I made a new necklace yesterday. It's sterling silver with rock crystal drops. Instead of putting a clasp on I just knotted the chain in back so it hangs down like laces on the back of the neck. I plan to do more of these in different configurations- this series will be called "chain laced".

Chocolate Zico

Well, I have been M.I.A. for some time. Work and grad school and life just kind of catch up... This topic was important enough for me to resume my blog. I am posting my new obsession: chocolate Zico. It is chocolate flavored coconut water. It may not be for everyone, but for me it is just right. I love coconut water anyway so when I saw chocolate I jumped at the chance to try it. It is light with a nice cocoa flavor and not too sweet. It is perfect when you have a chocolate craving but don't want something heavy or rich. It is fairly nutritious and hydrating to boot! The only thing about it that isn't stellar in my book is the fact that Coca Cola is a major investor. I'd like to see a different company come up with a version of it.

Necklace III

Here is the third in the series. Custom cut Palmwood.

Weekend in DC

Ilana, Kate and I went to the DC area for a historic house bonanza. We saw Gunston Hall, Woodlawn, The Pope-Leighey House and Mount Vernon. We capped off Saturday with dinner at Gadsby's Tavern in Old Town Alexandria. Sunday was a visit to the Textile Museum in DC proper before heading back to New York


Sliver house in Old Town


Lovely street



Amazing 17th Century hold-out in the middle of Old Town


Pope-Leighey House

Another new necklace

Here is the second incarnation of my latest style. The stone is Variscite and the pattern on it reminds me of snakeskin.

New necklace

I've had a little time off since the semester has been over so I was able to make a necklace that was a comission. It's quite different from my usual style but I really like it. It's done in bronze and brass and the stone is petrified palm wood. It has inspired me to make some more necklaces in the same vein. This stone is one of a kind, so looking for other stones that would be suitable has been a challenge but definitely a fun one!

Outtakes

Some other shots from the shoot of Ilana's dresses with Cat.

Woolworth building

We went on a tour of the Woolworth building between classes the other day. We got to see parts of the building that most people don't get to. The views were phenomenal- it was an amazing experience.

It was built on a swamp so there's a stream in the basement


A defunct swimming pool in the bowels of the building


Reflection of a building going up near the Woolworth


View of Mayor's office and Tweed courthouse


Outside the 43rd floor

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

View from the front of my building. I love the quality of light on the street when sun shines off a building to illuminate the shaded side of the street.

Snood!

My first knitting project- a snood or infinity scarf. It's baby Alpaca in a doe-ish brown with a little bit of red. So snuggly and cozy. I'm working on a second in ivory, only this time I'm trying out knitting in the round. I'm hooked on this knitting thing- I'm already thinking about my next project...

Finally finished and in the gift shop at the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park! The necklace is a detail from the Grand Staircase and the packaging was done by Ilana Kohn!

Christmas is coming

It's been a while since I updated- school did get overwhelming for a while there. I'm done for the semester and looking forward to a bit of relaxation. I did have an order for some earrings recently so I made these this week:

Municipal Archives

Last week one of my classes met at the NYC Municipal Archives. We got a tour of the conservation facilities and archive rooms. The volume of records and historic documents stored there is amazing. There are property photos, marriage records, mayoral records among others. The woman who runs the archive told us that they have over 160,000 square cubic feet of material. Some of the items they pulled for us included 19th century mug shots and police evidence including a statement rolled up with a knife point that was extracted from the victim. Going in to one of the basement storage rooms was like the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when they wheel the crate into the warehouse.

Halloween fun!

The Merchant's House Museum has lots of fun, historically-themed events in October. Check out what they have going on http://www.merchantshouse.com/events/index.html

Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze

Last night I went with a group of friends, some newly made, to Van Cortlandt Manor. Before heading to the spectacle, we had dinner at Umami Cafe in Croton-on-Hudson. The place was busy, the food was reasonable and excellent, and our host was a Civil War reenactor to boot! I got some fun tidbits about the local history from him while waiting for friends.

We headed two minutes down the road to the Blaze. It was quite a production, to say the least. I believe the site has over 6,000 carved pumpkins now. The turnout was impressive as well. It's definitely merchandise-heavy (cafe tent, gift shop with tons of plastic toys for the kids and pumpkin themed food items, postcards and mugs) but I really like the fact that the proceeds support Historic Hudson Valley. This is entertainment that won't rot your brain. Some of my favorite displays:


The Halve Maen


The Headless Horseman's road


Dinosaurs!


Kitties

Busy week

I have had a busy week- a walking tour of lower Manhattan for one of my classes, research at the library, preparation of a Powerpoint presentation for one class and cramming for a quiz in another class. This weekend should should bring some fun though. I'm going to check out the Great Jack O Lantern Blaze http://www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/195/198/ at Van Cortlandt Manor. It's feeling like fall.

19th c. Pub Crawl

Last night was the 19th c. pub crawl http://www.19thcpubcrawl.com/ organized and hosted by Sarah, Eva and Ilana. A great time was had by all, and many connections and new friends were made. Some ladies and gents even came dressed in their best 19th century finery. Our troupe attracted some attention and picked up a few self proclaimed "tour stalkers" along the way! This was the inaugural event of the New York Ninteenth Century Society, and if it is any indication of the activities to come, I think it will be a great success.

Something sparkly

I gave myself permission to slack off on making jewelry if I felt overwhelmed with school, work, etc., but these were quick and easy to make. I took a break from reading yesterday and put together these rough diamond and sterling silver danglies.

Progress Report

School is fun and challenging thus far. For my Documentation and Interpretation class, we are focusing on the Columbia Waterfront neighborhood in Brooklyn. The area is a little slice on the East River bounded by the BQE, Gowanus and container piers on the waterfront. We will be delving in to the history and development of the neighborhood and suggesting directions for development in the future. Promises to be interesting...

Last Hurrah

For Labor Day weekend, my hubby and I decided to go to Lake George and re-experience a place from our childhoods. We visited Fort William Henry and took a ride on the Minnehaha. We even got rootbeer at the A&W, with car-hops and all! The weather was perfect and Lake George was suprisingly uncrowded. The lazy days of summer are officially over...