Ingenious Inkling

New York City 2024 - Day 2

We realized that I had never had a New York City Bagel, so we ventured to Bagel Pub for our breakfast.

Choosing a cream cheese was a difficult selection.

 

 

I went with Cinnamon Raisin on a Multigrain Bagel lightly toasted an scooped ... Lauren filled hers with Berry Cream Cheese.

 

 

Next we headed to Brooklyn Museum for their 200th Anniversary Artist celebration.

 

 

We loved all of the artifacts in this room ... such a fun way to display the collection.

 

 

I always love seeing Thomas Hart Benton in a gallery ... loved seeing Huck Finn.

 

 

 

Seeing Georgia O'Keefe in a gallery makes me smile as well.

 

 

One of the room was entirely filled with black & white pieces of art on black and white walls ... so striking.  However, I did find one photo-bomber.

 

 

There was another gallery that was focused on portraiture.  We really loved this one by Faith Ringgold that was originally at the Women's Detention Center at Rikers to encourage women to consider all sorts of non-traditional jobs for their future.

 

 

We also loved various pieces featuring Shirley Chisholm including a video of her announcing her Presidential candidacy.

 

 

And this quilt of her where her skirt is made of Folding Chair material was magical (you can click & enlarge the photograph).

 

 

I also loved the affirmations on the bathroom window (and how well my two-sided art shawl that I purchased at the Cedar Rapids Art Museum gift store worked for the weather)..

 

 

We also had fun touring the archival storage display.

 

The Anniversary Exhibit was filled with art by Brooklyn Artists and was so inspiring.  I just loved this guy.

 

 

And the clothing was fabulous too.

 

 

This painting captured how I feel some days ... that I could take a nap anywhere.

 

 

And I couldn't even imagine the skills needed to *paint* with wood.

 

 

And we ended our day at one of our favorite desert spots, Milk Bar.  I tried the new Marshmallow Brownie, and man was it delicious and rich.  Lauren stuck with her standard of Cereal Milk Ice Cream with Corn Flake Crunch.

 

 

Another fabulous day and night in New York City.

New York City 2024 - Day 1

I am so very blessed to be able to spend time in New York City with my card making bestie Lauren.  We were trying to decide last night how many trips it has been ... we know our first adventure was in 2010, and we have migrated trips from Spring to Fall with at least one year off for COVID-19, so likely 11 or 12 trips together through the years.  Lauren has an amazing memory book where we were able to visit memories together last night ... as I said, I am truly blessed.

On our first day, I arrived in the afternoon and Lauren met me at the airport with our emergency peanut butter sandwich and a plan to get to the hotel.  We have stayed at the Cambria in Chelsea.  It is the perfect location for access to Penn Station, and a quiet room with two queen beds (which is trickier to find in NYC than one would think it should be).

 

We unloaded in our room and then we headed to Hudson Yards to see the Fleurs de Viilles Artiste exhibit of mannequins dressed by local florists based on artistry themes.

They were so lovely with each one filled with different flowers ... it reminded me of a mini version of the Rose Parade.

Lauren's favorite was the Surrealism mannequin inspired by Salvador Dali's Feemes Aux Papillons.

 

 

The autumnal colors were quite striking.  Here's a close-up of some of the details.

 

 

I was partial to the one inspired by one of my favorite New York City locals - The High Line.  We didn't walk it on this trip, but we did see it above our heads several times as we ventured to our various locations.  Her head dress really captured the feel of the gardens planted along the trek ... and I would totally wear that skirt and boots.

 

 

We were both drawn to this yellow beauty - the Dance Mannequin inspired by the third section of Alvin Ailey’s Revelations at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

 

 

 

We also love the vibrant colors of the Andy Warhol mannequin.

 

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

When my sister Darcy and I were in Kansas City, we spent one of our beautiful mornings at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.  We got in tons of steps hiking some of the trails and enjoying all of the water features and flower gardens.  We even had the luck of spotting a few butterflies and bumble bees.

 

 

Darcy is so much better and capturing the close-up shots, but taking pictures with her did help me get better.  Here's one of hers.

 

 

We couldn't have picked a more lovely morning to be outside with the flowers.

 

 

Here are a few more of our lovely floral views.

 

 

I loved the Monet Gardens with the statue of Monet.  Signs in the various gardens described the sun placement he used to capture the images in his paintings.

 

 

We loved when we were lucky enough to get to spend time with the butterflies.

 

 

 

We also enjoyed a walk through the sculpture garden after we hiked the Bluff Trail.

 

 

We will definitely be making returns trips on our future Kansas City outings.

 

 

Since most of the blooms are gone in Iowa, it was really nice to go just a bit more southward where I get to experience some of the later flowers.

 

The Rabbit Hole

I just returned from Sisters' Weekend 2024 in Kansas City.  One of the fun things we did was take a journey down The Rabbit Hole.  While it was more for children, my sister and I are both children at heart and lovers of classic books, so we knew we would love it (and we did).  It was truly magical.

 

 

You start by descending through The Rabbit Hole - a grotto built with books with phrases from Alice in Wonderland embedded into the walls.  You come out into a magical land of books.  But first, we stopped in the bathroom where this talking guy greeted us from one of the stalls.

 

 

It was hard to pick a favorite, but Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends was certainly right up there.

 

 

And of course, we couldn't resist having a little fun.

 

 

We couldn't get over how spot-on each scene was ... staying so true to the book's illustrations.

 

 

In each scene there were multiple copies of the book being featured and fun little nooks and benches where children could sit and read.

 

 

There was so much laughter and fun in this space.

 

 

So many wonderful childhood reading memories returned as we enjoyed the lovely space.

 

 

It was a lovely way to spend our afternoon.

 

 

It was a wonderful way to spend time with my sister.

 

 

It's amazing that a place like this exists.  I hope all of the kiddos there have equally wonderful reading memories when they grow-up.

 

Family Adventures

I just returned from a quick trip to Missouri to hang out with my family.

We enjoyed a BBQ Lunch on one day at Boomer's BBQ.  It had been forever since I had a loaded baked potato.

 

 

And most of the rest of our time was spent playing board games ... one of our favorite family activities.  We learned a few new games - Dominion, Blank Slate (the source of the greatest laughter), and Really Loud Librarians - and played old favorites like Code Names, SkyJo, and Qwixx.

 

 

There was soooo much laughter ... at times until tears flowed.  

Mom wanted a photo with the three kiddos who were there for the visit.

 

 

My sister and I also had fun shopping and eating some delicious Ramen at Ramen Nara.

 

 

And of course there was breakfast at the local Pancake Hut.

 

Thursday Link Love

So sorry, but with two days stranded in airports trying to get home from vacation, Thursday Link Love is not happening this week.

I will return next week with lots of fun links.  Instead I sit here with wonderful memories of reading in the Secret Garden after floating in the pool (miss it already).

Alabama Adventures

Despite lots of airline trouble on the way home, I had a lovely trip to visit my friend Beverly in Alabama.

I started with some pool time in Beverly’s lovely flower-filled backyard, as well as some book reading in her shady secret garden space.

 

 

Friday ended-up rainy in the morning, so we stayed inside and had fun creating Alcohol Ink backgrounds.  It was the perfect opportunity to wear the fun shirt Beverly made me.

 

 

We managed to get quite a few done.

 

 

The storms cleared, and we were able to get in a little more pool time to end the day.

Saturday morning, we loaded-up and headed to Tupelo, Mississippi to visit Elvis Presley’s birthplace museum.  Bev and I enjoyed a little time on his home’s front porch swing.

 

 

We enjoyed wandering the lovely grounds and checking out the statues and a vintage vehicle.

 

 

Next we headed to downtown Tupelo to check out the Relics Antique Marketplace.  I found some fun vintage books to push the weight load of my luggage.

 

 

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Amsterdam Deli & Grill where Bev and I shared the Chicken Shawarma Pizza.

 

 

On Sunday, we made more Alcohol Ink backgrounds and soaked in the pool some more ... the perfect way to end our adventures.

 

 

I am so very grateful for the friendships this wonderful paper crafting hobby has brought my way.

Around the Neighborhood

I've loved being able to walk outside around our downtown neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Sunday mornings.  We live adjacent to downtown in a neighborhood called New Bohemia (or often NewBo), and we love it.

Our downtown is blessed with lots of lovely murals ... I just adore public art.  This one is next to an inclusive playground that my company helped fund, so that children of all ability are able to use the equipment.  I love how he is peeking around the corner of the building.

 

 

These trees have been blooming.  I believe they are some sort of Japanese Lilac tree ... the smell is so sweet and lovely when the wind picks it up.

 

 

 

This art sits outside the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, where I have the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors.  I can't wait to go see the new summer Exhibits - Thinking Big and Tiny Wonders.  I just completed my own Tiny Art (a 3x3" canvas) for a community-wide art show starting next month at the Cedar Rapids area Public Libraries, and then it will move to the museum.

 

 

Strangely enough, I've also been enjoying the sun roof on my new Volvo XC40.  In the past, I always felt the wind was too much, but somehow the way this one is positioned, it feels just right.

 

 

Seeing iris in bloom always reminds me of the rainbow of iris my Grandma had in her garden.  It was so lovely, people would often stop their cards to admire then and they usually left with a tuber or two to plant their own of their favorite color.  I miss her.

 

 

And here is my new car.  Her given name (yes we name our cars) is Art Carfunkel (the Sage color leading to singing of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme).  After living with her a while, I've decided the car is really more of a She, so I've re-named her Cecelia (in keeping with the Simon & Garfunkel theme).

 

 

And lastly, I continue to love going to the gym and getting stronger.  This is last week after my arm day with my trainer Alison (PowHERful Impact Training).  

 

 

Wishing you a marvelous Monday filled with experiences and people you love.
 

Whimsical Women Art Retreat

You can see Day 1 of our Whimsical Women Art Retreat here.  Our retreat hotel was right on the beach, so I got to go out and put my toes in the lovely sand.

 

 

I had never been to a beach on the Ocean side of Florida, and man ... that sand was so hot.  I actually thought I might have burns on the soles of my feet from the trek to the water.

 

 

The weather could bit have been much nicer for our adventures.  I'm not sure there's a much better experience than making art with a friend.

 

 

Our art making began with creating our own folded Travel Journal by cutting down a large piece of wonderful Fabriano watercolor paper. 

 

 

Next we started using all sorts of mediums to create our pages.  It had been a long time since I played with watercolors and Tombow Markers.

 

 

I really had fun just playing with backgrounds.  These used watercolor paint on make-up sponges with this gorgeous Starfish Stencil from StencilGirl.

 

 

I really tried to do the lovely light washes my neighbor was achieving, but my hand is always a bit heavy ... I still loved it because it is ME (I also love my new travel watercolor brushes).

 

 

On the next day we worked on two canvasses - one to take home & one to do a secret sister exchange with another attendee.  Somehow I managed to fail to take a picture of either one.  One big learning point was how strongly PVA Glue holds 3-D items when it dries overnight.

Next project was to use artsy and beachy fabrics to decorate a canvas bag.  I was really thrilled with how mine turned out.  I detail cut the fish and buttons from one of the fabrics.  I want to finish it by sewing a few vintage buttons I have from my step-mom's collection.  I will definitely be using it to carry my artsy supplies.

 

 

This was the amazing work by one of my classmates who was adding stitching, seashells and beading to a fabric image.

 

 

I had fun showing the group how I use the Gelli Press (as well as seeing another attendees technique ... isn't it fun how differently we can use the same supplies).  I also learned how fun it is to gelliprint with Gouache Paints (which I could then re-activate with water after it dries).  We also printed with watercolors, which were a bit trickier, but still fun.

 

 

The final day we added more elements to our journal pages, and practiced some sketching techniques.

For these pages, I attached some of my torn edged Gelliprints and a some beads I strung together using the strong PVA Glue.  I also used washi tape, and then reactivated the gouache print by adding a bit more paint.  We also used a Darice Liquid Correction fluid pen to apply white accents.

 

 

This page used the first (on the right) and second (on the left) gelliprints using gouache together with more washi tape.

 

 

And finally, I attempted some sketching ... certainly not my strong suit, but I gave it a try.  First, a big, fat Palm Tree drawn with blank ink, painted with watercolors, and accented with Posca Paint Pens.

 

 

Here's a real palm tree like this one.

 

 

Second the memories of my delicious Tequila Strawberry Mango drink by the ocean, remembering the first line is not the right line when you are sketching.

 

 

A huge thank you to Joanne Sharpe for a fabulous experience and for meeting each of us where we were and stretching us along the way.

Wisconsin Weekend

I had the blessing of spending a few days in Wisconsin with some crafty friends this weekend.

Each morning I got up early and walked a few miles around the neighborhood ... I always love exploring new spaces.  I walked a different direction than I had in the past and discovered the beauty of Six Mile Creek.  It brought back so many memories of playing in creeks with my brother throughout our childhood.

 

 

One morning I was surprised to see some Sandhill Cranes enjoying the water.

 

 

There was also a fun story walk by the gorgeous library building ... I caught a robin enjoying the view.

 

 

I never realized Bleeding Hearts were an early season bloom.

 

 

These namaste cats made me smile.

 

 

Not sure what these blooms were, but they smelled really lovely.

 

And of course, there were lots of tulips.

 

 

Always grateful for both time with friends and time in nature.