AskBrini.com: Pernicious Pussy Problems

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Welcome to Ask Brini!

This week's question comes from Catterina, New York, NY, and she asks:

"Dear Brini, My cat, Vicious, treats me like I'm her employee. How can I get her to stop this behavior and respect me? Catterina"

Dear Catterina:

First off, naming a cat Vicious is just asking for trouble. We all respond to what we're called, so to avoid the self fulfilling prophecy of a name like that, I suggest calling her Vi. Keeping the peace in a home with a cat is easy when you know what they want. In order to feel secure, cats have to be able to survey their territory. Make it possible for Vi to get to the highest point in the room. Give her access to the top of a book shelf and she'll feel like she has a say in her own destiny. Cats also like to be able to see out, especially if they aren't able to go out. A window sill perch will also be appreciated.

Your demeanor will help as well. Holding a calm, centered space when you're with Vi will give her the confidence to open up and relax.

Good luck with your kitty!

Love,

Brini

So... What's Your Problem?!

Ask Brini Anything at http://AskBrini.com ...

Problems with soap dish jelly? Recalcitrant egg-whites? Cranky spouse? Should your carpet match your drapes? Proper etiquette while eating a corn-dog with Republicans? What else can you do with that stripper pole in your bedroom? When is an ice-cube in your mouth a good thing? Whatever it may be, Brini is here for your every need and ready to serve you.

MORE ABOUT BRINI! ►

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

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The Maxwell Moment: The Appliance Connection

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The Maxwell Moment:
The Appliance Connection - The Nutone Food Center

In my continuing quest for vintage appliances for my kitchen I run across some gems. This week I'm demonstrating my new Nutone Food Center. This  food-prep wonder was first manufactured in 1956 and was made right up through the mid 90's. It consists of a unit that is embedded in the counter and serves as a motor for the various attachments that you can get to blend, process, sharpen, crush and grind the food and implements in your kitchen. I have the knife sharpener, blender, food processor, ice crusher and mixer. In this segment, I demonstrate the mixer and then crush some ice for a drink. The ice crusher has a few quirks, as you'll see. I can't wait to get this installed in my new kitchen!
ABOUT BRINI MAXWELL:

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

Brini was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised there and the Midwest. She was a child prodigy in the area of domestic science, piping perfect mashed potatoes at the age of five and redesigning the rumpus room in her family home by age 10. At the Fashion Institute of Technology, between spontaneous bouts of cleaning and organizing the student union she achieved a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design. She worked in the fashion industry for 5 years, never finding fulfillment until she started developing her television show.

Brini still lives in the same tiny intricately apportioned New York City apartment used as the set for the original television show. She spends her time between shooting the television show and making personal appearances, doing needlepoint, shopping for inspiration in thrift shops and vintage stores and spending time with friends. She's currently shopping for a second home in Palm Springs California and looking wistfully at vintage 1960's convertibles on eBay Motors.

Sabrina "Brini" Maxwell is a fictional character created by actor Ben Sander. Described by Guy Trebey of the Village Voice as the "prototypical, pre-feminist, 1960's homemaker", Maxwell has also been described as a composite of Doris Day, Mary Tyler Moore, Auntie Mame, That Girl and Donna Reed and came to prominence in the late 90's as the host of her eponymous television show on Public-access television cable TV in Manhattan.

Brini on YouTube ►  http://Brini.TV

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Jane Napkins by Brini ► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

The Brini Maxwell Show

The pilot for the original show was produced in 1996. The show debuted on Manhattan Neighborhood Network on January 1, 1998, and aired for 5 years featuring tips, recipes, entertaining ideas, craft projects, home renovation and interior design schemes. It was produced by Sander's production company V.R.U.S.P. Inc. and directed by Sander's mother, Mary Jane Wells.

In 2001 Sander was contacted by Amy Briamonte, east coast director of development for west coast based Termite Art Productions (now Creative Differences Productions). Briamonte and Sander developed a pitch for the show for the Bravo network and received an order for a pilot. The pilot was produced in the summer of 2002 for a show titled Charming, Needs Work. The premise for the show was Maxwell lived in an apartment that she redecorated every week.

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AskBrini.com: Eradicating Carpet Dents

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Jane Napkins by Brini: http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

Welcome to Ask Brini!

Our question today comes from "Gay Carrington", New York City

"Dear Brini, I've recently rearranged the furniture in my parlour and I'm now left with unsightly dents in the carpet. What is the best way to remove them? XX,Gay"

Dearest Gay:

The scourge of carpet dents can be easily eradicated with this simple tip. Give the dent a spritz of water with a spray bottle, then coax the fibers back into an upright position with your fingers. When the carpet dries, the dents will have disappeared. And a dentless carpet is a beautiful thing.

-- Love, Brini

So... What's Your Problem?!

Ask Brini Anything at http://AskBrini.com ...

Problems with soap dish jelly? Recalcitrant egg-whites? Cranky spouse? Should your carpet match your drapes? Proper etiquette while eating a corn-dog with Republicans? What else can you do with that stripper pole in your bedroom? When is an ice-cube in your mouth a good thing? Whatever it may be, Brini is here for your every need and ready to serve you.

MORE ABOUT BRINI! ►

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

Ask Brini Anything:  http://AskBrini.com

The Maxwell Moment: Baking Brini's Brownies

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► http://facebook.com/Brini.TV ► http://twitter.com/BriniMaxwell 

Visit my official site for more info ► http://www.BriniMaxwell.com

Brini's own line of linen Jane Napkins! ► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

Hi people!  In this segment from 2008 I'm making my coconut brownies - delightful morsels of naughtiness, heavy with rum and the flavor of the tropics. They're perfect for summer entertaining!

Now this recipe starts with a mix. The benefit of working with a mix is the convenience of it. You can throw together a quick dessert in a few minutes, bake it and have it ready in no time at all. This convenience comes at a price though. That price isn't taste, as most mixes produce quite tasty results. That price is individuality. Making your mark with a mix is the aim of this segment.

Now we've made a traditional brownie mix a bit more posh by giving it an island flavor. We've added coconut and coconut rum to the mix. Here's how:

You'll need:

1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge brownie mix
½ cup oil
¼ cup coconut rum
3 eggs
¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut
Dash more coconut rum

Prepare mix as directed on the box, swapping out the water for the coconut rum and adding the coconut after the other ingredients have been combined. Add the dash of rum after the shredded coconut has been mixed in. Bake as directed on the box. Frost the finished product with Buttercream icing (flavored with coconut extract) and garnish with more shredded coconut.

The key to making a mix your own and achieving professional results is preserving the chemistry of baking. I have a friend who always customizes his mixes and his cakes are always delicious, but they frequently don't hold together all that well and tend to be a bit lopsided. The reason for this is that he hasn't preserved the balance of liquid to solid ingredients and hasn't allowed for the leavening process.

The reason we add a dash of rum to the mix is to account for the added bulk to the recipe from the shredded coconut, and the liquid lost more quickly due to evaporation during the baking process -- alcohol evaporates more quickly than water.

I'm especially fond of doctoring brownie mixes. One of my favorite holiday recipes is made with a dark chocolate brownie mix, into which you add a teaspoon of peppermint extract. Then frost the brownies with butter cream icing and sprinkle crushed peppermint candy canes on top. I call them my peppermint bark brownies. I'll be featuring them in an upcoming episode around the holidays, so be sure and look for it!

If you're interested in learning more about customizing mixes be sure and have a look at The Cake Mix Doctor: cakemixdoctor.com ... Anne Byrn is a whiz at making mixes interesting!

ABOUT BRINI MAXWELL:

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

The Brini Maxwell Show

The pilot for the original show was produced in 1996. The show debuted on Manhattan Neighborhood Network on January 1, 1998, and aired for 5 years featuring tips, recipes, entertaining ideas, craft projects, home renovation and interior design schemes. It was produced by Sander's production company V.R.U.S.P. Inc. and directed by Sander's mother, Mary Jane Wells.

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Visit my official site for more info ► http://www.BriniMaxwell.com

Brini's own line of linen Jane Napkins! ► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

The Maxwell Moment: Napkin Folding with Brini

Build the Lily - Napkin Folding with a Floral Touch

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Pretty is as pretty does with this simple napkin fold. It's called the Lily and looks lovely in a wine glass. Start with your napkin folded in quarters, then, with the loose corners at the top, fold the bottom point up to the center. Fold the napkin in half vertically, catching the bottom point in the fold and pleat back the sides. Hold the pleats at the bottom then fan out the points on top and tuck into your wine glass.

ABOUT NAPKINS:

A napkin, or face towel (also in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia: serviette) is a rectangle of cloth used at the table for wiping the mouth while eating. It is usually small and folded. The word comes from Middle English, borrowing the French nappe—a cloth covering for a table—and adding -kin, the diminutive suffix.

In the United Kingdom and Canada both terms, serviette and napkin, are used. In the UK, napkins are traditionally U and serviette non-U. In some places, serviettes are those made of paper whereas napkins are made of cloth.[1] The word serviette in lieu of the term napkin is not typically used in American English, though, as discussed is not uncommon in Canadian English and Canadian French. In Australia, 'serviette' generally refers to the paper variety and 'napkin' refers to the cloth variety.

Conventionally, the napkin is often folded and placed to the left of the place setting, outside the outermost fork. In an ambitious restaurant setting or a caterer's hall, it may be folded into more or less elaborate shapes and displayed on the empty plate. Origami techniques can be used (replacing the traditional paper method with the serviette/napkin) to create a 3D design e.g. a crane (bird). A napkin may also be held together in a bundle (with cutlery) by a napkin ring. Alternatively, paper napkins may be contained with a napkin holder. Napkins were used in ancient Roman times. One of the earliest references to table napkins in English dates to 1384--85. 

Summaries of napkin history often say that the ancient Greeks used bread to wipe their hands. This is suggested by a passage in one of Alciphron's letters (3:44), and some remarks by the sausage seller in Aristophanes' play, The Knights. The bread in both texts is referred to as apomagdalia, which simply means bread from inside the crust known as the crumb, and not special "napkin bread".

► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

ABOUT BRINI MAXWELL:

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

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Ask Brini Maxwell anything at ► http://AskBrini.com

Visit my official site for more info ► http://www.BriniMaxwell.com

Subscribe to Brini on YouTube! ► http://Brini.TV

AskBrini.com: Losing Weight and Loving Yourself

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Welcome to Ask Brini!

Our question today comes from "Confused" in Sacramento, CA
"Brini, how do you keep your lovely figure? I can't seem to lose any weight at all and feel very ugly compared to others. Can you help?"

Dear Confused:

Just like any other course of self improvement, losing weight can be a great ego boost. Fitting into your skinny clothes can give you a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of being desirable. It's important, however to recognize your worth no matter what your weight. If you hang your self image on specific physical characteristics, you're setting yourself up for a fall. Try and own the feelings of self worth regardless of your physical circumstances and you'll be much happier.

Losing weight can be a chore, but I've found that the new calorie counting websites like MyFitnessPal.com, CalorieCount.com and SparkPeople.com can be a great place to start. I just lost over 15 pounds using My Fitness Pal!

-- Love, Brini

So... What's Your Problem?!

Ask Brini Anything at http://AskBrini.com ...

Problems with soap dish jelly? Recalcitrant egg-whites? Cranky spouse? Should your carpet match your drapes? Proper etiquette while eating a corn-dog with Republicans? What else can you do with that stripper pole in your bedroom? When is an ice-cube in your mouth a good thing? Whatever it may be, Brini is here for your every need and ready to serve you.

MORE ABOUT BRINI! ►

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

ABOUT MY FITNESS PAL:
http://myfitnesspal.com

Losing weight isn't easy - they know. But with a membership to MyFitnessPal.com, you'll get the tools you need to successfully take weight off - and keep it off. And best of all, everything on our site is 100% FREE.

Study after study has confirmed the benefits of keeping track of the food you eat and the activity you do. It's simple - the more consistently you track your food intake, the more likely you are to lose weight. That's why every successful weight management program suggests that you keep a food diary and/or an activity log. But recording everything you eat without the right tools can be tedious at best, or simply impossible at worst.

At MyFitnessPal.com, they focus on making sure you can log your meals as quickly and easily as possible. Because the easier we make it for you, the more likely you are to stay on track, and the more likely you are to succeed in your weight loss goals.

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The Maxwell Moment: Brini's Favorite Chairs!

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When it comes to where to put your sit-down, I favor modern classics! Some of my favorites include the brass Chiavari chair designed in Italy in the 1940's. Their elegant lines and diminutive footprint make a surprisingly bold statement. They will serve as my dining chairs. Eero Saarinen visionary architecture was enhanced with his beautiful furniture designs. I'm lucky enough to have found two of his executive chairs on the street - one with arms, the other without. They'll both be reupholstered for my office. The remarkably comfortable and look great! The Eames shell chair is a classic that's still being produced today. It's hard to find it in the original fiberglass, however. My grandparents had two of them, and I have them now. The arm chair is one of the original production units and features a rope edge, which is quite rare. They're in elephant gray. Last, but not least is the butterfly chair, designed in 1938 in Argentina. I have a small butterfly sling stool with a leather seat which I occasionally use as a side table when entertaining by setting a large ceramic dish on the seat.

Collecting furniture can get a bit cumbersome, but it's hard to resist when there are so many beautiful pieces to chose from. What are some of your favorites?  Tell me in the comment section under this video!

Have a question?  Ask Brini Maxwell anything at ► http://AskBrini.com

ABOUT BRINI MAXWELL:

Described as part Donna Reed, part Mary Tyler Moore, Maxwell makes kitsch feel classy through her unparalleled personal flair for home design, entertaining and savvy household tips. Inspired by a divine thrift shop purchase of 1950's nesting bowls, she first began sharing her vintage/classic know-how with other Manhattanites in 1998 through her self-titled cable access television show. With an emphasis on uncompromising fabulousness, Brini quickly garnered a devoted fan base and established herself as the go-to-girl on vintage fashion and mid-century modern treasures. After five years on the local airwaves her show was picked up by the Style Network. The subsequent series has been called a delightful success and has attracted a diverse audience thorough its national platform.

Brini on the Web ► http://www.BriniMaxwell.com/

Brini on YouTube ►  http://Brini.TV

Brini on Facebook ►  http://facebook.com/Brini.TV

Brini on Twitter ► http://twitter.com/BriniMaxwell

Jane Napkins by Brini ► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins

The Brini Maxwell Show

The pilot for the original show was produced in 1996. The show debuted on Manhattan Neighborhood Network on January 1, 1998, and aired for 5 years featuring tips, recipes, entertaining ideas, craft projects, home renovation and interior design schemes. It was produced by Sander's production company V.R.U.S.P. Inc. and directed by Sander's mother, Mary Jane Wells.

In 2001 Sander was contacted by Amy Briamonte, east coast director of development for west coast based Termite Art Productions (now Creative Differences Productions). Briamonte and Sander developed a pitch for the show for the Bravo network and received an order for a pilot. The pilot was produced in the summer of 2002 for a show titled Charming, Needs Work. The premise for the show was Maxwell lived in an apartment that she redecorated every week. After Bravo passed on the show Briamonte, Sander and Termite Art pitched it to Stephen Schwartz and Heather Moran, newly named VP's of programming for the Style network. The pitch resulted in an order for a 13-episode season.

The first season of The Brini Maxwell Show for the Style network was taped in the summer of 2003 with studio production taking place on the main stage at Unitel Studios on west 57th St. in New York City. Location shoots for the season were taped over a period of 6 months in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The Maxwell Moment: 
Brini's Favorite Chairs! Pull up an Heirloom and Have a Seat.

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► http://facebook.com/Brini.TV ► http://twitter.com/BriniMaxwell

Visit my official site for more info ► http://www.BriniMaxwell.com

Jane Napkins by Brini Maxwell ► http://amzn.to/JaneNapkins