art | park avenue roses

hello, hello! thank you all for your good wishes for charlie. he did really well and even fell asleep during the treatment at one point. after he was done, i walked over to park avenue to see will ryman's fabulous large scale roses, which are a breath of fresh air in light of all the snow we've had, lately. measuring 5-10' in diameter they are made from fiberglass & steel and adorned with beetles, bees, ladybugs (good luck?) and aphids. the longest stems at 25' tall leave 2' of snow looking like icing on a cake. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps design for mankind had the coolest video from olafur arnalds featuring colored smoke this week. or should i say, the hottest ;)?

life | snow, again

fujifilm instax mini 25

hello, hello! i thought we lived in nyc, but it feels more like alaska. it seems to snow everyday and although very pretty it's becoming a bit much. we've had seven snowstorms already this winter and it's only january - oy! last night there was thunder and lightening. today, i'm going with charlie for his first radiation treatment and we would both much rather hop on a couple of bicycles like e.t. and escape from all of it. wish us luck!

xo, cindy

ps i learned about fitz and the tantrums from krissy and totally love their old school r&b sound.

nyc | brooklyn to manhattan

brooklyn war memorial dedicated to americans who served in world war II.
this is actually two photos combined into one.

hello, hello! before attending a workshop in a part of brooklyn that was new to me, scott and i took a ride on the subway to make sure i knew where to go. afterwards, we saw signs for the brooklyn bridge and headed that way.


it was really cold to be walking anywhere let alone over the brooklyn bridge, but it's really cool (no pun intended) and was pretty crowded. it's about one mile in either direction.


i don't know how this artist was able to feel his hands let alone create a drawing.


another view of the bridge, which is really beautiful even on a gray day.


yes it does, just steps from city hall.


city hall park in manhattan.


greeted by the welcoming committee dressed in black, of course.


after that walk, the alternative methods of transportation were welcoming, but we opted for the subway and headed over to soho. as for today, it's snowing AGAIN so gray skies are not going to clear up, but i'll put on a happy face, anyway. snow is pretty. :)!

xo, cindy

life | just try

hello, hello! well, i can be as pessimistic as anyone, but sometimes i push through the doubt and try, anyway. last june i saw a a posting about a photography contest by the local chamber of commerce, so i sent in some photos and forgot about it.

a couple of weeks ago, i found out that one of my photos was chosen as a winner along with photos from nine other people and will be featured on its website for the entire year. there's a reception next week and we will be presented with our framed photos, along with $50 (party!).

and then, on friday i took my vintage yashica film camera out to photograph the snow. when i got home, i noticed the battery cover the size of a dime was missing - major ugh! i figured it was within a 10 block radius, so i backtracked and kept thinking i'll never find it with all the shoveling, but i had a better chance if i try. i found it at block number nine! so, never give up, especially since it's the weekend!

xo, cindy

ps the video for wreck your wheels by kim richey was made using photos submitted by fans. love it!

nyc | snow day

upper east side in the morning.


scott had a routine doctor's appointment, so i wandered around for a bit and noticed people were really getting to the shoveling early in this neighborhood.


then the high line, which is the meatpacking district.


one more from the high line just before lunch in nearby chelsea market and these metal chairs would look awesome wrapped in yarn like jen did here.


followed by the west village in the early afternoon, which involved endless wandering around because i thought partners & spade was just around the next corner (it wasn't) making another case for one us getting a smart phone (me).


over to soho and isn't that coat with the brass buttons down the back so cool? they actually go all the way down, but some were open. love that patchwork bag, too. wish i could have called 'freeze' to get a cleaner shot like the sartorialist. have you seen his wonderful video?


finally, back to queens just in time for an afternoon nap that lasted almost 2 hours! after days like this we think we're old, but that's a lot of ground to cover in one day, especially since it started out snowy and remained cold.

xo, cindy

ps i recently learned about the dodos on chance and like them quite a bit. i really love the song fables, so summery on these cold days.

home | pretty in pink

hello, hello! i have a slew of photos taken out and about town in the cold snow, but since it's sleeting today, i'd rather stay inside and smell the roses. maybe i'll get to those snow pictures sometime in july when it's hot & humid?

xo, cindy

ps we recently saw the hand-animated movie the illusionist from sylvain chomet (triplets of belleville) and were totally charmed by this semi-silent film. based on a story written in 1956 by jacques tati, this bittersweet tale is thoroughly modern and deeply felt as it addresses how we can be left behind if we don't continue to adapt to changing times.

craft | japanese tape driftwood

hello, hello! when i saw ginette's driftwood on design for mankind last summer i loved how she painted it with stripes. when we visited the jersey shore last summer i found one piece and thought i would do the same. well, i never got around to it, but recently figured i could use some japanese masking tape to make stripes and it worked! no muss, no fuss and the tape is totally removable, so not good for a game of fetch with dogs :). i suppose you could seal it with mod podge, but i haven't tried it. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps the only reason i got this far with the tape is because jen insisted i use it, so thanks to jen!

craft | japanese tape garland

hello, hello! i really like the japanese masking tape that is so popular, but kind of treat it like a precious commodity and save it. until i figured i could make some garlands using linen card stock and two coordinating tapes.

apply the tape to your paper side by side and punch or cut-out your shape - i've used butterflies. then, glue two or more layers together with your string in the middle. i also add some butterflies to small clothespins for display of the garland. the possibilities for patterns are endless and these stripes remind me of candy stripers (do they still exist?) and the polka dots of candy buttons.

i'll share one more idea for the masking tape on saturday, but here's a hint. hope you're having a good week!

xo, cindy

ps i just heard teddy thompson interviewed on npr and i love his new song looking for a girl. he's from england, but definitely has a country twang.

life | for the innocent

hello, hello. when we got home on saturday, i learned about the terrible shootings in arizona on twitter of all places. i had just uploaded my daily photo and saw all the chatter about the horrible event and just couldn't believe it.

these photos were taken at the new york botanical garden train show & children's adventure garden this year, which are so much fun because kids, big & small, squeal with delight and excitement over the trains, gingerbread & topiaries. they're for all the kids who should be able to see life through innocent eyes and everyone who still does no matter what life throws at them.

xo, cindy

shop | pretty notions

hello, hello! while all saints is designed to look like a vintage sewing shop, tinsel trading company actually is one. if you love crafting with ribbons and flowers and glitter, you must visit this nyc shop either in person or online. it truly is magical and feels like you're taking a step back in time to the days when notion shops were in abundance.

i still can't believe my handmade greeting cards were once sold in tinsel trading, or that i didn't get myself something when i visited this week to purchase a birthday gift. now, the kinokuniya bookstore is another story when it comes to buying myself something ;). happy weekend!

xo, cindy

ps the song old cape cod sung by patti page has nothing to do with this topic and the images in the video have nothing to do with cape cod, but rather england. it was simply playing on the radio while i wrote this post and i had the notion that i loved it.

fun | award love

all saints, soho

hello, hello! i recently received the i love your blog award from line and it's a fun one. here are 10 revelations about me -

1. why did you create the blog?
to keep a journal of some of the things scott & i like to do. i never imagined we would meet so many wonderful people or that anyone would actually read it.

2. what kind of blogs do you follow?
blogs written by friends (that's you) and those about photography & design.

3. favorite makeup brand?
stila has been a favorite for years.

4. favorite clothing brand?
i'm coveting something from chance.

5. your indispensable makeup product?
benefit erase paste & fiberwig mascara. just because i'm not a good sleeper doesn't mean i need to look like one.

6. your favorite colour?
although i'm not sure technically it's a true color, lately i'm loving gray. or is it grey?

7. your perfume?
french orange blossom by jo malone. i've worn it for years, which is unusual because i usually get bored.

8. your favorite film?
this is a tough one because i love so many movies from bullitt to enchanted april, but pixar movies always make me smile no matter how many times i see them.

9. what country would you like to visit and why?
how about the usa? i've never been to california and would be happy to go to maine this year. as for foreign countries, italy would be incredible!

10. make-up the last question and answer it yourself: jamie mentioned choosing a word for the year.
mine would be grace. i hope to have it.

the rules require that i bestow this award of love unto 10 others, so if you want to play along, consider yourselves recipients - asiye, elizabeth, jamie, jane, jen, julia, joyce, erika, meg & michelle.

xo, cindy

ps i had to go back to all saints and try a few more shots after seeing the one line shared in this post. these two are better than my originals, but the one she mentioned is still the best. award-worthy for sure.

life | shed some light

long island city | home | grand central (cool lens flare, one more here)

hello, hello! hope you all had a happy new year. my holiday break was just that - a break from pretty much everything with a little bit of creating at the end, including a new 365 project. i didn't plan this post, but a few recent images seem to be all about seeing the light. honestly, that's about all i have to say on the topic as i didn't spend much time planning for 2011 like i hoped or reflecting on 2010. right now, i'm as stuck with all the ideas i have swirling around in my head for this year as ever. well, i have 361 days left to figure it out, but i'll get busy on it right now. really. i'm going ...

xo, cindy

ps i received the anglepoise lamp for christmas and that lamp has so much personality it's like having another person in our place.