A New Type of Pumpkin Patch- Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns

Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns is back this year in Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island. I was fortunate enough to see this pumpkin patch last year. It was definitely a fun and new experience. Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns is not your ordinary pumpkin patch. You don't buy these pumpkins, rather you tour the grounds to see all the carved pumpkins. They are serious works of art!

A car is needed to get to Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns since it is pretty far out. At night, the roads are completely dark. Don't speed. It gets extra spooky around Halloween. There will be a long line but the tickets are a timed entrance so that there is a steady crowd control. Expect to walk around for an hour. Bring a jacket because it gets cold and bring a camera. You won't believe your eyes!

Spooky Nights

Pumpkin Carver

Edward Scissorhands

Spiderman

Shakira

The Legend of Zelda

Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns
71 Old Westbury Road
Old Westbury, NY 11590

New York Secret: Film Biz Recycling & Prop Shop

Follow the Arrows

The Film Biz Recycling & Prop Shop in Gowanus has got to be one of New York City's best kept secrets. It's a great reason to venture out to Brooklyn.

If you really want to make the trip worthwhile, follow this itineray:

Brunch at Dinosaur BBQ
Some adventure exploring Film Biz Recycling & Prop Shop
Dessert on a rooftop at Ample Hills Creamery

Getting into the Film Biz Recycling & Prop Shop is like making your way to the Wizard of Oz. Ring the doorbell, have them buzz you in, and then follow the arrows and zig zag through the warehouse maze to Film Biz. Once you open those doors, it's like a land of make believe. Let your imagination run free.

Film Biz is really meant for movie sets and theater. It's where you go when you need period pieces and décor. Cell phones as big as your face? Fake food? Gurneys and IV fluid? They'd have you ready for your film set in no time.

Dessert Food Props

For people like me (and maybe you) who like to putz around and take goofy pictures, it's like a giant playground. Plastic turkey legs. Baby dolls. Shag carpet. A churro stand. Each corner represents a different scenario.

I recommend visiting a few times. Film Biz decorates for the seasons. For Halloween, it's like a miniature haunted house! They also have all sorts of costumes which you can rent or purchase. Care to be a fireman? Corn? Carmen Miranda? A football player? The options might surprise you. Enjoy!

Scary Skeleton

Halloween Display

Halloween Display

Cake Costume

Film Biz Recycling & Prop Shop
540 President Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Amsterdam- Go for Van Gogh

Street Mural

The Netherlands is proud of Vincent Van Gogh. He was Dutch and throughout the city there are many murals and artwork dedicated to him. Since he was Dutch, it is noteworthy to know that the Dutch pronunciation of Gogh sounds more like "hoff". 

Amsterdam is home to the Van Gogh Museum. The Museum houses the largest collection of Van Gogh's works in the world. Here are some helpful tips in visiting the museum.

Plan Ahead: 

The museum closes at 5 PM. If you arrive at 3 PM, it may be too late! The Van Gogh Museum has high traffic at all hours of the day and they close down admission when the museum reaches full capacity.  Go first thing in the morning or buy tickets online for a reserved visiting hour. The line to get in is long regardless. The average wait time  in line is about 45 minutes.

Tickets

Friday night boasts extended hours. The museum is open late night and has more of a party atmosphere. There is a dj spinning music until 10 PM.

The Floorplan:

Despite the large and busy crowd, you should have no problem viewing the works of art. The museum is separated by periods of work and divided through a few floors. There is enough space that you could view Van Gogh's self portraits, The Potato Eaters, The Bedroom, and still life paintings in comfort. Make sure not to miss his early work, sketches, and artifacts. His journal, letters to his brother, and easel with paint have also been preserved and are on view.

De aardappeleters, 1885

Journal

Writing and Drawing Tools / Materials

Experience:

The museum is interactive. There are wall sized prints of Van Gogh's work that serve as an excellent backdrop for picture taking. If you want to test your own art skills and paint in the fashion of Van Gogh (grids), there are computers and overhead projections so that you can see your own drawing come to life. The museum is great for children as it is hands on in some areas. See the paintings through a microscope to check out the technique in stroke and materials. There is much to see and do at the museum.

Photography Credits: Roxwriting and Desmond Chow

Van Gogh Museum
Paulus Potterstraat 7
Museum District Amsterdam

Amsterdam- Borough of Noord

One of the best tips we got from our Amsterdam guidebook was a one sentence description about the free ferry system. The NDSM-Werfveer line is a 15 minute ferry ride that runs every 15 minutes on weekdays. As New Yorkers with the Staten Island Ferry, we were confident that getting on the NDSM-Werfveer was a pretty safe gamble to see and experience something new and very local about Amsterdam.

We followed the signs to the ferry behind Centraal Station. It's a short walk and a clear path with little room for error to get lost. Once we got to the pier, we were greeted with an electronic clock that counted down the minutes until the next ferry arrived.

The boat was comfortable and spacious enough to fit everyone from the crowded dock. The ride was smooth and we saw a nice view of the city and the EYE Film Institute Netherlands. Before we knew it, the ferry had landed on NDSM, the largest shipyard in Amsterdam. The borough of Noord is a growing city of residents, bars, art space, and creative markets.

We were clueless and knew nothing about Noord. What we found was a peaceful and desolate area home to some wild graffiti. There were a few people hanging out, taking pictures, and drinking at a local outdoor bar. We wandered into an empty warehouse that is transformed during the weekends into a giant market. The Noord is a great area to explore if you love something edgy and raw.

Netherland Shipbuilding Company Building

Directions

Like A Rocket

Post Industrial

Hanging Out

Lake

Across the IJ

Noorderlicht

Photography Credits: Roxwriting, Desmond Chow

Hello Kitty, Hello Art Pop Up 2012

Hello Kitty, Hello Art!

I was lucky enough to catch the short pop up art show of the book Hello Kitty, Hello Art at Openhouse Gallery Winter 2012. This post is long overdue but in my opinion timeless, especially for those who love pop culture and all things Sanrio.

The show featured works by famous fashion designers like Betsey Johnson and Paul Frank and artists Cat Cult, 64 Colors, and Kendra Binney. It was interactive with giant cutouts of snowmen, ladies dressed in Lolita fashion, and Hello Kitty prancing around. There were Hello Kitty lamps and cute tea pots and dishes. Artists Tim Conlon and Aiko were present to sign copies of Hello Kitty, Hello Art. It was a fun show with bright colors and cute pictures complete with a gift shop.

Hello Lady

Hello Kitty

My favorite images were done by Justin Hager. Here is his spin on Sanrio and samples of his typical artwork.

Monscreechi

My Melo D.M.X

Da Bratz - Maru

Hello Kitty, Hello Art

Justin Hager

Kara Walker's Marvelous Sugar Baby

Domino Sugar Factory

If anyone told me there was a giant duck sphinx looking thing made out of sugar in Brooklyn, I probably wouldn't believe them. It sounds ridiculous. Then again, this is Brooklyn and there is a huge buzz about it. The famed Kara Walker did an art installation at the Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg and sadly, it is closing today. I hope you got a chance to see it.

The exhibit brought out droves of Brooklynites, arts enthusiasts, families, and even power couple Jay Z and Beyonce complete with baby Blue Ivy.

The line to get in was long but went quickly for there was a vast amount of space inside the factory and the line traffic was due to everyone signing mandatory release forms (just in case sugar were to fall on your head).

If These Walls Could Talk

Sugar Machines

Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar and Broken Bones

Front View

Side View

White Sugar

Back Side

The Back

Sphinx

Marvelous Sugar Baby

I stepped in the sugar factory and immediately took a whiff of the the sweet sugary air. It was thick! The building was old, airy, and decrepit. The walls were full of peeled paint and the equipment was stale and retired. The whole building was full of history and tales of a different time and life. And then I was greeted by a great many melting sculptures of brown sugar boys and the one and only Marvelous Sugar Baby which was larger than life. You have to see it to believe it.

A Subtlety
Domino Sugar Factory
South 1st Street @ Kent Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Stella & Dot Fall Trunk Show

Ivie Drops earrings top left. Kimberly Necklace bottom left.

Baubles, shiny semi-precious stones, bracelets, dangly earrings, and lariats. I had a grown woman’s jewelry box and more at my fingertips. It was like being in a jewelry store and being able to touch the merchandise without a retail clerk telling you no or looking at you in a condescending manner. I was amongst friends and we were all playing dress up. This was the Stella & Dot experience.

Stella & Dot is like a modern Tupperware party. The jewelry is sold through word of mouth, usually hosted at someone’s home or catering to a New Yorker’s schedule and at a bar. Guests pick out what they want, pay on the spot, and within a week get their orders delivered. Each piece of jewelry comes in a cute box wrapped with tissue and a fortune mantra. The feeling is uplifting and happy.

I am by no means a girly girl. I rarely ever wear jewelry. I don’t get excited by the color pink or having to dress up for a fancy party but I felt at home with Stella & Dot. The pieces were versatile and understated. They are what you make of them and can become more of a statement piece depending on how you wear them or understated for the simple amount of flair that you need just to call a little attention to your outfit and personality.  

Top right Wanderlust Triple Wrap. Bottom right Hudson Leather Wrap.

In between trying on jewelry and getting opinions from each other we noshed on cupcakes, fruit, and crudite while sipping on wine and soda. It was a relaxing environment and laid back. We had an abundance of natural light being in a high rise apartment and had a photographer present. At first I felt it was a little odd that someone was snapping pictures of us in our jewelry but then I got into it. I didn’t ask what the pictures would be used for or if I would get to see the final pictures. All of a sudden I felt like a model, beautiful, and glamorous. My friends and I posed for the camera, held our wrists out to showcase our leather bracelets, and slung bags over our shoulders.   

Union Square Scarf (left). Madison Tech Bag (right).

I never felt pressured to buy anything or even participate but if you lingered long enough at the trunk show inevitably you’d try on something. I found myself gravitating towards colorful stones and chunky necklaces. Our stylist Jennifer Sutton went around the room showing us how to wear pieces and encouraged us to try things on by draping pieces on our wrists and necklines. I only had to tell her a firm, “No.” once to stop. We all have our own personal tastes and comfort levels.

Stella & Dot display

I will admit I did not know how to maneuver some of the pieces of jewelry and wondered how I could even pull off wearing certain things. The nice thing was that it was a very supportive environment and our stylist really pointed us in the right direction using herself as an example and showing us Stella & Dot tutorials on how to wear scarves, how to jazz up a little black dress, or how to dress up from day to night. The videos were short and fun. I left with the feeling that I had gained a little more style over the past three hours. Overall, my first Stella & Dot trunk show back in August “Fall into Effortless Chic” was a great experience. I got to catch up with friends and do a little shopping. It was a treat for me.

Modeling jewelry with Agnes.

Stella & Dot trunk shows are exclusive and if you’d like to attend one get in touch with your local stylist by locating them on the Stella & Dot website. You can even host your own show and earn a complimentary hostess gift of your choice.   

Stella & Dot

NYC/NJ Stylist Jennifer Sutton
stylistjennifersutton@gmail.com
SHOP/HOST/JOIN! (917) 257-5455