A clutch hutch

There's nothing better than a good transformation. Just ask Madonna--she's built an entire career on it. But what Amy and her hubby Sean have done will leave even Madge herself jealous.

The couple was looking for the perfect piece to store all the odds and ends that make a home. But particle board cabinets and Ikea hutches weren't what came to mind. After a fruitless search of the usual stores, the couple turned to a consignment shop, where they bought this behemoth:

Space for storage? You bet your tuchus. And style to spare? Well... the bones were good. That's what 1700s workmanship will get you: beautiful lines and solid construction mixed with nicked doors and an imperfect finish.

The work was intense. Think sanding, puttying, gluing and more sanding. Then take a mental journey to a land of painting and glazing. Is your brain fatigued yet? Mine is...

Oooh, but the after photo makes it all worthwhile:

Yes, friends, that's what we call a masterpiece. Check out that finish. It's a milk paint and glaze by General Finishes.

Here are more before and after photos for you to fawn over.

I'm inspired to get the rest of my furniture projects wrapped up. What are you working on? Any big undertakings in your future? Share 'em below in the comments!

The start of something beautiful

I've been a busy lady this weekend. Think lots of trash-to-treasures moments.

I kicked things off on Friday morning by grabbing a very funky little chair out of the trash. If this bad boy was signing up for a singles website and was asked what street sign it had the most in common with, the answer would be a stop sign. That's because it's a hexagon (yes, I know stop signs have eight sides, but go with it) and covered in red. Actually, red velvet to be more specific.

 

Oh, she's a beaute. At least, I'm hoping she will be. Here's the before photo:

Look at those legs. The aforementioned red velvet seat isn't in the photo, but trust me, it's something special. I can't believe someone had this in their house like this for any period of time... So far I've sanded her, applied a can and a half of glossy white spray paint, and done more sanding. I've got my fingers crossed for an amazing transformation, but I can't make any promises. You can be sure I'll let you know how it goes.

And for those wondering about the other chair project--I haven't made any progress. It's been too cold to do the intense work needed to remove the finish. It'll have to wait until the weather warms up a little.

Not surprisingly, the chair hasn't been the only thing on my mind. I also picked up this little cutie from an antique shop just outside of Philly. I'm trying to figure out where I want it to live, and what it's job should be.

Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions. I'm thinking teeny plants and a water spritzer. We'll see!

That's what I've been working on. What'd you do this weekend? Let me know in the comments section.

Top 5: Towels

Last weekend I had my bridal shower, so I've had all things kitchen and bath on my mind. Topping that list: towels. Let me be clear, I don't want any of those standard-issue, khaki-colored bath sheets, please. I want rich textures, fun colors and prints I'd be happy to wrap around my nekkid self.

These are the towels I'm lusting after:

Ralph Lauren towels
Grey Turkish towels
Damask towel
White striped Turkish towels
Sechura color block towel

Fighting the dreary off with Philly coffee shops

Today is a bizarre day in Philly. It's raining, yet again, but this time the thermometer is topping out in the 60s. Yes, today is January 27. We've had two snowfalls so far, and one of those was in October.

I'm almost starting to get used to the unpredictable weather. Almost.

Today's spring-like drizzle has me a little antsy. I want very much to get out of the house, or work on a project--or even better--do both at the same time. But I can't quite get the motivation to put down my coffee. In fact, the only thing that's really lingering on my mind is coffee (but for good reasons that I'll share with you next week).

And because of that, today's post is brought to you by the buzz-inducing cuppa joe.

If you're in Philly, here are a couple places that are calling my name, and I know for a fact that I'll stop by at least one of them. (Here's looking at you, Chapterhouse.) If you're in the area and haven't been to one of these spots, take a second and support the local businesses. They're part of what give our city such a unique vibe.

Chapterhouse--Always good music, and dog friendly. Hard to hate on that combo. Plus, the vanilla tea is out of this world, if you're not a coffee hound.

Philadelphia Java Company--The egg sandwiches are out of control. Unfortunately, you can only get them at the location on Second Street. The iced coffee is not to be missed, either.

Bean Exchange--Small and intimate, you can't help but get to know everyone around you. Fantastic for building a community, or just picking up a date. (That is, if you're like my friend Kevin, who can actually pick up dates in a coffee house.)

Bonte--OK, this is a chain, but an order of a coffee will get you an Americano, and in my book, there's nothing better.

La Colombe--Possibly the best thing Philly has to offer. This is an icon, and for good reason.

My DIY dreams

I've got a lot going on in my personal life, and right now, my DIY dreams are mostly that... dreams.
Until I get caught up on my real life, everything else is going to have to wait.

The things running through my head are kind of all over the place--from projects for the bedroom to wedding ideas. Take these chevron curtains from Crate and Barrel for example:

I stumbled across them yesterday when I was in the store. The panels are gorgeous, but pricey. (At least by my standards. I made a pair of sheers for less than $40, so twice that for half of the coverage hurts me a bit.) I think I could paint some curtains, or at least find a similar fabric that makes my heart flutter. It's officially on the list.

Another source of inspiration is in my trash. I bought an incredible pair of shoes from BHLDN for the wedding. You won't believe what inspired me with that purchase. It wasn't the shoes. It wasn't the beautifully designed box.

It was the envelope that the return label is kept in.

Cra-cra, right? But bear with me. It's this very well proportioned sheath made from oil cloth (or a fabric much like it). And it has the sweetest tie mechanism on the back. Simple, classic, impossible to destroy. Who doesn't love that? This could make a great DIY project for cards to special folks who helped out with the wedding. Let's face it: I'm not making 212 of these. But maybe a dozen... We'll see.

Last, and definitely not least, my inspiration came to me from a present from the bridal shower. I got a set of the mini-cocottes from Le Creuset. The set came along with a recipe book filled with things to make in the adorable mini dishes. That made me look online at what else the site has to offer, and now I HAVE to make this apple bread pudding.

How have I not already made this? I want it in front of me rightthisverysecond!

Excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of...

Party central

Here's how you can tell if a blogger has been busy: Check when they last posted. If it's been more than a day or two, they're either in the tropics, enjoying the sun, or running around like a crazy person.

For me, it's the latter. Sunday was my bridal shower, and since then, I've been recovering. I've also had a little side project, and I hope to update you soon, but I don't want to jinx things, so we'll leave it there for now.

As soon as I get photos from the shower, I'll share them. My sister is the maid of honor, and has proven herself as the ultimate party planner. She went all out with decorating the space, sending out and choosing invites, and a slew of other details. And several of my bridesmaids took it to the next level by baking mini cakes as favors. Out. Of. Control.

I've also been part of another party--my first ever blog party. Basically, it's a group of 300 bloggers who get paired up, and each gets to know their counterpart through email. Then we send a little surprise via snail mail to the other. It's like having an old school pen pal, but so much better.


I've been matched up with Heather from Bon Bon. You should check her out. She's a sweet mama from Virginia, who loves crafting and cooking and all the good things in life. She's also been known to share her life, her fashion sense, and her inner musings with readers. Check her out. I hope you'll enjoy getting to know her as much as I have!

In a few days, I'll show you the present I'm sending her. Until then, I'm off to my mad, mad world.

Top 5: Wool blankets

Top 5 is back! This time, it's the wool blankets I'm coveting. Get cozy and enjoy:

Sources:
Alpaca wool blanket
plaid blanket
Israeli wool blanket
Lambswool and cashmere blanket
Woolrich blanket

FPW: Revealed

You could have your own Food Porn Weekend, if you're down with a little planning. C'mon--imagine this: You, a dozen or so of your closest friends, an issue of a cooking magazine--all holed up (preferably in a rental house) so that you can cook and eat all weekend long.

It sounds pretty great, huh?

Take my word, it is. But it's only an excellent time because our group is diverse. Not everyone is a chef, and not everyone wants to be one. The non-cookers make up the clean-up crew, or the run-and-pick-up-more-supplies crew. That way no single person feels like they have to do everything all of the time. (Unless you want to, and that's fine, too.)

Our weekend also worked really well because we had an excellent planner amongst us. She put together a Google Doc of all the recipes, and what time they should be made based on available ovens and cook tops. That way everyone could sign up for what they wanted, and knew exactly what time to be where.

Cooking timesheet for Food Porn Weekend

She also put together a shopping list of all the ingredients from all the recipes. This is the task that most impresses me. I've put together documents like this before, and I can say from experience how horrific they are. For this, my very organized friend, I thank you.

Shopping list 

We were then able to use the list for picking up food, which was all purchased online in advance, and picked up the day of. We also used the list to know if we had extra ingredients available to beef up a dish or nibble on between feedings. (Hard to believe that you could still be hungry with 64 recipes, but it is possible.)

To keep things moving smoothly, we had lots of copies of the recipes lying around. Some were full issues. Some were photocopied. Again, this is an extra step, but a helpful one. You'll feel guilty if you splash your nice copy of the magazine with soy sauce, and then don't have one to hold onto.

That's me and the pre-hubs reviewing our next recipe.

You'll also need a bunch of friends with a good sense of humor, double ovens (it really, really, really helps),  loooots of trash bags, and enough beer to make everyone forget cooking for a few hours at night.

Now go! Start planning your own FPW! And if you do, let me know all about it!

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FPW: Tofu and veggies recipe

Here's another killer recipe from Food Porn Weekend, where my friends and I cooked every recipe in an issue of Cooking Light. This time, it's all about the tofu.

Tofu steaks with shiitakes and veggies is a very straightforward way to make tofu. I'm used to pressing and draining a brick of tofu before baking it, which, by the way, has very good results. But it's supremely time consuming. The trick here seemed to be slicing it thinly and making sure you use a pan that will give you a good browning. Also, you've got to be sure to pat the tofu down, or else you'll end up steaming it instead.

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu, drained

3 T sesame oil

3 T soy sauce

1 c julienned red bell pepper

1 cup julienned carrot

1/8 t salt

4 garlic cloves

1 5-ounce package of shiitake mushrooms 

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 T honey

2 t sherry vinegar (I used champagne vinegar)

1/2 t crushed red pepper

cooking spray

First, prop the tofu on its side and slice it in half so that you have two narrower bricks of tofu. Then cut it to how many folks you have to feed. We had 16, so that's what we did. But for four hungry folks, it's completely reasonable to cut those two bricks in half. Pierce tofu with fork. Mix 1 T oil and 1 T soy sauce and coat tofu. I found that I wanted a little more of the mixture, so I doubled it. Let stand 15 minutes, and turn tofu once.

Saute peppers and carrots over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside. Sautee mushrooms and garlic until tender. Add soy sauce, broth, honey, vinegar and red pepper. Simmer until thickened. Remove from heat.

Pat down tofu, and saute over medium heat. Baste each side with marinade. Turn so that each side browns. Serve with veggies and pan sauce.

This one really manages to impart a lot of flavor, so even the most anti-tofu eaters out there will probably enjoy this. It earned great reviews from my test audience of 15.

FPW: Prosiutto and phyllo wrapped asparagus recipe

We had a lot of really amazing dishes at Food Porn Weekend, where my friends and I cooked each and every last recipe from an issue of Cooking Light. There were 16 of us in all, and a total of 64 recipes, so we each pitched in with what we felt comfortable tackling. For me, that meant a couple of fun dishes, and a must-have sides. I was responsible for: tofu steaks, cider and sage pork, wrapped asparagus, and an advertisement recipe for stuffing. They all turned out pretty well, with the pork nicely browned, and the tofu full of flavor. But it was the asparagus that has definitely earned a repeat performance in my book.

This is a pretty straight forward recipe. No advanced cooking of the asparagus or treating of the phyllo, save spraying it with some Pam (not tediously brushing it with butter). It comes out with crispy phyllo, tender asparagus and a mouthful of salty deliciousness from the prosciutto. I'm hungry just thinking about it.

OK, here's how it's done:

Ingredients:
6 ounces sliced prosciutto (original recipe calls for 3 ounces, but I scoff at that)
30 asparagus stalks, trimmed
frozen phyllo dough, thawed
cooking spray

First, preheat the oven to 450. It sounds high, but you need that dough to brown.

Next, wrap the prosciutto around the asparagus. Then douse a bit of phyllo with cooking spray, and wrap that around the stalk. You'll need about one-third of a sheet for each piece of asparagus. I found that the easiest way to measure this was to tear all of the dough into thirds. Then you could simply lift and spray. Granted, that means the rest of the dough will be in two-thirds sheets, but I wasn't using the remnants for anything that required full sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Serve! Bake another batch! Serve more!

The best of Food Porn Weekend

I'm still recovering from this weekend's Food Porn festivities, where 15 friends and I cooked and ate our way through an entire issue of Cooking Light magazine. It was epic, to say the least.

I know it sounds insane to think about doing every single recipe, even those from the ads, in a single weekend. But it really wasn't that horrific. Actually, it wasn't horrific at all. I'll let you know later in the week how we pulled off the logistics, but for now, let me give you the highlights from the food side of things.

Everything was delish. Truly, everything turned out well. (My friends are excellent cooks and bakers. What else can I say?) But there were some real winners from the group. My favorites included:

OK, I know that's a pretty big list for my "favorite" dishes, but seriously, everything was a stunner. And now that I'm looking at things, it's not that surprising that I was only responsible for one of those dishes. After all, what doesn't taste better when someone else cooks it?

Some of these dishes were amazingly straightforward. Sliced chicken on waffles? Yep, but it was dressed up with a special sauce. And believe me, it was unexpectedly good. I'm now planning on having waffle sammies on the regular. And asparagus wrapped in dough and prosciutto? It was a party for your mouth.

If you want to know how to make the recipes, all of those photos are links. Click away, my friend.

Anyway, I'll give you a rundown tomorrow of what I was responsible for, and the tips I learned from trying these dishes out myself. Stay tuned!

--

Thanks to Michelle for taking such pretty pictures and letting me grab them!

Chris Lambton comes to HGTV

Fans of the Bachelorette, you've got a little something extra to be excited about. I just found out that former cast member Chris Lambton is getting his own show called "Going Yard" on HGTV. It's kind of a nice change for the channel, which usually keeps things focused on the indoors.

Here's to hoping the show is as dreamy as the host! Can't wait to find out!

Food Porn Weekend!

Be jealous, I'm in the middle of Food Porn Weekend--three whole days dedicated to cooking, eating and enjoying good friends. We're making every single recipe, even the ones in ads, from an issue of Cooking Light magazine.

I'll update you on Monday with what we've done, but you can check out our FPW blog for a little insight to how things are going.

Five things: Bookcases

I'd like to start a new tradition with you. On Sundays from now on, I'm going to put together a list of the top five things I'm lusting after. To kick it off, I'm diving in with bookcases, because frankly I can't get them off of my mind.

So without any further ado, here's what's making my heart thump:

Kansai bookcase
Leaning shelf
A-frame bookcase
Modern bookcases

Bookcase-nightstand

Free 15 minute frame overhaul

I'm in the process of styling the guest bedroom/office/craft room, and I knew I wanted to start filling the expanse above the desk with things we already own--you know, to keep costs down and be green, etc., etc.

I pulled this frame out from the basement. It's something I picked up three or four years ago during a buy-one-get-one-free sale at A.C. Moore. I knew at the time that I didn't have room for it, but that I'd find a space at some point. Well, friends, that day finally came today. My first instinct was to paint a background with chalkboard paint, but I didn't have the things I needed on-hand to turn the colors I already owned into the stuff of chalkboards. Then I thought about wrapping the back in fabric and turning it into a pinboard. It definitely would have worked, but I wasn't feeling it.

Then I spotted my pile of yarn.

My frame and yarn are becoming friends

What, you ask, could one do with a picture frame and yarn? Oh, the options are many. You could wrap it, or ModPodge a design to it, or do this:

A funky and free picture frame

It was a pretty simple transformation. I took out the glass, matting and backing from the frame. Then I spotted the clips in the back that used to hold the glass in place, and began wrapping yarn around them. To make sure the yarn didn't slip, I folded the metal back and over the frame itself. Then I hung it and stuck photos in. For those who are curious, the pics are (from top left) boats in Nicaragua, me rock climbing, the pre-hubs walking Sawyer, the pre-hubs and a parrot in Costa Rica, and the two of us on a hike.

I think it turned out pretty well. I love that you can see the wall paint in the background, and that you can easily swap out photos, without having to fiddle with taking frames down, removing the glass. It's wham, bam, picture glam. Plus, it's hard to argue with free.

If you decide to do something similar, send me a photo here and I'll publish it.

Closet renovation

Bam!

You hear that? It was the sound of me knocking my new year's resolution out of the park.

Sorry, this girl is a little excited about what's going on in the front hall closet.

Let me give you some back story. When you first walk into the apartment, you're greeted by a long, narrow hallway. Welcoming, no? To add to the claustrophobic feeling is the closet immediately to the right. Things are fine as long as the doors are closed. But once they're open and you look into the maddening abyss of my shoe collection--well, it's enough to make you run.

At least it was.

Here's the before picture:

I can't help but shake my head when I look at that. Shameful!

And now, after a few hours of work and two trips to Lowe's, here is the new pride of my home:

I'm just going to bask in the glory for a little while. I'm sorry if you can't appreciate how amazing the transformation is. I know the photos are a little up-close-and-personal, but that's just how tight the front hallway is...

Anyway, this wasn't that hard to achieve. I did have to buy two more shoe organizers. (I already owned one.) So that certainly wasn't free. But the rest of the transformation was. The other things I did include:

• Sliding the center organizer more to the right to support the shoe tower, and allow for more access to the coat section.
• Corral all winter accessories into one spot (the white plastic bin)
• Put all yoga mats and outdoor games into one section
• Move out-of-season jackets to the basement
• Organize all reuseable shopping bags and store in one spot
• Clean and store hats in a hat box

It took me a good chunk of the day to get this finished, but it was well worth the time I invested. 

Next it's on to the bathroom storage...

30 before 30

This year marks the end of my 20s, and I want to make sure that I close out the decade with a bang. So I put together a list of 30 things I'd like to do before I turn 30. Read on, you'll probably learn a thing or two about me.

30 things to do before I’m 30:

1.)   Have an amazing wedding day

2.)   Climb up to Machu Picchu

3.)   Run a sub-2 hour half marathon

4.)   Do a yoga inversion

5.)   Build a shelf for the office/guest bedroom

6.)   Train my dog to come on command

7.)   Perfect the macaroni and cheese recipe

8.)   Perfect the ultimate go-to salad

9.)   Find a paint color for the guest bathroom

10.) Double blog readership

11.) Work as an RN (Did you know that I'm a nurse?)

12.) Take a cooking class

13.) Go somewhere new

14.) Learn to make cheese

15.) Milk a cow

16.) Give back to the community

17.) Find peace with the closets

18.) Buy something fantastic at a thrift shop in town

19.) Finish the caned chair

20.) Do something fantastic with my college girlfriends

21.) Find a better way to fit recycling into our daily lives

22.) Workout with more regularity

23.) See the Liberty Bell

24.) Take a day trip by myself just because I can

25.) Go skiing. Dang, it’s been too long!

26.) Watch a sunrise.

27.) Visit a friend outside of Philadelphia

28.)  Give a friend a tour of Philadelphia

29.) Take a photography class

30.) Reread East of Eden

Meet my new chair

I haven't made much any progress on my new year's resolution to be more organized, especially in regards to my closets. Instead, I've been working on sitting--rather, a place to sit. I thrifted this pretty fantastic caned side chair a few weeks back for only a few dollars. 

See? Isn't it lovely?

OK, it's not quite perfect yet. The '80s faux wood grain is a little odd, and those decorative scratch marks are a little too well planned for me. (Did you notice how they're on identical spots on both arms and legs?) But, it's a classic design, made with solid construction. And it's been recently re-caned, so the work I put in now should last for quite a while.

I got started by researching how other people have done their chairs. It seems like most people in the blogosphere painted their chairs, caning and all. Unfortunately, paint ruins the integrity of the cane and it can break apart pretty quickly. Plus, have you ever sat in one of these chairs? The seat and back give way slightly under your weight. That means that if you paint it, then someone sits on it, they'll see little unpainted pieces when the caning adjusts.

That sealed the deal for me. I knew I wasn't going to use paint. I also read some reviews of people who have stained or dyed the caning, but with mixed results. Most people complained of it being blotchy. Plus, application is super difficult without actually removing the material from the chair.

Pass.

So I've decided to leave the caning as is, and focus on the wood of the chair. So far, I've filled in the strange decorative scratches with wood putty.

And now I'm in the tedious process of removing the finish. I know. You must be asking yourself why in the world would I remove the finish. But that's because I'm not going to paint the wood. (If I were, I would just prime and paint.) At the end of the day, I love the look of stained wood. It's much more natural and elegant. But the real bonus for me is that it can have the look of lots of layers and textures once it's done. Paint has the same monotone note all the way through. Truth be told, I think I might not even stain it. I might DYE the wood. But I'll tell you all about that another day. For now, my sand paper is calling my name.

Guest bedroom redo

I wasn't subtle about how excited I was am about our new nickel-plated bed. It dresses up our room to the point where in comparison I feel under dressed without at least some jewelry on. But I didn't realize there would be an even better unintentional consequence to go along with it: a far improved guest bedroom.

We hated the bed we originally slept on every night. It was a cheap bedframe with a cheaper headboard--all around bad news. But, it beat our old, frameless, headboard-less guest bed. We tried for a few months to pass off the guest bed as a day bed. But let's be honest, it was just weird. Since I'm not taking blame for it, let's point fingers at the zombie bees and move on.

Once we had the new bed, we suddenly found ourselves with a bit of extra furniture on our hands. And never ones to let good resources go to waste, we decided to see what could be done with it. The room is a bit snug, so we had to rearrange furniture. Sadly, this means no more desk by the window. Tear. But it's for the greater good or Mother Russia or something.

And now we have this:

The guestroom-meets-office

Our Crate and Barrel desk, in its new spot along the wall

The previously hated, but now-loved, bed

Art that we found at Rice's Flea Market in Buck's County, Pennsylvania

There are a couple things that I'm over the moon about in this room. First and foremost, it's a place where we've repurposed furniture from other places in the house. In fact, there's only one piece we bought new in the entire room, and that's the desk.

I also love that it's now a respectable room, with a clear focus. And all it took was a little rearranging.

Not bad for an hour or two of work, huh?

OK, here's the plan for the future of the guest room:

• Paint!!!! I can't stand looking at these khaki-colored walls for much longer. I feel a little like I'm in a state hospital, where color is forbidden because it could upset the residents. 
• Shelving--So necessary above the desk
• Finish off the drapes. Don't look now, but those suckers are not quite done. But that's a post for another day...
• Slipcover for the headboard
• Paint the side tables

DIY ikat art

I was feeling a little creative on Thursday, and I was itching to tackle a project. But with the wedding about two months away, we have a little rule, and it goes like this: DON'T SPEND MONEY!

But you know what they say about Necessity and her daughter Invention. So I poked around my place to see what I could do for zero dollars. The answer: Deface a very cheap Ikea canvas. We've had this pretty terrible Ikea picture hanging in the master bath since we moved in two years ago. It was a relic from the pre-hub's single decorating days. For a while, it worked in there, but with the new paint color, it made my eyes want to jump out of my skull and run for relief. I knew it would have to go eventually, but I figured I could at least try doing something with it first. So, I pulled out the assortment of random paint colors we have sitting around, and got inspired. With my color palate, I knew I could work up something modern-ish, and lately I've been jonesing for ikat. A quick Google search later, and I had my inspiration. 

I put down a few coats of the same grey from our bedroom, and then used a pencil to outline the shapes. It's ikat, so nothing has to be perfect, but I wanted a general guide. Then I started filling in the colors. I found that since the canvas was so wide, some shapes had to change a little. For example, the blue diamonds become a little more Christmas-ornament-shaped. And all of the lines are much, much wider than on the pillow. Without that extra bit of color, the negative space was overwhelming. 

The brush strokes were simple: In the lines, I used up-and-down strokes to mimic the weave of a fabric. And in the circles, I used a stippling effect just because I liked it.

I'm pretty happy with the overall look. I'll probably get around to cutting out a frame for it at some point, but that can wait until the next time my hands feel idle. 

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