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Most everyone in my house are Giants fans. Oh well, better luck next year for my Steelers. I'm still trying to get excited because....
Football art at Cici Crib...
Always love my vintage kids football items that we are getting ready to put online..
Football sheet sets are on sale until the end of the month. 280 thread count, pure Egyptian cotton. Really beautiful quality. Twin: $120 Full$135 and Queen $175.
Go Giants! See you...
Christina
Tangerine Tango is the pantone color for 2012! It is bold. A no apologies, fantastic orange...
Ducduc has forever used this color inside all of their casegoods..
Tangerine Tango is sprinkled throughout the shop. Art for a baby's nursery..
Custom lamp in the great color...
Love these Euros..
Have a happy and healthy New Year!
See you...
Christina
We have received our first order of a new kind of art that is already getting rave reviews from our customers. The art has a glowing effect due to it's construction. It is printed on acrylic and is invisibly mounted on the wall. The piece below is 30" long. They also come in different sizes. Kind of Andy Warhol like, it is a great decorating addition for a tween's bedroom..
Also great modern artwork for a baby's nursery or child's bedroom..
See you...
Christina
A very nice family came to visit the shop in the latter part of June. The little boy was just a complete sparkle of a kid. Having only boys myself, I so appreciate the idiosyncracies of boys. He loves airplanes, trains, big trucks, loud construction equipment, etc.. The family was moving to Westchester from NYC in about 2 weeks time. They needed to have a room ready for their little boy, on moving day. He was leaving his crib behind and needed a big boy bed. New neighborhood, new house, new bed. We needed to work quickly. Ofcourse, we had a holiday weekend in between. Adds a little more stress to the equation. This is the room when I first saw it. A classic bedroom from a house built in the 1920's.
The couple really wanted wallpaper. We chose this Ralph Lauren paper..
The company did a quick ship on the artwork..
The window treatments just couldn't be done in time. Obviously, panels would overwhelm the windows. I really didn't want to do standard shades or romans. The windows are quite low to the floor. Any kind of cord is an issue. We chose a roller roman shade. It is a new shade, that we are beginning to use. No outside cords. They will be ready by the end of July. The flush mount light fixture is also back ordered, but will be in shortly. Made of glass, it will give off ample light.
The room was ready for the little boy..
I was there to see the excitement on the little boy's face. Some really good perks of my job!
See you...
Christina
Today I met with a client at her home to work on her two boys' bedrooms. I sometimes ask to see the rest of the house to get an idea about my client's tastes. We went into a space that is specifically designed for hanging out with friends. Kind of a den.. Kind of not. There was a huge collage of Bruce Springsteen in concert on the wall. Made by Lynn Goldsmith, andpurchased at an art gallery in Chelsea, it is the center of attention in the room. I recognized the photo immediately. It is actually comprised of many tiny photos put together.
A close up of the collage...
A moment of sadness came over me and my client at the same time. Clarence Clemons died last week. The E Street band will never be the same. A little piece of our life had changed. It was nice to commiserate with another fan of the band.
See you...
Christina
Just browsing through some of my vintage children's books, I came across a lovely book, Children and Animals. From the School of Emmy Zweybruck, copy written 1935. It seems this book was originally printed in Austria. These pictures are so stencil like and stylized. You can really decorate a kids bedroom or baby's nursery nicely with these pictures. How great they would be as art.
I just love them.
See you...
Christina
This time of year creates some of the nicest light. It's not just the beauty of the artificial lights, I mean the low sun light in the sky. The long shadows and red sky that are on display this time of year is magical. Our very good friend from Luxembourg told us once that the sky is red because the angels are baking. Love that! Last year We had some of Miles' family over for Christmas. I wanted to eat around dusk in our sun room. So we all piled in. I removed the chandelier over the table so we could fit a prancing reindeer as our centerpiece.
My flower arrangements are always quite simple. The tin containers are French gardening pots, the salt cellar is 19th century American and the pepper grinder is antique Christofle.
I lined the sideboard with old linen feed sacks and out came my collection of antique American sterling..
We put the Christmas tree in the sun room as well. The ornaments have such memories attached to them.
When the kids were really little, I went to a very special estate sale. I remember driving through windy roads and reservoirs to get to this small home under huge pine trees near a pond. The house was owned by set designers, who worked on Broadway in the 1930's. As you entered the front door , the staircase greeted you in a happy turquoise. The couple created an enormous dollhouse out of one of the bedrooms. I purchased only a few items from that magical house...
My favorite items are these boxes made out of cigar boxes. I have no idea what they were used for. They really are a fine example of folk art. I put them in a sled and they sit near our tree...
It was the first time I visited the little town where the magical couple lived. It's name is Armonk, NY. Now the home of Cici Crib!
Merry Christmas.
See you...
Christina
It was the end of a very busy weekend due to our jewelry show. Overall, pretty disappointing. Lots to learn on doing trunk shows... I came home from work last night to find my son James and his friend pleading to go to the Sunday market. Teenage boys willing to get up at the crack of dawn to go shopping ?? How could I say no.
This morning we started out in the freezing cold, on a day I didn't expect to find much. Season has ended and dealers are just getting rid of stuff. Who could believe it would be such a fantastic day. Once at home, we got to rake over our treasures. The boys purchased binoculars, a very special coin and an army mask from desert storm. Not exactly Cici Crib merchandise, but it made them happy.
I so love the vintage table I purchased. Thanks Miles for schlepping it to the car. I will eventually have the base painted. James' friend asked me what color will the table be. Maybe hot pink, I said. He burst out laughing. James added, my mom is a girly girl. Ok, maybe I am...
But how nice is this table in a little girls room with one of Cici Crib's mid century inspired modern lamps on it.
Everyone loved this sled, definitely made in the 1960's, when space exploration was all the rage. Space Rocket XS-17 Orbit Control.
Loved the graphics on the wooden base. A great piece of wall art. So I did, what you are not supposed to do to a collectible. I took it apart. All the extra parts will be saved. How fantastic would this look in a play room or boys bedroom wall...
A vanity tray and container for a very fancy little girl..
And this lamp, I just couldn't let go. An architectural melange of styles. Never the less, it is a great castle. It is ceramic with a wooden base and top. Took forever to clean up, but now looks perfect. I could see Jonathan Adler getting inspired over it. It could go either in a boy or girls room..
I want to line this peach crate with burlap and use it for display purposes.
Loved these kitschy girl pictures. Their hair is made out of yarn. They made me smile. Something so charming about them..
A weekend that started out a touch disappointing, ended on a very light note.
See you..
Christina
This Viennese lithograph came into the shop this week. It dates back to the turn of the century and is in great condition. Colors are clear and the size is quite large. It is absolutely lovely. It appears that the young subject is Herta Zuckermann.
This picture would be a lovely piece to use as inspiration for a nursery or little girl's room. Maybe create a little nursery with European feel. Children's rooms in Europe seem far more relaxed and playful, but not cutesy.
Some Swedish rooms from Lila Villa Vita Blog
Vita Nyanser's blog has some sweet children's rooms.
Lot's of old linens and quilts could be used to create a very cozy space.
Simple crib bedding using white pique fabric and a little red gingham piping would work nicely.
I saw this light fixture in Pittsburgh last week. That would be sweet to use.
If it is a traditional nursery then we definitely could use this crib from Newport Cottages.
How one picture can inspire the decor of the entire room.
See you
Christina
The Doherty household was up early this Sunday. Justin and Miles were scrambling to get out the door for a tournament on Long Island. James and I were readying ourselves for our first flea market outing of the season. James is my new flea market buddy. He started to go with me last year. He is the perfect partner. We work well together. He knows that for me, it is serious buying for the shop. I have interests and he has interests. He is thirteen and is very strong willed. "No way Mom is that ever going to sell." "If you buy that I am not going to help you take it to the car." "Oh, that is so cute." "I want to help you build your dollhouse." That's my James. I love everything vintage. It is the backbone of Cici Crib. It's inspiration for the new stuff in the shop. It is about finding vintage accessories to go in the shop.
It was a dusty, gusty start at the flea market. We arrived after eight. I knew from the amount of cars in the lot that we were too late for uncovering any super treasures.
I found a few pieces of art. But as I laid them out at home, I realized that they will need a ton of clean up and repair before they are allowed into the shop. Sigh...
The Currier and Ives print is so lovely. The little girl has a cane in one hand and her doll in the other. Perfect for a little girl's nursery or bedroom. It's title, "Grandfather's Cane." The dealer asked if I was a cane collector. No just a shop owner.
The 1960's Circus litho is so stylish. Really nice in a modern nursery. Needs a hefty cleaning.
I bought a group of children books from the 1920's-1940's. They are not in great condition. But the illustrations are crisp and vibrant. Time to talk to Judy at Framings, an absolutely top notch frame shop across the street from Cici Crib.
The dealer told me Rags was a precursor to Raggady Ann.
Mother Goose
Peter Rabbit
Wynken Blynken and Nod
I found a little metal train. Inside the train, it reads Midge Toy, Rockford, ILL. USA.
One day I will make my own dollhouse. I had a great one growing up. For now I collect items for it. Maybe when I retire I will make one. I found this metal refrigerator . The dealer and I think it was an advertising piece from General Electric. It is the perfect size. It will fit into my imaginary dollhouse 1/12 scale.
James was happy with his purchases. He found some steel pennies from 1943. He is discovering political memorabilia. We came home with our little treasures. It's back to reality. Time to prepare for the week ahead. James tells me about his 5:00 A.M. departure for Washington DC this Tuesday. Oops, I forgot about his field trip. Time to get packing.
See you.
Christina
Kids were at Grandma and Grandpa's house last week, so Miles and I took an afternoon off from work to do some fun things in the city. First stop was the Knoedler Gallery on the upper east side to check out the Milton Avery show.
The art of Milton Avery's art was so indicative of the time. I love the industrial nature of it, yet it is such a gentle take on it. So beautiful. They would fit perfectly in my living room. Just a bit out my price range...
Afterwards, we strolled down Madison. I checked out some children shops, Bonpoint and Baby CZ. Always something new. It's funny as a shopkeeper, I look at other shops differently. Not only is new merchandise always on your mind, but interesting displays, lighting, merchandising and traffic flow are also. We came upon Itoen tea shop. Itoen sticks close to it's cultural guns, always pure in Japanese tradition. It's closing it's doors, as well as the upstairs eatery, Kai Restaurant. It hurts to see another shop pass away. I bought a lovely handblown glass that now holds my makeup brushes on my new vanity in the master bathroom.
We reached the subway and headed downtown to Moss. So crowdy was Soho, that it was nice to find a quiet spot at Moss. Moss is part galllery part store. The owner's folly. A section of the store was closed for remodeling. Flos Lighting will set up a new shop in the closed area .
Last year we decided that our everyday flatware and china were tired and needed replacement. So I found some flatware at Moss that we both liked.
Nice and simple, not too heavy or light. Italian. I am still raking over the china purchase.
Across the street from Moss I eyed a new shop that Kisan. A shop that has a little bit of everything, with a large dose of children and women's clothes. Owned by a French and Icelandic couple, the shop holds carefully selected items from around the world.
I fell in love with these necklaces made by a Parisian jewelry designer, Servane Gaxotte. So Cici Crib cute!
Miles said it was time to buy my much belated birthday gift. I am kind of hard to buy for, so after 20 years of marriage, we kind of settle for this approach. I love my new necklace.
We ended the day with an early dinner at WD50 . The chef is imaginative . You have to go with an open mind. My meal was delicious! A nice ending to a sunny day.
See you.
Christina
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