So this happened. (Not really).

It was summer. Hot and sweaty and sunny. Girls were wearing sundresses and boys with tan backs were riding dirt bikes shirtless. The sunlight was so bright and thick you could see the yellow rays, and every color on the street was a richly saturated version of itself.

I was walking in DUMBO, looking for an art installation I'd heard about. Some creative housewife in Brooklyn had enlisted other creative housewives in Brooklyn to do a monthly "exhibit" in spots along the overpass. Each woman had a section she was responsible for designing and maintaining. There was a stairway leading to the top of the bridge, and each new theme was written in red chalk, on the vertical section of the step so it wouldn't get rubbed off by foot traffic. The first theme had been written on the bottom step. They were on the 11th theme.

Themes were single words, like SPRING or YELLOW. The current theme was SKY. One woman's section had about 100 light blue helium balloons, tied down with dark blue string, floating in the breeze.

I was noticing street signs looking for Freemont. The sign before Freemont said Magnolia, so I knew I was getting close. There were people everywhere. Sprinklers were spraying, doors and windows wide open, music playing out of speakers on the street. To my left was the overpass and to my right were the buildings, similar to homes you'd see in San Francisco. They appeared to balance on an uphill slope. Some had very tall, steep, narrow staircases to get to the front door, with garage doors underneath at the street level. Besides wanting to see the installations I was visiting a friend who lived there, Nicole.

When I got to Nicole's place, it was totally wide open. I could walk right in the front door and there was a large foyer with red Oriental rugs on the dark wood floor and the plaster walls and trim were painted in varying hues of turquoise. There were textures and fabrics draping the windows and doorways and pieces of antique furniture sparsely placed here and there. There was also a ping pong table. Then a college-aged girl stumbled in and she said Nicole wasn't home but did I want to see her room? And I also realized I was me, but my college-aged self, and of course I wanted to see her room. The house was an elaborate maze of interesting rooms, similar to a Wes Anderson film. We passed a few hippy-like kids laying around. A light breeze blew gauze-y floor-to-ceiling curtains.

Her room was pale yellow and the window faced the street. She had built a loft on the front wall and we climbed up it to get to the closet door up there, where she kept all the art she'd collected from a club she was the president of. You had to be asked to be a member to this club – it was very exclusive – and all the pieces that made it into the closet were very special. We sat up on the ledge of this loft leafing through large sheets of thick paper with intricate drawings on them.

Suddenly I had to go, and as I was making my way through the house I bumped into Nicole. People were sitting around smoking weed in a circle and we were both passing through the room from opposite doorways. I said, "You live with all these people?" Nicole is married and I found it odd she cohabited with about a dozen college students – I was back to my adult-aged self – but I also thought it was so cool. Anyway, I was in a hurry to meet Katie at the harbor for a ride on the boat she'd rented for the summer.

The boat turned out to be more like a ship. An ocean cruiser? It was massive and we were sitting on the deck at the top and there was enough room for several couches (they were made out of a woven natural fiber and covered in thick navy and white striped fine cotten upholstery) and space enough in the middle for a small dance floor. Katie's parents were sitting on one couch and her daughter Sarah was laying on the deck playing cards. Some people were fishing off the back.

I was sitting on the edge looking out at the water and trying to decide if it was littering to throw some of the pumpkins that were in a display near me into the ocean. I was debating in my head whether sea animals would eat a pumpkin, even though there was no way they'd ever have eaten or seen one in their habitat. Would they recognize it as food? Whether it would decay enough that little fish would nibble on particles or whether a whale would just pop the whole thing in it's mouth. And furthermore, would adding a thing like a pumpkin to the ocean be considered polluting the water?

Then I didn't care and I just started pitching pumpkins overboard and it was great. They would hit the water many yards below and surprise me by floating. It was so pretty to see the deep dark navy of the water, with white sunlit reflections bouncing on the waves, in contrast to these bright orange pumpkins bobbing. Some people were yelling at me for doing it but I ignored them.

Then I was back at Nicole's house. It was much more quiet and vacant than it had been earlier. I was tip-toeing back to the light yellow bedroom. When I got there it was empty and I snuck a drawing I did into the sacred closet. As I was leaving I ran into the girl and when she asked what I was doing there I said, "Just looking for Nicole," and then I got the hell out of there. I was climbing over the latched gate at the top of the stairs, and heading down the steep steps to the street and the sun was setting. The bright, vibrant street during the day was starting to fill with filthy dirty homeless people wearing layers of soiled clothing, pushing shopping carts loaded down with their stuff. They were setting up camps in between the SKY installations that the housewives of Brooklyn had actually origionally created in order to bring them some beauty. But I was afraid of them so I started to jog home. Past Freemont, past Magnolia.

Clare Elsaesser

This morning while I was drying my hair I was thinking about my bathroom for about the one millionth time, and it occurred to me it might be perfect to do a water theme. Coincidentally (there are no coincidences, right?) I came across this artist's Etsy Shop, Tastes Orangey, today. I love the darker, greener tones. These images sort of remind me of some of the older Samantha French paintings. Also these. And these.

I want one. Which is your favorite?

1. Undertow, 2. My Home is the Sea, 3. Married to the Sea, 4. Summer Girl

Ruxbin

We had Dinner Club at Ruxbin on Thursday. I loved this place.

I read about it a little online and of course studied the menu beforehand. I loved that they don't take reservations. I loved that it's BYOB. I loved their "house rules". I loved their rooftop garden. I was so excited to go.

Then I got there and one of the chefs was just hanging out outside. Totally nice. Totally approachable. I recognized him from the blog and felt awkward at first – but was quickly put at ease. So nice. I was glad I'd read about their seating policy and how our whole party was supposed to be there, but then I wasn't quite sure what to do/where to go – he was kinda blocking the door. It was nice out so I just decided to sit down on this – I don't know what to call it? – Structure? It was kind of a salvaged patio, kind of a train car, kind of an uncovered covered wagon? The seats were made out of plastic crate pallets, the end tables old elementary school desk tops, there was a "bar" with sliding glass medicine cabinet doors. The roof was simply a criss-crossed string of lights.

The other DC members started to arrive and we all sat out on the benches with the other people waiting for their complete parties to get there. It was a diverse group of people. The chef/greeter/"bouncer" went over the entire menu in extreme detail with one girl who was waiting. We listened. We drank cans of beer. At one point Jason let us know we could wait upstairs, inside, but we stayed put. (Upstairs on the landing there's a stainless steel industrial table and wooden bench on a balcony for waiting, a bathroom to the right, and an open doorway blocked with a deli-style refrigerator case and a view to the little kitchen with the chefs cooking behind it. Above the opening was a chalk board with the housemade sodas of the day: some kind of citrus passion fruit tea and a lavender lemonade (we had both, yum!)).

So before I talk about the food, I have to describe the bathroom. Remember those photography class dark room doors? That are more like a cylindrical can, and then the door spins around as you turn it and next thing you know, you're inside? That's the door to the bathroom. "VACANT --->" and "OCCUPIED <---" signs show you how to get in and if it's in use. Super cool and great. Then the walls were wallpapered with concert flyers and it was dark inside and lit by candles.

Ok, and the decor is all random and vintage and salvage and wood and metal and the overall effect is cozy and warm. Light streamed into the intimate tight dining room from the large picture window. All kinds of interesting lighting, shades, beams, bars, and colors filled the room. The ceiling is papered with pages from cookbooks.

There were five of us and we decided immediately we'd just order and share. We got four appetizers (tuna, beet salad, octopus, and garlic french fries). The octopus (grilled chickpeas, pickled green onions, radish, black soy bean, grapes and a ginger-scallion vinaigrette) – I think he said is marinated in wine for two days before it's prepared – was my favorite. But I don't think you can count the fries. Because the Fries. Were. Amazing.

For entrees we got the Tomato Tart, Sea Scallops, Amish Chicken, Pork Loin and Salmon. You can read the details here while the menu lasts. I loved it all. I think the consensus of the table, if we had to order them, went pork/chicken, tomato tart, scallops, then salmon. The dishes kind of rolled out staggered as they were prepared. Our server let us know/asked if that would be ok. We said yes.

Which leads me to, I thought the service was excellent. It was kind of service by everyone. Different people took our order, delivered plates, cleared empties, opened wine bottles. You could tell everyone there worked as a team and truly, they seemed to all genuinely love what they were describing, preparing, and serving. When we asked our waitress what her favorites are, she literally basically ended up listing everything on the menu!

I didn't get any shots of the actual food!
It was like the plates were cleaned the minute they were set down.

After dessert – we got both the berry shortcake and the pretzels & beer – we felt like we needed to beat it out of there to open up our table. So we took our leftover beer and wine and headed back to the "patio" out front for our after dinner cocktail. I have no idea if this was allowed or not, but nobody stopped us and nobody seemed to care.

Anyway, like I said originally, I loved this place. I can't wait to go back.

PS: The blog, which I kind of can't stop reading, is a thorough account of concept to creation to the opening of this restaurant. You can tell everyone involved loves it, which is probably why the people that go there love it too.

Stonehouse on Cedar.

I went to the best little store on Saturday. Everything in it was perfect. The house itself was perfect. The weather outside was perfect. The woman who owns it was delightful.

As I browsed around inside for a while, I thought to myself, I bet I could buy all my Christmas gifts in this one place. I didn't want to leave. I need to go back. As I drove away I couldn't believe I didn't take any pictures.

Stonehouse on Cedar, St. Charles, IL – for antiques and simple objects.

The Deck.

I should know myself better by now than to just go with my gut when choosing a stain or paint color. I absolutely need to test anything before I apply it full-blown. But the weather was so perfect this weekend, and I didn't want to waste a day of it "testing", so I bit the bullet and just went for it. I should just ignore the fact that I about fainted when I opened the can and this was what it looked like.

So I went around the side and started applying it in an inconspicuous place and when it dried I thought, that doesn't look so bad. Man it's a pain to paint spindles. It took me over 2 hours just to do that little section. As I was painting the spindles, I kept stepping back and looking – I didn't hate it. It was the right tone if not exactly the right tint, so I kept going with the floor.

You can see here why I almost fainted a second time as I was applying it and this is what it looked like going down. After I did the short spindle section, I got panicky about how much of it I was going through. I wanted to at least coat the main floor with it before I ran out – I only bought one gallon. That's all the paint guys said I'd need. Thankfully, my trusty neighbor Jim was there to let me know why it didn't max out on coverage, "You went through a whole gallon already?? That dry, neglected, previously-never-treated wood is really soaking that up!" Thanks, Jim.

Anyway, you can't tell from this picture, but as it dried it got better. When the sun isn't beating down on it, bringing out the blue, I don't hate it. It looked okay this morning, but I don't love it at all. In fact I feel defeated a bit. But I have a plan. I'm going to trade in the $45 gallon of Benjamin Moore clear coat for a second gallon of stain to finish up the areas where I ran out and touch up some of the bad blends on the floor next weekend. Then I'm going to let it weather all winter, only semi-protected, and revisit this project again in the spring.

NYC Friday Night.

The Red Cat. This little vestibule was filled with glowing candles, yellow forsythia, red lilies, a basket full of green apples, white hyacinth, and tulips that were yet to bloom. So pretty.

Awesome atmosphere. Great food. We feasted on Crispy Asparagus in phyllo pastry and roast tomato-sherry vinaigrette, Seared Diver Scallops with spring mushroom hash and green garlic puree, Grilled Pork Loin with white beans and spinach, Eggplant Parmesan with garlic fettucini, and got a complimentary order of Tempura Green Beans with spicy mustard sauce because our service was so slow. Delish!

Afterward we walked up to the Hotel Chelsea so I could get a peak inside. It was nothing like I'd imagined, but filled with beautiful artwork. It would have been nice to see during the day to get a snap of the balconies, which looked so neat lining the facade.


Even though this wasn't what it looked like in the 70's, it was still fun to imagine Patti Smith hanging out writing in the lobby while Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix walked on by.

Pretty things and ideas.

I got lost today looking at Christina Weber's blog, especially when I got down to the weavings. They are so pretty. Weaving has a lot of appeal to me. I never really considered it before. I have a feeling it could suck me in the way a jig saw puzzle does. And then when you're done, you have a nice little piece of art to keep instead of just taking it apart and boxing it up.

Christina is also the creator of these amazing tea towels I've had bookmarked to get someone as a gift for months. I never ventured past Studio Patró before. It's funny but the only two links I clicked today in the "friends" list on 2 or 3 Things were the same person and led me back to those beautiful tea towels.

The first thing I reach for.

Those first two weaves are actually the same thing, just different due to age. Both beautiful I think.

Purging and Organizing.

Spent the weekend, almost the ENTIRE weekend, going through drawers, cleaning out cabinets, dusting, sweeping, organizing closets... the works. Baked a loaf of bread and made meatballs and spaghetti sauce, too. I'm tired!

My hands are like, raw. Must have washed them seriously about 950 times.


I also organized my books by color (not the bottom over-sized). I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Finished putting them on the shelves, turned around, and an entire stack of black ones didn't make it in there.

Maude's Liquor Bar.

Maude's Liquor Bar finally opened! I've been following the progress of this place getting ready to open their doors for a few months now on their blog. The pictures they've taken on the blog, of both the food and atmosphere, are so much better than what I was able to capture here... you should definitely take a look if you're interested in such things. Watching the place evolve from bare bones in August to a fully functioning restaurant today is also very cool. My Dinner Club went tonight.

I think to say the place was hoppin' is a bit of an understatement. It was packed. Great vibe and plenty to look at... and we never even saw the bar upstairs. I kinda can't believe I didn't make the effort, but it's a great reason to go back. We started with that dish above, the French Onion Fondue (carmelized onion and gruyere) and basically devoured it as a starter.


Then we ate, all sharing, Steamed Mussels, Escargot, Faux Gras Torchon, Lyonnaisse Salad, Pomme Frites, Blackened Brussel Sprouts, fresh bread, and the Shaved Vegetable Salad. You can view the whole menu here.

I'm a sucker for atmosphere, and I loved the whole look and feel of this place, down to the bathroom lighting above. I seriously think I'm developing an affinity for the chandelier!

I'm not necessarily a big fan of creme brulee, but this one was great. And huge. Of course we finished the entire dish full. (Also worth noting, if you get coffee at the end of the meal, it comes in your own individual-serving French press!). I want to go back for sure and try some more off the menu, but I will probably never skip the Brussel sprouts or that onion fondue. Amazing. Can't wait for the next time, and to maybe belly-up at the bar.

Random Field Trip.

On my way to the movies the other night, I happened to notice windows full of chandeliers. It was dark at the time, and full stories of the building were lit up and it just glowed with these ornate hanging light crystals. So I decided to walk by the place (it's like 3 blocks from my office). It's open to the public. The space is huge. I want to say there were four floors filled with these hanging light fixtures.

I'm not really a chandelier-kinda girl, but something about seeing rows and rows of them struck me as really beautiful. Then once I was inside, I had to wonder, Who's in the market for these? How do they choose one over another? There were at least 8 people working in there with no customers?

It was funny to notice how some were really amazing. Even the small ones could be intimate and beautiful. I have a new appreciation... but I may have to go back to take a shot of my initial view from the street at night because actually, that's where the real glowing magic happened for me.

Happy New Year: The 2011 Version.

I've spent the last week or so thinking of goals for 2011. Thanks to sitting in seminars taught to me by Bob T. during age group swimming, I definitely recognize the importance of verbalizing, writing and visualizing goals in order to accomplish them. You may recognize some of these from previous lists, but I think 2011 has a lot going for it for seeing some of this stuff happen.

Ok, so here's a few things* I have been thinking about lately:

1. Rent a cottage on Geneva Lake for a week this summer. I miss it and love it and can't imagine how I'd feel to have a week off spent on the lake. Pure heaven.

2. SAVE some cash. I mean really. For once.

3. Remodel my bathroom. Also includes a week-long staycation so I can "help". I have folders of images saved but with ALL the options out there, it's so hard for me to make firm decisions. I have narrowed it down to black & white with green accents. I desperately want a tub I can take a bath in without freezing to death. And I want some intricate, small floor tiles.

4. Re-learn print-making. I definitely did this in art classes at school but I haven't done it since. I really enjoyed making those linoleum block prints. And I remember liking a lot the process of carving them, the way that material felt... And most? The smell! It may also facilitate my deep desire to put some paste ups around the city when I am feeling really adventurous and bold. (I'm dying to do this!) Watch the first artist Swoon in the documentary Our City Dreams.

5. New York! I missed NY in 2010 and it's just not acceptable not to get there once a year. Along these lines, I need to get to Philadelphia at some point. Both easy to do if I just plan a long weekend... But in direct conflict with goal #2.

6. The Gym. I'd like to break this goal into 1/4'ers. Like shoot for 3x/week January – March. I think it will help to have some things planned along the way, like signing up for the Shamrock Shuffle. I'd really like to get into a couple of yoga classes as well.

7. My yard. I basically spent a day or two on it at the beginning of this past summer and then just let it fall apart. I'd like to plant a tree. Then expand the border to make it more organic in shape. I'd like to create a green wall around my backyard that will eventually overflow with leaves for some privacy. I'd love to start the development of a really surprising hidden wonderland.

8. Field Trips. I am still dying, DYING to get a tour of that quarry in my neighborhood. In the winter running errands, I have the most amazing views of it through the empty trees and I don't know why, but I think it's SO COOL. I am also completely fascinated with the Illinois Brick operation I drive past on my way to work. I don't know what it is I find so soothing about the enormous piles of cement chunks-turned-to-cement rocks-turned-to-cement pebbles-to cement powder... And then when it all runs along conveyor belts and gets put onto train train cars or river barges... I am obsessed with watching the whole operation.

*This is a work in progress.

Image of a bathroom at The Soho Grand in NYC designed by William Sofield, 1996.

Tree 2010 (and some other stuff).

I know these pictures are blurry but I wasn't about to run out and get the tripod from the garage. Plus that "night scenery" setting captures the color in the room so well – I'm sacrificing clarity.

Even with the perfect snowstorm last night – it truly was beautiful outside – it still doesn't really feel like Christmas time to me? I can hardly believe it's in 3 days? Maybe because I didn't do a bunch of art projects? To be honest I still feel pretty art-projected out. I didn't do as much around the house either. I broke so many of the glass ball ornaments last year I could hardly believe it. Then Target didn't have the $2 boxes of plain old red and gold ones I like. They were all glittery designs and "sateen". So I didn't do a few bunches here and there that I normally do. Which actually is just fine.

Then my 1-year old light strands were dead. The lights at Target were all that LED blue-white kind, which I caved in and bought even though I knew I'd never be able to stand them. I find the atmosphere they create awful! (Sorry if you have them). So, I ended up putting them outside. They still bug me but are not as offensive considering the limited amount of time that I actually see them. Then I got some great lights at a good ole hardware store and I am quite thrilled with the glow inside now.

The winter berries. I LOVE them. Here's something I don't get. They were $3.50/branch cheaper this year – $1.50 less than they were two years ago. The price of these things really fluctuates and I wonder why? Even with the price drop, these are a splurge. The ones from Stems & Twigs in WS are so solid and long and perfect. I'd love to have them all over my house, but I stop at a vase full. I think they are totally worth it and totally wonderful.

Anyway, now that I finally have the mood right in the house, a poinsettia, my parents have arrived, and for the first time in YEARS I'm not rushing around like a lunatic finishing all the gifts at the last minute, I'm hoping the next 4 days I can just settle into the holiday. I'm looking forward to some long visits, the real deal hot cocoa, and enjoying making and eating some good food.

Christmas Fatty.

When I decorate the house for Christmas, I swap out the everyday snapshots of friends and family in frames around the house and display pictures of our Christmas trees from years past. When I rotated one of them, this was the Christmas picture behind it. Aw Fatty! She looks so healthy and happy... and FAT. It was nine years ago she looked this good, came out from under the bed and was totally social. Then it kind of broke my heart to realize this is the first year in 13 I'm missing out on having Christmas with her.

If you were lucky enough to be part of it, the gifts under this particular tree were part of the Christmas Extravaganza year. The deli meat slicer, deluxe pogo stick, quesadilla maker year. The year budgets went ridiculously out the window and we went nuts buying presents. That was a good one.

Love. Love. Love.

I see interiors all over the worldwide daily that I admire and am inspired by, but this one breaks my heart. The walls... The floors... The doorknobs... The fireplaces... And this bedroom! I mean it, this bedroom literally makes my heart ache.

And of course I'm sure it's in Italy. It doesn't say it is, but it is right? Just to make it that much more – what? – impossibly incredible? I can't take it.

Images from B&B Italia - Maxalto via Solid Frog. Coincidentally, I work right above Maxalto, which might make it pretty easy to get my hands on a catalog... like, tomorrow.

My Mom Does It.

Click any image to enlarge.

Just before I went down to my parent's for Easter, Lisa over at A Bloomsbury Life did a post on A Well-Layered Room. My Mom totally does this. So while I was there, I snapped shots of a couple rooms. She does it outside too, as you can see above (dang those redbuds are pretty!). I regret not getting the family of stone rabbits on the shelf under the grill. Oh well... here's her sun porch. Note the collection of McCoy pottery in the shadows on the shelf above the windows.


And next a kind of overall shot of the living room, kitchen table, and hints of the kitchen. There are endless things to look at everywhere you glance. This style is not for everyone I know, but she has a definite knack for putting a room, full of little vignettes, together. (I'm not sure if you can see it – click to enlarge – but the wall to the right in the kitchen? She even hand painted a plaid pattern on it).

Here she is playing solitaire... with original, beautiful and personal stuff all around her.

I mean, this is her LAUNDRY room, where I'm pretty sure she pretends to "work" but doesn't really.


I swear this stuff is basically in storage, waiting to be rotated into the main living areas when their time comes, but still, it's set up like this in this little room no one even sees.

Not to be outdone, my Dad actually even does this in the garage. This is in case he, or anyone he knows, doesn't have time to make it to the local Wal-Mart and finds themselves in a fishing "emergency". The other side of this wall is likewise full, and there is another whole wall like it I didn't photograph. Behind it you might notice meticulously organized tools underneath a valance of fishing lures, and it's surrounded by collections of maps, baseball hats, and stacks of outdoor/fishing/golf magazines – all at your disposal in case you "need" them.

These 'collections' are ways I find that make a house a home. Rotating them around your living areas to look at every day is a wonderful way to express yourself, your passions, and to keep life interesting. At least, I think so.