Saturday, August 28, 2010

Ready . . . Set . . .

Nowhere near ready to go. Okay, I have one set of things priced for my move into the Mission Road Antique Mall later this week, but there is so much left to do! I have a huge coffee table yet to paint and is there anything more cumbersome than painting something red or orange? Special primer, many coats, what was I thinking??!! In the meantime, here's a preview of some of my treasures.


When one stick of butter just isn't enough, how about two? Great embroidered bird pic, small vase with fading gold leaves, and a serene farmhouse pic.


Love this old pics of hunters.

Very weird chalk sailors.

Beat to hell butterfly chocolate tin.

And I finished my barbed wire and sickle Halloween wreath. Boo.


Despite all I have left to do, I did spend a lot of time last weekend painting, including this cute little chair.

I liked the French Grey as-is and decided not to go over it with antiquing glaze.

Well, today I'll be on the hunt with Nina and elle for more treasures. Tomorrow will be devoted to painting.

Monday, August 16, 2010

New York City: Welcome To Downtown

We spent some time downtown on our New York City trip, including a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The weather was perfect, barely 80 degrees and low humidity; a relief from the 100+ temps we were having in KC.


This cast iron building right over the bridge in Brooklyn was built in 1869.

And also downtown and right across the street from Ground Zero is St. Paul's where George Washington often attended church while New York was still the capital.


Most of these headstones dated back to the early 19th century. St. Paul's served as a safe haven between shifts for 9/11 rescue workers and the interior is dedicated to them and all who perished in the tragedy.


It was a great day for a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

I loved this old timey looking sail boat.

And it's always fun to visit Lady Liberty.

New York City: MOMA

The MOMA was right up the street from our hotel in NY. They have an amazing collection, including many Worhols.


Here's Brendan putting a wish on Yoko Ono's Wishing Tree. He's probably wishing he had some space away from his parents, at this point!




Picaso
Van Gogh, of course. Seeing Starry Nigh up close was interesting, so much texture and depth compared to all the prints and reproductions.

American female artist Lee Bontecou

My kind of modern art; looks like something I'd see at a flea market.

Paper mache food



Chrome cabbage, pencil, worms, and lollipop

And before we checked out MOMA, we ate at the Carnegie Deli. Be sure you go hungry!


New York City: Greetings from the Sky Suite

We don't travel very often for leisure and decided to treat ourselves the last night of our trip. If you're ever in New York, check out one of the Sky Suites at the London hotel on 54th. The views are amazing and everyone who works in the hotel is awesome!! Hi, Mike and Victor!





My kid will be sorry he wasn't more reverent one day . . . (doubtful!) . . .





New York City: Scenes From Soho

I love the look and feel of Soho. After being enveloped in skyscrapers, it feels so low-slung and cozy. The funky neighborhood vibe, incredible shops, and original restaurants, makes this one of my favorite places.



This was a hair salon decked out in antiques and oddities. I just peered in through the window because there was someone getting her hair done and I felt a little funny just walking into the tiny space. Needless to say, if I lived in New York, this is where I would have to get my hair done!



Baguette shop.
And the amazing Evolution. The pictures speak for themselves!



Many of the skulls and bones at Evolution were very well done resin replicas, but some were REAL. They had a special license from the New York Department of Health to sell them and you had to have a medical license or other such affiliation to purchase one. Obviously, the authorities would want to know where your real human skull came from if you were ever asked!!!

And needless to say, they were thousands of dollars each.



These real jeweled skulls were fascinating to say the least.

And they had lots and lots of taxidermy. Sharon, are you seeing this?!






We had brunch at a fun little place on Spring Street called "Bloom" which amazingly, I had eaten at with friends back in 2006. I didn't remember until I saw this atrium!!!

There is so much artistic inspiration to be found in the styling in NY. Can you imagine!! Garden hose??!! I was FLOORED!





And this was our view out to the street. How fun to people watch in Soho. I have never seen so many gorgeous people of all shapes, sizes, and colors in my entire life.

This was a clothing shop in the Village. The styling with old oils and books was right up my alley.


And if you ever get to the Village, check out Strand book store where there are "18 miles of books". We could have stayed in there for hours . . .