Stormville FleaMarket

I've been going to Stormville flea market  since middle school now and I think it is fair to say, after my experience on Sunday, that it is not like it use to be. I was very disappointed and will probably retire it from my summer junk searching adventures. With only one short row of antiques and a parallel row of terrible "newish" stuff, it didn't fill a quarter of the airplane field and lacked all treasures you used to be able to score there. I was able to go home, after about an hour, with a ship for $10 and a couple photos...

This little cardboard pine cone house is reminiscent of a few crafts I have worked on recently.

I love African masks—the workmanship that goes into one is pretty incredible.

This young lad was vigorously petting this bear head... until I snapped his photo. Then he ran away and I heard him say, "Daddy! That lady took my picture!" I pretended I didn't hear and kept walking... creep—me not Denis the Menace.

        

My Nana used to make funny people out of stockings. This old couple stuffed in a jar reminded me of her and Grandpa.

growing in my soil.

I never know what to do when I find a little mushroom or two growing with my house plants. I would love to leave them and have a mushroom garden but I am afraid they will consume my plants!? I pulled this pair out yesterday and couldn't help but photograph them. They look like they just met at a dance, like each other, but feel awkward getting too close.

Build it Green

Last week, a few of us at Martha took a field trip to Queens to a large warehouse called Build it Green. BIG is a non-profit organization supplying low cost salvage surplus building materials to the public. It's a great place to go for props or to save some cash on a replacement toilet bowl for your place. It's very encouraging to know that since BIG opened in 2008 they've kept 450 tons of building materials out of landfills! Amazing—all this stuff should be reused and repurposed!

If I ever opened a store or was refurbishing an old brownstone (in my dreams), I would certainly stop by BIG before Home Depot, in a heartbeat...

strangers on the subway

Often when I ride the subway with Pico, I wind up talking to some interesting folks. My most recent encounter was with a couple who are pet-less but unintentionally sort of adopted a squirrel.

They told me, the squirrel built a nest in between their window and the fire escape bars. She has had 3 litters and has been living there for a couple years now! Being that I love squirrels—was once that crazy lady that sat in Union Square with them all over me as they nibbled on nuts and rescued 3 babies once after a storm (whom I then passed off to an official rehabilitator)— I was very pleased when they told me they had a website dedicated to their little neighbor, appropriately titled, the squirrel in our window.com—where I could view some pictures. Like a perfect diorama, they've watched babies being born to growing up and leaving the nest!

currently inspiring

1. Green roofs—especially one with goats gazing on it.

2. Abandon houses.

3. Bike riding in the summer and this necklace.

4. The realism in each paper bird by Anna-Wili.

5. The incredible detail of Marissa Textor's charcoal drawings.

6. The composition of this Chadwick Tyler photo.

7. The updates of what Courtney Love's wears each day.

8. The philosophy of beauty.

9. Molly, my boyfriend's cousin, who just turned 21 and how that seems so long ago to me already... appreciating my youth.

10. Unexplainable tattoos on a forearm.

indie/punk show flyer

I made a flyer for my friends' bands, DBCR, Purse Snatchers & Andy & Zeus. I used to mock up fake punk show flyers when I was studying graphic design in school, but now I finally got to create one for real! Took me a night—everything is done by hand and scanned. Flyers are fun!

dolls by

Hans Bellmer. (March 13, 1902 - February 23, 1975)

Made dolls, photographed them and drew them.

His work has always stood out to me.

Above are scans from my senior book in college. Below are all him.

new shoes revamped. diy.

When Meli told me All Saints was having a huge sale, I didn't fret on running to purchasing the Amarante boots that I have been eyeing for months now—only problem, the color I wanted wasn't marked down! The black pair was full price at $250 but the bitter brown was down to $125! Argh!

I decided, well fuck it, I am just going to buy the brown and dye them black myself!

1. I roughed up the leather a tad with a fine sandpaper pad to aid in the dye absorption.

2. With a rag, I massaged black Eco-Flo leather dye all over the boot.

3. A day later, after they were completely dry, they were totally black!

4. For the worn out effect, I used the sandpaper again on them and replaced the laces with a black twine.

5. The result looks pretty similar to the actual black pair All Saints was selling!

mission accomplished! :)