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Archive for October, 2009

Friday Find: Urban Casita

Posted by Andrew Wagner to Home + Garden on 30 October 2009, with 2 comments so far.

After taking a Friday afternoon stroll through internet land I am shutting down my computer on a happy note after coming across Chicagoan Megan Jeyifo’s blog Urban Casita. This is a little site that packs a powerful visual punch accompanied by some good writing to boot.  Being that I’m an architecture junkie, Fela Kuti fan, and always interested in how people live I was particularly drawn to the “Inspiration: 1970’s Home in Nigeria” post in which Megan shares some shots from her in-laws’ past. I particularly love the photo below, especially the table.

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This post led me to an earlier post providing a look at the artist Lekan Jeyifous‘ (who is also Megan’s brother-in-law) home in Brooklyn that includes some pretty interesting ideas like this former store display rack (below) that now fits snuggly in his living room.

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And this post led me to Jeyifous’ art work which can be seen at Vigilism (below The Central City Settlement). I had never seen Jeyifous’ art so this was a great bonus.

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So, if you are in need of some good Friday inspiration (other than ReadyMade that is) before gourging yourself on candy this weekend check out Urban Casita. Happy Halloween folks. Time for me to get on making my costume!

Posted in Home + Garden | 2 Comments »

Tales of the Tombstones

Posted by Alexa Fornoff to Culture and Holidays on 30 October 2009, with no comments so far.

Tombstone Sewell

2719 Hyperion, an all-things-Disney blog, digs up what is behind (under?) the tombstones that line the entrance of the Haunted Mansion at Disney. Who exactly was this Master Sewell, you ask?

Bob Sewell came on board at WED Enterprises shortly after the opening of Disneyland in 1955. A model shop veteran, Sewell was often in charge of show installations at the park. He was involved in the development of a diverse array of attractions including Nature’s Wonderland, the Grand Canyon Diorama, the Submarine Voyage, the Swiss Family Treehouse and the Enchanted Tiki Room.

Head over to their blog to find out 12 more tales of the Haunted Mansion tombstones.

Posted in Culture, Holidays | No Comments »

The Highly Pleasing Result of Dousing a Pumpkin or Two in Glitter

Posted by Amy Palanjian to Craft on 30 October 2009, with no comments so far.

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Yes, these are somewhat Martha-esque, but they further support something we say in reference to embellishing store-bought holiday decorations in our Dec/Jan issue: covering something in glitter equals instant glam. And it makes you look like you know what you’re doing, even if you’re all thumbs around a glue gun. (Though, for the record, Livy at A Field Journal, who made these, definitely knows her stuff.)

Posted in Craft | No Comments »

Light a Jack o’ Lantern Without Pain

Posted by Katherine Sharpe to Holidays on 30 October 2009, with 2 comments so far.

Halloween, as we all know, is a scary time. Until now, that scariness has been at least in part caused by anticipating the inevitable finger-singeing pain of trying to drop a lit tea light through a round hole into a big gourd. Drop the candle, and it inevitably goes out. Lower it slowly, and you’re bound to burn your hand.

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Well, the reign of terror is over, because Make subscriber Michael Williams has shared with the world a better way to carve a pumpkin.

[via Lifehacker]

Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments »

Weekend Warriors: Phone Book Doorstop

Posted by Drus Dryden to Weekend Warriors on 30 October 2009, with 6 comments so far.

Welcome to “Weekend Warriors.” Every Friday, we run a shining example of a reader’s recent makings—to say TGIF and send you off right into your own weekend’s projects. This time, New Zealander Drus Dryden, of hat stand lamp fame, returns with—finally!—a good use for old phone books. Have a project you’d like to see showcased? Email and let us know about it.

Phone companies are printing millions of phone books that no one uses. Give it a nice cover, and it’s upcycled it into a doorstop. Other re- incarnations could be “the Paperweight,” or “the important-looking Book,” but I settled on “the Doorstop.”

By the way, is it “doorstop” or “door stop”? Perhaps I made a typo on a book with three words in it.

Is this ready made-able? I guess you would have to have some basic bookbinding skills? Or you could support your friendly, local book-binder?

If you’re doing-it-yourself:

1) Cut cardboard to the dimensions of the phone book’s covers & spine. The trick is to do 3mm less width than the book on the cover, and 2mm more width on the spine.

2) Then you PVA glue the cardboard to book cover canvas (you can get it from any craft store). Leave a 4mm gap between covers & spine, and cut the corners of the canvas before folding them over.

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(more…)

Posted in Weekend Warriors | 6 Comments »

3 Ways to Eat Even More Sugar This Weekend

Posted by Amy Palanjian to Food + Entertaining on 29 October 2009, with 1 comment so far.

Here are three of my favorite Halloween dessert recipes from around the web, sure to hit the spot if all of the candy you’re stealing from the trick or treat basket isn’t.

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Monster Eyeballs
via Epicurious and Ghoulish Goodies
Yield: Makes about 48 eyeballs

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 (1-pound) package confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 (3-ounce) package miniature M&Ms

1. Blend the peanut butter with the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. It may be easiest to use your hands (kids love doing this).

2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture by teaspoons into small balls and place on the baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the eyeballs.

3. Put the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave: Heat on high for 60 seconds, and then stir well. If it’s not quite smooth, heat in two or three 10-second bursts, stirring well after each burst. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate, stirring frequently, in a double boiler, over just-simmering water. Avoid overheating, which can cause chocolate to seize up into a stiff mass.)

4. Take the sheet of balls from the refrigerator; use a fork or a toothpick to dip each one most of the way into the chocolate, leaving a round or oval opening of undipped peanut butter on top. (This opening in the chocolate will be the cornea.) Hold each ball over the chocolate to catch the drips, and then return to the wax paper, cornea side up.

5. Place an M&M in the center of the peanut butter cornea to make an iris. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Store the eyeballs in the refrigerator or freezer and serve chilled.

(more…)

Posted in Food + Entertaining | 1 Comment »

It’s a Pommel Horse

Posted by Alexa Fornoff to Craft and Design on 29 October 2009, with 3 comments so far.

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Repurposed pommel horses make a grand statement. Bench, bar, chair…the gymnastic icon has left the arena and found loft living.

(From Stilsucht via Dude Craft)

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Posted in Craft, Design | 3 Comments »

Still Dreaming of an Interior Stoop…

Posted by Andrew Wagner to Design on 29 October 2009, with 5 comments so far.

Two days ago Core 77 wrote on designer Josh Owens‘ new portable outdoor stoop seating made entirely of Corian.

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Core 77’s headline was “Gotta Love It” and you know what, they are absolutely right. I love this idea and in fact have been obsessing over it for many years. My one quip with Owens would be that there are plenty of stoops outside but frankly not enough inside. Stoops are always great for sitting and shooting the breeze with friends but for many of us around the world this is a pasttime that can only be enjoyed for 5-6 months out of the year. So why not bring the stoop indoors? Imagine the party’s you could have with an interior stoop (below, a shot from Owens’ which is undoubtedly supposed to spark your imagination for the outdoor potential of this piece but with winter fast approaching, it just got me dreaming of the indoor potential again).

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So, it is now official. ReadyMade is going to build the interior version of this piece and outfit it in plush green shag carpet. We are going to put it near our windows during the darkest winter months and make believe that we are outside drinking a cool beverage and relaxing with friends and family. It won’t be made of Corian but it will be amazing, mark my words. Mr. Owens, thank you for reminding me of how great stoops are! More soon…

Posted in Design | 5 Comments »

Food Blog of the Week: Nectar & Light, Food & Love

Posted by Amy Palanjian to Food + Entertaining on 29 October 2009, with no comments so far.

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Jenifer Altman is one of my favorite bloggers/photographers (she’s behind Fireyeyed on Etsy) and her food coverage is just lovely. Today, as it’s pouring rain outside of our office, it’s feeling like comfort food for the eyes.

Specializing in lifestyle, children, food, travel and still life photography, Jenifer’s vision of the world – a soft hazy dream of love – is truly unique.

She recently has had a few of her food “firsts” of the season on her blog, like her first autumn soup and pie. I highly suggest you check them out, for both the recipes and the images.

Posted in Food + Entertaining | No Comments »

Guinea Pig Halloween

Posted by Katherine Sharpe to Holidays and Pets on 29 October 2009, with 1 comment so far.

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Just a sampling of the weirdness, wildness, and occasional over-the-top cuteness that awaits at the Halloween Pets pool on Flickr.

[Photo from piggelicious, via Flickr]

Posted in Holidays, Pets | 1 Comment »

More Halloween Grotesquerie: The Meat Hand!

Posted by Katherine Sharpe to Food + Entertaining and Holidays on 29 October 2009, with no comments so far.

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Is this “meat hand” the grossest Halloween-themed food item I have ever seen? Why, yes! Hands down!! And of course, I suppose I mean that as a compliment.

I’m sure it’s delicious, but I’m not sure I could bite in to find out.

Many more pictures and full instructions on the meatloaf masterpiece at Not Martha.

Posted in Food + Entertaining, Holidays | No Comments »

How are We Doing?

Posted by Katherine Sharpe to From the Editors on 28 October 2009, with 11 comments so far.

As we posted last week on Facebook and Twitter, we here at ReadyMade are getting ready to do a serious round of work on the design and architecture of our website.

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We have a lot of ideas about what to change to make the site a better experience for you, but we don’t want to just take it from ourselves; we want to hear what you think. What do you like and not like about readymade.com? What could we be doing that we’re not? Where else do you go for information about projects and design, and what do you like about those sites?

Any and all of your thoughts will be appreciated, and quite likely, put to good use.

[Photo from Flickr]

Posted in From the Editors | 11 Comments »

Dead Easy Victorian Mourning Candles (For the Hallowed Eve Approaching)

Posted by Amy Palanjian to Craft on 28 October 2009, with 1 comment so far.

HallowCandleSign

With just a few days left until Halloween, these super easy votives are nearly instant decorating.

These are dead easy. Cut vellum paper to fit glass votives, hurricanes, or straight juice glasses and fix in place with double-sided tape. Next, cut a piece of black lace ribbon to wrap around the glass, and glue in place.

How-to and photos from Kelly at MakeGrowGather

Posted in Craft | 1 Comment »

Found: Robot

Posted by Alexa Fornoff to Craft and ReadyMade News on 28 October 2009, with no comments so far.

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If you were wondering who made the adorable robot that Nilea P. Alexander had in her Brooklyn home (August/September 2009), look no further. Thanks to Janine, who was kind enough to email us, we now know it was Erika Kern of My Imaginary Boyfriend!

Posted in Craft, ReadyMade News | No Comments »

Push-Up Champion and Black Belt Takes on JG Faux Tonight

Posted by Andrew Wagner to Uncategorized on 28 October 2009, with 2 comments so far.

Every Wednesday evening at around 8:30-ish in Des Moines there is a strange, remarkable thing that happens at the Des Moines Social Club on Locust Street. It’s hard to describe exactly what the JG Faux Show is. After my first time seeing the performance I told the host, Jason Garnett, “I’m not exactly sure what you’re doing but keep doing it.” If pressed for details I inevitably find myself saying, “it’s a talk show,” which technically it is but that simple description sells the JG Faux Show way short.

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First of all, there’s not many talk shows that take place in a bar. Secondly, there’s not any other talk show I can think of that features the amazing “This Week on Craigslist” in which Garnett digs through the treasure trove of oddness that is the Des Moines Craigslist. Thirdly, no other talk show has a more charming co-host than Jen Morrow. And lastly, what other talk show has hosted the reigning World Record holder for the most push-ups in a minute on the backs of one’s hands? Though the JG Faux Show has had a bevvy of great guests since it’s inception in June, none, to my knowledge, can lay claim to being both in the Guinness Book of World Records and in “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not: The Remarkable.Revealed.” But tonight’s guest, co-host Jen Morrow’s father, John Morrow, can.

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I dropped host Garnett a note to try and find out more and here is what he had to say: “John Morrow, father of our very own Jen Morrow, has been a black belt in Shao-Lin Chuan Kung-Fu since 1972. He holds many world records including pushups on the back of his hands in a minute. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. So, basically he’s a bad mother effer. He teaches at the Morrow Academy of Martial Arts in the Quad Cities. He also is an adjunct professor at St Ambrose College. He has taught personal safety seminars to weaklings. His egg drop soup won a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair (not true). He has a moustache which is also a black belt and beautiful (very true). He has been to China and Wisconsin.”

The JG Faux Show is always extremely entertaining but tonight’s show is one not to be missed…

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

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