christab's Profile

I have those ikea stools. The wood finish is beginning to look a little rough, though. Did they paint theirs white? If so, I may give that a try.

Check with your local community garden! Only a handful of NYC green markets accept compost, but there are community gardens everywhere. If they're affiliated with Project Greenthumb (part of the NYC Parks Dept.) they have to have their gardens open to the public for so many hours a week. If they have a compost heap (and almost all do) they would love your scraps.

Between tips I keep my scraps in a plastic bag or tupperware container in my fridge.

I want that dog painting.

Regarding bulk shopping in Europe: I remember going to a bulk Costo-esque store in Belgium when my parents lived over there. Can't remember the name, but I do remember being really surprised that they had stores like that in Europe. One of my dad's coworkers would drive up to Holland to bulk shop there because the prices where cheaper than in Belgium.

I live in a tiny NYC studio and never considered buying in bulk until one day last summer when I entered BJs for the first time. The community garden was hosting a bbq and I went with another member to BJs for supplies. Everyday stuff is really so much cheaper. Three sticks of deodorant for the price I pay for one at Duane Reade! A six month supply of toilet paper for $10! A year's supply of the generic for the allergy medicine I take for $15! The savings in money and time have been totally worth it.

But there's that pesky storage problem. I've somehow made it work. I have toilet paper stashed under my dresser. A giant bag of Iams cat food in the one cabinet the cat can't open. I really like the idea of the shelf above the bathroom door. I may have to try that out. I also tend to buy smaller items in bulk - like Ibuprofin or deodorant - so it doesn't take up much space to begin with. But, most importantly, I exercise restraint. Yes, something may be a great savings, but if it's not something I'll use frequently, it's not worth buying - in normal amounts or in bulk.

The Malcolm Shabazz Market on 116th & Lenox Ave in Harlem houses quite a few merchants selling fabrics from Africa. I believe there is one stand that just sells mud cloth. These merchants sell clothes and accessories they've made or you can buy fabric by the yard for your own projects. If I only had a sewing machine...

Ah! The first time I've known someone on an AT house tour. Lovely people, lovely apartment.

I have a snake plant under one side of my sink - between the sink and the bathtub like in this photo. I love it. It hides the cleaning products I wanted to stash by the sink and it adds some green and life into an otherwise sterile-looking space. Snake plants don't need much sun. They do very well in low light environments. The tips never poke me when I used the sink and I don't stub my toes on the pot. No men pee on it. If it gets a little dusty, I stick it in the shower and let the water run over it for a few minutes (something houseplants love). Both my previous cat and my current cat ignore it. I also have a vining plant in the shower and it's healthy and happy.

Some people like incorporating plants into their decorating, others don't. That's what this really comes down to. The arguments against that many have made just don't hold true, at least not to someone who actually had tried it. I think this is a great way to bring houseplants into a space where they traditionally aren't.

Great advice. I'm starting my second year at a community garden in my neighborhood. Last year, through lots of trial and error, I learned what would grow in my space and what wouldn't. This year, I'm focusing on the things that did well and some more unusual varieties of veggies and herbs. I started some peas and spinach a few weeks ago. I can't wait to see how the lemon cucumbers do.

But, watering would be so much easier if the powers that be at the garden turned on the water. (They've been turned off all winter to keep the pipes and hoses from freezing.) Hauling gallons of water across Harlem has not been easy. I hope this warm spell leads them to turn the taps on.

I was going to ask about gluten free flours too! I will have to give this a try because gluten-free crackers are ridiculously expensive.