Jen Bowles Design

SEWN: New online class from Mary Ann Moss

This looks like fun!

SEWN from MAM on Vimeo.

Registration begins on June 15th, more info here.

Thanks for stopping by,

It's Just Another Book in the Wall

Whilst in NYC, I of course made time for a visit to Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center.  I mentioned previously that I saw a  display there that warranted its own post.  And here we are...

Yes, that's an entire (faux) wall made out of thrifted books.  It was awesome.   I didn't even realize there was a pattern until I stepped back.  Seriously, how cool is that??  The piece that really puts it over the top for me is the fab chandelier.

Those visual display peeps at Anthropologie really know what they're doing, don't they...

I didn't take the time to count the books, but how many did they use?  1,000? 842?  Suffice to say, a lot.

I must've stared at this installation for at least 5 minutes, moving around the store to view it from different angles.

Lots of great titles in the mix...

Books, not just for reading anymore!

Thanks for stopping by,

 

NYC in a day: Christmas Edition, Part 1

A December Saturday in NYC with 3 teenage girls?  When you've got a persuasive daughter, an affinity for the Big Apple, and round trip bus tickets from Boston for only $32, the answer is yes.

Here's a quick peek at our timeline:

• Leave the house at 6:15am
• Leave South Station, Boston on the 7:30am Bolt Bus
• Arrive NYC (34th & 8th, near Macy's) at 11:10 ~ 35 minutes ahead of schedule!
• Walk the streets of Midtown Manhattan: 11:15am to 8pm
• Leave NYC on the 8:30pm Bolt Bus
• Arrive South Station at 12:45am (exactly on schedule, with a rest stop)
• Arrive home at 1:30am

With a loosely planned agenda, we were able to cover a lot of ground in not a lot of time.  Our stops...

1D World near Madison Square Garden

Pretty much a supersized concert souvenir stand selling all things One Direction.  The girls are big fans so it was a must see.  They added their grafitti to the walls but didn't make any purchases.

Macy's

The line for Santa was way too long but Mrs. Claus was just hanging out by some better sportswear.

We looked, but didn't touch, the dresses in the Bridal Salon.

 Ebby had done some research online and picked our lunch spot: LT Burger at Bryant Park.  On the way we checked out the ice skaters and the carousel. 

We got off to a rough start with the service at LT Burger (waitress mix-up meant it took 15 minutes for someone to take our order), but the food was delicious.  We all had The Standard burger, fries and a shake.  $22 per person with the tip, btw.

After lunch we walked by the lions in front of the NY Public Library and up 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center. 

Last year when I came with Ebby it was too early for the tree to be fully decorated so this was her first time seeing it.  All the girls were pretty impressed.  I think.

 

Next up was my one requested stop for the day:  Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center.  I admired the windows and was duly impressed with the creativity and detail but they weren't my favorite.

Maybe it's because I'm jaded spoiled by the real Winter Wonderland animals we have in our backyard...

I found the interior displays to be more to my liking...

I thought this book page chevron wall was very clever:

 Inside of Anthro I did see what turned out to be my favorite display of the day ~ something so cool it deserves a separate post. Hint:  book wall...

 Onward up 5th Avenue we admired more windows and storefronts and general festive atmosphere.

 

I gazed longingly at Henri Bendel as we walked past.  I did take in the windows at Bergdorf, but again, I liked them but didn't love them--though I'm sure my boys woudld've loved the dog circus themed window!

Our next stop was the Plaza Hotel.  The girls were particularlyenchanted by the sight of Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court.  At $50-$60 per person that wasn't happening (this time), but we kept it classy by posing by the lobby Christmas tree instead.

Luckily you can get less expensive fare in the basement concourse level of the Plaza at the Plaza Food Hall.  It was my first visit here and except for the shortage of women's restrooms, it was a thumbs up.  We wandered around to get the lay of the land and ended up at the Billy's Bakery outpost. 

I've read good things about their cupcakes so when presented with the opportunity to sample, how could I resist??  For whatever reason, I overthought my flavor selection.  I should've gone with something classic like Vanilla or Red Velvet, instead I got Banana Nutella.  Don't get me wrong, it was good, but too banana bread-y for my taste.  Oh well, I'll try again next time.  Such a burden!

On the way to find a seat, this sign caught my eye at Three Tarts. 

They had a variety of flavored handcrafted marshmallows.  Making marshmallows has been on my list for years, but it has yet to happen.  For $1, I figured I'd see what the fuss was about.  I chose a raspberry marshmallow.  It was light & airy, with good raspberry taste.  It would've made a yummy s'more...

Before it got dark, we finished up at the Plaza and headed across the street to Central Park for photos and a brief bit of exploration.  Ah, nature!

After our stop in Central Park, it was around 4pm-- a little more than halfway through our day in the city!  This seems like a good spot to take a break the retelling of  our adventure.  Stop by tomorrow for Part 2 which includes hotspots such as FAO Schwartz and Times Square!

Thanks for stopping by,

Yarn Bombing at the North River Arts Festival!

Sure, I've seen photos of beautiful feats of yarn bombing on Pinterest and Flickr.  I even have a Yarn Magic board of my own with several fun examples.  However, I'd never actually seen anything yarn bombed in person.

Until Saturday at the North River Arts Festival.

As I was strolling down Old Main Street admiring the art and vendor booths, I suddenly spotted a telephone pole bedecked in yarn!

Ahead, a tree, also yarn bombed! Oooh, look up...

But wait, more yarn bombing across the street!

Fun stuff too, I love the addition of the hanging thing-a-ma-bobs.

Whereas I've only semi-mastered the basic crochet chain stitch, I was truly in awe.  So fun and whimsical.

The best part?  The festival is over but the yarn bombing remains ☺.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sunday Scenery: The Beach in Winter

In Winter, the ocean beach takes on a different mood.  Still beautiful but feeling more open and vast...

And yet everything remains comfortably the same.  The rocks, the shells, the treasures waiting to be discovered...

Just beyond the seawall, the winter sun illuminates a variety of textures of a beach town in the off-season...  In winter, there are fewer distractions and more time to stop and notice the details...


At a nearby harbor, seagulls gather...
Fishing boats sit idle...
And dry docks are stacked high.
Here too, there are details waiting to be noticed...

and captured.

Just keeping reminding yourself...

Source: etsy.com via Jen on Pinterest

 

Happy Tuesday ☺ !

 

Winter Cloche

It's stormy today but here along the coast we're just getting rain.

I can't say that I'm too upset about that.  I've decided that I'd be happy with a mild, make that very mild, winter.

The other morning we did wake up to a light dusting of snow.  The kind of snow you can just sprinkle some ice melt on the steps and call it clear, no snowblower required.  It was also the kind of snow that made a lovely backdrop for photos of my new winter cloche.

My Mom participated in the 12 Artsy Ornaments of Christmas mini workshop offered last month by several talented artists/bloggers.  Lucky me, I had a birthday and was gifted this wonderful winter cloche my mom created during the workshop.

My favorite thing is the blue silk bow around the glittered deer's neck

I also really like the {bleached} white bottle brush, pearl bedecked trees.

And the fence is adorable.

As is the sparkly, pearly topper.

Yep, I love it all.

And really, I'd be happy if this cloche was all the winter I experienced this year!

{Another} Visit to Tinsel Trading

How could I take Ebby to New York City and not take her to Tinsel Trading?  I mean really, what kind of mother would I be?

Ok, fine.  This was my stop and she was along for the ride.  Don't feel too bad for her though-- afterward we spent a solid half hour the Forever 21 in Times Square.

Back to Tinsel Trading.  The shop was decorated for the holidays with lots of glittery Wendy Addison goodness.    

Wonderful nest themed cloches

I loved this display of glittery star and bird wands

Not all of the seasonal treasures were Christmas related.  I love the color of the pumpkins on these Autumn boxes.

Of course no matter what the season, Tinsel Trading is always a feast for the eyes.          

Unfortunately unlike the last time I was here in December 2009, we didn't run into Jenn from Sweet Eye Candy Creations--though I did look around for her :-).  I did see something new though:  this wholesale area chock full of more Wendy Addison creations.

So many amazing and beautiful vintage glass beads and faux jewels.   Love the patina and the packaging.

Inspiration by the yard indeed!

 

Fort Point Open Studios

Recently I made the trip into Boston to attend Open Studios at the Fort Points Arts Community.  As it is, I've barely been making it into my own studio space, so why not check out the spaces of some talented artists and soak up inspiration for the afternoon?

Good plan, because there was plenty of inspiration for the soaking.

The buildings we visited were working studios, most were actually working and living studios which made for some very cool spaces.  Wanna see?

Inspiration No. 1:  Greetings and Doors

Hello, kitty

Great "house" numbers

Atelier sign on a white beam.  So artsy, so lofty.

Of course even during Open Studios some spaces have to be kept...

Inspiration No. 2:  The tools of the trade

Brushes.  Paints.  Sigh.

Is it wrong to be enamored with a sink?  It has 3 faucets for goodness sake.  Awesome work sink.  Reminds me of elementary school and washing my hands with the powdered/granulated white soap from the dispenser and then drying with the brown paper towels that absorb pretty much nothing.  Good times.

Inspiration No. 3:  Collections

It's always fun to see what people collect and how they display their treasures.

Beautiful vignette with fall flowers and beach finds

Detail of an incredible wall of vintage tools at Laura Davidson's studio. 

She also collects tin toys.  So fun!

More beachcombing finds, this time displayed in a printer's drawer.

Inspiration No. 4:  Living Spaces

Not only did we get a glimpse into several working artists' studios, we also saw their homes (or at least their crash pads).

This whimsical seating area was tucked behind a screen of vintage doors and surrounded by book filled shelves.

Loved this detail:  a simple wooden board as growth chart

Bookcase in Lisa Knox's studio, fun see all her trinkets on display

Inspiration No. 5:  Artwork

Why, yes, we did actually see some artwork as well.

Tin chicken by Laura Davidson

Works in progress by Susan Anderson

Assemblage dolls

Inspiration No. 6:  Fort Point neighborhood

Authentic.  Urban. Interesting.       

Definitely a well-spent afternoon. 

And I made it home just in time to watch the Patriots game.  Art and sports--good priorities, right??

Urban Art: Boston's South End

One day in July Ebby and I spent the afternoon exploring Boston's South End.  We visited several shops, a bakery and an art gallery.  Along the way we saw a couple of great examples of colorful, outdoor, urban art. 

Painted by Japanese artist and current South End resident Yuko Adachi, this electric meter housing warranted a special trip across the street so I could inspect it up close. And photograph it.

The colors and patterns are at once whimsical and psychedlic.  Pretty rad combination.     

This mosaic wave wall is near a playground/dog park/ball field.  Love the quasi-ombre effect of the small square tiles.  

Finally, this amazing mixed media mosaic wall, otherwise known as the Betances Mural.  The project was a cooperative effort that involved artists, residents of the Villa Victoria housing complex in which it is located and local children.  The mural depicts Ramon Betances, 'father' of the Puerto Rican nationalism movement.  The collection of ceramic tiles is full of incredible details.  We could've spent all afternoon examining and enjoying the wall.     

I loved stumbling upon such great public art in one of my favorite cities.  And discovering it with Ebby?  Double bonus!