home tour

I've lived in six Brooklyn apartments (and counting!) since living in NYC and they've all been very tiny. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on small space living, but I have learned a few things along the way. Each year I've loved pouring over Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest entries and seeing how other people manage to live stylishly in small footprints. I've always wanted to enter myself but never felt like my place was up to the challenge....until now! After moving into our new apartment last December, Kurt and I ditched some of our crappy old furniture in exchange for nicer investment pieces and made a huge effort to pull our space together. We entered the contest and are so excited to be featured! We're up against some stiff competition, so we would love to have your vote! See our entry page HERE or follow the link on the sidebar.

Thanks so much to Kurt for taking all these amazing photographs! Sadly, we could only submit five but here are all my favorites.

The living room. I'm in love with our couch. We sat in tailgate chairs for three months waiting for it to arrive and it's been life changing. Plus, it can be arranged to fit twin or king sheets and doubles as a guest bed. I loved the gallery wall at our last apartment but decided to use picture rails here for our extensive "art" collection.

Kurt and I watch TV while we eat together and love to have friends over for dinner, so carving out some dining space in the living room was key. The table is reclaimed wood with hairpin legs and we've finally graduated to a set of matching chairs. 

I call the nook off the living room our "Map Room".

Of course our state of Ohio flag is still prominently displayed.

Some of my first DIY projects were painting the doors and kitchen cabinets black. I think it makes such a difference. We hang our bags and hats by the door on a piece of wood from Kurt's parents' front yard back in Ohio.

The bedroom. I've still got some work to do in here. Those walls are too bare :)

The plan in all its 450 SF glory.

Aubie says hi! and DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

crochet jewelry class

I recently attended a class at the Brooklyn Craft Company in Greenpoint. I've been eyeing their courses for several months, but none of their (kind of pricey) offerings ever really inspired me. However, when I saw this jewelry making class being taught by Andrea Bocchio, I was excited enough to spend the $65 without much question. I have seen Andrea's pieces at markets and craft fairs around the city and was really interested in learning how she makes them.

We chose some colored yarns and chain while Andrea walked around showing us her technique. I've never done crochet before and it was much harder than I thought. [Andrea is from Peru and has a very adorable accent. She was constantly saying "perfect! perfect!" even though what we were creating was far from perfection.] After a few rows of color, I slowly got the hang of it.  Three hours later I had a pretty sloppy looking product which could possibly pass as a necklace (Andrea says a typical one takes her 15 minutes or so) but I look forward to trying it again and honing the skill.

Until then, I've got my eye on this bracelet from Andrea's collection. Check out all of her beautiful pieces here. And check out Brooklyn Craft Co. classes here. 

week full of diy

Last week, it just so happened that I attended two DIY classes and had such a blast gathering some new skills.

 The first course was on Cake Decorating as part of the YMCA's DIY Series. I had the same instructor from the Frozen Treats class that Jenn and I took back in July. Chef Anna is always so much fun and really knows her food. She shared some great tips about cakes and icing and taught us a few techniques for jazzing them up. First, we learned how to roll out fondant and cover a round cake (sadly, we were just working with styrofoam stand-ins). Next, Anna showed us how to make cornets (fancy mini piping bags) from parchment paper, fill them with chocolate, and try our hands at lettering and drawing designs. Finally, we got out the big piping bags and metal tips and went to town icing our cakes. It was really fun and super simple. I can't wait for an occasion to try my new skills at home!

The other class I took was on monogramming (Southerners love putting their initials on everything) with bloggers Hannah Villio (fellow Auburn alum) and Amy Anderson at the west elm in Chelsea. The ladies supplied us with some cloth napkins (plus champagne and snacks) along with a few ideas to get our letter or designs on the fabric. We all chose to try out using paint and freezer paper as a stencil. I had vaguely heard about using this in the past, but now that I've tried it, my life is changed! It worked so well for getting crisp edges and the steps are really simple:

Trace or freehand a letter or design on the matte side of the freezer paper.

Cut out the design with an x-acto blade.

Locate your freezer paper stencil on the fabric with the shiny side down.

Iron the paper to your fabric for a minute or two. Check to make sure the edges sealed.

Let your stencil cool a little. Then use a sponge dabber and apply several thin layers of paint.

Let dry a few minutes and then peel off the stencil. Voila!

Do you like my dollar sign monogram? I wanted to try something a little different from my initials and we laughed that it was so gangsta of me. It was a hit! Maybe I should make a whole set! :) Anyway, the class was really fun and it was great to catch up with some sweet Auburn ladies. Now I'm in the crafting mood!

black doors

Around the same time I decided I wanted to install a gallery wall in our apartment (i.e. before we even moved in) I decided I wanted to paint all our doors black. My inspiration: Daniel from Manhattan Nest (while you are checking out his black door project, also be in awe of this kitchen transformation he just did!). Our little neighborhood hardware store has a limited paint selection and I didn't want to use black-black, so I chose Midnight Black by Pratt and Lambert. At first I was upset that it looked too charcoal/purple but I'm really happy with the color now. I love the contrast with our white walls and moldings.

All the doors in our apartment are old and solid and have some nice panel details except the bedroom door. I didn't want it to feel left out, so I followed this tutorial on Little Green Notebook and added some cheap molding from Lowe's.

I cut all the wood pieces on a miter box with a hack saw. It felt like I was using a nail file. Keep those blades sharp! 

Then paint!

Ta da! I love our black doors!

diy at the y

I get lots of "things that are happening in NYC" type emails and read a few blogs of the same nature. Even if I don't make it to a quarter of the events, I like to have my ear to the ground to be aware what is going on around the city. One such source is Daily Candy which, among other things, broadcasts a weekly listing of interesting events around town. A couple weeks ago, they mentioned a fundraising DIY class series at the YMCA. I like learning new things and I really like what the YMCA does for the community, so I was sold right off the bat. And the classes are actually really interesting! AND they were super cheap. I may have gone a little crazy and signed up for three. (Having been to two already, I can say it was so worth it.)

Jenn came with me to the first class called "Frozen Treats". It was taught by Anna, a sous chef from Dominique Ansel Bakery (yes, the one of cronut infamy). We learned all about the basics of ice cream, sorbet, custards and any other icy sweet we could think of.

It's kind of hard to demonstrate making something frozen in a two hour class, but Anna showed us how to make a couple ice cream bases, how to cook egg yolks so you make custard and not scrambled eggs, and let us sample some concoctions she had made at work (sadly, no cronuts).

We even had a chance to try and make our own granita base. Jenn and I went with strawberry, blood orange, and basil.

Our instructor Anna was super personable and entertaining and really knowledgeable She had lots of greats tips and guidelines for tweaking recipes to fit your needs and ingredients. I can't wait to get an ice cream maker and start whipping things up!

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The other class I took was Web Coding 101, not quite as photogenic, but still really interesting. I'm not going to claim I've mastered HTML code in any way, but it does seem less cryptic and overwhelming. Don't expect any big changes around this Gravytrain anytime soon. That stuff is hard! I've still got lots of learning to do!

If you live in the city and are interested in trying a class, definitely check out the remaining options. I've signed up for Block Printing in September but stupidly bought a flight for the same evening and can't attend! Email me if you want my spot! And if you have any bright ideas for future courses or know someone who might be interested in volunteering to teach a class, email the coordinator Grace at grochford (at) ymcanyc.org.

etsy craft party

Last night, Kristin invited me to attend an Etsy Craft Party at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO. 

I didn't exactly know what to expect for the craft night but I assumed we would be doing something with paper or paint or gluing things together. Turns out we were embroidering and sewing puppets to donate. I like to consider myself semi-crafty but the fabric arts are definitely not my strong suit (hence my sewing machine that is gathering dust in a closet). 

I took this photo towards the end, so it looks kind of empty, but during the height of the event, all these tables were full of ladies sewing away on their puppets. They had a fun DJ to keep us entertained while toiling away at our project. I spent half the time trying to thread my needle and the other half very intently trying not to poke myself with it and bleed all over the puppet. 

Needless to say, I was slow and my face turned out lopsided and messy. I feel bad for the poor child that gets stuck with my puppet! (The Etsy Lab folks are going to sew the two sides together later)

On the other hand, Kristin did an awesome job and hers turned out very cute! I guess I need to brush up on (or just gain in the first place) my sewing skills. There were tons of other skilled ladies there too. I wish I hadn't been so focused on my work. It would have been fun to mingle more with the crowd. Hopefully next time they will pick an activity I can master!

And a few random thoughts for your Friday:

• I am always very late to the game when it comes to TV shows, but I have been hooked on Scandal lately. Do you guys watch? Unfortunately, Kurt doesn't really like to watch it and we're typically at the apartment at the same time, so I don't get to binge watch like I would desire. So far, cohabitation has been great but I do slightly miss the independence of living alone and doing as I please. This includes watching marathons of dumb TV shows.
• A show we have been able to agree on and love is Coupling. It is a British comedy about relationships (like Friends) that Kurt introduced me to and ran in the early 2000s. We've been watching a couple episodes every night on Netflix while we eat dinner and it is SO hilarious. I highly recommend it. I am going to be very sad when we run through all the seasons!
• In addition to watching our British friends on TV nightly, my current train ride book, One Day, is set in London. I'm afraid I might slip into an English accent soon! Regardless, the book is really great so far and I can't wait to see how it ends. Has anyone seen the movie? Sometimes I find Anne Hathway annoying, but after I finish this book, I will probably have to watch it for comparison.
• There is something about summer that makes me want to replace my entire wardrobe and shoe collection. Since that sounds expensive, I'll start with a couple new pairs of shoes. I ordered these to replace a pair I have that are very similar. And in an attempt to break out of my flats only rut, I also got these. Practically orthopedic, right? Baby steps here.
• It's the summer solstice! It's the longest day of the year and the day Kurt and I celebrate our anniversary. 4 years! Can you believe it?! I hope you all enjoy the long hours of sun today and have a great weekend!

diy: beer glass display

All this studying has really been cramping my style lately and I haven't been completing the mass quantity of DIY projects my little heart would desire. So instead of being studious this past weekend, I tackled a storage project for Kurt's apartment. He has this gradually expanding collection of pint glasses that he has, um, acquired over the years that has been taking up a lot of space in his cabinets. I'm typically not a huge supporter of bachelor pad chic, but if that's what we have to work with then you might as well have fun with it, right? (Although you won't be seeing any neon beer lights anytime soon. You hear me, Kurt?!)

birthday banner

Somehow I didn't get any actual photos of Jenn at her birthday party, but I did document the birthday banner I made for her! (Hopefully she will recap the party over at Perishable Item soon?!) Jenn and I have been sharing a love for neon lately, so that was my inspiration for the decorations. I used kraft paper sacks, pink and green neon craft paint, letter stencils from the hardware store, and neon twine. Luckily, the party destination, Greenwood Park, is bordered by shipping palettes that Kurt and I were able to tack screws into and hang the signs (I hope the management doesn't mind!). Quick. Cheap. Easy. Happy Birthday, Jenn!!

paint projects and day drinking

I didn't crack open a bit of study material this weekend. And I am okay with that. I needed to get some craft projects and general home maintenance out of my system. Hopefully I will get back to the grind this week. 

It all began with a paint project I decided to start at 9:30 Friday night....

My poor coral wall. I have such conflicted feelings about this wall. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. It was really such a gorgeous color, but it just wasn't right for me. It seemed like this relationship where nothing was glaringly wrong, but there was just no chemistry. So I decided to break things off before anyone got hurt. 

I had tons of paint left over from Kurt's bathroom makeover, and I've been drawn to navy blue lately, so I gave it a try. (I knew I wanted to put my pictures back in the same location, so I just left the nails in the wall and painted around them. I know, I'm lazy.) Also note my awesome ladder! I got it for ten bucks at a stoop sale, so now I don't need to to borrow the Martigs' ladder for five months at a time :)

In process. I was instantly smitten as soon as the color went up. I also can't say enough good things about this Olympic Premium Zero VOC paint (in Regatta Bay). It covered that red in two coats and didn't stink at all. I only had my window cracked a bit and the there was no smell at all. Hooray for saving brain cells!

Dry in the daytime. Mmmmm. I love this flat color. It looks like blue velvet! (Please pardon the disarray of my apartment. You know how painting goes...)

Ahh. Where my feelings for the coral wall were lukewarm, this navy and I are soulmates. I need some art or thing to fill that upper left corner, so it's a work in progress, but I have a feeling blue wall and I are going to get along just fine :)

After a late Friday night painting, I met up with Jenn, Andrea, and Christian for some afternoon (which turned into evening) drinks at the Brooklyn Tap House on Saturday. Brooklyn Based and the Brooklyn Brewery were putting on an event and Brooklyn Lagers were $3 all day. We also got free koozies! My life is now complete :)

We started outside but eventually had to move in because it was too chilly :( I am very ready to get hot weather here. I can't stand this in between!

Later on, Stephen joined us and we eventually migrated to Hanson Dry for a final drink of the evening. I miss Fort Greene! It is such a pretty area.

Finally, on Sunday, in between being a cleaning machine, I decided to paint this folding chair that I got back on this shopping spree day.

Once again, I broke out the navy blue I have an unnatural relationship with. After one coat it looks pretty bad, but I have no doubt that second coat with be gorgeous.

{image via the Little Green Notebook}

Once the blue layer is finished, I plan on going back with a pattern like this dresser, so it looks like it has an inlay detail. I am most likely overestimating my free hand paint skills, but I'm hoping a pearlescent white or grey paint pen and some light pencil construction lines will help make the process easier. And if it looks awful, I can just paint it back a solid color. Isn't paint such a fun medium?! Wish me luck! I will keep you posted on the results.

P.S. - I've been listening to the Alabama Shakes Boys and Girls album nonstop this weekend. It's so good! They are from a town really near where I grew up in Alabama and are coming to Central Park in June for Summer Stages. I can't wait to see them!