Dad's Yahrzeit

Miss You Like Crazy, Dad. One year ago today on the Hebrew Calendar.

Merry Christmas!

It's that time of year, dear ones, and I wish all of my readers and followers the merriest of Christmases! I hope that wherever you are, the spirit of the season reaches you, and maybe even some actual spirits - of the supernatural or alcoholic kind. I am settling in with Bailey's and some movie favorites, fireplace all aglow for the last Christmas at the Old Homestead.the On hand are The Bishop's Wife, George C. Scott and Alastair Sim A Christmas Carol, A Cranford Christmas, and a few others that I will probably not get to. Tomorrow I will be with good friends but am thinking of Dad and the many Christmas Eves that we spent together, often at the movies and then at home watching Midnight Mass on the telly from St. Patrick's Cathedral or the Vatican.
Here you were, last year, settling in, all cozy by the fire:


As I will be, this evening!

Christmas in NYC Pictures

Every year I take on the burdensome task of traipsing around in the cold and crowds just so I can take photos of the holiday store windows to post on Flickr and my blog.

No, really, I enjoy it. The city looks so lovely and as I am a fan of shine and sparkle, I always have a good time. I'm a little slow getting these pictures edited (hundreds, I tell you!), so they are just appearing HERE and I think a week or two later. After seeing "A Life In The Theater" with a friend on Broadway, we did the Saks-to-Bergdorf Goodman route up Fifth Avenue. The Bergdorf Windows are especially fine this year, and I hope to have those up and edited this evening. If you can't get to the city, at least you can check out the windows online - there are many more at Flickr, I'm sure.

The Moon and I

Lunar Eclipse, 2 AM, Manhattan, New York City. An ordinary digital camera and the moon, almost 1/4 in shadow. Tried in vain to get onto NASA's site, and cannot find a live cam from my area. It's totally freezing out there, and the night doorman joined me with his own camera, taking pictures. He can go out and check the eclipse's progress, but I am off to bed. I'm looking forward to looking at MUCH better pictures in the morning!

NEW in the Shops

It's been quite cold here in New York City for December - in the low twenties, which is what I'd expect for January and February. As a result, I have been spending some more time indoors and have made a few new pieces for the season.

For those of you who enjoy listening to holiday music at this time of year, WQXR is streaming Christmas music 24/7 via your computer at this link.

To get to the music,look on the right at the blue box that says "What's On". There's a bright blue bar with the word "Special" on the far right. Click on that and then "Listen Now" and after a brief ad you will get to the music! I have enjoyed hearing choral favorites and carols, and of course the Nutcracker is played at least 10 times a day. I have been listening for a week or so, and vocally the rotation is heavily featuring Bryn Terfel, Kathleen Battle and Thomas Hampson. Very calming and seasonal.

Stay warm, everyone in a cold climate, and enjoy the season!

15-20% off SALE in ALL Shops

I have so much STUFF in my shops, and will be adding even more, so I am putting a lot of older items on sale for the month of December. Check both shops at the links on the left; there are some good discounts on higher-priced pieces. I hope that you enjoy your browse and find some interesting things for friends, family, and of course, yourself!

You'll find the same items and prices at both Etsy and Artfire.

Halloween and Metropolitan Museum Jaunt

"Ancient Rome" (1757) painted by Giovanni Paolo Panini (Italian, Roman, 1691–1765)

I FINALLY got around to editing my photos of my brief trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Halloween (!) specifically to see the exhibit, "Italy Observed, Views and Souvenirs, 1706-1899". This exhibit continues through January 2, so go if you can. It's in the Robert Lehman Wing; Lehman collected "vedute", Italian tourist paintings and drawings, and the rest of the exhibit contains fans and other decorative items from other departments on the museum. I took a few pictures until a guard told me not to, and photographed other lovelies as I made my way around the museum, seen in this Flickr stream. You can see other pictures I have taken there as well.




When I bought my first "real" camera in 1979, a Canon AE-1, I was working at this museum in the various gift shops, before my "Grand Tour" later that year. I took a year off from college to work and figure out if I really wanted to go to design school or be a singer, and as I made my way around the huge place I decided to use the money I was earning to travel to some of the places I was looking at in paintings and drawings every day. I bought my camera and tested it out inside the museum, taking pictures galore of beautiful objects. Taking advantage of Black Friday, I bought my third Canon camera, having retired my 5 year old Canon Digital Elph at last. I still have the (heavy) AE-1, which needs a new shutter, if I choose to have it repaired. It took amazing pictures but it weighs a ton, and was the bane of any trip it went on, which was ALL of them, from 1979 until 2005. The new camera is heavier than the Elph, and I am testing it out. Anyway, these museum shots remind me of my youthful enthusiasm with my brand-new camera, which literally was attached to my hand for all of those years.

Holiday Windows at Bergdorf Goodman

I was out with a friend this evening and took many pictures of the new 2010 holiday windows, which I will edit over the next few days and post a link to, but here is a video that features a behind-the-scenes look! If you click on the word "video" you can see the full screen; as I have 3 columns in my blog, you are not seeing the right side of the video.

BLACK FRIDAY SPECIALS

Etsy and Artfire both offer coupon codes (YAY!) so I am offering a 10% discount in both shops. On Etsy, the code is BLACKFRIDAYDISCOUNT, which you will need to enter at checkout in order to receive the discount. I am offering this one-day discount at BOTH stores, good for one purchase per customer, but you can purchase as many items as you want. I am advertising this code on Facebook and this blog only.

Since I am new to Artfire, and would like to get things moving over there, I am offering the 10% sale from BLACK FRIDAY through SUNDAY, November 28. At the moment I only have jewelry in that shop, so for vintage items, please stick with Etsy for that. You can get right to Artfire by clicking on the widget at right, which has the code conveniently handy!!! Again, one time per customer, but there is no limit on what you can purchase. The same goodies on Etsy are available at Artfire. :)

New Scarabs and Shiny Pretties

I said I wouldn't, but I can't help myself. I made a bevy of necklaces and earrings last weekend and am listing them in the shops at Etsy and Artfire over the weekend. (see sidebar at left for links) Scarab lovers will be relieved to know that there are new peacock and magenta choices to choose from, as well a s a couple of other novelties. Here's a group shot!