Home(keeping) For The Holidays

Tis the season, my few but mighty readers, to enjoy the company of our friends and loved ones in the privacy and comfort of our homes, apartments, condos, lean-tos, igloos, yurts and teepees.
The urge to entertain is strong among some of us and I, for one, get that urge MIGHTY bad at this time of year. The only problem is that this season is jam-packed with lots of other things too so the prep time to have friends to the apartment is scarce so I have a few helpful hints to help you connect with that fantastic entertainer inside you just bursting to get out and spread holiday cheer.

Ready? Here we go....

•  Remember that a clean house is not just for guests. And clean doesn't mean surgical scrub nurse clean. All it means is that things are picked up and put away and there isn't a mound of dirty clothes in the hall or dishes in the sink. The basics of "clean as you go" come in very handy here. Also, keep in mind that the rooms are going to be filled with revelers so no one is going to notice that tiny stain near the chair leg or that smudge on the coffee table so don't drive yourself nuts. There are limits and the party is for YOU too!
• Take out a saucepan. Fill it with a mixture of one part apple juice or cider, one part orange juice and three parts water. Now, get yourself a coffee filter and some dental floss - yes, dental floss.    In the coffee filter make a little mound of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, whole or ground allspice, and ground nutmeg. You can even add a dash of vanilla and almond extract.       Next, twist the coffee filter into a little bag and tie tightly with the dental floss. Toss it into the saucepan  and set to simmer. Don't let the liquid boil away. Once it starts to smell fantastic and before your guests arrive, take the pot off the stove and walk around the house with it letting the scent waft around. Instant potpourri from stuff you had in your spice cabinet!
• You are not feeding and watering a third world country here. Something to think about when you're planning what to serve is that most people who were raised right (and why wouldn't YOUR friends be in that group?) would never dream of going anywhere empty handed so there might be more wine or spirits or food than you could possibly use. DON'T over-serve.
• What you DO serve should be house friendly. If you value your home you might consider not serving anything difficult to negotiate while carrying a glass. I love hot wings but the carpet is not too fond of them....just sayin'. There are a lot of finger foods that are tasty as well as neat and tidy. If you serve red wine, just make sure there's white as well - to help inevitable stains.
• YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH ICE!
• A very important entertaining tip...You are NOT Martha Stewart. Well unless, for some strange reason Martha is reading my blog, then you, Martha, can back me up on this...not all of us can afford the same extravagances that the more well-to-do can and do. But that doesn't mean that your decor can't be beautiful, exciting and impressive. You just need to know where to shop and what to do to cut the cost without cutting the visual impact. Did you know that they make plastic flatware that looks like stainless? I KNOW! Cool, huh? And they also have plastic plates that have the same look as those beautiful white banquet dishes with the silver or gold edges. They're washable, reusable and pretty darned good looking for a buffet or cocktail party.
• Things don't have to be expensive. Ever heard that saying, "It's the thought that counts."?           It's really true. If you put thought into what you do before you do it you can make it a truly spectacular celebration without breaking the bank.

If you have any specific questions about what to do or where to buy things, please don't hesitate to contact me. Leave a comment and/or a question and I promise I'll answer. Between us, we can have some amazing and wonderful parties this season and many more to come!  Have fun!!!

A Holiday Wish

A Very Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Enjoy your friends, your family, your food and take a moment to 
remember how fortunate we all are to be sharing in this
world of possibility.

Steven's Adventures In Holidayland

Hello everyone out in Blogland.
The holidays are on us now like beige on uncooked quinoa, white on rice, cat hair on...well...everything we own. But I'm not discouraged - far from it.
You know why? Because, except for our second (legal in the state of Connecticut) anniversary on December 28th - not to be confused with the twenty-eighth (actual) anniversary that we celebrate on December 25th (I know...VERY confusing), Jae and I tend to keep our holiday gift giving to a minimum.
And, except for a holiday open house that usually happens on Christmas Day, we tend to be frugal gift givers and prefer to give all our friends of our hospitality and good cheer by going all out for said gathering. Meaning? SHOPPING OVER! Buying, not so much, but the choosing of perfect gifts is taken care of and now I get to plan the menu for the open house instead of worrying about silly things like gifting. Let me know if you can come!

My mother, may she rest peacefully, had a saying about me - "Ain't nothing like a nice Jewish boy making pretty for Christmas!"
She truly enjoyed watching me decorate Jae's and my home(s) for the holiday season. I've always said that it was for my husband's benefit - ours is a mixed marriage - but to be completely honest and above board SHHHH...he couldn't care less! Sure, he likes the house to look festive but couldn't give a fig how it gets that way.
I think its like a lot of things in our relationship over the years. He's been brilliant enough to "become" inept at certain things like cooking, designing, laundry, sewing and the like so that his controlling and energetic husband will take over so "it can be done right". What a fool I've been. It's okay...I love it and he is my biggest fan.

One of my favorite stories is about the year that I was on the national tour of Phantom of the Opera and Jae was hired to join us in New Orleans to work as a dresser for our stay which encompassed Christmas and New Year's that year. YES! A dresser. He had actually worked as a dresser when we lived in Chicago and had been the dresser of Rudolf Nureyev whenever he would come to town. Dressers SEW. Let it go, Steven, let it go.
Well, before Jae left New York he pre-mailed a box of ornaments for the requisite tree that we would have in New Orleans. Our apartment there was HUGE and had eighteen foot ceilings, the box got lost in the mail and I bought a tree that was at least ten feet tall!

So, here's a little tip for all of you that get trees that are too big for what you have to put on it:

MESSIAH ORNAMENTS
What you need:
A musical score or a photocopy of the first page of the Hallelujah Chorus from G.F. Handel's Messiah
1 roll dark red (or green or red and green, brown...whatever) wired ribbon
Instructions:
Take your page to a local copy center and ask them to copy the music onto BOTH sides of about 30 - 40 sheets of natural color, parchment paper.

Go home and roll up these sheets from both short ends toward the middle in a scroll that looks like an "S"

Cut lengths of ribbon long enough to wrap around these scrolls and to make a decorative bow.
Now you have 30 - 40 new ornaments that you don't even have to hang on the tree; just stick them in among the branches!

You also have the option of tying bunches of cinnamon sticks together and attaching them to the tree. The 99 cent store usually has bags of them for sale - though, not around the holidays, go figure!
And of course, there are those old fragrant standbys, clove studded oranges. But I never stop there. Try studding lemons and limes as well; they are beautiful and smell amazing.

Now, I'm sure you have lots to do to prepare for the days ahead. Let me know if I can be of any help. I've got some amazing, yet inexpensive recipes that might wow your guests and families. If you need anything...just ask!

Thanks for stopping by!
- SSG

Pet Peeve Time

Howdy, Folks!

Today is Saturday. I love Saturdays for a number of reasons. Jae usually opens at the hotel on Saturdays so I get to sleep in a bit longer. I phone my daughter every Saturday morning which starts my day off with a smile. I rarely schedule students on the weekends if my schedule will allow it so that means sweats, a cup of coffee and a leisurely start to the day.....

BUT....it's also the day that I do most of the work around the house that I have been too busy (or, let's face it, lazy) to keep up with during the week. That also usually includes shopping for the kitchen staples for the week ahead. And THAT means going out and dealing with...PEOPLE.

Now, I've probably said this before but I feel very blessed to live where I do. I love our apartment and if I never had to leave here....well, let's just say I find our home to be a gigantic engraved invitation to agoraphobia!

ag·o·ra·pho·bi·a   /ˌægərəˈfoʊbiə/ Show Spelled[ag-er-uh-foh-bee-uh]–noun Psychiatry .n abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

It doesn't make me anxious, really. I would just rather not watch some of the stuff that goes on out there. I know I only have a few followers and that this blog is supposed to be about things that go on in the home for the most part but I have a little list of things I just don't want to see out on the streets of New York (or anywhere else for that matter) anymore.

1. I don't want to see mothers/nannies pushing strollers into oncoming traffic because they are on their cell phones and have forgotten (or never knew) the basics about personal space and paying attention to their surroundings.

2. I don't want to have to politely say, "excuse me" MORE THAN ONCE to exit onto my own floor from the back of an elevator. Nor do I care to elbow my way past people who have forgotten (or never knew) the basics about personal space and paying attention to their surroundings. Do you see a trend starting here?

3. I don't want to have to be stuck behind a chorus line of ladies of a certain age, blithely (and slowly) walking seven or eight abreast down the sidewalks of New York and taxing my resolve NOT to get up really close to them and screaming at the top of my formidable lungs, "RED ROVER, RED ROVER!" just so that those of us who live here and have places to be can get our daily chores and responsibilities taken care of.

4. I don't want to have to trip over someone who stops dead in their tracks, right in front of me on the street just to answer their cell phone or to start a new text message. We all have work to do. If you were in a car, my hope is that you'd pull over to do that kind of thing. Try using the same logic on the street and be aware of...um... the basics of personal space and your surroundings.

5. GIVE YOUR DAMNED SEAT TO SOMEONE ELDERLY, PHYSICALLY IMPAIRED OR JUST SOMEONE WHO LOOKS MORE IN NEED OF A PLACE TO SIT in the subway and on the bus. It's just common courtesy - which apparently isn't as common as one might imagine anymore. BOY, do I feel old when I say that!

There are others not listed here, of course, but I feel a rant coming on and no one likes to listen to (or read) a manifesto on manners. This is by no means a comprehensive list, by any stretch of the imagination, and please feel free to contact me with suggested additions and I will happily comply! Now, of course, it's off to do all the things that Saturdays demand.

I will be back on more constructive topics very soon. Thanks for listening!

-SSG

Gift Ideas - MORE Shameless Self Promotion!

 

Today's entry is about a little side business I started last year - as if I didn't have enough to keep myself busy...um...occupied...insane, YES, that's it! INSANE - but it's something that's near and dear to my heart.

For those who know me and Jae, my husband, you probably are aware of our passion for reading. Honestly, more Jae's than mine. He's voracious. I'm merely obsessed. Add this love of books to a love of design, a love of children and a love of clocks and this was destined to happen. Here is the mission statement that is included in my product:

With  Storytime™  Book Clocks I have found that a love for my favorite books from childhood, and a longing for the time to read them over and over and over again, have inspired me with the idea to re purpose books that are no longer readable while passing on the desire to read to a new generation.

I also offer some other options as well.

I can custom-make a clock for you using your favorite book or even search to find a title that you have always loved and create a one-of-a-kind timepiece from that volume as a gift for a friend or loved one, child or adult.

As with the books on display, the finished clocks are of variable prices, always taking into account the age and rarity of the book and the difficulty in the loving labor that is involved in its transformation.

I hope you enjoy these literary timepieces as much as I have enjoyed crafting them for you.

So, here are a few pictures of my clocks for you to peruse:

The House At Pooh Corner

GEOGRAPHY

Journeys in Distant Lands

(wall or stand)

The Children's Dickens

(wall or stand)

The Gorilla Hunters

The Wizard of Oz

Heidi

Fairy Tales

Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue

How Other Children Live

The Secret Garden

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

All of the clocks are quartz and run on one AA Battery (included) and every one is unique.

Please feel free to contact me at essessgee@aol.com and make sure to put the word Storytime in the subject to inquire about available titles and prices. Most all of the book clocks are in the range of $40 - $70 plus shipping.A wonderful gift for a baby shower, a child or for yourself.

Please tell me what you think about this unique product.

-SSG

One of my design projects...Shameless self promotion!

This information comes directly from my website, www.DaddysHomeInc.com

I am re-posting it here because it's so much easier to update things here so tell all your friends - especially those in need of design help.

How do we get the most out of the limited amount of space that we all seem to have?
Daddy’s Home, Inc. can help you overcome any of the storage and living space challenges you might have.

We will consult with you to determine what your personal needs are and offer suggestions that will make your home or workplace comfortable, organized and beautiful. Then, after those design decisions have been made, we can do the hands-on work to make them happen.
• Your home
• Our discerning eye
• Our workmanship
• Your new, comfortable, efficient environment

Steven Stein-Grainger

Steven has an eye for the beauty of his surroundings and an aptitude for the creation of order and aesthetic excellence where none existed before.

With a background, education and experience in interior design, theatre, costume and lighting design, he has found beauty in, and gathered inspiration from the environments in which we all choose to surround ourselves.

Being somewhat of a renaissance man, Steven has combined his design skills, his eye for space and balance and his abilities in hands-on work in upholstery, paint and color application and basic construction methods to give his clients the personalized attention that they and their spaces deserve.

Daddy’s Home, Inc. has become, for him, a rare opportunity to bring a level of comfort, beauty and order to many people that have needed a catalyst for their own creative instincts while providing them with guidance and ideas to make their homes and offices more efficient, more comfortable and more beautiful.

---

Services

Daddy’s Home, Inc. offers personalized services for any size dwelling; from the smallest studio apartment or office to entire homes.

• Interior Design
• Clutter Consultation
• Personal Shopping/Buying
• Floor Plan Consultation
• Custom Upholstery
• Custom Linens and Cushions
• Staging (To Resell Property)
• Organizational Implementation
• Handyman Services

Daddy’s Home, Inc. will work within your schedule and budget to solve the challenges that so many of us face in making – and keeping – our homes and work environments comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

Contact:

Daddy’s Home, Inc.
484 W. 43rd Street Suite 5Q
New York, NY 10036

917.209.5621

Client Testimonials:


Steven,
I want to thank you for taking my newly acquired apartment from bare walls to a thing of beauty. Everyone who has visited has complimented me (meaning you) on everything from the color scheme to the accents to the overall concept. And it is such a warm, gemuetlich environment to live in!
Thanks so much,

Doug Futuyma, Manhattan
Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution
State University of New York at Stony Brook

---

Steven did a great job of organizing my one bedroom apartment. He came up with creative ideas within my budget and was tremendous in putting a sense of order back into my life after a chaotic year.

Bruce G. Smith, LCSW, CI/CT
New York, NY

---

Steven,
I am forever grateful for the fact that you saved my tenuous sanity when I was dismantling my apartment for painting and then reassembling it! You may remember that in a halllucinatory moment I thought, as a 107 lb woman, that I could move everything myself; I called you in tears, and you really saved my life and my sanity. That time is coming around again and I will be in touch!
Thanks again for your hard work and your patience with me

Ilene
Ilene Miner, LCSW
New York, NY

---

Steven,
As a busy Photographer my life at home was chaos! I cant thank you enough for the re-design of my home/studio space. I can move around with ease, find what I'm looking for and enjoy coming home again.

Warmest Regards,
Thomas Bliss
Thomas Bliss Photography
IAAP AIA ASMP EP

RECENT PROJECTS:

This client purchased a one bedroom apartment in a classic prewar building on the Upper West Side of New York with the intent of having a pied a terre in the city for weekends and holidays. Already owning a home outside the city where he worked, he was interested in a chic, beautiful and new space so he needed EVERYTHING. We proceeded to provide him with all that was necessary from top to bottom.. all of the painting, renovations, color palette, furniture, artwork, housewares, window treatments, linens and accessories were discussed, purchased, built and finished for him to move in to a fully functional and beautiful space.

 

 

Living Area

 

Dining Area

Office

 

 

 

Bedroom

Bath

Kitchen

 

 

Foyer

 

 

Entrance Hall

 

 

Quite a challenge given the time and funding restraints, but with smart shopping, building rather than buying and careful planning the apartment went from completely empty to comfortable and stylish.

Valances were fashioned for the windows, a headboard for the bed, the floor of the kitchen that might someday be replaced was painted with industrial floor paint and then the grout hand colored (on hands and knees) with thick permanent marker.Cabinets were painted out and a new medicine chest replaces the original that was six inches wider than the new one. A little plastering never killed anyone!

His pottery collection has a home as do the baskets and masks and other artifacts that mean so much to him.

More projects to come. If you want to know how to accomplish any of these things, feel free to get in touch.

Never Too Early

It’s November and even though it’s only the first week, I think it’s never too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving. Not only the meal itself but the feeling it all brings.

Now, Jae and I have not always had the best of Thanksgiving holidays but I think I have a theory about the typical (or maybe stereotypical) dysfunctional get-togethers that has prompted us to come up with some very successful ways of celebrating.

Here’s what I think…When you’re visiting your family for a holiday, they’re likely to treat you and each other in the same way they dealt with you when you all lived together – which, for most of us is back before we left home for college and the great outside world – but they have that 17-18-19 year old you in their heads. Which of us is the same person we were when we were that age??

This theory brought us to an idea. Back when we lived in Chicago we decided that we were going to start a new tradition. The “Potluck Supper For Homeless Waifs”, a Thanksgiving feast for all of our friends (and new friends) who couldn’t get home to their families, whose families didn’t want them home, or who didn’t feel comfortable in their families’ homes.

Each person would bring their best dish to the party and I would make two turkeys (one regular roasted bird and one smoked – YUM) and we would have a party. No, not just a party…a PARTY!!

 The best part of this tradition is that, instead of fielding the usual embarrassing questions from aunt Marge about why you’re not married yet or dealing with all the family mishegas (grab your Yiddish/English dictionary) that can make a trip home so difficult, everyone – get this – WANTED to be there. Don’t get me wrong. There were family members at some of these gatherings too. I’m not against families, mine or anyone else's. We, none of us, had to be responsible for getting an entire meal on the table so it was always a relaxing, fun, wine besotted, laugh till you cry, never want to leave time.

So, just a little unsolicited advice from me to all….um…seven of you and anyone you pass it on to. Try to make this holiday a truly thankful one. One way to do that is to give yourself the gift of doing what you want to do with the people in your life with whom you want to share the time. I guarantee it will be one of the best experiences of your lives.

Think about it.