How-to – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com Making a Handmade Modern Home one DIY project at a time. Tue, 16 Jun 2020 02:35:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://i0.wp.com/francoisetmoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Untitled-2-2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 How-to – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com 32 32 76357554 I am Landlord: What to Look for When Buying a Duplex https://francoisetmoi.com/interiors/i-am-landlord-what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-duplex/ https://francoisetmoi.com/interiors/i-am-landlord-what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-duplex/#comments Mon, 21 Jan 2019 14:00:25 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=16772 Interested buying a duplex and becoming a landlord? Let’s talk about some key logistical things to consider when thinking of making the leap. Something you may not know about Ken and me is that we’re landlords. Owner-occupied landlords, to be exact. What is owner-occupied, you ask? All it means is that we own the duplex, live in one unit, and rent out the other one. (We’re on the main floor unit and we lease out the upstairs apartment.) It’s our first home and we went the duplex route not only because it’s a good investment, but we’d been living in apartments since college, and the idea of sharing walls with a tenant isn’t a foreign concept yet. I’ve had a lot of questions on Instagram about how our duplex is set up, so to clarify, there are two completely separate units. The front door opens to a shared foyer and from there the home splits into two separate locking units. Like with anything, there are pros and cons, but overall buying a duplex and becoming a landlord has been a fantastic experience. We’ve been able to pay down more on our mortgage every month, afford to live in our desired […]

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]]> https://francoisetmoi.com/interiors/i-am-landlord-what-to-look-for-when-buying-a-duplex/feed/ 1 16772 How-To: The Nordic Style Christmas Tree Basket https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-the-nordic-style-christmas-tree-basket/ https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-the-nordic-style-christmas-tree-basket/#comments Tue, 28 Nov 2017 12:00:58 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=16564 As I was naming this blog post yesterday, it occurred to me just how simplistic and all around ‘common-sense-esque’ it sounded. How hard can it be to put your real Christmas tree in a basket? The truth is I’ve been trying to figure out how to use a basket (in lieu of a tree skirt) for my real Christmas tree for the last few years, and I finally figured out a set up that works. So here we are! You see with real trees the stands are often 20″-24″ at their widest point, making it difficult to disguise in a basket without the basket being MASSIVE. I recently came across a 16″ diameter plastic tree stand that holds a 6′ tree. Our tree this year is a real Fraser Fir, known for its more “open” Nordic feel. The top of the tree thins to a single branch with a few small off shoots. Technically, the tree is a 7-footer, but considering the sparseness at the top of the tree, I decided to give it a whirl with the 6′ tree stand. And SPOILER alert…it works great! The 16″ tree stand diameter makes the basket so much more doable. Here I’m […]

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]]> https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-the-nordic-style-christmas-tree-basket/feed/ 2 16564 How to Make: Wild Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-make-wild-cherry-bark-vanilla-bitters/ https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-make-wild-cherry-bark-vanilla-bitters/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:09:19 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=7446 We recently discovered a cocktail at Heyday in Minneapolis that knocked our socks off and was the catalyst for our interest in experimenting with home brew bitters. The cocktail was an ‘old fashioned’ type mixed up with wild cherry bark vanilla bitters, a bit of cane sugar and a garnish of orange zest. Oh so delizioso. Check back on Friday, as I’ll be sharing our take on that killer Heyday cocktail! If you’re not super familiar with bitters, they’re considered to be the ‘salt and pepper’ of cocktails, adding complexity and that ‘je ne sais quoi.’ There are a billion different theories on what proportions make the best bitters (a matter of taste and preference, I guess), so after alot of research, we landed on the recipe and procedure below.  Cherry bark vanilla bitters calls for super high proof bourbon, rye and a whole bunch of herbs that you’ve probably never heard of!  The warmth of the cinnamon, cardamom and star anise make cherry bark bitters the perfect accompaniment to winter cocktails. I can’t wait to hand these out at the Holidays! Ingredients: We purchased most of our herbs at Mountain Rose Herbs. 8 oz dried cherries 3 c 101 proof bourbon (divided in two 1-1/2 […]

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]]> https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/how-to-make-wild-cherry-bark-vanilla-bitters/feed/ 8 7446 How To: The Poufy Bow https://francoisetmoi.com/uncategorized/how-to-the-poufy-bow/ https://francoisetmoi.com/uncategorized/how-to-the-poufy-bow/#comments Tue, 17 Dec 2013 13:57:28 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=1957 While working at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Candy Shop  in high school, I put together countless Holiday gift baskets full of every kind of sugary (and sugar-free) confection you can think of, and each one was always tied up with a pretty bow. Needless to say I had plenty of opportunities to work on my bow-making craft, and here’s the method I found works best for achieving a big, poufy, festive bow. The secret is in the ribbon. Wide, wired ribbon–the wider the better–is the key to success!

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