Manic for New York's Botanical Garden

The spring season is most enjoyable and meaningful when it involves a fresh experience.

I was fortunate to visit the New York Botanical Garden for the first time on Mother's Day – and on a day when the weather was sunny and gorgeous. (Special thanks to my Westchester friends for driving us out there on one of the busiest days of the year).

The Garden's sprawling 250 acres offer an oasis of peace and beauty in the midst of a frantically-paced, overly-congested metropolis.

Comprising 50 different gardens, I only had time to visit a few, but I was so impressed by what I saw. One of the highlights was the impossible-to-miss Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Completed in 1902, this "crystal palace" style structure was designed by the greenhouse architectural firm of Lord & Burnham. At the time, Americans were obsessed with traveling abroad and intrigued by exotic cultures. This extravagant greenhouse gave citizens of all economic classes the opportunity to view plant life from around the world.

I viewed some unusual and colorful flowers in the rainforest section:

I also enjoyed the water lily garden, which would be especially soothing on a really hot summer day.

Also interesting and decidedly less soothing – the desert plant garden.

Of course, Mother's Day wouldn't be complete without lilacs, and they were in full bloom.
My favorites – and the most fragrant – were the deep purple lilacs.

Like all great gardens, this one flourished with creativity and whimsy, exemplified in this botanical insect sculpture.

Finally, after a long nature walk, it was time to bug off.

Happy Spring!

Drawing "Caprice" on a Whim

In March of 2013 I started a series of drawings based on a china beaker I bought in Filene's Basement many years ago. The bottom says,

"CAPRICE"
WREN
Fine Bone China    Made in England.

I have a set of four – two of them I bought in Bermuda back in the 1990s – and I use them for tea regularly.

I was especially intrigued by the four figures inside the architectural window frames and decided to draw them large scale on my 11" x 14" sketchpad. I used an HB pencil and black Tombo marker.

Image I From "Caprice" Wren – Fine Bone China Beaker  – 3/2/14

One of the biggest challenges was getting the proportions correct for each figure.

Image II From "Caprice" Wren – Fine Bone China Beaker – 3/10/13

As far as I can tell, each figure is involved in some domestic pursuit or getting ready to go out.

Image III From "Caprice" Wren – Fine Bone China Beaker – 4/17/13

I have two title ideas for this series and I'm not sure which I will use yet:

Answer The Call

or

Look Harder

Image IV From "Caprice" Wren – Fine Bone China Beaker – 3/2/14

My current idea is to frame these using the image/photo of a worn brick wall on paper and tearing the paper so the edges are ragged. I just haven't found the right paper and image yet. I'm also not sure if I will frame each drawing in a wood frame or leave them loose.

I think the Look Harder title will work really well with "brick wall" paper frames.

Stay tuned. I may change my mind.

Miami — Swank & Slick, Luxe & Luscious

OK, so this post is really over a month late, since I basked in the tropical heat of Miami in mid-March. But, as always, Miami is one of the best cities for design aficionados, and this (my 6th?) visit was no exception.

I had always wanted to stay at the Todd Oldam-designed, The Hotel, South Beach, after visiting the lobby bar and rooftop pool on a previous visit. The splurge was worth it.

Originally built as the Tiffany Hotel in the 1930s, this Art Deco gem has graced the intersection of Collins Ave. and 8th Street ever since. The location is ideal, and Oldham's design is cohesive both inside and out, beginning with the outside patio.

The tropical green, blue and yellow stripes are repeated inside the rooms.

Bath with beautiful, carnivalesque tile.
Note tile even surrounds the shower floor drain.

Close-up of bathroom floor tile.

Even the cabinets' mosaic hardware is cool.

And, of course, what would Tiffany's be without diamonds?

Diamond light sconces in hallway.

For me, the real oasis of calm amidst the non-stop bustle of South Beach was the rooftop pool.

Yes, that's my sunscreen, Surf Style shopping bag, book and water – ahhh.

One highlight of my visit was wandering around the Delano Hotel – always a luxurious pleasure.

Dinner on the water, anyone?

Night chess, anyone?

Elton-Joe, Live at the Delano!

I found more design inspiration at the Mondrian Hotel, where I went to watch the sunset.

I especially liked the lobby and its staircase 

designed by the handsome Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders.

Mondrian Hotel lobby – cutout staircase.

Mondrian Hotel carport – bell chandeliers.

Mondrian bathroom etched glass door.

I saw more cool art at the Carlyle Hotel on Ocean Drive.

Elizabeth Taylor wall mural by Argentina-born artist, Havi Schanz.
He paints brilliantly over architectural floor plans!

Donna Summer wall mural by Havi Schanz.

A true highlight of my getaway was my birthday dinner at Baoli restaurant on Collins Ave. One of my best friends in the world treated me, and it was totally fabulous. 

The roof is open to the sky, and the space transforms from a restaurant to a nightclub at around 10:30pm. The wait staff hands out sparklers to ignite the party and they dance in front of the bar.

Marilyn and I SO approved.

Miami is a girl's best friend. 

Hasta luego, mis amigos!

TV Lamps Ahoy!

Today was the first time I've been out antiquing since last December, and it was a fun pick-me-up for a gloomy, rainy day.

I considered embarking on new territory and driving up to Essex, MA (I'll try another weekend), but decided in favor of training it out to Cambridge.

Arrrrrgh! I unearthed a third TV lamp to add to my collection: a wonderfully tacky Pirate Ship.

Pirate Ship TV Lamp – coincidental that I found this on a rainy day?

I especially like the hole perforations, which make it different from most other TV lamps. The bottom says "Made In Japan," so I'm guessing this dates from the 1950s or 1960s. It was a bargain, reduced from $35 to $28.
I placed it above my kitchen cabinets, but may move it if I find a better spot. I think it may be too high up to really see it well.

I also saw a few other TV lamps, including this great Stallion, marked at $78 – a bit out of my budget.

This Gazelle was cool, too, priced at $58.

Happy vintage treasure hunting, maties!

I'm Dreaming... of a Giant White Butterfly

I'd dreamt of doing a large-scale art project for quite some time, and this year I finally completed my giant butterfly ornament.

The inspiration was my vintage butterfly Christmas ornament, currently hanging in my kitchen.

I started with two round cotton canvases I purchased from an art supply store.
They measure about 19 3/4" in diameter.

Getting the acrylic paint color right was my first challenge. Matching vintage colors is especially difficult (have you ever looked at the colors in a vintage tie?). I mostly used Azure Blue, but when you look at the ornament in certain light, it has a green tinge. So I mixed in Light Turquoise.

After painting both canvases, I applied acrylic gloss medium to add shine.

Next, I drew the butterfly on paper to create a template for both sides of the ornament.

Template Stage 1

Template Stage 2

I used painter's tape to hold down the template, then traced it in pencil on both painted canvases.

Then, I painted the butterflies in Titanium White.

Painting Stage

Mistake/imperfection alert: Instead of painting, I originally applied Elmer's Glue then white glitter, but the glitter dried more clear than white, so I painted over the glitter on one side, reapplied Elmer's Glue, then glitter one more time. Yikes! Arts and crafts can be really hard work!

Glitter Stage

After the glitter dried on both sides, I had to figure out how to seamlessly fuse them together. I already had Weld Wood in the house, so I used that. It's rather toxic (make sure you open a window) but it does work as a permanent adhesive.

Before fusing the sides together, I also had to decide how to hang the ornament. I broke off part of a wire coat hanger for the cap hook. I bent it with plyers and inserted it inside a jagged-type picture hanger, then hammered this to the inside edge of one of the canvases.

I thought of painting a silver/grey crown onto the blue canvas, but didn't want to ruin the integrity of the circle. Instead, I made a small paper crown and used that (it's tough to see in the photo, but it's there).

Lastly, I bought a white tension curtain rod, climbed a ladder, and placed it in the middle of my kitchen skylight. I bent an ordinary wire coat hanger to form the ornament hook and, voilá!

My butterfly ornament was free to fly!

Final Installation

Seeing Stars... and a Giant Butterfly (please excuse the kitchen clutter).

A Very Vintage Christmas 2013

While most of the world seemed to "cut back" on excess consumption this year, my vintage Christmas collections continued to grow, starting with my giant vintage Noel candles.

I normally don't shop on eBay, but these were priced well and in really good condition so I went for it. The flames pop off to reveal 15-watt bulbs.

The backs say, "Carolina Enterprises, Inc. 1973."

Back in the 1970s these were "hot" – often appearing on suburbanites' front stoops or on either side of the front door – along with large C9 Christmas lights decorating bushes. (Those of us who are vintage enough will also remember the trend of covering your front door in usually red or gold foil and placing a spotlight in the yard to shine on the door).

I decided the candles would fit well on either side of my fireplace.

Also new and vintage this year is a C6 pinecone light I found at Brimfield. It probably dates to the 1920s. This photo isn't great, but the light is actually covered in chipped green paint.

It's the light at the far left on the mantel greens.

As I've been doing for quite a few years, my live Christmas tree is imported from South Windsor, CT. This one is especially tall – about 7 1/2'.

This time I used vintage C7 lights because I found some new figurals. My favorite is the Cat & The Fiddle, which I found on ebay as part of a lot.

Vintage C7 Cat & The Fiddle milk glass light. Most likely dates from the 1950s.

I also found this snowman at Brimfield. Along with the cat, this is usually difficult to find.

In addition to lights, I found vintage gift wrap and ornaments at Brimfield this year.

Vintage 1970s? gift wrap. Note the unusual design along with the black, red and gold color combo.
The bells are marked "Germany" on the caps – unfortunately, I broke one trying to hang it near the top of my tree :(

More vintage gift wrap (same bells as above).

Happy Vintage Christmas to all... and to all a good light!