I’ve been making a few small additions to the downstairs bedroom.  Ever since I brought in the hacked RAST chest, it seemed like the time was right to pay a little more attention to the room we spend so much (unconscious) time in.

First you might notice the bedding.  The pink sheets have been in use since 2011 (Marimekko via Crate and Barrel), but the grey quilt is new.  It’s from the new Threshold collection at Target, on sale last week fro $60.  I fell briefly in love with the Nomad Coverlet from West Elm, but with tax and shipping it was more than double the cost of the one from Target.  It’s pretty lightweight, but still warm enough for the last week of freezing temps we’ve had here in Knoxville.

I also added a pair of (non-matching) lamps on either side of the bed.  At night it’s amazing what proper lighting can do to a room.  I should have just gone and bought some stupid lamps 2 years ago… totally ridiculous to wait this long.  The one on the left has a smokey-grey glass base and a basic white drum shade, both from the Target mix/match shelf.  And the one on the right has a cheap base from Target but a weirdo lampshade I bought randomly a few years ago.  There was a Bliss Home clearance sale at some point, and I couldn’t bear to walk out empty handed, so I got this lampshade for $5.

It’s actually pretty awesome though, plain white on the outside, but printed with a woodland landscape on the inside.  So when it’s glowing in an otherwise dark room, you can see all these subtle little shadows.

I also scored this strange and awesome laundry basket thing yesterday at Marshall’s for $20.  I can’t quite figure out the physics behind it, because it’s made of a sturdy/starchy canvas, but it’s completely freestanding without any metal frame.  I like the bold black and white stripes and the heavy rope handles.

Clearly this side of the room still needs some work.  The wall has been blank the entire time we’ve lived here.  (Over 3 years now!)  I’m thinking about finding some kind of smallish mirror to hang over the dresser, and maybe some smaller framed prints to the left.

Along with filling up the walls with some new art, I’d also like to replace the old kitchen chair in the corner with something way cooler and more unique.  Hopefully I can find something in a thrift or antique store that I could paint or refinish for cheap.

It’s taken a while, but this room is finally coming together nicely.  Here’s a little refresher of all the small improvements over the past two years.

• Paint all surfaces (walls need primer done summer 2011
• Re-arrange furniture done summer 2011
  
• DIY upholstered headboard done October 2011
• Buy cheap metal bed frame to get box spring off of the floor
• Buy 3-drawer dresser(s) bought one in January 2012, another in January 2013
• Buy and install new light fixture found half-assed solution in January 2012
• Buy 2 nightstands or side tables partially done October 2011
• Buy 2 table lamps
• Buy and install new curtain rods done September 2011
• Buy/make curtain panels done September 2011
• Buy new duvet or quilt, other linens
• Accessorize.
• Organize closet and utilize dresser drawers

Hey look, I’ve done a lot in this room, after all!  It’s only taken a year and a half.  Here’s hoping I get through the full list by this summer to beat the 2-year mark.

Ever since I got Bro, I’ve been itching to sew up some custom beds for the pups.  This venture was not so much to save money (because I ended up spending plenty of that), but to avoid the god-awful ugly ones they sell at pet stores.

You see, in our house, dogs are not allowed on the furniture.  No couch, no chairs, no lap sitting. They’re also not allowed to roam free and pace around when they’re inside (save that for the backyard, doggies).  So since they were both puppies, they’ve had beds to lay on at all times inside the house.  And now that they’re older and not as prone to destruction, I wanted to make some beds that weren’t a constant eyesore in the living room.

I started out by selecting some fun prints from Spoonflower, this blue-on-blue number for Seamus, and a grey and yellow arrow print for Schooner.  I could have saved money with something from the local fabric store, but I was dazzled by the array of awesome prints on Spoonflower.  Word to the wise: it takes a while for their fabrics to ship, I’m assuming because each length of fabric is printed to order.  Both of these are the standard Kona cotton.  I’ll be interested to see how they hold up with dog-wear, because it’s not super thick.

For the bottoms of the beds, I got 2.5 yards of navy blue duck cloth from JoAnn’s, and because I like a challenge, I also decided to do some piping around the seams.  Although I’d seen tutorials to make bias tape, I opted to buy some of this quilt binding from JoAnn’s, which seemed like it would do the trick.

My first step was to make the band of piping that would go around the edge.  So I unfolded the bias tape and ran a length of thick cord down the center seam.  I pinned down the entire length to keep the cord in place, and sewed down the length of it.

Now, it took me until bed #2 to realize that my sewing machine actually did come with a zipper foot, which allows the needle to get much closer to the cord, making a much tighter “pipe”.  Since I used the regular walking foot for the grey/yellow bed, the piping is kinda saggy because the tube of fabric around the cord is too loose.

This is the zipper foot.  The regular walking foot has another metal presser on the left side of the needle.

So when you’re left with a long strip of piping, you pin it in place to the right side of your top piece.  Cutting notches in the piping will allow it to gently curve around the corners.

I didn’t bother ironing anything because I hate to iron, and I didn’t think creases in their bedding would offend the dogs.

So this was a little hard to get the hang of, but next I basically just sewed a straight stitch around the pinned edge, staying as close to the piping as possible.

Then once it’s attached, you pin the back side fabric to the front/piping piece (wrong sides out, right sides facing each other on the inside).  Note that I opted to do a 2-piece back, so that the two panels overlap by about 5 inches so you can stuff the beds and don’t need to fiddle with zippers and buttons and shit.

[Alas, I forgot to take pics of this step.]

Then you sew around the edge once again, this time binding together the top fabric, piping edges, and the bottom fabric.  With the thick duck cloth, it got a little rugged there in a few spots, so beware of broken needles and such.

At this point, even though you really want to be done and do a dog photo shoot, you gotta do one more thing.  Just to be sure all the seams are strong, it’s a good idea to reinforce them (all the way around) with a zig zag stitch (or a serger if you’re fancy).

Then you flip them inside out (or outside out?) and stuff it with whatever you please.  For the big blue bed, I used an old dog bed PLUS a new dog bed insert from Target (it was Boots and Barkley brand, about $12, I can’t find it online, in stores only I guess).  And for Schooner’s smaller bed, I used a 22″ square of 2″ thick foam wrapped with some extra quilt batting for good measure (both from JoAnn).

You can tell that the blue bed is much more plush and pillow-like, and the yellow one is more like a soft foam pad.

Sharing is caring, so they tried out both of them…

When it came down to it, after a little research, I basically winged the pattern.  But I got the original dog bed inspiration from Manhattan Nest.  And to work in the piping, I followed instructions for making a throw pillow with piping.  I looked at a few different tutorials, but this one seemed most straightforward for a non-perfectionist sewing something for dogs to drool on.

After the sun went down tonight, the beds went back into their normal everyday spots.  Schooner likes laying under the coffee table, and Seamus’ plush new bed lives at the end of the sofa.

Last weekend we escaped the bitter cold of January and jetted off to Florida.  I’ve never been a huge fan of the state, but we were lured in with cheap airfare and an invitation to visit a friend’s parents in their 6,000 square foot villa.  It.  Was.  Awesome.

I’ve never really experienced the pleasures of a dead-of-winter trip to a tropical climate.  I could get on board with this.

We spent most of the time guzzling cocktails, swimming in the luxurious pool, and eating amazing food prepared by our gracious hosts.

On Friday we visited Lover’s Key State Park, which was a really lovely gulf beach to wander around, and not crowded at all.  Unfortunately, we didn’t see any manatees, who usually frequent the area.

The community we stayed in was called Mediterra, which is pretty much a luxury golf community in between Naples and Bonita Beach.  The homes were really spectacular.  And if you’re into golf, the holes that we saw were all very beautiful.

This is the glow-time view from the backyard of the house we stayed in.

I hope everyone has a chance to escape to warmer climates this winter.  Or if you don’t have the chance, do like I did when we lived in Brooklyn: crank up the heater, put on some summer clothes and pretend.

Two weeks ago one of my coworkers made a pilgrimage to the Atlanta IKEA for new baby furniture, and generously offered to pick me up anything of reasonable size I had my eye on.  I try to keep IKEA out of mind these days, since it’s so far out of reach.  But once the offer was made, I did a quick inventory of the house to see what type of inexpensive item would be a good idea right now.

I immediately thought of some kind of dresser, since they come in flat-pack boxes and they’re notoriously cheap at IKEA.  Although after toting one around from apartment to apartment during college, I learned the lesson that you really do get what you pay for, i.e. they fall apart.  But there’s been a corner of the downstairs bedroom that’s been neglected and in need of storage for almost THREE YEARS now since we moved into this house.  (WTF, where did the last three years go?)  You can see in this old post, that it’s been home to two big cardboard boxes and two old kitchen chairs.

I did some googling and pinterestry to find the RAST 3-drawer chest which sells for the low low price of $34.99.  But it’s made of real solid wood, and although kind of tiny, it’s $35!  Plus, a quick google image search shows the incredible versatility of this piece if you’re willing to put a little elbow grease into it.

First things first, I got out the included allen wrench and put the little bugger together (minus the ugly wooden knobs).  As with all the other IKEA case goods, it’s easy to put together if you approach the process with enough time and patience.

I took the assembled drawers outside onto a drop cloth and spray painted the front faces with spray primer then two coats of white satin spray paint (allowing to mostly dry between coats).

And I stained the outside with Minwax “red oak” wood stain.  I thought it would be a departure from my usual “dark walnut”, which was used on the coffee table and the bathroom shelves, but it turned out very similar.  Just a tad bit warmer/redder when viewed side by side.

I like to use these cheap foam brushes to apply the stain and also the polyurethane.  They allow for easy, even coverage, and they’re cheap enough to throw away after.  (P.S. don’t buy these brushes at Home Depot or Lowe’s, they’re half the price at the craft stores.)

I also picked up some slick brass knobs from Home Depot for $1.50 each.  I know, with all these supplies we’ve certainly crossed the $50 mark on this thing, but now it’s custom, right?

Overall, I think it’s pretty rad.

When I first got it into place, I realized how remarkably small it is.  It’s about the smallest dresser you could find.  Almost miniature if you were trying to store actual clothes in it.  But I just wanted storage for odds and ends, and keeping clutter away, so it works just fine.

Plus, being a small bedroom, a deeper chest of drawers would have taken up too much space, preventing clear passage around that side of the bed.

All in all, exactly what I needed, and at the right price.  Thank you again IKEA for your home decor sorcery, and luring in more of my cash, even though I live 250 miles away.

Side note: I enjoy the pet name “oh brother” as well, which alludes to the potential misery and frustration this same machine can cause.

But really, I’ve been meaning to purchase one of these for quite a while.  And this model was only $74 on Amazon (although it’s listed as $82 now).  So for less than $100 bucks, I think the time was right.

Now here’s the catch, I haven’t used a sewing machine in about 15 years.  So I set the thing up yesterday with an aura of calmness, expecting to become angry and frustrated almost immediately.  After I spun a bobbin or two and got the damn thing threaded, I started playing around on scraps of fabric.

To get a better Idea of how the machine stitches worked, I put red thread in the bobbin and white thread on top.  It took a while to get the tension correct, mostly because I realized later that I was using really shitty thread and really thin, flimsy fabric.  As per usual, my “good enough” mentality was already making this harder.

Lucky for me, they just opened a JoAnn Fabrics on this side of town, so it’s about a 7 minute drive for me to go get supplies.  Once I got some real thread I started making better progress.  This cheap-o machine even has built in fancy stitches, which were fun to test drive.

Also while at JoAnn, I picked up some black jersey fabric with the fantasy of making some kind of actual people clothes.  For the last few months I’ve been wanting a black jersey skirt, not super mini and not knee-length pencil, but haven’t found anything in the shops.  Since basically all I’m asking for is a tube of black fabric, I figured this might be a safe thing to try and sew together.

I followed this basic tutorial, that doesn’t involve  a pattern.  There was really only one major problem, the first time I cut the fabric, I cut it in the wrong direction so that it only stretched up and down (instead of side to side, which is what you need when you’re squeezing your ass into a tube skirt).  But I channeled Tim Gunn and made it work, re-cutting the pieces.  And after only one major fabric/needle/tangle/jam-up, lo and behold, I made an actual garment.

It’s not perfect, and it’s certainly not complex.  But there are no raw edges, it has a separate piece cut for the waist band, and it’s suitable for actual human wear.  And not just any human, it fits me because I used another skirt that fits as a template.

Here’s an awful picture to prove it!

I’d say that this cotton jersey stretch material is the way to go when you’re just learning how to sew stuff.  I really can’t imagine trying to fit a non-stretchy fabric to fit properly.  And zippers and buttons and stuff, gah!  Definitely not ready for that.

Thank god this first project actually worked out without any tears or throwing stuff, because I have a TON of things I want to make now.  Curtains…pillows….dog beds…maybe even more people clothes (mostly because I like making jokes all afternoon about being on Project Runway).

I do like cooking, but I’m not much of a baker.  I don’t have a ton of luck with cookies, cakes, etc., and I don’t have much patience with beautifully decorating stuff that just gets eaten.  But when the holidays roll around, I still feel this weird obligation to prepare and give edible treats to everyone I know.

This recipe is so incredibly easy, makes a huge batch, and everyone loves them.  They also last for at least 2 weeks in a well-sealed container, so it’s easy to make a huge batch and hand them out as you see people throughout the holiday season.

This year I made a 3 lb. batch and divided them between two big mason jars (for friends and neighbors) and about 15 small cellophane bags for co-workers.

You also get to make a lot of “nuts” jokes when you’re making them, portioning them, and distributing them.  Rife with comedy.  Plus the gift of nuts (tee hee hee) is a welcome reprieve from the barrage of cookies and candy that everyone else seems to drag into work with them during this time of year.

Some of you may even remember that these made a cameo last February as favors at our wedding. I used the exact same recipe, but upped the cute factor with the gingham squares on the mason jar lids.

I’ve made this recipe at least 5 times over the last three years, each with varying quantities of nuts. The proportions are very forgiving, and it’s easy to add other spices like allspice or nutmeg.

Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts (makes 3 lb.)

Recipe scaled from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 lb. mixed nuts (pecans, almonds, and walnuts – but pecans are the best)
• 3 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 3 tbs. water

Preheat oven to 300°.

Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon in a very large bowl.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites and water until frothy but not stiff.  Add nuts, and stir to coat evenly.  Pour the coated nuts into the large bowl containing the sugar mixture.  Toss gently to cover evenly.

Spread evenly across 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake 30 minutes, stirring mid-way through.

Remove the parchment sheets from the hot pans and let cool on the counter.  Allow the nuts to cool completely before breaking them up and storing in air-tight containers.

The brown and green one on the left is the oldest.  It was the only Large H Bag, here’s an example of the current style.  It was practical when I rode the subway to work and used to carry a book, bottle of water, sometimes knitting, and other survival supplies.

The other three shown above are the standard H bag style, with the same pocket layout but a smaller footprint.  The red/black stripe and white/black feather print bags are wax-coated canvas. The striped one has held up amazingly well, to the point where I’d still be able to pull this out and use it again in the future.  Unfortunately the white parts of the feather print have gotten really yellowed over time so it looks a little too worn out now.  The yellow and brown leather H bag was by my side for the past year, after I picked it up from the Chelsea BI store location during my September 2011 trip to NYC.

The structure of these bags make for pretty easy organization.  I usually put my most used items (wallet, keys, phone, sunglasses) in the outer pockets (w/ magnetic closures) and zipped up everything else in the cavernous center area.  The only problem with this is that sometimes I would forget about all the shit I was squirreling away in the middle part.  It’s really bad when you forget that there’s a pear in your purse for a few days.

The most fun thing about this line of handbags is that the prints change every season.  Some are subtle and modern, and others (like my original green/brown/swirly monster bag) are a lot more loud.

So say hello to the newest member of my purse squad, the Mod Pocket Hobo Bag.

I was finally lured away from the H bag with this new style.  It’s one of the many things I’ve purchased for myself this holiday season.  I don’t know what the hell has come over me, but I’ve bought more crap for myself in the past 4 weeks than I have in the last 8 months.

Anyway, as I suspected, this bag has a little bit more of the “black hole” effect, where you drop everything into one central compartment.  So I’ve found myself doing a lot more digging around to find my keys.  But it does have a few side pockets and partitions, and it does prevent me from hoarding unnecessary items in that big middle pocket.

I bought this guy during the black friday/cyber monday weekend, when they were running an online sale for 25% off everything.  And guess what, they seem to be doing it again!  So if you need a last minute gift for a special lady on your list, keep that in mind.  (Fun fact!  In 2007 I gave an H bag to my sister for xmas.)

[This post is not sponsored or perked in any way, just sharing some love for a product I use everyday.]

It was time to downsize.

Over the last few weeks I’ve gone back through every single food magazine on my shelves and pulled out the ones I might actually make one day.  So rather than a three foot high stack, I now have one 2 inch binder filled with only the recipes that I love.

It took a long time to go back through every one of these issues, and you start to notice a lot of repetitive recipes that are published over and over again (especially in FN Mag).  But it gave me a renewed arsenal of dinner ideas.

And now I have a tidy little “cookbook” arranged by recipe type (drink, appetizer, main, side, dessert) that contains only the recipes that I hand-picked from the overwhelming stack of close to 100 magazines.

I tried to cut out as many pictures as possible, because without a photo, recipes aren’t quite as enticing.  Plus, these magazines all have really beautiful photography and layout design, which is the most enjoyable part of leafing through each issue.

Oh my god, have you ever tried this mac and cheese?  If not, go search for it on Food Network and make it right now.

I got a box of 50 3-ring plastic sleeves to hold my cut out pages.  I only used about half of them, and there’s plenty of room in the binder to add more pages down the line.  The binder and plastic sheets cost about $12.

For the shorter recipes and the small pages from Everyday Food, I tried to make the best use of space by cutting out the excess paper on the edges and taping them onto sheets of white copy paper.

And many of the FN Mag “weeknight cooking” recipes are consistently laid out in uniform columns, making it easy to display two per page.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make this Primavera with Proscuitto, Asparagus, and Carrots.

So I bought a strand on a whim the other day, not really knowing where I’d put them.  After a few other failed ideas, I started draping them around the massive snake plant that usually lives in the corner of the living room.  And guess what?  I love it!

I also put out a few other seasonal pieces on the mantle, a variation on what I did last year.  The holly sprig and red berries were from out in the yard, and the only thing I bought new is the little grey sweater-covered tree shape, which was under $5 at Target.

I crafted up those white hanging shapes this afternoon based on this tutorial.  Although I bought some metal eyelets to connect each end, it proved nearly impossible without the special tools.  So I used double-sided tape to attach the ends of each strip of paper.  And they’re just hung on a piece of thread that’s taped to the back of the mirror.

I like that they’re light and airy.  They add some extra interest to the mirror without being too in-yo-face.  It would also be cool to hang these in a spot where they could spin around.  I couldn’t think of a good spot, but maybe next year.

It feels like Christmas is still really far away.  For some reason I’m more excited about it this year.  I think I’m just really looking forward to some time off of work, and a trip up to see the fam.  And oh yeah, I’m turing THIRTY this month.  Oye…

I’d like to note that I have completely, 100% ripped off the artist’s lovely pattern for this.  I would never try to profit from this kind of endeavor, but for a one-off project around my own home I don’t feel too guilty.  Plus, the general steps for an over-sized cross stitch piece are also available on Readymade.

Just by looking at the example, and counting the rows and columns, I started by sketching out a pattern on graph paper.

For my canvas, I used another of these old college-era canvases that I’ve been slowly repurposing around the house.  The size was perfect, however I knew it would be next to impossible to try to “sew” yarn through a gessoed and thickly painted canvas.  I knew I would need to “pre-poke” the necessary holes for the pattern.

First, I drew out a grid over the old painting.  Behold, an artistic rendering of my West Philly apartment in 2003:

The grid looks crooked in this pic, but it’s actually straight.  It’s just the shitty painting behind it that’s always been crooked.

Then I got to work pokin’ some holes.  This was the most time consuming part, and could certainly be avoided by using regular fabric stretched across a frame.  In retrospect, that small investment would have made this project about 3 hours faster.  Although, if using plain fabric, I’m not quite sure how I would have mapped out a perfect grid.

Anyway, this part was kinda sucky.  I started each hole with a thumbtack, holding a wine cork underneath so the pin had something to sink into without stretching the surface too much.  I definitely missed the cork a few times and stabbed my fingers.  Maybe that was on account of all the wine.

But the thumbtack hole was not quite big enough so I widened each one with a tiny metal knitting needle.  (Size 0?  I don’t know.  It’s been so long I may have forgotten how to knit.)

Now that the holes were all made, it was time to paint over this god awful thing, which I had now spent the last 3 hours staring at.

I went with the “indigo” color Valspar spray paint.  I used spray paint because it’s easy, and since it’s only getting a light mist, it didn’t clog up the holes.

Extra shiny and extra blue in this pic because it was still wet.  It’s actually “satin” finish paint, and more of a navy blue than bight blue as seen here.

Now it was onto the actual fun part, making the stitches according to my little pattern.  This was super easy and took maybe an hour total.

And the absolute best thing about this is that it only cost me $3.50 for the spray paint.  I already had the canvas, yarn, and tools on-hand.

For now, it’s hanging in our dining room, in a spot left vacant after my picture re-arranging two weeks ago.  I do love it here, but I find the colors a little clashy with the curtains, we’ll see where it ends up.