One Year

My mother died a year ago today. It is still a bit surreal.





The nuns at PMA where my mother was the librarian and I went to school for 9 years had a mass in remembrance of her today at 6:30 am and I felt my life flash by me through my eyes there. I don't consider myself religious but 13 years of catholic school leaves a lasting impression on you. I thought of myself when I was 5 sitting restlessly at mass staring at the ornate alter especially the angel paintings and wondering why there are stars on one side of the alter and flowers on the other side, my mom sitting in the pews watching me read the first reading (something from ephesians I remember, this is a big deal getting chosen for 1st reading when you are 7) at mass when I was in second grade, my mom watching me receive my first communion in my white dress with the champagne colored flowers that I picked out in my hair, my mom attending mass as a teacher when she taught there, my mom watching me receive my diploma when I was in 8th grade in the shrug that she made, my moms funeral last December 27th with her casket in the middle of the aisle and me bawling my eyes out in the front pew that I cleaned every friday afternoon with sister lucy when I was 10, me sitting at the one year mass admiring the angels on the altar feeling like I am 5 and still wondering what that that phrase in latin painted around the chapel really means when I should be listening to the homily but I have no recollection of it at all. It made me laugh, my mom would have laughed too.



Rest in peace mom, I love you.

Pod + desk chair

Here is my newly reupholstered desk chair in action with Pod, my diaper bag. Plans for the rest of the night include finishing my product book for critique tomorrow and getting a good nights rest. Tomorrow is going to be ever crazier than today!

Teaser!

I have been working extremely hard all morning shooting photos, getting together my portfolio, and working on my product book for Pod the diaper bag I have designed. Here is a sneak peak of what to expect!

I thought that I would share my purchases yesterday from the Craftacular, although I can't share everything because some of the purchases were gifts!


I couldn't resist purchasing this porcelein pendent from Alyssa Ettinger. I have been in love with her work since I first laid eyes on it. You can purchase this pendent along with many other beautiful objects at her etsy store here



I wanted every single pair of wooden earrings by Kylie Earlene Grater of Early Jewelry. Kylie came out all the way from Kansas and was extremely friendly! You can buy these earrings along with a whole array of beautifully handmade jewelry here

Of course there were a ton more talented crafts women and men but I haven't even had time to sit down and sort through all of the business cards that I gathered!

Expect photos tomorrow of my kitchen! I finally put up my new curtains and reupholstered my found chair. I plan on taking photos tomorrow in the nice morning light!

Today was one of those perfect days. You know what I'm talking about. I started my day off my sleeping in until 10 and then heading off to the Fort Greene farmers market to meet Aimee. She was late, but I got all of my shopping done and even got time to indulge in a hot apple cider and raspberry apple pie muffin. mmmm... delish. After Aimee arrived we had a brisk walk with Bixby her dog around the park and hit up my first craft fair of the day down the street at a church on South Oxford. I ended up buying 5 ornaments for a whoppingn $10 (2 for me and 3 for my family yankee swap!) We then headed over to Schellie's and I had my first brunch at Outpost on Fulton which was wonderful, and had such a nice ambience inside! I would recommend it! I ended my day with a trip to the Bust Craftacular fair in Manhattan and indulged myself in some goodies from Alyssa Ettinger, Early Jewelry, Repro Depot and Screech Owl Design. I will post photos along with my Craftacular wishlist. I saw some many talented ladies (and men!) that I couldn't help but want to run home and start working on the line of products that I have floating in my head and sketchbook at the moment. Before sat down I snapped some photos of my next apartment project at hand...



The chair on the right is part of the six piece bedroom set that I own, I found the chair on the left right around the corner from my house on Friday night! I think that this photo conveys how excited I was at my find.



I glued the loose parts together tonight and am waiting for them to dry, tomorrow I am going to reupholster both of the seats, and it looks like a paint job may be next in line for my newest chair. Here is some fabric that I purchased from the Repro Depot booth today that will be reupholstered tomorrow after a trip to my local hardware store for more staples! Sorry it is a bit wrinkled I was far more excited to blog about it than pull out my iron right away!

A Very NH/Ma Thanksgiving

Last weekend was spent in New Hampshire and Massachusetts with the family.



My sister Kristen, dad and myself at my grandmothers for Thanksgiving



It is not a holiday without artichokes, it is a Merola family tradition. I ate two!



Grandma teaching me how to crochet


It was crochet/knit and movies night at the Mustone's


Kelly and Kristen knitting


Sisters sisters! I have known Heather (far left) and Kelly (far right) for 17 years! Crazy!



Fiber fun with Kristen, after going through moms craft closet.




Can't forget the dogs, Me and Eijah, (Mikey not pictured!)

Decoylab Design Studio

Grace over at Design*Sponge blogged earlier today about Decoylab Design Studiowhich is run by over in Kansas City. I absolutely love her paper clock but was her Grow Your Own Poster: Fairy Tale really hit a soft spot for me! As I child I usually had my nose buried in a book and I made sure to take out every single fairy tale book in my school library even though the evil nun librarian told me that they too hard for me. (Swedish fairy tales were my favorite). I feel like this poster captures that childhood awe so well, add this to my christmas wishlist please!

ohh Martha...

On a more personal noteI am not looking forward to the holiday season and everything that comes with it. My grandmother mentioned to me on the phone earlier that I should check out Martha Stewart.com because she saw something the other day that she thought I would be interested. Instead of looking for it I cried my eyes out for 12 minutes straight to the video tribute of Martha's mother who died two days ago which can be seen here

On a lighter note I think that Martha Stewart is a genius which reminds me that I want a subscription to Blueprint.

Lists!

I have been in a sort of creative funk lately. I blame it on a multitude of things, cold weather (brrrrr), the holiday season approaching, and an anniversary approaching too which is understandable. I have lots of ideas stirring in my head right now and they are slowly becoming a reality. Inspired by Tricia over at Bits and Bobbins here is my creative to-do list.

-Redesign website and move this blog over to KimberlyLewis.net, this is in progress as we speak!
- Research different grants that I would like to apply for in the next few years
-Get portfolio up to speed/find amazing job so I can get said grants
-Learn to crochet, this is being accomplished over thanksgiving, my grandmother is giving me a lesson
-Learn to knit portuguese style, will post more on this later.
-Relearn embroidery skills and learn how to ribbon embroider (perhaps this is another lesson with my grandmother over christmas)
- Set up Etsy store
- Try to fully comprehend my digital slr, I am so embarrassed that I have had i for so long and don't even use it to its fullest extent!
-make all of my patterns in my sketchbook into repeats in illustrator
-Make dress with the DVF fabric I thrifted two summers ago and is sitting in my closet!
Oh yeah and you know the usual...
- Finish all of my school work, have fun teaching creative movement to preschoolers, and surround myself with really expensive table settings at my internship that I will never be able to afford on Fridays!

Parable Ink

A few Sundays ago I ran into Cora Fisher of Parable Ink selling some of their designs on the streets of Soho and immediately fell in love with their printed tees. My personal favorite is their Leaf design feature below. It is a print that is silkscreened from an actual leaf from the Ciales Jungle in Puerto Rico and is actual size! Really beautiful!

Soon to be Kitchen Curtains

I thrifted this fabric over the summer in Copenhagen for around $2 and they will soon be restyled into a pair of cafe curtains for my kitchen

Weekend Musings

This weekend has been extremely refreshing for me even though I am coming down with a cold. The above photo is not from this weekend but last weekend of Alli and and is just an excuse to show off my show girl bird costume. But back to this weekend, after work on Friday I spent 2 hours trying on dresses that I could not afford and finally buying a pair of new shoes. This may not seem like a big deal, but here is my secret, I have not bought a new pair of shoes since 2001! All of my shoes are thrifted, stoop sale finds or second hand, which is why I have way to many pairs!




The pair on the right were thrifted in downtown Brooklyn, left are my new pair, Nine West



On Saturday I did a multitude of small errands and then headed over to Boreum Hill to check out Lotta Jansdotter's studio and shop. I arrived just in time, Lotta was there shooting some photos for her spring product line. I poked around and she graciously answered my questions and we chatted a bit. Although my time there was brief, it was a breathe of fresh air, and reminded myself how I too am looking towards the future but not ready to give up the personal, and down to earth ideals that make me tick. Thanks Lotta!

Second Hand Rose

I have so much to blog about! Yesterday at my internship I was asked to pick up a roll of wallpaper from Second Hand Rose for the spring product shoot. I had heard the name of the shop before but it wasn't really ringing any bells but when I stepped inside the Tribeca store I was floored. Why hadn't I been here before?!?! I honestly could have stayed for a few hours and just sat down in awe of all of the vintage wallpaper in front of me, rolls and rolls and rolls but I did have to go back to my internship. The storekeeper was friendly and extremely helpful and answered all of my questions as I drooled and he rang up the transaction. Must. Go. Back. Soon. Heaven!! He kept telling me to go to the website and I picked out some prints that caught my eye.


This print reminds me of a dress that my mother wore when I was little


I have a soft spot for bicycle patterns, and this one satisfies it!


This looks like one of my doodles in my sketchbook, not to mention that I have been drawn to this color palette a lot lately.

Street Treasures

I love stumbling across different pieces of furniture, books, chairs, tables or really anything in the street. Saturday I was walking back to my apartment after getting a prescription filled at my pharmacy and I saw a construction worker sitting and smoking on what appeared to be a side table with tapered legs. I walked past it but after one block my curiosity got the best of me. I walked back and asked the man if he was throwing it away. He smiled and said its yours! I lugged this beauty with me the rest of the way and it has found a new home in my living room. Unfortunately it does need a little tlc, the bottom drawer needs to be glued back together, but it is nothing that a little wood glue and clamping can't fix.



The table has two peculiar shaped drawers on the sides, that I absolutely adore.



Thank you streets of Brooklyn for giving me an early birthday present!

Soft Prototypes Class

The first half of my soft prototypes class was focused on sewing, and pattern making. Here is one of my first projects, Although the basic pattern is very simple, I wanted this bag to have my own personal touch to it and I think it worked! Tonight in class we will be picking our final backpack designs. I will be blogging about my entire design process so stay tuned!

I <3 Tea

I have been drinking too much yogi lemon ginger green tea. I liked this quote on my tea bag so much that it has been sitting on my shelf right above my computer with my little birdie to serve as a reminder to myself.

My Copenhagen Exhibit

My final piece that I have been blogging about all summer will be in the My Copenhagen show along with the rest of my classmates work. The exhibit will include textiles, furniture, glass, and architecture/interior design. The show is Denmark was lovely and I expect nothing less from this one also. I will be at the reception on Friday at 6. Hope to see you all there!

Calling all mothers!

The final project for my soft prototypes class is to design the ultimate backpack for a certain demographic. I have decided to focus on the urban mom on the go and designing the ultimate diaper bag. If you wouldn’t mind answering a few simple questions if you fit this criteria I would greatly appreciate it! It will help me with my research in designing my final product.


1) What kind of diaper bag do you currently use or have in the past?
2) What did you like and dislike about your diaper bag
3) How much would you be willing to spend on a diaper bag?
4) As far as the tote diaper bag or backpack bag do you have a preference? If so why?
5) What components are essential to a diaper bag? Changing Pad? Clips for keys and pacifiers? Thermal pockets for bottles? Having certain items accessible?
6) Does fashion play a part when choosing a diaper bag?
7) Do you use your diaper bag to store other items that are not related to your child?

optional - if you could include a brief description of yourself, including where you reside, how many children you have, or any other information you think that I would find vital that would be wonderful! Thanks so much!

Self Indulgent Birthday Wishlist

It is finally October. My favorite month, and you know what that means, 19 days until my birthday! My father called me on the phone the other day asking what I wanted for my birthday, so here is a silly little wish list of things I have had my eyes on.



Capezio T-Strap Size 7
I left my pair that my mother bought me in the hostel in Helsinki, and my feet just haven't been the same since. :(


Cheap Headphones that I can afford to break or lose, I wish these came in adult sizes!



I think that this Marimekko dress designed by Mika Piirainen is absolutely perfect. Size 36 please!



Right before I went to Copenhagen I ordered a bunch of samples from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and have been meaning to buy a bigger bottle of Snake Oil and Antique Lace.



I have my eye set on this knitting machine on ebay, or really any knitting machine for that matter. I can't wait for the weather to start to get chilly so I can break out all of he knitswear!

Website makeover! Someone to redesign my poor website for me (which is currently not up but is usually located at www.KimberlyLewis.net) since I have still not yet learned how to use dreamweaver!



You can always win me over with flowers, hydrangeas are my favorite!

Stoop Sale Treasures

I have been collecting the original Nancy Drew books since I was about eight. It all started with my mother giving me her small collection of books that she had been given secondhand through a family friend. Once I had a taste of the first few in the series, we made it our personal goal for her and myself to read all of the original 56. My mother being the bookworm that she was would often pick up used copies at old book stores, and flea markets for me. My grandmother was in on it too, she remembered fondly reading the books before she would give them as Christmas presents to my mother when she was little. My family would take small vacations up to northern New Hampshire and scout out all of the used book stores in search of trying to complete my collection. It grew slowly from the originals that my mother had passed on to me.

Since my mothers passing on December 21st '06, my itch to finish my collection has started back up again. Being an avid thrifter, I am always scanning the shelves for the blue or yellow spines. I usually find them everyone in a while, but yesterday I found not just one but SIX older copies (print run 1932 - 1945) laying outside a brownstone in my neighborhood at the annual end of summer stoop sale.



Five of them from what I can gather where printed either between 1932 - 1939 because of the glossy frontispieces and the orange endpapers.



The sixth one is a war time edition with the frontispiece on plain paper so I would date it at 1943- 1945.



The lady who I bought them from seems to have a lot more which she did not put out at the stoop sale. After a a little chat about how I only needed 8 more to complete my collection she gave me her phone number, apparently she had many more inside her house and she said that she would love to help me! I think I may be making a phone call in the near future.

Yesterday I spent countless hours rearranging and decorating. Here is a sneak peak or my Nancy Drew collection, more photos of my apartment will follow!

Things are finally starting to settle into place. As of today I have a new internship! I will be interning for Kim Seybert starting Monday. I am quite excited, to experience a different side of the home furnishings world. My first internship was at Twenty2 where I saw all the behind the scenes from Kyra and Rob's high end wallpaper and fabric company. Over the summer I interned at Sunham Home Fashions, where their focus was on bed textiles, such as quilts, duvets, and sheets for companies such as JCPenny, Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things and more. I am really excited to be expanding my horizons and starting at Kim Seybert who is known for her fashion infused high end table top accessories that can be found at Saks, Neimans and Bergdorfs.



Speaking of things settling into place, I bought a small couch via craigslist for my new apartment today. I am taking photos of my newly decorated space tomorrow. So check back.

After much unneeded stress (ie being robbed, moving into my new place, starting school etc etc) things are finally settling into a nice familiar pattern. Check back soon (perhaps this weekend?) for regular blog updates!