yes!

Last weekend's trip to New York City was so full of inspiration. Great designs were everywhere. Luckily, my mother and I know how to have a great time without spending a lot of money. We each bought one special item to bring home. I've been fascinated by the Japanese Pattern books I've been seeing around Blogland, but sometimes I need to hold something in my hands before I take out my wallet. Purl gave me just this opportunity. I had tried to visit several times on previous Manhattan trips, but it never seemed to work. It was either closed, or I couldn't squeeze it in. But now I was determined... Purl's blog, Purlbee, is on my blogroll and we are mutual Flikr contacts...my bedroom is adorned with one of their tutorials...needless to say, I was determined.
This tiny little fabric shop was well worth the wait. The women who worked there were so sweet and helpful and the fabric was absolutely delicious! After caressing every bolt I could reach, I spotted the most beautiful Japanese design book- nani IRO. It's filled with gorgeous simplicity and bursting with mother/daughter inspiration. Home it came! Here's a glimpse...






I have to admit, this photo shoot, is about the only time I've sat down all week...thanks for giving me a good reason to breathe and have a glass of lemonade!

Here's my mother's NYC purchase...another piece of great design! This is the best folding step stool I've ever used. We're not big on plastic, but this is so light-weight and functional...I think it looks quite smart, too.


This is it snapping shut. It's ultra slim profile slips between the fridge and cabinets with room to spare! You can buy it on-line here.

bit of brooklyn

As promised, a little window shopping in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. My mother was born in Brooklyn and lived there for her first couple of years. This was her first time back in memory and my first time...ever! Only a 15 minute subway ride from the city, and you enter a laid back community of art-loving/ bike-riding folks who are very proud of their little neck of the woods...and rightly so. Go to UNSCENE BROOKLYN or Design*Sponge's guide for ideas before you plan a trip. My mother and I have both spent most of our lives in San Francisco, and found the main strip of Williamsburg, lined with independent retailers and great spots to get a bite, quite reminiscent of our city by the bay. Here's a little mosaic of some of the interesting places we stopped in. We went into about half a dozen more places, but we tried to be respectful that snapping photos isn't always welcome.


From top to bottom and left to right
1. Future Perfect- steel table and chairs
2. Hell's Kitchen Flea ( I know, not Brooklyn...but I had to put them in) - vintage German dishes
3. Future Perfect- balloon table/stool
4. A&G Merch- paper-mache birds and stump
5. A&G Merch- wooden toadstools, stumps and vases
6. A&G Merch- butterfly head and bird printed wall
7. The Golden Calf- Matryshoka dishes
8. The Golden Calf- crochet pendent lights
9. Sweet William- beautiful display shelves hand made from birch plywood and real birch branches
Out of all the places we visited, Sweet William was my personal favorite. The owner was lovely and open. Her choices of children's items was impeccable, from linen baby slippers to bird cages and houses by Tamar. Seeing some of Tamar Mogendorff's work in person was sooo exciting and definitely a weekend highlight. My mother's favorite...or perhaps, just the place she made her only purchase of the weekend: A&G Merch. We both LOVE her new folding step stool...it might be worthy of its own future post.

Even more inspiring than the design stores, was the art residents have pasted, painted, or sprayed onto walls...everywhere! The street art was prolific and fascinating and here's what we snapped to bring back to you (don't forget to click for enlargement):

Don't worry, maya*made is still loving country life, but I need a city fix every once in a while!

coming home

We're starting to settle back in. I'm such a homebody, and even though I LOVED our trip to New York City, I'm so happy to be back. The children also had a great weekend, but are loving being home in the country. Thrilled to have her dress-up selection at her finger tips, my daughter donned a crown and princess dress (garage sale special). Her celebratory mood captured how I've been feeling, perfectly! My son was ecstatic to discover that our wild black raspberries ( out here we call 'em black caps) had ripened over the weekend. July means picking black caps in pajamas for breakfast!
We have so many in our woods, but this year they have a new spot...our old chicken coop. We haven't had chickens for over four years, but we never took down the fencing around their yard (I secretly have hoped for more). The first couple of years it filled with weeds and we ignored it. Last year a few brambles sneaked in. This year, it's a wall-to-wall black cap explosion! We're calling it the "berry coop". I feel like their take-over is a bit of a berry coup! I couldn't resist that one!


We'll be spending a lot of time at the barn this week. We're preparing for the big open-house on Saturday. You'll all finally get the tour, then. There has been so much unpacking and changing things around this way and that. Wish us luck as we scramble to get it in order for this first public opening. The meadow was also a joy to come home to. The red and pink poppies are out in profusion!




Be back next time with a couple peeks into some great Brooklyn shops and wonderful street art/murals.

MoMA!

This is a photo-laden post with few words. My mother and I joined the crowds for a free afternoon at MoMA. We spent most of our time on the floor of architecture and design, since that's our current passion. The first four shots are some of one my favorite parts of the museum-the floor heading towards the first flight of stairs. Yes, it's really the floor! Hope you have fun joining us for a mini tour!




click on image for enlargement











don't forget to click on images for close-up...especially the next one:

urban inspiration

Hello Monday! Hello country! Hello home! My family (with my mom in tow) packed up and went down to New York City for a hot and rainy holiday weekend. We have lots of family in Manhattan, so it's a bit like our second home. A couple of urban days are a wonderful balance to our typical country lifestyle. I have a plethora of pictures to share, so I'll break it up into several posts. Here's a bit of our itinerary so you can get a sense of what's to come:
July 4th
morning- American Museum of Natural History
afternoon-free Friday at MoMA
night-fireworks over the East River...watched in a warm summer rain from the terrace of a 43rd floor midtown apartment

July 5th- day with mom
morning-Hell's Kitchen Flea Market
Anthropologie inspiration
afternoon-Design*Sponge design tour of Williamsburg in Brooklyn
A walk through the Village...had to get to Purl
night- stroll through the East Village with my favorite date

July 6th-
drive home...with a stop at IKEA for home/my studio/mom's barn

The American Museum of Natural History is the perfect place to bring the whole family. Even though my 9 1/2 year old son is over his 4 year old dinosuar craze, there are always exhibits to revisit with a new eye, from the Hall of Meteorites to the Biodiversity Wing. We all were captivated. A new horse exhibit got my daughter galloping with excitement:

My son was a proper docent for his little sister around his old favorites- dinosaur bones!

Country crocs get citified as we head to Central Park:

Museum of Modern Art with my mom on a stormy afternoon...lovely!


Later today I'll share lots of great art and modern design from MoMA.

knee-high by fourth of july!

I've shared that I live in farming country before, but I really wanted to show you what I see wherever I turn. July brings so many shades of green as the verdant crops spread across the horizon. Corn is everywhere and we've been quite fortunate with our weather, unlike our mid-western neighbors that have been so tragically hit this year. Our corn is just as the old farmer's adage goes, "knee-high by Fourth of July".
I'll be taking a little holiday from maya*made and will return next week with lots more fun stuff, from children's crafts to more barn posts...maybe even a few surprises! Have a great weekend and if you're in the US, enjoy the three days off.

no mow lawn!

Do you live in the suburbs...the country? If you do, chances are, you spend some time each week getting out the old lawn mower to keep your yard trim and tidy. With the price of fuel these days and the depletion of the ozone layer, it's hard not to wince as the motor revs up. What if I told you that you could sell your mower on Craigslist and grow flowers instead, like the above photo (from Applewood Seed Company) ? Interesting...hmm. My mother is growing a meadow all around her barn/house.
She knew that she didn't want the manicured lawn look...it just didn't fit the style of that old structure. She spent so much time researching green building alternatives for the interior, it didn't make sense to ignore the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels all over her yard. She also doesn't live here full-time, so maintenance was an issue. Research lead her to the installation of a meadow. It's absolutely breathtaking and the flowers are only beginning to pop open. Everyday there are new surprises. The butterflies are in heaven and are fluttering about by the dozens! Bouquets will be bountiful.
We might all need to plant a meadow so...

Here's a little tutorial so that you can try it too:
1. Fall: till soil.
2. Fall: plant a cover crop that will enrich your soil and deter weeds in the Spring. In late August of last year, my mother and son broadcast (by hand) a combination of annual rye and clover seeds.
3. Spring: till again.
4. Spring: plant wildflower seeds appropriate for your climate. My mother used the Northeast blend from Applewood Seed Company.
5. Create a grid around the property intended for planting. Divide up your seeds evenly so that each square in the grid will have the same amount of seeds. This ensures an even look as the flowers grow in.
6. Sit back and hope for lots of rain in the first month.
7. Enjoy your meadow with all of your new friends....the bees,butterflies and birds!

You may want to consider planning for paths through the wildflowers...maybe leading to a little island of unplanted ground. What a perfect place for a magical, hidden picnic This is a picture of the meadow today...I will be chronicling its blossoming throughout the summer. I can't wait for the Black-Eyed Susans!