Everything Mary Beth

Spring 2012 Couture Order

2012-01-31T16:29:00.000-08:00

Here is my Spring 2012 Couture order:

1. Versace Dress

3 Valentino Gowns

2 Maxime Simoens Dresses

2 Elie Saab dresses

2 Dior Dresses and one gown

6 Chanel outfits

1 tree, 1 bush, and 2 snakes from Armani Prive

and 1 gold flower hat from Alixis Mabille

Photos from Style.com

Broken Ankle

2012-01-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I broke my ankle (fractured my talar neck bone to be precise). However, I do believe I broke it in the most glamorous way possible. 1. I tripped on a badly assembled riser at a fashion show during Styleweek Providence. 2. It was being held at the fanciest hotel in Providence, the Biltmore, 3. I was in the fanciest room in the hotel, the Grand Ballroom. 4. I was dressed to the nines in a custom blouse by the featured designer of the night Nicole Lebreux. and 5. After I broke it Jonathan Joseph Peters (from season 7 of Project Runway and the most well known fashion designer in Rhode Island) ran to my rescue and applied ice to my ankle. He's not only talented but super nice and caring.

So unfortunately I broke my ankle but fortunately I did it in style!

I found this photo (that's me digging in my purse) on Brittany Taylor's facebook page. It's from the Monday fashion show (I broke my ankle at Wed.'s show). I'm flanked by the two talented artists Laura Gilbertson (Illustrator) and Joseph Aaron Segal (Fashion Knitter).

Quote from "Work of Art"

2012-01-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

"A great artist has a unique vision (and) obsession. They are someone willing to fail flamboyantly. " -Jerry Saltz

Tis the Season for Craft Fairs

2011-11-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

I am totally torn trying to decide which craft fairs to visit this weekend. There are so many this year it's out of control! Here is what I have to choose from:

The Foundry Artists Holiday Show - Dec. 1-4 & 9-11 times vary Pawtucket, RI

Designer Holiday Preview Sale at Bravo Brasserie - Dec. 1 6pm to 9pm Providence, RI

RISD Alumni craft show - Dec. 3 10am to 5pm Providence, RI

stART on the Street - Dec. 4 11am to 5pm Worcester, MA

Providence Holiday Market at Grant's Block - Dec. 3, 10, 17 11am to 4pm Providence, RI

Nicole Lebreux Original Apparel Open Studio and Holiday Artisan Market - Dec. 3 2pm to 8p Bristol, RI

Fierce Styles 4 Fashion Show - Dec. 4 7pm to 10pm Boston, MA

Independent Designers Market - Dec. 3, 10, 17 noon to 6pm Cambridge, MA

MassArt's Annual Holiday Sale - Dec. 5-10 10am to 7pm Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA

Bazaar Bizarre - Dec. 4 noon to 6pm Boston, MA

Cultural Survival Bazarre - Dec. 3 - 4, 10 & 11, 16 - 18 times vary Cambridge, MA

and more!

Congratulations Seth and Laura

2011-11-25T10:21:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Seth and Laura Gilbertson!

Photo by Tamela Kemp

Italy

2011-11-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Have you been wondering where I've been? Well, I've been in Italy! My husband and I took a 10 day vacation there. We spent time in Rome, Venice, and Florence. We had the time of our lives. If you haven't been you need to book a trip now! Hopefully, these photos will convince you. Because I feel very strongly that you need to visit there!

Something fun to do in Boston/Providence

2011-10-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

I love attending events in Boston and Providence. And there are lots to choose from. For lists of more events in the area than you can possibly attend, check out these websites:

Find shopping events in Boston like trunk shows, grand openings, and sales on Spreedia.com.

For pretty much anything else happening in Boston stay up to date on the blog thebostondaybook.com.

If that doesn't fill up your date book head over to the calendar at Boston.com.

For events in Providence check out the "things to do" calendar on goprovidence.com.

RISD has a lot of events but is not great at keeping their public calendar up to date. If you are at all affiliated with RISD or are taking a continuing ed class you can get access to their private calendar on the RISD Intranet which is excellent!

There is also an extensive calendar on rimonthly.com. And while you are there subscribe to their magazine. It's excellent and will keep you up to date on EVERYTHING including new restaurants, galleries, emerging artists, galas, craft shows, etc..

For events happening in the downtown area shopdowncity.com is a good site.

Swaps in the area can be found on the Swapaholics blog events.swap.com.

For more events anywhere search by topic and area on eventbrite.com. My favorite search words are fashion, style, art, craft, and swap.

Have fun exploring and I'll see you around town!

MoMA Holiday 2011

2011-10-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to start your Christmas shopping? Well if you are, MoMA has their holiday offerings ready for purchase on their website. Among them is my newest greeting card "Urban Stockings" pictured below. It features a cityscape with three stockings hanging from a string. If you would like to buy it you can do so here!

See me on Blue Penny

2011-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

Cindy Ann did a fantastic job of documenting my design process on her blog Blue Penny!

Thanks Cindy Ann!

Shopping Milan Spring 2012

2011-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Milan fashion week is always so beautiful. Here is what I would buy if only my money tree would bloom.

Bottega Veneta outfits.

Emporio Armani pieces that remind me of my Dad's light reflectors (he's a photographer). One for day, one for evening, and one for work.

Literal and I love it at Moschino Cheap and Chic, which FYI is NOT cheap unfortunately but definitely chic.

Flowers from outerspace at Iceberg.

Work clothes from Fendi.

Gold rush at Gucci.

Gold Caccoon at MaxMara.

Dresses that look like they are made out of paper at Blumarine. I can at least make myself one of those bracelets.

photos: style.com

Addicted to Etsy

2011-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

I love Etsy. Perusing their vintage clothing has become a hobby for me lately. Here are all the things I am currently considering buying.

Design Shows

2011-09-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love fashion. I love TV. And I'm so happy when those two worlds collide. If you are sad that Project Runway is halfway over, don't fret. There are four new fashion shows debuting soon!

Mad Fashion - Oct. 4 10 pm Bravo - This show features Chris March and his studio. We first met Chris on Project Runway. He was too "costumey" for PR. Ready-to-wear obviously is not his calling in life. Instead he designs amazing and bazaar custom fashion creations like nothing you've ever seen before. He's a great example of what happens when a designer follows his passion down his personal road of life.

Photo via Bravotv.com

Fashion Hunters - Oct. 4 10:30 pm Bravo - If you love American Pickers and you love fashion then you'll love Fashion Hunters. Follow the staff of Second Time Around Manhattan as they acquire new merchandise for their upscale consignment shop. This is the ultimate thrift haul!
Photo via Bravotv.com

Work of Art Season 2 - Oct. 12 9 pm Bravo - I really enjoyed the first season and I'm sooooo excited for the second season. Watch as fine artists compete for money and prizes. I learned a ton about the fine art process last season. It was very interesting to see the differences between it and my personal commercial art process. I'm looking forward to learning more and seeing some interesting art.

Photo via Bravotv.com

Project Runway All Stars - TBA Lifetime - I was really excited about this one until I read that Tim, Nina, Heidi, and Michael will NOT be on it? What? How is that Project Runway then? The host will be Angela Lindvall, the judges Isaac Mizrahi (not sure how I feel about that?) and Georgina Chapman, and the mentor Joanna Coles (who I really, really like and am really excited about).

Photo via mylifetime.com

Swaps Galore

2011-09-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how many clothing swaps are going on in Boston this fall. So far I've found four! I can't decided which ones to go to. I wish I had more clothes to get rid of so I could go to all of them!

Style Swap - 10/11 5 pm to 8 pm- Boston, MA - Hosted by the stylist Trust in Tricia. You will receive a ticket for each item you bring which you can redeem in the "swap boutique." There will also be raffles of items donated by local sponsors to benefit Project Smile. Entrance is $15.

Boston Fashion Week 2011 Sip & Swap - 9/29 6 pm to 10 pm - Boston, MA - Hosted by the Swapaholics. This is a freestyle swap. Every woman for herself! This swap includes complimentary beverages, demos by "a dozen mass-customization, e-commerce, shopping sites & mobile technology based in New England," and a fashion show of swapped items. Entrance fee is $10. I've been to swapaholic events before and they are awesome!!! You are sure to spot a few of your favorite Boston Fashion bloggers there.

The Swap Soiree - 11/3 6:30 pm to 9 pm - Lawrence, MA - Hosted by Susan Kanoff and Monique Johnson - Your $30 entrance fee gets you a freestyle swap, raffles, and shopping opportunities from local vendors.

Boston Style & Swap - 10/22 12 pm to 6 pm (This swap has been changed to Nov. 5) - Boston, MA - Hosted by Reinvent My Wardrobe - This event includes a freestyle swap, trend seminar, assistance from fashion stylists while swapping, "worst leftovers contest," charity auction (for Dress for Success, win a 3 hour wardrobe consultation), and there will be professional tailors available to tailor your new pieces for you!! That's a lot of bang for $25!

Fashion Week New York Spring 2012 highlights

2011-09-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my favorite things at Fashion Week New York Spring 2012:

Colored lace at Nanette Lepore.

Shiny at Diesel

Amazing purples at Tommy Hilfiger and Phillip Lim.

Hearts at Anna Sui.

Laser cut textiles at Cynthia Rowley.

Bright colors at Jason Wu.

Peter Som's photo realistic prints.

Sophisticated pastels at Jill Stuart.

Fashion inspired by sea creatures at Christian Siriano.

Totally t/drippy at Prabal Gurung.

Really cool bathing suit coverups inspired by stadium seating and more laser cutting at Alexander Wang.

Mixed prints at Richard Chai.

Sparkle at DVF.

Killer red carpet at Zac Posen.

Leather dress at Derek Lam.

Giant pom poms at The Blonds.

Strange prints at Jeremy Scott.

Amazing jewelry at Fenton.

Cool shapes at Proenza Schouler.

Patches at Narciso Rodriquez.

Clothes so yummy I want to eat them at Preen.

Super fun stuff at Alice and Olivia.

Total beauty at Oscar De La Renta

Everything at Marc Jacobs.

Photos fashionista.com & style.com & Fashionologie

Styleweek Providence 2011

2011-09-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

Last week was a VERY exciting week in Providence, RI. It was Styleweek AND it was the first Styleweek EVER that was open to the public. I was ecstatic and bought tickets to three of the six nights.

Styleweek Providence is a mini NYC Fashion Week. It featured mostly local designers and some from out of town as well, including three former Project Runway contestants (Jonathan Joseph Peters, David Chum, and Peach Carr)! In addition, Ben Chmura and Derek "Fabulous" Warburton were in attendance. I met both of them and they were lovely.

Friday was the only night I had seats that were good for picture taking. But unfortunately I still have my sad, dying camera. So my pictures are pretty bad. But here they are anyway. I promise I'll have a better camera and better photos for the next Styleweek. If you want to see some much, much better photos check out Brittanny Taylor Photography's facebook page.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Jane from I am the Everyday Girl. I highly recommend her Styleweek coverage here.

Here I am with my Mom on the red carpet. I'm wearing my Wayne Clark vintage skirt and a shirt from Anthropologie.

The Joseph Segal JAS show was my favorite from Friday night. Although, it was really hard to choose. He inched ahead only because I own one of his crazy kitty sweaters. He does really innovative knitwear.

That's him on the left.

Kelly Eident's dresses were adorable. I like her because her clothes were 80s inspired and she designs laser cut jewelry. FYI I love anything laser cut.
Sarah Prost's collection was sophisticated and beautifully finished. Good news, you can purchase her clothes at Feminine Fancies in Barrington, RI.

I told you Peach and Ben were there.

New Do

2011-09-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Hooray, I finally grew out all those layers. How do you like my haircut? I love it! It's so straight and simple. This is what my hair was put on the earth to do.

Art Events

2011-09-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

I picked up a copy of the Sept. Providence Monthly and in addition to the fashion events in my below posts, I found some really fun looking art events. Here they are:

Open Studios Pawtucket - 9/24 & 25 - There will be six mills around town with studios open to the public! That's a lot of mills and a lot of studios!

12th Annual Providence Rotary Street Painting Festival - 10/2 - Unfortunately I can't make it to this because I'll be in Boston for the Brew at the Franklin park Zoo. But this sounds really fun. Hundreds of street painters will be competing in the contest. There will also be food samples from local restaurants and live music featuring World Premiere.

Classes at AS220 - all year long - AS220 has a new facility, new equipment, and some fabulous new class offerings. Classes include letterpress, screen printing, laser cutting, and much, much more!!

Cake Decorating Contest at the Big E - 9/20 9:30 am to 8 pm - If you are going to the Big E, the best day to go is the day they are having the Cake Decorating contest. It is really fun to check out all the entries. FYI I won Best in Show at the first ever Big E Cake Decorating Contest. I unfortunately will not be competing this year because I'm too busy with illustration work.

Connecticut Children's Book Fair - 11/12 & 13 - This is one of the best children's book fairs around. They have fantastic speakers. And there is always time to have a conversation with your favorite.

Even more to do!

2011-09-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

I just found out about three new fashion events in the area! Here they are:

Jonathan Joseph Peters Trunk Show at Lola's Fashion Boutique Providence, RI - 9/24&25 - Did you catch Jonathan Joseph Peters runway show last night at Styleweek Providence? I did! It was beautiful. This is your big chance to meet a former Project Runway contestant and acquire a piece from his collection.

Bella Feminia Fashion Show - 9/19 6pm to 9pm - Bella Femina will be hosting a fashion show at The Italo-American Club and Spirito's Restaurant in Providence, RI. For $55 a person you get Fashion, Food, and Fun! The show will feature J. Marcel Shoes, Barbolino, Luli Boutique, Stesania's Boutique, Latasia Jewelry & Lingerie, and Hats by Everett Hoag. I met Everett at Styleweek on Friday night. He is a fascinating guy and a very, very talented hat maker. I unfortunately missed his runway show last week. So I'm really looking forward to catching it here. He designs theatrical costumes too. I hear the combination of his hats and costumes are phenomenal and I can't wait to see them in person!

Daniel Hernandez fashion show "Anomaly" - 9/27 6pm - 11pm. Most of the fashion shows at Boston Fashion week are not open to the public. But this one is! The fashion presentation will feature Dani Rose, Isabel Originals, Jacqueline Ortega (jewelry), and Zack Lo (shoes). The show will take place at VENU Boston. You can get your $35 ticket at eventbrite and see the attendee list!

So much to do!

2011-08-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden there are a million cool fashion events going on in the Providence and Boston area! I'm going to as many as I can. Here is a list of everything I've found so far. Hope to see you here or there!

Style Week Providence - Fashion shows 8/29 - 9/3. On Sat. there will be three former Project Runway contestants showing their stuff!

Savers sale - 9/4 - 9/5 - The big Labor Day Savers sale! Grab the cheep vintage before the other fashionistas do!

Sturbridge Vintage and Antique textile show - 9/5 - The biggest vintage show in New England and some say in the US!

Brimfield Antique Show - 9/6 - 9/11 -Another chance to get your mitts on some amazing vintage clothing. This antique show is so big it will make your eyeballs pop out of your skull and your money fly out of your wallet.

Sewing Class at Joann's Fabrics North Attleboro, MA - 9/6 - Beginner sewing class at Joann's. They even provide everyone with machines. Or you can BYOM.

"Fall into Fashion" Quidnesset Country Club Fashion Show - 9/22 - A benefit Fashion Show hosted by "A Wish Come True."

Fashion Night Out Boston - 9/8 - Can't make it to Fashion Night Out in NYC? Tired of missing out on all the fun? Do Fashion Night Out Boston style instead!

Boston Fashion Week - 9/23 to 9/30 - Catch all the Fashion Shows in one place this year! Fashion week will be under "the Tent".

Style Fizz Boston - 10/12 & 13 - I can't make it to this one but it looks really fun. It's an evening of "dream shopping... delicious complimentary cocktails, free beauty treatments, appetizers, and music." It sounds like the ultimate girl's night out!

Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse at Macy's

2011-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the debut of Karl Lagerfeld's capsule collection at Macy's! These are my favorite pieces. Hmmm, I can't decided which one to order.
Photos via Macy's

One Project to Another

2011-08-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Whew, I've been busy. I just finished a big, big project and now I am onto another one. Although, I am trying to take time off and do some fun things.

My fun thing for yesterday was the SOWA market in Boston. Here's a picture of two musicians who were entertaining the lunch crowd. I think this would have been a pretty good picture if my camera wasn't such a piece of junk. I really like the colors in it.

FYI Polka Dot is the new Stripe

2011-06-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

Stripes, stripes, everyone is wearing stripes! People are even wearing them as neutrals which I think is really cool. But what's next? I predict pocka dots! If you doubt me take a look at Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 collection.

Photo from Fashionfame.com

Swapaholic

2011-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Recently I participated in two clothing swaps. And it turns out they are really fun and not at all icky or scary like you may think. In a clothing swap, each person brings a bag of clothes that she no longer wants but are still in close-to-new condition. All the clothes are put out on tables. Once all the clothes are put out, everyone can take as much as they want for free (plus the entrance fee if there is one).

The trick to a clothing swap is you want to participate in the ones that fashionistas and shopaholics attend. Those will have the best clothes. Fortunately, the two swaps I attended were hosted by the Swapaholics. They are a professional fashion swap event coordinating company. They host swaps all over the U.S.. Lots of fashionable ladies were in attendance at both events because of the group's excellent reputation. In fact, I spotted a few of my favorite Boston fashion bloggers there! If you'd like to see some photos from the even click here.

Here is what I grabbed at the first swap:

a Helmut Lang tee

an Old Navy tank

an American Apparel tee

a Bergdorf Goodman long sleeve tee

a Forever 21 long sleeve tee

a shiny silver turtle neck

a pair of yoga pants

& a cream blouse.

At the second swap I had a better strategy and really good luck. I grabbed:

5 vintage dresses

1 Forever 21 dress

Plus:

2 jackets

a pair of capris

a funny cat tee

& a cropped, vintage, short sleeve sweater!!

If you are looking for a swapping event near you check out the Swapaholics event website here. See you at the next Boston swap!!

Vintage Shopping in New York

2011-05-24T09:55:00.001-07:00

I just returned home from the National Stationery Show and Surtex show in New York City. I met with some of my wonderful current clients and some fabulous soon to be new clients. I had dinner with current friends, old friends, and my brother. And I OF COURSE went shopping! This time I was on a mission for vintage and secondhand clothing. Here are my best finds:

Shareen Vintage - Amazing beautiful vintage store for women only - I can not say enough wonderful things about this store. It was very big for New York. The clothes were unique, beautiful, and in perfect condition. The saleswoman was a joy and extremely knowledgeable about the clothing and flattering women's body types. Everything was reasonably priced too. I got an amazing silk blouse for $36. Dresses ran around $40 and up. I first heard about this store on the show "Dresscue Me." It's a must watch if you are into vintage. It's on Planet Green, Thursday nights at 8pm. If you don't get Planet Green you can download the show on itunes. The store is a bit difficult to find because they don't have a big sign outside. It's located at 13 West 17 th St. between 5th and 6th Ave. Their name is on the buzzer. To further confuse the matter, there is a 13 East 17th St. one block over. So make sure you have West not East. It's totally worth the search!!!!! And good news, there is also one in LA if you are on the other coast.

Photos care of www.stylecaster.com.

Angela's Vintage Boutique - Vintage, second hand designer, and consignment store - I highly recommend this store as well. They carry modern designer clothes, modern clothes that look vintage, and vintage clothes. So do not assume everything is vintage because it's not. The prices for their second hand designer clothes are AMAZING! I got a beautiful, never worn, Victor and Rolf jacket for $40. I learned about this store from Shop NYC Tours. They give shopping tours of the city. You can have a private tour, a bus tour, or for only $9.95 they will email you a walking tour for you to explore on your own. I bought the vintage tour and it was EXCELLENT. I only got through about a quarter of the stores. I can't wait to continue the tour on my next NYC trip. They also have a fashionista favs tour, home decor tour, unique gifts tour, sample sale secrets, and recession specials tour. Angela's has two stores and I visited them both. The person who buys for this store has the exact same taste as me. I will definitely be visiting both stores EVERY time I visit NYC.

Photo via www.helenhearts.blogspot.com

Encore - The first designer consignment shop in the U.S. - This store is unbelievable. I was literally flipping out as I was shopping. I was looking for a skirt and I had my choice of Vivienne Westwood, Balenciaga, Burberry, Mui Mui, Prada, Valentino, and others I'm forgetting all for under $100 and most for around $40! FYI I decided on the Balenciaga. If you love beautiful designer clothing and don't care that it's not this season's, then this is the store for you. My Balenciaga skirt is from the 2009 resort collection. It still had the tags on it! I learned about this store from www.sammydavisvintage.com . "Sammy D's" passion in life is vintage clothing. She has an amazing blog full of thrifting, vintage, shopping, and styling tips. I highly recommend her blog, especially her fun videos.

Photos via www.sammydvintage.com

For all posts about New York City click here!

Paper Shaper Chic Boutique

2011-05-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

The cover of my newest American Girl book has just appeared on Amazon. It still has not been released yet but you can pre-order it by clicking here.

The Chic Boutique contains an accessory boutique and a clothing boutique to assemble and play with. And of course it includes tons of little paper shoes, hats, pocketbooks, sunglasses, dresses, skirts, and much more!

Fashion Bloggers

2011-04-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I follow a lot of blogs. 119 to be precise. One of my favorite kinds of blogs is the fashion diary blog. In this genre the blogger posts photos of themselves in their daily outfits. I prefer these over the "fashion paparazzi" blogs (where the blogger takes photos of stylish people they meet on the street) because you get to see the same person in many different looks and get a sense of their overall style. At first glance you may think, "big woop, I dress myself everyday." But these blogs take a lot of skill. First you must be good at shopping to acquire beautiful fashion pieces, second you must be able to style outfits, hair, and make-up in an interesting way, third you need to take quality photos of yourself in creative surroundings (or team up with a talented photographer, fourth you must be good at writing, and fifth you must be disciplined to do it on a regular basis. Whew, that's a lot of work and skill. I've tried taking nice photos of myself and I found it impossible, even with a tripod and timer. But there are many people who do this wonderfully and I enjoy their work.

Some of my favorites are:

Karla's Closet - Karla is a California girl with a closet full of amazing vintage clothes and a talented eye for mixing and matching beautiful bold colors and prints in a chic way.

Photos from Karla's Closet

Tapouillon - Cynthia is a blogger from St. Tropez France and owner of etsy shop Tapouillon Vintage. I follow both. She too has an abundant, vintage filled closet. I would describe her style as easy breezy with a European beach feel. Her creations are cute and pretty.

Photos from Tapouillon

NoirOhio - NoirOhio is a blogger in Ohio and owner of ebay store NoirOhio Vintage. I love the way she styles her clothes for her ebay store. And the best part is if you like the pieces, you can buy them! Her style is very vintage 80s meets rock & roll. She can make unbelievably crazy pieces look wearable. I don't know where she comes up with all these amazing vintage pieces. She must be a vintage magnet. FYI she uses a model.

Photos from NoirOhio

Second Round of Voting

2011-04-15T09:03:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted for me in the first round of the Trendys competition. I made it to the finals! If you have another second can you please vote for me in this final round? I would really, really be greatful.

Here's how:
1. Go to the site: http://stationerytrendsmag.com/trendies/gallery/?p=trendys_home
2. Register or sign in
3.Go to "click here to vote" then the category "Holiday". You will see my monster bobble heads if you scroll down. Click on them and then vote thumbs up!

Thank you!

Here is my entry:

I love these pants

2011-03-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am in love with these Marc by Marc Jacobs "Ursula" wide leg Georgette Pants. You can get them at Nordstrom if you have a spare $298.

Issey Mikake

2011-03-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

Did you see the origami and the origami inspired outfits at Issey Miyake's Fall 2011 fashion show? You may just see me around town sporting a paper vest or scarf!

Photos Style.com

Thank you Wellesley

2011-03-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came down to the Wellesley Booksmith this afternoon. We had a huge turnout and really fun time!!! I hope you are all enjoying the bobble heads we made together.

Wearing Accessories

2011-03-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired by some new fashionable friends to start wearing more accessories. I hardly ever wear them. I always feel like they make me look like I'm trying too hard. But I came across these two photos today that really hit home the magic of accessories.

The first photo is a picture of Marc Jacob's Silk-Jacquard dress styled by Marc Jacobs for his spring 2011 runway show. I loved the dress so much that I looked it up on the Neiman Marcus site. Not shockingly I can't afford it, but shockingly I didn't even recognize the dress at first in the catalog photo (see the second photo). It looks so dull when not paired with the accessories. It needed that pop of (what is that color? mustard? yellow? marigold?) to make it shine.

Photo from Fashionologie.com

Photo from Nieman Marcus.com

NYC again again

2011-03-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Would you believe I visited New York City again this year?! That is three times so far. I had some great meetings with potential and current clients and as always, I found more fun stores to visit. Here are my newest recommendations:

Grand Central Market - Fine food market place - I know what you are thinking (especially if you've ever used the restroom at Grand Central) "Buying food at Grand Central?, That's gross!" I thought the same thing until I saw the beautiful Grand Central Market. It is in one big long hallway (separated by doors from the train terminal) and as you walk along you feel like you are in a beautiful (clean) outdoor food market. The vendors are set up in little booths with their food displayed and there is everything from gourmet cheeses to Penzeys Spices to sausages to homemade pasta to pastries to chocolates and more! It's definitely worth check out!

Photo from aparmenttherapy.com

Photos from sebastiansaint.com

Buffalo Exchange - New and Recycled Fashion - This was my first time in a Buffalo Exchange and it was really cool. The clothes were really neat and pretty reasonable $$, although I think they were all modern. New Yorkers know how to shop and apparently they know how to recycle too! It's definitely a good place to check out if you are into second hand clothes. This is the first second hand store I've been to in the city but I plan to check out more. I'll let you know what I find!

Photo from youonlyliveonce.com

For all posts about New York City click here!

The Trendys Award

2011-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

I just found out that I am nominated on the Trendys award site for my new Bobble Head Kit with NPW. If you have a second I would really appreciate you logging in and voting for me!

Here's how:
1. Go to the site: http://stationerytrendsmag.com/trendies/gallery/?p=trendys_home
2. Register
3.Go to "click here to vote" then the category "Holiday". You will see my monster bobble heads if you scroll down. Click on them and then vote thumbs up!

Thank you!

I engineered and illustrated all of these bobble heads.

Wellesley Booksmith

2011-03-15T12:58:00.001-07:00

Join me this Sat. 3/19 2 pm at the Wellesley Booksmith in Wellesley, MA. I will be doing a presentation on papercrafting as well as demoing my new Bobble Head Kits manufactured by NPW and signing my new American Girl Book "Paper Shaper Forest Friends". Then I will guide you through making your own papercraft bobble head that you can take home with you! It's going to be fun!

Illustration on the runway

2011-03-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

There was illustration walking down the runway at Jill Stuart's Fall 2011 show. Aren't these dresses beautiful?

Photos from style.com

Anthropologie Grand Opening

2011-02-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

The Anthropologie Grand Opening in Cranston, RI is tomorrow 2/25! Who's going?

Here are a couple of things I will try to resist buying.

Slouch-And-Narrow Trousers

A-Bit-Unruly Top

Maxie Ford Shorts

Pinned Through Shirt

Nature Collage Blouse (Sadly this blouse is $200. Why must Anthropologie torture me so? Hopefully it will go on sale!)

Squeezebox Top (I think I am going to have to get this one because it will look so good with the weird 80s necklaces I bought at Savers last week!)

Americana Skirt

Diamonds Within Knit Bomber

New York City again

2011-02-24T09:29:00.001-08:00

I went to New York City again last week for the Toy Fair and have some new favorites to add to my original list.

Sunrise Market - Japanese Market - This little store on the second floor is full of cool Japanese food. But you are really here for the candy isle.

The Capital Grille - Steak Restaurant - Our friend Eric took us here. He swears they have the best steak in the city and now we agree! Have a Stoli Doli while you are there but drink it sloooowwwwly.

Photo from Capital Grille website

Amazing Rings

2011-02-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

I just happened upon these amazing rings on OldgOldBoutique.com today while doing research. The best part is that they are all under $52!

Check out his really cool purse too.

Christian Siriano

2011-02-22T19:13:00.000-08:00

Christian Siriano's (from Project Runway) Fall 2011 collection is gorgeous. He is so good at editing himself. I'm excited to wear mauve and black next fall! You can see it on style.com.

Here are my favorites.

Photos from Style.com

80s Sweaters

2011-02-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Have I been living in Rhode Island too long or could I totally get away with wearing these 80s vintage sweaters in 2011?
Actionvintage on Etsy $28

Sadiedeluxe on Etsy $20

Actionvintage on Etsy $36

zwzzy on Etsy $23

classicgirlvintage on Etsy $28

BetaBoutique on Etsy $28

agnestheowl on Etsy $27

daisyfairbanks on etsy $32

Grandmamarievintage on etsy $17

SmallEarthVintage on Etsy $34

Raggedy Threads on Etsy $28

secretlake on Etsy $68

halfpastafreckly on Etsy $18

LolaVintage on Etsy $34

Cakes and Fashion

2011-02-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

I love cake decorating and I love fashion. And apparently so does Isaac Mizrahi! His Fall 2011 collection was influenced by cakes and poodles. And he sent both down the runway. Don't believe me? Here's the evidence:

All photos from Style.com

Books

2011-02-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the books I've read and enjoyed so far in 2011.

A must read for any fans of 90210.

This book should be renamed "The business woman's guide to kicking butt."

A must read for Project Runway fans. It contains lots of interesting background info on the show.

This is one of my favorite Shapaholic books yet. Yes, I've read them all and seen the movie.

This is a fun one if you love fashion accessories and unconventional business models.

Giraffe Pots

2011-02-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

These little Giraffe Stack Pots are so pretty! Lately I find myself inspired by prints on animals. I'm going to have to try that on some of my paper models. You can own them if you have an extra $128 to spare. Check them out here.

Photo from anthropologie.com

Hello Kitty Kawaii Paradise

2011-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

This Japanese store in Tokyo is hilarious. I want to go here.

Photos of hello kitty kawaii paradise (Via: newlaunches, gizmodiva)

New Sight and Sound Cards by Up With Paper

2011-02-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Up With Paper just unveiled my two new "Sight and Sound" pop-up cards. Not only do they pop-up but they also have a button that activates sound! They are really fun. To hear the sounds and see their complete line go to www.upwithpaper.com.

.

The Best of New York

2011-02-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the NYIGF. It was a great time. I love New York, even in the slush.

The show was very interesting this year. There was a new baby section, a new location for the licensing gallery, a new "power isle" of the biggest publishers and greeting cards companies, and a fire. Oh yes, flames that touched the ceiling. It only took out one and half booths and it was after hours but the thought is pretty scary.

I meet people all the time who have never been to New York City (even in Rhode Island). And I tell them they must go immediately. But I was thinking, "what is it that I love about New York and would someone visiting for the first time have the same wonderful experience I always do?" I don't think they would. If you went for the first time you'd probably walk through Central Park and Times Square, visit the Empire State Building, take a boat to the Statue of Liberty, shop at Macy's or Saks, and check out the Met. Those things are all fantastic but it's the little things that make New York so special.
No matter what you are into you will find a store, restaurant, or museum that specializes in it. The trick is doing research ahead of time and creating the perfect itinerary for you.

Here are some of my favorite places in no particular order.

Restaurants:

Cocoa V - Vegan chocolates - Buy the truffles, they are amazing!

Photo from Cocoa V website

Franchia - Vegan Asian Fusion - Their menu is hilarious it reads something like this "Duck" Bibimbap, Curry Soy "Chicken", Spicy "Tuna" Roll... The dessert is the best part. Lactose free cheesecake = yummm!!

Photo from "this dish is Veg"

ABC Kitchen - Local Organic restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten - This place is unbelievably delicious. The food was really fresh and flavorful. My homemade ginger soda was so refreshing. Go here! Then go shopping at ABC Carpet and Home.
Photo from New York Magazine and ABC Carpet and Home

Angelos - My favorite Italian Restaurant (sorry Federal Hill) - This place is not to be missed. I always order the same thing, Pappardelle Campagnole - Homemade Pasta with Wild Mushrooms, Garlic, and Tomato. If you are lactose intolerant order it without the butter.

Photo from Angelos.com

Ruby Foo's - Pan Asian Restaurant - My favorite place to eat in Times Square. They have some really fun sushi rolls. Try the Sushi Taco Trio Roll. It's a roll in a rice taco. So yummy!

Photo: Phil Kline via nycgo.com

Fig and Olive - Riviera and Coastal cuisine - They have a huge selection of Crostini. I highly recommend the Northern Italian Mushroom and Truffle soup. It's lactose free!

Photo: Fig and Olive

Mandoo - Homemade Korean Dumplings - In fact, they are made right in the window of the restaurant. This is one of my all time favorites. I used to work down the street and come here at least once a week. EVERYTHING is good (dumplings, soup, noodles, etc.)

Photo from Off The Broiler.com

Hummus Kitchen - They claim to have the best hummus in NY. - It was yummy and they have vegan (aka lactose free) desserts. I recommend to-go because the place is tiny and cramped. Get the falafel!

Photo from Phude-NYC

La Bonne Soupe - French-American bistro - I always get the soup of the day which comes with a big hunk of bread. Yummm!

Photo from Guidespot.com

MoMA's Cafe 2 - Seasonal Foods - The cafe is open to Museum visitors only. The menu includes panini, handmade pastas, salumi, artisanal cheeses, salads, and soups.

Photo from Citypass.com

Shopping:

Kinokuniya Books - Three stories of Japanese Books - They have an entire wall of Origami books, hundreds of craft books, and a few tables of very bright stationery. And that is just one corner of the basement!

Henri Bendel - Department Store - I don't think I've ever bought anything here but I love the first floor. I just go through the doors, walk to the back of the store and then turn around and leave. Every time I walk in I feel like I'm having a New York moment. It's beautiful, luxurious, and always bustling. Plus I love to see what the illustrator Izak has come up with lately. FYI, they have a really nice bathroom downstairs.
Photo from nellehandbags.com

Pinkyotto - Fashion beyond trends - I just discovered this place in Soho. They design their own line and have incredible sales!

Photo from Pinkyotto.com

Nike Town - Five stories of Nike Shoes - I always find the coolest and most comfortable shoes here. This time I bought a pair of Nike waterproof boots!

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Photo from Highsnobiety.com

FAO Schwarz - Of course - I love how they have the store set up like a bunch of little boutiques.

Photo from FAO.com

Anthropologie in Rockefeller Center - This is the biggest and best Anthropologie I've ever been too. Although, the one on fifth and 16th has an amazing sale section.

Photo via De la Garza Architecture

Kate's Paperie - Stationery Store - There are a bunch of these around the city. There is always one near, no matter where you stay.
Photo from Sunday Evening.net

Kid Robot - Urban Art Toys - If you love urban toys you must visit here. If you can't then follow their blog, it's excellent
.
Photo from Kidrobot.com

Mystique Boutique - Super trendy, cheap clothes - It's like Forever 21 taken up a notch.

Photo: Lindsey Schickner/ AOL Stylelist.com

MoMA Store - Cutting Edge Design Ideas from Around the World - If you want to see the latest and most clever consumer products they have them here. I like to go visit my greeting cards here during the Holiday Seasons. If you buy a box, my name displays on the register.
Photo via renamae.com

Attractions:
Society of Illustrators - Gallery - I always check out their calendar before going to NY. They have the most amazing illustration events and shows here.

Photo SOI

Madame Tussauds - Wax Museum - This place is totally cheesy but hilarious. Don't go without a coupon. They are usually handing them out on every street corner.

Photo via madametussauds.com

Cooper-Hewitt - National Design Museum - I always check out their calendar too. You never now what they will have on exhibit.Photo via architecturesdesign.com

MoMA - Museum of Modern Art - Hmmm, the MoMA appears in every section of my list. Go there!!

Photo: Peter Foley/EPA

Oaxacan Wood Carvings

2011-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

Today I find myself very inspired by Oaxacan Wood Carvings. These beautiful figures are available to purchase at El Caracal Zaoteca.com These are definitely on my wish list.

Spring 2011 Haute Couture

2011-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again!! Time for Spring Haute Couture. My favorite!

I'm in love with these beautiful outfits from the Chanel Spring 2011 Haute Couture collection.

Here are my two favorites from Maurizio Galante.

I want to go wherever these ladies are going. (Christian Dior)

All photos are from Elle.

Christmas Photos

2011-01-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are into minimal decorating. Here is a picture of our Christmas tree.

The nice thing about a tree this small is that instead of trying to gather your whole family around it for a picture, you can just bring the tree to your family.

Stubby

Blizzard

Casper

Chronicle Books Haul-idays

2010-12-13T13:49:00.001-08:00

Chronicle books announced their Haul-idays winner and unfortunately it wasn't me. But thanks to everyone who entered!

The winner of the Happy Haul-idays haul of books is:

www.cakespy.com

Chronicle is now giving everyone who entered and their blog readers 35% of and free shipping until Dec. 16th. Here's the info:

Go to the Chronicle website:
35% off + free shipping through December 16, 2011
Use this promo code at checkout: HAULIDAYS

So basically you could buy $500 worth of books and it would only cost $325!! Oooo, tempting!

Inspiration from Japan

2010-12-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

2010 was a great year for me. I did many large illustration projects. Unfortunately all of my projects are top secret until they come out in 2011. So I have not been able to share much of what I've been working on in my blog.

Until then, I thought it would be interesting to share some things that inspire me.

Artists are usually inspired by regional work. I love Japanese art. I don't know what they are saying in this video but I think it is hilarious. It's an episode of Kure Kure Takora (Gimme Gimme Octopus) a children’s television show that aired in Japan from 1973 to 1974. It ran for over 200 episodes. So there is plenty more where this came from. I love the funny stylizing of the animals, weird landscape, bold colors, and wacky story... whatever it is.

Last Book Signing

2010-11-29T09:45:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow (Tuesday 11/30) is my last book signing of the season. I'll be at the Warwick, RI Barnes and Noble. I hope to see you there!

Nov. 30 5 pm -6 pm

NYC Subway Sign

2010-11-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

If you will be riding the subway in New York City anytime before the holidays keep an eye out for my work! The MoMA included a photo of my newest greeting card "Portable Yule Log" on their subway poster. If you see it can you please, please take a picture and send it to me!! I will not have a chance to see it in person but I would love to see a photo. Thank you in advance!!

Demos at Barnes and Noble Warwick, RI

2010-11-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to see me and my book "Winter Wonderland: Charming Winter Paper Sculptures for Parties, Holidays, and Home Decor" in person, come visit us at the Barnes and Noble in Warwick, RI on the following dates:

Nov. 11 1 pm - 2 pm
Nov. 19 3 pm - 4 pm
Nov. 23 12 pm - 1 pm
Nov. 30 5 pm -6 pm

I will be demoing some of the projects from the book and speaking about my career as an illustrator and paper engineer.

I hope to see you there!

The reviews

2010-10-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Some of the wonderful people out in the blog-o-sphere have been kind enough to review my book Winter Wonderland Easy Papercraft. If you'd like to see what people are saying here are the links.

Paperkraft.net You can win a copy of my book on this site!

Papercrave.com

Craftgossip.com You can win a copy of my book on this site!

Papercraftparadise.com

Papercrafty.com

Monica Lee

Thank you very much for the kind reviews!

MoMA Holiday Cards Portable Yule Log

2010-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again! The time when the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art in NYC) puts their newest holiday card line on their website for sale. That means I can finally reveal to you my newest card.

My newest addition to the line is the "Portable Yule Log." It comes flat in the envelope and slides easily into a 3 dimensional yule log. There is a place to write a personal message on the back along side the greeting "Warmest Wishes". It's quite funny if I do say so myself.

You can find them for purchase here: Portable Yule Log

The MBS Conference

2010-09-15T12:48:00.001-07:00

The Movable Book Society Conference is Sept. 23-25 in Portland, Oregon. I am really sad I am going to miss it. But if you want to get into the business or are a collector you should go! It's fun.

For more info visit www.movablebooksociety.org

Paper Shaper Forest Friends

2010-09-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy this year on all kinds of fun projects. Unfortunately they are all top secret until they come on the market, so I can't tell you about them yet. But Amazon just spilled the beans on my new book that is coming out in March of 2011. It's called Paper Shaper Forest Friends and it's available for pre-order on Amazon here: Paper Shaper Forest Friends.
I'll let you know as soon as more details are released!

Winter Wonderland by Mary Beth Cryan

2010-07-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

It is finally time to reveal the big project that I worked on all last summer! My first book "Winter Wonderland: Charming Winter Paper Sculptures for Parties, Holidays, and Home Decor" is now available to purchase! I conceptualized, illustrated, wrote, and engineered the book. It is being sold exclusively through Barnes and Noble. I don't know if it's in the stores yet but it's available on their website here: Winter Wonderland

It comes in a beautiful gift box with 12 winter themed paper projects for you to pop out and assemble (no cutting required). It also contains a book with photos of the projects, instructions, instructional illustrations, some information about me, a paper craft resource section, and additional templates that you can photocopy (so you can make the projects over and over after you use up the pop out pieces that are included in the kit). It also comes with a pre-assembled 3D squirrel ornament. And would you believe the whole kit is only $14.95?

Here are some photos:

Hello!

2010-05-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

My name is Jordan Sondler and I am Mary Beth's summer intern. I will be assisting with things around her studio until I return to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the fall. I am a Junior Illustration major with a Book Arts concentration. Although I attend school in Baltimore, I have lived in Rhode Island for most of my life.

I am interested in Illustrators such as Jillian Tamaki, David Hughes, Josh Cochran, Hannah Lee, Sara Fanelli, and Timothy Karpinski.

I have started to incorporate Photoshop into my illustrations, and I think that working with Mary Beth will help to familiarize me with Illustrator. I am very excited to see how my work progresses after this summer and to help Mary Beth as much as possible. Here are a few pieces that I have worked on this past semester.

A personalized skateboard deck for a "client" [Ink, Gouache and Digital]

A sketchbook entry [Ink]

A poster for the singer Mirah [Cut Paper and Digital]

A sketchbook entry (Ink)

Pop-Up Exhibit

2010-04-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

The invitation I designed for my wedding is currently on display at the Public Library of Cincinnati. It is part of their exhibit "The Wonderful World of Pop-Ups: From the Collection of Carolyn S. Hughes." Stop in if you're in the area!

"Green" Family

2010-04-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

I was looking over my portfolio and decided I need more new editorial pieces. Here's a piece on the topic "Raising a 'green' family."

Please click on the image to see it larger.

Philbrook Museum of Art Visit

2010-03-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

My trip to the Philbrook Museum of Art was very successful. I gave a presentation about pop-ups and toy design to 150 locals, met some wonderful people who work at the museum, got a fascinating tour of Tulsa, and sampled some local cuisine.

The event was part of the museum's family program. Here are some pictures from the presentation and the art project that followed.

Thank you Philbrook Museum of Art for the opportunity!

Philbrook Museum of Art

2010-02-15T16:35:00.000-08:00

I will be speaking at the Philbrook Museum of Art on Feb. 27th 2010. The presentation includes information about my journey as a professional artist as well as handouts and instructions to make your own pop-up card designed by me. I will also be signing greeting cards after the presentation.

Here's the link to the Philbrook Museum and some more information from their site:

http://philbrook.org/education/public/family.cfm

An Afternoon with Mary Beth Cryan

Date: Saturday, February 27, 2010
Times: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Free with Museum Admission
Room: Patti Johnson Wilson Hall

Meet the Princess of Pop-Ups, Mary Beth Cryan, an award winning paper engineer, illustrator and toy designer. Cryan has designed pop-up books and greeting cards, many of which
are currently sold at the Museum of Modern Art and Target, among other places. Discover how she got her start and learn cool tricks of the trade from Cryan to make your own original
pop-up card with your family.

Toys "R" Us Gift Cards

2010-01-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Toys "R" Us gift cards I designed and illustrated are currently available in stores. I am thrilled with them. The colors printed gorgeous!

The assignment was to design creative, novelty gift cards with play value. Since novelty and creative are my middle names it was the perfect project for me. The first card is a die-cut crown. The second is a jeweled ring that can be worn by the recipient. And the third features a removable cat that can be used as a bookmark.

Here they are featured on their riders.

Alien Pop-Up

2009-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun Happy Birthday card that has recently been released. I was responsible for the concept, illustration, and paper engineering. You can only buy it in Canada.

You have a Pop-Up book idea, now what?

2009-12-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of inquiries from people who have an idea for a pop-up book but don't know what to do next. So I've decided to write a little tutorial on how to get your pop-up book published.

How to get a pop-up book published:

1. Come up with a great idea for a pop-up book.

2. Write the manuscript (manuscript = all the text that will appear in the book ). For pop-up books this can be as small as a few sentences or as long as a few pages.

3. Write a killer query letter. The query letter should explain why your idea is great and have some description of how you envision the pop-up elements in the book. These websites will show you how. http://www.ehow.com/how_3165_write-query-letter.html http://www.underdown.org/mf_query_letters.htm

4. Make a list of publishers whom you would like to submit your book to. The book "Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market" has lists of publishers and detailed instructions on how to submit to them. http://www.amazon.com/2010-Artists-Graphic-Designers-Market/dp/1582975833
If your book is for children get the Children's version entitled "Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market." http://bit.ly/7P83VI

5. Send your manuscript and query letter to publishers. Most people think that they need to have a paper engineer make a model of the book for them before they can submit it. But that is NOT true. All a publisher needs from you is the manuscript and the query letter. After your book gets accepted for publication the editor will hire a paper engineer for you.

And that's it!

Good luck with all your future pop-up endeavors!!!

100,000 Cards

2009-11-11T09:34:00.001-08:00

In 2008, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City sold 12,256 boxes of my holiday cards. There are 8 cards in a box. That is 98,048 cards sold!

To see this years offerings click here.

Introducing Stubby

2009-10-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to our new cat Stubby! We rescued him from the streets of our neighborhood. He's a little rough around the edges but an all around nice guy.

The animal hospital didn't think he was going to make it when we first brought him in but he's almost 100% healthy now. It's a miracle! He just needs to have plastic surgery for his deformed eyelids so he'll stop getting eye infections. Then he'll be in tip-top shape!

RISD Student & Alumni Craft Show

2009-10-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

The RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) student and alumni craft show last weekend was the BEST I have ever attended. It spanned 3 blocks and was packed with amazing art. Here are the beautiful objects that I acquired at the show.

We are married!!

2009-10-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

After a year of planning, our day finally arrived and we got married!! It was an amazing, beautiful day. Here are my favorite photos of the details.

All the stationery was designed by me.

The invitation is a paper replica of the building were we had our reception:

The out-of-town gift bags were adorned with homemade origami lilies:
The programs:

The escort cards:
Each table number was cut out of a square of paper and made by me , of course.

My pop-up book collector friend, Carolyn Hughes, gave us this beautiful, limited edition, out of print, pop-up guest book.

The flowers were from Studio 539 in Providence, RI.

My bouquet:

The Matron of Honor's Bouquet

The Bridesmaid's bouquet:

The boutineers:
The centerpiece:

The place card grass:

The Flower Girls:
The Groom:

The Bridesmaids:

The Groomsmen:

Blissful Meadows Golf Club:

I tried on 90 dresses in 4 different states. My dress is from Rosa Clara's Aire Barcelona collection and purchased at Helene's Bridal and Tux in North Providence, RI.

The dress:

The dress details:

The room at Blissful Meadows:

The happy couple:

I am lucky to be related to and know many talented photographers. The above photos were captured by Maria Story, Paul Cryan, Jim Cryan, and Solveig Hayward.

Retro Chair

2009-09-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Every art studio should have at least one cool chair, preferably bought at an antique store or flee market. Check out this beauty I purchased last week on Wickenden St. in Providence, RI.

MoMA 2009

2009-08-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

"Light the candles" on this card throughout Hanukkah.

Are you ready to start your Holiday shopping? The MoMA just posted their 2009 holiday card line in their online store. The line includes two brand new cards conceptualized, illustrated, and engineered by me.

You can buy them here. www.momastore.org

Typing test

2009-08-19T18:41:00.001-07:00

I just took this fun typing test online and I type 71 words per minute. My 11th grade typing teacher would be so proud.

How many words a minute can you type? Try it yourself!

71 words

Typing Test

Wondering where I've been?

2009-08-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Have you been wondering where I've been? I've been over at the Twitter site! I started my own twitter page. It's a mini-blog that can easily be updated a few times a day. Come join me as I muse about art, digital illustration, paper crafts, pop-ups, and art licensing.

Click here to visit my twitter page.

Pop-up wedding invitation

2009-08-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

My wedding invitations are in the mail! And of course, this illustrator/paper engineer could NOT have an ordinary invitation. This invite was illustrated, engineered, designed, and assembled by me! I had help with the assembly from my future sister in law, current sister in law, future Aunt in law, my mom, and my cousin. Thank you everyone!!

The invitation depicts the building we are having our reception in. It is cut out of a single sheet of white paper with no gluing and has burgundy rice paper adhered to the back.

A paper engineer's sketchbook

2009-07-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a small glimpse into my sketchbook. It's very different than most artists' books because of the abundance of math. This was a particularly mathy day in the life of my sketchbook.

When I told my high school guidance counselor that I loved art and math I bet she never would have dreamt up illustrator/paper engineer as the perfect career for me. But it seems so obvious now!

Cake Demo

2009-07-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'll be demonstrating cake decorating techniques at the Michael's in Smithfield, RI this Sat. 7/11 from 1pm to 3pm. I'll be making the adorable pirates from the front of the new Wilton 2010 yearbook.

Come stop by and say hello!!!

Father's Day

2009-07-01T17:47:00.001-07:00

As a greeting card designer, every time I give someone a card they ask, "Did you make it?" They always seem disappointed if I didn't so I have to make sure I have a card that I designed on hand for every occasion.

This is a card I illustrated and engineered for Up With Paper and the card I gave my Dad for Father's Day.

The fridge door opens to reveal "man" food.

Strawberries Galore

2009-06-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else's garden overflowing with strawberries? I've eaten so many that I can not eat one more and there are about 300 still in my garden!!

Here is a photo of the amazing fruit harvested from my garden!!

Press

2009-06-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Click on the article to enlarge.

My local paper, the Woonsocket Call, picked up on my story about winning a Louie Award for the card I licensed to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art NY). It's a really nice article!

Read all about it!!

American Greetings & Target

2009-06-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

American Greetings just released a set of three pop-up/pull-tab gift bags that I illustrated and engineered for them. They are in Targets all over the country!

I'm really happy with how they turned out. The quality of the bag is gorgeous. And Target is selling them for only $3.00 a bag. Talk about value!!

Here are two of the three designs. The third is a robot.

Thanks for the post!

2009-06-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Kate Harper has a fun blog called, "Greeting Card Designer."

She recently posted a little interview with me about my experience winning a Louie Award.

You can check it out here.

Want to take a class?

2009-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun to do this summer? How about taking an art class?!?!

I am teaching a lot of classes this summer in a few different art disciplines.

Check out my schedule! I hope you can join me!!

6/8/09 - 6/29/09 Wilton Method Cake Decorating Course 2
Location: Michael's Smithfield, RI
4 sessions, Mondays 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Call for sign up info (401) 233-0539

6/18/09 - 7/23/09 Vibrant Vector Design (Intermediate Adobe Illustrator)
Location: Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Ed. Providence, RI
6 sessions, Thurs. 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm Sign up here

7/6/09 - 7/27/09 Wilton Method Cake Decorating Course 3
Location: Michael's Smithfield, RI
4 sessions, Mondays 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Call for sign up info (401) 233-0539

8/19/09 - 8/26/09 Cheap and Easy Pop-Up Cards
Location: Learning Connection Providence, RI
2 sessions, Wed. 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Sign up here

9/14/09 - 12/1/09 (no class 9/28) Intro to Adobe Illustrator
Location: Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Ed. Providence, RI
12 sessions, Mon. 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Louie Award Winner

2009-05-25T08:07:00.001-07:00

I am absolutely thrilled to share that I won a Louie Award for the "Urban New Year Card" that I conceptualized, illustrated and engineered for the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art NYC)!

For those of you not familiar with the Louies, the award is the "Grammy" of the Greeting Card Industry. It recognizes the most outstanding cards marketed in the previous calendar year.

Two of my cards were nominated by the MoMA and both cards were finalists in their categories. My "Bumper Sticker" card was a finalist in the category "Christmas/Holiday/Seasonal Boxed/Catalogue - Humorous above $1.25". My "Urban New Year" Card won the Louie in the category "Christmas/Holiday/Seasonal Counter - General $3.00 and Below".

I traveled to New York City last week to attend the award ceremony (and the National Stationery Show/Surtex show). It was an exciting night.

I am so thankful to the MoMA for giving me the opportunity to compete in this arena and obtain this career goal.

Up With Paper Birdhouses

2009-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

I was checking out the Up With Paper website today and I found a card that I illustrated and engineered that has been released that I had actually forgotten about. I'm surprised that I forgot about it because I really, really like it. I started a list of all the cards that I've designed so I don't forget about another one of my babies! Here's the card:

Listen to the cookie

2009-04-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you get a fortune that's so perfect it makes you fall off your seat and knock over your pork fried rice. This is one of those fortunes.

The Furkidz Van

2009-04-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

I had a request for more posts about my cats Blizzard and Casper. So here is a blog post about an exciting day in their lives.

We hired the Furkidz van to come and give Blizzy and Casper massages, pedicures, and make-overs. As far as I know they have never been to a groomer (we got them from a rescue when they were 2). They were scared at first but I think they really enjoyed it! They were really relaxed afterwards like they had been to a spa! It was so convenient! It sure beat driving all the way to the vet for a pedicure!!

After:

You smell nice.
The Van:
Before:

Illustration Friday: Talisman

2009-04-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sketch that I did for the Illustration Friday topic "Talisman." The odds of having time to finish this drawing before Friday are 0 to none. So, I thought I'd at least share the sketch.

Second Annual Bristol Community College Cake Competition

2009-04-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today I attended the Second Annual Cake Show and Competition at Bristol Community College in Fall River, MA. This is the first show that I attended but did not participate in. It was relaxing and inspiring, as opposed to nerve wracking and time consuming!

The theme of the show was "Botanically Correct Flowers" (not my thing). The cakes were stunning! Unfortunately I was at the show hours before they announced the winners so I don't know who won.

Here is a sampling of the many beautiful cakes that were on display.

Division: Novice, Botanically Correct Flowers on a tiered cake

Division: Professional, Botanically Correct Flowers on a tiered cake

Division: Culinary Student, Botanically Correct Flowers on a tiered cake

Division: Sugar Art, Painted chocolate

Division: High School, Anything goes

Division: Youth 4-9, Anything goes
Division: Youth 10+, Anything goes

Color Glossy

2009-03-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

In my post on March 17th I mentioned that I ran into David Tutera, the host of the tv show My Fair Wedding, at the Pronovias Bridal Shop in New York City. David felt bad that he didn't have time to meet with me so he had his PR person get my address. I had totally forgotten about that until this 8" x 10" signed color glossy arrived in the mail!! Wasn't that nice of him?

I am going to put it in the wedding photo album that Martha Stewart sent me!! This is turning out to be quite the star studded wedding! Ha-ha.

New Piece for Up With Paper

2009-03-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been very busy with exciting new pop-up projects. But unfortunately they are all TOP SECRET until they are released in the stores.
In the meantime, here is a fun new pop-up that I illustrated and engineered for Up With Paper. They have released it on their website and it will be sold in stores starting 5/1!

Oh Dear

2009-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, I was very innocently looking on some wedding blogs today when I came along a very pretty cake stand, which led me to etsy, which led me to CUPCAKE STANDS!! Wow, are they the cutest little things you've ever seen?

I'm resisting buying each and everyone of these darling stands!! I think I may have to start a new collection soon...

Wouldn't it be fabulous to have a collection of cupcake stands. Every time anyone comes over I could serve them a beautifully decorated cupcake upon a unique cupcake stand. It could be my trademark! People would remember me forever as the woman with the beautiful cupcake stands. And people would bring me cupcake stands from all over the world to add to my collection...

Ugh, see what happens when I go to etsy!!! I get a little carried away.

Happy National Orange Day!

2009-03-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

©Syracuse University

Today is Syracuse University's 139th birthday, otherwise known as National Orange Day. To commemorate the day, alumni and supporters give back to the community. I'm taking a load of clothes to the Salvation Army! And feel free to wear orange to show your support!!

I am a proud Syracuse University alumna. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a major in illustration, from Syracuse.

Did you know that Syracuse University was the first school to grant a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the United States? That was back in 1874!

East Coast Cake Competitions

2009-03-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of upcoming cake competitions on the East Coast!

Second Annual Cake Show and Competition at Bristol Community College Fall River, MA
April 4th, sign up by March 25th, dummy cakes

Memory Cake Decorating Contest in Salem, NH
Sunday April 19th, sign up by April 5th, 75% edible

Great American Cake Show and Wedding Cake Competition in Westminster, MD
May 2-3, sign up by April 25th, dummy cakes, only sculpted cakes must be real

More Connecticut Cake Competition 2009

2009-03-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of the amazing cakes from the Connecticut Cake Competition. If you'd like to see my cake entry scroll down to my post on March 16th.

This is my favorite cake, decorated by Mary Jo Dowling.

These amazing folks decorated the following cakes right before our very eyes! They worked hard for 3 hours in front of an audience to decorate a "wedding cake with the theme wonders of the world." They could have 50% of the decoration done ahead of time. It was impressive to watch!

RI Pet Show

2009-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I attended the RI Pet Show (Jenks Productions, Inc.) for the first time and it was really fun. In fact, I plan on NEVER missing this show ever again.

It was easily the biggest pet show I've ever been to. There were cats & dogs of every shape & size imaginable, a dog agility course, a doggy fashion show (I'm serious), a dog ring, bunnies, puppies, an animal I was unable to identify (Pig? Horse? Dog? It was impossible to tell.), and many, many vendors selling everything you or your favorite pet could ever want or need. Don't believe me? Just check out the photos!

Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful.

Does anyone feel a draft?

Doesn't that thing belong in the jungle?

This guy was giving out free kisses!

Love that kitty perm!

Remind you of anyone?

The dog fashion show. I told you I wasn't making this stuff up.

Time for the judging!

A pile of bunnies.

I'm angora!

Puppies!

Shopping!

I bought my wedding dress

2009-03-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hooray, I finally found my wedding dress! It took 11 dress shops and 90 dresses but I found the most beautiful dress in the world. Sorry, there will not be any sneak peaks. You'll have to wait to see the wedding pictures. But in the meantime, here are some really beautiful dresses that I tried on in my travels and where to buy them!

Available at David's Bridal.

Available at Stars of Avon in Avon, CT.

Available at Anna's Bridal and Tux in East Providence, RI.

Available at Terry's Bridal in Norwood, MA.

Another Bridal shop I highly recommend is the flagship Pronovias store in New York City. It has every single Pronovias dress from their current line available to try on. When I was there they were filming the show "My Fair Wedding." I accidentally barged right onto the shoot. And as I was being chased off the shoot (and eventually out of the shop) I waved and shouted to the host, "Hi David, I'm a fan." To which he waved back and replied thanks. It was a hilarious New York City moment.

Can't win 'em all

2009-03-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

I recently attended and entered the Connecticut Cake Competition in Hartford, CT. It was an impressive weekend of cake decorating activities. There was a cake competition, many classes & demos, and a live "Food Network" style 3 hr. cake challenge.

I received my first red ribbon. Oh well, I guess you can't win them all.

My cake is the Bon Voyage Cake complete with retro trailer and vw bug. I'm very happy with it. I've also attached the two cakes that tied for first and beat me out.

You be the judge.

Rebel Headquarters

2009-03-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

My origami flowers on display.

If you are in the Providence, RI area and are looking for a really fun, affordable activity, I highly recommend Rebel Headquarter's gallery openings. These are not your typical stuffy art openings. They are fun, lively, and very similar to a wild party. They are always packed with great art, great people, great food, and some kind of crazy shenanigans of some sort.
The activity is hosted in Dorota and Rich Streifeld's house on the last Sat. of every month. The upcoming opening is on March 28th and is featuring the work of Frederika Sumelius and the music of Aurelia Lucy Shrenker and Eva Salina Primack.
All you need to get in the door is a pot luck food, drink, or a musical instrument (for jamming with the other rebels).
Here are some pictures from the openings I've attended.