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You are here: Home / Archives for DIY

Making A Reading Journal

March 31, 2014 at 8:16 am by Claudia

In the not so distant past, I mentioned here on this blog that I regretted not keeping a record of all the books I’ve read. It would be such fun to look back at my records and track my reading patterns and what I liked and didn’t like. I have a friend from back home who is a voracious reader and has kept a notebook with detailed descriptions of his reading journey for years. Imagine how many notebooks he has filled!

So, this year I’m keeping a little reading journal.

It’s a quick project. I started by looking for an attractive notebook of some kind. I didn’t want anything big – just a small journal I could keep on the table next to my blogging chair. (There are actual Book Journals that you can buy, but I didn’t like the ones I saw. They included too much extra information to fill in and I felt restricted by all of that.)

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I picked up this smallish notebook at Target for $1.99.

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Then I added a label (also from Target and found in the dollar bin) with my not-very-inspired name for the  journal.

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I do not like my writing. May I just say that? After years of taking hurried notes on actors’ performances in rehearsals and in the dark of a theater, my handwriting has devolved.

Anyway, it’s a simple list. Just the title, author and a quick mini-review. It could be much more detailed, of course. You could add things like how long it took you to read the book, how many pages, publisher, some sort of rating system, plot, etc.

Since I started this at the end of March, I had to try to remember everything I’ve read since January. It’s pretty accurate, though I may have missed a book or two. (There’s more on the next page.)

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I’m sure some of you already do this. But I’m a late bloomer, remember? Better late than never!

Maybe you’d like to keep a reading journal? We could compare notes at the end of the year. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Yesterday, I mentioned watching His Girl Friday on TCM the other night, starring Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy. Every time I see Ralph Bellamy, I think of Don. Don had a recurring role on L.A. Law years ago. He played a district attorney named Russell Spitzer. On one of the episodes, he represented a character played by…you guessed it…Ralph Bellamy. So Don, lucky duck that he is, got to spend several days on the set sitting next to Ralph Bellamy, who regaled him with stories of making movies and old Hollywood and all of the actors he had worked with during his amazing career. He was an awfully nice man.

On a side note: Not long after I met Don, Ralph Bellamy came up in a conversation and Don told me about that experience. And I remembered seeing that episode when it first aired. Little did I know that the guy who played the district attorney would one day end up being my husband!

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, DIY, Don, reading 38 Comments

Making a Snow Globe

December 2, 2013 at 9:46 am by Claudia

When to decorate for Christmas? Some start decorating before Thanksgiving. Others wait until December. My dad’s family didn’t put up their Christmas Tree until Christmas Eve. Each of us has a tradition, a preferred time to start in all the hoopla.

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I have a rule: absolutely no decorating until at least the second week of December. I don’t like the bleeding over from one holiday to another that seems to rule the world of commerce and even our world of blogging. October = Halloween. November = Thanksgiving (and my birthday.) December = Christmas. I like some breathing space between my holidays. If I decorate too early, I find that by the time Christmas actually rolls around, I’m so used to seeing all the decorations that I don’t really see them anymore. The magic is long gone.

Anyway, when it’s time to decorate, I avoid themes like the plague. We use our vintage and beloved ornaments. We hang a wreath on the door. We decorate our little white tree in the living room and the big tree in the den. Simple.

Yesterday, I put together the only Christmas decoration that will be on display until I officially start decorating. It’s something I created a couple of years ago, when I  found a vintage Necco candy jar in an antique shop. I made a snow globe. Or as I called it at the time, a Necco Snow Globe.

Making a Snowglobe

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I started with the jar. It’s quite large, about 13 inches in height, and is in the Art Deco Style. It’s one of my favorite finds.

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Because of its design, I am able to turn it on its side.

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It’s very simple. Buy some Kosher Salt or Epsom Salt.

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Decide what you want in your display. In my case, I’m using these fir trees.

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And this little Putz house.

And a tiny pine cone.

Fill the bottom of your jar with the coarse salt.

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And add your scenic elements.

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And you’re done.

Oooh. Isn’t it pretty?

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It couldn’t be simpler. You can use any size jar, from a tiny baby food jar or salt shaker to a large jar like this one.

Who doesn’t love a snow globe?

I was a bit low on Kosher Salt and I’m going to buy some more today because I want that layer of snow to be deeper than it is.

Just like the first time I put the snow globe together, Don came in the door and noticed it right away. (This isn’t always the case!)

Do you make your own snow globes? And when do you start decorating?

I must take a moment to acknowledge the derailment of the Metro North commuter train yesterday. Four people were killed and many injured. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident. This particular line – the Hudson Line – is the train I have taken countless times when commuting into Manhattan.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, DIY 47 Comments

A Little Niche for the Desk

October 27, 2013 at 9:46 am by Claudia

We won’t talk about the killing frost that decimated my zinnias and morning glories. Or the irony that nightly lows for the upcoming week will be nicely above freezing.

No, we won’t.

We won’t talk about the controversial call in last night’s World Series game that handed the win to the Cardinals and kept me up half the night composing angry messages to the umpires and Major League Baseball. Or the cuss words that came out of my mouth when the call was made.

No, we won’t.

Instead, let’s talk about a little idea I had yesterday. Do you remember the desk that Don found on the street and brought home? The one I re-imagined? If you don’t, you can read this post. It’s been sitting in a corner in the den and has become a dumping ground for all my stuff. But I rarely sit there.

When I was in Hartford, all my blogging took place at the desk in the apartment. I liked having my calendar there and all my To Do lists and a pinboard above it. I still like blogging in my chair, don’t get me wrong. Anyway, I discovered I liked the option of sitting at a desk and the old yearning for a little office space of my own came back. Not a corner of the den, which competes with the blogging chair. No, a little niche just for me.

We have a little spinet desk that has been living against the staircase wall and we love it, but we don’t use it. And the only desk chair we have downstairs is there.

What if I switched them out? The spinet desk could go in the corner of the den. It’s lightweight and would be easy to move when it’s Christmas tree time.  It would take up less space in the room. I could move my desk to that staircase wall and I would have a little office space of my own, off by itself. A little niche I can go to with my computer or my coaching research.

So, yesterday afternoon, I did some re-arranging. Don helped me carry my desk, which is heavy.

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I figured out how to hang that little piece of architectural salvage, which I love and is, of course, in my favorite color. I also wrestled with how to hang the pinboard. That little door under the stairs has molding around it which makes the wall surface uneven. Finally, I thought of hanging it from a spindle with some ribbon. Perfect. If I need to get in the cupboard, I can pull the desk away from the wall, open the little door and then move everything back. I was already doing the same thing with the spinet desk.

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Isn’t it cute? I think I will use it much more in its new home. That fabric covered shelf, by the way, pulls out and I usually set my laptop on it.

Imagine how pretty this whole area will look when the quilt is finished and hanging on the wall.

Oh boy!

Don, as usual, puts up with all my ideas and offers his keen eye and valuable advice. I’m going to try to get some more photos this afternoon when the light is better (although this little area is notoriously hard to photograph) and I’ll share them with you tomorrow.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: baseball, blogging, decorating, DIY, garden 62 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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