Tried & True

Posted by Valerie, Senior Editor

There's little that's more gratifying than hearing about how people pull ideas from Blueprint and adapt them to fit their own homes, lifestyles, and dinner tables. (Well, there's also payday, but still, sometimes this is better.) Here are a few outstanding examples of our readers' creative reuse.

The first comes to us from Maria at Port2Port Press. She took inspiration from the beaker-turned-water-decanter in "Company Perks," our office-organizing story from the September/October 2007 issue, and set up her own stylish rehydration station in her letterpress studio.

 

Maria and her new Erlenmeyer flask for water

(Maria happily reports that all her workday dry spells have subsequently been doused.)

Then we heard from Lori Cannava of New York City: "I wanted to thank Blueprint for the awesome "100 Reasons to Hit the Road" July/August suggestion for staying at the Shady Dell in Bisbee, AZ. I went on a cross-country trip from Orlando, FL, to Los Angeles, CA, and made a detour to stay at the Shady Dell, and I could not have been happier! The owner is lovely, the site is precious, and the town of Bisbee could not have been cuter. My friend and I had way too much fun taking pictures in front of our tiny 1952 Airstream trailer."

 

"Other places that we found and love: The Austin Motel is a vintage motel with themed rooms and a great pool. Hotel Brunswick, in Kingman, AZ, off Route 66, offers a $35 cowgirl room that has no frills, but is a major deal on a legendary road. Supposedly, the restaurant inside the hotel is terrific -- it's just not open on Saturdays! However, Mr. D's diner is open, and only one block away. It's a classic throwback with Elvis and Marilyn strewn over every surface. They serve great eggs and even whip up a mean chocolate shake at 9 in the morning."

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Anne Ditmeyer went back to our Fall 2006 wine-tasting party story for ideas on throwing her own. She dished about the bash on her blog, Pret A Voyager: "Last year Blueprint magazine had a great article on throwing your own wine-tasting party -- it's really much easier than it looks. The article had lots of great suggestions (like using a craft paper tablecloth and making wine-stain place markers) and provided wonderful inspiration for my very own wine tasting -- with a twist. I'm a travel nut, so my well-traveled guests were assigned to bring a bottle from a country or region they had visited, instead of a particular type of wine. And besides the hodgepodge of thrift store glassware, most of the other dishes I used had been picked up on various travels. We found that it's possible to travel vicariously through wine."

Anne's picture-perfect party spread.

Next, Adelaide Fives of New York's In Good Company used a trick from our May/June cover story, "It Takes 2", in her office. She says: "My partner and I recently launched a flexible workspace for women business owners in New York. We had never decorated an office before, but knew how important the décor and feel of the space would be for our clients. We really wanted to have an open work space, but also give people some sense of privacy. We looked forever and hated every cube/traditional desk that we saw. Then you published the issue of Blueprint with the white desks and plexiglas divider, and my partner and I instantly thought, 'That's it!'"

The desks in situ at In Good Company

"Everyone who comes through the space asks who our interior designer was and tells us how gorgeous it all looks! The plexiglas is turning out to be the perfect look and solution," Fives says.

Also in New York, Gabrielle at DesignMom took on an extensive porch makeover inspired by our May/June version, and the results are breathtaking.

The porch, before

The porch, after

With the help of her husband, Ben, she -- deep breath! -- removed the screen; painted the door green and the handle and knocker silver; replaced the overgrown shrubs with plants from other parts of the yard that needed more room to breathe; swapped the old porch light for a modern fixture from Ikea ("It hangs lower and adds more welcoming light as you approach the house," she says); bought a shiny, red Swedish mailbox to add a little more pop; installed a new doorbell and house numbers; and added some terra cotta pots with warm, colorful flowers. Nice work, Gabrielle!

Finally, we picked our favorite submission from the "What's the most inventive thing you've ever framed?" contest, and here's the winner:

Caroline Duke of Oklahoma City used a wire in her frame to clip up some images, and rested other objects on the frame's ledge. She says: "I've got a tendency to snatch up old frames from my grandma's garage but never know quite what to do with them. I figured this was a nice alternative to a bulletin board and a pretty way to display the things that inspire me. I just tacked some wire to the back and used alligator clips to hang the pretty stuff."

Caroline's frame

Thanks, Caroline! And thanks to all the others who sent in beautiful framing ideas!

If you've been inspired by Blueprint, don't be shy! Please share your tips, travels, and projects by e-mailing us. 

Comments

[Elaine]

Valerie,
I was inspired by Bluelines itself. The navigation on your blog inspired me to design my own yesterday. I hope you will take a look. My left column is all new. I had a busy day of designing buttons, Photoshopping and coding. But I am so pleased with the results. So thank you Bluelines.

I must also comment on the decor of In Good Company. I am a member! (I have run my own fashion design company for 15 years.) IGC is a fantastic organization run by two wonderful women, Amy and Adelaide, and their advice has helped me many times. The decor of the space is both visually appealing and functional. I am planning to do a piece about them for my blog. I am pleased to see you wrote about them too.

[Lola]

JOB JACKETS!
I've used your job jacket idea at home and at work.

at work i have them on my bulletin board (a massive black frame with a thick white cardstock inside) I "framed" all necessary notes and photographs in the job jackets and neatly pinned them in. It actually helps me keep the work area clean and simple by example.

at home, i have a couple posted on the kitchen wall with various recipes and photographs torn from magazines from that month. They're a reminder to try out the recipes. I liked them enough to tear out...why not.

Thanks!

[design mom]

I loved seeing this list projects. Women of action are inspiring. Actually, anyone who sees a good idea and runs with it is inspiring. Thanks for the shout out.

[beth maher]

Well, to be honest, I just painted my new apartment the palest, prettiest blue, and it's all thanks to you guys and your March/April redesign of your editors teensy apartment.
http://www.bethmaher.com/blog/2007/11/sneak-peak/
I already had a similar colour scheme going on with all my furniture and nic-nacs (turquoise, white, grey, red) so when I saw that feature, I instantly knew that colour would work perfectly with the stuff I already had.
I'm also taking a huge chunk of inspiration for my bedroom from the front cover of your July/August issue. I love the way the white bedside table and lamp pops against the bright blue wall, so I'm doing something similar (but with bright chartreuse instead of bright blue).
I also think some of your "Bungalow Great" feature from that issue is going to find it's way into my living room (when all the stuff starts to come out of boxes). I loved it's eclectic, colourful style.
I have yet to get around to making any of your recipes, but I did try my first mochi (also featured in July/August) and I am in foodie love!
Blueprint is pretty much the only magazine I have ever actually listened to (beyond maybe Seventeen when I was a young girl). I'm pretty headstrong, and I'm very careful about whose advice I take, but I trust the voices at your magazine at this point. You all just have such great taste!

[Prêt à Voyager]

Thanks for the shout out! All fabulous ideas!. . . My orignial post was from Sept 12:http://pretavoyager.blogspot.com/2007/09/wine-festive.html

And here's the link to the flickr set of images from the wine tasting: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anne_ditty/sets/72157600291613768/

Cheers!
Anne

[Jennifer]

I just moved into my own 325 square foot apartment and I never would have even thought of moving into such a small place - my last apartment was 950 SF - if I hadn't seen Sarah's apartment in Blueprint a few issues back. I've copied so much from her place, the white shelves, the bench for tv stand. Thanks!!!!

[Mischa]

These are such great interpretations of your articles! I especially love that photo of the decanter/beaker... and is that a Lotta Jansdotter apron? What a great picture!