Arranging Bookshelves

Our new loft is still on the small side as far as the average American home goes. We also don't want to fill it up so we still have room for whenever a baby does come along. We have a somewhat large book collection even after downsizing as much as we could stand to part with. The question of where to put all these books is something we pondered and discussed since before we moved in. We thought we would need to buy another piece of furniture, further filling up our living space. Then a visit by a new neighbor gave us a different idea: wall shelves in the entry. I had thought I wanted to keep this wall space open and clean feeling, but the more we talked about it, the more it seemed like the way to go. We had saved some simple wall shelves I had in our old place, and we could use them for now till we could afford something more custom in the future. All we had to buy was a few more wall brackets and a stud finder. I started by finding studs, measuring up from the entry ledge and marking where I wanted the top of the bracket. Then I held the bracket in place and marked the holes in the brackets. I failed to remember that the shelf is a bit sorter than the wall. So, instead of it being flush to the brick on the left side, it is centered. Future Advise: Measure Twice, Drill Once. Since I was drilling into studs, I did not need to use screw anchors. If you are hanging shelves, studs are best, but if you can't use them, make sure you have good anchors that will support enough weight.

Drill Tips: Drilling holes for screws: Find the bit that is the size of the solid center of the screw by holding it in front. You should see the thread, but not the center. When in doubt, go for the smaller bit first. You can always make the hole bigger, but never smaller. Drilling holes for screw anchors: Find the bit the same size as the anchor. Drill the hole, then tap in the anchor. If the anchor is very difficult to get in, make the hole slightly bigger, you don't want to damage the anchor trying to get it in. Just like above, it's better to start with a smaller hole and have to make it bigger. *Note: If you use the new anchors that look like giant plastic screws (and hold great), follow similar advise for drilling for screws. Most anchor packages come with instructions as well.

Once I had all the brackets hung, I placed the shelves on top and marked the holes for where the bracket attaches to the shelf and drilled some more. When the shelves were all secure, I started unpacking everything that was going on them and laid it all out.

 In the past, I've always arranged my books like a library, grouping by categories. I've seen many design shows and read many articles in which they group books by color. It creates a more streamlined look, instead of the controlled chaos look that I had in the past. I wanted this library to not look so visually cluttered.I started removing dust jackets on almost all the books that had them. Usually underneath is a more solid color, or at least, it's not so shinny. I first pulled all of the black books out and stacked them in order of height. Next, I did the blue book. Blue has by far the largest number of books.  

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The key to an interesting shelf design is to have some books stacked horizontally, and some lined up vertically. I decided that with so many blue books, they needed to be lined up like in a library. The black books would stay horizontal and act like a bookend.

I finished the rest of my color groupings so I could really see the sizes and amounts I had of each.

There were just so many blue, I decided to break them up by darker and brighter. That way I could space the color around for balance as well.

Deep red/ Dark brown books formed the other "bookend" for the now darker blue line-up.

Here we have the final book arrangement. Like the blue, I broke up the tall stack of black books. They are now on the bottom ledge holding up the light blue books. I pulled out my elephant bookends from Tanzania for my light brown books.

Now for the small decor items. Like the books, I pulled them all out to see what I had. These types of things are very difficult to place amongst books. It is best to have odd numbers grouped together of different heights. Also, keep in mind the type of object you are using. I didn't want to place a small round vase on top of both "bookend" stacks of books on either side of the same line-up.

 My advise, take your time, play, and know when to take a step back or even a break. Trust your instincts. I ended up using more than just what you see in this picture.

Here (above and left) is the first arrangement I came up with. It has a good use of high and low, and a good mixture of shapes and textures. But, something felt lacking, especially with the blue and green glass bowl from my grandma at the bottom.

Here is my final arrangement. I moved the glass bowl to the top to make the most of the light hitting it and moved the tall figure over to keep the height on top that I needed.

Instead of spreading out my elephants (one I made in bronze, so it has to have a good spot), I decided to group the figures together for the most visual impact. They are arranged in descending size and angled the same way. My husband's Egyptian box sits on top of the black books.


A few more views of the finished product.

I'm so excited by the results! I even sent pics to some friends and family to show it off. So my conclusion is that if you want that very designed, pulled together look from your bookshelves, then arrange them by color. It's easy and gives you lots of visual impact.

Sorry for the grainy pictures, I'm still working with an old iPhone.

Update: It's been over 6 months since I installed these shelves and they are still going strong. It pays to really take the time to put them up the right way.

-Home Sweet Loft

Best Online Recipe Organizers

While I was growing up and still today, my mom keeps her collection of recipes on hand written cards in a big recipe box. I remember pulling it out and searching in the cookies section for what I wanted to make and pulling out a well worn, spotted card. For the majority of her dinner recipes, she just had them memorized. Weekly meal planning involved her deciding on dishes, writing them down, looking through the pantry, and writing out a shopping list.

 Flash forward 10+ years and I’m trying to find a system that works for me, a newly married girl who likes everything digital (because I loose little papers), tends to stop by the store on the way home, never plans ahead, and will buy doubles of things because I didn’t know it was at home in the pantry. Oh, and I’m trying to build my own recipe repertoire that is dairy-free for my husband.

 I decided I needed something digital that I could access from anywhere. None of the iphone apps seemed to be the answer, so I turned to the internet. After much searching, signing up for sites, and evaluating, I decided that two sites were the winning choices to use and recommend. Below are the ins and outs of the sites: One tsp and Tasty Planner.

 What I was looking for: Most important was the ease of entering recipes. Most recipes I have been using are ones I’ve found online and I wanted an easy way to transfer them into an organizer. Many of the organizers had a line by line ingredient entry system, meaning it was impossible to just copy the whole ingredient list and paste. You would have to type each in and sometimes also use drop down menus for measurement selections. So basically not saving any time over hand written, old school ways.

If you want complete simplicity and a very clutter-free interface, then One tsp is for you. It is a pleasing white and blue design with orange accents. The only pictures you see are ones you add yourself (optional) for the recipe. This site also requires the fewest amount of fields to be completed. Sometimes you don’t want to or need to put a description, prep or cook time, or yield; this site doesn’t force you. It’s a great thing when you are concerned with saving time. You can add recipes to a shopping list that is easily viewable on a smart phone and loads quickly because of the uncluttered site. When at the store, it’s easy to check off items and you can also add other items to your list. Update for One tsp: I wrote this article originally 9 months ago, recently One tsp added a "clip it" button that works like the "pin it" button. It lives in my bookmarks bar and when I'm on one of the many supported sites like Food Network I can just click this button and it pulls all the info and saves it for me. LOVE IT! I also forgot to mention that they have an iphone app as well. The downsides of One tsp are that there are fewer features than Tasty Planner, such as no meal planner. Also, the only way to sort through recipes is with the tags you have created for each. But if you are like me who doesn’t cook every night, then this might be the site for you.

If you want complete simplicity and a very clutter-free interface, then One tsp is for you. It is a pleasing white and blue design with orange accents. The only pictures you see are ones you add yourself (optional) for the recipe. This site also requires the fewest amount of fields to be completed. Sometimes you don’t want to or need to put a description, prep or cook time, or yield; this site doesn’t force you. It’s a great thing when you are concerned with saving time. You can add recipes to a shopping list that is easily viewable on a smart phone and loads quickly because of the uncluttered site. When at the store, it’s easy to check off items and you can also add other items to your list. 

Update for One tsp: I wrote this article originally 9 months ago, recently One tsp added a "clip it" button that works like the "pin it" button. It lives in my bookmarks bar and when I'm on one of the many supported sites like Food Network I can just click this button and it pulls all the info and saves it for me. LOVE IT! I also forgot to mention that they have an iPhone app as well. 

The downsides of One tsp are that there are fewer features than Tasty Planner, such as no meal planner. Also, the only way to sort through recipes is with the tags you have created for each. But if you are like me who doesn’t cook every night, then this might be the site for you.

If you want the same ease of recipe entry but want more features, then try out Tasty Planner. This site is an online community for sharing recipes. It allows you to search for other peoples recipes and add it to your recipe box. Just like One tsp, it is easy to copy and paste ingredients and directions from other recipe sites. Unlike One tsp, you have more required fields, such as description, time, and yield. You also have the addition of a check box for keeping your recipe private if you wish. (Personally, I’m not interested in the community aspect so having to remember to check this each time is a con for me.) Now after recipes are in, is when this site gets fun. You can add recipes to a weekly meal planner where you drag and drop each to the day you want to make it. The meal planner can be added to your calendar on your computer. From the meal planner, the shopping list is generated. In the shopping list, you can rearrange the order of the items and add more. The list can be viewed on a smart phone, emailed, or printed. As far as organization goes, recipes in your box are broken down by categories such as main course.

 Aside from having more required entry fields for recipes, I like what you can do on this site, but feel that some tasks take too many clicks. For instance, if I want to make a shopping list, I have to open a recipe, add it to the planner, drag and drop it to a day and then you can generate a list. Your own recipes aren’t added automatically to your recipe box where there is organization and adding to the planner is easier. You have to open your recipe and click “add to recipe box.” But how much can you really complain about a site that lets you do it all does for free.

 My conclusion: 

 For easy entry and storage of recipes for the occasional cook: One tsp
 For the person who does weekly meal planning and wants it all: Tasty Planner

-Home Sweet Loft

The Best Method for Making Homemade Burgers

I grew up disliking homemade burgers: big, overly think, tasteless, and tough patties. When I grew up and tried to make them on my own (usually with turkey), I would used the only method I knew, making a ball and shaping it into as thin a patty as I could, which would just bulk up anyway. I gave up on the whole idea. Then one day, I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows on PBS, Everyday Food. They were making classic cheese burgers. Lucinda talked about the common problem with homemade patties that I had always experienced. She then presented a different method that keeps the patties tender and delicious.

Best Burger Method:

• Lay out wax paper onto your counter (I will use plastic wrap in a pinch) 
• Simply pull off the amount of ground meat you want for your patty, do not form it into a ball, keep it loose 
• Place the meat onto the wax paper and continue pulling and placing meat onto wax paper, leaving space between each mound 
• After all the patties-to-be are laid out, place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the meat 
• Use a rolling pin or wine bottle to lightly roll over the meat till it is about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick, don't worry about the patties not being perfect circles. If any little pieces look like they will fall off in cooking, just gently squish them on. Remember, the key to tender burgers is handling the meat as little as possible. 
• Pull off the plastic wrap and then generously salt and pepper the top of the patties 
• I like to use a nice wide spatula to gently move each patty to the (preheated to medium high) grill. You can use a skillet or griddle, but I like to use the cast iron stove top grill we have. Turn over the patty as you put it on the grill so the seasoned side is down, then season the other side 
• Cook about 3 minutes and then turn and cook a couple more minutes (add cheese about 1 minute from done if you want). The most important thing is to keep watch over them, they cook pretty quickly.  

I made sliders with this method for the Super Bowl this year. I put the mini cheese burgers on Hawaiian rolls, made my own thousand island dressing, and set out a build your own slider bar with all the fixings. They were a hit! Those little tasty, tender patties on those soft, sweet rolls just melted in your mouth. I paired them with kettle cooked potato chips. I made sliders with this method for the Super Bowl this year. I put the mini cheese burgers on Hawaiian rolls, made my own thousand island dressing, and set out a build your own slider bar with all the fixings. They were a hit! Those little tasty, tender patties on those soft, sweet rolls just melted in your mouth. I paired them with kettle cooked potato chips.

-Home Sweet Loft