oh, right...

Like, Happy Christmas and such. Be back eventually.

Ha-ha-happy Christmas.

Alison and I put our friends to work decorating our tree. We strung popcorn and cranberries and consumed a surprising amount of festive drinks. Unfortunately, I was too distracted to take any actual during-photos. But there are a couple of the tree, which is actually quite difficult to photograph!

a preview...

Here is a little preview of our tree. My family helped me carry it home in the rain, and my father and brother set it up. Alison and I strung the lights, but our friends will help with the ornaments on Saturday. When I get home from work, I rush to plug in the lights... it's such a pretty little thing to have. I finally feel like it's holiday time!

oh look...

My good friend Katie Steiner blogs for the Met's American Stories exhibition. I hope everyone has been checking that out... especially this post, which features jam made in my own kitchen!

Oh, to be young and in love in Paris...

I recently mentioned reading letters written by my parents from Paris in 1978. I can't wait until I have to time to read every letter, but for now here are a few bits from two that I borrowed.

My father's parents visited for Christmas that year, and my mother wrote them, "... look for us at the airport. I'll be the one with the wild hair + Jim with pink cheeks + a checkered scarf."



In October, 1978, she wrote:

About the open air market, "With a large basket in hand, Jim and I wander through and buy artichokes, beets, eggs, sausage, cheeses (oh so lovely!) and flowers."

About the patisserie on rue de Babylone, "But, the windows full of them [pastries] are more beautiful than jewels."

About their apartment at 34 rue de Liege, "I am sure it will be cold though, for the windows start at waist level and rise 8' or 9' to the ceiling!" and "There is a little cafe across the street where one can go in and buy two cups of coffee, take them across the street (in ceramic cups! not paper) and later return them!"

And included the floorplan of their apartment:

B's House

Some girls fantasize about their perfect wedding. For me, it's real estate. When I was home I finally got to see Brian's house... and I love it. It's early 20th c., Arts&Crafts, and... adorable. Pretty jealous. He's in the process of furnishing it, and we went to Attinson's Antiques (on Coventry Road) where he found a pair of carriage lights that will go in the bedroom. Can't wait to see them installed (hint hint). xoxo

Hemingway's room

"... it was very cold and I knew how much it would cost for a bundle of small twigs, three wire-wrapped packets of short, half-pencil length pieces of split pine to catch fire from the twigs, and then the bundle of half-dried lengths of hard wood that I must buy to make a fire that would warm the room."

"I brought mandarines and roasted chestnuts to the room in paper packets and peeled the small tangerine-like oranges and threw their skins and spat their seeds in the fire when I ate them and roasted chestnuts when I was hungry."

Being Home

I love visiting my childhood home (and seeing family of course). Each time I notice new things about the house I was born in (not literally, folks). This Thanksgiving might have been one of the best. It went by so quickly, and I was home so briefly, but I feel that as I get older these trips are more meaningful. My mother and I chose ornaments from her collection for my own first tree. We also began to read through letters written by my parents to theirs in 1978, the year they moved to Paris. My mother was 26 then - my age now. All of the details of my trip made me sort of emotional, and made me fall in love with my family even more. Enjoy some vignettes from home!

Swap Meet!

Anyone interested in NYFA's Swap Meet? December 10th, 6pm, $5. I'm inventorying swappable items in my mind riiiight now.

Picture Yourself

Well, well. I've been waiting to mention last week's PopRally at MoMA because I wanted to link to the photos they took. The PopRally is an inexpensive after-hours party - this most recent one showcased some of the new photography out on view. In addition to the art, drinks, and music, there was a "photo booth." In my head I imagined one of those old booths with a little curtain and a slot spitting out black and white photos (I should have thought harder on this...). They took amazing digital photos in front of a green-screen, and then we got to choose backgrounds designed by the photographers featured that night!

work in progress

I recently purchased a silk screen used by Scalamandre to print their wallpapers (thanks for the tip, Noel!). This is the type of object that you really have to get close to to appreciate. And it's meaningful to me because it's like owning a piece of the company's history. Apparently they rarely sell them.

Right now I'm "storing" it on my mantel. I need a drill to make a hole in order to hang it properly on the wall. I'm also considering painting the bit of wall behind it white so the flowers stand out more. But for now, it's hanging out. Any other suggestions?

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

I find the disembodied head of Vincent Price hovering over a historic house very satisfying.


This weekend I watched some horror oldies featuring Vincent Price, one of them being House on Haunted Hill from 1959. During the opening scene and credits, I was surprised to see a house I recognized (sidenote: I think it a very poor choice for a haunted house, but whatevs). I know Frank Lloyd Wright's concrete Ennis House (1924) because the Metropolitan has a block from it. The house is still standing, but during the 1980s (I think) the foundation sold a few blocks to raise money for its restoration/preservation. I helped acquire an image and ready the label for this block, which should be in the American Wing's redone Engelhard Court. Neat! (The curators probably would have frowned upon a mention of the movie in the label, so its good that I didn't know about this then).

old lady fun

Homemade pumpkin bread and pumpkin ice cream (oh yeah), friends, a little wine, and this pumpkin carved up in our little yard. Not my best work, but got the job done. I'm so ready for you, Park Slope trick-or-treaters!!

under very fine construction

A quick note: today I was thrilled to hear about the new (in progress) site for MaxAvi Fine Scarves & Costume! I can't wait to see what my super creative friend has in store. Stay tuned, folks.

love this time of year!

The weather today was beautiful! We popped into Manhattan to check out the New Amsterdam Market. Good pumpkin ice cream, but overall was not very impressed, mostly due to the sub-par atmosphere. Much more satisfying was a stop in Bowne & Co., where some great Halloween decorations and cards can be found right now, as well as this awesome new addition to my mantel. Alison thinks it's creepy.




After that we popped up to Central Park, and watched the world go by. There is a bit of fall foliage out there, but nothing like in Ohio. Sigh. Still - a wonderful fall day in New York.

love it

I just read about Sean Scherer's house, and I want it. I want to make that. Sigh. His shop also looks pretty cool.

good intentions...

Remember my trip to the Long Island Vanderbilt home? Well, they fixed up those wonderful/horrible old dioramas. Which I actually find quite sad...

heh.

Nice ending.

We're famous

Elizabeth: "The more stuff we go to, the more famous we get."

reunion

Alison and I were lucky enough to snag our grad school classmate Sam for the weekend! We covered quite a bit of ground, beginning with our local bar scene Friday evening. On Saturday we took her to the Brooklyn Flea and the Union Square market before eating crazy sandwiches from the Peanut Butter & Co. sandwich shop. Those were intense. We took ourselves to the American Wing to show off all that hard work last year. And I ran into my good friend Jonathan Dwight. We spent the evening out with more former classmates and other NYC dec arts superstars playing scrabble over drinks. We only got on our soap boxes about museums and our quarter life crises a few times! It's been too long, friends.

Sunday included nail polish and textiles, as well as a visit to the Brooklyn Museum. It was such a nice walk from our apartment, and there were new things to see. My favorite new installation is Reception, by Vadis Turner (2009). The mixed media piece includes Bibles, ribbons, and birth-control pills (among many other things). It's always great to be reminded of how great New York (this includes Brooklyn!) can be. Safe travels home - and thanks - to Sam!

Time Travel via Tea

Yesterday, I shared a nice pot of tea at Tea Spot. It was my first time trying lapsang souchon. And I can see how one might think it's totally gross. But, boy do I like it. It smells like wood smoke, the kind emanating from a working historic house. I once received a letter from a man who thrived on fires in his 18th-century fireplace, and the paper smelled of that wood smoke. It was hands down the best thing I've ever received in the mail. And now I can drink that. Don't worry: the taste isn't as strong as the smell.

Old Stone House

In the neighborhood sits the Old Stone House. I must be some kind of idiot, because when I read the sign nearby I understood the house to be original... from 1699. Yeah, right. Anyway, guess what, it's a reconstruction (surprise).

It's still kind of cool to have something pre-19th centuryish in the neighborhood, even if it's an "interpretive center" (read: stay away). I'm curious anyway, so if I remember to stop by, I'll report back.

In like, a real journal.

New Project

Taking suggestions for my newest project. What's needed around here are couch cushion covers, but I'd rather not sew right now. Thinking of something that involves painting and/or wood.

Halp!
xoxo
P

Fabulous Fanny's

Tonsillitis and a new amoxicillin allergy put me out of commission for a while. I'm still feeling my way back into reality. What's going on?


I haven't been to any new museums or galleries or done much of anything artsy fartsy lately. But after a generous helping at 16 Handles, I diiiiiid go to Fabulous Fanny's yesterday and dig through drawers of vintage glasses. We had fun trying on all the cateyes, giant 1980s specs, and my personal favorite, tiny round tortoiseshells. They have a few things online, but it's minimal compared to the store's stock. I ended up picking out a pair from their own vintage-inspired line, Spectaculars. I took them to get lenses today, and they should be ready for their reveal tomorrow! Bonus: they ended up costing about half of what my last pair did. Kind of an I Heart NY moment.

Edit: here they are.

Less is More (in at least one way)

On Saturday, Katie and I visited the Morgan Library & Museum. It was my first time, and I knew vaguely what to expect, but was quite pleasantly surprised. We gabbed our way through the Thaw collection of oil sketches of nature. The small room nicely housed the little works, and we geeked out over the artist's travel case with paints, palette, tools, etc. - even a little white handkerchief-turned-rag with blue striped edges. So cool.

We next visited Mr. Morgan's domain, his library and study. There were some nice Memlings and my favorite over-the-top 19th-century style of decoration. The library was pretty awesome, with it's glass-floored galleries. I was drawn to the wonderful housing of tiny books in the Elisabeth Ball Collection of children's literature.

Alright, now for the less is more deal: the exhibition we spent time in was a room of recent (since 2004) acquisitions. Sounds slightly boring, right? Wroo-ooong. First of all, each of these works had it's own amazing history. An illustrated letter from Van Gogh to Gauguin, for example. There were letters, scores, photographs, prints and drawings, watercolors, and a slew of other types of ephemera. I actually read full labels - lots of them. The amount of material was manageable. People were really excited by the material (audible oohs, aahs, wows, and cools). One lady even hummed out loud at a listening station, and the other visitors kind of chuckled and exchanged knowing looks.

So, there wasn't a larger theme or story really, but the works were divided into simple categories such as politics, nature, and modernism and beyond. That was good enough for me. And you know what - a lot of people like to learn as a dilettante might, gathering juicy tidbits about a multitude of topics.

I enjoyed it. It was just the right amount of museum, I could read labels, learn, and leave without feeling wiped out.

On Saturday, I touched art.

Welcome to Dia: Beacon!! The red arrow is pointing to what I touched. That cube is lined with mirrors, set at angles... I don't have the energy to describe it. This piece asked me to look into it, to bend over (it's about waist-high for me). Bending over, deeply, I set my hands on the edges. Then I got yelled at, big time. I ran away, leaving me no time to find a label, hence the crappy image grabbed from flickr and lack of information here. I haven't touched art I'm not supposed to before. And, as I've been paid to touch art for over three years now, I'm sensitive about it. Sorry! This was the most pretentious "museum" I've ever been to. I swear I'm not just saying that because of how loud the guard screamed at me.



PROS: really cool historic structure overlooking the Hudson Valley; big comfy sofas that help you actually stop and look at art

CONS: nasty guards; ban on photography; label text that requires a PhD. and lacks context

Fireplace Update

Well, my new photo is not so good, as I shot in the dark (heh), but here is my updated fireplace. I stripped that sucker and repainted the grate. I'm pretty happy with it.

Martha

nerd purchase

I recently bought a copy of the Art-in-Trades Club's 1926 "Yearbook." After ripping open the package, I flipped through the catalogue (which I know well, thanks to my MA thesis). I noticed new things, after not seeing this material for over a year. I also think that looking in leisure, without having to worry about catching every little thing because that ILL book is going to disappear, helped. I am inching closer to turning my thesis into an article. Then all I have to do is find someone to publish it! Heh...

Anyway, my eventual goal is to own all four of their Yearbooks, but this one is the most important to my work.

look who's blogging

That's right, it runs in the family. Check out the Ingalls Library Blog. I've mentioned it before, but it's totally on a roll now. And look for my mom, who says cute things like, "Lunch, for me, is a salad and an armful of auction catalogs."

my room: the remix

As an addendum to my last post. I painted my room! And framed more prints. And rearranged tchotchkes. The color is called "stormy monday," which I think I really needed to temper my sunny disposition. It's gray. I'm much happier with my room now: it's starting to feel a little more like me.

knobilicious

I have been so busy! I was in a wedding, and people seem to be having a lot of parties lately. This leaves little time for doing the solo crafty-type things I love, but this weekend Alison and I made sure to take the social life down a notch. I recently found these knobs in the sale bin at Anthropologie, so they came home with me. They are a little big... or rather protruding? I like them anyway, these poor little sale bin knobs.

accidental preview?

The Yinka Shonibare mid-career survey opens at the Brooklyn Museum of Art on June 26th. Because June 26th has not yet occurred, I was recently surprised to see a little bit already on view. Described on the BMA website: "a site-specific installation created for this presentation titled Mother and Father Worked Hard So I Can Play will be on view in several of the Museum’s period rooms."

Um. Let's start with the state of these rooms without any headless mannequinns. Sad. Up until the later nineteenth-century, the period rooms there are pretty bleak. Despite their house-like groupings, these rooms do not feel like "real" interiors. For some reason they just feel like unfinished shells. Which is actually kind of creepy. Add the current installation, which often took me by surprise, and, well, I'm still digesting. Has anyone seen these rooms recently? Thoughts?

Another side note (i.e. ramblings about period rooms): BMA has a few rooms that visitors basically have to peer into through glassed-off doorways - this means no walking into the room, no facing the scene head-on. I felt that this made the spaces better. The visitor becomes the voyeur, much more than in the usual installation, in which the fourth wall is either behind you or absent. Feeling like you're naughtily sneaking a peek into someone's living room instantly humanizes (for me) the otherwise uninhabited interior. I could bore you for a long time about the wonderfully crazy world of period rooms. Good, bad, awesomely bad: I think they are always worth seeing.

schnozz

So, for our housewarming we went cheesy and bought nose cups. Alison had a good time forcing everyone to pose with their cups, as evidenced here. I do not recommend these cups though: they are one-drink cups. They get soggy, kind of like those little Dixie cups your grandparents used to have. Although, I did enjoy seeing one this morning a few blocks from our house.

Picnic time

Morrie invited us out to his country house for a picnic. His 150-year-old vernacular gothic house was preeeeetty awesome! I brought cookies, we had all kinds of other goodies including hand-picked strawberries. There was plenty of badminton to go around, and even a tractor ride (Katie perfected her Miss America wave). Thanks, Morrie!