We have these new chairs that were once craigslisted. Not anymore. They were saved by us for less than $50 for all four.
Looking for furniture at a reasonable price that would fit the midcentury modern style has been very challenging. But so far we have been very lucky finding furniture we like for a much cheaper price. Most of it is because Craigslist has been very good to us. At one point we actually posted an ad for what we’re looking for and the price range of what we can pay – with a promise that the furniture will be in a good home and that we will be taking good care of it. This helped us tons. People don’t just want to sell their beloved furniture to strangers, they want to give them to someone who will care for it like they once did.
We’re not sure where these chairs will end up. They are in such great condition and really doesn’t need any work. There are a little scratches here and there, but just polishing it already made it looking like new.
It’s been weeks now and yet we are still waiting to schedule a closing for the house. Much of this waiting is making us anxious as to when we will actually be moving. There’s so much to do at the house and Chris is ready to get them done. He’s been driving by the house that he hasn’t gotten the key for yet, inching to do some weeding on the lawn and doing some painting on the windows. The carpets in the bedrooms needs to be changed, a present from Chris’ grandmother who refuses to let us sleep in a room with old carpeting. The living room, hallway and half the kitchen shares the same wall to wall carpeting with hidden hardwood floors. Instinctively, I want the carpet ripped out, because personally I don’t like carpets. No matter how many times you vacuum, I feel like there’s always dirt stuck in between those fibers. I like the feeling of walking barefoot on clean hard wood floors. I feel more energized and not constricted and hugged by a carpet. What’s behind that carpet is the dilema we’re facing. With all the things that needs to be done at house, ripping out a carpet to a floor that potentially needs a lot of work is a big project. We just really don’t know what’s underneath.
What makes this house unique are the windows. The south east of the house which happens to be the living room is surrounded by glass windows and on top are customized trapezoidal-shaped glass. Unfortunately over the years it has accumulated moisture in between the glass and it needs to be replaced.
Despite all this work, the package also comes with its midcentury charm. We feel very privileged to be living in a home which in 1955, was built very carefully by an architect for his family, choosing only the best materials for the whole construction of the house. Each room is designed to perfection.
The fireplace made of slate is place in the middle of the house where the heat can be shared by the living room and the dining area where family and friends will be seated under a skylight. To the left is a door to the shared breakfast area and kitchen where I will be preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner on formica countertops and under vintage steel cabinetry.
The built-in shelves in the living room, dining room and what will soon be Petra’s room will be a place for books, mementos and other decorative nik-naks. And when it’s time to rest and hang out, we have the patio with those windows which happens to be the same style as Chris’ grandfather’s windows on the patio in his house in Florida.
Are you on Pinterest? If you’re not, you should be! It’s the best place on the web to find the best ideas for just about anything like home decorating, crafts, fashion and recipes. It’s forward thinking beyond RSS Reader.
Pinterest
What’s cool about it is that you come across different people with their unique interests and they pin it. Some pins you would have never known about unless you were to search it on google yourself.
I found these two pins (which I repinned myself) of recipes that I absolutely cannot wait to try!
Use Real Butter
There’s “love”, then there’s “in love”. I love eggplants, but I think I’m in-love with these eggplant fries. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock for not knowing about this. I can’t wait for our garden to grow so I can try these with fresh eggplants. It looks so crispy and delicious!
Confessions of a Chocoholic
Now here’s a good one. If you’re from the south, you’ve probably heard of the chocolate cola cake. I’m really curious what this taste like. Seriously, it involves adding boiled Coca-Cola with cocoa powder, butter and buttermilk then eggs into flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon mix. I’m just really confused on how all those ingredients would taste like when combined. I just have to try it sometime.
At the same garage sale as the pasta maker, we also found these three really cool ceramics. A little bowl, serving plate and an ashtray. We really have no use for the ashtray since neither of us smoke, but the design is too nice to pass. It looks almost shark-like at first glance. I think maybe it’s from the late 60′s or early 70′s or at least that’s what it looks like to me. I can just picture macho men in their bellbottoms and perms dropping off their cigarette butts on this. If ashtrays could talk, I bet this one would have some stories to tell.
The bowl is small enough to be a faux Japanese tea cup and the serving plate would be perfect for crackers, cookies, cheese and appetizers.
This is probably the most basic of Papier Mache. It took me less than an hour of labor time and the rest is just waiting for the glue to dry. You can use Modge Podge for this project, but you can also do it the old fashion and cheap way by making your own glue.
Online you’ll find tutorials on making your own glue with sugar and other things, but really you don’t need a lot of ingredients. My dad who used to do school theater stage design decoration in the Philippines (and he also does other crafty things) said all you really need is flour and water.
To apply the glue, you can get one of those sponge brushes they sell at craft stores. But you don’t really need that either. Your hands are your best tools. With this homemade glue, it washes off easily with soap and water.
I used Vaseline to prevent the paper from sticking to the jar and also to make it easier to take the paper off the jar. Though if you’re frugal like me, I don’t recommend this if you’re doing bigger projects. My dad recommends putting plastic underneathe (as in plastic bag). Just cut out the size you need but make sure to take it off the mold before the paper adheres to the plastic he said. I have to try that next time and see if it works.
For the paper, I used a Pottery Barn catalog which made the cups thick enough without too many layers. I used a drinking glass and a jar for the mold.
Glue:
You need ¼ Cup of flour diluted in a half cup of room temperature of water. Boil 1 cup of water and gradually add the diluted flour. Stir until sticky.
Papier Mache:
Glue
Paper ripped into pieces
Mold (I used jars for these cups)
Vaseline
Nutshell tutorial:
Layer the mold with vaseline, glue, paper, glue…etc.
Wait to dry, remove from mold, wipe vaseline and dry.
Detailed Instructions:
Turn your jar and glass upside down. Make a mark (or eyeball it) on how high you want your cups to be. Put a generous amount of Vaseline on the mold past the mark. Apply glue over the vaseline and put on your first layer of paper along the perimeter of the mold. If you’re going for a certain look, the first layer is the layer you’re going to see on the inside of the jar so choose your paper wisely. Once you cover the first layer completely, the next layers in between doesn’t matter, no one will see it. Keep this in mind for the last layer as well.
Put another layer of glue, then paper. Repeat this process until you have a thick layer. I used 4 pages of the magazine for two jars for about 5 layers for each.
Let it dry and walk away! It can take hours depending on the layers. I put mine under the sun and it took about 4 hours of drying time.
Once it’s dry, carefully slip the papier mache off the jar. Carefully wiggle it a little bit if it’s stuck on the jar. Don’t force it out. You can also take a knife to separate it carefully.
You’ll notice a thick layer of vaseline inside. Wipe it off and wait for it to dry.
Over the weekend, we went garage sale shopping right by us. We scored a pasta maker for $5! It was given to the owner as a gift and he never used it! I hope to crank it like Lidia Bastianich and make some delicious pasta with it.
Chris and I ran our first dough the same afternoon to clean it and make our first pasta with the machine. Before the dough you have to run a vinegar damped paper towel, then the dough. Look at the dough and notice the dirt stuck in it then throw it out in the garbage. You don’t want to eat that! Don’t wash the pasta maker with water, it’ll ruin the screws. It’s a good thing Chris read about cleaning it, or I would have definitely done that.
p.s. I’m really craving for some homemade ravioli right about now.
I’m two years too late and thousands of miles away for the installation of these vintage foot stools upholstered with Australian souvenir tea towels shown at Linden Gallery in Melbourne, Australia back in November 2009. This reminds me of how much I really need a foot stool for comfort and aesthetic reasons. It’s also a really good use of those tea towels that you thought was a good idea to buy when you were on vacation. Speaking of Australia and vacation, I have an aunt in Melbourne, maybe I should pay her a visit.
Art/Speak/Wagga
This is Chris’ family recipe. It was really good when he made it on Father’s day. The recipe though may not be so accurate because he doesn’t measure when he cooks, so when you make it, add the ingredients to your liking.
Ingredients:
1 can of cannellini beans
1 Onion, chopped
3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
parsley
Mix the onions with the salt and squeeze it. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss. Let it sit for about 30 minutes in the fridge for the beans to soak up the delicious flavor goodness.
We’re moving to the Eastside! Eastside, Syracuse that is. After months of searching for the perfect house, we finally found it. After weeks of waiting for inspection, radon testing and paperworks we’re now just waiting to schedule a closing and soon moving into our new home. Let me tell you, it’s a special one and it’s a symbol of the mister’s yearlong hard work and living frugal.
The house is a three bedroom mid-century modern beauty designed by an architect for his family. Its got all the original steel cabinetry and Formica countertops in the kitchen. The living room and the dining area is a combined open space with a sunroof and custom made windows. Right in the middle is a slate fireplace. Each bedroom has good size closets and the master bedroom has two!
I’ve been collecting some photos to use for brainstorming decorating ideas.
Clockwise: http://automotivemileposts.com/tvtbirds.html, http://www.homedit.com,
http://mostexerent.tumblr.com/, http://sweethomestyle.tumblr.com
Father’s day this year was special because it was Chris’ first Father’s Day. So we had a family picnic by the pond and ate some very good food. We brought a tote bag with cannellini bean salad, farfalle salad with cherry tomatoes, garlic bread, chicken pot pie and apple sauce for Petra. It was all very delicious and soon I will share the recipes for all of it here.
He picked out some flowers and cut out a beer can with some pond water in it. Pretty flowers need to thrive somehow.
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