I'd pick glass over diamonds, any day

I adore glass art, glass plates, crystal stemware (etched, coloured and otherwise) glass sculpture, Depression glass, Milk glass, etched and beveled glass windows, stained glass, antique glass, glass walls…you get the picture. So I could not say no to the invitation to visit the studio of  glass artist Jeff Goodman.

The designated day in August was meltingly hot. But the exterior temperature was nothing compared to the soupy heat inside the building. Entering it, and getting close to the heat sources Goodman uses to make his wares, was like walking into a liquid wall of heat.

But if Goodman and his team can do it every day, I reckoned I could stand it for 30 minutes or so. And besides, I was dying to take him up on his offer of showing me how to make a glass paperweight. Of course, my paperweight is to Goodman’s work as peanut butter is to pate de foie gras, but it was fun to give it a try.  It does, however,  occupy a place of honour on my desk, to remind me of the power and beauty of that which we can create with our own hands. See my weekly Hot Home products column for more on Goodman, who also makes vessels, vases, chandeliers, and other commissioned pieces. Pics of his astonishingly beautiful work can be seen above and below. 

For an excellent demonstration of glass blowing, click here – for a link to a video made by the Cornell Museum of Glass  I did not actually blow the glass, since I’d probably need several years of instruction before being ready to do so. But I did get a sense of what a miraculous material glass is, and marveled at how in its liquid form it’s so malleable (and mercurial), while it’s solid form is so, well, solid.

Goodman’s technique is different from that of artist Marie Bohm, who works with fused glass (see her cake stand at right). Did I mention that I also like fused glass?  

If you’d like to see glass blowing in action, you can sometimes watch glass artists working at the Craft Studio at Harbourfront. Perhaps, like me, you’ll marvel at the alchemy that turns a few simple elements into pieces of exquisite beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

Reuse, refurbish, redecorate

A tight budget, a love of antique and vintage pieces, and a growing sense that there's already enough stuff on the planet defines my approach to home decor. Chez moi, it's often about transforming what we already have, or freshening up pieces we find in thrift stores, garage sales -- or even on the sidewalk the night before garbage pick-up. While the look may not be for everybody, I'm at the stage in life where I'm comfortable liking what I like -- even if it doesn't  rate a stamp of approval from local design hounds.

That's the message I'll be sharing at the Fall Home Show, which kicks off on Thursday. Friday is Toronto Star Day, and I'll be on hand for that, along with celeb contractor Bryan Baeumler, Dee Brun (aka The Cocktail Deeva), garden expert Mark Cullen, and designer Glen Peloso.You can read more about it on yourhome.ca.

In case you can't get down, or if you can't wait, here's a sneak peak of what I'll be showing. First up below are  before and after shots of a tired old settee. It was updated with metallic foil and croc-skin fabric, with the help of the boy geniuses at Masterpieces Studio. The sweet little wrought iron table was bought for a song at Foc!,  a local store  that sells furniture on consignment (get it, Foc!??), while the silver and Baccarat champagne glass are precious hand-me-downs. 

Further below are before and after shots of two chairs I rescued from the trash. Again, the folks at Masterpieces Studios helped transform them into jewels. (The unusual glass lamp is one of a pair I found on Kijiji.)

That raises the question - when to choose DIY reupholstery and when to go with a pro. My rule is that I'll do little jobs, such as the telephone table  just below the settee, which was covered in a floral fabric. To make a matching bulletin board, I laminated a piece of steel to particleboard and placed it in an inexpensive frame from Rona that I sprayed out in the same colour as the table. But for bigger jobs, it makes sense to hand it over to someone who's up to the challenge. Think of it as an investment that will pay you back over time.

Lastly, an old-fashioned school desk with a wrap-around chair became a telephone table. All it took was a quart of soft gray paint (Fortune from Rona’s private label brand) to give the desk a fresh new surface. You can't see it in the pic, but I added a panel of chalkboard paint along one edge of the desktop, and placed a shot glass filled with chalk into the hole intended for the inkstand.The drapery behind the ornate frame, which also got the steel/chalkboard paint treatment, is from Rona too.

I'll also be showing my wares around at various media outlets over the next few weeks. You can catch me on Rogers Daytime Mississauga on Sept. 23rd, Rogers Daytime in Richmond Hill on Sept.  27, Breakfast Television on Sept. 26, and the CTV noon-hour news in Kitchener on Sept. 29th.

BTW, all the beautiful "after" pictures are by the talented Nick Kozak.

 

 

Me, my mop, and vodka

Such is my career fate that it’s been my business to try a lot of mops over the last ten years. I’ve done battery-powered mops, corded mops, collapsible mops, sponge mops, string mops…you get the picture. One has emerged as my favourite. Rubbermaid’s Reveal mop (above) has a removable canister that the user can fill with the cleaning agent of their choice, including a mix of vinegar and water, or — if you like — water that’s been scented with essential oil. I also tried adding mint (which grows to ridiculous proportions on one side of my house) to boiling water, then letting it cool, and using it on my floors. For me, cooling the water first was an important step because I’ve got a thing about putting warm liquids or foods in anything made out of plastic (more on that soon). I’ve also heard that if you add a bit of vodka to the water it helps remove germs, but I prefer to keep my vodka for other uses.

This mop also has a generously-sized and well-proportioned head that slides easily under furniture and beds. It can be used on anything hardwood to laminate to linoleum. The pads are reusable, which is important to me. Throwaway mops pads are, imho, dumb, except if you’re dealing with an outbreak of Bubonic Plague in the home. And even then I’m not sure. It costs about $25, and replacement mop pads sell for about $6. There's also a dry dusting mop pad ($9) that I've not yet tried, but plan to.

Rubbermaid says the microfibre pads can be washed up to 100 times. And therein lies my only quibble with the product, which has more to do with the nature and properties of microfibre than the design. That does makes for a smaller eco-footprint than disposable. Generally speaking, though, I’m not actually finding that microfibre does a better job than plain old cotton cloth. I also find that it loses effectiveness fairly quickly if, like me, you forget that it shouldn’t go in the dryer. And for all the hype about it not being stinky, mine all seem to get odoriferous pretty quickly – even though I always rinse them out in warm water and wring them after use. Is this just me, or do readers have similar experiences? I’d love to know.

And as far as I know, microfibres are made from polyester, which is usually not biodegradable.

And of course, the secret of a successful mopping job is a good sweeping first. For that, I have another simple favourite. Home Hardware sells a line of stuff endorsed by Mark Cullen that includes a Mark’s Choice corn broom (about $20). It works a treat, and for some reason, I always feel slightly virtuous when I use it.

My best al fresco dinner yet

One of the things I love about the Stok barbeque I’ve been testing is that the interchangeable grills means you can pretty much cook the whole dinner outdoors, without running in and out of the kitchen. And I’m all for dialing down the stress meter during entertaining which is, after all, supposed to be fun for everybody, right?

I recently wowed a gang (if I do say myself) by starting off an al fresco dinner with Persian flatbread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and Herbes de Provence that I cooked on the pizza stone that comes with the grill. It went beautifully with a melted Brie that I had plopped in a small cast iron pan and topped with Garlic and Hot Pepper jelly from Jelly Boys, a fantastic line of all-natural, home-made jellies that I just discovered at my local farmer’s market.

If you're lucky enough to live near a Longo's, you could also use their house Brie, topped with one of their compotes, which are stellar (see pic below). As a matter of fact, you could do a terrific outdoor party with cheese from Longo's  (they have an excellent offering), olives and artisnal breads.

While we chatted and enjoyed the starter, I shoved a second, larger cast iron pan on the grill, closed the lid and let it heat up for about five minutes. Then I stuck a whole chicken in the heated pan, scattered some garlic around it and shoved a lemon cut in half in the cavity, closed the lid and left it alone for just short of an hour. More chatting and laughter and wine (see below). Just before serving, I squeezed the lemon juice and some salt over the bird, (Thank you Mark Bittman  for the easiest and BEST roast chicken recipe ever.)

While this was cooking, I gathered cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden, and mixed them with pearl Bocconcini cheese before drizzling the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil and salt.

For dessert, we grilled fresh Ontario (natch) peaches  (just skin ‘em, cut in half and brush lightly with melted butter — and grill for a couple of minutes.) Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla-flavoured Greek yogurt from President’s Choice. Next time, I’ll make fresh raspberry ice-cream with my Hamilton Beach ice-cream maker. 

My new fave tipple for summer meals is Farnese Monepulciano d”Abruzzo Cerasuolo 2010, a lovely rosé at just $8.95 a bottle.  (Thank you, Beppi Crosariol, for the tip. This die-hard rosé lover is so grateful!)

Keep outdoor entertaining simple

Tom Filippou, the executive chef for President’s Choice, and the friendly face you’ve seen on CBC’s Live Right Now nutritional spots, thinks that keeping it simple, and planning ahead for outdoor entertaining, pays dividends for you and your guests.

 “Some folks get over-motivated and try to do too much, which means they are too busy to mingle,” he says. “But if you choose the right menu for your barbeque, you can be become part of the party.”

Mini sliders and sausages are a good choice because they’re easy to handle, and allow for lots of variation. "I always serve them,” says Filippou. “You can have a bunch on one side of the grill while something else is going on the other, and if you have lots of garnishes, guests can experiment and have fun.” Caramelized onions, sauteed peppers and grilled mushrooms make terrific toppings, although I've been known to just plop on some PC tomato-basil bruschetta sauce when I'm feeling lazy.

Indeed, President’s Choice mini portions have been a big hit with shoppers this summer, including me. We went through a lot of the Angus Sliders and the Smokin’ Stampede Brisket Sliders. Also loved the Sweet Italian mini pork sausages. (Make sure to grill extras of these and use leftovers in pastas salads, sandwiches or frittatas.)

All have great flavour, and I love that they’re a manageable size, making it easy for kids and adults to juggle one in one hand, and a glass in the other. Pair them with the mini Ciabatta buns (which you’ll of course toast lightly).