A Dose of the Delightful

For Mom, From Kate

I can't say enough good things about the online goings-on over at Kate Spade these days. Between their new site (launched in early March), their color blog Weekly Spade, and their ever colorful e-mails, I can't get enough! I imagine their offices to be populated with well-brought-up, creative women who are smart as a whip.

As a tribute to mothers, Kate Spade has created some delightful e-cards you can send for free (not in lieu of a handwritten note, of course!). If you think these are too darn cute to resist, brighten up Mom's inbox here.

 

 

Skillshare Class: Knitting for Beginners

I've wanted to add knitting to my list of ever-so slowly growing domestic skills for some time now. The launch of Skillshare, a new community in which you can 'learn anything from anyone,' provided me the perfect opportunity to do just that!

The beauty of Skillshare is that users can sign up to learn anything from knitting to buying a first home to making Chinese dumplings - anything that another person is particularly good at and wants to share with others. Classes are super affordable - my knitting class was $25 with practice materials included. The founders genuinely want to make learning easy, affordable, and community-driven. 

My efforts were meager, but my sample is definitely recognizable as knitting - hooray! Amanda Hasten, graphic designer by day and knitting maven by night, was our very patient teacher. It really helped that our class was so small - there are so many ways to make mistakes in knitting, and she went over each step with us individually. We also received a very handy reference packet in case the steps become fuzzy when we're on our own.

As a general rule of thumb, the larger the needles, the larger the stitch will be, and the resulting project will be more loosely stitched.

'Casting on' is how you start your project - it's the first row of stitches. 

Amanda taught us the basic knit stitch.

When you're done with your project, you finish by 'binding off,' which produces a finished edge.

Here's the tiny sample we made during class! I can't wait to head over to Purl Soho, purchase my own needles and yarn, and start my first project (likely to be a rather messy scarf).

If you live in New York and you've just got to share your skills with the rest of us, apply to teach with Skillshare here. 

So far, Skillshare classes have been held in Boston, NYC, and San Francisco, but the founders plan to expand to other cities. If you'd like to have a Skillshare community in your area, let them know here!

It {Is} Easy Being Green

Did you know that in the past 30 years alone, we've used up a third of all of the planet's natural resources? And we're not exactly treating what's left with respect - from disposable toxic technology that ends up in dumps across the world to billions of petroleum-made plastic bags that takes thousands of years to decompose, we can all agree that things can't go on this way forever.

It can be discouraging to hear, and it makes us wonder, "What can we really do in the face of so much pollution?"

Exciting news: women now make over 85% of consumer choices - hooray! That means we've got the power--and the responsibility--to make better choices.  

It can seem daunting to overhaul our entire lifestyles, and we don't have to. We can start with very simple steps that are better for us, wildlife, aquatic life, and our natural resources. 

 

1. Incandescent to LED: Incandescent bulbs last a paltry 1,500 hours compared to LED bulbs' 35,000 (roughly 24 years based on 4 hrs a day). Using less energy means using fewer non-renewable resources like coal and petroleum, plus tons of savings on the electric bill. Plus, LED bulbs contain no mercury and emit no questionable vapors into the environment. They're a complete win. The lightbulb here is a Pharox LED bulb, one of the most recommended LEDs on the market - their website even includes an energy savings calculator, so you can figure out exactly how much money installing one will save you over the years.

2. Plastic bag to reusable: Plastic bags have been banned in China, Italy, San Francisco, LA, and Mexico City, to name just a few. We've used up to 100 billion of them a year in the US, and they take 1000 years to begin to decompose. Plus, they don't biodegrade, meaning get broken down by bacteria and become a useful part of soil. Instead, they photodegrade -  they're broken into tinier and tinier bits of still toxic stuff that leeches into soil and water sources. They also kill an estimated 100,000 marine animals a year. Ever seen the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's a floating patch of mostly plastic garbage twice the size of Texas in the Pacific Ocean - an entirely human-made problem we can prevent in the future. If you've already got a stockpile of old bags (like me), you can find out where to recycle them here. Many grocery and convenience stores also offer collection bins. There are a plethora of reusable options out there, but Baggu offers a rainbow of bright, happy colors.

3. Standard to low-flow: The particular shower head, Kohler's Purist shower head, saves 30% of the water normally used without sacrificing water pressure. It's also WaterSense (the EPA's water conservation program) compliant, and its streamlined, versatile design is a plus.

4. Triclosan to all-natural: Triclosan is currently under review by the FDA, and it's linked to a whole host of health and environmental issues. In fact, Congresswoman (and recent Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee) Louise M. Slaughter and two of her colleagues recently urged the FDA to ban triclosan. Slaughter, the only microbiologist in Congress, cites growing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the threat to thyroid & organ function it poses, and the fact that the chemical is no more effective than soap and water in her official letter. 

5. Toxic synthetics to safe naturals: It's because of household cleaners, along with paints, paint thinners, and other supplies, that our indoor air quality can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor. Plus, many of these chemicals continue to emit fumes for days, months or years after they're used and remain on surfaces. Most common household cleaning products outright tell consumers they're dangerous on the label. Exposure over time adds up - so why take the risk? Thankfully, it's now quite easy to find safer cleaners in store aisles. You can also find simple, super cheap recipes for DIY all purpose cleaner on Re-nest and eHow. For scent, just add a few drops of whatever essential oil you like. 

If your interest is piqued and you'd like to learn more, Annie Leonard's short, sweet animated video The Story of Stuff is a superb primer - it calls out the environmental and safety problems created by our materials economy, and offers hope for the future.

For the design-obsessed: check out Re-nest and Inhabitat for an abundance of environmentally sound inspiration.

Happy Earth Week!

Cocktail Hour: Welcome to the Weekend!

Happy Friday! Here's to hoping you get to sneak out of the office a little early, kick up your heels, and enjoy a cocktail or two. 

 In anticipation of warm weather ahead, try whipping up a classic Daiquiri Cocktail.

 

1. For Men Only by Achmed Abdullah & John Kenny  2. Vintage Glass Cocktail Shaker & Ice Bucket   3. Pier 1 Short Gold Tumblers   4. Jonathan Adler Hollywood Coasters   5. Jonathan Adler Meurice Butler Tray Table

This particular recipe comes from one of my favorite purchases of recent months, snagged from the San Marco Bookstore in my hometown. This charming shop stocks rare, out-of-print, and vintage books, and on one visit several months ago, I found For Men Only: A Cook Book. Printed in 1937, this cookbook was written "for deserving bachelors who are tired of dollar dinners and for ambitious husbands who enjoy messing around in the family kitchen."

No sissies here--it's full of "good, honest masculine recipes" and "gets right down to brass tacks and 1/2 teaspoons." The back flap also assures readers that it's "free of alarming technical terms such as marinate, fold, dredge, and other mystic feminine incantations."

Not yet being a whiz in the kitchen myself, I snapped up this cookbook both for its simplified recipes and its hilarious writing. Plus, its cocktail section is full of fantastic vintage concoctions.

From the "How to Quench a Thirst" section:

"To make a perfect Daiquiri the lime must not be too light or too green. Do not measure by juice of half a lime but allow 1/2 ounce lime juice for each cocktail. Add granulated sugar to lime juice slowly in the mixing glass. The sugar will settle in the bottom of the glass. When the proportions of lime juice and sugar are equal, stir thoroughly until sugar is absorbed by lime juice. Lime juice, granulated sugar, and the stirring of the two together is really the secret of the Daiquiri. Use any good white, Cuban type rum and allow two ounces for each cocktail.  

While you are mixing the cocktail chill the glasses with cracked ice or ice cubes. Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard and quickly so it will chill in the minimum time without being diluted by the melting ice. Strain and pour into chilled glasses. This is the best cocktail we know."

 Cheers!

LonnyMag + Traditional Home = TradHome!

Presumably in an effort to re-energize the brand and capture a younger audience, shelter magazine Traditional Home has partnered with one of my absolute favorite digital shelter magazines, LonnyMag, to create the new TradHome.

I don't think any part of the whopping 347-page debut issue sums up the collaboration better than this video, in which Jonathan Adler plays the younger gun to legendary Charlotte Moss's old guard.

Video by David Land for TradHome

Enjoy!

Anthology: Issue 2, "Where the Past Meets the Present"

If you haven't yet discovered Anthology Magazine (which I've been eagerly following since before its first issue), you just HAVE to purchase a subscription. Ever since the sad day when Domino closed in 2009, I've been on the hunt for something to fill the hole it left in my heart. Since the first issue of Anthology, I've vowed to keep every single one (now that I resort to purchasing back issues of Domino on eBay). Between Anthology and similarly amazing digital magazines Matchbook, Rue, Ivy & Piper, High Gloss, Sweet Paul and Covet Garden, I think the healing has finally begun.

I'm a bit late in sharing my favorites from Anthology's Issue 2, but I just don't think I can wait until the next issue.

p.s. Domino junkies: If you still long for the old days, there's an excellent Domino Flickr pool that should satisfy. You can also find old Domino content published digitally under the home decor section of Brides.com!

 

 

 These were just a few highlights that I found striking from Issue 2. More to come!

Orange Crush (Is It Summer Yet?)

Coral, mango, tangerine, peach, apricot, melon - bright shades of orange signal sunny skies and balmy temperatures. Is it summer yet?

1. Marc Jacobs Crepe de Chine colorblock dress  2. Nyla Noor 'Stagelight' Calfskin Clutch in Coral  3. Ray-Ban Cats 1000 Sunglasses in Dark Orange  4. M.A.C. Lipstick in Neon Orange    5. OPI Nail Polish in Hot & Spicy  6. J. Crew Lucca Heels in Mango  7. Roberts Revival 250 Radio in Orange

Now treat your ears to some pre-summer tuneage: "Orange Blossoms," by JJ Grey & Mofro

 

 

A Dose of DIY: Ceramic Tile Coasters

Several months ago, I was brainstorming for gift ideas for the annual Secret Santa get-together that my five best friends and I have.

Having just rekindled my love for crafty projects of all shapes and sizes, I really found it important to include something handmade. The recipient, my lovely friend Sera, had just moved into a new studio and was in nesting mode. 

I settled on a gift card from Jonathan Adler, along with a special something that would hopefully remind her of me for years to come. 

After initially spotting an old DIY coaster post on The Crafts Dept., I did some digging and found several different ways to create these. This roundup on Apartment Therapy is particularly thorough, and I really like the appearance of Martha's Plexi version, but I ultimately chose a tutorial posted on Hostess with the Mostess's blog (via Jaime Curtis).

This version also proved the most cost-effective, which was essential for keeping to our $60 gift limit.

1. Paper  2. Self-Stick Cork Pads  3. Foam Brush  4. Retractable Utility Knife  5. Standard White Ceramic Bathroom Tiles  
6. Envirotex Spray Sealant  7. ModPodge Gloss  8.  Rubber Cement

One of Sera's absolute favorite colors is coral, and though some would say chevrons have been done to death, I still love them and they're definitely fresh to eyes that don't constantly read design blogs. I quickly threw together this pattern in Photoshop and had it printed at my local FedEx Office, but there are tons of great paper options out there if you don't want to print your own.

The only caveat is that I'd avoid very thick or textured papers; it should be able to adhere easily to the tile and lay flat. Single-sheet gift wrap is a great option. If you're in NYC, Kate's Paperie, Papyrus, and Pearl Paint all have tons in stock. Online, Paper Source is just about the most thorough collection of decorative paper I've ever seen.

The process (modified slightly from the one described on Hostess):

1. Measure tiles. The standard tiles I bought were 4.25" by 4.25".

2. Draw squares of the same size in light pencil on your paper of choice.

3. Cut out squares using very sharp retractable knife or rotary cutter. Scissors work too, but your edges could be jagged/uneven.

4. Before I adhered the paper to each tile, I estimated exactly where the square would go on the tile and how much border would be left around the four sides. Once you start using ModPodge, there's no moving it around!

5. Use the foam brush to spread a small amount of ModPodge over the first tile. Take care that it's even and spread uniformly across the tile.

6. Carefully (!!!) place a square of paper onto the tile and smooth with your fingers. Make sure it's firmly planted against the tile. Continue with the rest of your tiles. Let each tile dry for 20 minutes.

7. Once each tile has dried, spread another thin layer of ModPodge over the surface of the paper. Let dry for 20 minutes. Don't panic if the paper bubbles up slightly right after you add the coat of ModPodge - it will settle by the time it's dry.

8. Continue adding layers, allowing tiles to dry in between, until you've got 5 or 6. 

9. As mentioned in the tutorial on Hostess, I opted to use small adhesive cork dots that I placed on the 4 corners of the bottom of each tile. At first, I adhered these with rubber cement, but I think they'll stick just as well using the adhesive that comes on them.

10. Spray with a polyurethane finish to seal your new coasters for protection from liquid and heat.

Here's the finished product!

The coasters turned out to be the perfect thoughtful addition to a more practical gift! Next, I'd like to try the Plexiglass version shown on The Crafts Dept.