my favorite candles

I have this overhead track lighting in my apartment bequeathed to me by my predecessor. If you like A LOT of light (er, in an already light apartment), you would dig it . On occasion, someone walks in with me and helpfully reaches for that switch next to the door. I swear I recoil like something from a vampire film, shielding my eyes, lunging to turn them off. Someday I'll pull it all out, I just try not to obsess over it too much. (oh, contraire...) No suprise then: I have three-way bulbs in all my lamps, everything is frosted, soft, pink. And candles I love. Wasn't it just a few years ago when Dyptique was the only sophisticated scented candle? Now I walk into The Bathroom on Charles St and the selection is just overwhelming. And, as when one is at the department store fragrance section, they all start to blend. Votivo Red Currant was the rage for a while, Kai is still a fave with me. Now everyone is into soy. I have to plug for my pal, Sarah Tallman, as she has some really lovely scents to be showcased in her soon-to-open Grove on Hudson and Jane. But the prettiest candles to me are these from John Derian. They're as big as slightly oversized juice glasses with a tissue decoupage on the outside, enough to give the candlelight the most lovely glow. Ideally, they hold tea lights which (genius...) burn out on their own after a few hours so you don't waste a big, expensive candle or burn your house, with it's track lighting, down.

sunday morning

i'm adding this post way too late to claim that it has been a quiet, peaceful day! outside, bleeker street was closed off so that kids could troll the stores, trick-or-treating. i don't remember that happening last year. if i'd had the time or energy, i would have investigated further, if only to see who doled out what candy. but i was busy washing (and in one case accidentally staining), pressing + cutting fabric to try to sew up tomorrow. c'est la vie.

tabletop

oh, why can't all of my little surfaces look like this? charming, whimsical, eclectic without seeming all over the place. my tables tend to be more of a mess of magazines, glasses that need to go to the sink, cat hair. i also really like this image (below) posted by megan at beachbungalow8, super-tasteful without any clutter. goes to show, the best accessories are fresh flowers and favorite books.

ok, here's an example

here's some of my handiwork. the "bird" pillow is a japanese estuko fabric which i ordered in bulk for curtains (more on that later). the larger one in the back is made with a vintage pucci scarf and will actually be part of the collection going over to sarah tallman's store, grove. the scarf pillows are a favorite of both mine and sarah's... what better way to showcase a print that may be just sitting in a drawer? grove is going to be right here in the neighborhood (good as my ultimate goal may be never to get on the subway again) and will stock flowers, some really yummy home scents/candles, and other lovely gifts.

and then there's my own work

it feels like all this week i'm just trying to make time to sit down and get some sewing done. and i will post a picture of something i've actually made. but lately, the minute i complete a project, i'm getting it out the door, without all wasting time on silly pictures. tomorrow is designated as a full-on sewing day. progress soon.

where is perry street anyway?

i love this illustration that i've swiped here (without permission exactly) from the nice people at hable, across the street. perry extends from the west side highway to greenwich ave just east of 7th ave. while "the village" refers to a lot of territory, i'm a bit of a snob about our little nook west of 7th, and particularly west of bleeker. away from the nyu scene and union square, it's usually more quiet over here. the people are so nice it's positively small-town. i have to confess that while i have lived in new york for several (ok, 15) years, i've only lived at my current address for the last 2 of those. my neighbor, melinda, has been in our building for 47 years and can account for most of them pretty well. so i look to her for local tales and history, invariably delivered with her signature strong opinions.

first entry

greetings from my little home/studio in new york's west village. i'm hoping that this blog will be a way for me to keep up with increasingly busy and far-flung friends, show some of my work and provide a few of my endless opinions on design, life in my 'hood and, i'm sure, more. thanks, carol, my 1 reader!