As I looked around the room, I saw our white, rickety IKEA bureau we had purchased at a yard sale in Seattle, WA a few years ago. It has made its way from coast to coast via UHaul and now sits in our apartment in NH. It’s dinged up, it’s a little dingy, but it works. I don’t want to get rid of it, but what can I do to give it new life?

Here is a DIY project for giving an old bureau a face-lift:

Materials:

• Paper
• Sharpie marker
• Scissors
• Contact Paper (maybe you have some leftover from lining drawers? I asked a teacher friend for some.)
• Tape
• Paintbrush, sponge, or small paint roller
• Screwdriver
• Paint (leftover from another house project)

Prep:

• Remove any drawer pulls
• You might want a layer of white paint first, if your bureau is unfinished wood

Design a stencil:

• For ideas I looked at floral and tree silhouette patterns online
• You want your pattern to be simple
• Remember, you’re going to have to draw each design and cut them out

Plan your layout:

• Once you’ve decided on a design, think about how many times you want to recreate it, if you want it to be different sizes, if you want it to make a pattern, etc
• Draw your design onto pieces of contact paper
• Cut out each piece and lay them where you would like them to go on your bureau
• Once you’re happy with the layout, peel off the designs and stick them onto the bureau

Now you’re ready to paint:

• Make sure the contact paper is fully adhered to the wood; otherwise you might run the risk of paint sneaking under your design
• You can use a sponge, a paintbrush, or a small paint roller to get the job done
• Start painting! Take your time, if one layer of paint is too light, paint a second coat
• Once you’re happy with the look, let the paint dry for a few hours – you want to be sure it’s completely dry before you try peeling off the contact paper

Embellishments:

• I decided to paint my drawer pulls a different color – a dark umber looks really nice with the blue.

• If you really want to go for a different look – try finding mismatched drawer pulls at a local antique store, yard sale, or thrift store.

Your bureau is dry:

• It’s the moment of truth!

• Slowly peel off the contact paper. I had a really hard time with this. The contact paper actually started to lift off the paint in areas that I didn’t want it to. I had to take an exact-o blade and lift the edges really carefully. I think it’s because my design was a little too detailed. If this happens – it’s okay! Just take your time, don’t rip up the paint. You can always go back and do minor touch-ups at the very end.

Final touches:

• Put your drawer pulls back onto the bureau (don’t put them on too tight or you will scratch the new paint!).

Fini! An old bureau is restored. It looks completely new and adds so much color and life to the room. You could recreate this project for almost any piece of furniture and it’s a great way to recycle your old paint.

]]> http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/taylorhaynes/2009/04/16/diy-a-fun-way-to-revamp-an-old-bureau-and-recycle-your-leftover-paint/feed/ http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/taylorhaynes/2008/12/24/a-holiday-treat-spiced-rum-with-local-cider/ http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/taylorhaynes/2008/12/24/a-holiday-treat-spiced-rum-with-local-cider/#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:51:13 +0000 taylorhaynes http://chelseagreen.com/blogs/taylorhaynes/?p=5

This weekend got a little wild in New England. Over two feet of snow in three days! Needless to say, on Sunday we got snowed-in. Knowing another storm was about to hit, we went out to get our groceries in the morning. For fun, we bought ingredients for spiced rum cider, and I thought I would share.

Ingredients:

• 3 small oranges (organic and possibly local, depending on where you live)
• 3 tablespoons, whole cloves (they forgot to bag our cloves at the check-out, so I used my clove powder and it worked just fine)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (bulk bins)
• 8 cups apple cider (local cider, yummy!)
• 1.5 cups rum

Directions:

• Prick your oranges in several places with a fork
• Stud with cloves (since I only had clove powder, I just added it later –to taste)
• Place your orange in a bowl (a punch bowl if you have one)
• Heat your local cider and cinnamon in a pot (to boil)
• Pour over the oranges
• Add rum
• Serve!
• Super easy and so delicious!

I halved the recipe and it was plenty for two people. At the end you can peel your oranges and eat them. Compost remnants.

Happy Holidays!

While making this confession to Greg Pahl, one of our CGP authors, he suggested that I learn to embrace the art of cooking, one step at a time. Visit the local farmer's market, look at veggies, talk to farmers, get recipes, and most importantly, take my time while I make each meal. Unfortunately, when I finally decided to get inspired and take action, I went to my local market on a Saturday morning, and it had closed for the season. Was it a sign?? Am I destined to forever eat canned soup and take out? No! It's time to get seriously motivated.

So I've decided to move forward with the cooking (and baking) projects. I'll start out with one meal a week and work my way up. Hey, I know this sounds simple to most people, but this is going to be a challenge for me! I will investigate local farms that might have a produce stand open in the winter, shop at my local co-op, and look for local/ organic and US grown fruits and veggies.

Okay, my first project, as the holiday season approaches, is to bake a pumpkin pie! Here are the steps and recipe to make quite possibly the best pumpkin pie… EVER.

1. Purchase a pumpkin from a local farm (or your co-op) and prep it the night before.
2. Wash it, cut it in half, and scoop out the inside (I separated the seeds and baked them for a little snack).
3. Fill a pan with about 2 inches of water and place both halves of the pumpkin face down.
4. With the oven preheated to 350, bake the pumpkin for about an hour (until soft).
5. Once it is slightly cooled, scoop out the inside and place in a colander to drain overnight in your fridge (compost the pumpkin remnants if possible).

Next day.

We are going to make the crust first. You will need:

• 1 cup flour (I bought mine from a local flour company)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1Tbsp canola oil
• 2-2.5 Tbsp water
• Two pieces of wax paper
• Rolling pin
• Plate

1. Combine your dry ingredients. Add oil. Mix evenly with a fork.
2. Add water slowly. I used all of it, but you may find that the consistency is fine with less.
3. Roll the dough into one big ball with your hands and place on a piece of wax paper.
4. Place the other piece of wax paper on top and press the dough flat with a plate.
5. Roll out the dough, evenly, into a large circle.
6. Take off the wax paper and place it in a pie pan (I used a ceramic pan to reduce waste).
7. Hand crimp the crust -this is my favorite part

Preheat the oven to 425.

Next step is adding all the ingredients. I purchased my spices from our local co-op in the bulk bins. I brought my own containers so that I didn't have to use and throw out a bunch of small plastic bags (sometimes they give you a discount too).

Puree the pumpkin (with a mixer or with a food processor) and measure out 1.5-2cups. Then add:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp cloves
• 2 eggs (local, happy chickens!)
• 1 can evaporated milk

Mix everything together and pour into your pie pan. Fill to the top. Any leftover mix can be poured into smaller containers to bake. Pumpkin brulee?? Mmm.

Carefully put your pie in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 and then for 35 minutes at 350. To make sure it's done, you can move the pan. The pie should be firm. If you still aren't sure, you can poke it with a knife, it should come out pretty clean.

And presto! A beautiful and delicious pie to be enjoyed by you, your family, and friends.