Rock the Votive (with Guest Blogger Lea)

Out of the blue this week, I got an email from my childhood friend, Lea (who you might remember from this post or this post), with a pretty great blog post that she just whipped up 'cause she felt like it. I have been busybusybusy (so what else is new?) and this little unexpected surprise arrived in the nick of time. Plus, we're only a couple weeks away from Valentine's Day, and who couldn't use a little cheap, romantic candlelight in their lives? So bust out those gross, burnt, waxy, old glass votive candle holders you were going to throw away (or pick some used ones up for next-to-nothing at a thrift shop- they look great mixed and matched en masse), and give them a new lease on light (see what I did there?) PLUS: check in tomorrow to see a few unexpected uses Lea has found for her votives (including one brilliant craft project I wish I'd thought of).  It'll be all the candle you can handle.  Thanks, Lea!

 Every year, before the holidays, starting from when I was a child, I have made it my job to clean all of the votive candle holders in the house and get them looking fresh and new and ready for the season. I've always liked this job because it's a big mess/project/production and I get to experiment with different ways to remove candle wax. And when I was finished I loved the atmosphere that candles brought to the house.

I tried many different approaches: Melting off the wax in hot water on the stove (what a mess...), putting the candle holders in the freezer and then picking off the wax (works OK for big pieces of wax but does not leave a clean look), scraping the wax off with a butter knife or fingernails (ouch!) or razor blades, or using hot water from the faucet to soften the wax. All of these approaches were difficult, time consuming, and always left me with a terrible waxy mess to clean up afterward.

 I was married a little over a year ago and I wanted to have a candlelit dinner as part of the celebration. Lil (a.k.a A Charmed Wife)'s mom had 50+ glass votives left over from Lil's brother's wedding that she said I could have. I was up for the challenge of cleaning them, but I knew I needed a better method.

What I came up with put all of my previous years of work to shame! It is very simple and effective (at least for glass votives) and best of all... it leaves no mess! Here's what you do.

Step 1: Put the oven on VERY low (100 to 150 degrees F) because you don't want an oven fire, and place all of your votives on an old baking sheet. (note: I did once cause an oven fire in my mother's oven when I was trying to make new candles from old ones and beeswax crayons... The oven was on WAY to high but luckily there was a fire extinguisher nearby... what a mess... sorry mom, you were so patient with me, I love you).

Step 2: Once they are warm and you can see some melted wax, remove only one of the votives from the oven with an old oven mitt or pot-holder (take care not to burn yourself) and pour the melted wax into an open paper bag that you have already set in the trash. 

Step 3: Next use paper towels or cut up old t-shirts or paper napkins (I hold on to unused takeout napkins and keep them in a drawer -just like my mother does- so I can use them for dirty jobs such as this) to wipe away the left over wax and any soot or dirt and !VOILA! you are done!

4) Repeat for all of your votives, throwing away your wiper into your paper bag when it gets to much wax on it. If any wax got on your baking sheet you can also just wipe it of:) Don't forget to turn off the oven, something I always need to remind myself to do, or else my husband reminds me with a worried look in his eye.

5) After this process, your votives will be very clean and ready for new candles. If you want them extra sparkly or if you want to repurpose them (check in tomorrow for some novel ideas), just wash them like dishes.  I hope this gives you a motive for cleaning your votives!

Rubber Match

In case you have been in a coma, or had your arm stuck in between two boulders since September (welcome back, by the way!), or something, you probably have noticed that this has been a pretty crumby winter in New York City, weather-wise. It's been really snowy and cold and slushy and mucky and generally awful. Which usually I don't mind, because it gives me a good excuse not to wear heels when I leave the house (almost never), and to instead wear my black rubber Hunter wellington boots.  I happen to love these boots because, whenever I put them on, they make me feel like the lady of an English manor going out to oversee the grooming of my horses, even when I'm really just going to CVS to buy toilet paper.
However, lately, my charming ladylike rubber boots have started to look a little worse for wear, what with the mud caked on them, and the water spots, and the rubber "blooming" some weird white powder at the seams. I still feel like I'm in an English manor when I wear them, but now I'm more like the disheveled old squatter who mucks out the rabbit cages.
So, I started to wonder about cleaning my boots. What, pray tell, I asked myself, shall I use to spiff up my wellies? (obviously, I was speaking in a British accent when I said this).

AND THEN inspiration hit me like a ton of rabbit pellets in the face- what else is made out of rubber and gets mucky and muddy and needs to be cleaned? That's right- tires! I hopped right out and bought some Mothers Tire Shine (That's just what they had at my store- I am sure other brands, like Armorall, would work just as well). Spray the polish onto a clean soft rag and rub it into the boots. Let them sit for 10 minutes, and then use a dry part of the towel to buff them to a bright shine. You'll be back to feeling like your royal self again, in no time, your ladyship.

Sweater Weather

I grew up in California, and, in case you were wondering, what the Beach Boys and Katy Perry have told you is true about us California girls.  I was tan and wore flip-flops, shorts and bikinis all year. There was nary a boot, turtleneck, or scarf to be found within 100 miles of my closet. So, needless to say, when I moved to Boston for college, I was more than a little out to lunch and wildly unprepared for winter. Suffice it to say, I brought twelve sarongs with me, and zero coats.
The first day it really got cold that fall, I had to wear all of my clothes at once in order to keep from freezing on my way to the dining hall. Over the course of that year, I picked up a thing or two in the classroom, but what I mostly acquired was a collection of sweaters, which the intervening years of my east-coast residence have only served to multiply. And, strangely, I have come to love sweaters. The problem with sweaters, though, is, unlike sarongs, you can't just throw them in the laundry. And, if you, um, glow like I do when the radiator kicks on, dry cleaning can get rather pricey. Luckily, after years of trial and error, I discovered a method for washing my wool and cashmere sweaters at home, which leaves them cleaner, fresher, and softer than dry cleaning.  Which is good, because I now pretty much wear a daily uniform of jeans and cute sweater from October until May. The rest of the time, I'm back in shorts and flip-flops. After all, you can take the girl out of California...

 Step 1: Fill your sink with hot or warm (you heard me!) water and a squirt of Dawn, or another gentle dishwashing liquid, and carefully place your sweater in it. Contrary to popular belief, hot water is not damaging to wool, but regular laundry detergent (even Woolite) and agitation ARE. So avoid the urge to swish or agitate the water once you have put the sweater in, and just let it soak until spots are dissolved. 

 Step 2: If your washing machine has a Delicates setting for "Rinse" and "Spin", you can move your sweater into the washer and use those two cycles to, well, rinse and spin it. If your washer doesn't do that, gently drain the soapy water in your sink, and refill the sink with warm water a few times until the sweater is rinsed. Then, carefully transfer the sweater to a dry towel and roll the towel until the sweater is just damp.

Step 3: Transfer the sweater to a dry towel, and lay it out flat, in the shape the sweater will be worn. Allow sweater to dry completely before folding and putting it away.  See- no sweat!

Picture This

JM and I have lived in our "new" apartment for almost two and half years, now. In that time, I've painted every room, put up wallpaper and wood paneling, refinished the floors, and arranged and rearranged the furniture in every room at least twenty times. But, for some reason, we had not hung up hardly any of our artwork. We simply couldn't commit or agree on what should go where, so instead we left all our paintings and prints stacked in a corner of our kitchen, cluttering up our house as their frames got dinged and our walls stayed bare. It was madness, I tell you, madness. Finally, last weekend, we came to our collective senses, and decided that hanging artwork anywhere, even if it wasn't the perfectly right place, was better than the status quo of no artwork, nowhere.

One thing we agreed on was that our tiny guest room/office needed a serious artsy pick-me-up. But the room is so narrow, we were concerned that hanging anything on the main sidewalls would make it feel claustrophobic in there. The solution? Lots of pieces arranged on the smaller walls, all the way to the high ceiling (to emphasize the air up there).

Whenever you are hanging a bunch of artwork on one wall, it's important to play around with the arrangement to make sure it all fits together, and the proportions work in the space. A good way to do this, without committing to hammer and nail, is to cut out paper sheets the same size as each of your pieces of art. (We used newspaper, which works well, because it's readily available, free, and comes in big sheets. But if you go this route keep in mind you may have to Mr. Clean Magic Eraser some ink smudges off your walls when your done).  Make sure to label each paper with which piece it represents, and which way is "up"). Then, use masking or painter's tape (so your walls won't be damaged) to play around and arrange the paper pieces on your wall, until you are happy with the way they look and fit together.

Measure the length from the top of the frames to the hanging wires, and mark the distance on each sheet. Then you can simple hammer the hanging hook (I like this kind, $5.70 for 50 pieces, from Amazon.com) right through the paper, for perfect placement. Rip the paper away, throw the art up on the hooks, and voila! - perfectly spaced art. So much easier than rearranging the furniture.

Selling Power

Earlier this week, I dropped my phone, shattering the display glass (prompting my ever-so-tactful husband to sigh and say, "maybe you just shouldn't own fragile things"). After I shot him a steely glare of fury, I decided that instead of paying someone to repair the phone, I would do it myself (in my typical, frugal, DIY way) using a kit I got off the Internet, and instructions via Youtube. I have a good sense of the mechanical, and better-than-average fix-it skills, and the nerds in the video made the repair process look like a breeze, so I really thought I had it in the bag.  But as I was trying to pry the little fragments of broken glass off the phone, I heard an ominous crunch from inside the phone, which portended what I already knew to be true- I had made a bad situation much, much worse.  All of this is to say that I had an unexpected major expense this week in the form of a new cell phone.

In order to offset the cost, and for a fun little goal for myself, I decided I should try to recoup my loss by selling stuff from around the house. Drawing inspiration and advice from my friend Rachel, who has sold more stuff than Ron Popeil, I got out my digital camera, and set to work. Here are the best ways to sell your stuff- even the junk you think is worthless- to easily get some quick cash. Remember, one girl's trash is another girl's brand new iPhone 4. Or something like that.

EBay: I have long been an eBay buyer, but I recently took my first foray into selling. Almost anything you want to sell, you can find a buyer for on eBay. I mostly have sold clothes- anything brand name in good condition will fetch you at least a few bucks- just take flattering photos of the article on a hanger against a white background. Be honest about any flaws, and start the bidding low. I suggest listing a bunch of things all at once- people who like one of your items might check out the others, and you'll save yourself a bunch of trips to the post office when you ship them.


Craig's List: If you live in a fairly metropolitan area, you should list your items on your local Craig's List. I have used Craig's List to sell old furniture and household goods. Again, nice pictures that show the item in a flattering light are a must. Check to see what the going rate is for similar items, and undercut it by a few dollars, and feel free to haggle with buyers. The benefit of this selling method is that the buyer will pick up the item from you (no shipping!), but to be safe, you should meet them at a well-lit, crowded spot, like the coffee shop on your corner. If you are selling something large like a piece of furniture and must let the buyer in your home, make sure there is someone else there at the time- the world is full of freaky people, and one of them might show up at your door under the guise of buying your old boombox.


Gazelle.com: If you have old computers, cell phones, iPods, video games, PDAs or other electronics lying around, Gazelle.com wants to buy them from you. They will even send you secure prepaid packaging in which to return it to them, so you don't even have to worry about postage. I sold them an old laptop that was totally dead and a Palm Pilot that I had in the 90s, and they actually gave me money for them. Ironically, they even bought the cell phone I trashed. 


Second Spin: You know how all of your music is on your computer now? But you still have stacks and stacks of old CDs lying around taking up space, don't you? Second Spin will buy your used CDs and DVDs for a decent price. So you can clear out those drawers or shelves of all those ugly plastic cases (and put money there instead).


At Last Resort:  If you have stuff you can't sell, but is still redeemable (i.e. a whole bag of gently-worn Old Navy tank tops), there's still one thing you can do- give it away. Take it to a non-profit thrift shop (try Housing Works in NYC, or the Salvation Army nationwide) and get a receipt so you can deduct the donation from your taxes. It won't technically make you money, but it might save you a bit come April. Plus, it might actually help someone else out, too.

If you have never tried selling things, you'll be amazed at how fun, and oddly addictive, it is. Give it a try- I foresee your closets getting less cramped, and your wallets getting more so.

It's A Sign

In case you were wondering what I was up to during that lengthy period of time in August when I was not posting on the blog regularly, here's the answer: projects. Oh, sure, I did I certain amount of reading, suntanning and swimming (with the occasional wedding thrown in for good measure), but for the most part, when my mom and I get together, we end up doing projects. It's probably a good thing that we don't live in the same town because JM and my dad would forget what we look like without sawdust in our hair and paint on our faces. And this summer, one of our projects was creating signage. My family's lake cottage is in an old self-managed association where most things have a lovable, decaying, well-used quality to them. This year, we decided to class the place up a bit by replacing some of the more decomposed wooden signage that had been around since the (first) Roosevelt administration, and had become, essentially, unreadable. I like old signs as much as the next guy, but here's a tip: When you can't read them anymore, it's time to throw in the towel. But why hire a sign-maker, when you can easily make your own professional(ish)-looking painted signs yourself? With simple materials you can easily find, you can make signs for whatever your heart desires- house names, street numbers, "keep out- no boys allowed" for your treehouse- the possibilities are endless. Here are the easy-peasy steps we took to make our fancy new signs. And may they happily point the way and rot until my great-great-grandchildren replace them.




What you will need:
A piece of wood, cut to size
A computer print-out of what you want the sign to say, sized to fit
A piece of graphite transfer paper
Acrylic paint and a small flat-sided paintbrush
Varnish and a disposable sponge paintbrush

What you do:
  Step 1: Using your computer, print out the lettering for the sign in the size and font that you like (you may have to print it in several pieces and tape together, as I did). Place a piece of graphite transfer paper, graphite down, on your wooden board. Place the print-out on top, aligning how you like, and attaching it with tape to secure.

Step 2: Carefully trace the lettering on the print-out with a sharp pencil, pressing firmly. In case the photo at left has you perplexed, I do not have teeny-tiny hands- that is just an abnormally large pencil. For your purposes, any size pencil will do. Even a pen would probably be fine, come to think of it.

Step 3: Remove the print-out and graphite paper. I could have omitted this photo, and almost did, because it doesn't really illustrate anything and reveals that I messed up the placement of my graphite paper, and didn't transfer the top half of the word "courts". But I didn't because I wanted to show that everyone makes mistakes when doing projects, and it's no big thang- just fill in the tops of the letters freehand, and get on with it.Or, just place your graphite correctly in the first place.

Step 4: Using a thin paintbrush and your acrylic paint, carefully fill in over the lettering. The paint will cover the graphite. If you smudge, you will be able to wipe up the paint as long as it is still wet, so keep a rag at hand. Also, imperfections are part of the charm of homemade signs, so relax.

Step 5: Allow paint to dry completely. Cover entire piece of wood with varnish, and allow to dry until set. Hang or place your masterpiece and revel in your handiwork.

Redress the Problem

About this time every year, I fold up all my sweaters and coats and store them under the bed, and I pull out all my cute summer dresses. Before I hang them in the closet I do a little fashion show in front of the full-length mirror (I usually leave out the model walk, unless JM is home), and make sure that I still like them and think I'll wear them again. Most of them stand up to the challenge, but some just... don't. In some cases, it's hard to believe that my sense of fashion has changed so much in the eight months since I put the dress away- I think, "Did September Me really think this was a good look?"

Take, for example, this flouncy aqua dress I bought a couple years ago. I really thought it was cute back then, but in the fresh light of 2010, it looked more "Little House on the Prairie" than "Sex and the City". It wasn't all bad- I still liked the color, the shape of the strapless top, and the high waistline - but the voluminous tiered skirt that ended mid-calf and was more fatering than flattering. Not good.

Could this dress be saved?  I figured it was worth a shot. Using a seam ripper, I removed the bottom tier of the dress, and then stitched the seam into a hem using a sewing machine. Easy! And you can do it with any dress (or even shorts) that fall at unflattering lengths. If your dress doesn't have tiers, you can measure an even hem by using a measuring tape, marking the dress with pencil at even intervals, and then cutting between the marks. Depending on the fabric and how often you intend to wear it, you may not even have to hem it- although, iron-on seam binding works miracles if you aren't inclined to sew.

You know what they say: Dressperate times...

Stripper Lessons

Back in 2003 when I moved to New York, I was going through a real "Shabby Chic" phase where put linen slipcovers on all my furniture and painted everything white. Now that I'm a little older (ugh, where did those seven years go?), and have developed a more complex sense of style, it kills me to look at all that white paint and think of the pretty mahogany or oak hidden underneath it. So, slowly but surely, I am determined to remove as much of it as I can from the pretty antique pieces worth saving. I had been warned that stripping furniture is a messy, unpleasant and toxic job. To be clear, just breathing near these chemicals will likely take a few hours off your lifespan (just don't say I didn't tell you so when you're all light-headed afterward).  Ah, the price we pay for beauty. 

So, I decided to start small and strip a pretty mohogany mirror that my mom and I had picked up at an antiques mall back in the 90s. Obviously, JM was disappointed when I told him I was "stripping" and he came home to find me wearing a protective facemask and gloves and spraying noxious chemicals all over our patio, but he and I were both pretty pleased with the results- a mirror for our hallway that is very chic and decidedly not too shabby. And while I may not be able to finish the Times crossword puzzle anymore due to brain-cell death, the process was surprisingly easy.  Here's how to strip and refinish wood furniture (the stripping process is similar for metal, but the finishing would be different). I may just get started on.... wait, what was I talking about, again?

Step 1:Apply the stripper directly onto the painted surface. I used a spray stripper, but I've heard that there are paste/gels that work very well. I'm fake posing for the picture, but if you are actually using this stuff definitely wear gloves (trust me- this stuff will burn a whole in your hand). Spray it all over- don't be shy about it.

Step 2: After the amount of time specified on the container (usually 5-10 minutes) you'll notice that the paint is bubbling away from the surface. Use a plastic throw-away scraper trowel thingy to scrape off the paint. This is a very satisfying process. When you finish, there will likely be a few stubborn patches (usually in corners and seams). Just apply more stripper to those spots, and repeat the process.

Step 3: Using a fine sandpaper, sand the whole piece, removing any last bits of paint and varnish that are on there. Be thorough, lazybones.

Step 4: Using a disposable brush (and wearing those gloves again, please), apply a stain to all of the wood. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then wipe it off with a clean rag. If you would like it be to darker, repeat this process until you have reached your desired shade.  Let dry completely (at least overnight).  If desired, apply a coat of polyurethane finish to give it a glossy look.

Enjoy the stripshow.

The Great Closet Clean-Out

Anyone who has lived in Manhattan (other than you, Donald Trump) is familiar with the concept of the "all-purpose closet". Because closet space (well, space in general, really) is at such a premium, you end up forcing disparate categories of your stuff to cohabitate in closets. In my old apartment, for instance, the sheets and towels lived on the top shelf of a closet that also housed our liquor cabinet, garlic, potatoes, and onions, and our cleaning products. It was a foul and potentially toxic combo, but an unavoidable one. In our new apartment, we are a little better positioned in terms of closet space, but not by much. This is particularly the case in my kitchen pantry closet, which, until recently, had become a sort of dumping ground for anything that wasn't clothes in our apartment. This was where paper towels rubbed shoulders with orphaned power cords and an old bundt pan served as a container for batteries and owner's manuals for phones we no longer used. Where sometimes I would go days before changing the empty water cooler bottle because we couldn't find it. Basically, if you can imagine shoving a whole Costco into a closet, this is what it would look like. It was a rugged and lawless place, sort of like the Deadwood of closets. It was impossible to find anything (or even touch anything, really) without setting off an avalanche of junk I didn't even know I had. The last straw was placed on this camel's back the day I realized that I couldn't get the doors to stay closed anymore. I literally could no longer hide my dirty secret from the world, and it was time I do something about it.
So, I did what any self-respecting person with a problem closet should do: I grabbed my husband's credit card and zipped over to my own personal mecca, The Container Store. Five hours, two carts, and one serious swipe of the AmEx later (just think of the points, honey!), I had everything I needed to transform my crazy closet into a haven of fastidiousness and order. Here are the products I ended up using to whip things into shape. Not only can I find and access everything easily, now, but I find I actually have more space, with plenty of room left for whatever falls out the next time I open one of my other closets.

1. Container Store Plastic Bins, $1.50- $10. These bins are super-durable and lightweight and they come in a million shapes and sizes. I used them to sort all my stuff- tablecloths got one, vacuum parts and accessories went into one, and bakeware into another. I used smaller ones for things like cupcake liners, batteries, and taper candles.
2. The Grook Utility hanger, $20, from the Container Store. This hanger attached to the back of the door and holds the mop, broom, duster and pan, as well as smaller things we use all the time, like Skip's leashes.
3. P-Touch label maker, $49, from Staples. I love this thing so much I would let it sleep in the bed with us. You should seriously get one - all that organizing is only useful if you know where to find everything when you're done.
4. Ironing Board and Iron Hanger, $10, from the Container Store. Gone are the days when the ironing board would open up and fall on me when I opened the closet! No longer will I ever have to listen to my husband say, "Where's the iron?," because he was too afraid to go into the closet himself. Now it's just like at a fancy hotel. Or the Motel 6.
5. Wire shelving unit, $21, from Target. With all that stuff, I needed extra shelf space to keep it organized. I found this inexpensive unit at Target years ago, and finally put it to good use.
6. SimpleHuman grocery bag organizer, $10, from the Container Store. I mounted one of these suckers on the back of the door and it holds a ton of plastic grocery bags. We keep them to reuse, and now we can actually find them.
7. Scrapbook Cart, $59, from the Container Store. We removed the wheels from this thing, and use each one of the plastic compartments to hold all of our electronics and their accouterments. We sorted all the cords, memory cards, manuals, and chargers by type and purpose (and got rid of ones if we didn't know what they did). We call it the Box O' Technology.

A Living Hall

I spend most of my time on this blog talking about the little day-to-day things I do around here just to make sure we have food to eat and clean clothes, and that we don't step on sharp or squishy things on our way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. And, trust me, there's enough of that kind of chores to keep me plenty busy every day. But along the way, I am also in the process of tackling bigger projects while fixing up and decorating our apartment. Some things I save up to pay experts to do (like refinishing our wood floors - not that I think I couldn't do it myself, I'm just pretty sure I wouldn't want to), but others I research and tackle myself. Okay, and sometimes I make my mom help me when she thinks she's just coming for a fun visit, as is the case with the facelift we gave our entrance hall this fall (better than Heidi Montag's, I contend). There are a lot of wonderful details in our prewar walk-up apartment that make it feel special and distinct. Sadly, our entrance hall was not one of them. It was boring, bland and white, with (before I installed the chandelier) ugly recessed lighting, and a big, ugly electrical box that stuck out like a sore thumb.
Once you made your way past the hallway, you were able to see the loveliness within, but, I was always a little disappointed in the dreary first impression the hallway gave. To liven it up, give the hall its own identity, and take advantage of the tall ceilings, I decided to add wainscoting on the lower part of the walls, and a bright, peppy wallpaper above it. After a lot of nail-biting, and navel-gazing, and hemming and hawing, and inner-contemplation, vacillation and dithering, I finally settled on a paper, with which I am unequivocally pleased. (The wallpaper is Favenay Cream from Pierre Deux. I painted the wainscoting Benjamin Moore Navajo White in Semi-Gloss to match the background of the paper). The results were better than I had imagined, and, as an added bonus, the vibrant pattern on the wallpaper works as virtual camouflage for the electrical box. Here are the simple steps to get this same look for your apartment or house - you will need some basic tools (even if you have to buy them, it will still cost way less than paying someone to do this for you) and carpentry skills (which you can learn by doing), and one free weekend (or, maybe less, if you are able to rope your mom into the project).

You Will Need:
Tools:
measuring tape
chalk
stud finder
hammer
finish nails
nail sinker
drill
wood screws
handsaw and miter box
jigsaw (optional, but helpful)
level
Spackle

Lumber: (quantity of all lumber will depend on the size of the area you are covering):
1" x 6" or 1" x 8" boards
Baseboard molding (click on links for examples, if you don't know what I'm talking about)
Chair-rail molding
5/8- 3/4" decorative molding


Step 1: Remove any molding that is currently on the wall (I use a hammer and a flat-head screwdriver driven between the molding and the wall- it'll pop right off). Use your measuring tape and chalk to arrange the dimensions of the molding, until you are happy with it (Just remember that a 1x6 is actually only 5-1/2 inches wide, and a 1x8 is only 7 -1/4 inches wide).







Step 2: Measure and cut a length of 1x6 exactly the length of your wall (remember- measure twice, cut once!) Use the stud finder to find the studs in the wall, and attach the piece of 1x6 to the wall using your drill and wood screws, driven into the stud at the top of where you want your wainscoting to be. Make sure it is level. Do the same with the side and bottom pieces. Make sure you sand the ends of your cuts so they meet up as smoothly as possible.






Step 3: Cut a piece of chair rail the width of the wall, and attach it to the very top of the front of the 1x6 frame. Measure a piece of the floorboard, and do the same. Measure and cut the decorative molding to fit the interior of the 1x6 frame. Use the miter box to cut the ends at 45 degree angles, so the four pieces fit inside at right angles. Nail these in with finishing nails and use the nail sinker to sink the nails into the wood. Don't worry if everything doesn't line up perfect-perfect- that's what the Spackle is for. Use it now to fill in any gaps and all the nail holes- this is a good job for Mom. Paint all of the molding with a primer.







Step 4: Be sure to paint the wainscoting completely before wallpapering the upper portion of the wall, so you don't have to worry about getting paint on it. I'll do another post about how to wallpaper, but this should keep you and your mom busy for a while.

Y'All Ready For This?

Last Sunday's episode of 60 Minutes had a segment that made my skin crawl. No, I'm not talking about that old creep Andy Rooney complaining about ... whatever he was complaining about. I'm talking about the story they did on the very real possibility of computer hackers being able to disable the power grid, eradicate all bank records, or wreak havoc we haven't even imagined yet. That "tick,tick,tick..." never sounded more ominous. I mean, I live in Manhattan (where Godzilla could strike at any moment) and last year, my parents were evacuated from their house in California due to forest fires, so the thought of emergency preparedness has crossed my mind before. But now, in addition to worrying about the kind of disasters nature can throw at us, I am also now freaked out about the kind that malicious computer geeks can create. Great.
But, more importantly, it made me think about how truly unprepared we are in event of an emergency. Seriously, if the ATMs were out, the only cash I would have access to is the $32.00 in my wallet, and whatever change I can find floating around the bottom of my purse — hardly enough to barter for a Luna Bar on the post-apocalyptic black market. Not good.
So this weekend, I am resolved to equip our apartment in case we have to hunker down and put together an emergency "go bag" kit that will get JM, Skipper, and me through any disaster — man-made or natural — and I strongly suggest you do the same. I have compiled this information from the City of New York, Ready.gov, 72hours.org, and the ASPCA to be the most ultra-prepared I can be, but you should check out the individual sites, and those specific to your area (I'm not really going to stress too much about tornadoes, for example, so you may need to do your own research there).
I'm not suggesting we all become like those Y2K people who stored decades' worth of canned goods in their basements, but sometimes being a little uptight and ornery can be a good thing. Just ask Andy Rooney.

Get Your House In Order:
Keep in a safe and accessible place that all household members are aware of (but don't be tempted to poach from it, just because you want some raisins or need a band-aid for your blister — this is for emergencies ONLY):

• Water: At least three gallons of water per person, for drinking and sanitation (and more if you have pets). For reference, a large water cooler jug is 5 gallons.
• Food: At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Try to choose things you like, but that require no cooking or preparation. Try energy bars, dried fruit, nuts (but avoid very salty ones), peanut butter, crackers, canned juices and fruits and veggies, Gatorade, and GU. Include a can opener too, smarty.
• Flashlight: You should have at least one in your home kit and in your "go bag" (as well as extra batteries), and one in the nightstand by every family member's bed.
• Phone: If you have a landline (and you should) a phone that doesn't require electricity in your home emergency kit.
• Sturdy Garbage bags and Duct Tape: to maintain sanitation and to use to seal off windows and doors in the event of air contamination.
• Moist towelettes: for personal sanitation.
• Wrench or pliers: to turn off utilities
• Bleach and an eyedropper: For sanitation and water purification. When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Pillar candles and a lighter: Come on, you don't want to be stuck in the dark. Most of the websites don't actually suggest having candles in your emergency kit, probably because they don't want you knocking them over and creating another disaster. But just be safe and don't be an idiot about it, and you'll be fine. Which brings me to:
• Fire Extinguisher.

And If You Have Children:

• Supply of formula or baby food.
• Children's versions of medicines.
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities.

In Your "Go" Bag:
Each Household member should have their own, in the event that you are evacuated from your home and must leave quickly.

• A Bag: I suggest a backpack, or something else that can be carried easily.
• Food and Bottled Water: The same non-perishable items listed above, but try to stick with the lighter things, like dried, rather than canned fruits.
• Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat.
• Money. Make sure you have plenty of cash in a variety of denominations and a couple rolls of quarters (for using payphones or laundromats).
• Lightweight Rain Gear.
• Local maps: if the New World Order takes out the power grid, you probably won't be able to access GoogleMaps.
• Documents: photocopies of each household member's driver's license, social security card and passport, insurance policies and cards, credit cards, bank account records, medical records and prescriptions, recent color photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes, list of emergency phone numbers, in a waterproof, portable container. (Doubled-up heavy-duty Ziplock bags should do the trick).
• Radio: Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both.
• Flashlight and extra batteries: You should have these suckers stowed everywhere, but particularly in your bag.
• Swiss Army Knife. Obv.
• Whistle: to signal for help.
• Dust masks: a couple for each member of the family, to help filter contaminated air.
• Toothbrush and Toothpaste. Prescription Medications. Feminine Hygiene products. Extra Contact Lenses and Solution. Extra Glasses. I mean, it's not like you are going to be able to stop by Walgreen's on your way.
• Paper and Pencil. When don't you need one?
• First Aid Kit: It should contain the following.
- 2 Pairs sterile gloves
-Sterile dressings to stop bleeding
-Cleansing agent/soap and antibiotic towelettes to disinfect
-Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection
-Burn ointment to prevent infection
-Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes
-Eye wash solution to flush the eyes or as general decontaminant
-Thermometer
-Tweezers and Scissors
-Petroleum jelly
-Aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever
-Anti-diarrhea medication
-Antacid (for upset stomach)
-Laxative

Your Pet's "Go Bag":
• A Traveling Bag: or a crate or sturdy carrier, ideally one for each pet.
• Extra harness and leash
• Pet's Records and Medications: Photocopies of medical records, vaccination history, adoption papers, and recent photographs of your pet and a waterproof container with a two-week supply of any medicine your pet requires (Remember, food and medications need to be rotated out of your emergency kit—otherwise they may go bad or become useless.)
• Blanket or large towel: Can be used as a bed, or for scooping up a fearful pet.
• Supply of 3-7 days; worth pet food and extra water for your pet.
• Food bowls, and a can opener (if needed).
• Pet first-aid kit and guide book (ask your vet what to include, or visit the ASPCA Store to buy one online).
• Toys and Treats.
• Litter and disposable litter trays (aluminum roasting pans are perfect).

Some Additional Tips:
-Even though it's totally not fun to think about, being prepared today could save your life down the road.
-Check your kits a couple times per year (like the days Daylight Savings Time begins and ends), and swap out any medication or food that will expire.
-Make two "meeting place" plans with your family- one close to your home, and one (such as a library or community center) in another neighborhood.
-Designate someone out-of-state to be your emergency contact and coordinator: long-distance phone service is frequently restored before local service.
- Go to the following sites to learn more:
www.Ready.gov
www.72hours.org
www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness
www.nyc.gov (or your own local government's disaster information website)

photo credit: Houston Chronicle Online

Saving Face

Turning up the thermostat to accommodate the change in the seasons. Halloween makeup. A few too many cocktails. Sweaty long runs. Baking in the sun during last weekend's trip to Vegas. These are all crimes I have recently committed against my skin, and it's beginning to show. It's definitely time I do something nice for my face, but I'd like to do it without simultaneously doing something mean to my wallet. What I'm saying is, I think it's time for an at-home facial, people. While a DIY facial can't compare to the spa version in terms of pampering, it CAN have the same aesthetic benefits, for a lot less cash. So put on your robe, turn on some whale-sounds music, and dim the lights. It may not be a real spa experience, but it definitely beats an acne attack.

Here's what you need:
Your favorite cleanser
Exfoliating scrub
A toner
Warm water and a washcloth
Clay-based or cream facial mask (based on skin type)
Basic moisturizer

Here's what you do:
1. Cleanse: Use a headband or wrap a towel around your head to keep your hair pushed away from your face. To get started, use your favorite facial cleanser to remove any grease or dirt from the surface of your face (see below for my picks). In case you have never seen a Clean N' Clear commercial, the proper way to wash your face is to first dampen it with warm water. Then rub a nickel-size dollop on cleanser between your fingers, and massage it into your face. To rinse it off, splash your face with warm water until all of the soap is removed. Pat dry with a clean towel.
2. Exfoliate: The next step is to remove and dead, dull skin cells. Dampen your face again, and massage a gentle exfoliator into your skin. Make sure you focus on the areas where you are prone to break-outs and blackheads (like your jawline, forehead and nose). Rinse and pat dry.
3. Tone: Toner is an oft-overlooked, but important facial product. The toner removes any cleanser residue, and really freshens the skin. You can use good old witch hazel, or one of my suggestions below. Pour the toner onto a clean cotton swab and rub over your face.
4. Steam: This is where you really sock it to any gunk that might be built up in your pores. Boil a pot of water over the stove. Add chamomile tea bags, if you like, and place your face over the pot, tenting with a towel, for about five minutes. Pat dry.
5. Mask: A clay-based mask will literally suck the dirt and grease out of your face. Apply liberally to the skin on your face and neck, but avoid your eye area. Try one of my faves below, or you can mix up a gentle mask in your kitchen using 3 tablespoons oatmeal, 1 egg white, and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Leave on for 10-20 minutes (you can put cucumber slices over your eyes and take a nap, if you want), then rinse thoroughly, and pat dry.
6. Moisturize: The last, but arguably most important step, is to apply your favorite moisturizer to your face and neck. Ahhh. You glow, girl.

My picks: Top row: Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, $38; Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $11; St. Ives Apricot Scrub, $4; Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, $6; Burt's Bee's Garden Tomato Toner, $11; Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner, $8.
Bottom Row: Lush Mask of Magnaminty, $11; Freeman's Purifying Facial Clay Masque, $4; Olay Total Effects moisturizer, $18; La Roche-Posay Toleriane moisturizer, $20.

Home/Office

I may call myself a housewife, but I don't just do housework- I also work from home. Usually that means I curl up on the living room couch with my laptop and my pup for the day (no bonbons). It's cozy, but it's hard not to be distracted by the laundry machine, the plants that need watering, the carpet that needs vacuuming, and the siren song of the TV ("I'll just turn on Oprah in the background"). By the end of the day when my husband, JM calls to say he is on his way home, I look around the room and discover that there are magazines, coffee cups, papers, lunch dishes, bills, and craft projects everywhere, which I then scramble to put away (and try to remember where I put the next day). Lately, I have been dreaming about having a real home office, where my stuff could live all the time. Since I'm not exactly swimming in extra bedrooms, I have started thinking about converting a closet into office space, or a "cloffice," if you will. I'm not exactly swimming in extra closets, either, but I feel that with a little consolidation and purging, I might be able to pull it off. I've gathered some cloffice inspiration (as well as a dreamy office-in-a-trunk from the new Restoration Hardware catalog that I could neither afford, nor get up the stairs to my apartment).

Top left: Better Homes and Gardens, top right: Budget Living, bottom left: cbc.ca, bottom right: Better Homes and Gardens

I love the idea of wallpapering the closet to make it feel like it's own distinct space, and a ton of shelves would be great for all my office and craft supplies and magazines. And there's nothing like staring into a closet to keep you from getting distracted.

Top left: Martha Stewart, top right: Real Simple, bottom left: Sunset, bottom right: Lowe's

Here's my inspiration board for my cloffice, including a pinboard for inspiration and ephemera, a pretty glossy white file cabinet, a comfy chair that will roll into the closet when I'm not working, and an "Office Space"-approved red Swingline stapler.

1. Linen-covered pinboard, $149, from Pottery Barn; 2. Glossy white Parson's desk, $250, from West Elm; 3. Upholstered office chair, $500, from Ballard Designs, 4. Day-of-the-week Clips, $9, from See Jane Work; 5. White rolling filing cabinet, $150, from CB2; 6. Old-fashioned chrome pencil sharpener, $40, from The Container Store; 7. Chrome pendant lamp, $240, from Restoration Hardware; 8. Red Swingline Stapler, $21, from See Jane Work; 9-11. Portofino organizing boxes, magazine holders, and bookends, $10-25, from The Container Store.

A Rental Note

My bedroom in my first rental apartment (c. 2004). Note the painted walls, rug, framed art, curtains, headboard and pretty lighting fixture. Ignore the copious amounts of toile - it was a phase I was going through.

Okay, so, if this isn't your first time reading my ramblings, you probably already know that my husband, JM, and I bought our first apartment last year and are reveling (okay, and sometimes kicking ourselves) in the process of fixing everything up just how we want it. But, what you probably don't know is that we weren't always fancy homeowner types. In fact, before this we wallowed away five years in a rental apartment, which had a lot of quirks we had to learn to live with, and that we did our best to overcome (for instance, a galley kitchen with literally no counter space* - and I mean that "literally" literally). But what I discovered during those years was that just because you live in a rental doesn't mean you can't personalize and decorate it to your tastes. With a little imagination, and a little elbow grease, any rental can be made to feel like home. And while most of these fixes are inexpensive and some are a little more pricey, they are worth the investment because almost all of them can be removed, packed up, and brought with you to your next rental. So get to it, and make yourself at home.

9 Ways to Personalize A Rental Apartment (Without Losing Your Security Deposit).


1. Watch Paint Dry: Nothing says "boring rental apartment" like plain white walls. Your rental agreement may forbid you to paint them another color, but that doesn't mean you can't change them now and then change them back before you move out. If you are going to be living in your place for a year or less, it's a lot of work to paint a whole room (although not as much as you may think- it only takes an afternoon), but you might consider painting just one wall a bold color, like red, to make a real statement. Putting a pretty color on the walls is the fastest and easiest way to make an apartment feel decorated and homey. And it can cure all kinds of problems: We painted our living room a soft sunny yellow, and you could hardly tell that it was 36 square feet and had no windows. Well, at least it helped.
2. Take the Floor: Another dead giveaway of a standard-issue rental is a standard-issue parquet floor. There's nothing wrong with wood flooring, but in most rentals the the floors have taken a sustained beating over the years and have become severely worn and scuffed. Cover those spots with soft, comfortable rugs and you'll feel like you're in a cozy cottage as you pad your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Click here for my tips on successful rug-buying.
3. Get Framed: If you are over the age of 20, and no longer live in a dorm, I must implore you to stop putting unframed things on your wall. You can find inexpensive standard-sized frames to hold you photos, posters and other artworks at any homegoods store or Walmart/Kmart/Target. Or look into removable wall decals. Just make sure you put something on the walls, or it will feel like you're living in an institution. Click here for more of my arty suggestions.
4. Built-In Style: If you want your apartment to have that "a smart person lives here" look, you are going to need to find a place to put your books (other than in piles under the coffee table). For tons of extra storage, you can fake the look of built-in bookshelves with large bookcases that take up a whole wall. Check out the "Expedit" from Ikea (at right), or the inexpensive offerings from Gothic Cabinet Craft.
5. Bed of the Class: Your bedroom should be more than just where you sleep and leave your clothes on the floor. It should be your sanctuary; your den of relaxation and meditation. And that all starts with your bed. For crying out loud, buy yourself a decent mattress and sheets, and make your bed look like something. I recommend buying an inexpensive headboard, or using this pillow trick to fake the look of one. I also love a good swing-arm lamp beside the bed to make your boudoir a comfortable and functional place to work and read. And they mount to the wall with just a couple screws and plug in (no electrical work required).
6. Light It Up: Most rental apartments come with some seriously unpleasant lighting. If it's not ugly fluorescent ceiling fixtures, than it's too-bright bathroom lights that emphasize your flaws and make you feel like death warmed over as you head out the door to work. Believe it or not, changing out the light fixtures and installing dimmer switches in your apartment is a relatively easy process, which has a huge impact on the overall feeling and mood of the place (imagine leaving for work every morning feeling smokin' hot, instead). You can find great cheap fixtures on eBay. Just remember to carefully save and store the old fixture so you can reinstall it when you move out.
7. Hardware The Heart Is. A lot of rentals have god-awful kitchen cabinetry and closet doors. While changing those parts falls far into the "not worth it" category, you can put lipstick on the proverbial pig by changing out the hardware. You'd be surprised to see what a huge difference a cute knob or drawer-pull can make. Click here for great resources.
8. It's Curtains for You: Most rental apartments don't come with drapes (usually they have infuriating malfunctioning dusty blinds, if anything). So if you would like to avoid providing a free peep show to the neighborhood, you are going to have to hang something anyway. Luckily, a pretty curtain rod with some simple drapes can do a lot to create ambiance in a room (heavy pleated ones give an air of old-fashioned sophistication, light-colored sheers are soft and beachy). Look on eBay for pretty ones from Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware for cheap prices. Or try your hand at sewing some.
9. Bloomin' Beautiful: If you want your apartment to feel like a place where people really live, it helps to have some real living things in it. A few well-selected houseplants can go a long way toward making an apartment feel warm and alive. I suggest a long-living orchid, a hard-to-kill succulent, or a self-maintaining terrarium like that at right.

*Oh, and if you are wondering what I did to make that counter-less kitchen work, I bought this over-the-sink cutting board and this Ikea chopping-block cart. Intsa-kitchen.

Sheet Show

My parents are coming for a visit today and staying with us for a couple nights. In my rush to get the house spic and span (while Skipper undermines my efforts by following me around leaving a trail of shedding dog hair in her wake) I have a ton of chores to attend to: cleaning the bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, and getting the guest room all set up for them. While I can't brag about the organizational state of my other closets (and finding the right cleaning product sets off an avalanche of spray bottles from under the kitchen sink), I can say that at least my linen closet is in good working order, so finding clean, fresh sheets for them is now the least of my worries. But it wasn't always so.
Our bed is a Queen, the guest (Murphy) bed is a Full, and the pull-out couch is a Twin, so I used to have one jumbled up mess of different-sized sheets stuffed into my linen closet (which is also the coat closet, by the way - where do you think I live, a palace?). Back then, I had to pull a bunch of sheets out and unfold them to see what size they were, and then refold them if they were the wrong size (although, honestly, usually I was so frustrated by that point I would just wad them up and stuff them back on the shelf, which was itself a splintery piece of plywood). And finding two pillowcases that actually matched was a distant dream I dared not allow myself to hope for. It wasn't much of a system.
But then, one day in a fit of frustration and organization (rarely do those two coincide for me), I decided to get organized. Here's what I did:

How to Organize A Linen Closet:

1. Line Shelves with drawer lining paper. This will prevent them from snagging on delicate sheets and make them smell pleasant, and will look pretty, as well.
2. Bundle sheet sets together, and tie with ribbon. Use different colored ribbons to indicate sheet size - I used all the leftovers from our wedding gifts.
3. Shelf Sheets By Size. If you have that many extra shelves, fancy pants. Clearly, I do not.
4. Stack Pillowcases in sets, and tie together with ribbon, if you like. It really helps if you can decide on one way of folding them, so they all turn out the same size.
5. Tuck in Scented Soaps around sheets for a pleasant aroma.

So, if you ever are a houseguest here, feel free to look upon my mighty linen closet (and, by that I mean "behind your coat, as you hang it up") and esteem me highly. Just don't look under the kitchen sink.