Jen Bowles Design

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,

Newest Treasure: Assemblage Birdhouse

Recently, my mom and I ventured to Sudbury, MA on a rainy Sunday morning to visit the 'Art Around Town' Open Studios event sponsored by the Sudbury Art Association.  By far, the highlight of our trip was the time we spent visiting the home studio of Cathleen Bradley of studio cb.

After about an hour and a half she pretty much had to kick us out (not really, Cathleen was uber-gracious; letting us poke around, answering questions and sharing resources).  Good thing we made purchases to  atone for our lingering!

cb's artistic talents and outlets are many but one common thread is her dedication to repurposing and reusing materials.  Whether by transforming plastic bags into textiles or fashioning old toys and farm implements into birdhouses, her creative re-use skills are incredible.  And we found her artwork to be incredibly capitivating.  Imagine how thrilled I was to find a piece that I loved (that I could also afford) to bring home with me!

Yep, along with baling wire and reclaimed wood from a nearby farm, that's a vintage tin bird whistle and an Ornithology themed View-Master reel!  And it spins!

It's hard to say which element I like better ~ the carved 1/2 bocce ball that forms the base or the weathered wooden "leaves". 

Without hesitation, we put our names on the studio cb mailing list with hopes of a return visit to take a class.  I heard there might be power tools involved...

Thanks for stopping by,

Pettengill Farm: Flowers

While we were at Pettengill Farm enjoying The Vintage Bazaar, I did manage to take a few photos of the lovely  floral offerings.  It is, after all, a flower farm.

The vintage Chevrolet truck was bedecked in blooms, including this potted petunia--great color combo.

Inside one of the greenhouses we came upon several Fairy Gardens, including this one in a child's size wheelbarrow.

I want that trellis!

Such a sweet Fairy Garden sign (an easy d-i-y too...)

Speaking of signs, these signs were nearly more colorful than the flowers they were meant to point out:

My favorite flowers of the day were definitely the foxgloves.  We saw several stunning examples in glorious bloom.

I would love to have window boxes that looked like this:

Alas all my windowboxes are in the shade or else they'd totally look like that...sure they would...

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm

On Saturday, my mom (Bubbe) and I ventured north to Salisbury (MA) to check out The Vintage Bazaar at picturesque Pettengill Farm.

Totally. Worth. The. Trip.

The Vintage Bazaar is an upscale outdoor market featuring antiques, architectural salvage, vintage jewelry & clothing, original art, unique artisan crafts and flowers.  Though I've never been, it felt like a small scale Brimfield or slightly less primitive Country Living Fair. 

Imagine my surprise when this was the first thing I saw upon entering the venue:

My nemesis!  It's a long story about why I don't get along with emus, dating back to a visit at the drive-thru portion of the  Lazy 5 Ranch in North Carolina and some aggressive wildlife...

This was more like it:

You know you've found something good when even the Parking sign is creative:

There were so many great booths and vendors, this impossibly cool set-up belonging to Holly Gagne Interior Design was among the first we saw:

Who wouldn't love an interior design consult under this capiz shell chandelier?

This booth was full of rusty, patina-rich lovelies. Love the name and the sign:

More great displays and vintage goodness...

This was intriguing...

I texted Bobby Law a photo, but he replied that we "didn't have a proper hillside" to install one.  Bummer (not really).

Though the odds were against us, both Bubbe and I managed to make a few purchases.  First we had to overcome several obstacles:  very few vendors were accepting credit cards, we didn't bring very much cash ($30 between us), we only brought 1 check (Bubbe's), and the specially brought in on-site ATMs weren't working.  We're resourceful though; we left, went into town to the bank, and returned, cash in hand.

Bubbe's first purchase(s) were these lovely vintage vases:

I was thoroughly enchanted by these painted driftwood signs by Elizabeth Stotz of Washed Ashore. 

I couldn't resist bringing some seaglass home with me.  Fits right in, right?

A few more favorites that didn't get to come home with us...

Amazing assemblage dolls by Carol Mataruso of Tin Hearts:

Unfortunately, I don't have the name of the artist that painted this fun & colorful panel, she didn't have any business cards.  I did put my name of her email list though, hopefully  more information will be forthcoming...

Finally, the treasure I should have spent $6 to get, but left behind:

Good thing there's another Vintage Bazaar in September!

Thanks for stopping by,