Street Art in NY – 5 pointz

Anyone taking the 7 train in to Manhattan has seen the Phun Phactory or what was once called the Phun Phactory. Currently known as 5Pointz the building is an ever changing canvas for graffiti artists.

This is a Sunday, Artists are out enforce.

5pointz isn't the only place to see stunning graffiti. The original Phun Phactory has re-launched in Brooklyn.

They are on twitter too. - http://twitter.com/THEPHUNPHACTORY

Follow, participate or just admire.

Victorian Inspired Monogram Shield Necklace - Custom

New to our line is a Monogram necklace

Inspired by Victorian love token worn on a watch fob, this sterling silver pendant has a center shield for a monogram.

avail via Sacred Urban @ Etsy

Custom Piece made by Gillian Bates

As I said , I loved Gillian Bates' work. When I decided to contact her with an idea for a custom piece.

I told her my idea and sent her some pictures of art work and photos representing the Bliss St station in Sunnyside NY. (guess where my store name came from?)

Cornelis Verwaal had this picture "Queens Noir" of the station stairs at the far end. He also has some beautiful photos on his site of NY

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Simon Donikian who painted "Under the Bliss St Station" is one of my favorite queens artist. As luck would have it I met him at the Sunnyside Art Fair the weekend I contacted Gillian.

After seeing the pictures and hearing what I wanted Gillian asked for more photos of the station and arches.

I went to the Art fair over that weekend and took photos of the subway station.

Of course it was after I got home that I realized I took a picture of the wrong side of the station! 

Really what self-respecting coffee snob wants starbucks in a piece of art work? 

The opposite side in the same position is Alpha donuts, a place that means more than a few random meetings with family members. 

If you duck your head in there when my Father in Law is in town you are bound to find him with a donut (tsk tsk) and a cup of coffee. Knowing all to well that he shouldn't have the sugar his defense is almost always " I had a feeling I would run into you today, here I bought you a donut" To remedy matters I sent a picture of alpha donuts and asked Gillian to replace starbucks.

The blog sunnyside adventure supplied the picture and has some interesting pieces on the neigborhood.

ok so it doesn't look impressive on the outside, but it was voted one of the 10 best donut shops in NY. They apparently have superb French crullers. (note to self: buy one and tease Father in Law over phone)

So not long after that Gillian wrote that she finished the piece and mailed it out. A few days later, record time for a transatlantic package I received her creation.

What is not to love?

Bliss St Station By Gillian Bates @ Etsy

Gillian Bates Textile Artist.

I discovered Gillian Bates on the front page of Etsy.

A textile artist that lives in East Sussex UK, Gillian has some contemporary pieces with a touch of the classic.

Four 99s Please

I am missing something in pop culture reference. 99s? As a New Yorker it looks like Mister Softee to me.

Eastbourne Pier

Wish you were here - Bournemouth Pier

Both Piers look like heaven...especially since it is 103° where I am right now. Ahhh to lounge in those chairs and have something cold.

 De La Warr Pavilion

This building was built in 1935, very modernistic. I would say more but I would just reveal myself as the geek I truly am.

While I loved Gillian Bates' work nothing personally screamed ME!

So I contacted her....

Specializing – Atheist Necklace

Originally written for Passion Preferred by me.

The wonderful world of business and of course life sometimes calls for specialization. We see it in professionals all the time.

Legal law

Cardiologist

Spanish translation

Stay at home mom or dad

People specialize. It insures that when you are looking for something you find it. That the focus of the shop or person is clear. "Niche" is another word for a specialized market.

This I am going to look at some of the specialized shops on etsy.

First is Gold Mettle a clever but cutesy name. Before you conclude that that is an insult, cute sells look at Disney. The name made me smile.

Gold Mettle sells one thing. (so far) Atheist Necklaces. She has 6 up currently. Photographing each one one in a slightly different way with different backgrounds. She has 14 sales since sept.

Would you put only one item in your shop. Probably not. It would be nice to see GM expand but what her shop offers is a niche item to a percentage of the population that is usually forgotten. After all how many non atheist have thought about creating a product that declares a non belief?

Yet Gold Mettle has found some success in this focused approach.

What can you learn from Gold Mettle?

Where can you focus your line to a specific group?

Are there things you need to drop to give your line, shop or life in order to become a specialist?

Can your categories help you separate your line or items into niches?

How does your clients see your shop or site? what do you sell?

Atheist necklace Via Gold Mettle @ Etsy

Mysterious trauma

The last of the day’s light is streaming through the window. I spent the day in bed. My guy told me not to get up this morning. He brought my my laptop, books and a personal pizza. Hot peppers, olives and pepperoni.  Today was to rest and heal. My cage ribs hurting like I had been beaten.

My sister in law G described it as “the mysterious trauma” . A few years back I had a chest cold and because of family history of heart murmurs the doctor ran some tests. Told me I was fine and the pain I was feeling was a swelling of my chest bone. Xrays revealed it healed well but inflammation was going to happen from time to time. 

Healing well??? Healing from what. I asked

The accident I was in. said the doctor.

I had never been in an accident. The doctor proceeded to inform me that I had. years ago. The xrays clearly show a severe trauma, most likely a car accident. 

I protested. but there was the xray and a doctor that assured me I had infact been in a major accident. 

Rewind a few more years before that....

I had picked up a box the “wrong” way and pulled my back. The chiropractor looked at my xrays and said my spine was damaged. He wondered how soon after physical therapy was I walking again? 

what?

He too said my xrays showed I was in a major accident. that It clearly showed in the xray and yes of course I seemed to be healing quite well but to not over do it. 

Xray necklace via Tillybloom @etsy

Both doctors estimated the year of the accident. both said the same year.

Now I swear I have never been in a major car accident. When I asked if it could be a minor 
fender bender they said no. Never had physical therapy. Have no idea what the where taking about. Yesterday I woke up with sore ribs by the end of the night I couldn’t turn with out winching. 

So today I stayed in bed per my guy’s orders. G called asked me what happened? And that’s the most embarrassing part. I have no cool story not even a boring story the truth is I have no idea. So G theory is “mysterious trauma” in a former life I was in a accident and it is showing up as physical pain in my body now. 

ok….or I could just be a doof that doesn’t realize I’m getting hurt until a few days later when my body is sore. 

Of course there is also the Geek theory. I had been in an accident but the memories where blocked by time travelers for the safety of the human race. Neither me nor anyone around me remember any such accident. Either way it means a day in bed with streaming netflix and a couple of books.

~

Xray necklace via Tillybloom @etsy

Is it Wrong?

          D, my friend, is afraid of squirrels. I love D. She is funny, even when she doesn't mean to be. 

NY is not the place to be afraid of squirrels. They are all over the place. She avoids parks. Rarely goes near them and never when she has been drinking. It was on one of those occasions that the conversation came up. We had been out to dinner, had a few glasses of port and were walking through the neighborhood. Her fear of squirrels came up. I know some people with odd phobias. Feathers of instance. There is a person I know that is scared of feathers. A male bartender that is afraid of butterflies. Phobias don't have to make sense. The reaction is real enough. 

So when D told me she was afraid of squirrels. It seemed reasonable enough. To many NYers. Pigeons are rats with wings and squirrels are rats with bushy tails. When I asked her why, I'm not sure what I expected. but I didn't expect this.

"A Squirrel tried to kidnap me."

What? Of course I hadn't had that much to drink. D repeated and added to her previous statement.

"When I was a baby a squirrel tried to kidnap me."

I must have looked doubting because she explained it was true. Her father told her so. She was out with her mother and father, sleeping in her baby carriage when a squirrel tried to take her away. No type of "well maybe the squirrel..." had any affect on her. Her father told her and that was it. A reasonable woman in a medical profession decided that squirrels freak her out because of a story her father told her as a child. The story doesn't freak her out. The truth to her is a squirrel did try to take her away. 

So is it wrong that I want to get her this for Father's day? 

If I have to ask it probably is. But I can't help it every time I see a squirrel I think of D.

I'm just happy that D phobia of squirrels is very mild and she just gets a little *insert bad pun here*. 

~

The necklace is Scampering Squirrel Necklace Via RhondasTreasures @ Etsy