Archive for August, 2010

etsy find: type drawer tables

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

shelltable

Antique type drawers look charming on a wall, but I love how Etsy seller XenasDad has turned them into tables. A flat surface expands the possibilities of what you can display, and the tables look quite beautiful on their own, as well. There are several different designs and finishes, including a tall mahogany hall table, $750, and a coffee table, $600, that you won’t even have to fill — it comes comes with a carefully selected collection of epoxied sea shells. — Sarah L.

beer & ice cream: a sweet summer treat

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

lottie + doof

When I think of summer, a few things come to mind. Well, four things, to be exact: the beach, popsicles, ice cream and beer. I’ve been working through my popsicle phase for a few weeks now, and I’m going to the beach next weekend, so that leaves beer and ice cream left on the summer love list, and what better way to enjoy them than by putting them together? The Kitchn has my number with their cherry lambic ice cream float, but I’m also smitten with this recipe for framboise lambic beer sorbetto at Lottie + Doof. Adapted from the Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto, the recipe looks to add the perfect bite to the average fruit sorbetto and because lambics are available in so many flavors, the formula can be customized easily for different tastes. Cheers to a new summer favorite, and a new cookbook for that Christmas list. – Sarah C.

tested and approved: idye natural fabric dye

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

before and after

Confession time: I’m too cheap to throw out clothes just because I splatter a little spaghetti sauce or fudgesicle on them. I had a whole pile of faded and stained t-shirts when I came across iDye, a natural fabric dye. The process is foolproof: just throw the whole packet into the hot washing machine with a little salt or vinegar and it will dissolve and dye 2 to 3 pounds of rayon, cotton, silk, wool or linen. For just $4, I got a whole new wearable wardrobe including a former cheerful orange bridesmaid dress that was too bright for everyday wear until it transformed into a strawberry red. –Katie D.

new chris crites prints: get them while they last

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

burglary_352

breaking_entering

The last time we posted about the mugshot art of Chris Crites, we got quite an enthusiastic response. So we knew you would be happy to hear that Crites just released 12 new, limited-edition prints. The giclée prints come in archival sleeves with an acid free mat, and they’re wonderfully affordable: just one is $150; the rest are just $40 each. However, Crites is only releasing ten of each print, so if you’re interested, act now. See all the prints here. — Mary T.

want it now: liquid bookmark

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Think_Geek_liquid_book_mark

I’m always on the lookout for great bookmarks (besides my usual ATM receipts and movie ticket stubs) and this one from ThinkGeek is all sorts of bloody good fun. It’s perfect for when you’re re-reading all your favorite Stephen King horrors (or your young adult vampire series). Made of red silicone and looking like a generous drip of type O Negative, it’s only $10 — perfect for your favorite goth bookworm. — Katie D.

Related: Just Bitten cupcakes

five things we learned last week

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

fivethingspartylanterns

1) You don’t even like papered walls, much less ceilings. Anita says: “For the love of all that is good and holy, NO. When I bought my co-op, it had wet-look wallpaper on the kitchen ceiling (in a ’70s gold/olive/orange Dating Game floral pattern, no less). The neck and shoulder pain that resulted from scraping it off the not-very-large ceiling gives me nightmares to this day — not to mention the mess of gooey, drippy pieces of paper everywhere.” See more horrified comments here.

2) You have popsicle questions. Jennifer says: “My popsicles always come out super-hard and icy. You think yogurt would help?” If you have an answer for her or just want to see our popsicle roundup, click here.

3) Marscapone: the filling we can all agree on.
Dates? Maybe not. Erin says: “I think my solution of placing the mascarpone mixture between two graham crackers greatly improved this recipe. Dates are so wrong.” Regardless, see the stuffed dates here.

4) Menu-planning printables make you very, very happy. Jess says: “Thanks for this! I’ve been wrestling with a nice way to plan my meals. I recently bought the Real Simple grocery list for my fridge and am in LOVE with it! But I’ve been getting lazy with planning my menu out so as to use everything in my fridge. I hate to throw away food, but I hate to eat old food even more!!!” Click for menu planner printouts.

5) Keep kitchen sinks single. Megan B. swapped a tired double sink for a deep single sink, and you love it. ModFruGal says: “ModFruGal says: “You’ll be so happy after you cook something in a roasting pan…and don’t have to clean it tilted. I’ll never regret going with the deep single bowl.”