BLOG | MOVING

how many times have you read this lately, or maybe even written it?

wow, i didn't intend to take such a long blog break. i've been [fill in the blank], but hope to get back to regularly posting from now on.

me, too. i'm not sure what has happened to blogging in general (could it really be twitter & instagram?), but for me after charlie passed away almost a year ago my heart just wasn't in 'quaint handmade' anymore. it felt like this chapter had come to a close, but i really enjoy making friends through our blog and the thought of ending it made me very sad. we've been through a lot together over the years and this space has always been important to us.

so, i was thinking maybe we can just move our bloghouse to another location to see what it's like? i've recently set-up a new blog on tumblr that will pretty much contain the same content just in a new setting. and, although i love my iphone, it's mostly going to be photos using my regular camera because i saw a big difference in quality when putting together our 2012 blurb book. i really hope you will visit us there for our next chapter, which i hope will involve actually traveling someplace on a plane for the first time in many years :).

xo, cindy

ps the photos were taken at the park avenue armory earlier this month when we visited
ann hamilton's event of a thread, which was very cool.

TOWN | FERRY RIDE(S)

two weekends in a row we hopped on the east river ferry headed for different destinations and everyone who visits nyc should give it a try. taking the ferry provides great views, is very relaxing and you can get on and off at different places with ease (no subway stairs).


the first weekend we visited photoville in brooklyn bridge park and although it was super-hot the exhibit was really interesting. different artists set up their work in shipping containers, which led to a broad variety of displays.


gems by jane lindsay featured mug shots from the maricopa, arizona sheriff's office in tintype form and you can read her artist's statement about the piece here.


the brooklyn bridge really is so beautiful.


some street art actually painted on the street by david ellis in dumbo, brooklyn (see the full painting here).


cool mural.


the second weekend we took the ferry to governors island, which is located south of manhattan and offers, among other things, the most incredible views of the financial district and new jersey.


only accessible by ferry during the summer months, the island is just 2.2 miles around and features a variety of fun events like art workshops for children, glass blowing demonstrations and jazz age lawn parties where people get dressed up from the period.


you can rent bicycles or trollies to peddle around, which i was doing while taking this photo.


there's currently wonderful sculptures by mark di suvero on loan from storm king.


and, a gorgeous view of the statue of liberty and staten island ferry. sure i had visions of gilligan's island while on what was a two hour ferry ride round trip, but doing new things in your own town ain't so bad. next up, maybe top of the rock for some night time skyline views.

xo, cindy

TOWN | HAPPY DAY!

we found the scale model of the statue of liberty in bronze on 61st street & madison avenue purely by chance a few weeks ago. it's made by using the original frederic-auguste bartholdi plaster mold and is so interesting to see all of the details in this pretty lady up close. the second photo is just a circular parking garage at the local mall and was nice to find it empty. for those who celebrate, happy fourth of july, and for everyone else, happy hump day :)!

xo, cindy

ART | LONGHOUSE RESERVE

spring gardens & contemporary art at longhouse reserve.


the house.


dale chihuly's cobalt reeds.



buckminster fuller and john kuhtik's fly's eye dome.


sol lewitt's irregular progression high #7.


bronze stacks by peter voulkos.


isamu noguchi's sunstone.


unsure of artist.


yoko ono's play it by trust.


sweet pool.

we recently spent a weekend in east hampton and visited longhouse reserve, which is the most wonderful public garden designed by jack lenor larsen. thoughtful and tranquil, the garden incorporates his impressive art collection in spaces that feel like rooms in a museum. we've been going to the hamptons for years and it was nice to find something new to see & share.

xo, cindy

town | snowy central park

when i look back on photos of snow, the atmosphere seems so lovely. a sublime blend of tranquility and fun. but, at the time they're being taken, i'm encouraging scott to hang in there as we seem to be walking for miles while thinking 'just get this over with'. the problem with that is snow is so damn photogenic, especially in b&w, so we miss it when it's gone.

this weekend we hope to see gallery shows featuring photos by vivian maier, flickr friend trish mayo, and check-up on what charlie & his home health aide, shakira, have been up to. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

art | flaming cactus

my intention each weekend is to go around town and take some photos of the holiday decorations to share, but then i get distracted. isn't this flaming cactus installation cool? created by the animus arts collective in cooper square it was made by fastening 32,000 fluorescent-colored cable ties to 14 lampposts to show that anyone can make wonderful art using simple, everyday items.

it is so interesting to see & touch, and if you try real hard, the cacti kind of resemble {very thin} christmas trees, especially if you live in the desert. read more about the project here.

xo, cindy

ps claudia's idea for beautifying her ugly christmas tree stand is very clever.

town | snowstorm

we knew snow was expected on saturday, but not until the evening. i suppose it was evening someplace at 11 am when we saw it change from rain to snow while on the subway heading to the museum of modern art for the de kooning exhibit.

although it's unusual to have snow this early, what really struck us was the weight of it on our umbrellas and the trees. so many trees have been lost and my brother in new jersey hasn't had power since saturday. we didn' lose power, but being cold & wet make us feel old. we couldn't get home fast enough that day.

xo, cindy

ps see anything strange in the second photo :)?

garden | fall in wave hill

somehow, i go it into my head yesterday that all the photos on our computer had to be re-organized, immediately. i thought i was pretty systematic with my image-handling, but they are all over the place - iphoto, lightroom, my photos, pictures, back-ups - oy!

i've already deleted 3,000+ and i bet there are at least that many more headed for the trash. i just hope i don't delete something 'important' in my haste, but fortunately, these three from wave hill are safe and sound online.

although it's a smaller botanical garden, wave hill always has the most wonderful art installations and the current exhibit is about the hive culture of honeybees. my favorite images were the bittersweet & delicate photos of bees by talia greene, which you can see online.

xo, cindy

art | krypton neon

i always look in the window at krypton neon in long island city because i think it's so cool & mysterious. last weekend they had an open studio and we were able to go inside. oh boy! it's still cool & mysterious, but would have been even more so with the lights turned off. but, then again, we'd probably end up on the floor because there was a lot of stuff in there y'all. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps i haven't had any new music, lately. i'm trying to get used to not listening to the radio non-stop as some sort of noise has kept me company since i was a kid. in the afternoon, i listen to the street noise - cars going by, birds, leaves in the trees, people talking outside our window, and the cutest little girl across the street even though i don't understand a word she says, although i do understand when she's not happy.

work | pictory

i photographed my mom's handmade apron back in july 2009 and submitted it to pictory for a happy place showcase last september. yesterday, i found out it was included in a gorgeous handmade showcase curated in conjunction with etsy and i could not be happier. sometimes, you work & work & work and wonder if you're getting anywhere, so to be included with such incredible photographers is a just reward.

the timing is also interesting since i just opened a vintage etsy shop, and although this apron is vintage, it will never be for sale.

xo, cindy

art | maira kalman

we've been on an museum kick lately and visited the jewish museum saturday to see the maira kalman exhibit where we encountered a couple of surprises. first, it was the sabbath so the museum was free - great. then, while reading this sign next to a spot where a broom should have been -

when the broom is not on the wall
the artist is sweeping
across the street on fifth avenue

she walked right up and hung the broom back in its place! so cool. she was really nice and scott says i did a macaulay culkin from home alone, which is kind of sad on my part. unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the museum and too bad because her special vignettes are wonderful. maira uses gouache for her paintings, so i took some out when i got home and proceeded to wreck this journal in a new way.

xo, cindy

art | more art in the city

museum of modern art bookshop &


frank stella. i can't help it, i love the precision in his work. although it drives my eyes crazy, he creates so much movement with color & relatively simple pattern.


picasso's guitar collages were absolutely wonderful. i'm not good at creating collages, so i really appreciate his. the way he combined paint, grit, wallpaper, metal and newspapers was interesting and these works are almost 100 years old - timeless. photos were not allowed nor were there any post cards, but there was a book.


the exhibit pictures by women, a history of modern photography was fabulous. i learned about so many important women photographers, including this series by lorna simpson and saw my first sally mann photo in person. i don't think i really appreciated her beautiful work and painstaking process until now.

although it's nice to see art in person, it's not always possible. but, thanks to the internet, just about all of these exhibits and/or artists can be viewed online to some extent from the peace and quiet of your own home. and, just to update my last post, thanks to all of your wonderful comments, i got first place in the new york botanical garden sense of place category for week six bringing me one step closer to winning a spot in the photography class. so, thank you very much, once again!

xo, cindy