Pop-Up Video

Just kidding, no videos here BUT I thought this would be a great way to start sharing my apartment DIYs before I leave in two weeks! Yes, I'm finally moving to Chicago (my dream city!) and starting grad school in the fall (working on my Masters in Interior Design.) Any one remember VH1's Pop-Up Videos from back in the day? Well, this is my DIY version, Pop-Up Design.

Let's start with my kitchen.

[Saving old posters/prints/artwork is always a good option if you have the space. Most can be rolled up in mailing tubes for storage. I purchased these French reprints with my college dorm roommate and have found a spot for them in just about every apartment since. Most people are creeped out by the green goblin, I find him to be a very interesting piece of art. As far as the placemats go, occasionally browsing the clearance items at Target is a great way to find those missing pieces for your home that you don't want to pay full price for. These IKEA chairs came unfinished. Instead of finishing them with a nasty varnish stain, I used a Carnauba wax to protect the wood and give it a natural finish]

[How many times can you re-use a dry erase board- the answer-- many many times! Although I think this board has seen its days..off to Vinnie's it goes. My always-filled flower jar from this post. Once again, this IKEA shelving unit is from my dorm days. For this apartment, it was the perfect size to fit our garbage/recycling bins and I purchased IKEA unfinished plywood boards and cut to fit for proper stable shelving. They are also finished with Carnauba wax.]

[This IKEA kitchen shelving unit was easy to install and can create the perfect storage for small spaces. The kitchen backsplash panel I had fallen in love with the idea before I purchased the discontinued item. When renting, this was the ideal solution for easy-to-clean kitchen backsplash. The panel itself originally was sold with a interlocking hanging system but I had to improvise with nails. Those holes will be fun to spackle! Method brand of cleaners are one of my favorite home cleaning products to use. The bottles are biodegradable are the products are non-toxic. If you don't know them already, check out their website.

We've Been on the Run. Driving in the Sun.

It's the perfect, beautiful summer Saturday and I have no plans. This is very unusual for me not to have plans (I've been busting my butt to get my graduate admissions packet together) so, today is all for me. I met some friends at the farmer's market on the square (well, Wilson st. because of the art fair) and it was a fantastic morning. Nothing beats buying fresh produce from local farmers, catching up with friends, chugging ice coffee and snatching some of Stella's Bakery cheese-spinach Empanadas. Yum. Top it off with a stroll around the art fair and gawk at the all the awesome artwork...someday I can afford to buy something cool. On the way home I stopped at the Regent Street Co-Op to pick up some groceries. Love that place, everyone is super friendly.

Here's everything I could fit into my farmer's market cloth bag. Enjoy and Happy Saturday!

Ode to the Kitchen.

I was waiting on doing a post about Madison's Underground Kitchen until I had eaten there once more, but now seems like a good time as any. I was extremely sad to find out Thursday morning that the Kitchen and the apartments in it's building were up in fire for about five hours. Police were still closings roads as I left work yesterday. Such a tragic thing to have happened and I only hope that everyone is okay and the restaurant can still be saved once the smoke is cleared. On a brighter note, Underground Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in Madison. Maybe I'm biased because the Underground Food Collective has a space in my work building and I see them catering and food prepping almost every day, but the restaurant itself had excellent food and a fun vibe. When I first walked in, it was like Green & Indie had made a restaurant. They completely remodeled the space after Cafe Montmartre closed and it looked fantastic. When they do reopen the restaurant, or relocate, please go check them out. Their food/meat/bread etc is from local Wisconsin farms, bakeries or produced at the Food Collective. They craft their own (very delicious) cocktails and their menu changes with the seasons. I recommend the cheese platter. Can you tell I'm from WI?

[pictures courtesy of the Underground Kitchen or WI State Journal]