Dark, Glossy Doors

I was tempted to just write another post in this vein, and leave it at that. Starting around my third full day of work on this, I started thinking, "This project just wasn't worth doing" (which Allen would have told me that at the beginning, if he'd thought it would make any difference).

Now that I have a few weeks of retrospect, that attitude is starting to change, but I think that's partly because I've blocked out memories of all those hours spent hunched over yet another door, sanding and patching and sanding again. Painting the doors in the hall opened a pain-in-the-ass Pandora's box - we had to paint the backs, too, which of course appear in the bathroom and both bedrooms - so the closet doors in those rooms would also have to be painted, front and back. How can such a small house have nine interior doors?

Etching Glass

At left: our glass cocktail shaker with etched monogram. Right: Taylor's gift, and us as young woodland varmints.

This post is specifically about a gift for my brother, which he hasn't yet received. But, given that he'd never be caught dead reading this blog, I think it's safe to go ahead and post.

I am and always will be a Stevens, even though I'm also a Morris now. "Team Stevens" happened on day when I talked my brother into letting me go on a run with him, and then our dad asked if he could join us, and then we all forced our mother to come along. It just felt so silly and all-American, going out for a brisk jog with one's whole family. Obviously, Team Stevens was a thing that needed a logo, and once that logo was created, it needed to be on everything. I think I had patches made at some point.

When my brother turned 21, I wanted to put the logo on a beer mug for him, but I couldn't find a company that would custom-etch glass products in such short runs - as in, one. Then I discovered etching cream. It's cheap, it's easy, and it allows you to customize glassware at home. I bought it at Sam Flax, but you can also buy it at Amazon, where the product description reads: "NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CLEANING GLASSES!"http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

My brother broke his beer mug in his last move, and he asked that I make him a new one. The process is as simple as this:

diy: tufted ottoman, in more detail

Because - sorry - there really was no detail before. I promised a reader that I'd do a cost breakdown of the ottoman I made, as well as a how-to post, so here it is.

honeycomb pie

I received The Pie and Pastry Bible as a gift at Christmas, and I absolutely love it. It reminds me a lot of Bo Friberg's The Professional Pastry Chef - both books cover the basics of nearly every technique or recipe, and then explore the myriad fun variations of each.

The recipe for this apricot and honey chiffon pie came from the book, and it's a good recipe, but the best part is the frivolous, fanciful effect of the "honeycomb" on top. The secret is after the jump.

Knit Fix

Welcome everyone from Design*Sponge! We're thrilled silly you're stopping by!

Here's a short one for the weekend - and hopefully helpful, too!

I bought a great elbow pad sweater from Zara the other day, but for some reason, I bought one with numerous pulls in it. There are two solutions for this. First, look hard (or just look at them, I feel like a dummy) at the pieces you buy before you buy them. Second, if you're not a crocheter invest in a small crochet hook. The one I used is size US 11. Poke it from the inside of the sweater to the outside, catch the loop and pull it back to the inside. Done! Whatever you do, don't cut it.

Where did it go?