I really love this quirky bookshelf by Singaporean designer Jaren Goh. I’m not sure that this bookshelf is available in the U.S., but here is the company website if you are interested. I just like to look at it.

(Via Bookcase Porn)

And I’m back. Here’s a very cool idea from designer Pavel Sidorenko–wall clocks made from old vinyl records.

There is a variety of styles and shapes, from cuckoo clocks:

to scenes of happy couples:

to this, which I think is my favorite:

They sell for 37 euros each. (Via Re-Nest)

(Image courtesy Brew.O)

Most of the discussion about what to drink with Thanksgiving dinner centers around what wines go with turkey (in general, a white or a lighter red like a pinot noir) but I know many people who would rather drink beer with the meal. And with so many excellent, nuanced beers on the market these days, there’s no reason not to pair beer with Thanksgiving instead of–or in addition to–wine.

So I enjoyed this post on what beers to bring to Thanksgiving by beer writers from The Hop Press. They even suggest some beers to go with dessert.

And on that note, I am taking off for the holiday. Have a great Thanksgiving! Blogging will resume on Monday, November 29.

We are not having a turkey this year for Thanksgiving. It is the first time ever that we haven’t had turkey, but everyone in my family is fine with is because my husband is making a ham. He is curing a pork leg and turning it into a very fancy ham indeed. I am excited to see how it will turn out.

But this has left me wondering what to serve with it, since many of the traditional Thanksgiving sides, like stuffing, don’t really go with ham. So here are some Thanksgiving sides I’m considering:

Roasted Beets and Parsnips from Sunset.

My own Macaroni and Cheese.

Wild-Mushroom Bread Pudding from Gourmet.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Spiced Maple Sauce from the Food Network.

Potato and Celery Root Mash from Real Simple.

Spinach, Arugula, Cranberry and Walnut Salad from Life’s Ambrosia. You could also substitute pomegranate seeds for the cranberries with this one.

Sour Cream-Thyme Rolls from Martha Stewart.

I am so hungry now.

Apartment Therapy has a round up of inviting dining rooms, which is certainly timely since Thanksgiving is next week. Common things I notice in the rooms:

A chandelier over the table
Large windows
Table runners
Art on the walls

Which one is your favorite?

(Image via Ruche)

A friend of mine is moving and ran into a common problem for renters: she can’t paint her walls. What’s worse, her new place is full of very dark wood paneling. She is looking for a way to cover it up that doesn’t use paint or will put a lot of holes in the wall.

I remember this dilemma from my renting days. You have a wall in your house that you can’t stand to look at, but you can’t do anything about it. Hanging curtains over it doesn’t look good. Putting up shelving or hanging large paintings only partially covers it. What do you do?

I think I have found a solution: removable fabric wallpaper. You get yourself a fabric that you like enough to cover a wall with, dip it or spray it with a starch solution, and smooth it over the wall like wallpaper. When it comes time to take it down, you just peel the fabric right off the wall. It leaves no trace behind.

(Image via Apartment Therapy)

Not only does this solve the renter’s problem of not being able to paint the walls, it allows you to change things up when you get tired of looking at it. And covering a wall this way can be very inexpensive. I have read of some people doing this with muslin they bought for $.89/yard and a mixture of cornstarch and water. Apparently laundry starch also works well.

As for the type of fabric to use, they say lightweight cotton works best.

The downside of covering a wall with fabric is that it is labor intensive and messy. But it could be worth it not to have to look at that ugly wall anymore.

You can read more about how to put up your own fabric wallpaper here and here and here.

This method can also be used to make your own wall decals on the cheap. Here is the only video I could find that shows how to do it and actually has a nice result (although the girl in it is kind of awkward–sorry about that!):

If you have tried covering a wall up this way, how did it go?

Maggie Makes has a tutorial for turning all those little fabric scraps into this nice looking Christmas stocking. There are a lots of possibilities here with texture and color choices, plus it’s a great way to use up scraps. It’s a win-win.

Here’s a good idea from this post on creative frame uses on Apartment Therapy. Normally, I find that hanging empty frames around things doesn’t work very well, but I kind of like it around the TV here. It’s a simple way to add a little interest to that ugly old TV.

This weekend, we bought a 1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible. We intend to use it to replace my old 1993 Honda Civic, which is becoming unreliable. It might seem strange to replace one car with an even older car, but there is a method to our madness.

First of all, we shopped around until we found the right car for us. Even though the car is 40 years old, we are only its second owner. It was originally purchased by this little German lady in the factory showroom in Germany and came with her when she moved to the United States. She kept immaculate care of the car. Everything is original and the car is in pristine shape.

This is a perfect example of frugality, by the way—the lady purchased one car, kept it for 40 years, and then sold it for a huge profit at the end of the time it could be useful to her. I really admire that. Compare that to how most people buy cars: they purchase the car new on credit and sell it for a loss a few years later, then repeat the pattern again and again, permanently losing thousands of dollars throughout their lifetime to the car companies.

My husband and I wanted a way around this, and buying a classic car seemed like a way to do it. In fact, owning a classic car, if done right, is one of the few ways I know to make a profit on a car. They have a high resale value, and the more you improve them, the higher that resale value is likely to go. If we take care of the car and are careful about improvements we make, we, too, may make a profit on the car at the end of our time with it. That is a lot better than buying a new car and having it depreciate as soon as we drive it off the lot.

At the same time, we are well aware that owning a 40-year-old car will mean a lot of maintenance and possible headaches. We are willing to take that on because my husband wants to learn car maintenance and well, look at that adorable car!

What can I say? It’s an experiment.

The Pros of Owning A Classic Car:

They Are Fun—I admit it. A large part of this is about the aesthetics of owning a cute/cool/beautiful car, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

They Have A High Resale Value—The car is likely to appreciate, and all the maintenance you put into it will add to its value. If you do your research and make a wise purchase, you have a good chance of selling the car for a profit when you are done with it.

You Are Reusing On A Grand Scale—Instead of buying a new car, we’re investing in something that has a history and uses no new resources. That always feels good.

No SMOG/High Insurance/Other Annoyances—The car is grandfathered in, so I am not held to any of the state requirements, which can be quite costly. For example, it recently cost me $800 to SMOG my Civic in the state of California. I will never have to SMOG this car. Likewise, this is the only way I know to own a convertible without your insurance going through the roof.

A Chance To Learn—If you like working on cars, this is a way to become intimately acquainted with how engines work.

The Freedom To DIY—The engine in our car is pretty simple, and that means that we can fix it ourselves. It is very difficult to fix the complicated engines of today’s cars, which means you are permanently dependent on going to a mechanic. The lower cost of maintenance, and control over how it is done, is a large perk for us.

The Cons of Owning A Classic Car:

They Need More Maintenance—There is no way around it, with an older car, you will be fixing it more. They will have more problems and they will require more attention. That is part of taking an older car on.

The Parts Can Be Hard To Get—This is not the case with us, since the Volkswagen parts are ubiquitous and were used in lots of different makes, but if you get, say, a 1930 Ford, you might have trouble getting the engine parts. It is important to look into this when considering purchasing a classic car, and weigh the cost of the parts against the ongoing maintenance the car requires.

No Modern Conveniences—Depending on what it is, the car may not be very high powered. It definitely won’t have air conditioning. It is likely to only have an AM radio. It probably doesn’t have power steering. You will have to drive a clutch. And so on. There is always a little sacrificing in going backwards in time.

They Are Not As Safe—One thing that is true is that cars today are much safer than the cars of yesterday. No air bags, no anti-lock brakes, and so on. If safety is your number one concern when you purchase a car, classic cars may not be a good choice for you.

Car!

I am astounded by the kinds of paints that are available on the market these days. For example, did you know that there is paint you can use to spray glass and turn it into a mirror? It’s called Krylon’s Looking Glass paint, which you can buy for $15 from Amazon.

That is what Elizabeth at Eighteenth Century Agrarian Business used to turn this old window:

Into this mirror:

Looks great. There is a how-to on her site going over the details. (Via Design Sponge)