Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Photo courtesy ArtBrom

The summer solstice, the first day of summer, is the longest day of the year, which makes it the perfect day to enjoy the company of your friends and family. This year, the solstice falls on Saturday, June 21, so the timing couldn’t be better! Here are some tips from Real Simple on how to plan and execute a flawless gathering!

1. A Warm Welcome: A sun-motif rubber stamp lends a touch of brilliance to plain note cards. And if your friends aren't familiar with the solstice, be sure to explain its significance on the invitation.

2. The Provisions
Decorations: Fete nature―and create a lush ambience at the same time―with homemade topiary balls. (For an easy how-to, see Green Party.) And you don't need a cabana-like tent in your backyard to hang them from―the ornaments look just as stylish hung from an outdoor umbrella or a deck railing. At twilight, make sure you provide plenty of lighting.

Drinks: Treat your guests to refreshing beverages, such as sparkling wine and Berry Vodka Spritzers (see Recipes).

Food: Serve some savory little bites inspired by dishes from Scandinavian countries, where the solstice is honored with an annual festival. Try Herbed Bay Shrimp with Rye Crackers and Smoked Salmon Triangles (see Recipes), along with fancied up crudités and cheese-and-cracker platters

Photo courtesy Real Simple

3. Green Party: Wrap a garland of artificial ivy around a topiary ball―this one is seven inches in diameter, but you can vary the size―and secure it to the ball every few inches with floral wire. You'll need a wire cutter to snip the garland and the wire. Create a tightly knit sphere of greenery or wrap the garland loosely so light peeks through. (Topiary balls, ivy garlands, and floral wire all available at craft stores.)

4. Shine a Light: Set out candles in tiny hurricane lamps and wee terra-cotta pots clustered in groups to make a big impact.

Recipes

Berry Vodka Spritzers
Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 5m| Total Time: 5m

Photo courtesy Real Simple

Ingredients
4 limes
3 tablespoons sugar
1 liter club soda
1 cup berry-flavored vodka
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
ice

Directions: Halve the limes and squeeze the juice into a pitcher. (If desired, cut the squeezed limes into small pieces and add to the pitcher.) Mix in the sugar. Add the club soda, vodka, blueberries, and raspberries. Pour over ice.



Smoked Salmon Triangles
Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 10m| Total Time: 10m

Ingredients
12 thin slices of pumpernickel bread
8 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions: Cut the bread in half on the diagonal. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and caraway seeds. Spread evenly over the bread and top with the salmon. Sprinkle with the chopped chives before serving.

Herbed Bay Shrimp With Rye Crackers
Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 10m| Total Time: 10m

Ingredients
1 pound cooked small bay shrimp
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon chopped tarragonsalt and pepperrye crackers

Directions: In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, mayonnaise, scallions, tarragon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Serve chilled with the crackers.

Decorating with Craigslist

Photo courtesy of  http://obscure-vision.com

When it comes to redecorating on a budget, you can find some really reasonably priced pieces to adorn your new space or to spruce up your existing one. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can find pieces to refurbish into something that fits your current décor. Here are some pointers via ApartmentTherapy on how to shop with Craigslist.


Know what you want. If you have a specific need then have your parameters clearly defined. One day I decided that a Scandinavian secretary desk would solve all of our entryway problems, but it couldn't be wider than the narrow strip of wall separating my tiny foyer and living room. It took 10 months to find one that fit the bill in terms of size, price, function, and aesthetics.

Figure out your search terms. Searching Craigslist is a skill unto itself. Depending on what you want, your terms may be general or extremely specific. Searching for a particular brand or designer is pretty straightforward (although some sellers will use certain designer's names as tags for items of a similar era or style), but once you get into the realm of unbranded vintage it's an entirely different process. If you have time to kill then broad search terms like "vintage" or "mid-century" could yield great finds, but count on sifting through ads where those terms are synonyms for old and ugly. If you're looking to coordinate with other items in your home then you may want to search by pattern, fabric, or wood. Try common misspellings.

Oftentimes you know what you want but aren't sure what to call it. Stretch your imagination. I needed more chairs for outdoor dining but didn't know what ours were called (Emu Rio), so I would search "white metal chairs," "white patio chairs," "white deck chairs," "white grid chairs," and countless permutations. Eventually I turned up a great deal on a set of four.

It isn't a deal if you spend way more on the back end of the transaction. Those chairs with great bones may be dirt cheap, but ancillary costs can add up quickly. Figure it all out in advance or you'll find yourself reposting the item or putting it out on the curb. Will it fit in your car? Measure and measure again, or face renting a cargo van or truck. Do you plan on getting something reupholstered or refinished? That can get expensive, so it's worth getting a quick estimate before purchasing the item in question.

Know market value and your budget. I'm in the market for a grill, so before I even ventured onto Craigslist I looked at what they cost new. Between Memorial Day and Father's Day, the market is saturated with secondhand grills from sellers who have upgraded, so a quick survey of Craigslist makes it easy to discern typical prices, inflated ones, and screaming deals (like the one I saw last night that sold within three hours of posting). Having a solid sense of my price range and what I want can save me from wasting time on posts that are way off-base.

Figure out your search schedule, parameters, and tools. I tend to obsess about things, so instead of setting up a feed or compulsively searching on my phone all day, I'm a first thing in the morning/late in the evening searcher. If it's something worth a longer drive, I might search nearby cities or use an aggregator (I like adhunt'r and will limit my search by region). If it's not worth a longer trip then I'll winnow down my search by location.

Write a good inquiry. Ask the right questions for the object in question. For kids' gear I always ask if the seller is the first owner, along with the year of manufacture (a quick search can rule out safety recalls). If I'm emailing someone about a grill I'll ask if they are including the cover and propane tank. For upholstered items I will always ask about smoking and pets, as both are non-starters for me. I might ask for more photographs or specifics on condition. I'll also provide my email address and cell number, so that the seller can contact me by email, phone, or text, whichever is most convenient for them.

Let the seller know that you are motivated, nobody wants to waste time with a tire kicker. Complete sentences, please and thank you, and an indication of good faith seem to go a long way; something along the lines of "if this is a good fit for my needs I can pick up at your earliest convenience, cash in hand." If you think their asking price is fair then there's no need to negotiate. Otherwise, start with an initial offer below your target price to leave room for negotiations.

Inspect before handing over the cash. Look everything over, make sure that the item is as described and in the stated condition. If not, be prepared to renegotiate or walk. 

Find your Craigslist zen. There will be the perfect fit that sells out from underneath you, the unresponsive seller, the intransigent price inflator, the one who only wants to communicate by carrier pigeon. If it isn't worth it to you, the seller sounds sketchy, or your spidey sense is going off then be prepared to walk. It isn't yours until it's yours, so don't waste time grieving the one that got away.