life : sunshine days

hi all! i hope you all had a very nice holiday and are enjoying the final days of 2009. my inbox and i have missed you. well, i'd like to wish you all a happy new year and wishes for nothing but blue skies and sunshine days in the next decade. this calendar from 1910 says it so well 100 years later -

'many happy years be thine, full of golden hours, both their shadow and their shine, bringing forth sweet flowers.'

i've included vintage wallpaper and stamps for love, photography and each state in the usa for travel. i really hope we have all those things next year, plus health! have a safe and happy new year!

xo, cindy

ps some things we did this holiday -

1. celebrated with our family on our turf - yay,
2. because scott was home he cooked each night - yum,
   
3. visited the doctor with scott six times, including christmas eve - ugh. his left foot is doing very well and he went back to work this week - yay for a couple of reasons ;),
4. went to see the nutcracker and it was wonderful. i definitely want to go to the ballet, again - yay (couple images here),
5. received some nice gifts, including a handy white balance lens - yay,
6. listened to some new music from au revoir simone - yay,
7. didn't do all the crafty things i wanted to - big nay, but i have time,
8. i visited the eye doctor - mixed feelings: a $500 bill - nay, no reading glasses - yay,
9. started to wear a hat, which i never do. the one i bought from elly makes it easy and no hat hair - yay,
10. hmmm ... did enough things to continue our theme of creating distractions this holiday. one to go!
    

life : happy holidays!

song : the nutcracker suite opus 71A
performed by the boston pops orchestra

our christmas plans reversed themselves this week. we were to be on the road visiting others, but now people will be visiting us! although i don't have many decorations up this year, there are a few and i love the card garland i saw on blue moss. it was so easy and i combined vintage cards with new ones.

we're signing off for this year and wanted to thank you all so much for being a shining light in a year that brought us some sorrow. we hope you have the most wonderful holiday and a very happy new year! we're ready for the next decade!

xo, cindy + scott

ps i chose the song today because we're supposed to go see the nutcracker on 12/26. it was a last minute decision before scott got hurt. hope he can go because i want to see how long it takes before he falls asleep ;).

note 1.2.10: we did get to the nutcracker and this video via pj is perfect.

pics : holiday sights

song : the first noel by david archuleta

thanks for all your well wishes for scott, yesterday. they helped! he received good news and is healing very well. we are relieved. the bad news is he is my prisoner for the entire week. muwhahaha! i think a song dedication is in order and this one is perfect, although i haven't been a bad girl ;). woohoo yeehoo!

now on to business, by this time last year we visited the holiday windows at bloomingdale's, barney's, bergdorf's, anthropologie, saks & rockefeller center all in one day. ahhh, we were so much younger then ;). this year we have just a few photos from rockefeller center and anthropologie, inside and out.

xo, cindy

ps it just amazes me what artists from anthropologie create using ordinary objects, especially the chopsticks in the peacock's plume and twine for the elephant below.

pics : it SNOWED!

song : it snowed by meaghan smith

you might have heard about the big snowstorm on the east coast this weekend. well, it's true and i ventured out to get us some pictures from our neighborhood. i had to go all by myself because scott hurt his foot late last week and can't walk on it. at all. no grocery shopping. no laundry. no friendly snowball fights. we can't believe it! just like that he's out of commission. see, you never know. we're going to the doctor today to see how he's doing, so please cross you fingers for us. should be interesting in the cold snow - yikes! see you tomorrow with some holiday pics. hope you had a nice weekend!

xo, cindy






mixed messages in this one ;).

two views : power

song: last train home by imogen heap

thank you so much for your warm and heartfelt comments in our last post. i will be printing them to show charlie over christmas and maybe we'll do a feature on some of his things, too.

today's diptych is about power. they call new york the city that never sleeps. i don't know how i do. look at all those electronics on my bedside table : lamp, clock radio, ipod, transistor radio, cellphone (scott puts that there when he goes to work). oy! my mom made the afghan, which was stored away for many years. i took it out recently after seeing this one by sandra juto. i'm happy i did. it's nice and cozy. the view of the city is from the subway platform in our neighborhood at around 6 pm. it sure gets dark early these days. enjoy your weekend, everyone! get some sleep ;)!

xo, cindy

ps i made the trees last year for christmas using a pattern from the small object and they've been displayed ever since.

collect : helen gives

helen : modest and reserved, very seldom heard.
not! she was quite the talker and loved to ask questions.

when we were at charlie's this thanksgiving we found helen's high school yearbook. it is so cool and we loved looking through it. there was even her pressed carnation corsage. i wanted to photograph it along with some other special things. now, for the record, scott's parents were married in their 30s and had kids a little bit later than most. in fact, my parents had me when my mom was in her early 40s and my dad in his early 50s!


the french enamel watch was purchased by helen & charlie at brimfield years ago. it was referred to as THE watch and i think it is gorgeous. she didn't have anything else like it, but i collect sterling silver and enamel and really loved this watch. they would literally dangle it in front of me sometimes and it is now one of my most special pieces. i'm grateful to look at it each day.


this was helen's engraved baby bracelet. charlie seemed to be considering selling it because he kind of panicked after she passed away. they have been collectors for many years and he was overwhelmed. but, i insisted i hold on to it for a little while as there are two grand daughters. the ring is garnet, which seems to be the stone of the czech republic and where helen's parents were born.


this is helen's best friend, julie. we adore julie and she lives near us. the two of them would talk on the phone for hours and i think charlie misses hearing that chit chat. although she has had her share of heartache, julie is the sweetest person. the garnet pin is from a trip they took to the 'motherland' (czech republic) when they were in their 70s and so sweet. although they were born and raised in nyc, they were almost mugged during that trip and hid out in a kmart!

when scott's mom passed away one thing his co-workers did was collect money for him. it was a beautiful gesture and we didn't use the money for the funeral, so we are going to donate it in helen's memory to the following charities -

1. juvenle diabetes research foundation
   
2. food bank of new york (deb also has something special)
   
3. kids in need foundation (learned about from yasmine)
   

we think she would have approved and say that's very good.

xo, cindy

ps i wasn't familiar with the band phish until they broke up, but as is customary, they're back together, again. the song joy was playing when i wrote this post. something about it seems fitting.

two views : sweetness

i know what you're thinking. those dogs are really cute. they really were in their baby stroller. the little brown one was so cold and shivering. i don't usually take my camera when i go to work, but i did on this day. so glad.

the hot chocolate in the afternoon was very good, too. if you visit nyc, you must find the vanleeuwen truck for ice cream and now coffee/chocolate drinks. each day they tell you where they'll be on twitter, which is the perfect way to use it.

hope you had a nice weekend! christmas is just around the corner and we finally finished putting up some decorations and dropped our christmas cards in the mail this morning - phew!

xo, cindy

ps it was such a rainy day here on sunday being pushed in a stroller was going to be necessary to get us to the craft shows this weekend and it has nothing to do with our ages. we roamed around in the rain last weekend and didn't feel up to doing it, again.

we did see the movie up in the air and it was intense. it's all about the choices we make and those made for us by others. how we feel about them can change over time as life really is often up in the air. bring your tissues, but it might inspire you to make some of your own changes or see those you've already made in a different light.

pics : choo, choo!

hayden planetarium.

the new york botanical garden train show is a really special event. the trains are terrific, but the recreations of local landmarks by paul busse using orange slices, cinnamon sticks, pods, pine cones, twigs, leaves, bark and all things natural are incredible. the kids are just the cutest as they wait to see the trains come through the tunnels. this year was the most fun. hope you enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy


choo choo!


townhouses.


frank lloyd wright.


boscobel & yankee stadium.


swedish cottage.


lighthouse.


central park

two views : circles

it's no secret that i love the 3191 project, along with other blogs that record images of daily life like noticing project, habit, spread your wings, amy and ann. i'm starting a project that will be a challenge for me featuring one photo from day and one from night. i might break my own rules as some things just go together regardless of the time of day, but we'll see how it goes. projects are good ways to push yourself when you don't have a teacher to do it. the text will also be short and sweet, i hope.

i love bays english muffins and the vintage enamel tea pot is from our recent visit to the brooklyn flea. the color and small size made it irresistible. asya is going to make a cup like this one for me to go with it. i met her in person this weekend and it was so nice. see you later this week with pics from the train show, which was so much fun!

xo, cindy

life : the winners are?

hope you all had a nice weekend! thank you so much for sharing your ideas about white vs. pattern (white won) and your words of encouragement. also, a big thank you for sharing the moments you're looking forward to this holiday season. it was so nice to read them and it seems spending time with family is the at the top of your lists. sounds good to us and what the holiday is really all about.

choosing one winner of the garland was super-hard, so we've chosen two. a click of the mouse using random.org says the winners of the butterfly garlands are deb and meg. happy monday!

xo, cindy

ps to respond to michelle t's comment (couldn't find your email), i mostly use a 35mm prime lens. there is no image stabilization or zoom in the lens, so it's not great for everything, but it's really light, compact and allows in a lot of light. i love it!

pics : tiny photographer

for some reason, i only post on mon-fri. why? not today.
these two weren't together, but should be.
i wonder if scott ever feels like this?
'come on, please? just one more ... say cheeeeese!

not sure what today holds, but tomorrow we're taking charlie out to lunch and then to visit helen's childhood friend, julie, in the hospital. she is the sweetest person and took a tumble. they were friends for over 80 years and would spend hours talking on the phone. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps i love pia's post about shadow puppetry. the song & video i'll forget you by lior who is new to me is wonderful.

pics, craft, work? : oy, beta giveaway!

as much as i try to fight it, i need to have all my ducks in a row, or i'm stressed out. not eating breakfast, lunch at 3 pm, and a shower at 4 pm leads to quack, quack = not good. they're not all lined up with my little shop, so i'm going to put off opening with a big bang until january 2010. i don't have all the things ready i'd like to as i'm getting new ideas as i go along and dribbling them in one at a time in the beginning doesn't sound like a good idea. photographing some of these little darlings has also become the hardest part!

but, i do want to hold a giveaway as promised. think of it as a 'beta giveaway' in the research and development department. so, just leave a comment before december 7th telling us something you're looking forward to this holiday and be sure to include an email address so i can contact you. i'll choose one winner using random.org for the butterfly garland of her choice. i should have four different versions by then, i hope. definitely, two & a half. see what i mean ;)? enjoy your weekend, y'all!

xo, cindy


this one is called lilly after lilly pulitzer - see the bright colors? they're made from vintage wallpaper backed with colored paper. i'm going to have them using vintage maps and music sheets, too.


this one is tasha, after tasha tudor. soft blues, reds & yellows. the doily in the center is specially treated and meant to resemble a petticoat. two clothespins adorned with butterflies are included for display.


how to photograph these so as not to be confusing about exactly what you're buying?


on white or a pattern or canvas or linen? scott says white. what do you think?


i'm almost there, but not quite. sorry for the false start :(.

pics : macy's SURPRISE!

i don't usually go to parades, but my brother loves them. he's been a self-taught photographer for years and is so good about getting in close and having people work it for him, i.e. smile. yesterday, i received a cd with over 200 photos from the macy's thanksgiving day parade and i chose some favorites and paired them up. dude, next time, how about 24? hope you like 'em.

xo, cindy

ps he doesn't obsess with his flickr stream much at all, but his photos are incredible. his favorite time of day is twilight and his photos of the world trade center are very special.











mrs. & mr. claus!

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.