Gallery Wall

Addy being pretty interested in the deer skull 

Pallet Project | Kitchen Storage

My little helper, Addy

White washed background and stained wood

Kitchen storage!

Very tired after a long few days of work

This project was super quick and easy and has seriously transformed our very neglected kitchen. From the linoleum cabinets and counter tops to the tiny sink, the kitchen seemed unsalvageable so I focused my projects everywhere else. There was a large 4ft x 8ft empty space of wall that I had contemplated doing something with for a very long time but I had no idea how to use the space. I finally saw an industrial pallet at work this summer and quickly set my heart on a kitchen storage/beautification project. I brought it home hoping that I would be able to take it apart and build some really unique storage. After several hours of trying to pry slats of wood free and breaking several I finally gave up on the disassembly plan. I was extremely lucky though because the intact pallet just happened to fit perfectly in the space! I stained the front half of the wood and white washed the back panels. Once everything was dry (about 12 hours later) I added two Ikea Fintorp rails for hanging pots and pans. I'm incredibly happy with the result but admittedly a little sad that I didn't get to use my tools. 

Browned Butter Bourbon | a cocktail

bulleit bourbon

lemon syrup & bitters

step 1: brown the butter (slowly, it browns quickly) 

step 2: pour browned butter into bourbon

step 3: shake well & refrigerate for 1-2 hours 

step 4: remove from fridge & scoop hardened butter out

step 5: filter browned butter infused bourbon 

step 6: be patient 

step 7: add bitters, lemon syrup and/or orange as desired 

step 8: burn wood or shavings & mix cocktail in smoke 

my girlfriend, Lauren, is whiskey obsessed. when we first started dating I spent countless dinners chocking down fiery cocktails and playing it cool but somewhere along the way I fell in love with it too. although cocktails are usually reserved for a weekend treat...it's only spring break for three more days so I indulged. when I was living in Alphabet City I fell in love with The Wayland's whiskey cocktails and in particular The Moxie. if you find yourself in that area it is worth stopping by for some ricotta and sausage flat bread and a cocktail. 

i'm no bartender but it was a lot of fun to play around with flavors like smoke and browned butter. to find out how to make more delicious smoky cocktails check out Man Made! the NY Times Sunday Mag also has a great recipe for browned butter old fashioned.

Spring Break | Project 2: Geometric Wall Stencil

Renter's Remorse No.1: White Walls 

Let's face it plain white walls are just plain depressing. We poured an enormous amount of love into our apartment when we first moved in but one thing we neglected was the large white walls. We initially searched for original art to start our own little collection with our very small budget and found a lot of amazing pieces that were all very out of that very small budget. Unwilling to give in to overpriced reprints and framing we eventually gave up and the walls remained white...until now!

Elle Decor inspiration (thank you Annie Neil) and Vintage Grey Valspar Paint (Lowe's)

Start from the middle and work your way out.  

Project 1 meets Project 2 

More of the same 

Things you need: 

Paint (< quart) 

Hard Foam Paint Roller (firm foam makes for easy and even application) 

Chevron Wall Stencil (A.C. Moore) 

Spray Adhesive (important for making sure the paint doesn't blot or run under the stencil) 

Painter's Tape (because you only want paint where you want paint) 

Pencil 

Paper Towels 

Spring Break | Project 1: Succulent Garden

I'm spending spring break doing all of the crafts and projects that I've been pining over since the start of medical school. At the very top of the list was a succulent garden to freshen up the apartment and bring in the spring! I found Etera garden tiles at Lowe's which made the project simple and inexpensive. 

As an added bonus - I learned a lot more about the Green Roof initiative. Green roof development is the creation of contained green spaces integrated with human-made structures. One of the focal points of the initiative is to improve urban health through benefits such as: enhanced air quality, moderated urban heat, reduced pollution, improved aesthetics, and a whole host of other things. 

One garden tile was more than enough... 

 and now we have succulents everywhere!

The variety is colorful, quick growing, and easy to maintain (or so it says).

  Here's to hoping I can keep them alive! 

For more information on garden tiles you can look here: 

http://www.etera.com/products/sedum-tile/color-max.aspx

Etera® SEDUM TILE®

For more information on the Green Roof initiative go here:
http://www.greenroofs.org/

DIY Decor | Matchsticks

Matchsticks & Cardboard 

My DIY weekend with hundreds of matches, cardboard, glue, and wooden chair seat from alphabet city trash day...

Sanded down the wooden chair seat to make a smooth circular frame

Strike Anywhere Matches from the hardware store

Whiskey because the lighting was perfect and whiskey makes most things better

Burned each match while catching up on tv 

Glued down the eight guide spokes and began filling in the gaps

After all of the matchsticks were glued down I use an x-acto knife to trim down excess cardboard

Figure framed and awaiting the matte

Matted and framed

The final product

Holiday Origami Bows

Sydney and I did some holiday crafting and made these origami bows out of newspaper. 

DIY | Barn Door to Table

I found the old barn door at a local antique store, The Backroom, and instantly fell in love. My family convinced me to sleep on the purchase for a week but I couldn't stay away :) 

Now I can't get enough of this table I restored and repurposed from the barn door. We use it every day and it adds a unique up-cycled look to our apartment.

So many trips to Home Depot for: reinforcing wood, sandpaper, more sandpaper, waxes, oils, varnishes, shellacs, lacquers, water-based finishes and brackets for the ikea trestle legs. I did a lot of research on what finishes were best for indoor tables in terms of protection and ability to withstand temperature changes. I settled on a lacquer which I learned is not cheap but it was well worth it because the table is holding up very well and the finish is beautiful. 

The process was pretty basic but tedious. I used an electric sander on both sides of the table to resolve the splintering paint and wood. I then used three coats of lacquer (4-6 hours of drying per coat) and finished it with a think layer of a spray shellac.

Now I just clean it as I would any other surface and maintain it with a wood oil.