I was going to break up the magazine fest with a post about fabric today, and then get back to the magazines tomorrow. But being an occasional dumbass, I forgot to take photo's of the fabric! So I'm afraid we're just going to have to have more of the same for now. Sorry about that.
Of course I bought Blueprint! It's another one that we can get over here, but how could I resist when it was just there ? (know what I mean Lea Ann??).
And with the article about Joelle it was particularly interesting.
Her nursery is so pretty and I love that stags head!
And of course it's all about the shop.
It also has some beautiful dresses in this issue. I want this one.
Badly.
And more importantly, I want to look like that whilst wearing it!
And I love this small studio space.
I have to admit to finding Blueprint a little hit and miss so far, but I really have enjoyed this issue.
Next up is Adorn which I'd heard a lot about, but it's one that we can't, as far as I know, get over here. Which is a shame, because it has some cool stuff in it. Bit's of it are a little too 'crafty' for me, but some of it really appeals.
There's a great article about the amazing Sarah of Small Object.
Which alone makes it worth buying.
But, as if that wasn't enough of a reason to go get it, it also features our wonderful Lisa. Which can never be a bad thing!
This next one was a hit with me straight away. Because although I am still very much a quilter at heart, I do find that Quilt magazines are all too often lacking in real inspiration. I don't really get the whole thing of making quilts from someone elses patterns, and most magazines focus on doing just that.
But this one was full of really exciting quilts and made me want to start cutting immediately. Of course it also made me regret not getting yet more fabric!
I love this quilt and instantly wished that I'd bought more from Moda's Apple Pie fabrics.
And this one by the Prints Charming girls, made me wish that I'd bought a lot more of their prints!
Especially the Bubble Multi print used for this quilt.
And then there's this Peas and Carrots runner. Love. And wish I'd bought .... oh you know!
As well as very effectively illustrating that I am never satisfied when it comes to fabric (and many other things), the magazine has some other interesting articles, including an interview with Heather Bailey.
So, a pretty good magazine and definitely one that I'd be interested in buying again in the future (Grainne??).
Next up (stop me if I'm boring you) is How. Which is all about creativity this issue.
How fortuitous.
This one is really interesting and seems like a mag that we may be able to get over here. It's a little more costly than the others, but is well worth it.
Amongst many other things, it has a small piece on Roberts lovely online store.
It also has a great article on typography and image, using low tech resources, that I found incredibly inspiring.
And has really got me thinking about some new stationary that I was about to order.
There's a great article about Matthew Sporzynski's work, which anyone that reads Real Simple will be familiar with.
I really love his work and was very excited when I opened the magazine straight to his interview. In fact I bought the magazine without looking through the rest of it (of course, I was also in a frenzy and picking up anything that wasn't nailed down, so that's not saying much).
Ahh but can you imagine when I finally did look more closely (not until we were on the plane back!), and discovered an article about Collecting that included this little lot?
Truly beautiful.
I have to say that I think this is my favourite magazine so far. It's really tactile as well as being full of more than just the usual eye candy. I don't know what it's like normally, but I can highly recommend this issue.
There are still a few more magazines to share with you ( I think I bought back about 16 in total. What?) but I'm going to leave it at that for now.
As well as buying magazines, Jim and I did a lot of just walking around looking at everything and taking it all in. I'm used to big cities, having grown up in Hong Kong, but I was still surprised by how much I loved the feel of NY. It was a lot calmer than I expected and a lot greener.
It helped that we had fantastic weather of course, but it is also naturally a beautiful city. Both of us loved the juxtaposition between some pretty big skyscrapers and the lovely old (ish) buildings nestled beneath them.
I always find it incredibly interesting to see how a city has grown. I love watching the landmarks change and shift in your perspective. In Hong Kong the actual physical landscape has changed with there being so much reclaimed land and newer, taller buildings springing up on almost a daily basis. When I lived there, you could see a particular building that sat right on the Harbour, and towered over most of the other buildings. And yet when I went back on my honeymoon, the building was about 4 streets away from the harbour and seemed tiny. It took me a moment to realise that my memory wasn't wrong, but that in fact the landscape I once knew, actually no longer existed.
When you look at the buildings in NY you can see how the expectations have shifted. Buildings that are by todays standards pretty insignificant in stature, are incredibly ornate and proud. And it's obvious that back in their day, they were truly impressive. Of course they're lost now, unless you can find a quite spot in the sea of pedestrian traffic to stop and look.
One place that I recommend to stop and look is a corner window on the 5th Floor of MoMA. The windows over look the tree lined streets below and it gives you a wonderfully peaceful view of a small part of the city.
I know that you can get big, all encompassing views from The Empire State Building etc, but I like the lower, smaller views.
Of course, if you go down to SoHo and the Village, you get an all together more intimate view.Everything feels more grounded. It's not about looking up, it's about looking around. And there's a bit more space to stop. And if there isn't, there's a lot of places you want to stop in.
Tomorrow I will try to remember to photograph more fabric!
