Mud Cloth in the Making

 

 

So it finally happened.  I finally brought home the mudcloth couch I have been waiting for!  This is truly the most gratifying piece of furniture I have had a hand in, and like my sideboard, I am so lucky that not only did I have my hand in it, but I get to keep it! 

 

 

I couldn't have done it without Colleen over at Timber and Cloth upholstery in Bushwick (please do get in touch with her if you ever have any Brooklyn upholstery needs)! 

 

It's a pretty impressive before and after, no?

This Marble. And this Kitchen.

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Let's do this backwards. 

 

1) This kitchen.  It's pink.  I want one.  You wouldn't even notice the pink cabinets if it weren't for that stupid bubblegum stool.  That wouldn't be in my pink kitchen. 

 

2)White and gray marble.  I love you.  Like, a lot.  At work, all of the secretarys' desk fronts, as well as the attorneys' side tables are in this marble.  The fact that I don't get any marble is probably the biggest injustice I feel I face at work everyday. 

Craigslist Strikes Again!

This week is going well guys.  Like really well.  Let me set this up for you, because maybe this is an odd sort of contentment that is foreign to people who don't derive their sense of self from the newest deal they score on Craigslist.  So I've wanted a cute couch for a really long time.  But not just any cute couch...I want a vintage couch with exposed wood, hand-carved details, structurally sound, seats at least 3, and all for less than $250 or so.  This is tough, let me tell you.  

About a month ago, I'd thought I found one IN LEATHER for $350 (worth it for the leather).  But alas, my CL trigger finger was not speedy enough and a possible gem slipped through my fingers.  But then, in a pre-Labor Day lull at work this week, I came upon this beauty.

 

A little bit Stepford, a little bit Longmeadow Wasp, but I can fix that.  And my aim was good on this one!  For $100(!) I picked up this beauty a few days later on Long Island in a UHAUL.  The things I do for hand-carved legs...

 

So, true to my crazy antique furniture hunting form, my search for a vintage couch has not gone on alone.  Before even having a sofa, I contacted an upholsterer to chat about my eventual, future (one day, maybe) vintage find.  It's extremely similar to buying the wedding dress before finding the fiance, but let's not delve into that too deeply.  

Luckily, my neurotic preemptive upholstering inquiries allowed me to drop off this beauty at Colleen's studio in Bushwick immediately after pick-up.  The fewer times I need to rent a UHAUL the better in my book.  

So now she has the sofa and I have a time crunch to pick out fabric.  But once again, my preemptive upholstery neuroses pay off.  I know what I want, and I now know where to find it!  Google and the New York Times are beautiful, beautiful things.

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I've been looking at this beauty 

on one of my favorite blogs, Brooklyn to West, for the last few months now.  

A girl after my own heart, Ariele stole this bad boy right out from under someone by offering more after they had already paid (conniving, but I like it).

Alright, African mud cloth.  This I can get behind.  Originally I was debating between the black and white seen here or indigo and white which is also easily accessible.  But after considering everyone's favorite blue sideboard, I realized black and white is obviously the way to go.

Now just to find it. In upholstery weight.  At least 10 yards. On the internet, or near New York.  Before actually finding the sofa, this search was not going particularly well.  Not well at all. 

 

Maybe it's the pressure, or maybe good, beautiful things [African Mud Cloth local retailers] come to those who wait, but yesterday I googled perfection.

 

Perfection by way of the New York Times.

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And what little nugget was left specifically for me in the tag of this photo?  Oh, just the address and phone number of a mud cloth importer in Harlem.  I hear it's beautiful there this time of year...

Color Story

So after just about a month (very little of which I've actually spent there), my new little apartment may just be coming along.  My room is pretty much put together but our living space is a hot mess.  I mean, it's my hot mess, so the sideboard looks awesome and my free-to-me, fancy-schmancy navajo rug is anchoring the hell out of the room, but otherwise its bordering on shambles. 

 

First of all, we have no real seating.  This is only a problem if you like to sit...which I do, so it's my problem.  I've got a couple of solutions on the horizons (will I finally reupholster the sofa of my dreams? Maybe, if my fellow CL poster will get back to me.).  But while I wait, I'll leave you with some photos from my long lost trip to Iceland in March. 

 

I was so inspired (and relaxed) by the beautiful hot springs there, especially the color story they create.  Leaving the science out of it, the silica mud at the bottom of the pools cause the normally black lava rock to turn a pristine white.  I don't get it, but I sure do like it!  Between the matte black, glossy white and the crisp blue?  I think I have some ideas for my sofa...

 

 

 

 

 

Chair from Heaven?

 

I am sadly a person who really loves "stuff."  My "things" make me really happy.  It's not the healthiest attachment, but it's also not the worst.  But this chair...I just can't help it. 

 

It's got a Finn Juhl vibe and oozes comfort from every angle.  And in this particular example, the heathered teal fabric is so good.  Maybe too good.

 

So like I said, it's a little Finn Juhl-y but it is not in fact a Finn Juhl. I'm not really sure what it is.  I am (and have been) actively searching for a source to purchase my own slouchy seat from heaven and I'll keep ya updated on my progress.  But if any of you have any hints, I would appreciate 'em; I'm feeling mildly discouraged.

 

Happy Weekend!

"Homemade" Pizza

So this post is a little love letter to one of my best bros Adam, currently gallivanting around Eastern Europe like a G.  I visited Adam earlier this year in Denmark where he's been living (soon to return though!).  I'm going to share some photos and stories from my visit ASAP (again, bad blogger) but until then I thought I'd throw my latest cooking adventure at you.

 

 

I absolutely love pizza.  This is not news to anyone.  Bread and melted cheese and anything else: count me in.  Adam and I have made a little ritual of making our own pizzas, drinking sweet brews, and having girl talk (which isn't to diminish his masculinity, but in fact, speaks to what a killer friend he is).  So this is my first "homemade" pizza in Brooklyn, which sort of makes sense, but also confuses me.  Pizza is obviously easily attainable in NYC but I do love making my own so much that it's surprising I took so long. 

 

 

 

Well I had some sprigs (maybe that's the right time for that word?) of basil slowly deteriorating so I decided...pizza!  I use quotation marks around "homemade" for a variety of reasons. 
 

1. I have taken to buying the pizza dough from local pizza shops to seriously cut down on my cook time.  Making your own crust is awesome and delicious, but it also takes at least three hours.  I have a life (read: I'm lazy) so I have no time for that.  In the real world, a ball of dough should cost you $2, but since it's Brooklyn, $5 is what I paid.  A 75% markup seems right (god, NYC is starting to wear on me). 

2. I often buy delicious, bougie sauces rather than making my own.  Again, "I have a life."  This one was Arrabbiata from Michael's of Brooklyn.  I know I'm committing Italian sins with this switch-up but I like some spice and Arrabbiata has just what I'm looking for. 

3. Homemade sometimes (maybe 50 years ago) conjures up the idea that it's cheaper than buying from a store.  For the $5 I spent on the dough, I could have gotten two slices from the pizza shop.  Tag onto that the $20 I spent on sauce and fresh mozzarella?  Well, I'm not doing my wallet any favors.  None whatsoever as a matter of fact.

But the truth is I love love love making pizza; it's stupidly easy and I feel really accomplished. Which I am realizing is half the battle. Sometimes you need to give yourself some easy tasks to check off the proverbial list just so you can feel a little more confident when you tackle the big things (major life decisions). So a tip for all my fellow 20-somethings constantly saddled with big choices; make some pizza. You'll feel better.

 

 

 

So the most fun part of pizza making (besides eating) is making the dough fit the pan.  Pizza dough is this weird indescribable texture which seems to refuse to mold to the shape you desire.  I honestly think it's an active decision on the part of the dough to make my life complicated.  So I have developed a finely-tuned strategy to outsmart an inanimate object.  Some might call it dance, but that would be too kind.

 

If you've ever done this before, you know you can't just press out pizza dough like say, cookie dough.  This shit is obstinate.  The old images of men throwing it up in the air is no joke, but I don't trust myself with that kind of gravity involved so I instead do I little dance and wiggle out the dough in the air while grasping it firmly with both hands.  I'll leave you to paint that image in your heads now.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful, right?  Y'all don't even know until you try it.

 

 



 

 

So the rest is a cake [pizza] walk.  Throw on your sauce of choice and go to town on your toppings.  For this (and most of my pizzas) I chose fresh mozzarella, basil, gorgonzola, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes (in place of fresh since I had them handy) and lots of hot pepper flakes. And maybe 20 minutes at 350 and you're ready for awesomeness in your mouth.

 

You're welcome.

 

(Adam, miss ya bud.  Get home.  Let's make pizza.)

My how time flies when you're...having fun?

Holy crap, it's been over a month.  My bad.  My really really very bad.  Bad blogger.  Alright, enough self-hate. 

 

So quick update on life post-shitshow.  Since y'all heard from me last, I've moved to Crown Heights which is a bit bittersweet, but is working out by and large.  I am living with new people which was unexpected and stressful but NYC housing always does that, and everytime I do this (move somewhere or have someone move somewhere on me) I think I am getting a little better at rolling with life's punches. 

 

But now that that is out of the way, I am working on paring down my stuff (tangible and intangible) and getting back to doing little things that make me happy.  Going out for a run is all well and good, except when it's the middle of winter and below freezing.  So I'm getting back into refinishing furniture for clients in my spare time and am even sketching out ideas for a pipedream future that only exists in my head...for now.

 

So for now I'll just share some snapshots of images rolling around in my head these last few weeks; some are my own, some are inspiration, and some are just fun to look at.