glue “For the toughest jobs on earth.” Word.

2. Power Drill

3. Howard’s.If you don’t have the patience to sand and restore a piece of furniture, just apply some of this magic restorer.

4. Vinegar

5. Swiss Army Knife. Never leave home without it on a photo shoot. Screw driver, scissor, pliers, saw and of course….cork screw.

6. iPhone. Not because I’m obsessed with my email and internet. Not because I love having a camera in my pocket at all times. Not because I can listen to music or watch videos. The applications that can be downloaded are endless…GPS, tip calculator, flashlight, level, tape measure, dog whistle and fake calls to get you out of awkward situations.

7. Staple Gun. Reupholstery was never so easy. Backing frames. Bang! Bang! Who cares if it’s a crappy job? It’s sooo simple.

8. Bungees. They can take the place of clamps and hangers in a pinch. 

9. Duct Tape

10. Hand Warmers. Saved my life last Sunday.

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