DIY Madness--Seder Plate

I promised you a late post tonight, but I didn't think it would be this late! Anyhow, I've spent the last few days cooking tirelessly for what I hope will be a beautiful Passover Seder tomorrow, and it occurred to me early on that I couldn't cook up some specific Passover essentials--namely, the Seder Plate and Elijah's Cup. One of those is being solved in a comical way (who said Elijah can't drink out of a Tiki Cup?) but the other required a real simple DIY project.


Cut up a cardboard box, wrap it in some foil, and glue on some cutouts, and you've got a basic Seder Plate. The aluminum tart trays finish it off at a mere $0.29 apiece, and I'm pretty happy with the final product, even if it reminds me of a grade school project!

DIY Project -- Fanciful Modern Chandelier

I'm surprised that I somehow managed to miss this in last week's issue of Time Out New York, but I'm almost glad I did (this week's letters to the editors had some crucial clarification on the project!).


Either way, this funky chandelier made entirely out of splitters is a great project that likely costs peanuts (I mean, really, peanuts can even be kind of expensive these days. Is it an apt metaphor?). I'm going to go the extra mile to say that this project costs ramen. How about that? And it looks damn cool too. I'm envisioning it over a Eames chair in a comfy corner devoted to late-night reading, or the breakfast nook in my dream kitchen with tons of white and colorful accents. I think I've told you about it before?


Here's the finished product, and for the steps, click here. That letter to the editor asked about the light bulbs you'd want to use, and the important answer is eight-watters. They create that signature hazy glow. Love it!

Write Prettily, Be Happy.. Or Something Like That

It's Monday again, and when I'm lagging on sleep and wishing for an extra day to my weekend, I realize I should count my blessings: I'm a lucky gal being able to incorporate so much of what I love into my workday. I'm always advocating that people follow their gut and do what they love, and to get creative when your passions don't seem to be lucrative in any way. Jenna of the blog Love, Jenna is one of those kinds of people. I love pretty handwriting, but who on earth could think of ways to put that to creative, business-minded use? Well, Jenna did.



Look at these gorgeous images and check out her blog here. And, if you're in a pickle about turning your life around during this hideous economic crisis, think of me and Jenna and the rest of us who are finding ways to just do what we love--eat, write, write prettily, whatever. It's always possible.

DIY Madness--Custom Crayons!

This weekend, I took my own advice and tried out one of the ski resorts I budget found last week. With dinners out on either side of my daytrip and other miscellaneous expenses thrown into the mix, the lift tickets and rentals quickly became the most "budget" thing in sight. Exhausted, sore, and not yet ready to start another week, I decided to start the week on the right foot by bringing you a different kind of budget savvy-ness: a DIY project. It's been a while since we've had a good DIY project here on eatmywords, but this one is sure to please.



Now, you have to understand, I love coloring. For at least the last five years, I've always had a coloring book nearby in case I had a sudden craving for pretty colors. This project satisfies those kinds of needs--and gives lots of possibilities for how to do that. See, with a simple silicone tray (like the ones I used for shaping cheesecake bonbons a while back) and some old crayola colors, magic can happen! Just melt, pour, refrigerate, and repeat! Layor colors in rainbow order or gradations for a really pretty end product. Throw them in a mason jar with a ribbon and viola! -- a perfect gift for your artsy-fartsy or five-year-old-wannabe friends.

See a great photo step-by-step here! Ah, if only I could be a professional color-er...

DIY Madness--Shot Glass Menorah!

As I was gearing up for the onset of Chanukkah, I realized that I was lacking something very important... a menorah! I have tons and tons of candle-holding vessels around the apartment--at least 15 different votive holders, 2 pairs of very tall sculptural candle holders, Shabbat candle holders, you name it. But a menorah? That I was seriously lacking.

Committed to scrounging something up using a combination of the aforementioned vessels, I started counting up like kinds and figuring out what things I had eight of. With only six of any one kind at most, I knew I'd have to look elsewhere, when my gaze shifted to my tall shot glass collection (which, I swear, gets used mostly for egg cups. This reminds me that I need to buy egg cups). Eight votives in tow, I knew I had a solid foundation. A large inverted glass would serve as my shamash--the basics were covered.



But something seemed a little un-kosher about using shot glasses for religious purposes. Even though most Jewish holidays require some form of drinking or another, I set out to disguise my oh-so-college-appropriate contraption and make it, well, a little more grown up. Some scraps of wrapping paper, tape, and a piece of ribbon later, this is what came out.


The color choice could be tweaked for much cuter results--next year maybe I'll get double-sided wrap in dual tones! Ohhh, the possibilities...

Paper Blooms

I mentioned last week that TWB was coming in for a part 2 of our 4 year anniversary celebration. Why, you ask? Well, part 1 wasn't very festive. What with him being in med school and the date falling on a Tuesday and both of us being broke, we had lots of challenges to overcome. And apparently, they're easier to tackle in the city. And sometimes TWB needs an extra little push to do extra special things. Like this!



Now, for those of you who know him, making a paper rose with heart-shaped petals isn't the kind of thing that comes naturally to TWB. And this is why I love Martha Stewart. Linked here are the project instructions and materials, courtesy of the domestic diva herself. Look at how beautiful they look in a huge bouquet! If it weren't for the fact that I have the most perfect single bloom already, I'd be rushing to make a dozen of my own.

Hang Your Wine, and Drink It Too!

Aside from the usual job-hunting madness, internship training, and second-round interviews, today has been a particularly crafty day. After assembling my new desk, I began a project that will surely take a few days to reach completion. I've decided to paint a headboard onto my wall, and not just any plain-old headboard. After seeing this designer image on Design*Sponge, I felt totally inspired and up for the challenge.



Assuming it all goes according to plan, the instructions for a DIY designer headboard will appear here sometime next week.

However, the other big project of the day involved wine... isn't that the best kind of project? Always. But before we could drink any, we needed a place to put it. We ordered these wine racks from Target, and a few days later they're successfully on the wall.


And guess what--my new arm "muscles" totally compensated for the lack of a power drill for the anchors! Ahh, the sweet smell of success. Now to go enjoy the taste of it :)

DIY business card organizer--so necessary!

One thing I've learned about job hunting is that every person you meet along the way has a business card, and that those business cards are eventual tickets to success. After all, they hold all the contact info that editors just love to keep secret. With this pile of info, I've kept in touch with many of my interviewers, and some of them are finally letting me pitch my ideas and considering my work for their publications. It's nice to know that the many rejections haven't come along with dead ends.

But about those business cards. I've been trying to find a cheap and efficient way to organize my little stack, especially because I'd hate to lose them as I move this weekend. There's valuable information in there, and I need to protect it. Real Simple (a mag I *wish* was represented in my stack) proposes this cute idea: use a 3x5 photo album and stick two cards in each page. It fits in your purse, looks way cuter than a Rolodex, and gets the job done.


And just so y'all know--my internet won't be installed at the new place until next Wednesday, so eatmywords will take its first ever hiatus next Monday and Tuesday. Until then!