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GOOD T H INGS
C B 2 U N D ER LI N E D I N N ER PL AT ES, $ 6 E AC H , C B 2.C O M; C R AT E & BA R R EL FE T E W H IT E C LOT H N A PK I N S, $ 4 E AC H , C R AT E A N D B A R R EL .C O M; WI L LIAM S S O N O M A LY N D EN 5 - PI EC E FL AT WA R E PL AC E S E T T I N G (S I M I L A R TO S H OW N), $ 12 5, W I L LI A M S- SO N O M A .C O M
Fresh Ideas to Elevate the Everyday
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DIY STYLE
SERVE CHILLED Consider these one-of-a-kind Fourth-of-July table linens a tribute to American ingenuity. The print may resemble batik from halfway around the world, but it’s made right here at home, in your backyard (or kitchen sink). Use our foolproof technique for ice-dyeing— tie-dye’s subtler, less messy cousin— to give any solid cotton fabric a watercolor wash, then wrap up the theme with a simple red bow at each setting. For the how-to, see page 114. PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHELSEA CAVANAUGH TEXT BY ELENI N. GAGE
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July/August GOOD T H I NG S 3
2 CELEBRATE
Capture the Flag Here’s a lip-smacking way to pledge allegiance to the Stars and Stripes: an all-American display of raspberry and lemon ices. (Follow the recipe at right, or, if you’re pressed for time, use store-bought sorbet cups.) Line a 9-by13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment, then arrange ices in alternating rows, leaving room for a stack of blue napkins. Let the fully assembled sheet chill in the freezer till you’re ready to treat your favorite patriots.
GRAND OLD ICES
Combine 1½ cups each fresh lemon juice and simple syrup in an 8-inch baking dish. Blend 4½ cups fresh raspberries with ¾ cup simple syrup and 1½ teaspoons lemon juice until smooth; strain into a second 8-inch baking dish. Freeze both mixtures, raking with a fork every hour, until flaky and frozen, 4 hours. Blend each flavor with 1½ cups water until smooth. Transfer to 3-ounce paper cups and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
Dart Solo 44-2050 wax-treated white paper cups, 3 oz., $25 for 100, amazon.com. Bayith Chambray cocktail napkins (similar to shown), $32 for 4, carpenterhill.com.
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Top Gear Pack these road-trip conveniences in a handy go bag to travel smarter and happier (even in a rental). 1. The WizGear airvent magnetic carmount holder keeps your phone’s GPS map in plain view ($17, amazon.com). 2. Tag car keys or a beloved stuffed animal with a hightech Tile (from $25, thetileapp.com).
Cocktail napkins are the right size to be the “stars” section of this treat.
3. The mini MAGlite LED flashlight has all the illumination you just might need ($21, maglite.com). 4. Use an Anker premium auxiliary cable to play the music on your phone through the car speakers ($15, amazon.com). 5. Yuni shower sheets let you freshen up even when the nearest bathtub is miles away ($15 for 12, yunibeauty.com). 6. An All Good SPF 50 sport sunscreen butter stick won’t spill ($16, allgoodproducts.com).
A quarter-size baking sheet fits easily in the freezer, and stashing it there gets the aluminum frosty, which helps keeps the ices colder longer.
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7. Customize a no-frills canvas case, like the Augbunny 16-ounce pouch ($14 for 4, amazon.com). We did ours with Martha Stewart paper stencils, in Sans Serif Alphabet ($17, michaels.com).
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July/August GOOD T H I NG S INSTANT UPGRADE
Handles With Flair Much as replacing plain buttons with jazzier ones can transform an old coat, new drawer pulls can elevate a basic dresser. Even better, our DIY ideas will work on any drawers, including ones with oddly spaced holes or vintage hardware. IKEA Tarva chest, in Pine, $229, ikea.com. Tandy Leather natural cowhide leather strip, 2" by 50", $17, amazon.com. ArtMinds leather punch, $10, michaels.com. Chance handpainted sun hat, $255, chanceco.com. M&J Trimming braided leather bolo, 6mm, in Natural, $10 a yd.; round leather cord, 2mm, in Natural, $2 a yd.; and two-color braided vinyl (similar to shown), 1½″, $8 a yd., mjtrim .com. Metal round tube, in Brass, 12″ by ⅛″, $1.50, grainger.com.
GET STRAP-HAPPY Use a leather punch to put a hole in each end of the natural-leather strips, then fasten them onto drawers with flat-backed brass machine screws in front and acorn nuts in back.
ADD A LOOP Double a short length of braided leather, thread it through a brass wing nut and the drawer hole, then knot the ends together to secure it.
GO LONG
DO A TWIST Bend an eight-inch piece of flat leather braid. Push a flat-backed screw through it, and secure it onto the drawer with an acorn nut.
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PE T ER AR D ITO (D R AW ER P U L L S)
Trim a brass tube to size with a tubing cutter. Knot one end of a thin leather cord, and feed it through a drawer hole. Add the tube, feed the other end of cord through a second hole, and knot it.
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July/August GOOD T H I NG S SUMMER FUN MULTITASKER
Just Add Water
All in a Row
Three stay-cool ideas for kids at block parties and barbecues.
Summer bummer, solved: To transport ripe-to-perfection tomatoes and stone fruits home from the farmers’ market free of bruises and busted skin, our food director, Sarah Carey, stocks up on these birch wine carriers. They accommodate the season’s most precious cargo efficiently, ecologically, and pretty darn elegantly, too. The Container Store Birch Veneer wine-bottle cylinders, $17 each, containerstore.com.
CHALK IT UP Mix equal parts water and cornstarch, then add dry tempera paint to create nontoxic pigments for the patio that wash right off. Petite children’s kit, $20, naturalearthpaint.com.
To keep fruit pristine, lay these horizontally in your tote.
PLAY H 2 0 TAG
Stack two wet sponges, zip-tie them together, and snip the squishy ends. Then cinch the tie and let ’er rip. Trader Joe’s sponges, $11 for 12, amazon.com. Commercial Electric cable ties, 8", $8, homedepot.com.
For a sweeter taste, switch in apricot preserves for the marmalade.
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Lighten Up Two guest-star ingredients turn a typical happy-hour margarita into a sunny brunch beverage: Orange marmalade adds a bittersweet tang, and El Guitarron agave wine ($15, cordelwine.com) comes from the same plant as tequila but has about half the alcohol, so you can toast over French toast without needing a siesta.
MORNING MARGARITA Moisten the edge of a glass with fresh lime juice, then dip it in kosher salt. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add 2 ounces El Guitarron agave wine, ½ ounce Cointreau, 1 ounce lime juice, 2 teaspoons orange marmalade, and 1 teaspoon superfine sugar; shake 30 seconds. Fill glass with ice, strain drink over top, and garnish with orange and lime wedges.
MAKE A SPLASH Attach this gizmo to your spigot to fill (and magically seal!) 35 water balloons at once. Zuru Bunch O Balloons 3-pack, $10, amazon.com.
PE T ER AR D ITO ( WAT ER BAL LO O N S)
SIP & REPEAT
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July/August GOOD T H I NG S
RECIPE REMIX
The S’more, the Merrier With all due respect to the holy trinity of graham cracker, milk chocolate, and marshmallow, we’ve taken this old-school treat to delicious new heights. Our three variations on the combo offer something for everyone standing around the fire pit (since, apparently, there are people who don’t love chocolate). Trick out a tray so roasters can find ingredients easily and focus on more crucial matters, like debating the subtle nuances between “charred” and “burned.”
GINGER SNAP & LEMON CURD
BONFIRE BOX To streamline flameside fixings, load a tray with clear categories: your crunchies (chocolate wafers, graham crackers, and ginger snaps), your gooeys (Andes mints— you’ll need two per s’more— Reese’s peanut butter cups, and lemon curd), and your chewies (the marshmallows!). Don’t forget napkins and skewers or sticks whittled to a point. That’s why we’ve included a few jackknives, too. Pie dish (for marshmallows), in Pillarbox Red, $59 for 4, falcon enamelware.com. Nabisco Famous chocolate wafers, $5 for 9 oz., walmart.com. Lars’ Own Swedish ginger snaps, $13.50 for 10.6 oz., amazon.com. Thursday Cottage lemon curd, $10 for 11 oz., amazon.com. Three Tarts vanilla bean marshmallows, $9.50 for 10, amazon.com.
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CHOCOLATE WAFER & ANDES MINT
GRAHAM CRACKER & REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP
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