pics : take a stroll

cooper hewitt museum & central park reservoir.

we saw new moon this weekend, and although it seems hopeless, we're rooting for jacob. it was good (liked the first one more for its simplicity) and the dialogue reminds us of the tv show felicity it ... is ... so ... labored ... and ... drawn ... out ... such teenage angst & staring. but, bella really needs to stop being so clumsy and getting paper cuts, while announcing them to a room full of vampires, which leads to family feuds & fighting. i did like her black keds, though. i love the songs meet me on the equinox by death cab for cutie and roslyn by bon iver & st. vincent. you can listen to these two and others from the soundtrack here.

this year is flying and i can't believe tomorrow is already december 1st! the weather here continues to be unseasonably warm and i have 200+ photos from our visit to the train show this weekend. i can't wait to show them ALL to you - kidding! editing will take me a while, so for now, let's take a short stroll through nyc.

hope you had a nice holiday and/or weekend. have a good week!

xo, cindy


big lamp's shadow & sweet water dishes at street level.


kitty goes to flower market.


country in the city.


charlie's terrace view.

life : one holiday down

the mustaches are fake. the trees in central park are not.

when charlie said he wanted to go out for thanksgiving he meant it. so did scott. we did. i brought these fake mustaches to play with. i'm terrible about taking photos of people, including (especially) my family. this little project made us laugh and they kept the mustaches on until my brother arrived to surprise him. i think charlie should grow one, he looks so cute. scott is a different story. i think i have more hair on my upper lip than he does ;).

i think when you've lost someone dear, it's best to create distractions during the holidays. no looking at an empty seat. go out and have a lovely meal, take a walk, be around other people. that's what helen would have wanted to do.

hope you enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps i didn't get any good pics of my brother and scott's aunt, but there's always christmas!


why so serious? who's that knocking? better move it.
it might be strange, but when scott came out of the restroom he said i had to check it out with my camera. it was huge. there are studio apartments in this town smaller than this bathroom. nice flowers, too.


traditional thanksgiving lunch was delicious and just enough.


but, the steak looked better and what's not to love about pecan pie.

life : give some thanks

cindy's bro & charlie's sis. aren't they awesome?

life isn't always easy. there are ups and downs. i suppose we wouldn't recognize one without the other? one thing i'm thankful for is having a nice husband who buys me flowers even though i say 'no, thank you.' he couldn't resist the color. so sweet.

and, thanks to all of you for joining us over here on quaint. it means the world to us and we're grateful. pj sent us the nicest award about blog friendship and i'd like to share it with all of you. thank you, pj!

we're getting our small posse together for thanksgiving. i wish more family members would have visited charlie this year. oh well, there's always christmas. hope you all have a wonderful holiday and weekend. see you next week!

xo, cindy

ps we're going to train show at the new york botanical garden this weekend, which is really neat. of course i'll show you photos. try and stop me ;).

pics : long island city

hope you enjoyed your weekend! the weather was gorgeous here and although brooklyn is swell, we live in queens so let's share the love. gantry plaza state park in long island city is so nice and the view can't be beat. is thanksgiving really just a few days away? this year is flying.

xo, cindy

ps if you love vintage toys and sweet songs, the video fireflies by owl city is for you. and, the movie mary and max about two unlikely long distance penpals looks so dear.

pps i've started a new collection - vintage stamps, oy!


we've had a lot of warm weather this fall.


the shadow knows.


so do the chains.


and hoops, which might do with some chained nets.

pics : brooklyn flea

manhattan bridge & brooklyn bridge.

our last day for we love brooklyn week takes place at the brooklyn flea in dumbo, which is an an acronym for down under the manhattan bridge overpass. the flea market is actually located just below the brooklyn bridge and such an incredible setting. you'll find food, antiques, handmade items and a farmer's market. it was overcast that day, but unseasonably warm. enjoy your weekend, everyone!

xo, cindy

ps i've been working on a little shop, but have two more butterfly garlands and a purple box to add, plus organize a giveaway of a garland to be held after thanksgiving. at this point, i'd love it if you would make our shop one of your Etsy favorites.


cobblestones might look charming, but walking & driving on them, not so much.


such a good boy & the dog is sweet, too.


this folding chair was gorgeous & so were the onions. i love photographing produce.


leaning tower of PIZZA. i'm sorry.


pizza & fish tacos. couldn't choose one, so we had both.


the captions for this one are limitless. there were actually two weddings at the same time. oy!

life : brunch & a stroll

delicately designed metal work reminiscent of lace.

jess had a post on friday that included a quote from esther hicks about only doing things that make you feel good. if we could live that way life would be simpler. our choices would be obvious. i'm clear about my values - knowledge, love & authenticity, but sometimes i go along with things that don't make me feel good. it's frustrating and maybe the hardest part is changing my mind about those situations? if it were only so simple.

well, until i sort it out, here are some photos of a few things that do make me feel good. a delicious brunch in dressler and a stroll with the husband in williamsburg, brooklyn for we love brooklyn week. hope you have a feel good day!

xo, cindy

ps we fell in love with the show cake boss this weekend and stayed up way past our bedtime. fourth generation baker buddy and his awesome (he uses that word, a lot) italian familia from hoboken, nj make some pretty incredible looking cakes. there was a moving robot cake and one for dylan's candy bar that was fuggetaboutit! we think yous might love it, too.


the chandeliers are cool.


yum + yum = yum.


marlow's tiny haystack & morning glory covered barbed wire.


would you like those shoes in black or black? scott pointed out the shadow of people going over the williamsburg bridge. thank you!

pics : rock collector

hope you all had a nice weekend! we had one stormy day and one unseasonably warm one, yesterday. it was divine. i don't usually photograph other people's kids, but this cutie by the brooklyn bridge was irresistible. andy goldsworthy would be proud. i wish i would have photographed those rocks from the side, though. oh well, i guess i'll have to go back and try it myself if they're gone. hope they're not.

it's we love brooklyn week here on quaint so get ready for some sights and yums. happy monday!

xo, cindy

ps oh, and here's a beautiful song and video to go with it from the avett brothers called i and love and you. it's a beauty and dedicated to our lovely readers.

pics : central park

fall foliage.

if things aren't working out indoors, go outdoors. run, jump and play in the park. ok, walk, rest and take photos, which involves lots of squinting, stretching and squating. don't break a hip. happy wednesday!

xo, cindy

ps we just picked up a copy of keri smith's book how to be an explorer of the world. it looks like a fun way to see your everyday world with new eyes! there are also many terrific projects on her site that would be great for kids of all ages, including us.


two types of playing.


more fall foliage.


there's a sign from young arts that reads 'a tree house for dreaming'.


and, more fall foliage.


brick & mortar & bench.


penthouse & tree tops.


old tree & the sun.

craft : think hard

pretty & ugh!

hi all - hope you had a good weekend! i hesitate to post this one, but we've got to keep it real. as mentioned last week, sometimes my projects get messed up. actually, i don't know who i think i am as i'm really a beginner sewer, but i don't like to use formal patterns. at least, i didn't. so, i wanted to make some pajama bottoms to wear with t-shirts. i was going to use the old tattered pair i've had for a while as a guide and purchased beautiful seersucker fabric from b & j fabrics.

i rushed home, turned my pjs inside out and got busy. i was so proud that i realized i should turn them inside out to get the full size. well, the pride ended there. i forgot to take into account that the waist was ELASTICIZED (doh!) and after sewing everything together, it was so tiny. i realized my mistake and didn't know what to do.

eventually, i figured i could add a piece, but it forms a V. you know what I'm saying and see where it's pointing? it also accentuates my tummy kind of like maternity pants. i'm bummed. i suppose i could cut off the legs and make a new top part, but i'm sure the legs are not exactly the same size and that would be a nightmare. some bolsters for our sleigh bed might be nice ;).

xo, cindy

pics : kiku in film

berries & koi. this is my favorite.

thank you so much for the amazing comments about our little book! they really mean a lot to us both, but especially me. i spend a lot of time on these projects and your support is very encouraging. special thanks to deb for posting about it and i think she's going to create one, too. totally psyched to see what she does.

so, onto the diptychs for today. after getting my first dslr last year we went to see kiku: the art of the japanese chrysanthemum at the new york botanical garden. it's pretty amazing as chrysanthemum's are cultivated in the most meticulous manner. you can get a better idea of kiku and the wonderful bonsai in our posts from back then.

this year, i wanted to do something different and took our 35mm film camera. the manual controls are really a challenge, but i'm getting better. the photo of the koi above was thanks to scott because he pointed out the fish. i took the photo and had no expectations other than blur. usually, my photos of fish are crummy, but this time i got lucky.

enjoy your weekend, everyone! hope you get lucky.

xo, cindy


bamboo hut & shino-tsukuri (driving rain) - each color represents one plant!


ogiku (single stem chrysanthemums) & cabbage.


fall foliage & the sun.


bonsai forest & big forest.


maple tree & leaf.


big pine tree & small.


october roses. surprise, surprise this is my other favorite ;).

craft : the book

thank you for the nice comments about the corsage i made, everyone! next week, i'll share a craft project that didn't go so well and it's a real doozy. but, until then, one last post about our first blurb book, which arrived on our anniversary - sweet. i'm really happy with it and have already started on the next one. if you've exhausted everything else on the web, you can see every single page here ;). i organized it by season with a separate chapter for home, but will combine them from now on. i hope i don't get bored halfway through the year, though. it would be weird to have two seasons in full technicolor and the others blank.



during the process, i learned a few things -

1. there are those who take more photos than me, but i post a lot of them here and on flickr. too many. i'll edit more.
   
2. i photograph a lot of flowers. again, too many. my goal is to find more grit and combine it with the pretty. love the contrast.
3. we must do some new things.
   
4. i love diptychs, especially when they play off one another.
   
5. the higher the image quality the better. don't skimp on this and take the extra effort to meet the suggested requirements. you won't be sorry.

there's a very good article in the october issue of martha stewart living that summarizes the different services you can use to make a book with an abbreviated version online here. i really think everyone should do it. who needs a book deal to be published, anyway?



and, if that's not enough for you, pj mentioned a service called blog2print that will print your blog, including the comments. she is also having a fantastic giveaway this week for a $75 amazon e-gift certificate, so please visit her to enter.

xo, cindy

ps green tea mix in milk makes me so HAPPY and matches the cover of our book! tastes just like a starbucks green tea latte. the tea, not the book.

craft : floral corsage

we saw bright star this weekend, and except for the first few minutes when scott dozed off which he denies, we both enjoyed it. the love story between john keats and fanny brawne is intense and there were a couple of scenes so beautiful that i just gasped out loud in a very quiet theater - ohhh. but, i was also totally smitten with the hats and clothes. fanny was a seamstress and her designs were full of elaborate ruffles in gorgeous softly muted tones with an occasional red.

if i hadn't already made this corsage, i certainly would have after seeing the movie. i'm already thinking about how i can make one of those amazing hats from paper, but until then, here's what i did for the corsage. it's so easy -

1. picked up velvet leaves, chrysanthemums and a rose, although you could use any type. these are from from tinsel trading.
2. bound them together with floral tape so you can't see it in the front.
   
3. glued on a pin backing.
   
4. wrapped some seam binding through it a few times to keep it secure. tied a knot and a then a bow.
   
5. it's a little bit top heavy, so i'll secure it with a corsage pin at the top by the leaves.
   

the corsage is a bit large for me to wear on a daily basis, so it's more likely to be displayed on a table or in a shadow box. hope you all had a lovely weekend!

xo, cindy

ps a couple of months ago i mentioned the this is home project and shared my submission. well, i didn't win, but my phrase 'home = love' was featured in one of the winning pieces and is available as a post card in their shop where you can see all of finalists. nice!