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February 23, 2009
Stacked Cups and Plates
For a while now, I've been using this super adhesive glue (E6000) to glue random plates, cups and mugs together into tall serving tiered trays as gifts. They are so easy to make and all you have to do is have some of this glue and patience to let it fully dry.
So, imagine my surprise to see this lamp in Anthropologie recently: stacked plates, cups and a teapot to make a lamp. I'm thinking these were vintage pieces that they repurposed into a lamp and the end results of kinda fun. I do love how Anthropologie is always pushing their designers to come up with more interesting and handmade looking pieces.
And for those of you who don't remember my stacked tiered project, here's a pic from the very first example I did. It is literally flea market chipped plates, creamers and a five cent bird figurine all glued together. This E6000 glue is so strong, you could literally hold it by the bird and it won't break apart. Don't even think about trying to do this with a hot glue gun....it just won't work!
February 20, 2009
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I'm always on the go, so if you want to see what I'm up to at any moment, follow me on Twitter!
Crate and Barrel Weekend
Last weekend, I was in New York City to help train the sales associates at the Crate and Barrel store on Madison Avenue (by Central Park) about the Natural Care line of mattresses. I'm proud to say that Natural Care is now also available at all Crate and Barrel furniture stores nationwide, in addition to JCPenney stores and many fine sleep specialty stores nationwide, too.
In between training sessions, I walked around the empty store (it was done in the morning before the store opened) and felt like I had a private store all to myself. There is something very calming about shopping in store that's pin-drop quiet: no music, no employees and just daylight pouring through the windows. Fun!
One item I spied was this collection of ottomans made from reupholstered vintage carpets. No two are alike and they have a feeling of being an heirloom piece.
Yes, $1800 is not cheap, I admit. But you are looking at a piece of furniture that is made from authentic vintage rugs and is hand upholstered to give you a polished, very professional look. Whenever I see something I'd like to buy, I just wait for the appropriate sale and markdowns to see if the price is agreeable or not. And sometimes, I'll look at this inspiration piece and just make one myself. Which one would you do? Wait for a sale or try it yourself?
And here is a fun idea: use your dining room hutch as as tableau presentation instead of just stacking endless amounts of dishes on top of each other. Why not mix a big ball of twine and shells with everyday dishes? Or just fill up the entire cabinet with jars full of household items. I think the rules of decorating are broken and we can be as creative in every room of the house. Have fun, I say.
Okay, back to meeting the lovely folks at C&B to discuss eco sleeping....
February 19, 2009
How Tacky
Well, here's an office supply trend I'm starting to see more and more of lately: using thumbtacks as wall ornamentation.
Here, a bunch of metal thumbtacks are just poked into a wall to spell out the word SWARM.
Here's a clsoer look. As you can see, it's not done precisely, but more scattered to give it a looser, more organic feel. Even some tacks are randomly poked outside of the letters to suggest that handmade, by-chance feel, too.
This one is all rhinestones all over a wall, but I was thinking a box of old white and red thumbtacks could do the trick, too. Now, if you mind poking hundreds of tiny holes all over wall, why not try this artistic trick on a piece of corkboard and hanging that instead? You could spell out a word like "HELLO" and hang it on the front door. If someone wants to leave a note, all they have to do is pull out a tack and attach a note right to your piece of "tacky" art.
February 18, 2009
Glass and Bottle Fixtures
Well, it started with this stunning crystal chandelier I saw at the uber-pricey and fun-place-to-visit shop Moss in New York City. For just $50,000, you can have this Opera House worthy fixture hanging in your home, too.
Clearly, it's a masterful piece of art, but it's way out of reach for me or anyone I know to purchase. But since digital pictures are free, I'll post it here as an inspiration piece.
How about this interpretation? From NYC to San Francisco, I spied this champagne glass flute pendant hanging in the window of the Gump's store near Union Square. It's just one champagne flute carefully hung on top of each other over and over until it becomes a glimmery light fixture. I'd imagine a run to a thrift shop could score dozens of old flutes and you could make one yourself...or....
Why not save your empty Method dish soap bottles and make a plastic (safer) fixture yourself? This one is hanging in one of the conference rooms at Method and It's just a shining example of something quirky, modern, resourceful and fun.
February 17, 2009
Recork America
I was in San Francisco last week for some meetings with Method Home (the uber cool cleaning supply company that I've partnered with) and to do a photo shoot for ReadyMade Magazine. It was a quick 2-day trip to one of my most favorite cities in the world. Too quick.
On the first day in San Francisco, I made a pit stop at the Ferry Building to place an order for two dozen Miette organic cupcakes to use in the photo shoot. After I placed the order, I started walking down the hallways of the terminal looking for other interesting props that might and stumbled upon this recycling bin.
It's a collection box for ReCork America, an organization dedicated to educating folks about the importance of using real cork for wine bottles and to collect the used corks for recycling.
Cork, as we know, is a natural and biodegradable resource that doesn't actually cut down any trees to produce; the cork oak tree sheds the outer layers of its bark, which is then used to make wine corks, leaving the entire alive and forests intact. Over 6 million acres of forested areas are dedicated to the cork trade, but it's under threat from development since more and more wine makers are switching to synthetic plastic corks.
So, ReCork America is trying to get the message out there two-fold: buy one with real wine corks and save 'em and recycle them. These collection boxes turn real wine corks into recycled products like flooring tiles, building insulation, craft materials and sports equipment.
For participating locations, just visit their website at www.recorkamerica.com.
February 16, 2009
Congrats to Mary
Congrats to Mary for winning the Citizen Eco Drive watch. Stay tuned for more contests. Her response was on how to stay green and save time:
"When my husband and I go for our daily walk in our neighborhood, we pick up the trash along the road. The exercise is good for us, and we can help to beautify the land."
Bleecker Street, Revisited
One of my first apartments was on the corner of Bleecker and Charles street in the West Village. The other day, I walked on by and decided to snap a photo like an annoying tourist. I lived right above a restaurant (that closed the day I moved in). Today, Juicy Couture has moved into the spot and taken foot on Bleecker Mall, er, Street.
One of the things that I loved about living in the West Village was the sense of community that was there. You could stroll up and down different streets and find tiny cafes, restaurants, stores and peer at the beautifully decorated stoops and front doors during the holidays. Today, it feels a little bit like a mall with the invasion of Marc Jacobs stores up and down the street. When I watched the movie "No Reservations" starring Catherine Zeta Jones recently, I realized they filmed it in my old apartment. So strange...
One store that has survived is LEO Design, at 413 Bleecker Street. It's full of vintage, antique and some new home furnishings that all make perfect housewarming gifts. I used to run into the store 15 minutes before a birthday party and find the perfect gift that they'd wrap up and have ready to go. I popped and took some shots to share with you. Notice how everything is coordinated by color?
The heavy metal boxes are my favorite. One is shaped in a pine cone and seperates at the middle.
Copper, copper and more copper. If you have a mission style home, this is the perfect gift.
And twig pencils! I remember making these when I was a teenage out of found twigs and graphite inserts. I'll share that project with you on this blog so you can make your twig pencils.
February 14, 2009
Laundry Ghost
Happy Valentine's Day!
Just a funny shot to post about today: my laundry ghost. I washed some t-shirts and a hoodie today and hung them all up to air dry. Lately, I've been air-drying a lot more because A: it's good for the environment and B: it doesn't shrink my shirts. I've even gotten to the point of piling t-shirts next to the vents in the guest room to dry more quickly. The forced air from my heating system gets them dry in minutes.
But as I looked at the laundry area this morning, I thought this looked like a creepy laundry monster/ghost.
Enjoy the day!
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