kickstart

alright y'all this is one of my last blogs (at least for a while). With the new business, ELBOWGREASE LLC, slowly starting to take shape I'll be shifting my focus away from this blog but never fear! You can follow me several ways.

on instagram: http://instagram.com/elbowgreasedesign or on your app @elbowgreasedesign
on facebook: http://facebook.com/elbowgreasedesign
on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/elbowgrease_llc

and last but not least - on the website: http://elbowgreasedesign.com! Everything will be a work in progress for a while but I will be updating as my journey goes on.

I am launching my kickstarter today so I'm really hoping that will help ease the worries of my financial status. Living in NYC and paying NYC rent while trickling money into a business bank account, buying needed materials, and paying all the fees to form an LLC is just slightly stressful. If you would like to donate I have some great rewards for different price points. I am selling prints of paintings made during my senior thesis in college and offering original paintings of NYC that can be sent directly to you. Even if you can't donate, don't worry about it! Just sharing the link with friends/family/co-workers helps to get the word out. Kickstarter isn't about charity its about getting something for what you give  so if you've ever wanted an original Skunta painting now is the time! Imagine me setting up my folding chair at different points around NYC capturing the hustle, bustle, and landscape just for you.

You can check out the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elbowgrease/108889497?token=be23a5cf

long time no see

Oh hey there, you probably thought I was taking a long break from writing blog posts since you haven't seen one in a long time - and you're right! I was juggling starting ELBOWGREASE with finishing up my last few weeks at Anthro and boy was it a whirl wind. First off, here was my final window installation:

I said a bittersweet goodbye to Anthro yesterday. I'll miss all the wonderful people I met through this job. I sure learned a heck of a lot along the way.

Today marks the first day of full time work with elbowgrease. Its been a long day of figuring out how to best utilize this dang smart phone, setting up accounts, websites, all that fun stuff. If you don't hear from me for a while, just know that I'm buried under a pile of to-do list items.

behind the scenes

 This week in Anthro-land its all about window prep! I have submitted my planning document, gotten it approved and done some material testing for these sand dune windows. Buckle up for an informative blog post about the process. No I won't be showcasing my shining personality in this post but hey, its Friday, and I've been dealing with a lot of muted colors this week so...it may have affected me. 

My sketch for the main window is all about the gesture and movement of this hand made beach fence  without being overly narrative. This is a much more minimalistic window than I am used to but it is a nice change up. The focus is on color, material manipulation, and movement.

Then comes the material testing. Here are some of the later material testing that was done for the final sign off on the windows. These lath strips may look very similar but its all about finding the right balance of color. 

Much of this window needs to be built in my basement art room because our current window needs to stay up as long as possible. This means using a template made in the window, then carrying it downstairs and cutting each individual piece of wood to match it.



For about 5 hours today I drilled hundred of holes with a 3/4 inch forstner bit - which was, as you could imagine, was super fun. At least I had my stand up comedy streaming to keep me company.

I've got something more abstract planned for our secondary window but you'll have to wait with bated breath until I release it. 

4 states 4 weekends

Oh hey there, haven't seen you in awhile. That MIGHT be because my weekends have been jam packed with awesome people and I just didn't want to spare a few minutes away from that to document it. But alas, the time as come.

May has been a month of working and playing with a little side of rest, which is a good thing! The first weekend in May my fajah (father) came to Astoria and liked it enough that he said he would consider returning. Anyone that knows my father and his hatred for NYC knows that this is a huge feat. Since I don't think he'll be contributing his own post to the blog I'll just sum up our trip with this picture:

The following weekend I took a long weekend for a girls trip to Myrtle Beach! Yes, the few ladies that are in our family finally got to spend some quality time together relaxing with the tattoo'd beautiful people of Myrtle Beach. Here was our view from the penthouse!

And here are 4 generations of lovely ladies on the Coffey's side.

In true "Schleprock" fashion my mother and I flew into MB just as a tropical storm was hitting so we spent much of our time indoors which turned out to be one of the best things that couldn't happen. I got to spend a lot more time catching up with relatives I hadn't seen in 3 years and a got to know this little lady a lot better:

Her name is Addison Grace, the daughter of Amber, my only cousin on my mom's side. She was the happiest, funniest, most pleasant baby I've ever met. She provided us hours and hours of entertainment while the wind and rain persisted outside.  

From one girls weekend to the next (sorry Mike!). The following weekend I took yet another mostly girls trip to Vermont to support our dear friend Chrissy on her first marathon. It was just the getaway from the city that all of us needed.  We stayed at a quaint motel near Manchester, visited the site where our best friend Lauren Hiler married the love of her life, rummaged through my favorite book store, at ice cream, and sang WAY to loud on the road trip there and back. There is a video of this that will most likely be burned so that we are all allowed to still live in society. Let me just pause and take a second to thank all the great friends and family I have in my life. The entire month was filled with lots of love but this weekend in particular made us reminisce about how lucky we all are to have people around us who care.














But back to the real reason 5 friends in 1 car all got together - to support Chrissy! I am in awe at what this lil' lady can do! We all hopped in and ran a few miles with her (I ran the least but it was still a personal record for me!) but her hard work, training, and can-do attitude lead her to finish the marathon in under 5 hours! Take a look at some of the highlights.

 

 

And onto one of the final weekends of the month, a vacation with Mike's family in Michigan! From boating to wine to eating to fishing it was the R&R that I needed. Mike's Grandfather built the cottage that we stayed in and it is one of my favorite getaway spots. The screened in porch is ideal for reading Harry Potter. I THINK I might have just made the Anthony clan future HP addicts, which lets face it - is my life's work. 

 Oh look, its the captain and Evie! Mike's dad took his new boat out on its maiden voyage this weekend and although it didn't start off as smoothly as possible, it did make for a very memorable time and a lot of laughs.

Summer Refresh

I had a really fun week at work last week because I finally got to some time to make small scale displays and help with merchandising in the front of store. Here are a few pictures of the summer refreshes. All the figs, grapes, cheeses, and rosemary sprigs are hand made from wire, tape, foam, model magic, paint, and a lot of love.

 

 

oh and apart from hanging with my fajah (father) this weekend which I'm hoping he will guest blog about (hint, hint), I got to see some great kite flying in prospect park and this lovely lady...

So I am the mother of a New Yahker!

The following is a guest pots by my wonderful mother:

So I am the mother of a New Yahker!  I just returned from a wonderful visit with Lauren and Beautiful Mike Anthony.  Lauren picked me up from the airport early Fri morning and we first went to see their apartment in Astoria. Their apartment is very small - by midwest standards - by oh is it cute!  They have it decorated beautifully and make the most of  their space.  I really enjoyed looking out the window from their living room at the Manhattan skyline!

Then we went to her store on Long Island to see all her hard work. I really was impressed with all the interesting things she has created - I had no idea how intense and detailed all the displays were till I was standing there seeing them and realizing how many hours went into achieving certain effects.  We spent nearly three hours in the store - time just flew by!!!  

Then we went to Kick Shaw for a wonderful brunch - we sat at the window and watched the world go by.  We talked and talked and boy do I miss her!

  Onto the the 911 Museum and then back to Astoria to meet Mike for dinner. We went  to alot of interesting and delicious places to eat -Il Bambino, Milk Flower, Sugar Freak and Seva.  I really enjoyed trying new foods. On Sat  morning we boarded the subway and headed to Manhattan. Mike suggested we get off and go thru the farmers market and try some vegan cookies which would be a first for me - I  have to admit they were very good!!!

Then Mike used his Uber and got us a ride to Battery Park where we boarded a ferry over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island(Mike is great at figuring the logistics).



Then back to Astoria for a wonderful dinner and movie (Fast 7)  I can see why they love living there for now - they can walk to everything they need - it's very exciting -always something to do and new to see.  Mike and Lauren were the perfect hosts - they went out of their way to make me feel .welcome and comfortable.  I would love to go visit every weekend but don't want to wear out my welcome!!

terrain!

 you know spring is here (and URBN employee appreciation) when I make my annual pilgrimage to what might possibly be my favorite place on earth - TERRAIN (sorry whisk you're a close second for all the things I didn't know were missing from my kitchen). We made the 1.5 hour trek to Westport, CT to have brunch in Terrain's garden cafe and to finally pick out the petrified wood slab I've been dreaming of for oh...about a year now. literally. Here is a snap shot to how beautiful the garden cafe is...

and here is the petrified wood slab. It has slowly been turning from wood to polished rock over many many many years just for me! Oh and I also bought a glass soup container - shocking I know.

Anyway back at Anthropologie we are adding some summer touches onto our spring display. Here is a few scoops of ice cream made out of newspaper.

And here is a seagull on a piling I made with some rope details.

More rope details.

And more pilings with a couple hundred pounds of sand and cat tails made out of various cream and white fabrics