Out the Window

I am surrounded by vibrant yellow leaves, even when it is rainy and a bit gloomy.

Today brought sunshine in the afternoon, though you wouldn't know it from this picture.

My dying plants, on the kitchen window-sill. The light off the yellow leaves make the orange walls glow, when there is light anyways...

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My Friend Primer

Every time I manage not to move, I think that I'll be saving money on outfitting a new abode. And, in general, this is true. Yet while I'm staying in one place, there are still things I need. I spent much of the past year thinking it would be really handy to move those manila folders stuffed with articles and papers out of a bankers box and into a filing cabinet. Every so often I'd stop by the local recycling center and check out the filing cabinet options. I'd see decent ones but always find a way to talk myself out of it (the box isn't soooo bad and, besides, that filing cabinet is bulky/ugly/too big/rusted and won't fit in my little car).

Then, a couple weeks ago, a friend was over for dinner. We were eating, talking, and all the sudden, BAM! The chair collapsed, sending my friend to the floor (unhurt, thankfully). I'd known the chair (and its chair friends) were not doing so hot, but I didn't anticipate a crash landing and a totally unusable chair. I needed to replace it and didn't want to spend much. Although I'd been thinking of buying 4 chairs and painting them different colors, I now needed one new chair for sure and the others, well, I'm a little too cheap frugal to buy 4 chairs at once.

My local Buddhist temple was hosting its annual yard sale this weekend, and I went by to peruse the offerings. I found a chair for $5 that needed a little love and a filing cabinet for $20 that I bargained down to $15 (hey, they had a sign saying they welcome bargaining). I decided I would paint both yellow because a yellow chair would work with the warm colors in the dining room and a yellow filing cabinet would match the decor (including my sort-of-new corkboard) of my study. I scanned some websites and figured out that spraypainting both the chair and the cabinet should be pretty simple, and wandered over to my local hardware store to buy some paint.

I jumped right into the chair, following the online directions to turn it upside down to start. That moved along smoothly, with the paint adhering nicely to the somewhat scuffed (no need to sand!) chair. Then I turned to the filing cabinet. I got out the masking tape and covered up the handle, I wiped off the dust, and I roughed up the smooth areas. Then I started to paint. According to one online tutorial, 1.5 cans of spray paint would take care of a 4 drawer filing cabinet. I figured 2 cans should easily take care of my little 2-drawer cabinet and the chair.

Midway through the 2nd layer of painting the cabinet, I realize 2 cans would not be nearly enough. I couldn't figure out where I went wrong, and went back inside to consult my sources (here and here).

PRIMER!

Occasionally, my close reading skills disappear. Scanning tutorials is a really bad idea because it is easy for one (me) to miss crucial steps. Like buying and spraying primer to start. I had a moment in the hardware store wondering if I should buy primer, but decided I didn't need it. One late night trip to the hardware store later, I was equipped with primer (1 can) and more paint (1 can). It turns out that if you use primer, 1 can of paint is more than sufficient for a small filing cabinet. It also turns out that I should read and reread directions, especially before inhaling lots of noxious chemicals that, I'm sure, will do terrible things to me later in life. In the meantime, I've got a nice yellow chair (no primer necessary) and a nice yellow filing cabinet (primer very necessary).

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My Space (not myspace)

A couple posts ago, I wrote about my ten-month quest to decorate the walls of my room. Not only did I hang a mirror (which required some drywall anchors and subsequent maneuvering to get the screws and keyholes to match), but I created a collage of framed pictures.


It's not quite finished yet -- I received a print from Den-10 Studio that I'll frame and hang in August. I also ordered a 5x7 print of this picture (that I took in Africa) to go in the red frame. The current image in the frame, a neat Soviet-era postcard, is merely a placeholder.


In the meantime, I left my room very neat, and with new thoughts about a summer duvet cover.

I'm loving the red sheets against the blue walls, which is making me rethink the white duvet cover (option 1) and the multi-colored ORB quilt-along quilt top duvet cover (option 2 -- have the fabric picked out and will make it but where it goes is another story). Things to contemplate while I'm away!

Also on the "to-contemplate" list: what should I put on the walls? I kind of like 2 empty walls given the busy-ness of the collage wall, but I think they need something. Maybe a big stencil or sticker or something. Sort of like this one I bought for my bathroom -- which looks great but I can't seem to get a decent picture of it.

The birds are bright yellow, the walls are a nicer, brighter forest-y green, but my camera and the bathroom lighting are not friends.

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Tutorial: How to Transform a Framed Picture into a Corkboard

Before:

After:

When I moved into my apartment, the black framed picture (see "before") was hanging in the kitchen. Having nothing immediately at hand to replace it, I left it perched above the stove. But I never liked it and the glass was already broken. When I painted my kitchen this spring, I decided it was time to repurpose the picture. I decided that Pain Francais would become a corkboard (see "after"). For under $10, you can do this too. [I'm sorry for the poor picture quality, this was a nighttime activity.]

Supplies
framed picture (or empty frame)
foam core board ($2.99)
1/4" cork (I bought a large piece for $2.99)
spray paint -- if you want to alter the frame color ($3.44)
utility knife
ruler/straight edge
glue
sawtooth picture hanger
hammer
scotch tape
packing or masking tape

Directions
1. Remove backing, image, and glass from your frame. Depending on the frame, you may need to cut off tape to do so (use your utility knife). If there is a cardboard backing, keep it. Also keep the image (or mat) for tracing purposes.


2. If you are going to paint the frame, take the frame and spray paint outside and paint it. Two coats should be sufficient. I transformed a black frame into a light yellow one and did not use primer. I recommend covering the area with newspaper or other paper/dropcloths.


3. While the paint dries, cut out foam core board and cork to the appropriate size. I used the image in the frame to get the most accurate piece. I taped the the image to the foam core board and used a metal ruler and utility knife to cut along 2 edges. I then did the same for the cork board.

[On the left, the already cut piece of foam core board, on the right, the image laid on the cork board prior to cutting).


It's wise to protect your cutting surface with either cardboard or a self-healing mat.

4. When the painted frame is dry, check to make sure that the foam core board and cork board shapes fit the frame.


5. Remove the foam and cork from the frame, and glue the cork to the foam board. Only the cork will be visible later, so it doesn't matter which side of the foam board is attached to the cork board. I used a paintbrush to spread modpodge evenly on the foam board before laying the cork on it. You may find that spray adhesive works just as well; I simply used materials already in my house. To facilitate attachment, lay heavy books on the foam/cork shape.

6. When the glue has dried, place the foam/cork shape into the frame, with the cork facing down (so it will be visible from the front). Make sure to wedge it in well, so it is flush with the edge of the frame.

If your picture had a piece of cardboard in, place, the cardboard on top of the foam core board. This should reach the edge of the frame. Carefully tape the cardboard to the edge of the frame. I used packing tape because I had it available, though masking tape or framers' brown paper masking tape might be better.

7. Decide which direction the frame will hang. If necessary, add a sawtooth picture hanger on the appropriate edge of the frame. Make sure to center it. I find it helpful to use a little scotch tape to hold the sawtooth piece in place while you nail it in.

8. Hang it up, add some pictures or mementos, and admire your handiwork!


The yellow-framed corkboard complements the other wall hangings in my study, such as this silk painting my parents brought me back from China (and they didn't know the wall color!):

A little closer:


And less exciting, but still rather nice, some framed paper:

My study is small, but has 4 white-trimmed windows. I love the deep purple and light yellow combination throughout the space -- or, rather, I love it almost as much as I adore the built-in, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

(This picture was taken about 9 months ago, the book collection has only grown.)

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(Un)Neighborly

Frosty

I trudged home last night after a long day of back-to-back classes, working, seeing people, attending a (boring) board meeting, and seeing some more people. Wait, that's kind of a lie. Not the whole sentence, just the trudging part. A friend gave me a ride home, so I only trudged from his car to my door. In any event, with a long day behind me, I approached my door and saw a piece of paper attached to it. I assumed it was a note from the tree trimmers since I left before they finished. Or maybe it was a solicitation of some sort, as those have been increasing of late.

But no, it was none of the above. Instead a "Sidewalk Snow Removal Notice" greeted me, and not too nicely I might add. The document's seal and strict language would seem more official if it wasn't clearly printed from Word. But looks aside, it was official. It sternly ordered me to clear the compacted snow from the sidewalk and driveway, remove all patches of anow/ice, and return the sidewalk to its full width.

I won't write down the thoughts swirling through my head as they were not very nice. I trust you can come up with language of your own that might mirror mine. But beyond the silent cursing, the notice bothered me for two reasons.

1) I prefer compacted snow to cleared sidewalks. Why? One does not slip on compacted snow; one slips (as I have many times) on basically cleared sidewalks that leave an all but imperceptible thin layer of water that freezes. As a result, I find that a cleared (each time it has snowed, I shovel the new snow) compacted snow path is easier to grip, easier to gain traction on, and thus easier to walk upright on. I learned this lesson well last year in Madison, where compacted snow is apparently acceptable, and much better than certain sidewalk sections that were inevitably slippery.

My compacted-snow-sidewalk was wide enough for 2 people to walk side-by-side, for a stroller to roll on, and for a wheelchair to fit on. So I was annoyed because I like my non-glassy sidewalk. But once presented with the city code, I understand how the language can restrict cleared sidewalks to the non-compacted snow variety. Not thrilled, but willing to be compliant, I prepared myself to deal with the sidewalk this morning.

2) Despite the extraordinarily diligent residential parking permit enforcers, the city does not send out equally assiduous sidewalk clearing enforcers. In order to receive the notice I did, someone had to call in to the city's "community standards unit" and complain. I don't know who* complained as that information is kept confidential. There are, I'm sure, good reasons for maintaining the privacy of the complainer.

At the same time, however, I can only guess that the caller was a neighbor. Why couldn't the neighbor knock on my door and ask me to take care of the sidewalk? I just moved here about 6 months ago, and I don't know my neighbors well. But I'm a pretty neighborly person. I've helped more people than I can count shovel and push out their plowed-in cars. I don't know all of their names, but when I come upon someone struggling to deal with their car, I help. I help because I've been there, and the silent (or vocal) cursing that comes with the plowed-in car far exceeds that which the sidewalk notice compels. I help because others have helped me. And I help because it's the right thing to do. So, please neighbor, come and talk to me before reporting me. If the compacted-snow really affected you, come and tell me why. I'll probably very nicely take care of it, and do so as soon as I can.

Un-neighborly: Calling in my sidewalk without talking to me first.

Neighborly: my rock-star neighborhood hardware store.

This morning, I wake up, grumble about having to deal with the sidewalk, bundle up, and get to work. Except my shovel isn't cutting it, and I know I need to acquire some salt. The city claims that residents can get 5 pounds of salt for free at the city yard. I grab my keys, scrape off the front windshield, wait for the car to defrost, and head over to the city yard. Which is vacant. Or vacant of people. With no visible salt pile.

Hopes for an easy snow-removal morning dashed, I get back in my car and head over to the local hardware store. Finally a ray of light. The very very very nice guy working this morning (not the owner, who I got to know well this summer when figuring out how to redowel the couch legs to the main couch) was extraordinarily helpful.

He asked about the condition of the sidewalk/driveway and about the length of the sidewalk. He asked whether I have animals (no, not right now, but plenty of people walk their dogs on my section o' sidewalk) and if I have a metal pick/trowel thing for breaking up the ice. And so on and so forth.

He gathered information and told me how the salt in 2 different bags is the same salt. He informed me which (not exactly) salt is better for animals (I know salt was painful for Max when wedged in his paws). He estimated I would need about 10 pounds of salt per snow and let me know what the best deal is (40 pounds of salt). He suggested the best way to remove the compacted snow and commiserated about the being "told on" to the city. And so on and so forth.

He brought the 40 pound bag of salt out to my car and wished me luck. I went home and got to work.

And now I'm done, or I think I'm done and hope the city inspector agrees.

I think it's time for some whole-wheat chocolate chip pancakes -- I'll provide the recipe later today.

*Left to my own devices, I can only assume that the obnoxious neighbor who kicked Max complained about my sidewalk given his expressed willingness to call the police over an unleashed dog in my own yard.

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Staples

Judging by its continued listing on the New York Times' "Most Popular Emailed" list, I'm going to guess that many of you have seen The Minimalist's (Mark Bitmann's) article, "Fresh Start for a New Year? Let's Begin in the Kitchen." His main suggestion, declutter your kitchen, is well- worth pondering. Unless, like me, you only moved into your kitchen in the past 5 months, you're a neat freak, and accumulation still seems necessary. Some of his specific suggestions make sense; others, well, let's see:

OUT Bouillon cubes or powder, or canned stock.

IN Simmer a carrot, a celery stalk and half an onion in a couple of cups of water for 10 minutes and you’re better off; if you have any chicken scraps, even a half-hour of cooking with those same vegetables will give you something 10 times better than any canned stock.

He's right that fresh stock is better than powdered stock. (I've never used canned stock, but I imagine it's not great.) But sometimes I don't have an extra 1/2 hour and want to make soup quickly, or as quickly as soup can be made. I recommend keeping some powdered bouillon (what kosher kitchen doesn't have some of that osem fake-chicken stuff...not that it's good for you or even tastes fantastic, but it has a job to do and does that job well). Moreover, I highly recommend Trader Joe's organic vegetable stock in the box. At $1.99, it's a well-priced 32 oz., and helps make soup-making much quicker. If you do have the time or need a special stock (lemongrass vegetable stock is fantastic), make it. If not, say thanks to TJ's and start cooking.

OUT Aerosol oil. At about $12 a pint, twice as expensive as halfway decent extra virgin olive oil, which spray oil most decidedly is not; and it contains additives.

IN Get some good olive oil and a hand-pumped sprayer or even simpler, a brush. Simplest: your fingers.

Good call. This is something I want to do. Mental note to self: buy a spray and maybe a new pastry brush.

OUT Bottled salad dressing and marinades. The biggest rip-offs imaginable.

IN Take good oil and vinegar or lemon juice, and combine them with salt, pepper, maybe a little Dijon, in a proportion of about three parts oil to one of vinegar. Customize from there, because you may like more vinegar or less, and you undoubtedly will want a little shallot, or balsamic vinegar, or honey, or garlic, or tarragon, or soy sauce.

In general, I agree. Homemade salad dressing is easy to make, customizable, and delicious. However, if there's a certain dressing you love or crave that you can't easily replicate, buy it. Especially if having that dressing on hand will make you eat salad more often, don't feel guilty about dressing out of a bottle. But do try to make your own dressing every so often. I prefer more vinegar to olive oil, but I'm tangy like that.

OUT Canned beans (except in emergencies).

IN Dried beans. More economical, better tasting, space saving and available in far more varieties. Cook a pound once a week and you’ll always have them around (you can freeze small amounts in their cooking liquid, or water, indefinitely). If you’re not sold, try this: soak and cook a pound of white beans. Take some and finish with fresh chopped sage, garlic and good olive oil. Purée another cup or so with a boiled potato and lots of garlic. Mix some with a bit of cooking liquid, and add a can of tomatoes; some chopped celery, carrots and onions; cooked pasta; and cheese and call it pasta fagiole or minestrone. If there are any left, mix them with a can of olive-oil-packed tuna or sardines. And that’s just white beans.

I guess I have a lot of emergencies, but I like keeping canned beans around. I know dried beans are a better value, and I'm working on buying more and using them more frequently. And I'll take up Bittman's suggeston to soak and cook a pound a week, freeze, and use later. But until I have that down, I'll take the canned variety for quick, healthy, and easy meals. Want Mexican? Open the black beans, sir-fry some onions and peppers, shred some lettuce, grab a tortilla, add some salsa and sour-cream (light, of course), and in less than 10 minutes, you have a meal. When I come back from campus and NEED. FOOD. NOW. I want those canned beans. When making a salad for lunch, those canned kidney beans and chickpeas add a big dose of protein really easily. Clearly the beans issue centers on time. If you have time and/or manage to plan ahead, dried beans are fantastic. If you have less time and/or don't plan menus a week in advance (I'm one person, I'm going to eat what I want to eat), canned beans are wonderful. For the record, I have a stash of dried red and green lentils on hand and use them with some frequency, so I may yet be converted to dried beans. I'll let you know.

OUT Canned peas (and most other canned vegetables, come to think of it).

IN Frozen peas. Especially if you have little kids and make pasta or rice with peas (and Parmesan!); not bad. Or purée with a little lemon juice and salt for a nice spread or dip. In fact, many frozen vegetables are better than you might think.

Agreed. Frozen vegetables are much better than canned veggies. In my cupboard, you will find canned corn (in water, for use in salads), canned tomatoes (the one major exception to Bittman's rule, I would argue, and key for winter tomato soups), canned water chestnuts (do they make them frozen?), and canned artichokes (though I just bought the frozen ones from TJ's; I think frozen is fine for making artichoke dips but I'm not sure about their place in salads). In contrast, in my freezer, there are frozen french green beans (from TJ's, notice a theme?), spinach, broccoli, corn, edamame, etc. And there are (or will be, once I make it to the store) plenty of fresh veggies in the fridge.

OUT Tomato paste in a can.

IN Tomato paste in a tube. You rarely need more than two tablespoons so you feel guilty opening a can; this solves that problem. Stir some into vegetables sautéed in olive oil, for example, then add water for fast soup. Or add a bit to almost any vegetable as it cooks in olive oil and garlic — especially cabbage, dark greens, carrots or cauliflower.

This I need to find. Tomato paste is another key item to have on hand for soups and sauces, and I must confess I've neither seen it in a tube nor looked for it. The latter might have something to do with the former.

OUT Premade pie crusts. O.K., these are a real convenience, but almost all use inferior fats. I’d rather make a “pie” or quiche with no crust than use these.

IN Crumble graham crackers with melted butter and press into a pan. But really — if you put a pinch of salt, a cup of flour, a stick of very cold, cut-up butter in a food processor, then blend with a touch of water until it almost comes together — you have a dough you can refrigerate or freeze and roll out whenever you want, in five minutes.

Right on. I often make crustless quiche and spinach pies (or turn that apple pie into an apple crisp). Here's an easy savory pie crust recipe. For sweet pie crusts, use the graham cracker method above (sub any cookie you want, vanilla wafers are another great choice).

Bittman also writes that "you should stock":

Real Bacon of Prosciutto
Fish Sauce
Canned Coconut Milk
Miso Paste
Capers, Good Olives (buy in bulk, not cans), and Good Anchovies (in olive oil, please)
Walnuts
Pignoli
Dried Fruit
Dried Mushrooms
Frozen Shrimp
Winter Squash and Sweet Potatoes

As the resident vegetarian, I'm going to disagree with about half of that list on veggie grounds and some of the list on taste grounds. I would argue that one should stock:

*Coconut Milk (great for easy curries and soups)

*Tofu (ok that doesn't go in the pantry or the freezer, but it's key)

*Quinoa (high in protein, easy to make, kosher-for-passover to boot)

*Cous-cous (cooks in all of 5 minutes; get some big "Israeli" cous-cous as well -- it's a lovely soup add-in)

*Good olives (although "good olives" and "stock" don't go together in my book; the olives go straight to my stomach)

*Cashews (for snacking, salads, and stir-fries)

*Dried fruit (apples and cranberries top my list)

*White flour & wheat flour (for baking, of course. Bread-making is easier than you make think as simple recipes go a long way and most of the "prep" time is spent rising which means you can do other stuff and be elsewhere)

*Frozen butter (see baking, above)

*Eggs (again, they stay in the fridge, but they're key to have around for breakfast, baking, and quick meals)

What would you add or change?

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A Tree for My Wall?

I have a big blank wall in my dining room just waiting for a tree mural. A friend of a friend painted gorgeous flowers, butterflies, and grasslands on a small wall near my friends' entry/kitchen, and I've been wanting to do something similar ever since. As I've searched through the blogosphere for good ideas, I've found plenty of Goldilocks-and-the-three-bears-style inspiration:

Helpful how-to instructions but a little too graffiti-ish for me.
From how to paint a tree on my wall from Apartment Therapy.

Beautiful but a little too delicate for me.
From Design*Sponge's Sneak Peek at Catherine Weis' house.

Whimsical but too narrow.
From Juicy Bits (nice blog header, by the by) Home Sweet Tree

Three-dimensional but too small.
Jessica Jones' Japanese Maple over at How About Orange.

Focus on the wall and ignore the pink bedroom.
I think this is the tree for me, though I'd paint it rather than felt it.
From Cup of Coco's Custom Room.

A close-up.
I think I might combine this tree design with Jessica Jone's three-dimensional leaves for an fun wall.

Now I just need to figure out how to translate these ideas onto the wall. Any and all tips are welcome!

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A White Kitchen

Continuing the slow-moving apartment tour...my very white kitchen:

Outside of the picture on the left is the refrigerator and sink, while the (gas) oven is barely in the picture on the right. The highlight of the kitchen is certainly not the very 1960s yellow-green linoleum (barely visible at the bottom of the picture), but the original 1925 floor-to-ceiling cabinets in the middle of the picture. Ample cabinet space is a lovely, lovely thing.

I'm thinking of painting the walls (and possibly the middle indented section of the cabinets) a deep orange, the color of the spine of Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World. [Thank you, Claire, for an amazing birthday present.] Alas, the link does not show the spine which has a much prettier orange than the cover, but if you hover over the book image and click on "back flap," you can see the nice orange on the right edge of the image shown. Had you asked me as a child and adolescent whether I would ever consider painting anything orange, much less walls, I would have vehemently shook my head. My brother has always been the orange-lover, but I had to see more examples of deep reddish-oranges and fewer instances of bright orange to be convinced. I now see a place for ruch autumnal oranges inside.

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Blue

I love blue. According to family lore, which I'm happy to spread as Truth, I expressed my preference for blue at a young age. Around the time I figured out how to speak, I announced and, in fact, insisted "me wear blue today," except that I couldn't say the "bl" sound and it came out something like "me wear bwue today." In any event, my parents then spent a lot of time pointing out the blue in the existing elements of my wardrobe (dots, buttons, trim, etc) since they weren't exactly going to replace the existing clothes with all new blue ones. My mom once wondered if my love of blue emerged from an antipathy to the pink clothes in which she had dressed me until I demanded blue options. As a result, she noted, she never gives all-pink baby gifts which I think is wise on many levels, from the practical to the philosophical. In any event, whether for biological or cultural reasons, I am consistently drawn to blue (that I was quite opinionated from the get-go is a topic for another time).

It thus came as no surprise to my parents that I recently painted my bedroom blue (much to my mother's chagrin, as the room was originally yellow (her favorite color)). The original yellow, a sort of goldenrod, was fine...


...but yellow is definitely not blue, wacky logic problems and existential crises notwithstanding. I then spent a lot of time debating exactly what shade and hue of blue with which I wanted to surround myself. My bedroom if on the small side (about 9 3/4' x 9 3/4') which, if house color theorists are right, would make a dark blue room feel confining. Alas, I tend to like darker colors more than lighter ones. On the upside, however, there is a lot of white in the room-- the trim of the one window (seen above) as well as three white doors (to the hallway, to the closet, and to the porch) so I felt I could lean toward darker shades without worrying about creating a cave for myself. After collecting lots of chips, I decided on "Sapphire" by Sherwin-Williams. It's a middle blue, with white and purple undertones, perhaps something akin to "cornflower" or "French" blue. Whatever its name and qualities, I'm a fan:


The photo makes the blue look a little brighter than I think it does in real-life, but so it goes. The paint job has, however, added another crafty project to my list: a new duvet cover (unless someone would like to give me a nice white one). As luck would have it, I dyed my previously off-white duvet cover brown earlier in the summer because I used to live in an all-white-walled room and found the white duvet cover very boring (and, also, it was technically ecru with some green undertones that I really disliked).


The quilt lying on the bed, the second quilt I ever made, actually looks quite nice in the room, but doesn't fully cover the brown comforter, so it's not a real solution for the brown impinging on the blue goodness of the walls. When I laid out Jen and Claire's chuppah on my bed, it looked great with the walls, so that's one design option. I'm thinking a mostly white quilted top with some blue around the borders, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. When the weather turns really cold (which I hope is not too soon), I'll bring out my winter flannel duvet cover which is white and therefore not a problem. In the meantime, I'll be living with the brown.

And speaking of brown, this is the front of my house:


I live in the apartment on the second floor, which is the same as the apartment on the first floor. I recently learned that the duplex was designed by and built for by two "spinster women" (it wasn't clear if they were sisters, cousins, or friends) in 1924. They stacked two identical units atop one another and then lived together but separately for the rest of their lives.

And thus ends my first "this is what my apartment looks like" post, much requested by several readers.

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