Doll

Look, look, Look! I won this gorgeous moth when Mister Finch celebrated his 2nd blog birthday- Lucky me! I am so thrilled!!!

His work is amazing and I’ve been stalking his Etsy shop for a while, looking for the perfect piece (usually what I want has just sold). This is the best though! I am going to find the right spot in my studio to hang it up. Then I can get back to his shop and start to shop again- I think my moth might need a friend.

And, I finished up this owl.

I was in the mood for a quick project and this owl body was already sewn and stuffed.

Of course I can make any project more complicated by spending hours picking through my fabrics!

Merry Christmas if that is what you celebrate! When we cleared out my parents house some number of years ago, I found a portfolio with Christmas stationary, clippings from magazines and other graphic art, dated 1938. Here are some scans from the collection-

Have a wonderful day!

I’ve spent some money on things I couldn’t resist. I will list them in the order I bought them.

I got an IPad in August and I love it. I’ve been using it for running charge cards when I go to markets and so it feels like a legitimate business tool. About a month ago I bought a DODO case and I totally recommend it. The IPad feels protected and the case feels good in my hand. It is an artisan-made product which I have to admit makes me love it even more. Check it out if you are in the market for any tablet case- I think they’ve got them all.

I read this review on Pikaland. I thought, I have GOT to get that! I did. It is amazing! Check it out, Wrap.

My favorite-

Crystal posted some mushroom ornaments on her blog right before the SOWA Holiday Market. I rushed over to her booth before the show opened to check out what she brought. Unfortunately some other vender had gotten in there before me and the ones I wanted were taken. Crystal make me some more when she was back home again. These will not be going back to attic after Christmas. They will be hanging in my studio all year round.

I found this adorable little fellow at Gallery Hanahou. He is made by Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land. I think he will be spending his time hanging out on top of one of the above mushrooms.

And lastly, this owl ornament (I think he is papier mache and approx. 4″ tall). I found him at John Derian.

When I was at John Derian, there were lots of items by Coral & Tusk. I had never seen the work before and was tempted and intrigued. Then, as I was catching up on my blogs on Monday, somebody linked to them! I loved this fox. He has a pocket with a camera!

The SOWA Holiday Market is usually 2 days but was only one day (Saturday) this year. People really wanted to come!

Apparently the line was like that for much of the day.

Here is my booth. (Sorry about the bad photo. My camera seems to be developing focus issues. Is a 3 year old digital camera geriatric?)

This is just one side but at least it is in focus-

The show was fun, busy, exhausting!

On Sunday I went to the Art Institute of Boston to see an amazing show- the work of Chris Sickels of the Red Nose Studio.

Sorry- more terrible photos. Go to his website to get a good idea of how incredible his work is. He makes these figures and then photographs them for his illustration work. I love seeing pieces like this close up and in person- the details of the stitches and fabric choices are what interest me most. The show is only up for a few more days but if you are in the Boston area, I would highly recommend it. And it is free!

I am planning on going to NYC at the end of the week so I can see the Luvable and Hugable Show. Is there any other shows I should go see while I am there? Any other general recommendations?

or Jardin Botanique. I love Botanical Gardens and always find them inspiring. Oh, but first, I forgot this photo for the market post- look at all the beautiful preserves!

Okay, now, back to the gardens.

I can only imagine how wonderful it must be to visit these greenhouses in the middle of the winter.

Out to the display gardens- look at that gorgeous purply-red giant decorative Kale. Maybe it’s edible, I don’t know. Very impressive!

And artichokes. Such crazy looking things.

This is the Chinese Garden. I love the Lotus plants. Can you see the man in the boat? That is a lantern, part of the Lantern Festival they have in September.

We wanted to see the lanterns lit up but obviously had to wait until it was dark-ish. We decided to head back to the car and just relax until dusk. On our way to the parking lot, we saw this sign. Tintin! How could we resist?!

Well, Tintin and a display of mushrooms. It was an impressive collection. So many varieties.

Tables and tables full.

After that and a little rest in the car, it was getting dark enough to go back and see the lanterns.

There was an impressive crowd for a Sunday evening in September. This is obviously a very popular yearly event. I can see why- it was fun to walk around in the dimming light with the lanterns glowing and people all around.

We left before it was fully dark and loads more people were streaming in.

We had a great time in Montreal. It is not that far from Boston- about 5 1/2 hrs driving. We should go more often. I’m already thinking about what I want to do next time!

We pretty much went to Montreal to enjoy some great food. I mean it is a fun city and all, but really, I think every meal we had in Montreal was better than any meal we had in Paris last year. I know, Heresy! Foodie culture is thriving in Montreal. I didn’t take meal photos. I would remember that I could have taken a picture as I leaned back to relax and enjoying the glow of a good meal. I was very busy with the camera when we went to the food market though.

So much abundance, beautifully displayed.

The smells were wonderful too!

So many colors-

And then Green!

Beautiful berries with edible orchids.

Globular food-

And who can ever resist cabbages!

A market like this makes me want to load up a cart and run home to cook something adventurous. Since that wasn’t an option, we bought some munchables- carrots, blueberries, other things too but ? I can’t remember. And Maple Syrup. Really, you can never have too much. And, we went to the Botanical Garden. That is for tomorrow.

This is my Renegade booth on the second day (Sunday). I always like to rearrange things and see if something else seems to catch everyone’s notice. (usually yes!)

After the market I had 1 1/2 days of down time and I wandered around the neighborhood where my daughter lives. Look what I found- a shop where people can buy their outfits for Octoberfest!

And a most fantastic deli- look at all the sausages!

There was also a store with Nutcrackers and carved wooden folk figures but unfortunately it was closed. Something to look forward to visit next time. I got home on Tuesday night.

Then, on Thursday evening, my husband and I headed out again- this time for a real little vacation. Hmm, going away with no work-related ulterior motive- what a good idea! It has been a very long time since that happened. Our first stop was the Shelburne Museum. I had such a good time when I visited a few months ago that Ben wanted to see too. And, that meant I not only got to see some favorite things again, but also check out many exhibits that I missed last time. Even the parking lot is lovely!

I’ll just post a few pics- here is an amazing Jaquard loom-

See what it is set up to weave? Amazing!

And I am now taking a lot more notice of these figures since doing my Staffordshire project. These figures are large- maybe 14″ high?

From there, we drove to Montreal. That will be for tomorrow.

I had SO MUCH fun- what a glorious day! My visit to the Shelburne was wonderful. To start, the weather was perfect- mid-70′s, clear, no humidity, light breeze. Amazing. There is tons to see so I guess I will just have to go back. I tried to see the things I knew I would be most interested in and along the way I also saw some other treasures that weren’t on the list.

My friend and I started at the top on the hill and headed down the path that lead us into the carousel exhibit. The Round House building  also held a 3-d paper exhibit. The artwork of Jared Schorr caught my attention- enough that when I got home, I checked out a whole lot more of it on his website.

Next, we went to the Circus Building. Learning about the circus collection is what reminded me last winter that I really needed to visit. I have known about the Shelburne for years, especially their toy and folk art collection and I knew I wanted to go “some day”. But, it is far enough away (4+ hrs driving) that it is easy to forget about. I am so glad that I made myself leave the studio and make the trek.

They have an amazing collection of posters. Here is my friend standing next to one so you can see the scale. I love these giraffe. I might have to spend some time thinking giraffe thoughts. Most of the exhibits had glass in front so please forgive the glares and reflections.

This was my favorite exhibit in the circus collection- an enormous circus “toy”. One man (Edgar Decker Kirk) worked for 40 years, first for his children and later for the neighborhood kids. I can totally relate to getting so immersed in a project. It would be fun to examine each piece close up- there are so many details.

After the circus, we explored needle arts. Amazing quilts, samplers, embroidery, clothing. This is a fantastic collection for anyone interested in fiber arts.

I fell in love with the Helen Bruce dioramas and am grateful that (no flash) photography was allowed. I am thrilled that my photos actually came out so well considering how little light there was. Unfortunately there didn’t seem to be any postcards or books with photos so I’m glad I’ve got a record. This photo has my hand for scale. (More photos on flickr)

And our last stop was the folk art collection. Again, so much inspiration in this collection. And, I loved the bright colored rooms that the artwork is displayed in.

I have added a lot more photos to Flickr. I would highly recommend a visit to this wonderful museum. I am only showing what I saw and we were at the museum from 10:30 until 5. There is so much more as you can see if you check out their website. I did some other things on my trip, but I’ll save that for another day.

We got to New York on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, we went to the Alexander McQueen show at the Met. I am not a good enough writer to describe how fantastic it was. Just want to say- if you have a chance, definitely go- it is amazing. And, if you go, get there early. We arrived before 11 am and there was no line. By the time we got through the exhibit, there was a crowd and a long wait. The exhibit doesn’t seem designed for the crowd so it can be a challenge to feel like you are seeing everything.

The Met had a bookshop set up outside the exhibit but I was not interested in carrying around any purchases for the rest of the day. I wrote down all the titles that looked good to me and later, checked out which ones are available from my library. I  ordered the catalog to be sent.

And, just in case you can’t make it to the show, here are the books that appealed to me-

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (this is the show catalog)

Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed

Pattern Magic 2 by Tomoko Nakamichi

The Corset: A Cultural History by Valerie Steele

Fashion At The Edge by Caroline Evans

Poiret by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton

High Style

We were staying at a hotel out by the airport. On Friday, the RAT was in front! I have to admit, I love that rat. I thought it was just a New York thing, but it turns out that Unions use them in a lot of cities. It is hard to ignore but unfortunately, once you are booked into a hotel (usually online), you are unlikely to leave because of it. I can see how it works better for places like restaurants.

On Monday, we went to Soho so I could pick up some goodies at PurlSoho. It is always a treat! We had fun wandering around the neighborhood and stopping into Pearl River. After that, we took a stroll on The High Line. I’ve been wanting to see it for a while and we lucked out because not only was it a perfect day, but a new section of the park had recently opened . It was very crowded and we enjoyed seeing how well it was being used.

Before we left for New York, I made myself a long list of places I’d love to go to. Unfortunately, I had to limit my walking. Remember back at the New Year I mentioned my  hip/back issues? I’ve been going to the Physical Therapist and doing my exercises but the body did not really pass the visit to NYC test. It turned out that one day at the museum and I was pretty much done. And that was before Renegade.

We had planned to leave New York on Tuesday afternoon, but we left in the morning instead. I was too tired and sore to do anymore walking. We stopped in New Haven to have lunch with my Dad and brother, then drove up to Springfield, MA. We drove along part of the path of the tornado that hit Central Massachusetts, 2 weeks ago. I’m not sure if it is rude or morbid but I really wanted to see. I’ve never seen tornado damage in person and I don’t believe I could ever have gotten the idea from photographs. I was left with an impression of severe violence. It is a very different feeling from hurricane damage, although the blue tarps that cover damaged houses are the same. It was shocking.

So, now I’m home and trying to get on with things. There is still a big pile of stuff, unloaded from the car. I have to sort through everything, wash what needs washing, reorganize everything that got shuffled. Then, put it all away. I have gardening to do and woolens to wash. And, my studio needs a big clean-up.

Here are 2 things from the market days that I keep thinking about-

- 2 people came up to me and told me their last name was Kirchner. That doesn’t often happen.

- I’m not sure if this happens to everybody, but is sure seems like people love to give me advice! The people tend to be older- my age really ie 50′s or early 60′s. I believe they think they are giving me a compliment. And that they say these things because they don’t understand that selling and marketing online really does work. I have to assume that they think I have never considered or thought of (and rejected) the things they suggest.

Examples: you should do this other (much more expensive) high-end show. I interpret that as- I think you are good enough to get into this other show that I like and understand- unlike Renegade where I don’t know what to make of a lot of this stuff.

and:  Your work would be perfect for this retail venue (I don’t do any wholesale).

and my favorite- You should donate some of your work to Museums. ??? Okay, that one is strange!

this little one is ready for a New England Spring day- where it isn’t actually warm but we are all pretending!

She has a ribbed wool shawl to keep warm- spring breezes can give a chill. And a dress made from some more beautiful Cloud9 fabric.

Tail room-

Cashmere sweater with embroidered loop closures. Her felt bag for treasures. The shawl has a beautiful brass floral button- guess I should have taken a photo where you could see it…hmmm.

And all her stuff-

The back of the dress closes with one button.

There were so many great links to explore on my blog tour this morning-

from Camilla- Matt Stuart

from True-Up- Helen Dardik new fabric, here and here. Wow! I love it!

and fantastic stumpwork at Needleprint. Wish I could be in Bath for that Doll Fair too.