Wanting something outside of my price range makes me sad.
Granted there are more important issues in the world — world hunger and peace and all of that — but I don’t like feeling beholden to expensive price tags.
And with a basic knowledge of sewing, power tools and hot glue — not to mention Pinterest – anything is possible, right?
So when I started thinking about plans for my sunroom/office/craftroom, I decided I wanted accordion lights above my desk and sewing table. They look industrial awesome, and I can move them around and direct the light where I need it. Plus, having them attached to the wall frees up valuable work space.
But most of the sconces I saw were in the high double digits or triple digits, so “want” quickly turned into “invention.”
I headed to the best place to find utilitarian, inexpensive bits and pieces with a certain minimalist charm: IKEA.
And the most gratifying part of this whole project, besides how it turned out: It took less than 10 minutes and cost $15.
Here is my inspiration — the images that have swirled around in my little home design dreams. (And, yes, I have those.)
I had seen this tutorial on Poppytalk, but wanted something all silver. Manhattan Nest also has a similar project, which is why I’ve named this project “another Frack hack.” So check those out too.
But I digress.
I have exciting news to share! I and Julee from D.I.Y. Louisville have been working to create a new group in Louisville — the aptly-named Louisville Bloggers.
And our first-ever meet-up will be from 6 to 9 p.m. June 13 at The Hanger, a chic store owned by Louisville Bloggers member Amanda Hinds. Light refreshments, door prizes and swag bags are in the mix.
If you’d like to attend, please RSVP on the Facebook event page or e-mail me at emily(at)theemdash.com or Julee at diylouisville(at)gmail.com.
We have a closed Facebook group that all Louisville-area bloggers are encouraged to join, and please “like” our public page, where we hope to share posts from our members.
Working together, we can learn about each other’s blogs, network and help each of us gain more exposure and skills. The hope is that we will connect via Facebook as well as through events, meet-ups and special training opportunities, where we’ll bring in experts in photography, SEO, web design, etc. Suggestions are very much expected!
I whipped up this little graphic to promote the upcoming meet and greet.
Do you like it?
Well it was made with the brand-spanking-new A Beautiful Mess iPhone app, which was created by two awesome blogesses, sisters Elsie and Emma. (The app is not available on Android devices yet.)
One of the most eek! moments I’ve had so far since I’ve started this blog — eek! good, not eek! bad — was when one of my fave blogs, Damask Love, referenced something she had seen on this little site.
And not just reference it, but make something from it!
Eek!
Now that I’m getting back to the normally-scheduled programming — post–Derby, post–Buy Local Fair — I wanted to share this and hope you’ll pop over to Damask Love as well.
Amber, from Damask Love, saw a poem that I had on my “Building a maker movement” post.
The poem is from an early 20th century children’s book, and Dale Dougherty — founder of Maker Media and Make Magazine, as well as a Louisville native — referenced it when he spoke at the Louisville Free Public Library earlier this year.
Sorry for not posting much this week, but I’ve been getting things ready for … drumroll, please … the Buy Local Fair!
I’ve been looking forward to this event for a while. It’s a one-day celebration of all things Louisville local.
I’m so happy to be included in it.
There will be a craft beer tent, food, kids activities, cooking competition, entertainment and more than 150 booths selling jewelry, clothes, knick knacks, antiques, home goods, art and beauty products, not to mention a particular booth with an assortment of pillows, scarves, linen napkins and other wonderful things that I hear is worth checking out (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
There’s a moment after Derby — after thinking about it so much over the past few weeks — that it feels weird that it’s over.
But then I realize that the end of Derby means the beginning of warm weather and all that comes with it.
Summer is my favorite season.
But before I get too far, here’s a wrap-up of Derby, and unlike the race, this might take longer than two minutes.
On Derby Eve, I got to cover the Julep Ball — taking a departure from local government and schools to cover the red carpet — and I got to interview two of my favorite people from reality TV: Carson Kressley from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and Christian Siriano from “Project Runway.”
Both were very friendly and dapper, as you would expect.
OK, now I’m officially excited.
Louisville is in full Kentucky Derby swing, and I kicked off my festivities with Niel at the Pimento Cheese Social at the Farmington Historic Plantation Wednesday night.
Farmington was built in the early 1800s and was the home of the Speeds, who hosted the future President Abraham Lincoln for three weeks in 1841, then almost 20 years from the White House.
The estate holds historic buildings, and this impressive cabin was added last year.
And amid the history and manicured grounds were guests dressed in their best. The people-watching was almost as good as the scenery, and on top of that there were treats, goods and bourbon.
Oh, the bourbon.
This is quickly turning into seven days of Derby on the blog, and to help get you in the mood even more, I have both home decor and literary pleasures to share.
Kentucky for Kentucky just came out with this print of Hunter S. Thompson’s famous essay on the 1970 Kentucky Derby, “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,” as told through jockeys’ silks.
The infographic was created by Rachael Sinclair. It’s hard to pick one of the silks as my favorite, though I think I would put my money on Colonel Sanders, Staggering Drunk and Weep No More My Lady.
Thompson, who grew up in the Highlands of Louisville, came back to his hometown to report on the big event, and he put his signature, far-out, exaggeration-to-get-to-the-truth spin on it.
The essay is held up as the first instance of gonzo journalism — the style of first-person journalism Thompson popularized.
The Kentucky Derby reminds me of Christmas in a way.
It has a lengthy menu that is wholly its own. And the uniqueness of the dishes also means that memories easily get attached to them.
I remember my first mint julep at Churchill Downs and the first time I tried to make one on my own. I once attempted bourbon balls, which had way too much bourbon in them — not a bad thing perhaps.
And I made a Derby pie for the first time when I was living in California and attempted to host a Derby party on my own.
For those who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying a slice, Derby pie is a gooey chocolate pecan pie with a bit of bourbon. It just always hits the spot in May.
Pie, though, can be less than accessible. You can’t take a pie from party to party, and you may not want to leave a pie and a knife on a table at work for people to dig into.
Pies aren’t casual. Sometimes you need casual.
So I’ve attempted to take the best parts of the pie and put them in cookie form.
I borrowed parts of several cookie recipes to come up with this concoction.
The cookie part is double chocolate chip, and the filling carries a hint of bourbon. (Or more than a hint if you so desire.)
The Kentucky Derby might be focused on a horse race, but to me, Derby is about so much more.
Louisville gets all spiffy, with annual events ticking off the days until the big one. The whole city drips in pride and tradition. The River City is flooded with visitors, of fame big(ish) and small.
Much more than potato skins and buffalo wings, Derby comes with its own menu: benedictine, pimento cheese, hot browns, Derby pie, burgoo and the mighty mint julep.
And the fashion. Oh, the fashion.
Guys in seersucker and bow ties. Gals in the freshest of spring dresses.
And my favorite accessory of all time: the Derby hat. It takes a special event in which colorful, voluptuous hats wider than your shoulders are considered the dress code. Nay, the style supreme.
Today, Niel and I undertook my favorite shopping trip of the year: the search for this year’s hat. And I did not come away empty-handed.
It’s become tradition where Niel buys my hat every year, and my colorful toppers from the past four Derbies hang on our bedroom wall … kind of like taxidermied animal heads.
And I have to admit that I look forward to wearing my new hat just as much as I look forward to seeing it on my wall following the first Saturday in May.
Is it weird that the balance of color on my wall plays into my decision of what hat to buy? Of course not!
Fashion turned home decor — you can’t beat it.
Niel’s mom was in town Saturday, and she was in need of a concrete goose.
This meant that we got to travel to a place I’ve always wanted to go to after passing it on the interstate a bajillion times: The Concrete Lady.
The Concrete Lady boasts “the largest variety of concrete statuary in the United States.” We went to the Jeffersonville location of The Concrete Lady, which can be seen from Interstate 65.
I don’t have a yard or really a need for a concrete tiki statue or cowgirl, but there’s something about a property full of stone replicas of oddly specific objects that makes me instantly intrigued.
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