Cinderella Patch

Underground Art - Culture on the Run

2012-03-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

I'm on my way to Christine Chin Day Spa to get my brows done (yes, Christine Chin the eyebrow-nazi) and because of some funny logistics I am taking the M train for the first time ever.

I picked it up at 52nd and Lexington and if you are interested in seeing some fantastic mosaics this is the place to hop on the train. These glass mosaics were installed in 2004 and created by Al Held.

a must -see in person... the iphone doesn't do them justice!


Love the ribbon mosaic that undulates along the wall.

There is so much art throughout the New York Subway system. Luckily there is a pretty good interactive website that allows you to see examples of the art and indicates the line and stop where you can see it. Pretty cool. Would make for an interesting day of culture with some out -of- towners. Or just a little cultcha during the day. Do you have any favorite underground art installations? For more art in public spaces check my Culture on the Run post on work by the artist Peter Woytuk.

My Martha Moment- at last!!!

2012-03-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

I'm in the middle next to Martha and that's Darcy with her little Pippa.
The two ladies to my right are behind the blogs lover.ly and Nat the Fat Rat.

On Wednesday I wrote a post about Pippa's Purple Party on the Martha Stewart Show. I was able to see it all unwind in- person!! Living in New York I've been to a few of these kinds of day show tapings and this was hands-down the best I've seen. The set was buzzing with activity right up to the moment the show went live. Afterwards we were given a tour of the "backstage" area. We couldn't take pictures but Martha actually suggested that someone take this photo of us bloggers!!

Thanks Martha!!

Afterwards we were able to see all the prep and staging areas. An area the size of a suburban kitchen was set up for all things cooking, food and flowers. There was a room full of just jars and vases. Beautifully arranged of course and in blocks of color. Would have made a great photo!!

We also walked by the "Green Room" where guests wait their turn, beautiful dressing rooms with shower too, and Martha's office (at least in that building). She was serenely sitting at her desk discussing something with some of her staff and all I could think was how does she do it all? How is she able to cram all that information and knowledge into her brain and manage to run a company, have a TV show, magazine etc, etc. ? I guess we just have to count ourselves lucky that she can do it all!! She has changed- NO, revolutionized the way Americans think about their homes and the time they spend there. It all made me a little f-klempted and nostalgic for those Sunday mornings when Martha had a show on Sunday mornings. I couldn't wait to get up and see what she had planned to show us how to do, what to see, and where to go.

All I know know now is that I gotta re-work that coat of mine. Ugh I'm my mother in her trench coat!! I just need a pack of Tareytons and galoshes to finish off the look. Sorry Mom but that was you in the the 70's, remember? Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Oh well, so much for glam!

Thanks chickens... on to the next thing now!!

A Purple Party at Martha Stewart

2012-02-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Last week I was invited to attend the taping of Pippa's * Purple (Birthday) Party on the Martha Stewart Show. Not a usual occurrence, for shore!! I brought a pal along and because we were due 45 minutes prior to airtime we were able to see everyone (in purple of course) put the finishing touches on the set. Here are photos of preparation moments before going on air:

Darcy Miller, mother of 3, party planner extra with lots of creative ideas! I'm always a sucker for themed birthday parties and this did not disappoint!!

[All Photos below - Photo credit: Rob Tannenbaum/The Martha Stewart Show]

We saw some great ideas for favors and decor:

What would a purple party be without cassis creme whoopee pies?

David Crofton ( co-owner with his wife Dawn Casale ) of One Girl Cookies in Brooklyn demonstrated how to make these whoopie pies

And one of the crafts was a must-make project. You'll never guess how its done so check on Martha's website!!

There were so many great ideas too many to list here but all this and more can be found on the Martha Stewart website.

You too can attend a show by going to the Martha Stewart website. It's lots of fun and an
"only- in-New York"experience!!

In the meantime I'm working on a Hawaiian Luau Party for my youngest. Ideas and photos to follow soon!

Have a great week. More Martha later!
xo CP

* Pippa is Darcy's youngest . I'd say she is her mother's mini-me. You can see Pippa too on the Martha Stewart website.

My Youngest on the Sartorialist!!

2012-02-17T10:40:00.000-05:00

So I've been meaning to post about NY Fashion Week but time is not in abundance these days.
In the meantime, I was tickled to see my little one on the Sartorialist !! Here she is working away.... I was lucky enough to attend the J. Crew Fall 2012 presentation this past Valentine's Day and so were my daughters. I figured a once in a life-time opportunity for them so missed a bit of school that morning. They were in awe of all the goings-on around them and loved looking at the clothes up-close. Downside is that I didn't get to inspect the clothing nor photograph as they had my camera and I was following them around!!

Here are a few pics from the perspective of a 4' 5" little person.

A few people have asked what she (the kid not the models) is wearing: a polka-dot mini skirt from crewcuts and the rest is a combo-platter of what she consider fashionable. Always interesting.

How to Say Sorry Sista!!

2012-02-10T15:03:00.001-05:00

This just may come off as just too adorable but oh well. Recently, my daughters were in a squabble over god-knows-what. As I listened to them in the background I tried to remind myself that yes, this is all part of the sibling , emotional development thing and right on time developmentally... but it can be sooooooo irritating!! And the issue so inane!!

I used to feel it was necessary to intervene at every mishap but I now step in only when I feel they are being particularly accusatory and rude.... It escalated and then I heard giggles....

And this is what I found:

Notice "of" where it should be "have"

Who needs the "s"?

not enough "M"'s but an upside-down W works just as well.


all resolved....

Of course for official ways to apologize check out this blog called Pick the Brain. Or try a search. Myriads of information. We could all use a brush-up on that particular "How to"....

Have a good weekend.

Sculpture in NYC - Culture on the Run

2012-02-08T09:50:00.001-05:00

I have been so pre-occupied with life-stuff that my blog has been low on the totem pole these days.
I love finding quick cultural activities in New York. Fun to take a moment and just drink in the work of others.

This is the work of sculptor Peter Woytuk as seen at the 1,2,3 West 72nd Train Station on the Upper West Side. Part of an outdoor public art installation of 18 works you can see his work from Columbus Circle to West 168th St along the Broadway malls. Click on Woytuk map to click over to a map of locations for his work. This is my kind of sightseeing!!

Look for something in your world. You never know what you'll find when you just take 30 seconds to observe....


Map of Scupture Locations

A Blog Find - Stamp Carving at Geninne's Art Blog

2012-01-13T21:58:00.002-05:00

I wish I could say this is my work but I found this on one of my favorite blogs Gennine's blog. She recently created a stamp tutorial for Uppercase magazine. One of these days I'd like to design my own stamps . Could also make a good birthday party activity...

Seen in Uppercase!:

For Gennine's full tutorial go see how she carves her stamps .

Also a special note to Geninne- I left a comment on your blog because I couldn't find your contact information on your blog. I hope it's ok I used your photos for this post!

Thanks.Cinderella Patch

Espadrilles for the Chills!!

2012-01-04T19:58:00.003-05:00

Have you seen these espadrilles?

Found them on Cathy Horyn's blog for the New York Times. Designed by Marijana Condic and Lisa Leipziger. You can buy them at their website :likamimika I might have to get some of these for pading around the house this winter!! Some of their prior season leather espadrilles can be found at Creatures of Comfort.

Check'em out.....

Vacation in Snowy Paris

2011-12-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

December has been a crazy month and my posting has suffered the consequences so now it's time to get back on the horse! I can't believe that last December we were in Paris!!

It was one of our best family trips and just as perfect for kids as it is for adults. I never posted these photos but was feeling nostalgic so here they are.

The day we visited the Louvre we also took a ride on the Ferris Wheel.

Ferris Wheel in Paris

And the day we went to the Tour Eiffel ( always buy tickets well in advance) it was closed due to snow. But I did get some great photos!

under the Eiffel Tower

Because of the complete shutdown ( and not a sign or person in sight) we took the kids to the carousel across the street...

And this is just a photo I took near the carousel. It was snowing and so beautiful.

If you are planning a trip to Paris just click "Paris" under the labels section of my blog and all my posts on places to stay, see and visit is listed there.

Happy Almost New Year!!! 2012 has a nice ring to it....

Boats and Jewelry

2011-12-14T09:18:00.001-05:00

I know there is a jewelry idea in here somewhere... Hermes Paris has always used horse gear as their inspiration, why not boating equipment? Though maybe this is shipping equipment.

As seen at pier 25. " The Lilac" is being restored and should be open for visiting in the spring. It is a boat built in 1933 and was never converted from steam engine to diesel.

side view of the Lilac at Pier 25

love the chunky cable thing

I like how the cable is reinforced at each crossover... something for a bracelet?

That's it for now. Tomorrow I'm going to A Martha Stewart Family Blog crafting and fund-raising event. I'll be back soon to tell you about that!!

NYC foggy morning Pier 25

2011-12-05T08:24:00.002-05:00

Perfect for running. Perfect for walking my dog (Coco , she's a schnoodle)

Mats Gustafson Stockholm Apartment

2011-11-11T18:19:00.001-05:00

For those of you who may have missed last Sunday's New York Times Magazine I thought you might like to see this beautiful apartment in Sweden. It belongs to Mats Gustafson who is my favorite contemporary fashion illustrator.

Source: tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com via Cinderella on Pinterest

I think his place is completely dreamy.... wish I had it in me to make our place look so great.

To see more of his apartment go to my illustrations pinterest board and also be sure to read about him at t magazine blog

I couldn't end the post without showing you some examples of Mats G's work:

Source: google.com via Cinderella on Pinterest

Have a good Wednesday !CP

Crafting Ideas for the Holidays [ hosted by the Martha Stewart Family Blog and Pins and Needles NYC !!!!]

2011-11-11T12:39:00.001-05:00

Blogging is like having children.... You get to meet lots of interesting people that you may have never met otherwise.

One such person is Rachel Low , owner of Pins and Needles. We met last year thanks to another blogger who suggested I visit her new shop and to say hello to Rachel. We've kept in touch since then and Rachel invited me to a holiday crafting event in her store she co-hosted with the people at Martha Stewart's Family Blog.

I didn't know what to expect but I knew it would be fun and Rachel's store is the perfect fit for Martha Stewart!

As soon as I reached the landing I could hear the store humming with activity. Young and old were working away at their various crafts:

Notions and potions:

Various stations were set-up to make cards, gift tags, ornaments and colorful barrettes . Here's a sampling :

“Photo by Mike Krautter. Courtesy of Martha Stewart’s “Living in the Family Room” Blog.”

I'm definitely going to make these crafts with my kids and their friends sometime before the holidays.
If you'd like to add these projects to your to-do list be sure to check out the how-to's at the following links: (all thanks to the Martha Stewart Family blog)

Button Cards, Button Barrettes, Felt Bags, Ginger bread people and felt/chalkboard tags and ornaments

Just a few more pics... I love craft supplies!!

And while I was there I munched on some lovely cookies provided by Elenis Cookies while checking out the books for sale at Pins and Needles.

I couldn't leave without checking out Martha's new book Holiday Crafts which is on my to-buy list now. On the way out we all were treated to a dream (at least my dream) goodie bag. It was fun for a change to leave with a party favor for moi instead of my kids. The people at Martha Stewart stuffed the adorable polka-dot "Pins and Needles" bags with Crafting supplies and the new "Special Collector's Edition" of the Holiday Handbook:

And last but not least it was so great to meet Darcy Miller, Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings, Jenn Andrlik, Crafts and Holidays Editor, MarthaStewart.com, and all the other friendly and creative people from Martha Stewart.

And as a P.S.:
This is a photo of me with Darcy Miller (on the left). Couldn't resist asking for a photo of us together. If you don't know her you should. Check out Darcy's website.to see what she is up to as writer, editor, illustrator and more. Check out her scrapboxing and how you can do it too. It was so fun meeting her and getting to chat a bit about kids, crafting and work. She makes it all look easy!

Have fun making your crafts and be sure to check out the Martha Stewart family blog for lots more ideas . And if you live in NYC or are just here for a visit I highly recommend a visit to the Pins and Needles store on the Upper East Side in New York !! If you are geographically challenged you can visit her blog and check out her online shop as well

Thanks so much Rachel for including me!! I can't wait to see what you come up with next!!
xo CP

Apple Pressing in New York

2011-11-06T14:32:00.000-05:00

We have friends who invite all their friends over for an Apple Pressing Party in October. There is always great food, a tent, and lots of activities for the kids.

Here are some images of how it's done:

'

And if you're courageous you too can own your very own fruit press. Just check out the Pleasant Hill Grain's Fruit and Wine Presses for all the supplies.

After it is all done we all leave with these:

Jugs of fresh apple cider/juice to enjoy right away or freeze for later!!

While all this apple grinding is going on the kids are busy crafting and playing:


Here's one cowgirl busy at work- dusting sparkle on a pumpkin!

Here are some of the things the kids came up with (pre-Halloween):

A happy winner:

And before its all over the kids get a hayride on the tractor:

And they're off!!

This was the perfect way to end the day!! Thanks for the great party...We can't wait for next year!

xo CP

ps. Stay tuned for my post on crafting with Pins and Needles and Martha Stewart's Family Room blog. Lots of pics on the way!!

Holiday Crafting in NYC at Pins and Needles

2011-11-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited. My friend Rachel has invited me to a crafting event she will be having in her store Pins and Needles this Thursday November 10 6-8pm.

This event is extra special: Pins and Needles is teaming up with Martha Stewart's Living in the Family Room Blog to host this fun evening.

Rachel has a beautiful light- filled shop/studio on the Upper East Side full of the latest beautiful fabrics, crafting kits, books and notions. She also has a great offering of sewing classes for you and yours!!

Here's a little preview of her pretty space (photos taken last May for a book signing event):

If you live in NYC or just visiting that day I know you will have lots of fun crafting , shopping and meeting new people.

I can't wait to see what's new in the store and what Rachel and the Martha Stewart people have in store for us!!

xo CP

Happy Halloween from TriBeCa !

2011-10-31T13:03:00.001-04:00

Things are of course crazy today with parades at school, dressing up and herding children. Walking our dog Coco this morning i snapped some pics of pumpkins around the neighborhood.
The middle image of the two owl carvings are pumpkins we carved at home neither kid wanted to give up on their choice of owl so we just made two! Hopefully next year we can do 2 different images...,

Girls cap sleeve knit -in -the -round sweater

2011-10-23T22:16:00.001-04:00

DSCF6856, a photo by soulfulhues on Flickr.

This is a must-make for my next project!!! So cute for the girls. Check out her pattern on etsy !

An Easy Plum Cake for Fall

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hi there,

Looking for an easy delicious dessert for the Fall season. This one is excellent.
The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine :

This is before pouring in the shortcake dough:

And this is after baking and flipping the cake onto a cake plate
:

The recipe calls for one plum but I used two. It's like a plum version of Tarte Tatin the French upside down apple cake made in a cast iron frying pan... caramelized fruit is delish!

I wish I had thought to take a picture of the cake on a cake stand (of course the people at Martha thought to do that) but that's one of those things on my wish list... have never gotten one.

This recipe was super easy and so satisfying aesthetically and taste-wise. It really turned out exactly as pictured in Food Magazine! It looks impressive and is so easy. A perfect sweet for Fall.

Note: The recipe calls for buttermilk so for a brief moment I thought of substituting the dough with a bisquik shortbread recipe. So glad I didn't. The cake had a beautiful texture and melts in the mouth. I also refrained from adding orange zest and poppy seeds which are probably a nice-to-have but I didn't want to get guff from the peanut gallery here...

J. Crew People Gazing

2011-10-18T23:03:00.002-04:00

Ok I'm milking this for all it's worth. Just had to write one more post about J. Crew. It was lots of great people-watching!!! So see for yourself: (And scroll down, I saved the best one for last)

Here is Jenna Lyons, President and Executive Creative Director of J. Crew with Mickey Drexler , chairman and CEO of J. Crew Group and Glenda Bailey editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar.


Jenna Lyons, Glenda Bailey, Mickey Drexler


Joe Zee

Elle's Creative Director and host, mentor and Svengali of Sundance's All on the Line: Joe Zee. I had no shame, just flashed one in his face as he was flashing in someone elses.... Hope he didn't mind.

Nina Garcia ( the blurry bit)

And Nina Garcia, Marie Claire Fashion Director and Project Runway Judge - Clearly I have to figure out how to work my camera so that I focus on the actual person instead of the Ray- Banned head of hair in front of me... something about depth of field.....

Not sure who she is but looks so familiar.

Saw these guys snapping pics of the girl with the enormous blossom in her hair... not sure what that was about ....

And drum roll please: Now J. Crew covers the gamut from Michele Obama to BEYONCE ( I know there's an accent on the last E but beats me how I can get it on there) Apparently her sister Salonge is a big J. Crew fan and wore one of the J. Crew pieces by Prabal Gurung. Guess Salonge thought it would be fun to bring here sister along.... it was sure fun for all of us snapping away but I'm too short to get a very good pic of Beyonce. This was the best I could get!!

So this ends the J. Crew experience for now. It was lots of fun to see and be there for all the excitement.

Pleated Skirt in Vintage Fabric

2011-10-14T11:03:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am the great procrastinator with certain things- unless of course there is a fire under my a__. Anyway I have this beautiful polished cotton fabric that I have kept since high school. Let's just say it could definitely be classified as vintage material AND I still love it. Anyway when I was at design school we learned how to make a pleated skirt and since this fabric is a wallpaper print (i think that's what it's called ) I figure it would be the perfect guinea pig to try it out. This is a close up of the fabric when pleated:

I decided to give it a ribbon waistband instead of the traditional same fabric. I love how this ribbon tape goes with the fabric.

Now its made but I have to re-do a few things to adjust it and make it fit me. Ugh - it never works the first time but at least I am able to figure it out. I will show a pic when I have finished and might even write a tutorial on it!!

Have a happy Friday!!

J. Crew Shines for Spring 2012 - Part Deux

2011-09-20T22:26:00.001-04:00

For those in the Fashion business these posts would be much to late but for the rest of you out there I thought it would be fun to drag this J. Crew thing out and show you some more of the color stories from their show last week during Fashion Week:

I love this color palette: Navy, mint, yellow and flax/linen.

And some details:

I have always loved shocking pink. Especially a hint of it somewhere. This is more than a hint and it looks great with the other bright blues, greens and corals too.

For another color story from J. Crew go to my first post on the show. Some more fun photos of fun people and ensembles to follow.

[J. Crew under the Tents at Lincoln Center ]

2011-09-17T12:08:00.001-04:00

This past Monday was my birthday. Lots of happy birthdays on facebook (so fun!) phone calls, dinner and some very imaginative gifts this year. The most surprising was a car and driver for 3 hours so, instead of schlepping my kids to and fro' after school I was able to pick them up, dash to the library, pediatrician, and pinkberry (have you tried the new salted caramel ? ) and more.

And the icing on the cake was this invite:

It was Fashion Week in New York As a former J. Crew merchandiser many moons ago I still have friends there and was able to snag an invite to their first ever presentation during Fashion Week !!! I am forever a romantic about the Fashion World and dopey as it may sound I love the excitement and anticipation of a Fashion Show.

Walking in, the models were on a platform wearing their J. Crew best! First group was persimmon reds (wink-wink, at least I tried with the naming)/ blues and whites.

As I walked in this is what I saw.

As I walked in this is what I saw. A beautiful combination of fabrics, prints, stripes, and dots (heart -shaped that is) mixed with the J. Crew chinos, denim shirts and other icon pieces from the brand. Each model wore their clothes with the Crew attitude and as always the styling was aspirational, inspirational and quirky!! I love that they put leopard with this Crew-ified classic color palette.

Indian Block Prints with
Stripes and Denim

I want both ensembles....

Since there was no runway it was great to get close to the clothes and see the details, texture and colors that separate J. Crew from the rest.

What I love is that you don't have to buy every piece to get the look. The styling is inspiration enough to buy the really special pieces that can be mixed in with your own basics at home. And throw in a bit of leopard to throw people off!!!

Next week- more color stories, details and people watching from the J. Crew Spring 2012 Presentation.

Love, love , loved it!!!

[I am a Beach Rock Junkie.]

2011-09-01T14:50:00.001-04:00

Well pebbles is probably a better description. I have always loved shopping (shallow, I know, but there is something about that high) but ever since starting a family and the changing economic situation over the years I have reduced my shopping forays to practically nil.

I have to admit it always bothered me that shopping gave me such pleasure. I have searched high and low for the why behind it and all I can conclude is that it has something to do with hunting and gathering. The thrill of the hunt!! Capturing the beast!! Ohh the Prada bags and shoes. The Joseph trousers. APC jeans..... those were the days of my shopping trips to London, Paris, Milan et autre.

Now my life is quite different and I have found something that is equally as satisfying and costs NOTHING, NADA, NIENTE, RIEN !!!

Photos of the beginning of my collection. Pebble Beaches are the BEST!! But I do like sandy beaches for sun-bathing and swimming.... More Photos of my fave rocks and environments to come.

Navy and Rose for Inspiration

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love my pinterest. Found this tonight. See how well the rose and navy work together? The earth tones and whites aren't too shabby either. And right after repinning it I found a clothing shot that echoes it:

Source: morganallender.com via Cinderella on Pinterest

Source: rockinnfashion.blogspot.com via Cinderella on Pinterest

I love when that happens!

xo CP

Scene on the Street- Soho

2011-08-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Wish I could have gotten a better shot but this lady was walking fast!! I love my iphone- at least most of the time... I think she's ready for Fall. Not sure that I am yet.