Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
It Must Be Spring...
Vogue's Spring Pattern Line Has Arrive
click on title to go to new pattern page
(I have my eye on this one...)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
at the Skoto Gallery...
Aime Mpane'
ERASED
March 10 - April 9, 2011
Please get yourself to the Skoto Gallery before this show closes.
A bit of the press release -
"Aimé Mpané’s work embodies the pain and grace of human conflict drawn from an informed political consciousness and awareness of Africa’s colonial history. His work indicts the social and political reality around him, a reality shaped by a perspective wrought out of his ability to express universal human emotions, deep understanding of the aesthetic and cultural character of the African continent and an abiding interest in redefining the relationship between reality and art. The history of his homeland - Democratic Republic of Congo – with memory of the brutalities instigated during the 19th century by King Leopold II of Belgium, continuing through the legacy of colonialism and the ensuing ravages of war and economic missteps in the postcolonial period is emblematic in this sense, revealing deep tragic outcome on the Congolese people in which trauma and the memory of trauma are central."
click on title to go to gallery site
Last Days...
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Rugs and Ritual in Tibetan Buddhism
Ends on March 27, 2011
click on title for details before running there!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday's Mental Musings
After living a 1000 years in this apartment I will have to move. The owners are selling. To be honest I have wanted change for a long while (be careful what you wish for!) and have hesitated to grasp at relocation as one of those changes because of the security living here has given me. My landloards have been very good to me but it is time to move on.
And as all of you know moving isn't easy. Sorting and packing is just the process of reviewing your life's "work". It is time consuming, tiresome and sometimes frightening because in addition to sorting the past and the present you. must also sort your future and decide where you want to be next. This isn't new to me. It is something I have been doing for years, just read some past blog posts!, but now the need to determine what I must bring with me, what I will donate, sell or give away is pushing the process to the extreme. Perhaps the universe got tired of my tedious work and decided to force me to fast forward the culling?
And the cost of moving in NY is tremedous. Accumulating 3 months rent plus moving expenses either takes years or just weeks of scraping it all together. Having all the money at one pop is a true temptation - I CAN DO ANYTHING within the constraints of the value of that money. I can run away to Europe and spend a few months of frugal living. I can move out of New York to an area that is less expensive and in doing so redefine my life within those financial perimeters. Or I can do what I plan to do; find an apartment in my beloved Brooklyn that will act as home base and continue to define the life I am living here and now....going to pack for a bit.
And as all of you know moving isn't easy. Sorting and packing is just the process of reviewing your life's "work". It is time consuming, tiresome and sometimes frightening because in addition to sorting the past and the present you. must also sort your future and decide where you want to be next. This isn't new to me. It is something I have been doing for years, just read some past blog posts!, but now the need to determine what I must bring with me, what I will donate, sell or give away is pushing the process to the extreme. Perhaps the universe got tired of my tedious work and decided to force me to fast forward the culling?
And the cost of moving in NY is tremedous. Accumulating 3 months rent plus moving expenses either takes years or just weeks of scraping it all together. Having all the money at one pop is a true temptation - I CAN DO ANYTHING within the constraints of the value of that money. I can run away to Europe and spend a few months of frugal living. I can move out of New York to an area that is less expensive and in doing so redefine my life within those financial perimeters. Or I can do what I plan to do; find an apartment in my beloved Brooklyn that will act as home base and continue to define the life I am living here and now....going to pack for a bit.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Cover Up
100 years ago I found a chair, I dragged it home, cleaned and quickly covered it with some linen from my fabric stash- see below - because I was a little intimidated by the thought of refinishing it in a major way.
Fast forward to this weekend when I decided to take a drastic step and paint and recover it so that it fits in better with the recent redecorating.
So off came the fabric and muslin and out came the drop cloth, black paint and sponge paint rollers and brush, batting, staple gun, scissors, hammer, tacks and the large piece of hot pink leather I found on the give away pile at work.
I'm going cover a small back pillow with a piece of the fabric I recovered the headboard with.
When I first found the chair I had this fear that if I attempted a major makeover that I would ruin it. I loved its shape and after living with it and using it almost daily I knew I wanted to keep it but in order to do so it would have to be tied in with the new decor. That meant I would have to push pass that fear and just go for it. It wasn't easy. I toyed with just buying a new chair in a color and fabric that was ready to fit in but as I was worked on the chair I had, the chair I loved, I realized that even if I "ruined" it that it would be ok because I had made the choice to try.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Daimonds and Other Jewels Are A Girl's Best Friend..
If you believe this you may want to check out the
Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels
February 18–June 5, 2011
at
The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum
click on title for details
If You Want Me...Just Whistle...
Tea Kettles have a short shelf life in my family, but this Michael Graves for Target whistling tea kettle might live longer than most because I suspect most of us would prefer to showcase it rather than use it to boil tea water.
The Spinning Tea Kettle Available at Target
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Help the Victims of the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami
Go to The Red Cross Blog to read how they have and plan to help.
or click on the title to go directly to the Red Cross page
Even the smallest contribution helps
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday's Mental Musings
I can't stop thinking about what is happening in Japan. I can't stop sending up small prayers with large concerns for those in the midst of the devastation...
Monday, March 14, 2011
Got You Covered...
I needed a small area rug to place underneath the small coffee table in my small living room area. After months of hunting for something larger than 2' x 4' but smaller than a 3' x 5' and neutral but with flair I was about to give up when inspired by the new trend of painted oil-cloth floor throws I decided to turn to my fabric stash and custom make something instead.
The Photo above doesn't doesn't do my little homemade beauty justice.
The fabric is a piece of heavy weight rubber backed upholstery fabric in a neutral oatmeal color that I have had for years. I cut it to the desired size, sewed navy blue bias tape to all for sized, used hem tape to
iron it down into place, hand mitered the corners and finished it off with a blue top stitch.
It was quick and easy to make and when I grow bored with it I can turn it into something else. I am already thinking about stenciling it....
click on title for no swearing bias tape lesson
(Please ignore the 2 plain beige chairs. I am currently recovering them with some more fabric from my fabric stash - which is large enough to dress a small Brooklyn neighborhood for a month..)
Danger, Danger, Curves Ahead
Since their August 2010 introduction over 1,000,000 women have purchased
Levi's Curve ID Jeans
These jeans are made to fit our curves. They come in a variety of leg widths and finishes and with 4 basic silhouettes that took the scans of over 60,000 women's bodies to create it means that one is bound to flatter your best assets.
Jeans start at about $40.00 a pair, which means that for the price of a pair of "designer" brand jeans you can buy one for almost every day of the week.
I'm loving the bold curve in broken dark and tea time finishes
Check out JC Penny, Kohls or Macys
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Complete Nail Wardrobe
I must admit I am not a fancy mani-pedi kind of girl. Unless it's for a specific event I either buff or clear polish. A colored nail is too much of a distraction for me, I can not help but pick at it but I love the idea of being able to have nails that are individual little canvases. Of course the artistic pedicure isn't new but to be able to peel and place the art on a clean nail within minutes on my own is. Sally Hansen offers just that. Salon Effect Real Nail Polish Strips comes in 24 styles, some of which are tame enough to wear to work, and if you follow directions can give you a fancy mani that can last up to 10 days.
Check Out Your Local Drugstores Before All The Ebayers Buy Them All Up!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Punked
Back in my College days I wore a lot of shirts, skirts and dresses that looked like this Balmain top. The ones I wore were usually accompanied by a motorcycle jacket and a pair of steele toed combat boots that I still mourn, the steele "cage" was on the outsides of the boots but I digress.
Usually my shirts and dresses started out like this - an oversized long sleeved black t-shirt. (Sometimes if the shirt was large enough I cut the bottom off to make a quick mini-skirt and top.)
And a box of safety pins purchased from the 24 hour drug store near my apartment
And a razor blade I brought from the same drug store
and my sewing scissors
In the end the whole outfit (sans jacket and boots) usually cost me well under $10, unlike the $1,600 Balmain Cotton Top with Safety Pins I've shown as reference.
For Your Consideration...
The above faux leather wedge sandal is a Christian Siriano design for Payless
click on title for details, but I suggest you head into the stores to see if it's the quality or the designer's name that is the reason for Payless' increase in pricing.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Writer's Who Inspire
Our lives are stories waiting to be told. They are memories waiting to become words on pages to be read. Following is a short list of writers whose stories have inspired me through the years.
Octavia Bulter
Jorge Amado
Cristina Garcia
Amy Tan
Herbert Selby Jr
James Baldwin
Nora Neale Hurston
Louise Erdich
James Joyce
Tuesday's Mental Musings
I have come to the point in my life where I understand that I need as much support and encouragement as I give. Perhaps it has something to do with coming of age, or at least my age, because a number of my peers have recently voiced the same realization. Despite understanding this desire we all find our selves in the same conundrum - How do we do undo years of giving without requesting anything in return? How do you shift yourself and your life so that you can let go of what and who doesn't support you in the way you need while at the same time being readily open to those who will? And when the change comes, because if you ask you shall receive, how do you push pass the discomfort of being the receiver and humbly accept the gift of support and encouragement without allowing your fear to screw it all up? And in the end when you do screw up, because you will, how do you find the courage to forgive yourself and continue on in your quest?
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Color Moves:
Art & Fashion by Sonia Delauney
March 18–June 5, 2011
at
The Cooper-Hewitt
click on title for more details on an exhibition that explores the contribution to fashion this known abstract artist made.
Do Over
Way back when I posted an entry about making a headboard using a Martha Stewart shower curtain, some stretcher bars from Utrecht Art Supply, batting and a staple gun - see below. The bold graphics paired with the hot pink worked but I found it too graphic for me...
This weekend I spent all of 20 minutes recovering the headboard - see below.
I found the fabric ($3.50/yd) at one of my favorite haunts, Fulton Fabrics, 398 Bridge Street. I've posted about them before. They are the last remaining fabric store off the Fulton Street Mall. They carry a lot of upholstery fabrics and some interesting rayon print, perfect for 1940 style dresses, but all of their fabrics are ends, the left overs from previous seasons. To be honest it's either hit or miss but that's part of the fun.
(Ignore the home-made printer's box side table - it's a work in progress - I am still deciding if I should paint it black or antique silver )
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Easy As 1, 2, 3....
This season's Tommy Hilfiger Trenchcoat comes apart for 3 classic looks.
The 3 in 1 coat is under $200
Check in with with your local Macy's for availability.
Fit To Be Tied..
This great little Norma Kamali front tied dress is a classic
(Stripe or Black Cotton)
They're only available at Walmart Stores
Pssssst and they're only $20 each .....
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
My Inspiration
Lately I have been thinking alot about the solitary process of making art and when I think about art I find myself considering those visual artists that inspire me to work.
Following is a short list of those whom I adore. Rather than show you their art I thought I would share with you their person and let you choose to investigate their gifts to the world.
Be careful, you may fall in love.
Fritz Scholder
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Hundertwasser
Romare Bearden
Lenore Tawney
Wilfredo Lam
William H Johnson
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday's Mental Musings
I have had the opportunity to befriend those seeking acknowledgement for their art. I have found it hard to distinguish between the sincere extension of friendship and the networking involved in pushing yourself "out-there". Despite my confusion I usually open up and extend the same courtesy that I extend those who have no intentions other than just being friends. Then I let it work itself out because I have come to understand that sometimes we are placed in each other’s path for purposes and reasons we only know when it is time to know. In the end it will be what it will be.
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