Archive   |   May, 2010

brace yourself: brass is back

Posted by in decorating

lamb1

lamb2

Maybe it’s my age, but brass furniture and accessories sometimes give me a creepy feeling, kind of like I imagine the decor would have been at Robert Evans’ house in the 1970s. DWR is trying hard to win me over, though, with this line of Walter Lamb outdoor furniture. Okay, unless I come into some money, it’s doubtful I’m going to spend $845 on a patio chair, but they do look attractive coupled with the white webbing. I will certainly look into these as poolside accessories for when I purchase my Palm Springs getaway. What’s your take on brass? — Mary T.

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real life test kitchen: ree drummond’s breakfast puffs

Posted by in cooking

cinabun

One of best treats of my third Mother’s Day with Isadora? Having an hour to myself (during her afternoon nap) to bake up some goodies. I spotted these yummy French breakfast puffs at iVillage Food and had to try them. They are by Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman, who tempts me all the time with her hearty homemade goodness. The puffs were easy enough to make — though the recipe did call for shortening, something I rarely use. The dough is flavored with a hit of nutmeg, and baked in a muffin tin. Afterwards, you dip the baked puffs in melted butter (yes, melted butter) and then roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mix to coat. They are crazy decadent! I would definitely bake them again, but next time I would use a mini-muffin tin and make a twice as many — so they would be bite size. They were a little too heavy to eat a whole one without feeling like a slug. Click here to see the recipe (and Ree’s pretty picture). — Angela M.

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bike month for the space-impaired: foldable bikes from areaware

Posted by in traveling, working

IF Mode

May is National Bike Month and this week, May 17-21, marks Bike-to-Work Week. In New York City, the land of bike rentals and designated lanes, it’s not hard to find a bike for a casual afternoon ride if you don’t own one, but the thought of biking to work is bittersweet because New York is also the land of tiny apartments, and renting one such space means I have little room for the ride of my dreams. It’s not surprising, then, that I was included in a mass of onlookers at Areaware’s booth at last weekend’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. The demonstration? The collapsible capabilities of the IF Mode, a foldable bike designed specifically for commuters. At $2,250, it may be a tad pricy for me, but is an interesting idea for those short on space. What do you think, readers? Will you be biking to work this week? Own a foldable bike, or have any other crafty storage solutions to my bike bind? — Sarah C.

Check out Areaware’s complete line of foldable bikes, and click here to find a bike event in your area. Happy cycling!

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this year’s yard project: a garden path

Posted by in gardening

gardenpath
Continuing my tradition of the takes-three-years-to-complete yard projects, I’ve finally started taking steps (har) to place the bricks that I salvaged from the old Rainier Brewery building a couple years ago. Frankly, I just finally got sick of seeing them stacked against our shed, so a couple weeks ago I laid out the bricks to start to figure out a configuration and also to just make sure that we have enough. As you can see, we have plenty! Now, the bricks aren’t all completely uniform, so it will be slightly more tricky to place these than it would standard yard pavers, but I found a couple how-to’s online at This Old House and Home Tips to help. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m actually planning this one ahead of time with measuring, estimating, then buying the correct amount of materials, instead of just buying a bunch of random sand and gravel and hoping that it works out. Welcome, summer! Wish me luck. — Mary T.

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