Not Pictured: The Great Gumball Fakeout!

A number of weeks ago, I attended the opening for Dan's installation (and the new Andy Warhol exhibit) at the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, NJ.  You may recall I helped "weed" stickers for his piece a while back.



The photos I took of the artwork look great, but the photos I took in the reception hall came out either dark and murky (no flash) or harsh and unflattering (with flash).  So I'll just tell you (instead of showing you a crummy picture) that there was a nice selection of flavored puddings in shot glasses and delicious cookies to enjoy, as well as fruit, vegetables, and cheese.

There were also tall glass vases filled with large, round balls.  Attractive as decoration, the vases contained serving tongs, so the "balls" were clearly meant to be eaten.  And my dad and I both took some assuming they were malted milk balls or chocolates of some sort.  But they were gumballs.  Giant gumballs.

Gumballs, when one is in the mood for them, can be delightful.  BUT gumballs are chewed over time and keep one's mouth occupied.  You don't just eat a gumball and then move on to the pudding.  And a gumball is seldom found on a buffet at a reception.  It made for a surprising moment in my mouth, and (because I stood near the table and watched other guests) in the mouths of many attendees.  Most of the adults chewed a few times, looked surprised, and headed for the trash can.

It wasn't bad gum, of course, but there were cookies to be eaten!

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Stuck on almonds

Dan's preparing for an installation at the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, NJ.  I went down to Flavor Paper, his main wallpaper distributor, yesterday to help with the "weeding" (removing the negative space from hundreds (thousands) of sometimes-tiny vinyl stickers.



These salted almonds (sent to us at Christmas by Dan's parents) saved the day.  Between them, a clementine, and some red raspberry leaf tea (good for uterine toning, I'm told!), I was able to get through multiple hours of picking away at sheets of vinyl with tweezers and my fingers.

When we were done, we grabbed some Tex-Mex at Lobo.  They start out by bringing the table a basket of what I judged to be above-average chips and salsa, in case you were wondering.  And I was hungry-but-not-ravenous, so my dinner of chicken enchiladas with verde sauce suited me well.


p.s. How's this for a bathroom?!

[Tiny Fashion Spread: Jeans and cardigan by Uniqlo, Tee from Forever 21, Onitsuka Tigers on the feet] 

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Brunch Bunch

I digress: A short film with our hosts -- unrelated to today's brunch, but v. nice.










(photo by Dan)


(photo by Dan)



Anna and Mike hosted the most charming all-day New Year's Day "brunch" I've ever attended. Seriously. Well, it was also the only all-day brunch to which I've yet been invited, but it was better than I could have imagined -- and I do tend to get my hopes up when it comes to holiday food.

The day started with fruit and doughnuts and egg dishes (etc.), transitioned to chili around lunchtime, and when we left (late in the afternoon) there were promises of spaghetti and meatballs for evening stragglers.

Oh. My.


(photo by Dan)



Babies, dogs, adults -- everybody seemed to be having a lovely time. I certainly did. The food was plentiful and delicious, and it didn't hurt that their (under renovation construction) apartment is gorgeous, too.


(photo by Dan)


(photo by Dan)

My favorite dish? Mike's Hash Brown Casserole (recipe on Epicurious). I will be making this for myself. It was crunchy outside and creamy inside. I had two enormous helpings, with hot sauce.


 


These fancifully-flavored doughnuts from "Dough" were also a big hit.

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Have a Delicious Christmas!

Illustration by Dan Funderburgh. Used with permission.

Merry Christmas!

One of my favorite presents this year?  A new design template for Snackreligious.com, labored over by my favorite artist/designer/husband.  I hope to be rolling all of the elements out to you in the next few days or so.  I'm getting business cards, too.  Fancy!

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Photo Essay: Crest Fest, 2010

I think it's awesome that this hardware store in my neighborhood wants to support and display local artists.  They hold an annual event that's part street festival and part gallery opening -- all centered in and around the Crest Hardware Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Walking around the store, looking for artwork "hidden" among the merchandise (and often greatly resembling the merchandise), was like participating in a treasure hunt.  Actually, there was a map to the artistic treasures, but it wasn't available yet when we stopped by on opening day.  We spent an hour or more just wandering and trying to spot everything.

Read more about the Crest Fest here. 


Dan's tool wallpaper.









Smitty's saws.




 


Made of tires!  What?!









In the garden at the hardware store.





Extended festivities on Saturday included food, crafts, face painting, other vendors, bands, and more!

I was glad to see that the major beneficiary of this event was The City Reliquary Museum, another local institution that's been in danger of going out of business for too long.








Expect details on lunch in my next post!

Happy Hours

Dan and I visited our friend Jenny (of Wiksten) for a casual "Happy Hour" at her new studio on Friday evening. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with her studio mates, neighbors across the courtyard, their husbands and boyfriends, an 18-year old cat, and etc.

I was already Jenny's fan (as well as friend), but now I know of a few more designers doing beautiful work in the neighborhood.  Her studio mates and neighbors are terribly talented.

I coveted Jennifer's fox claw earrings and bullet ring, as well as Fay's delicate hoops with oxidized copper teardrop slivers.  Shannon's recycled leather handbags, made from vintage leather jackets, were simple and perfect.  Nicolette, across the courtyard with Fay, has a charming florist's studio, currently featuring the largest and most beautiful peonies I'd ever seen.

Anyone who needs to buy me a present should feel free to speak to one of these five ladies.

Our surroundings were made more pleasant by the handsome handbags, gorgeous flowers, delicate and lovely jewelry x2, elderflower cocktails, champagne, wine, baked goods from Saltie, and a green courtyard beyond generous windows.

From Saltie, we enjoyed olive oil loaf/poundcake, lavender and olive shortbreads (two separate things, not one mix of flavors),  and a rhubarb gallette (a sort of rhubarb tart with a partial envelope of crust).  I think the olive shortbread was my favorite, but all the items were nice.  Still, the sparkling company really did overshadow even these charming snacks.  How happy I felt!

It was a gorgeous way to spend an early evening.

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Agape Meal

[I wrote down the name of the artist who painted this striking installation, which she did for a video/dance collaboration, but I've lost the piece of paper!  Anyone recognize the artwork?]

On Agape Sundays at church (the first Sunday of each month), we share communion as part of a service-long meal of fruit, bread, crackers, doughnuts, cheese, etc.  Juice and wine are served.   I always try to pick a seat close to the cheese.

On this particular Agape Sunday, I forgot to bring anything to share (because I forgot it was Agape Sunday).  I'm embarrassed to admit I had only enough snacks for myself in my bag.  I tried to drink my pineapple juice and eat my Chex Mix "Turtle" Bar quickly, so as to not call attention to my thoughtlessness.



As it turns out, the Chex Mix bar makes a much better dessert than a breakfast. It's way too sweet and sticky for me to think of it as nearing "healthy."

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Photo Essay: Me and my Hostess Cupcake look-alike viewing some dioramas

At the well-catered (giant sandwich, anyone?!) opening of the Theme Magazine and Scion exhibition, "Small is Beautiful."







Theme Magazine article on Dan's piece in process




Not enough cream inside, btw. 






p.s. Nail polish = the surprisingly matte "Dream" by Savina, purchased at Nordstrom Rack.

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