And Yet More Snow Pictures

I had taken pictures earlier to take advantage of the soft light. The window sill is my photo studio, believe it or not. Note the old-fashioned radiator. I can't have plants that have leaves that grow in any direction other than UP on this sill as they are killed by the heat that I get.

We had a snowstorm on January 19 and I took these moody pictures while all cozy inside my apartment. I love how fluffy the snow on the air conditioner appears. My view is eastern and it consists of mainly rooftops but tons of sky, which I love. Across the way is a small apartment building with a wonderfully whimsical gable-design - the building in tan with the brown detailing. It's a little bit of evocative architecture that I enjoy looking at.

Overnight Success Story

Photo: Ron Edmonds/AP

I LOVED the hat that Aretha Franklin wore at the Inaugural. It's a real Church Lady Hat and hit just the right note (sorry) between somber (for Aretha!) and festive. I'm so glad that I'm not alone in my love for the bowed chapeau...apparently, the designer of this hat, 36-year-old Luke Song , proprietor of Mr. Song Millinery in Detroit, Michigan, where the Queen of Soul lives, has been inundated with requests for the hat. According to what I just heard on MSNBC, he's sold 1000 hats since Tuesday. They retail for $179, so that is one very nice chunk of change.

Luke went to the Parsons School of Design in NYC, so he has had a good grounding in fashion that clearly has come in very handy!

You can read about the story here. It's a fun article with video.

It's Done!

Wonderful Etsy Front Page in honor of our new President.

On The Eve of History - Martin Luther King Day

Tomorrow at this time, Barack Obama will be President of the United States. I have been looking forward to this for so long, and am so proud to be an American. As Mr. Bush quietly leaves the White House, the world is full of hope again. My wish is that Mr. Obama will be a spectacular President, one for the ages, and that we will all look back and say that we were there.

These are some of my favorite pieces that celebrate this momentous event; wonderful design work here, great and small.

from The Gilded Lily

from PrintmakerJenn

from Dean Russo Art

from bluembrownlee

from YeeHaw

from OneLifeJewelry

New Scarab!

As the scarab bead that I feature in my logo is part of my branding, and the associated necklace is my best-selling item, I am thrilled to announce the arrival of a second scarab to the family. Here it is in a new color - blue/pink/purple iris! I hand-wrapped an assortment of Czech glass beads to serve as the chain to make a glittery and I hope magical-looking bauble. Newly available at my shop!

On The Loisaida

Talk about contrasts!

I love the Hebrew-styled choice of lettering for this quiet little apartment building.


For people not familiar with the term, "Loisaidia" is a local nickname for the "Lower East Side", spoken with a Spanish accent.

I happened to be on the Lower East Side on Saturday morning (only an interview could get me out and down there that early on a weekend) before the snow hit and managed a few photos before the camera battery gave out from the cold. It's been a couple of years since I actively shopped there; a few stores endure from days of old, and although the street looks the same, it really has changed drastically. The many fabric places are mostly gone, replaced by chic boutiques and bars, though the luggage and mens-wear sellers are still there.


I used to shop at Beckenstein's Fabrics. There were two shops on either side of Orchard Street. The painted facade still looks as fresh as ever even though the store is long gone, and the men's store opposite, stocking woolen suit and coat fabrics, still sports its sign even though it too has closed. (The store has moved to West 39th street in the garment district) These shops were kind of drab and depressing to trawl through, and the location was a long way from the costume shops I worked for as a shopper, but I miss them for their variety now. The resources for fabrics have sharply diminished over the years; I have a swatchbox of fabrics that I collected many years ago and who knows when I'll ever see materials like those again. In those days it was no trouble to find novelty brocades from France, interesting sheer fabrics and velvets, metallics and intricate trimmings, and raw silks in so many varieties that one was dizzy.

I did a movie a few years ago, and we filmed at a few locations in the city that have since shuttered, like Lismore Hosiery, which had been there for about 70 years. Here's a great blog post about the closing of Lismore Hosiery from one of my favorite places on the web, The Sartorialist (see sidebar for places to visit). The area will never lose its tenement character (I hope) and I hope that developers leave it alone to evolve as it may. Thank God Ben Freedman's is still here - I love the old-fashioned clothing that one can buy for a reasonable price. I gave a Member's Only-style jacket from the film to the assistant cameraman after the shoot that I'd bought there for $20 - he was delirious with glee. That's the kind of stuff you'll find there alongside more fashionable styles - inexpensive dress shirts and belts, vests, and all kinds of haberdashery that you thought didn't exist anymore.



Naturally, I had to stop into my favorite Jewish food station, Russ and Daughters, where I purchased a couple of fun splurges. I've never been a fan of some of the delicacies that I grew up looking at - corned beef, gefilte fish, chopped liver, among others....but I do have an unhealthy love of smoked salmon for all of its salty goodness. That will explain these pictures - the orange color to me glows with the translucency of the finest jewels. I am always amused by the idea of "leftover" smoked salmon. Where? At the bris of a nephew, a huge platter of smoked salmon tortured me all morning long. Which was more delectable - the lox or the pink-cheeked, adorable 8 day-old baby? :O



The caviar cream cheese is pretty fabulous - if you have a salt tooth and enjoy caviar. :)


And what's life without a little dessert?

It's Steampunk Time

I'd had the feeling last fall Steampunk had reached its peak, but was I ever wrong. On Etsy, it's flourishing. I have never seen so many people flooding the market with these creations, and while many items really have almost nothing to do with the actual original aesthetic, (including mine) they continue to be offered. It's kind of catch-all phrase now that is applied to any with with gears, cogs, hardware, and any fashion that looks deconstructed or vaguely Victorian.





I've only made a few pieces but I do have a good seller that's a pair of earrings made of vintage pen nibs and watch gears. I finally made a bunch today, all similar, for the shop. I think they're great for writer ladies and must try to keep a pair back for myself one day. They are offered with sterling silver or brass ear wires.

I also made a Steampunk Valentine necklace, which I'm fond of, inspired by these wee glass sew-on beads, or Victorian sequins, from SeriousBeader on Etsy, as I've always called them. They're somewhat rare; I have them in gunmetal and blue iris, which I've used in my North & South Widgets, but I hadn't seen them in red, and as I LOOOOVE red, I was on them in a flash. I think the necklace is a nice change from the usual Valentine fare (which I also make!) and perfect for lovers (heh) of grunge and romance.

In Which I Snag A Treasury

I was watching "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" on PBS and quite by accident, a space popped up in the Etsy Treasury and I grabbed it. It was the first thing that I thought of, but I hadn't prepared anything, so I spent an hour searching for items, and it was HARD. I didn't find all that I was hoping to, but I probably would have if I'd had another two hours. I think it's an evocative list...do you?

Red and Green Holiday Shaggy Creatures

You know that things are tough when ELMO has taken to begging on the street!


A somewhat yellowing Dinosaur Tree in front of the Museum of Natural History on a rainy day this past week.

There Are No Words

Except for two: Richard Armitage. Not the former Secretary of State, but this Guy, British actor. I'm a deranged fangurl all over again; it was David Cassidy 24/7 once upon a time in the last century, but for the last two years it has been this Guy. That's a very sad pun; he plays Guy of Gisborne in the BBC's Robin Hood series, which will be on its third (and last?) season this spring in the UK, but who knows when it will hit the States. This is a picture of Guy's new look, which for me is a welcome change from the black leather of the last 2 seasons. Hey, there is nothing wrong with black leather on a handsome man, but it was getting a little repetitious and not more than a little unhygienic. It's such a relief for the eye to look at colors and textures that vary, and as they have a new costume designer this season, he/she was probably eager to make their mark. On Richard. And who wouldn't?


This still is from Season 2, with Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham and Lucy Griffiths as Marian. Don't let's get started on what she's wearing! Maybe I'll do another post on a deconstruction of series 1 & 2's costumes, which play fast and loose with history, to say the least! Le's just take a moment to admire the sleek shiny goodness on the left that we hear has been sent to wardrobe storage oblivion.


Season 1 was notable for the presence of the textured mustard yellow neck wrap that added a surprisingly 1980's touch to Guy's racing leathers. The embossed black leather Australian outback coat has NOTHING on those gauntlets with their wolfs-head brass knuckles.

If you don't know Richard Armitage, you can check out this comprehensive and dignified website. After you've done that, your absolute first required viewing is this gem.


In North & South, Richard plays John Thornton, a cotton mill owner in mid-19th century Northern England, who meets and falls in love with Margaret Hale, a young woman from the South of England who has come to town (Milton) with her ex-minister father and ailing mother. Much drama and heartache follow (I'll say no more in case I spoil the plot for you) but it's perfectly told and photographed, acted and designed. The novel from which this four-part drama is adapted, "North & South" by Elizabeth Gaskell, escaped my radar when I was reading English novels in high school and college; it's a wonderful story and notable as a portrait of a man's unshakable love for a woman that he believes that he cannot have. No one plays longing as Richard can, (see photos above for proof) so if you adore this kind of thing but haven't yet discovered either N & S or the sensationally talented Mr. A., run, do not walk to the library or your computer for Netflix, or if you need immediate gratification, YouTube. I envy you if it's your first viewing! Come back and let me know what you thought!

Because I'm too busy with my hands, I made a bunch of widgets as an outlet for my obsession. There are some here and here.