our first strawberries

it is so much fun (and rewarding) inheriting someone else's garden. now that I've got it pretty well cleaned and set up, we started adding some plants of our own. we are lucky enough to have TWO garden centers right down the street from our apartment. yesterday we picked out some lovely succulents and other perennials to fill in the giant and empty flower box, and a pot of three young zucchini plants. then today we got some organic top soil to fill in b's veggie bed. I placed the small green bean plants a neighbor gave us along the fence, and added the tiny pepper seedlings. the zucchini plants went right in the middle, as they spread out and need room. tomorrow I plan on sprinkling a section with a packet of herb mix seeds. (I've been trying to sprout them indoors, with poor results. being in a basement, we don't have a window sunny enough to make it work.)

and oh yeah, b and I tried the first two ripe strawberries. heaven!

salami heads

b and I were walking through little italy last week when we saw the weirdest thing in a shop window- heads made of salami and bread. I started snapping photos when the owner came out to lock up. she told us that the now-faded meat heads were busts of the Giants' top draft picks, as documented by the Daily News article in the window. she also threw in the fact that the Giants didn't get their picks. Although DiPalo's window is refrigerated, the salami is now fading, giving the dudes an eerie washed-out appearance. "guess it's time to throw them away!" she said. the busts were created by the shop owner's friend, who loves to make food sculpture, and occasionally drops his work off at the store.

for a rainy tuesday

Snoozer Loser Spring/Summer 2010, video by Johnny Woods.

our dark and cave-like bedroom, together with the soft rain falling on the roof, made me want to sleep all day. here's a dreamy video that made getting out of bed not so terrible.

back yard progress

phlox


vinca


strawberries!




mint!


more phlox


not lemon balm- a weed I ended up pulling. there is, however lemon balm elsewhere in the yard.


english ivy



working in the garden is so much fun. every time I go back there I find something new growing, wild patio-crack herbs, a seemingly dead plant suddenly alive and blooming, wiggly worms and plentiful snails, and knocked-over garden structures that need propping back up. there were plants suffering in too-small plastic pots that I've since replanted in the beds, tenacious weeds that I continue to pull up and manage, and beautiful ground-cover succulents that I'm shifting to the existing beds. I've also been moving soil from one empty bed to the ones that need it. b has been building sculptures and free-form flower beds. we can't wait to get some good, organic soil and create a veggie patch. here are some pics of what's come up recently. I spoke with my upstairs neighbor, who is responsible for planting all of the back yard loveliness, as he used to live in our apartment.

pratt show

b and I had the good luck of finding out last-minute about the annual juried pratt show of works by graduating seniors and masters candidates. we ran over tonight to attend a special reception for design professionals, where were able to meet the students. we were both, like, um, blown away by the work and the presentation.




the crowd and the beautiful ceiling at the manhattan center.



copper and enamel cuff, mixed metal headdress: sofia ramsay.



lahyun choi told me the story of how she spent a lot of time in the hospital as a child. she became fascinated with the body's internal organs and seeks to show their beauty and life-affirming qualities through her jewelry. she uses silver, a traditional jewelry material to represent what's on the outside, and silicone to indicate bodily flesh, or what's inside.



anger by leslie boyd.
I have always found myself intrigued by the unspoken thoughts and embedded personality traits of an individual. What a person is ashamed, scared, or moved to anger by, for example, can become apparent by the most subtle of movements, breathing changes, or irregularities in speech. I constantly find myself reading my friends, family members, and strangers alike for evidence of what thought patterns can present outwardly on an individual.

Through traditional metalsmithing techniques nine pieces have been created in response to this obsession of reading people. Each is meant to bring attention to the emotion that it portrays- the emotion we try to conceal. Some act as vessels for attributes, while others contain a specific part of the body. Repetitive clusters of pattern and surface texture represent the viral qualities of these thoughts in their ability to affect us physically.



daniel nicole hills predator rings, bladed comb.




jess fügler paper brushes. one of my favorite things at the show! I would love to sell these in the ebmerc shop if they become available for sale.


mouth blown glass by kyle solá

this is just a sampling of the many beautiful things we saw at the show. it's free and open to the public through friday, so go check it out if you can.

Pratt Show
The Manhattan Center
311 W. 34th St. @8th Ave.
May 12-13, 9am-9pm
May 14 9am-1pm

bklyn designs

what a busy weekend. b and I attended BKLYN DESIGNS on friday, before making our way to the west side for old hollywood's opening. check out the complete set of photos here on my flickr page.

old hollywood opens at limelight friday

whoa, I almost forgot to announce this. anyone remember the limelight disco from the 80's/90's? the famed nightclub was housed in a former gothic-style episcopal church on 6th ave. at 20th. (as was the trend of running discos in churches) but had been closed down for some time. I have a regular appointment right around the corner from there and had only peeked in the building during one of their frequent basement sample sales. (and had no clue it was the former limelight) well lo and behold, one of my fave brooklyn shop owners is opening a manhattan outpost in the soon-to-open limelight marketplace. old hollywood will be throwing its opening party at limelight tomorrow night, 7-10 p.m.

this is a great opportunity to see tiffany porter's talent for creating her vintage-nostalgic magic in its full glory. she's been spending countless hours getting the shop ready, so come on down if you have a chance.

limelight marketplace
47 w. 20th st. @ 6th ave.


(photos- ny times)