Because of the move I’ve been remiss in posting blog entries for the past two weeks. Today I’m assisted by another guest blogger. This time we’re hosting Ben Sander. He’s the man behind the woman, so to speak. I would be nothing without him. In this post he’ll give you a better idea of what’s been going on these past few weeks.
"We were just moving around the block. One small block... It should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. Moving around the block is a pain in the ass. I know Brini won’t like me saying that, but it’s true. It's especially annoying when you're really good at utilizing space and have lived in the apartment for 15 years. It never ends! Every time we thought we had made inroads into it, there was another cabinet full of stuff, another piece of furniture to schlep.
Now I love Brini, but she has this way about her. She's never there for the hard work, but pull out a camera and she magically appears. So, needless to say, I was without her capable hands during the bulk of the move. It seems that moving on Memorial Day weekend makes that circumstance apply to most friends. If it weren't for my septuagenarian parents, all would have been lost. The three of us soldiered on, pushing forward, increasing intensity as the drop dead date approached. We packed, climbed stairs, loaded vehicles, pulled luggage carts, schlepped, plodded and lugged our way to exhaustion.
By Monday afternoon we had achieved our goal. The old apartment was vacant and much of storage was transferred also. The problem was that the new apartment was bursting at the seams. There was no place to set anything down, the closets were full. It was clear that something was going to have to give. So, I now have my marching orders for the summer. Purge! Look for more sales on eBay, Etsy and Craigslist of Brini merchandise and various and sundry vintage household items.
Moving is a learning experience in many ways. It's all about re-imagining your life, exploring new possibilities and stepping out into the unknown. It may not be easy, but for Brini and I, it's a step in the right direction."
The first of those items just went up today. It's a really beautiful French provincial dining table and chairs. It's up on Craigslist now. Have a look!
Hi people. Sorry for my radio silence this week, it's been a busy one! We started renovation on the apartment - tearing out walls, putting up new ones, plastering, hanging doors... I've been shooting all of it, so look forward to some new episodes in the not too distant future!
I'm afraid I haven't been able to post new blog entries on Wednesday or today because everything is at sixes and sevens - my craft and cook books are packed up, as are my crafting supplies. I thought I'd share with you a link to the past. It's my companion page for the Renovation Hell episode of my show for the Style network - perfect for my state of mind! Just click here for all my tips, ideas, recipes and photos from the episode. Incidentally, you can explore all 26 episodes of the show in the same way. Just click the pull-down menu and choose an episode.
I'll do my best to get back in the blogging saddle (hmm, that sounds a bit questionable) next week. Thanks for your patience! I'm also sorry it's taken me so long to approve comments. I'll try and get to those earlier in the future.
I've been madly packing, getting ready for my move. Being the frugal lass that I am, I'm appalled by the cost of packing material! Boxes, wrapping paper, tape, it all costs an arm and a leg. I have some solutions that I'd like to share with you, though.
When it comes to boxes you don't need to contribute to the deforestation of the earth. Repurposing boxes is a great way to save the earth and save a buck at the same time. Finding boxes is as simple as asking for them. Liquor stores are more than happy to get rid of their boxes and the ones they give you are perfect for packing books! Supermarkets, big box stores, even your building super are great sources for boxes. Just ask!
A move is always a good time to purge yourself of unnecessary belongings. One of the things you can get rid of is financial records older than 7 years (according to my accountant). Keep your actual tax documents, but all the support documents - bank statements, cancelled checks, old bills, receipts, etc - can be gotten rid of. Don't just throw these documents away. They need to be shredded, preferably by a cross-cut shredder.
I had documents dating back to 1986! I spent evenings for a few weeks sitting in front of the television running these documents through my shredder. After shredding them, I put them in big bags and set them aside in anticipation of my upcoming move. I've been using the shreds to pack my breakables!
It's a great, free source of packing material for me and works perfectly to fill out the boxes and pad the china and glass. I wouldn't use them to ship your eBay sales for fear of identity theft, but they're perfect for moving and storage.
Moral of the story? Don't let the cost of moving deplete your renovation and redecorating budgets! A little creativity will cut those expenses in half.
I have moving on my mind, what with my new apartment on the horizon. I've been going through all my things, deciding what to take and what to sell. The process has been fun and daunting. I've been in my place for 15 years! While going through my books I found some gems. The Time Life Library of Photography. I decided to keep two of the volumes: Color and The Studio. In the latter title is a photo essay on putting together a studio style photo shoot on location and the subject is Moving Party (!). It's interesting to see how they put it together, so I thought I'd share it with you today.
Here's the space before setting up. It's a parlor floor apartment in a brownstone in Park Slope Brooklyn. The photographer, Rudy Muller, rented it for a day.
Here they are setting up. The model playing the hostess tries on her hostess gown. and the studio lights are placed for the single shot they need to get.
With her gown hung up, the model touches up her makeup.
Here's the final shot. Notice how the wine is placed front and center. The final photo was used in a series depicting different types of parties for a wine company. Somehow I don't think even I could pull off a real moving party as glamorous as the one depicted, but I could certainly pull off a photo shoot of one like this - especially for a barrel of Piper Heidsieck!
Some of my copies of the Time Life Library of Photography books are up for sale on Etsy right now. Have a look!
Because of the move I’ve been remiss in posting blog entries for the past two weeks. Today I’m assisted by another guest blogger. This time we’re hosting Ben Sander. He’s the man behind the woman, so to speak. I would be nothing without him. In this post he’ll give you a better idea of what’s been going on these past few weeks.
