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 | CENTRAL PARK

photos taken with iphone

this space has been quiet not because i was watching the olympics almost non-stop, or because we've been sprucing up our place a bit, or because of the heat, but rather because i didn't have any photos that weren't previously posted on instagram. no new photos = no blog post.

these pictures were taken in central park this weekend and that public pool looks so inviting, especially after a canoe ride. can't believe it's already mid-august. where did the summer go?

xo, cindy

ps the song home by phillip phillips was played a lot during the olympics and i love it. home is definitely where we've been a lot, lately.

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

TOWN | NEW BLOOMS

peony | snapdragons | hydrangeas | pansies | grasshoppers (sneakers)

i have to admit i'm kind of bored with the places we go and the things we do. even in nyc you can find yourself in a rut, so this weekend we're planning on taking the east river ferry to brooklyn bridge park to see photoville and tom fruin's super-cool water tower. i hope to take some photos with my real camera for a change and hope i still know how to use it. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

TOWN | CITY SURVIVAL

in the city, summer may mean running through a sprinkler on a hot day to cool off, or a ride on an elevated subway similar to a roller coaster, although raising your arms up might have a different connotation. holding on, of course :).

xo, cindy

ps i really like keane's new album strangeland. tom chaplain's voice is so beautiful to me. i love the song day will come -

some days set your world on fire,
and some days they sink like stones,
that’s when your heart will cry out,
until your body is numb,
and the night will try to tempt you,
but the day will come.

brother don’t hang your head,
until your distance is run,
‘cause though it seems so far away,
you know the day will come. 

COUNTRY | MONET'S GARDEN

the new york botanical garden has a lovely monet-inspired garden on display and the vibrant colors are wonderful. love that green, too. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

ps looking forward to listening to the new album from missy higgins and the new band to me called nada surf. love the video for when i was young.

COUNTRY | PINK TREE PEONIES

these pics were taken at the new york botanical garden the day after i went to the emergency room for the first time ever because i was suddenly seeing spots and lightening flashes out of the side of my left eye. the flashes seem to be gone, but not the spots. apparently, it's part of the aging process associated with nearsightedness, and i say a hearty ugh, although i'd rather say something that rhymes with yuck. enjoy your weekend!

xo, cindy

TOWN | CENTRAL PARK

over the past two months we've had one weekend of pure fun and it started by spending friday the 13th with jen on her birthday. it was a lucky day filled with beautiful sunny skies as we took a photo crawl through northern central park and the conservancy followed by a nice lunch. i'm looking forward to doing more fun things again as we finish packing up charlie's apartment and get ready to turn over the keys this week, which is bittersweet for sure.

xo, cindy

ps i've always thought twitter + instagram = blog killer and now that i've experienced both it kind of seems to be true. it's so easy to take a photo with a camera phone and then upload/tweet about it, but using my 'real' camera is still the best and finding a way to use both without being repetitive is the goal.

COUNTRY | TROPICS & DESERT

thank you for your loving comments and emails regarding our dear charlie. although this part of life is hard, we don't feel so alone knowing we have friends who cared about him and us. i just wanted to end the week with some photos taken earlier this year in the conservatory at the new york botanical garden, which always provides us with some peace & tranquility in this hectic city. enjoy your weekend.

xo, cindy