Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 436

Do You Can (or Pickle)?

A slew of canning and pickling books have hit my desk in anticipation of summer and in spite of myself, I'm starting to think I may try my hand at it this year. It helps, of course, that Allie, RS's food director, swears that it is super simple to do. (Two summers ago she and her husband pickled jars of colorful peppers and gave them to everyone for the holidays—adorable and delicious.)

Pushing me over the edge into canning territory is the new Ball Canning Discovery Kit. For $12.50 you get ...

Jeanette Farrier Bringing Style Home on Gilt Today @ Noon

It's no secret that I love a deal and one of my favorite sites for a "Wowza!" deal is Gilt! Not only can you buy designer clothes (women's and men's), but the site also offers discounts on travel...beauty...and home decor.

Speaking of fabulous items on-the-steal for your home, Jeanette Farrier (one of my favorite textile designers) is hosting a sale on Gilt Home TODAY @ noon. 

Her one-of-a-kind Kantha quilts and cushions, who's chic devotees include designers John Derian and Bunny Williams...

How Do You Go on Living If You Can No Longer Eat Like a Horse?

Last year, when Julie and Julia came out, I read an interview with Nora Ephron in The New Yorker. The interview was entertaining on a number of levels (she is very funny, after all), but the only thing I remember from it was her remark that all of her friends—women of a certain age, with a certain sort of horrifyingly slow metabolism—ate very little, and how awful and depressing that was. Oh, how sad, I thought in my smug, much-younger way. I'm so glad I can still eat like a horse.

You see...

Two New D.I.Y. Blog Faves

I love a good D.I.Y. project. So when I find a blog that consistently has inventive and inspiring projects, I subscribe to their RSS feed ASAP. I've found two new favorites recently, Dollar Store Crafts and P.S. I Made This. They both have projects that are easy to do no matter your skill level and inexpensive to make (double bonus!).

Here are two recent projects that caught my eye:

Make a Blingy Chandelier from Dollar Store Crafts

With a handful of hanging fruit baskets, spray paint, beads, ...

Watermark Wallcoverings

My friend Michelle sent me a link to Watermark Wallcoverings that she saw on D*S recently and I thought I'd share them here. California artist and designer Taylor John Kincaid hand paints each panel treating each sheet of wallpaper as an individual piece of art. His meticulous work is inspiring and beautiful.

Having earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from Sonoma State University and growing up as the son of a wallpaper hanger, Kincaid's experience installing wallpaper helped him to...

What Does Money Mean to You?

Barclay's Wealth, the London-based investment management firm, released a survey earlier this week of 2,000 affluent investors from 20 countries. Barclay's polled them on their outlook for the economy, but also their definition of wealth. What does money mean to them? You might be surprised by the answers.

Robert Frank, the wealth columnist for The Wall Street Journal, summed up the results in several categories. A few highlights:

Money = Respect: Nearly half of Asians and Latin Americans said...

The Gardening Community

Each Tuesday in May we will have a guest post from Jessie Atchison, brand manager for Burpee Home Gardens, about how to start your own vegetable garden.

Today's home and neighborhood gardens are growing more than just vegetables; they're also fostering a sense of community as new and veteran gardeners share their experiences with others. And those gardens are nourishing our communities in a variety of other ways:

Planned and excess vegetable yields are contributed to local food pantries for...

Are you tracking the oil spill?

As I write this, I'm watching ABC News coverage of the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to reports, it is estimated that as many as 85 million gallons of oil have spilled into the Gulf (for perspective, the Exxon Valdez spill involved 10.8 million gallons) and the oil continues to flow.

Sitting here in Massachusetts, it's hard to get perspective on the impact of the spill – but I'm trying to stay connected using some of these online tools:

New York Times - Oil Spill...

House Rules: Sections Seven through Nine

Hi again, Bookies! I thoroughly enjoyed your comments in last week's discussion, and after reading sections 7, 8, and 9, it's becoming clear that many of your hunches are right on. While we still don't have the full picture, it's quite clear that Theo was involved (in some way) in Jess's final hours, and that Jacob attempted to "cover up" for his brother. We've got quite the intuitive book club going here! Many of you think Jess's death was the result of a slip-and-fall kind of accident, and ...

Pillows by Marianne van Ooij

Industrial designer Marianne van Ooij told me about her new collection of silkscreened pillows recently and I thought I'd share them since they're a bit different from the more trendy items on the market today. It's fun to see what independent designers come up with and often it's refreshing to see something less mainstream, isn't it?

Marianne van Ooij is a Dutch designer living in Brooklyn who works in a variety of disciplines from textiles to furniture design - she is best known for her