New York Trip

Some favorites from the Armory Show

Tinsel Trading Company

CONFETTISYSTEM installation at MoMA PS1

The Brooklyn Flea

Great graffiti art at 5 pointz and also around the corner from the John Derian Co. (my favorite NYC boutique) 

From top left, clockwise:  Purl Soho, The Cotton Candy Machine, Cog and Pearl, and Creel and Gow

About a week ago I visited New York city to check out the annual Armory show (cutting edge contemporary art from around the globe) and to visit some fun boutiques.  The Armory show was great!  I had three hours to go through it, but even with that much time I had to run through the last bit to make sure I saw everything.  I also visited the MoMA PS1 museum for the first time.  There was a beautiful two floor installation by CONFETTISYSTEM (the wedding decorations of my dreams!).  The building that houses the museum is an old school house, which added such charm to the ultra contemporary art inside each classroom.  If you plan on visiting the PS1 in the future, make sure to check out 5 pointz.  It's just a skip and a hop away!  It's a graffiti mecca of old factory buildings covered to the brim with art... and it's all legal too!
I visited the Tinsel Trading Company and was completely absorbed by the sparkly, glittery, whimsy of the shop.  There are literally thousands of vintage bits and bobs to inspire craft projects.  They even make their own baker's twine!  Other notable boutiques were Purl Soho (great fabrics and so much colorful yarn), Cog and Pearl (an adorable handmade shop in Park Slope), Creel and Gow (expensive taxidermy.. all natural deaths from zoos I might add, but be prepared to window shop only!), and Cotton Candy Machine.  Cotton Candy Machine was my favorite of the bunch (sorry for the lack of pictures!).  It is owned by Tara McPherson and definitely has an emphasis on her work (which I love), but there's also a great selection of vinyl toys, books and prints from some really wonderful artists.  They hold monthly art shows, and when I was there they had a wall filled with the silly (and naughty) watercolors of Dave Cooper.  Did I mention that I got to meet him in person while there too?!  Last thing on the to do list was The Brooklyn Flea.  It is a weekly vintage and craft fair with booths curated to fit a wide variety of tastes and special niches.  I had most fun rummaging through the stands that had boxes of old nik-naks.
Now that I took my first trip of the year, I'm itching to do some more traveling!  Luckily, I'll have the opportunity to visit a handful of cities for the normal craft shows throughout the year, but I'm most looking forward to going to Paris with Chris for our lovey-dovey honeymoon in October!