my walk home each day isn’t so much methodical as it is necessary. besides the actual getting home part.
i think of it as more of a process…
down the elevator 9 floors, out the unnecessarily heavy front doors of my office and with each step i take forward i leave a piece of my day behind. like a heavy wool cloak made up of many layers, i shed them with ease, one by one, as though untying the silky ribbon that holds them in place during the day.
i round the first corner of my block, and standing tall as if keeping watch on all us ants below, the empire state building shines down on me with all her glory. in plain view, just a mere 3 blocks away. each day i look upwards and the twinkle of this iconic beauty helps remind me that what i do to earn my keep in no way defines who i am or restricts me from doing what’s me.
this city is beautiful, not anything that i would have imagined yet so much more. a city that truly never sleeps and seems to move on each day like clockwork, tick, toc. tick, toc. like well oiled gears that move in rhythm, this city is a wondrous and special place; i’m so glad i’m here and this is just the beginning. i want you to know i’m smiling.
sentimental at heart, i can’t help but wonder what the immediate future has in store for me. so grateful to have done the things i have done in the past few years. memories that are a part of me, each one a single piece shaping and molding my future. perhaps everything was building up to this – for me to be here, at this moment in time, for whatever reason. do you believe in fate?
each time i have moved, i have seemed to fall in love with my surroundings.
but this time the feeling is different, do you think that new york could be ‘the one’.
i sure hope so, it feels like i belong.
for a person whose day consists of numbers, facts, charts, sales reports and needing to know margin percents….i sure don’t feel like that person when i get home. up the flight of cement and tile stairs, i leave the subway from the city, and enter brooklyn, my home. and by now all the layers of my cloak are gone in the wind.
perhaps i have found a unique balance of left and right-brained activities for this all to work in harmony. well, for now at least.
facts, figures, charts, go-go-go…….vintage aesthetic, tactile fabric, the hum of a sewing machine and calm.
this city either chews you up and spits you out, or welcomes you in and gives you a piece of itself. then it’s up to you to make of it what you will.
and i plan on doing just that.
the first official day of winter was yesterday. and whoa, it came in gusts and flurries!
as though the sky opened up and dumped it’s entire snow-filled contents of each and every cloud around, we have snow!! last year for christmas when i was in france, i didn’t see snow….well, in person at least. and as much as i could easily (very easily) live without snow, i really love a white christmas. there is something folkloric and magical about a snowy christmas…..
again in pseudo-tourist new york fashion, (i know…i actually live here now, but i still feel like a tourist……) we visited rockefeller plaza…the magnificent and stately christmas tree downtown! a blustery stroll through central park, all the while teeny tiny snowflakes dusting the ground…this was just a few short hours before the skies opened up.
today was an enduring trek through the concrete jungle, wiping slush from my jacket and watching millions of particles of salt form a ring on my boots……we trekked out to red hook, a neighborhood far south in brooklyn, to a strangely located home depot and then around the bend to IKEA.
wandering through the overwhelming assortment of various flat-pack furnitures and coordinating housewares, we left with the first few items for our new place. some curtains, matching hardware and some other bits and bobs. and yes, we finally have a place of our own again…..sheesh, it only took a year.
we’ll soon call prospect heights home. situated just south of fort greene and clinton hill and just north of park slope, prospect heights is a lovely spot for us to start our new life in new york city, well…in brooklyn. and once the thick layer of snow melts away, we’ll be left with a garden. an actual backyard garden, all to ourselves, right here in the city.
we couldn’t possibly ask for more :-)
i can hardly believe it’s almost christmas, only two short days away. i have a borderline pathetic habit of listening to way to much christmas music around the holidays…i just love it, so cheery and fun. (hey, it’s cheesy. i know this.) i even find myself whistling along to holiday jingles in stores. which i would assume is rather annoying to those around me. i must remember to shut up and zip it….! but this year will be a christmas spent with just me and the hubby – our family will celebrate in far away christmas spirit in the mid-west and the south of france. we do have a christmas eve dinner planned that my sister will attend just before she’s off to the mid-west on christmas day. and yes, i will probably make her listen to christmas music. just for a short while…
so as the snow falls around us glistening and white, dusting the ground with beauty, many other things are falling into place with it. it’s been a long year my friends. an adventurous, exciting and may i say…lucky year. but now, after this year of misadventures and discoveries, all we want to do is snuggle up on our couch, our own couch, and relax. in our home sweet home.
my friends and family both far and near, i wish you nothing but the happiest and most joyous christmas ever. i am sorry i cannot be here, there and everywhere all at once. although it is a secret wish of mine….
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
and with that falling snow, may everything here continue to fall into place…
hugs to you, to you, and to you!! xoxo
generally speaking, bridges scare me.
not as much as bees, but about as much as heights.
it’s quite a shame because i love bridges, they are beautiful!!
i don’t particularly like walking, or driving, or being on them. but i very much like looking at them.
i left my apartment in brooklyn this morning and headed over to manhattan, with big plans for a day of holiday shopping in soho, walking and exploring by foot. and walk i did. all day!
as i walked the busy streets, looking up toward the sky in true pseudo-tourist fashion, i let my mind take it’s own path. feet moving forward, mind wandering….it needed to wander, and so did i.
tomorrow, exactly one year ago, marks the day that i had two bags packed, eyes sparkling with excitement and was moving to france. our flight left on december 11th. i can hardly believe that one year later i’m sitting here talking to you from a tiny sublet apartment in brooklyn. embarking on yet another new adventure.
how our lives can change, or how we can be our own change agents…and all so fast.
how i have re-lived that uncomfortable, unnerving unwelcome feeling of being lost.
but i find change necessary in order to move forward in what we do and who i am. and i have learned to deal with it…so now it just doesn’t sting as much. nonetheless stressful.
my knees were a little weak as i stepped out onto this famous bridge today, my mind raced and soared alongside the bitter wind zipping my hair into a flurry, i was in awe.
i walked alone, directly down the middle of the bridge. i didn’t look down.
i hardly even noticed all of the other people…..i just walked, slowly towards this massive amazing structure
there is something about this bridge. that could just be me being cheesy. or perhaps it was a combination of things, maybe how i felt today and all the things racing around in my head? i may have had too much to think about, conversations re-playing back, worries surfacing……
but i didn’t feel sad, or worried, or anything. i felt happy. i think the wind up there sucked a few layers of that and took it far away!
manhattan bridge, taken from the brooklyn bridge
well, we all know i’m not the first person to walk this bridge, look in awe at it’s sheer presence…..but i do know that it meant something to me. and it could be all in the timing, but i needed that walk across the bridge today.
and when i got home, set my shopping bags down, i also set my feet down and smiled. i had a great day, everything’s going to be okay.
bedford avenue is basically the epicenter of williamsburg. indie shops, 24 hour (basically whatever you need…), bodega’s, coffee shops a-plenty, thrift stores, book stores and boutiques on every block… it’s non-stop 24/7 and, yup, we live here……we’ll call it our temporary home for the next 2 months…..
our sublet apartment is perfect – exposed brickwork, hardwood floors, newly re-finished bathroom….it’s just right for what we need. a centrally located place to rest our heads. and feet. although a bit noisy (read: 24/7 madness!)…it’s fun, busy, crazy brooklyn and most of the noise is loudest on the weekends anyway.
it’s actually a fantastic introduction to nyc, the nearby neighborhoods like greenpoint and long island city (in queens) to the north, and south williamsburg then fort greene and clinton hill to the south.
we are officially one week into our new home. we have set out each day exploring a different street, neighborhood or location. for those of you who know us well and already know, but for any others joining in….we like – LOVE – to cook (and eat!) – - and for that, new york is paradise.
anything, and everything, you could possibly ever need (or want) is at your fingertips. not only ingredients, but eateries that are so authentic you feel transported in time….
yesterday, while exploring the brooklyn neighborhoods of cobble hill, boerum hill and carroll gardens, we stopped for brunch at one of the well-known french bistro’s (of which there are plenty). after basically licking our plates clean, we were satisfied with our benedict’s royal: eggs benedict with smoked salmon and potatoes with onion. (mmmm…think I just started to drool again…….). it was delicious!!!
we later found out that carroll gardens is home to the vast majority of french immigrants in new york and steadily growing. french bistro’s and truly authentic pâtisseries lined the streets. ahhh, a taste of france right here in brooklyn.
there is so much to see, so much to do and as always, there’s never enough time in one day for it all! it’s almost difficult to even summarize how wonderful our first week in nyc has been!
so with our intermittent ‘borrowed’ internet connection, it’s been hard to spend time online…..but i promise to begin writing often again….and guess what?!?!?!
…..my sewing machine, fabric and notions will all be here this week!
if you were here next to me now, you would see me smiling and even perhaps from afar know that i am happy to be here.
an entire year has passed since we embarked on our last adventure, and now as we begin a new one……
we’re home sweet home in brooklyn :-)
i can’t wait to share it all with you my dear readers….lots more to come…
the front door to our building, from the inside looking out.....a bit of graffiti for anyone?
almost one year ago, exactly, i was leaving my job in chicago gearing up for a move to the south of france.
tomorrow, we start another new adventure – - hopefully one that will last a very long time – - we are moving to new york city.
brooklyn, to be exact. and i think it was a long time coming.
if you told me as a college student that i would end up marrying a french guy, meet him while studying abroad in france, live in glasgow - get engaged in france, move back to michigan, then move to chicago, and THEN leave everything in the u.s. and move to the south of france – - and now new york?…..i would have never believed you. i may have even laughed out loud.
i always knew i liked change, perhaps even sought it out.
the adventure, the excitement! change to the extreme. is there a sport for that?
we all carve our own way through life, some take what they are dealt – - some deal their own…
either way, i know i should consider myself lucky – and i’m grateful – that my brain is wired well for this.
of course i freak out, get stressed and panic from time to time when i sit and let my brain slowly process the insanity of it all – the moving, packing, planning and the process of change. don’t we all? but when it’s all said and done; we have a keen ability of finding ways to make things work, coping, calming our minds from obsessing unnecessarily and counteracting that unfortunate nag of self-doubt.
and for what it’s worth, as much as i myself have shaped, and instigated, these life-altering changes…they have only served better to shape me, my inner self, and helped me see clearly who i am.
so now that i’m packed and ready to go, let’s run, take a leap and we’ll all continue on to my next home. i won’t stop doing what i do, bringing you my chatter and streaming thoughts.
i’m glad you’re here, won’t you stay awhile?
the big apple is calling and i’ll be there soon……
happy tuesday! a very cold, chilly, blustery tuesday, but it’s a good snuggle-up-with-a-cuppa-tea and read, write or sew sort of day.
i’m busy sewing, so predictable, and planning for our move out to brooklyn in a week and a half! today i took some photos of some new items for my etsy shop….
this past weekend, my husband and i went thrift store adventuring, so much fun as always…! we found some amazing things, lots of beautiful vintage wool skirts for me to sew with, including some long forgotten fabrics – - yards and yards of it just sitting waiting to be loved. i snatched it up and brought it back to my ever-growing fabric stash. all washed, ironed and ready to go my finds will be incorporated into more handmade goodies very soon.
one of my most exciting finds, ok…well, two of my most exciting finds were actually for me! i couldn’t resist. i found the greatest vintage winter jacket – what seems to be like a mod 60’s or early 70’s – in purple wool. so cute!!
another amazing little gem i found was a gianfranco ferré wool and silk woven suit jacket (or perhaps one would call it a blazer?). other than needing to remove the dated shoulder pads, it is in excellent condition. now, i’m not one to gush over labels, but this brightly colored red and green beauty jumped off the rack at me from between the other shoddy, polyester, boxy suit jackets that i quickly passed over. it probably cost hundreds of dollars purchased new. and now it’s all mine :-) wheeeee!
sometimes i find things while out thrifting and just can’t believe that people don’t want these beautiful items! gorgeously made vintage items, designer duds and all!
so after another successful day of feeling like i found multiple trunks of hidden treasures i was again as happy as can be……
some of my vintage skirts waiting to be transformed
things are off to a good start here at sans map – - tomorrow will be one full week up and running on etsy!
thank you to everyone who has given me feedback and/or encouragement so far – - i love to hear what you think, please don’t hesitate to let me know :-) suggestions for improvement? send them my way!
i have lots of ideas, a few new designs and plenty of stuff swirling around my head to keep me busy and i plan on adding more items to my shop very soon…
i found some amazing vintage pieces to use as fabric….it is surprising to see what other people find worthless and give away. when i got them home, a couple almost became part of my wardrobe……the fabric is stunning! (don’t worry, i didn’t give in to temptation this time….)
i love to pick apart vintage clothing, something about how the clothing was made, how it feels, a forgotten beauty. i re-purpose the material with the utmost care and respect. i have even found some handmade items that are finding purpose again and giving them a second life! i always wonder who wore these items and what history they carry with them. it’s intriguing.
one thing that i am careful about (we always learn important things the hard way, right?) – - is inspecting vintage clothing for imperfections, excessive wear and (gasp!) moths. it is imperative. thankfully i have a good process of de-lining all skirts, throughly washing and drying them and then…..when all is said and done, ironing them while i inspect. just in case i missed anything at the time of purchase. this helps me not only to physically inspect every nook and cranny of the fabric but also to envision the fabric as a new creation!!
so don’t fret, i personally clean and inspect everything and if it’s not in excellent condition – i don’t use it.
of course, my motivation to use vintage clothing is because re-purposing is eco-friendly, cuts down on waste and helps reduce over-production. there are thousands of vintage items waiting to be used again, sadly forgotten, unwanted, and i’m in line to make it happen.
it is the entire process that gets me ticking; from searching for specific types of fabric by color, age and how the fabric feels….to the actual sewing…..i could sew for hours on end. and seriously, i do.
so as i start off, my heels firmly planted on the path leading forward, i feel like i’m off to a good start.
and i hope it only gets better from here.
….not to mention i’m moving to brooklyn in 2 weeks :-)
so i’m sure most of you have wondered where i have been, huh? it’s been a little quiet on my blog lately, sorry about that.
(i’ve been keeping everything a secret!)
i have been diligently sewing, planning, preparing and organizing….for……..my new Etsy shop!!
please visit my brand new shop, sans map, here at the Etsy address below:
- – - – - – - – www.sansmap.etsy.com – - – - – - – - – -
featuring hand made bags, sewn by yours truly :-) i’m pretty new at this so, please, stick with me as i uncover all there is to making and selling handmade items. i hope to have some more listed soon, so check back often!
this has been a long time coming and everything about opening this shop feels right. sewing feels like a long lost friend and now that it’s here i don’t want it to leave. but, i couldn’t have done it on my own.
to my two wonderful, talented and extraordinary sisters….thank you. i could never have done this without your constant support, feedback and help. i am eternally grateful and lucky to have such wonderful best friends as sisters.
my partner-in-crime, constant cheerleader…my other half, my husband, thank you a million times over. for not only supporting me but encouraging me full on to just go for it. (and never complaining when i sew for hours on end as though i live in a cave) merci infiniment mon amour.
all of my other supportive friends, my parents, extended family…..thank you all!!!!!
(now go out there and spread the word!) sans map is open for business :-)
xo
i am dreaming of the big city…..
it’s almost here. i’m almost there. i can almost reach out and touch it, grasp it. almost just….
somethin’s a brewin’….
the days are starting to grow chilled, slower, time for my sweater? almost just…
it’s almost here. i’m almost there.
busy planning, busy sewing, busy creating.
was it right under my nose and i didn’t even realize? i’m glad i found it….or perhaps it found me.
why now? why this? it feels so natural – - but like a gift someone gave to me. long ago, long past.
we have to shape our own futures.
i’m ready, i’m here, i’m determined.
somethin’s a brewin’ my friends.
i’m sans map.
sure, i can do it, right? (eeek! can i?)
stacking my rainbow colored material, all carefully stitched, aligned, elongated….i stare off into the trees swaying in the september breeze…
what will they think, will they like it? will i succeed? am i just another one, or do i have something special, possess a skill all my own?
i’m at a point now, though, that there is no turning back. perhaps the old adage is correct when it is said that no news is better than bad news? or is that cowardly. if i never try, i’ll never know if i will succeed or if i’ll fail.
so with my fingers lined up on the start line, nervous, trembling, face forward focusing on the straightaway, i am ready to go.
i just hope i can make it to the finish line on top…
