About Projectophile

IMG_2325Projectophile is a made-up word that means “Lover of Projects.” All the other good blog names were taken.

My name is Clare. I’m a lady in my thirties, living in Chicago, mostly employed, am married and have three kids.

I have a growing list of projects on a piece of paper next to my desk.  One day I decided that if I ever IMG_4580want to finish any of them, I would have to start a blog and update it once a week.  I am now a proud owner of approximately 0.000002% of the internet.

I’m a bit of a scavenger, and love finding usefulness and beauty in other people’s trash.

My favorite sources are the alley, the thrift store, yard sales, Craigslist and occasionally IKEA.  My style can best be described as Mid-Century Modern meets keeping-dangerous-things-away-from-small-children.

Send your fan/hate mail to projectophile@gmail.com. If you prefer filling out forms, here’s a good one:

25 thoughts on “About Projectophile”

    • Hello, fellow Clare! I’ve gotten used to spelling my name out “C-L-A-R-E-No-eye” because everyone gets it wrong (it was even wrong on my drivers’ license for a few years). Let’s think of all the countless hours we’ve saved by not having to write/type that extra letter, and hope that it outweighs the hours we’ve spent correcting others.

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  3. This is a great blog. Do you mind that my first thought (despite the continual references to building/making/creating stuff) was that Projectophile was a mash up of projectile vomit-o-phile. I have two kids so my mind goes in weird places. . . . actually my mind went in strange directions anyway, it’s just now i have two malleable minds to also twist.

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    • Simon,
      yeah, I thought of that as well. But by the time I did, it was too late.
      My original title was “projectorium” but that was already taken by some guy rehabbing his bungalow in Seattle. Not sure which one sounds more like vomit.

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  4. after seeing your post on a.t., i totally have a crush on your sense of humor. was the bike cover your first post or am i missing the “next page” button somewhere? now off to google madsen bikes.

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    • Hi Mary, you’re very sweet! The cargo bike cover was the first post… this blog is only a couple of months old. I think if you click on the blog name you”ll see the home page with links to all the posts.

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  6. Hi Clare! I am a Clare too. : ) I just discovered your blog this morning on facebook, found some fun stuff here already. I want to ask you about the black coffee table on your header. I grew up with one just like it, do you know anything about it? All the best, Clare

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    • So nice to meet another Clare. Are you Irish as well?
      So, my cover photo… To be honest, when I set this blog up it was the only picture I had that fit the banner dimensions (very wide, as you can see). I bought that bench on Craigslist. It was an adjustable-slat bench, meaning that you could pull it on the ends and make it wider, or push it together, which I thought was neat. It lived happily by our front door for a couple of months until the slats starting coming loose. After fooling with it for a while, I realized that much of the wood was rotted and it would be nearly impossible to repair. You can see in the pic some of the slats are already missing.

      I ended up taking the whole thing apart but keeping the legs. I’m glad I did because I used them as the legs for my Standing Desk project (which I’m using as I type this!): https://projectophile.net/2013/03/26/make-your-own-mid-century-modern-standing-desk/.

      I do like what the picture represents: something that was once modern, functional and beautiful, but is now broken and surrounded by toys. Like many things in my home.

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      • Thanks for the info on the coffee table. The one I grew up with had fixed slats, it was not adjustable.
        Yes, I am Irish too! Merry Christmas to you and your family. : )

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  7. LOVE your blog!!!! Wish I had an ounce of your creativity! Can’t wait to see Estelle teetering around at the Halloween parade! So, starting my own blog and I am interested in what site you used to set it up. Is it user friendly for folks like me that seem to kill all living computers??? Ahhhh…. He good old days of pen and paper ….

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  8. Since you are a fellow Cheesecaker, and I love your projects and wish I had half your inspiration and creativity, I’m nominating you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. You may already have it, are too busy, or prefer to remain an award free zone, all of which are very good reasons to avoid the small amount of homework involved. However, if you’d like a slightly tasteless logo to adorn your blog, please click on the following link: http://talltalesfromchiconia.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/inspiration-has-struck-2/ ‎

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  10. I’d love to find you on FB as well. I’m waiting for the weather to warm up (Lake Chicago now ice skating rink Chicago much?) before I start all our projects in our new home! I’m glad to have found you.

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    • Hi Sam — How great! I have modernlegs.com bookmarked on my browser. So, yeah, I’m definitely a fan, and have a few ideas on the back burner that could use some hairpin legs. Let’s stay in touch.

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  12. Just stumbled across your blog. Talented and rockstar funny, your “dangers of mid-century living” is laugh out loud. Cant wait to read more.

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  13. I enjoy your blog and adore your sense of humor. Keep it up! When I get the notification of your blog in my email, I drop everything and read it because I know I will giggle.

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  16. Hi Clare. I just found your blog today. I’ve devoured most of the entries over the past two hours, and I could keep going for two more, except I think I’m running out. Are you still writing? I know life changes, but I hope you are still finding a way to spread joy and laughter and beauty with the world, through Projectophile or some other forum. Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Don C’s latest collaboration with Jordan Brand, the Legacy 312, takes inspiration from Chicago and pays homage to three models worn by Michael Jordan: Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 3 and the Nike Air Alpha Force Low. A Chicago native, Don C grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and first collaborated with Jordan Brand in 2015.

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  18. CLARE, I’m so glad you’re here and that you’re back- even though I had no clue that you were gone! While I hadn’t searched Google for a way to off my offspring, I found your site while looking for ways to upgrade my vinyl roller shades. You are the very first blogger or DIYer that is both smart and funny enough for me to want to actually “follow”. I’m a Massachusetts woman in my mid 50s and Ive been a fixer upper, thrifter, trash picker or what’s referred to as a “yankee girl” type. I repurpose and recycle and I always have, not bc it’s trendy, or good for the planet, but bc it is what’s worked for me, both financially and logically. I am good with my hands (my boyfriend refers to it as my “lesbian fixing powers”, I know, that’s very offensive). I refinish found furniture and I think I always will. I will stop traffic when I see something that needs a little love. Old stuff speaks to me in ways that new stuff cannot. I look forward to reading more content. I think all of your projects stand the test of time, Kerry

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