Hinge Reopening Party Excitment

Friday was an amazing night!

As David and I (Amanda) put the final touches on the store we heard the excited calls from the awesome guys finishing their shifts at Becks Hardware. Catch-a-Fire food truck was maneuvering it's way into the parking lot and we officially had 30 minutes until the party was to commence! 
Quickly, the owner of Becks, Stan, rushed to help David hang the sign outside while Amanda put the beverages on ice.
It was official, Hinge was re-opening, in an amazing new location where we can hold bigger, better, DIY classes and workshops, have more inventory, and so many more added benefits!
In Hinge style, there were a few contests from the evening.
1. A contest to enter for a FREE antique cash register. We put the names in a hopper (okay it was a bag that formally held Ritz cheese crackers but that doesn't sound very glamorous) and we officially have a winner!
2. The fun #albertphotobomb and #hingestore  photo contest! We have 3 winners from this. First place wins a $25 gift certificate to Hinge. Our runners up with receive a free Hinge tee shirt (photo below)

So let's get to the contest photos! (Then we will announce all four winners)

...
And the winners are:
1. Antique Cash register: Mark Menninger
2. Runners Up #albertphotobomb contest: @astahlke and @kfkruderer
3. And the $25 gift certificate winner: @smartyboy369

Your prizes can be picked up by Wednesday afternoon!

Thank you all for participating in the contest and for making Hinge a success. We are loving every minute and hope you are too!

Easy, fast way to remove Linoleum

Have you found yourself in a home with linoleum flooring? Or even worse, with a linoleum peel anfd stick countertop? (Oh it happens!)
Well today I have a video to show you, how to remove the tiles in under one minute.
Supplies needed:
Flat Head Screw Driver or
Putty Knife
Hair Dryer
Large garbage can
Safety goggles
Krud Kutter (optional)
Sander (optional)

Removal:
Step 1. Put on those safety goggles!

Getting the tiles up requires heat.
The way to do that (without getting a blow torch, which is what one tutorial I was reading suggested) is to use your handy dandy hair dryer!

In one hand hold blow dryer, and in the other hold your screw driver or putty knife. (Personally I like the leverage I get from the screw driver, but the putty knife does remove more glue during the process, so that is a huge benefit)

Place your hair dryer one inch away from tile and turn on high heat. Let the hair dryer sit for about 3 seconds, you will see the tile is beginning to lift.
Place you putty knife or screw driver under the lift and with both hands moving together begin to move the hair dryer and putty knife bringing up the tiles as you go.
The thing about it is after the tiles are removed you are left with residual glue. The reason the putty knife is better for this, you will be left with less glue.
There are a few methods to remove this glue.

1. Get out the blow dryer again and blast it hot and scrape scrape scrape.
2. Get out the Krud kutter, spray spray spray and let it sit, it will break down the glue, and then scrape scrape scrape.
3. Grab the orbital sander and blast it off.

Now to the video 

How to Remove Linoleum Video

Upcycle 1937 Philco radio

http://magis.to/eXhwBwADRQkfDnIAAQ

Here is a video of a very fun project we recently completed. 

We took a 1937 Philco radio that had become a very sad. In its life it has seen flooding, a fire, a child's crayons, but also an amazing amount of news stories, radio programs, and life. We couldn't let it fall victim to a landfills fate.

After many hours of cutting, sanding, building, and rebuilding we have a minibar!

It took a class in hinges (truly) a stabilization of the upper portion, and a complete rework of the body, but here you go!

If you would like us to complete a project like this for you,  please let me know!

Want some off the wall amazing Crock Pot Lasagna?

We don't just do Home Décor at Hinge - we actually live in our home as well :)

I received quite a few requests on my famous Crock Pot Lasagna, so - here it is for you to enjoy! Please note going forward, I will be much better at taking photos while I am cooking so I can share what each step looks like :)

Until then please enjoy this version of the recipe, minus amazing fun photos

So there are a few ways to make this wonderful dish - first I will offer you the "long" way, and then the easy in a hurry way I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Parm Cheese

1 large tub of cottage cheese

small Ricotta cheese

16oz moz or any white melting cheese  

1 Clove Garic

1/2 onion

6 plum tomatoes (or 1 large can of whole plum tomatoes)

1 can of plain tomato sauce (or 1 jar of your fave pasta sauce)

Oregano, basil and 1 bay leaf

1 package of lasagna noodles

2 cups spinach

(meat if you choose)

 

First here is the recipe for my famous sauce - this of course is the long way - OH and please note if you want meat in your lasagna you need to precook!

 

1 T olive oil in a pan, low heat

2 pinches salt in the pan and oil 

1 pinch pepper

1 T parm cheese in pan 

1 clove garlic

1/2 onion loosely diced

6 whole plum peeled tomatoes (feel free to use a can of whole peeled tomatoes) slightly break up the tomatoes to let juices out and to allow to break up

3/4 can of pasta sauce - the plain nothing added sauce - not like prego but actual in a metal can sauce (the quick version would be throw in a progresso garlic and cheese sauce)

bring this up to a edge boil

add in Italian blend of spices (oregano, basil, and a bay leaf)

2 cups of spinach

bring temp down, add in one scoop of ricotta cheese and other 1/4 of tomato sauce

add 1 more pinch of salt

Let simmer until ricotta is melted

 

The quick way of making this sauce is

3 pinches of salt

1 Tb olive oil in pan

2 Tb parm cheese

1 can of whole tomatoes

2 cups spinach

1 container of your fave pasta sauce 

(if you want meat you add here first)

throw it all in the pan and sauce time

 

Now on to how to stack your lasagna in your crock pot!

 

start with a light coating of sauce at the bottom of the pot

add noodles (not pre cooked)

add cottage cheese on top then more sauce

then a handful of cheese (moz or any white cheese will do)

repeat this process until top layer is cheese on top - close lid and put on med heat for 3 hours (one of my crock-pots takes 4 hours, the other takes 3, please leave extra time in case depending on your crock pot cook time) - let sit for 15 minutes before eating.

 

Hope you like it as much as I do.

 

The HUGE Hinge announcement.

Having an amazing Vintage Home Decor store is one thing - taking it on the road, now that is something special!

So as most everyone knows by now - we are in the process of moving the store from 711 E. McMillan St (45206) to 700 E. McMillan St. (45206) - that would be directly across the street from our current store. We will be in the same building as the Becks Paint building - with entry either from the May Street entrance, or the Becks Hardware parking lot.
What you may not know is...
For the 2014 calendar year HINGE will also officially be ON THE ROAD - and we are excited to start this blog so that we can take you along with us for the ride.
What that means? Well as everyone knows there are two of us here in Hinge (well three - let us not forget Albert). With that being said some days you may only see Amanda at the shop, or maybe only David - as with the nature of what Hinge provides we need to go "pickin". So Amanda will be traveling the US for amazing picks - as well as personal delivery services! We will be hand delivering pieces as well as participating in fun on the road shows and events, working with designers in different cities! (Imagine Brimfield... we are as we just dropped our application to participate!)
Starting Hinge was an amazing adventure in and of its self. Coming to Cincinnati from Chicago, and meeting all of the amazing residents of the local area in and around Walnut Hills has just been great. We have made news friends, had fun laughs, created some amazing custom projects, but most of all we have been out pickin'. And a pickin' is what we are good at. We have also found ourselves looking at new cities, new opportunities to get Hinge to more people - and we thought, well... why not take Hinge on the road?!

So now, on to the technical stuff!
What on earth will be in this blog you may be thinking - what will there to look forward to? Well -  you will have a first hand look at the amazing Picks we find, the interesting honey holes that have been waiting to be discovered, the new friends we meet along the way, our thankful successes, and we can't leave out-the not so fortunate fails. Also, I will be showing upholstery tips, painting tips, how to videos, really the works!
What does that mean exactly?
Well, first we will be moving the shop to 700 E. McMillan St Cincinnati, Ohio 45206
Our workshop will reside at 1537 Kinney Ave 45231
Second, we will be selling at shows, making personal deliveries,  working with designers in other cities
Third - as we travel we will take photos of our projects, talk about our experiences, and most of all we will provide a calendar of all of our shows - with cities so you can visit with us, or can have us pick something up for you and bring it to a city you are located in!
Most importantly - we will continue to provide you the service you have come to know - custom projects, fun innovative ideas, in home consultations, the works we are still here for YOU!

How much fun is that?!
Most of all we want to thank everyone for their support of Hinge - and we cannot say thank you in enough ways or times - but we do hope that we continue to see you out on the road - at our new shop - or at a delivery dock near you :)

Let us know what you think in the comments, feel free to sign up to receive updates via email - or subscribe directly.

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Later friends!
Hinge