winter white. blanc. witte

   winter white.
white has always been a favorite color of mine, both for personal fashion ( fav. jcrew white tissue tees of which i have many) and for the home. my house is decorated and painted in many shades of white and i am known for wearing white head to toe in the spring/summer/fall.
    the other day i stumbled upon the yoko ono WISH TREE at the jim kemner gallery . i had exited the high line and was heading north for an appt.   the light was pouring down and thru all the small paper tags that make up her thoughtful, ingenious but simple sculpture - it was luminescent & quite magical and invited participation. i, of course, wrote out a wish and hung it on the tree.
   before that serendipitous find, while charging thru the  masses at the   chelsea market - i was struck by the beauty of the holiday lighting in the central hall and the way the lights surrounded the clock. i was not alone, lots of iphones were out and i'm sure instagram is innundated with similiar images!)
   the geometric shaped, lit from behind sculpture is jason rogenes   it is comprised of reclaimed styrofoam pieces assembled together forming a wall and can be seen at portland museam of art. it is intriguing and gorgeous and made from discarded packing pieces. he also has a family room that invites children & families to build & assemble cast pieces.
winter has certainly arrived in the northeast - its time to embrace the beauty of this white dominant season. happy holidays.

R O C K . P A P E R . S C I S S O R S.

Rock, Paper, Scissors  - almost says it all.
Erica Soule's brainchild is this most inspiring shop in downtown Wiscassett. Its a quasi Housewares - Stationery - Gift Shop but with a quirky, sophisticated, curated feel. She carries exquisite jewelry, letterpressed EVERYthing ( cards, books, ect..) artwork, pillows & blankets, glassware,  ribbons, decorative tapes & papers, childrens toys & unusual gifts. Stopping at this shop en route north - i always get excited and leave with a little something special. Not to sound snotty but this is not your typical Maine shop.....
a few of our favorites & standouts:
washi tape - i first discovered it in the shop years ago  & use it all of the time
Coral & Tusks embroidered pieces; cards, pillows, wall art....
Jen Burrall - a local maine jeweler
Nightingale Projects  & Ladyfingers Letterpress  stationery ( among many others!)
Fog Linens beautiful japanese textiles
    If you can, stop by, located right on rt. 1 in historic Wiscassett. If you can't, call her up and she will ship to you. There is talk of a limited online shop/ website coming soon.
For more photos & info

heather chontos

milk farm road- heather chontos's art studio.  
i stumbled upon an opening there a few weeks ago. 
literally.  the lights were on, doors open, there was a hive of activity so naturally i walked in. there were colorful, arranged intriguing things to look at EVERYWHERE. (not to mention fabulous wine & appetizers set out on her friend michelle michael's gorgeous, modern ceramics) 
large & small abstract paintings, painted books, glassware, spoons, beautiful pillows, draped and folded fabrics and still lives of "objets" filled the space
as i explored & talked to folks, it became apparent that heather and her 2 daughters were a fairly new and exciting addition to portland. she hails from nyc-london-barcelona-montana. i found a table with "press" and business cards and there was a full spread on her this july/aug. martha stewart. wow. and when you dig further - one can find lots of coverage of heather; a prolific artist, set-designer/stylist, illustrator and textile designer. 
keep your eyes open as heather has some exciting textile & houseware projects coming up soon with anthropologie, land of nod and K colette.  or just walk into her studio and you can see her working away on a latest art piece or textile design in her large lightfilled space.
as an artist-jeweler-art director-stylist myself, it was hard to select which photos to use to show you her inspiring, creative lair...i hope you enjoy and can visit as well.

basha's bijoux {jewelry}

as i gear up for holiday & jewelry trunk shows - i always get excited to look thru images of my work to use in promos and invitations.
luckily - i can still use gorgeous shots that photographer friends ( seen here are 2 from shoshanna white)  have made over the years and combine them with my own more recent " point & shoot" images.
we have always used available light & simple, mostly natural materials for backgrounds.
i think its time to get a little dramatic. use lights. contrast. dark surfaces. i'll keep you posted....

bateaux { boat, ship, dinghy}

as we head into fall, i am  looking back at some of my favorite photos from june, july & august.
this particular summer was filled with amazing experiences on the maine coast in BATEAUX - boats of all kinds, sizes, shapes and makes. we rowed, sailed, cruised, raced, towed, floated, powerboated...you name it, we did it. slept on many, took friends out, hit rocks, had close calls with other vessels, rescued others,  had picnics & cocktails many a day and evening.
one highlight  was cruising with our berlin friends about their gannon & benjamin built classic sloop, painted black - elegant. another was teaching myself to sail a bettlecat ( NOT easy) and then race it at our local club with my son.
one particularly fun experience was being with girlfriends in a recently launched vintage lake cruiser ( see yellow boat above). it hadn't been in the water for 20 years. while cruising around it was taking on water at a rapid pace and seawater was sloshing around our ankles....we nervously giggled and just kept on going.
maine has 5,500 miles of coastline and about 2000 islands- we are doing our best to get out there and appreciate it .

brouillard. fog.

brouillard: french word for fog, mist, haze, murk, curtain, fogginess.
lately i have been feeling a bit "hazey" myself, be it the seasonal change, a new home, the harvest full moon, a combination of things - and i decided to kick start my way out of this by getting back to basha's oog blog posts. so here i am.
this summer i happened to be down by the ocean on a few particularly foggy mornings. the beauty that the fog created by making certain colors pop was breathtaking. it was sometimes like looking at a black & white photograph with just one or two parts in color. ( the blue of the boston whaler in the harbor boats image - an example) or the mystery, unknowingness that the fog implied like the dock above that seemed to end nowhere. somewhere. who knows where.
autumn has arrived. the sun is sparkly and has a very different quality than in summer. i am snapping into focus & clarity. the winds and cooler air have arrived - and fog is rare...

fiets. bicyclettes. bikes

biking was our main source of transportation - what a life changing experience.
this past fall/winter while living in the netherlands, this family of three relied soley on our loaner bikes.
we got to school & the office this way, we grocery shopped, we went out for dinner, to the library, to the bus & train stations, out to parties, to judo & soccer practice....and even to other neighboring towns.
we even used bikes on all our dutch vacation adventures. (try getting around amsterdam on christmas eve with your six year old and attending an elegant dinner and then a symphony! )
we biked in very hot & humid weather in august to the nearby beaches ( 5 - 7 km).
we biked in the pelting rain more often than i would have liked and actually learned how to ride WHILE holding an unbrella.
we biked in very cold weather, snow & sleet & freezing rain. we even crashed, wiped out, skidded, fell over - all three of us.
but we loved it all. it changed the way we approached everything from shopping to editing how many things to carry on a daytrip to the way we observed life in and around our corner of holland. it pushed our limits,  and  simply put - opened our eyes and minds and strengthened our bodies.