Posts categorized as DIY

It was at least a week after Sandy before I even gave our fig tree a thought. This was surprising, considering how much I loved my fig tree. But we were so busy being cold and cleaning out the basement that the backyard was not on our minds. But when we finally did check out my beloved fig tree, things didn’t look good. There was a grayness, probably from the salt water that seemed to cover the leaves. We had a particularly abundant crop the summer before and now it seemed […]

Summer is wrapping up and the evidence is visible… The echinacea looks beautiful even as its flowers are dying. Maybe I should try a dried flower DIY project with them. The leaves on my grapefruit mint are turning red, unexpected and delightful. I picked this up and others like it at Green Village Used Clothing & Furniture. If you have patience, this thrift store is a gem.

My friend and office-mate Todd makes a mean burger. Half beef, half turkey, all delicious. On these burgers, he put some homemade overnight pickles,with chunks of fennel, something I’d never heard of. They made the burgers even more deliciouser. He was kind enough to share the recipe, which is basically what’s in the picture — cucumbers, cider vinegar, fennel and fennel seed — plus celery seed, salt and sugar. You put it in the jar, and let it sit overnight, like so. Since Todd made burgers for lunch a couple of […]

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!