Author Archive
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Decorating and Furniture and How-To and Pets and Reuse and Storage on
12 July 2010, with 4 comments so far.
Ever since I saw Kim Johnson’s Ikea hacked kitty shelf I’ve wanted to make one of my own. The clever mod cuts an Ikea diaper changing table in half to create two wall shelves affixed to the wall.
With an Ikea gift card given as a wedding gift, I set out to make my own. Along the way, with the help of my sculptor father (who is a crafty carpenter, plumber, and general genius on the side), I made some adjustments to Kim’s original schematics. After the jump, how to make my version of Kim’s clever hack.
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Tags: cat shelf, ikea, ikea hack, wall shelf
Posted in Decorating, Furniture, How-To, Pets, Reuse, Storage | 4 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Gardening and Pets and Places and Reuse and Salvage on
7 July 2010, with 1 comment so far.
A tree grows in Brooklyn, and so does its flock of birds. If you live in New York, or plan to visit before the end of the year, take a special trip to Fort Greene, where you’ll find the Myrtle Avenue Bird Town.
The project, created by Jennifer Wong and Daniel Goers of Wongoers, includes a sanctuary of 50 birdhouses and feeders, designed by the couple and built by people in the community. The bird favela is meant to house and feed some of the boroughs native birds.
The avian accommodations, according to Wongoers, “express creative use of both natural, recycled, and found materials. Throughout the project experimental fabrication, detailed carpentry, and materials science were employed.”
The installation is located at the Northwest corner of Fort Greene Park (Myrtle Avenue & St. Edwards Street) as well as Person Park (Myrtle Avenue & Carlton Avenue). Just remember to look up!
I plan on checking these guys out in person in November — before heading over to Cake Man Raven’s for a slice of delicious red velvet cake — but if you can’t make it to New York to see these in person, check out Flickr user Atomische’s great snaps of each of the birdhouses in the collection. After the jump, some of my faves I’d love to reproduce… (more…)
Posted in Gardening, Pets, Places, Reuse, Salvage | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Color and Decorating and Lighting and Reuse on
5 July 2010, with 2 comments so far.
There’s nothing more romantic than a outdoor dinner by candlelight. Since patio tables can get filled quickly with plates, bottles of beer, and accouterments, you may find yourself wondering where to place your mood lighting. Well, here’s a great DIY project from the folks at CalFinder.
Their project turns an empty wine bottle into a wall mounted sconce, using pieces you can easily find at your local hardware store. Use citronella Tiki torch oil and you’ve got a DIY bug repellent that’s stylish to boot.
[Image: CalFinder]
Tags: bbq, candle, citronella, diy lighting, garden, outdoor, outdoor lighting, tiki, torch, yard
Posted in Color, Decorating, Lighting, Reuse | 2 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Furniture and Pets and Storage on
1 July 2010, with 3 comments so far.
Litter boxes; the one major drawback to living with cats. Not only do they hold stinky presents, but they tend to be pretty unsightly. In recent years there have been some design improvements but even with a good looking crapper, do you really want to see the soiled litter within? It’s the equivalent of keeping the toilet seat up. Why look at it if you don’t have to?
Through Shelterrific I found this rad litter box hideaway. What makes Out of Sight more than just a box hiding a litter box is that it also helps keep litter from tracking all over your home. An Astro-turf style carpet both on the second floor, where the litter box is, and the first floor entrance, catch loose kernels from your cat’s feet.
The box is made of 1/2 inch thick panels of high grade plastic coat melamine. All the edges are “edge banded,” which seals them from absorbing litter box misses. The back panel is coated as well, and features ventilation holes. The Out of Sight Litter Box sells for $170 to $190 depending on the finish you get and doesn’t include an actual litter box. You can fit most trays (up to 19 x 16 inch) within, though Out of Sight also sells its own high wall box for $45.
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Tags: hidden litter box, hide a litter box, litter box, out of sight litter box
Posted in Furniture, Pets, Storage | 3 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Furniture and Gardening and Pets on
29 June 2010, with no comments so far.
Dogs love being outside. If you’re lucky enough to have a fenced yard your pup can frolic in you probably already know how important it is to have a place where your dog can retreat from the sun. A shady tree can do, but if a dog house is in order, you probably don’t want just anything sitting amongst your flower beds and vegetable garden.
Sustainable Pet Designs’ beautiful green roof dog homes are a gorgeous addition if you have the money to spend on one of these custom designed homes, but if you don’t, check out David Neighbor’s prefab Architectura dog house.
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Tags: dog house, frank lloyd wright, modern dog, prefab
Posted in Furniture, Gardening, Pets | No Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
18 June 2010, with no comments so far.
If you ever need a pick me up, I highly recommend perusing the Etsy shops of xmoonbloom and scooterKnits. While I don’t think my cats would ever allow themselves to be adorned with these adorable knitted hats (without ripping me to shreds that is) I find myself regularly visiting both sites to see what adorableness these crafters have not only made, but photographed atop little kitty and puppy heads.
Below, each xmoonbloom and scooterKnits take on the rabbit hat. A few other knitter winners after the jump!
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Tags: cat costumes, cat hats, dog costumes, dog hats, etsy, knit hats, knits, knitting, pet hats, scooterKnits, xmoonbloom
Posted in Pets | No Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to office on
15 June 2010, with no comments so far.
Back in December I got hitched. One of the best parts of getting married (besides, you know, the whole finding your soul mate thing) are the gifts! One of the worst parts: sending out dozens of handwritten thank you cards. One way my husband and I got around painful hand cramps was to use one of our vintage typewriters to punch out personal cards. People really enjoyed them and, thankfully, didn’t feel short-changed by our lack of cursive.
One place our note card receivers did get to see my awful handwriting was on the envelopes. I hand wrote each address and return address rather than using our typewriter, because, well we’re trying to stretch out our obsolete typewriter’s ink ribbon as long as possible. But, the next time we have to send out a slew of thank you cards, I may get one of Primele’s custom-made return address stamps!
These red-rubber stamps feature name and address info, beautifully written out using a delicate typeface that easily looks like it was painstakingly inked out by hand. While $35 may seem a little expensive for a stamp, I think it’s a much prettier alternative than those free return address labels I get from Amnesty International. Plus, those stickers can really cheapen the letterpress cards you just spent a bundle on!
[via Oh So Beautiful Paper]
Tags: etsy, handwritten cards, return address, stamp, stationary, thank you cards
Posted in office | No Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Kitchen and Pets and Storage on
2 June 2010, with 6 comments so far.
Kim Johnson blogs about home décor for Desire to Inspire. Every day her posts are filled with photos of enviable interiors, many of which can be found within her impeccable Ottawa, Canada home. And while each room within her 926 square foot pad is a study in beauty, it’s the fact that Kim shares her space with 9 cats (and her fiancé!) that’s really impressive.
With so much fur flying, Kim’s home could have easily ended up looking like a PetCo cat aisle, but instead she’s brilliantly figured out how to incorporate living with cats with living in style.
One of the ingenious additions she added when she remodeled her kitchen is a secret floor hatch that leads her felines to the little kitty room.
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Tags: desire to inspire, hatch, hidden litter box, litter box
Posted in Kitchen, Pets, Storage | 6 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
17 May 2010, with 1 comment so far.
Have you ever spent a ton of money (or time) on a cat scratcher only to have your felines poo poo the new item? Major bummer. Don’t fret though, it’s all about figuring out what your kitty’s preferred material to rip up is.
Look around the house and take note of what your cat particularly enjoys shredding—the couch, cardboard boxes, wooden bookcases, etc. From there you’ll know what they like sinking their nails into and can buy or make the appropriate alternative.
If your cat likes fabric, I recommend getting them something made of either sisal rope or carpeting. If they like chewing or scratching moving boxes or packaging, throw down on a lounger made of sandwiched cardboard. But if you notice your cat particularly likes to dig into wooden furniture, consider buying a cat post made of lumber to satiate their needs.
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Tags: cat, cat scratcher, cats, cedar, natural scratch, scratching post, wood scratcher
Posted in Pets | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
10 May 2010, with 8 comments so far.
Julie Eakin is a Detroit native who, last year, signed up her three-year-old pup to walk in the dog parade that wags through her mom’s small Michigan town. When the local library heard, they quickly reserved Eakin’s dog to represent them in the procession.
To properly embody the reading center, Eakin, who trained as an architect, made her dog Finn an Elizabethan collar out of old books. “The collar is one item in a series of artifacts I’m making called Bookish,” Eakin told ReadyMade. “It’s based on a Rembrandt portrait called ‘The Scholar.’ I call it the Scholar Collar.”
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Tags: costume, diy, e-collar, ecollar, elizabethan collar, Julie Eakin, mario batali, michigan, northport, pet costume
Posted in Pets | 8 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Gardening and Reuse and Salvage on
28 April 2010, with 1 comment so far.
Unfortunately, as a home owner there are times when you have to cut down a tree. Whether it’s disease, roots battling for space with underground plumbing, or the simple desire to bring more light into your home, that evergreen just has got to go. So, is there a way to honor that retired perennial, while still making room? I recently saw this solution in the front yard of a home here in Pacific Grove, CA and thought it was pure genius. (more…)
Tags: california, containers, front yard, pacific grove, pine tree, planters, repurpose, second life, stump, tree, tree stump
Posted in Gardening, Reuse, Salvage | 1 Comment »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Decorating and Pets on
26 April 2010, with no comments so far.
Since work is where many of the stresses of the day reside, I try to include items in my home office that both inspire me and put a smile on my face when things aren’t going according to plan. One of the easiest (and safest) anti-anxiety meds, in my opinion, is a sweet desktop image that can brighten up your day with a few clicks of your mouse.
Obviously, being the pet lover that I am, I’m a big fan of rad images of kitties, puppies, bunnies, or anything else for that matter that makes me go, awwww. While there’s nothing wrong with saccharin filled animal snapshots found on Hallmark cards and Cute Overload, there’s something much more interesting when people use animal imagery in creative ways, where the animal is the inspiration rather than simply the subject. Frankie magazine is a fantastic fashion magazine based out of Australia. And while many of us can’t afford to pay the international rates to read every issue, there’s certainly no excuse not to check out their free desktop wallpapers.
Of course, some of my favorite images the mag offers involve cats and dogs, but these aren’t your standard fare of feline and canine artworks. The images range from crafty to artsy, but never cheesy. You can check out my faves after the jump and you can download your preferred flavor via Frankie. Do you have a favorite place to find wallpapers? (more…)
Tags: cat photography, cats, desktop wallpaper, dog photography, dogs, frankie magazine, wallpaper
Posted in Decorating, Pets | No Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
16 April 2010, with 3 comments so far.
Holy moly! If you haven’t seen these amazing sustainable dog houses your knees will probably go weak as mine just did.
Sustainable Pet Design custom-builds dog houses in which you select the style, color and plants to be included. Plants? Yes, plants. Atop each Greenrrroof Animal House is a mini landscape made from native plants. As many of you already know, green roofs used within human architecture provide insulation, filter runoff water, and filter dust and particulate matter for cleaner air. Living roofs have the exact same benefits when used on dog houses, which can often get too chilly or too stuffy for your pup.
Greenrrroof dog houses are made from naturally rot resistant, untreated red cedar planks, which are finished with zero-VOC lacquer. The company also occasionally uses reclaimed wood for some of its designs. Recycled woods are coated with a zero-VOC sealant that prevents toxins from off-gassing. The roof is waterproofed using beeswax, after which a 1-inch deep gravel drainage layer is installed, then a geotextile fabric, 2-inch deep planting medium, and finally your plants. The company even installs bamboo pipes that direct clean runoff water into your pet’s dish.
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Tags: animals, dog house, dogs, green roof, greenrrroof, living roof, Pets, sustainable, sustainable pet design
Posted in Pets | 3 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
12 April 2010, with 3 comments so far.
While this little project turned out to be an April Fool’s joke, I still think it’s adorable and wanted to share. Care, who blogs for Obsessively Stitching, made these kitty leg warmers from a pair of socks. She gives all the instructions over on the site. I think my little Gizmo would look quite fashionable in a pair of these.
Tags: cat, cat crafts, diy, funny, leg warmers, sewing
Posted in Pets | 3 Comments »
Posted by Sonia Zjawinski to Pets on
9 April 2010, with 1 comment so far.
Now, I know keeping rodents in the house can be a touchy subject for some, but rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits all make great pets. They do, however, require different types of supplies than, say, your average cat or dog. Many people, unhappy with the rodent habitats available in pet stores, have gone the ReadyMade route, repurposing one piece of furniture for another use. In this case it’s turning an old TV stand into a rat ranch. Well, maybe not ranch, since it’s on the small size, but you get the point.
Instructables user TimBTodd took a TV stand he scored at a flea market for $5 and built a screen door for it that latches closed. I love the idea of repurposing old furniture as clever pet habitats. It makes the whole chore of replacing bedding or sweeping out mini turds a bit more bearable when you have a cute DIY project to clean it all out from.
Tags: cage, habitat, rat, readymade, repurpose, rodent, tv stand
Posted in Pets | 1 Comment »
