DUMBO Arts Festival 2012

Going down to the Dumbo Arts festival has been a tradition for my family for for about eight years now. We LOVE DUMBO! We have seen Dumbo dramatically explode on the scene from a hidden treasure to an abundance of creative shops, interesting galleries, great restaurants abound. The festival spans the neighborhood of DUMBO, Brooklyn between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, including the waterfront. The festival is energized with talented artists of every discipline - painting, sculpture, phototography, and multi-media, who open their doors and let people peek into their creative worlds.

Here is a peek of some of the talent:

King DUMBO, Lilka HaraGiant Gorilla made of discarded plastic bottles and bags

RASP

Loved these collars that can you can dress up a casual outfit!

VOZ,change through beauty, Jasmine Aarons

Loved all the texture and the idea of tanslating rich indigenous 
craft into contemporary styles!


MODAVANTI- FASHION FOWARD POP UP SHOP
for luxury sustainable fashion

WELL, Chul-Hyan Ahn

The effect of this construction of concrete, lights and mirrors is incredible!

Time Colossus: A Repitition in Laminated Love, Cat Celebezze

This three dimensional photographic assemblage of the Brooklyn Bridge
was mesmerizing! 

Next time You see me, It won't be Me, Alejandro Almanza Pereda
and Jose Luis Cortes-Santander

Working with the transformation of matter.
Found objects spell Magician, Artist, Think

Maya Malioutina

Maya Malioutina

Maya Malioutina

Maya Malioutina's work uncovers the mystery behind and within textured surfaces. Love it!

Hongjunk Park

Hongjunk Park

Hongjunk Park artistry is very unique! She studies the interaction between liquid and paint. Tubes filled with clear colorful liquid superimpose painted landscapes of nature. 

Cris Perry

Cris Perry

Cris Perry's transformations of paper is unbelievable! Innovative works of art!

We ended our day at Jane's Carousel, an amazing restored historic Carousel from 1922 magically set alongside the East River. 

These are just a few of the MANY talented artists down in DUMBO! 

Catch it next year!

Zamzee - go more, get more!

What does it take to get your kids moving more? 

I will tell you, the Zamzee meter and online experience! 

Zamzee meter

I met the friendly Zamzee team at a conference in New York City. They sent me home with the Zamzee meter to test it out. To my surprise, it became my 8 year old's obsession. As soon as she gets home from school, she wants to plug-in the Zamzee to see if she has earned Pointz!  

Rylie earning Pointz on her Zamzee

It has the feel of a video game with the ability to earn Pointz for the amount of physical activity you do. The more you move, the more Pointz you get! Via challenges, Pointz can turn into Zamz which is like money - used to purchase stuff in the Zamzee Shop like toys, apps, Zamzee gear,etc. What kid doesn't want to shop and get more stuff?  Brilliant thinking, Zamzee!

Zamzee challenge screen

My daughter especially loves doing the challenges to earn more Zamz! The story lines are witty and clever. You can earn major Zamz, sometimes earning double or triple Zamz, which ultimately creates huge incentives to move! 

Zamzee Space Challenge

Rylie did the space challenge where her oxygen supply ran out and her co-pilot disappeared. She had 5 minutes to fix her ship and escape the forces of her space opponent. She hula hooped until her mission was complete earning 45 pointz! She was psyched to accomplish her mission! (See pic above) 

The Zamzee team shared some positive news with me that was released this past Monday. "Hope Lab and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations conducted a vigorous scientific study on Zamzee amongst middle school children. They found that Zamzee got kids moving almost 60% more than a control group, which is an extra 45 minutes of physical activity each week. That's like doing nonstop push-ups for 45 minutes every week. Really!" 

Zamzee's motto is 'go more, get more!' Their message is right on! Having played around with it myself, I really like the Zamzee meter and highly recommend it! Besides getting children to move in a fun way,  it's child friendly, promotes creative thinking and builds confidence! 

Go Zamzee! You're product is inspiring!

To connect and learn more, 
click on their Website, Facebook and Twitter!

Zamzee is offering a 25% off discount code "LUVZZ2012" 
to get your very own Zamzee meter!! 

Guest Post: Using Art Deco to Bring Your Room Blah to Hip

Today's Guest post is by Janet Wilson who is a freelance writer and web enthusiast. Janet also loves all things design and home improvement related. She is Chief Editor for PaversPrice.com an online resource focused on helping people with their remodeling projects. She received her Bachelor's Degree in June of 2005. Janet spends what little free time she has hanging out with her husband, girls and dogs Moxy, Scrappy and Dink.

Using Art Deco to Bring Your Room Blah to Hip

So you’ve tried to convince yourself that “blah” room doesn’t matter each time you pass through it. The truth is that it is time to stop living in denial and start making a change. Art deco is a classic style that has popular for years. In fact, this design style was first used in Paris all the way back in the 1920s.
Lots of geometrics, zig zags and clean lines and the color options focus on mainly black or metallics such as chrome, silver and similar shiny materials.

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Art deco also uses a lot of glass, mirrors, chrome and materials made by man so keep this in mind when making your style and design choices. New York City's beloved Chrysler building is a classic Art Deco architectural landmark constructed out of stainless steel.

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For now, let’s focus on a few ideas to help add art deco to your room to transform it from blah to hip. Continued popularity means that you can find plenty of ways to add this look to your home, apartment or even the outdoors. From pavers for your patio to tiles for your bathroom, you can find art deco for every area of your living space. So even if you are adding something that is not technically art deco, if it follows these guidelines it should enhance the art deco style you are trying to create:

-You can find vintage pieces or retro recreations that look spectacular but may not be as fun to find. Of course the price tag attached to many of the antique original art deco pieces may require you to find newer versions, but they will still add so much to your look. If possible mix the old and new and your look will feel authentic.

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-Look for metallic items that will really add a splash such as dramatic tables or accents such as vases. Even using fabrics that include metallic shades is a great way to make your throw pillows or curtains help add to the allure.

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-The furniture choices are important for creating the ultimate in art deco style. Think sleek and modern looking. This also means comfortable and not overly stuffy or uninviting. The more modern the furniture paired with the other details and accent, the more dramatic the overall look will be.

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-The look is about being minimalist, and this includes colors so keep these to a minimum. A splash is good, but you should stick to maybe one or two to include with the black, chrome and metallic.
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-For those who want to warm up the chilled sleek look of art deco a bit, consider replacing the metallic with pearl. You could also consider a brushed metal finish to soften it or a black lacquer to make the black not so flat.

Make sure you are truly using geometric shapes with anything you can. From the shape of your furniture to the shape of the accent mirror, it’s all about geometry. You can try to change your room all at once or make smaller changes as you go. Either way, you will love the finished art deco look!

~

Thanks Janet for the great post!

Blurb - books made by YOU

Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books - reading them, sharing them and selling them. This site makes anyone an author. 

Have you been wanting to create a book with all the pictures you have stored on your camera, on Facebook or on Instagram? - Ya know all those pics from summer vacation, to days at the beach, or your child's first day of school? 

Well NOW is the perfect time....Blurb is having the biggest sales ever! From now until 9/24, you can get 30% off any book you create with promo code FLASH30! 

Click here to take advantage of this amazing offer.

Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I shared the day with one of my best childhood pals, Sher Berk. We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to go see Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty years. It is opened until December 31^st and is worth going! It is a comprehensive exhibit that gives a sweeping view of the artist and his impact on the art world, featuring other works by Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Polly Apfelbaum, Chuck close among others. They were all influenced by Warhol's work and as you moved from room to room it felt like a conversation between Warhol's work and the artists he influenced.

I learned that Warhol started off as an artist painting backdrops in department stores for the latest women's fashions. The imagery was hand-painted but he soon turned to the photo-mechanical silkscreen, a medium that catapulted his importance to the art world.

Let me share:

The first painting that you see when you walk in the exhibit is Warhol himself:

Andy Warhol Self Portait

I was mostly drawn to Warhol's obsession with the banal and the iconic:

 The over-scaled, larger than life imagery of icons....

'Marilyn Monroe' 1964 (Andy Warhol, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

'Red Jackie' 1964 (Andy Warhol, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

 The over-scaled imagery of objects....

Big Campbell Soup Can, Andy Warhol 1962

and himself as a subject in various guises such as sunglasses,

shadows or camoflauge....

Warhol Self Portrait

Jeff Koons was influenced by Warhol's notion of scale. 
He sculpted an overscaled Michael Jackson with his monkey, Bubbles:

Michael Jackson with Bubbles  by Jeff Koons 

Love the replication of an object or person, be it soup cans, coke bottles or celebs, as it overemphasizes the public's or Warhol's own obsession with it.

Jackie O, Andy Warhol

The replication of Jackie O before the tragic event over and over again casts this public obsession with the event. 

And what about coke? Everyone drinks a coke across all cultures. 

Green Coca Cola Bottles, Andy Warhol 1962

Artist Al WeiWei was influenced by Warhol's obsession with Coke...

Ai Weiwei. Neolithic Vase with Coca-Cola Logo, 2010.

Silkscreen Flowers, Andy Warhol

Pink Crush by Polly Apfelbaum 1955

Inspired by Warhol's silkscreen Flowers, she cuts velvet into floral shapes and overlaps them into several configurations and squirts die on them with a plastic bottle. The material provides an optical effect and can be seen differently as you move around it from different angles.

~ LUNCH TIME! ~

After all the walking around it was time for some lunch and a treat...a root-beer float at the Lexington Candy shop. It was all the coke bottles in the window that caught my eye. How Warhol-esque!

 Thanks Sher for an awesome day!!

Stacy Igel’s Boy Meets Girl “Forever Young” 2013 New York Fashion Week

Stacy Igel
 (photo credit: me)

There was something special about Stacy Igel’s Boy Meets Girl “Forever Young” 2013 New York Fashion Week show at the Metropolitan Pavilion last week, presented by Lockerz.com in conjunction with Style 360. The fusion of live music and fashion was dynamic and exciting to watch. Models came down the runway in sync with funky live music performed by Grammy award winning artist Wyclef Jean, with young upcoming artists Cris Cab and Jarina De Marco.  All were terrific! I loved Jarina De Marco's contagious energy! I also loved how Stacy hand-picked her models from an online contest and gave young girls an opportunity to walk the runway and help make dreams come true!

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan (Source)

Igel’s collection was inspired by the relationship and artistry of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Joan Baez was the free spirited, bohemian type and Dylan was perceived as a freewhellin’ rock-legend. The collection crosses a youthful, carefree hipster style with a punk rock edge. Igel's collection definately embodies the pulse of urban fashion. All the looks from the show were available to purchase on Lockerz.com the minute it came down the runway. How’s that for E-commerce, pretty cool! Click here to purchase all the new products on the Lockerz shop. 

Before the Fashion Show

Stacy Igel and Wyclef Jean   (photo credit: me)

Stacy Igel, Wyclef Jean and Rosario Dawson  (photo credit: zimbio)

Jarina DeMarco, Wyclef Jean and Cris Cab (photo credit: zimbio)

Fashion show

Here are some of my FAVES from the show! The Forever Young crops tops are adorable and I especially love the layering of sweaters over long scooped Casey dresses! The striped peek-a-boo pattern that you can see front and back is clever! Love it!

Wyclef Jean and Cris Cab rocks the show!

Jarina De Marco spices up the show!

  Wyclef Jean, Jarina De Marco, Cris Cab and Stacy Igel  (photo credit: zimbio)

See the fashion show:

After-party at Kiss & Fly night club, Meatpacking district

Great party! Loved chatting with Stacy Igel, 
Jarina De Marco and some of Igel's guests!

Stacy Igel and me. So talented! She's a doll!

Jarina De Marco and Me. Look out for her, she's an upcoming Star!

Me, Kimberly Murphy (Stoli) and Bonkuk Koo (Fashion Designer)
Hi to Jason JaeHyun Kim (The Ground Mag.) taking the pic!
Great meeting these guys!!

~

Thank you to Stacy Igel and team for inviting  me to
your Forever Young fashion show and after-party!

It ROCKED!