Dumpster trash? Reborn treasure!

One of the best dumpster dives I ever had was when I still lived on Status Island, NY (a.k.a. Staten Island)…yes, y’all, I called the oft-forgot borough home for three years! And what a sweet home it was… top floor a an old grain warehouse, at least 3500 sq feet of space… and my bedroom, which doubled as my rehearsal space was complete with ballet bars and a wall of mirrors! Strictly for rehearsals, ahem, of course! Oh shiot! Me and my creative partner, Alane, dubbed the place Chateau Monroe. (more…)

As some of y’all have experienced firsthand, dogs aren’t content to chew on just dog toys alone…they often need more. Sounds like some humans I know, but that’s another post altogether! In this instance, my friend’s dog decided her Eames DCM, or Dining Chair Modern –gasp- would make a tasty treat! Uh huh! But, don’t be a sad panda, this tragedy was turned into a triumph b/c she gave me the chair! Talk about a tasty treat, y’all, damn! This was a modern classic score! (more…)

I love having lots of artwork on my walls. I think it’s a relatively easy way to inject all kinds of style and drama-glam into one’s space.  But y’all watch out,  ‘cause what you choose to hang on your walls, says a lot about who you really are! It’s kind of like a window display into your soul!  So keep that in mind when you’re debating about where to hang that velvet Elvis painting, holla! (more…)

New York City is pretty amazing in a lot of ways, but a stand-out for me, is the TRASH. Uh-huh, that’s right. Any given sidewalk can be a treasure trove of all kinds of things- furniture, art, lighting…if you can think of it, it’s probably been found on a sidewalk here. (Now don’t go there… you dirty boys and girls!) It makes sense too, b/c the sidewalk is where our trash collection happens.  But it’s also just easy for most folks who are getting rid of unwanted items to put them out on the sidewalk. Once you’ve struggled down five flights of stairs with a dresser on your back, you’re pretty much done with the thing at that point. And that’s when someone else’s backache becomes my sidewalk salvation, y’all!  And trust that I’m not alone in this revelry. Discovering some completely unexpected find is not only exciting, but outright joyful for a lot of people like me.

Teaching Brandon how to get his groove back!

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Hey y’all, Let the crafting (& blogging) begin! With the launch of the new Holiday Decorating Webisodes on RealSimple.com, I feel that now is as good a time as any to start my blog. I’ve been wanting to fulfill my destiny by way of a blog for quite some time, but I just never felt that I had anything that was earth shattering enough to share. And being a performer at heart, EVERTYHING I do MUST…be…earth shattering (cue fog machine)! But, I’ve come to understand through much encouragement from friends (some who blog, others who wish they did), that blogs don’t have to be, and often aren’t, earth shattering and sadly, often NEVER involve fog! They can be whatever you want them to be. So, above anything, I want mine to be purposeful to those who read it… I want you to be inspired, informed, maybe a little jarred, and most of all ENTERTAINED… (more…)