Posts categorized as DIY

We attended the first Ridgewood Market last month and it was pretty neat. Held at our favorite bar Gottscheer Hall, the market showcased vendors ranging from jewelry designers, to soap makers to food vendors. New to the bill this month is O live Brooklyn and Sabbas Spicery. These are of particular interest to us and will be our first visits – the more food vendors the better! What sets this market apart from the others? You can drink while shopping. We know, this is awesome (!!!) but it gets better. Catch brunch with your friends in the tap room [...]

I started my eggshell pieces a few years ago. One morning I was cooking breakfast for my father (I didn’t eat eggs at the time because I was vegan). I cracked an egg into the frying pan and part of the shell fell in. I noticed that the cracks made a really neat design. So I asked my mother to save the eggshells that week, bought a canvas and tried out designs. Since then I’ve explored many combinations. I’ve tried emu egg, which is very thick, like porcelain. I’ve tried [...]

  One of the things I missed in the weeks after Sandy — besides, heat, hot water and electricity, of course — was the ability to create a delicious meal. Mike and I were in the house for a time in the dark and cold but we still had to eat (although our appetite was diminished a bit due to stress and cold.) Our power was out, but we still had the gas stove to cook food and make coffee  All I had to do was turn the knob and [...]

One of the nice things about spice balls (Pomander) is the fragrance they emanate, especially near the fireplace or radiator.  And they’re so easy to make (although a little labor intensive). Look for very round navel oranges in the supermarket. What gives these decorations great fragrance is the whole cloves you insert in them.  Whole cloves aren’t cheap. If possible find ones in good plastic packaging to avoid broken cloves. If you buy cheap ones, you may end up buying twice as much as you would need of the expensive [...]

This is an easy way to make a dried hydrangea wreath for the fall and once Christmas rolls along, spray it gold or silver!  For years I dried the flowers and then tried to make the wreath. Two tons of fallen apart flowers, a big mess and no wreath was what I got. The secret is to make it while the flowers are pliable not dried. Buy (or make) a grape vine wreath, the size you want. Remember the dried flowers will look very full and larger than the actual [...]

This is the time of year that hydrangeas turn beautiful colors. If you like the look, go out into your garden and clip away this week. When you cut the hydrangeas make sure you cut them long enough for your vase. You can always make them smaller, taller is another thing. Take off all the leaves and place in the vase or basket you want them in permanently. Arrange the flowers and leave them to dry -  about a week to ten days. Enjoy!    

Last year, our oldest daughter, Roseanne, was married and had a lovely reception in a catering hall that did all the work and just asked us to pay. Easy job, and common nowadays. When my parents got married, over six decades ago, things weren’t so easy (or so fancy.) I was reminded of this by finding my parents old wedding album, deep in the back of my bedroom closet. It was about 20″by 18″ and made of a white silk. The pictures on the inside are 8″by 10″ black and [...]

Aunt Brenda came up with a creative decorating item for your next Hawaiian luau party – a pineapple tree!  She created this splendid centerpiece for Aunt Joanie’s party this past Saturday – it was a big hit to say the least. What you’ll need… (Try to find most of this stuff around the house or at a thrift store) Board about 12″x18″ about 1″ inch but it can also be round Drill with long 7/8″ bit 7/8″ dowel Screw about 1 1/4″ long Drill 2-3-4 pineapples depending on how big [...]

Visit us this Saturday at the Onderdonk House Summer Flea Market. We’re selling spider plants – in black containers, very posh! But don’t fret, we’ll also have our traditional spiders in Sclafani cans. New addition this go-around – mint! All home grown in Ridgewood, Queens. Good news, I figured out a much easier way to create drainage in the cans, No drill needed, only a hammer and a nail. Check it out. Over 55 vendors will be selling a variety of goods. More details here. Hope to see you there! [...]

We’re in the middle of our fourth heat wave of the summer here in NYC, and for me, that means I drink a lot of iced coffee. Like, a lot a lot. And that stuff can be expensive, even at my beloved coffee carts, for reasons that are explained here. I decided during our 2nd heat wave that I’d try to make my iced coffee at home, saving money at least in the morning (I’d still spend $4 on a New Orleans iced coffee at Blue Bottle in 30 Rock, [...]