one thing at a time
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hey guys how are you doing this fine tuesday? it’s nippy in ny but the sun is popoing in and out thad those bits of brightness are bringing me a lot of joy. here come some rays now! i’m working from the apartment kind of just like the shot above (i wish)! so i couldn’t help but post it. i leave in a few hours and this trip has left me with a lot of opportunities. i have to decide if i could live in the city again and change up life as i know it.
in the meantime i was messing around on pinterest since i have a few moments to spare. between the photos, creativity and endless inspiration, it’s also instructional.
the shots that people take blow me away. and tweaking them is incredible too. from instagram, hipstamatic, photoshop, and iphoto there’s a whole world out there. i want to be a better photographer and have been bookmarking some pages to go through.
pinterest.com/pin/31243791135354114
would you ever do a challenge like this?
holycool.net/artifact-uprising-softcover-instagram-books
are you obsessed with photography? everyone has such an individual style. i’d love to see books on pics in phones each year. it would be a great chronicle!
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well anyway i hope to find some time to actually go and check out these sites in depth. if you do let me know! if you want to do the challenge let me know that too, it could be fun! ok, well it’s off to work we go. have a spectacular day!
nothing i would rather do
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good morning mes chers amis! it’s a gorgeous brisk day in nyc. i came in last night to spend the weekend with friends and family.
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we’ve been in and out all morning getting the apartment cosy and stocked.
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for the next little while i’m gonna just do what i wanna do which is chill and say hi.
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(tulip fields in holland above and below)
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i’m enjoying having a clean slate for a minute.
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i spent some time between emails on pinterest and have been checking out the likes i’ve been saving
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you know how the likes are…no real home and rarely looked over. anyway here are a few non sequitur shots from today.
apparently i’m feeling color
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anyway now it’s not morning anymore and it was when i started this so it’s time to get back to reality. and so, tomorrow. till then i bid you adieu. have a glorious day!
ps thought you’d enjoy this!
the whole is more than the sum of its parts-aristotle
allo dear friends, how are you? i hope you’re into the fall weather and are getting your autumn on! we’re still running around and no matter where we turn paris is still ful of surprises. the day started with a rainy marche but it warmed up when we got to le square trousseau to meet friends/fellow bloggers, vicki, author of french essence and haleigh, blogger extraordinaire from making magique. both of these girls know how to live and they record it all with the most gorgeous photography! if you’re ever in need of eye candy or to drift off into neverland, just click your heels on over to their blogs. we shared ideas, tips and just had a great leisurely long lunch which i doubt any of us get to do very often! below is a glimpse into haleigh’s world in paris:
and vicki’s in provence
of course we couldn’t leave without lusting after the desserts…
we thought the day couldn’t get any better when on the way home claudia and i took a shortcut. we came across one of the last men working in his studio on the dying art of handmade engravings. when our friend ellen was here she was telling me all about the copperplates, hammering them backward with tiny pins to create the detail we see in so many familiar works of art.
olaf was diligently working but stopped to chat. he happened to have one of my favorite plates, le souper fin (below) which he purchased from a workshop that had recently closed. if you look you’ll see it was all done in reverse. the detail is incomprehensible and so is the idea that this is how so many important events were recorded! it takes black tar, ink, acid and god knows what else to produce a perfect engraving and it’s all done on handmade paper.
souper fin, Jean-Michel Moreau. he did admit he’s one of that last to do this painstaking craft…
not sure what this one was about but his work was stunning. i couldn’t resist getting a couple to bring back!
the day is now coming to a close and we’re nestled snug in our pied a terre, happily fed and another unforgettable day under our belts, but also aware it’s quickly coming to an end. when i get home lots of goodies will be waiting there. in the meantime, it was nice to know we got a little press in the states today! miles redd recommended one of tpa’s mirrored pieces in an article for the home section!
thanks, miles!
someone here asked me if mirrored furniture was ‘over ‘and i had to think for a minute. it will never be over, it’s a style that’s been around way too long to become passé now!i found this shot from the market last week and it re-confirmed my opinion that mirror is and always will be tres chic. it’s been worked on furniture since the 2os with details we can’t even produce now. how they manipulated mirror is yet another mystery the french started!
ok well this was a bunch of non sequiturs but isn’t that what a journal/diary/blog is for, to remember the details of life big and small? well, it’s time for bed, officially midnight yet again. have a great night!
these walls can talk
(image: pauline de rothschild in her paris apartment bedroom, decorated in 18th century chinoiserie wallpaper)
hello mes amis! it’s 8pm and i’m about to have dinner and hope you’re winding down too, or at least refueling for the night shift if you’re anything like me :)
i got some great news today and couldn’t help but spill it right away. for the architectural digest show in march, gracie studio is going to collaborate with tpa and showcase their handmade wallpaper on our walls! i’ve known mike gracie for years and have always wanted to do something special and now the stars have aligned! i spent the last hour scouring the internet for images that feature their legendary wallpaper so we can sketch out the plan in detail tomorrow. there are so many options when it comes to this old school technique that i was first thinking yellow and liz loved the tangerine. then mike suggested silvery metallic with cream and my heart melted!
below are some of their many designs:
gracie wallpaper in elle decor
tory burch’s entry via elle decor
traditional home
gracie studio is a new york institution. it’s been a family owned business for generations that’s treasured and taken very seriously. you can read about their colorful history and family passion here: graciestudio.com and patricia gray did a great interview with mike here.
i just love the history! below are some of gracie’s metallics. it’s amazing how many homes they’ve touched in a century. may be cliche but well, everything old is new again. it’s a timeless look and a real indulgence to live with such exquisite hand painted paper. it’s versatile too cause you can use it on a large or small scale. for instance, between windows, you can always frame a panel and take with you if you move.
here: Thad Hayes had Gracie repaint the original 1930′s wallpaper. via habituallychic.blogspot.com/2009/03/thad-hayes-tailored-interior.html
everyone looks good in it, and it makes a great backdrop for a photo shoot!
maggie rizer
anna sui/w magazine
nylon magazine
gracie’s work is intense and infinite! i’m really looking forward to getting creative with mike and we’ll have a lot discuss tomorrow when we put it all together. i’ll keep you posted, but better yet, come to the show! ok, time to change gears and eat something yummy. more soon!
up one side and down the other
hi guys! it’s been a whirlwind summer and truth be known, i’m slightly exhausted and am only now going through the pics i just couldn’t bear to deal with while on the road. you bloggers know what i’m talking about. it’s all fun and games taking the shots but editing, resizing, balancing, cropping, and sorting can take all the joy out of it!
so tonite’s the night. my new goal is to do things in real time cause it’s just not the same when you wait, you know?
anyway, going thru it all i remember how much i love californians who let the ÜbeR foliage grow wild even when it’s trimmed.
totally random non sequitor but in san fran i thought it would be fun to start sending stuff from paris to different collectives, starting with this one, past perfect.
they have two locations and happen to have a space available.
actually the shopping there was amazing, with everything from lighting to big furniture.
this is the space they have open:
so changing gears, cause i could stay on cali for another 10 posts but the weekend took us back across the country to a weekend wedding in lake george. i’ve never spent time there but it was an another incredible hotel and the wedding was of course spectacular.
and i have to give them props for the foliage at the sagamore hotel
and though i couldn’t capture the beauty of the centerpeices, they used champagne grapes tucked in with the flowers and it was absolutment charmant!
on the way out i had to stop by the villa marie antoinette antique shop but it was closed.
still there was enough eye candy to amuse me and the staggering beauty of the architecture in our very own country never ceases to amaze me. there’s much to see and do. what a world!
we took the long way home and stopped at little towns along the way like saratoga and woodstock which were as pretty as anything we’d seen yet.
but i have to draw the line somewhere and just say ‘when’! besides i don’t need to bore you with my vacation shots but do want to remember these last couple weeks. it seems like a recurring theme to make sure the memories don’t get stuffed in a folder along with the pics and i’m grateful for blogging to give me that incentive to do more than just let the days pass by. hope you’re having a great summer and making memories you’ll always remember too. have a fabulous weekend!
the glamorous borough of brooklyn
hey guys, hope you’re having a great weekend! sorry i’ve been mia for awhile but being in nyc is as exhausting as it is incredible. over the past couple weeks so much has happened that it’s impossible to chronicle it all. still, there are a couple highlights i knew you’d appreciate and a trip to brooklyn was one of them. i haven’t had my camera so taking pics hasn’t been part of the trip but i did my best to capture what was one of the best events going in the city. working on the ny app inspired a trip to the brooklyn flea. it’s held both weekend days, saturday outdoors but sunday in the most incredible venue, the old williamsbug bank at the atlantic avenue stop.
from the street it looks like any other city corner and with the scaffold you really wouldn’t even notice it if just passing by.
but stepping inside the air becomes cooler and it feels like you’re walking into a special place, almost like a cathedral in rome.
every inch of the bank is decorated in hyper detail from the ceilings to the windows, the lights and mosaic floors.
these pics obviously don’t do it justice
and inside the atmosphere was full of life like only a flea market can generate.
every nook and crannie held something new and vendors are able to keep their weekly spots in little rooms and tucked away corners you’d never get to see if this were still a bank.
just being here with the sun steaming in was magical.
you have total run of the place from the balconies to the basement where an enormous vault is open for show.
i guess i just can’t rave enough about it. it was an exotic and glamorous way to shop and felt like a very special event.
but no one else seemed phased and shopped and chatted as if it was the most normal place to be in the world!
i guess i’ll have to go back to get real photos at some point, but if you’re headed to the city, be sure to either jump on the train or walk over the bridge, just get to this market for an unforgettable day of brooklyn history and a shopping extravaganza you’ll never forget. till then, have a great night!
The Flea at One Hanson (aka Williamsburg Savings Bank)
1 Hanson Pl. (at Flatbush Ave.)
Open Sundays
SUBWAY
B/D/M/N/Q/R/2/3/4/5 to Atlantic Ave./Pacific St
LIRR to Flatbush Ave
BUS
B41/B45/B63/B67 to Atlantic + Flatbush
CAR
Take the Manhattan Bridge to Flatbush Ave., follow for approx. 2 miles, look for One Hanson/Williamsburg Savings Bank on your left. (Some street parking available, or use inexpensive lots within one block on Ashland Pl. or Fulton St.)
going to the theater
hey guys! happy independence day weekend! i’m in nyc for a couple of days to enjoy the city. tonite we’re headed out to the box. theboxnyc.com
it’s theater at its best and all happens inside this tiny, unassuming exterior on the lower east side that hasn’t changed at all.
behind the facade is a grand old theater where magic happens!
they don’t allow pictures and i couldn’t find much on line but you get the idea.
the roaring great time of a show all happens on this little stage. every nook and cranny of the place is special, the lobby, the walls, the restrooms, the coat check! i’ll try to sneak some shots ;p
the video below has a preview but it’s not for the faint of heart (mom and dad)! oh and best of all, tonight’s special guest is alexander markov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Markov
. he’s a russian violinist so it’s cultural too.
happiest saturday night and thank you for checking in. i hope you’re summer’s in full swing and you’re enjoying every minute of it whether spending time alone or with the ones you love. xc
le monde des cartes postales
happy monday everybody! glad we’re all here to share another one ;p
yesterday i met a wonderful couple at the lincoln road antique show here in miami beach, francis and monica. they’re from the south of france and travel the world selling their incredible collection of french post cards. they’re in town twice a year and yesterday was my lucky day! you know i had to ask if they had any leo fontan, and of course they did. it’s a little banged up and used and i love it. at $10, how could i refuse?
i couldn’t read most of the note. then again maybe i’m not supposed to!
anyway i forgot what a thrill postcards are. tangible, living text messages.
they’ve always been the rage in paris. these old shots are from the cartes du timbres show at the champs-elysées that’s happened every sunday for a century, just like it will this weekend.
they’re fascinating to collect cause so many are one of a kind. the buzz has hit the states and there’s going to be a big show at the hotel new yorker in the city in may and the couple is back to paris june 4th and 5th for the carte expo at Mutualité. (the building and the metro stop).
and for all you postcard aficionados who won’ t be able to make either one, check out postacard world magazine . they just published their second issue. congratulations and best of luck, you recognized a genre that needed love!
oh wow, where did the day go? more soon!
ps thanks, paulette, for turning me on to the ebay stash of fontan’s cards…and just like that, a new obsession is born. just what i needed. how did you know?!
5th Avenue Freezout
hi all! i’m in nyc and for all my big talk of running around, the furthest i’ve been is up to bergdorf’s and back. sadly most of my photos didn’t do the windows justice. they as were fab as expected, but the glare of the sun kept me from getting good shots. here are a few of mine (the detail shots) and good ones from lisa golightly’s blog featuring shots by Rudy Pospisil of anothernormal.com (who’s apparently been shooting holiday windows all around the city). i’ll let him brave the cold this year… it’s brutal out there!
these were the ‘windows of curiostiy’
she was super small, you can see her in the first floor room on the left
there was a ton of detail.
juicy couture’s windows
lord and taylor’s windows
and if you’re a window lover too, you may want to put this on your wish list:
windows are such magical little boxes. it’s amazing how much life and drama can fit into them! these are just the tip of the iceberg as far as the bergdorf windows. if you’re obsessed like i am, check out anothernormal.com ‘s incredible shots.
to all the window display artists, thank you for another year of bewitching us!
what a difference a century makes
or not…!
these pics are from the ny blizzard of 1899. i love t to see new york through the ages and can only imagine what it must have been like living there 100 years ago. so much has changed and still so much is exactly the same. what a rock!
at least i won’t be digging my carriage out this year! but i’m on my way today and hope the flights aren’t too backed up.
talk about being on ‘the grid’!
these great old shots are from the new york times archives and the ny historical society. nytimes.com
and these are from the museum of the city of new york: museumofnyc.doetech.net
i guess there were a lot of pre-war fireplaces crackling!
in my search i came across a film that was made about the blizzard at the time. it’s a silent and apparently a classic at that. you can find it here: imdb.com/title/tt0230326
well, that’s enough stalling, have to go and face the music!
i hate the cold but can’t wait to see the bergdorf windows. i have to keep repeating that to stay motivated to leave sunny florida! more from the other side~
;p
