The Best Spoons (and the Best Mom!)

If you're a House Beautiful reader, you probably delighted in this spread of Sabre frosted acrylic spoons in the November issue.

We spotted them at Maison d'Etre in Oakland and my Mom surprised me with a little burgundy spoon! (Did you think I was kidding about my Goodies from Mom theme this week?)

It's cheeky, but I think it will play nicely with my more formal white dishes.

There's a color to please everyone (22, to be exact), and the salad server sets would be an excellent hostess gift... definitely an idea to tuck away for the holidays!

A Thank-You Note to Twig & Fig

Being a blogger, crafter, and general freelance type means that I spend most of my time alone in my little Berkeley apartment. I love making my own hours and rocking my own dress code (sweat pants, hell yes), but there's always a point in the afternoon when I know I must put on real clothes, must talk to someone who's not a cat, must leave the house.

I've plotted a little route around the neighborhood that satisfies. I sip an iced coffee from Peet's, stroll by the best gardens to see what's blooming, chat with the girl at the flower stand, check out the menu at Chez Panisse, peer in the windows of the estate jewelry boutique, and very often stop into a favorite paperie, Twig & Fig.

On Saturday I had to get out and enjoy the late summer sun, and I had special incentive via a tweet from Twig & Fig: "a special surprise awaits." What could it be?

A bundle of their letterpress cards! 

What a way to sweeten my weekend! The sampling included cards from several of their collections that I'd long been ogling (especially the foil skull + Edison bulb on wood veneer, it's brilliant!). These cards are much more than pretty design (and pretty faces, just check out Mr. 70s Sexy there!). They're also made from 100% recycled materials, from the brown bag envelopes and soda bottle felt to the biodegradable cello packaging. Their designs might pay homage to vintage aesthetic, but Twig & Fig is certainly forward-thinking! 

The crow, of course, will never be stamped and mailed- I'm keeping it for me! 

How did they know I was starting to decorate for Autumn?

Thanks to Twig & Fig for making my afternoon escape even more delightful than usual!

John Derian for Target (Please Sir, may I have some more?)

John Derian's website is pleasure spiked with pain for me- I want one of everything but can't afford one of anything. When I heard that he'd be designing a collection for Target, I was ecstatic (especially when I found out that everything would be under $25).

Of course, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the goods, so I joined Gilt Groupe and snagged a few pieces at their preview sale.

I'm usually hesitant to buy melamine (I prefer the look and quality of glass, ceramic, wood and metal... and I don't want my apartment to look like a daycare center), but items like this feather tray don't disappoint!

The line launches this Sunday, September 5th. Needless to say, I'll be one of the crazies lining up early.

D-I-Whyyyyyyyyy!

Here's a pet peeve for you: when a weekend project stretches into a Monday project.

Consider this a PSA to all you DIYers out there. Having run out of my go-to aerosol paint stripper, my enthusiastically green local hardware store guilted me into trying Ready Strip. The label states that the product takes at least 30 minutes to be effective, but I figured I was better off killing time than braincells. Ha! Let's see if I can reenact the process for you.

30 minutes after application: Is it ready to strip? Hmm. No.

1 hour: Ready? No.

4 hours: No.

8... 12... 24: No, no, NO!

Hour after hour, this useless goop just sat on top of the paint. When I finally got frustrated with all of the pointless scraping and reapplication, I gave up- only to find that cleaning up this disgustingly sticky mess would take another hour of scrubbing. Now I've got a patchy chair and a whole lot of aggression (though I guess that might help with the sanding process).

What a disaster! Anyone else have a DIY-Gone-Wrong to share?

Zesty

If you read Adam's post on watermelon salsa, you might have noticed that the recipe calls for lime zest (the more the better).

This task always seems to fall to me- perhaps just as a means of getting me out of his hair in the kitchen, perhaps because this is a task that's pretty tough to mess up.

Not too tough for me though, because within seconds of him handing me the box grater I have inevitably skinned my knuckles and cursed loudly. I have skills.

Obviously I'm not the only one who has issues removing tiny slivers of peel from a slippery and knobbly citrus, because the geniuses over at Chef'n created this little thingamajiggy to do the trick.

Chef'n Palm Zester

This cute thing has apparently been around for a while now- it got some attention over at AT's sister site, The Kitchn. I'm going to second any nice thing that's ever been said about this gadget. It flexes to fit comfortably into the palm of your hand, whether your hands are tiny (like mine) or sized to match your ginormous 6'6"+ body (like Adam's). All of the zest gets caught in the built-in storage compartment instead of flying everywhere and adhering itself to every surface in your kitchen. Best of all, this thing makes zesting practically fool-proof, since your fingers will never get in the way.

It's too bad I found this after we did the watermelon salsa (ouch), but from now on, I can zest with zeal!

Did I mention that it comes in 3 citrusy colors? We picked the green one.

Anyway. We're not big advocates of having a machine or tool for every obscure cooking purpose, because most of it is just clutter that you don't need in a small kitchen. We're picky about our food- and even pickier about how we allocate our money and drawer space. However, Adam and I didn't hesitate to pluck one of these off the shelf. It's a rarity that combines a neat form with efficient function, and it takes the pain out of a rather loathesome task! Plus, I was rather tickled to learn that Chef'n is a Seattle-based company with a whole line of handy kitchen inventions. Cool!

That's all for now. We're hitting up the market tonight, and hopefully finding some inspiration for this week's recipe...

Reflections on Mirrored Paint

At long last, my overdue review of Krylon Mirror Finish Spray Paint.  Why the delay?

• I discovered that I can't trust anything printed on the label, which meant that...
• One can did not cover the promised square footage, and...
• I ran out halfway through my project, and...
• I could not find another can anywhere.

"One Step." HA!

I tried to be pretty thorough in testing this product. I started with an apothecary jar (as I mentioned here), but when I experienced some trouble with the curved surface I decided to test it on a flat surface and compare the results. I found a frame with cracked glass and gave it a go. I followed the directions exactingly, and these are my findings:

The BAD, and/or The UGLY

• The manufacturer's 5 coat suggestion is hilarious.  After 5 coats all I had was a blotchy shimmer- still completely transparent.  After 10 coats I had a hazy silver.  After 20 I had run out of paint, but was still only moderately pleased with the results.  This also means that their square footage estimate is wayyyy off.  
• The paint is intended for use on glass, but it drips, runs, and puddles- even on a completely flat surface. This makes a mockery of their label, which shows several different vases (with sloping sides) sporting a perfectly even reflective finish. I can't see how they could achieve this by spraying this watery mess from an 8 inch distance. Impossible!
• The finish is apparently water soluble- the tiniest bit of moisture will cause it to melt off. It is also easily scratched. A clear topcoat of some sort would need to be applied to prevent this.
• This stuff smells NASTY. I've been exposed to all kinds of wild-smelling art supplies before (turpentine, oils, fixatives, you name it), but this was too much for me. One spray was like swimming in nail polish- I feel like I sacrificed way too many brain cells for the sake of this experiment. The things I'll do in the name of science decor!
• The price is outrageous, especially considering the low yield.

 

See the drips?  The strange grainy finish?  That's the UGLY.

The GOOD

• I feel like this product has potential. When I painted the framed glass, I decided to simulate an antique mirror or mercury glass finish, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the results. I splotched on some black acrylic paint between coats and intermittently tossed in some gold dust. Because the spray paint's finish is naturally cloudy and distorted, I think this really maximized the effect.

Which do you like?  My antiqued look, or straight from the can?

My recommendation? Don't buy this if you're not willing to put in a lot of time and creative energy. Following the instructions is bound to disappoint!