On a recent visit to Cazenovia Artisans, 39 Albany Street, Cazenovia, New York, 13135, I met co-op member Betsy Menson Sio, a former art teacher in the Jordan-Elbridge School District, now working as a full-time artist and jewelry designer. She is selling earrings made of vintage tins that speak of recycling paired with sterling silver.
The pieces are whimsical, meant to be worn for fun with everyday casual gear. She calls her business East Street Tins.
This is a materials driven art form. She must first find the vintage tins – soda cans, candy or coffee canisters, perhaps even motor oil containers – then decide on the shape and cut forming two symmetrical bespoke pieces.
She also creates necklaces and bracelets when not taking her weekly turn as salesperson at the gallery.
As mentioned, Cazenovia Artisans is a co-op. Artist members must be voted in with the understanding that they will commit to retail sales as well as providing cohesive artwork for sale and paying a monthly fee. There are other avenues as well – offering work on consignment or being considered as a guest artist. All information is listed on their website.
It is a powerfully vibrant space – fuchsia and lime walls, tangerine chairs, floral motif pillows and colorful resin chunky jewelry abound. If you are looking for bright options, this is your jam – but you will need to be quick because it is mostly bespoke and my thought is the store will look different each week due to sales. She’s only been in business for two-weeks so far and has already had to redecorate due to sales. The merchandise is very reasonably priced. It’s a fun shopping experience!
I hadn’t seen Mia in over forty years – we graduated high school together. Since then she has graduated from FIT and worked in the fashion industry, mainly in accessory design, in New York City (where she still keeps an apartment) and oversees, even working in China for a time! She recently returned to this area to be closer to family and will remain here at least a year – the duration of her store lease.
My holiday merchandise is ready for tomorrow night’s Sip & Shop event at AFL STUDIO, 301 E. Seneca Street, Manlius, NY 13104. I think I will be sharing my gallery space with the Apricot Lane proprietor.
There will be a Botox medical professional and a “permanent” jewelry business there as well as light food and drinks.
I will be there at 3:45 PM, if you would like to come and shop early. Hours for this party – 5:00 – 7:30 PM.
I created notecards that double as holiday ornaments and other special things including one hundred twelve hand painted postcard paintings of angels. Prices are as marked on the package. My jewelry collection is all marked as well. The 36″ x 36″ oil and collage paintings are only $800 and the 18″ x 24″ oil and collage paintings are only $200. The encaustic hearts with the stands are $75.
I will try to get my Square card reader operational to take charges. You can also pay cash or use PayPal or Venmo. Will I have cash to make change? IDK.
Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and it will be a fun and festive evening!
Shopping for Stickley furniture at Dalton’s is a lesson in the history of the early 20th century’s Arts & Crafts movement. Proprietors David Rudd and Debbie Goldwein have been in the business of selling antique/pre-loved Stickley furniture for over forty years at this establishment. Their customers include celebrities and other prominent A&C lovers nationwide (and someday, me, and maybe you!). Their business is both in person and on-line. The furniture sold at this shop is original Gustav Stickley pieces and early works by Leopold and John George Stickley, items that pre-date the Audi family’s tenure at Stickley.
Rudd is a former decades long President of the local Arts & Crafts Society and current President of the Gustav Stickley House Foundation. It was such a pleasure to chat with him as he shared the provenance of the exquisite pieces displayed in vignettes alongside pottery from the same period, accessories – candlesticks, ashtrays, and books, lamps, clocks, really everything you need to fill the living room of a Craftsman home.
Gustav Stickley owned a factory on what is currently Burnet Avenue in the Eastwood neighborhood of Syracuse, a hop, skip and jump from this fabulous antique shop located at 1931 James Street, Syracuse, New York 13206.
It is a beautiful thing to see the care that has been taken in keeping the Mission-style spirit alive. I felt like looking for a portal in the store in order to time-travel my way back to one hundred years ago, especially when I stared at that photograph of Gustav on the wall, lol, it reminded me of the movie “Somewhere in Time” with Christopher Reeve. I am in love with this period of furnishings and I am probably the only one in my family to have this passion. I didn’t grow up with it. Mom liked a French Provincial living room and Colonial-style bedroom furnishings.
Some of the pieces at Dalton’s are a better bargain than buying new and others costs tens of thousands. In addition, they have an affinity for Native American textiles and pottery, and the collection is quite impressive. It’s all for sale even though everything is museum quality. You can sit on the settles and chairs as you imagine living with them in your own home.
I took so many pictures of this chair (above) – I can’t stop thinking about it! LOVE!
Currently, there is a selection of wood-block printed designs by Rochester-based artist Laura Wilder. They are displayed beautifully in oak frames.
If you wish to luxuriate in this experience, Dalton’s is open Monday-Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Retail space is at a premium at Skaneateles Artisans. This is the gallery on the lower level of the Old Stone Mill, located at 3 Fennell Street, Skaneateles, New York 13152.
Teresa Vitale is the owner. She is also a very successful artist who creates faux finishes on furniture and fireplace mantles in homes. Some of her work is on display in the gallery as well as paintings, ceramic and glassware, jewelry and trinkets created by over one hundred local artists and artisans.
It is a gift-giver’s paradise.
There is so much from which to choose. I was telling my friend Janine that I was so overwhelmed by it all that I would have to go through my pictures to really digest everything and I would probably see things in the pictures I didn’t remember seeing in person. In that regard, this gallery is a place one must frequent often. That and the fact that stock gets replaced often. It is a cash and carry business, unlike other galleries where the exhibit must conclude before one can take stuff home.
The Skaneateles Curbstone Festival continues today, July 21, 2023, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. This gallery did not have an outdoor presence but over forty other vendors are sidewalk sale-ing it. In addition, there are magic acts, balloon animal makers, musical guests, sightseeing cruises on the lake and many fine dining restaurants to experience.
We visited yesterday and had such a wonderful adventure of discovery while shopping the numerous stores on Jordan Street and West Genesee Street, as well as Fennell, culminating in a watermelon and feta salad lunch at The Sherwood Inn followed by custard ice cream from Doug’s Fish Fry.
So, I was trying out a thing – theme weeks for my work attire. Last week it was black. This week I wore silk every day. Themes are challenging because they limit what you can and cannot wear. This can be a good thing when you have so many clothes in your closet that it makes you focus only on a few key items. And on the flip side, the limitations are frustrating because sometimes you just want to reach for a cotton T–shirt or whatever. I know that when they tell us we are having a jeans day on a Friday – I don’t always feel like wearing jeans.
It really all depends on the weather. And with teaching art, it also depends on what materials we are using – how messy they are. It was very warm in the classroom. I had several moments of overheating, which looked like a menopausal freak show, but was really just a lot of people in a room with no air conditioning wearing masks that make your face sweat and then whoooosh – your whole body, lol. It was happening to the thirteen-year-old boys and girls too.
Wearing silk helped with that. Thank you, Rachel Zoe for your beautiful light weight creations. I cut off the off-shoulder top’s sleeves on the embroidered silk/cotton top (above) and tried it as a layered tube top thingy, which I loved.
#kesnyc #tashkovski #ullajohnson #bcbgmaxazria
A thank you also goes out to Ulla Johnson for this magnificent lightweight slip and dress combo, all silk, that I wore for the first time backwards. When I bought the dress, it was featured as a high neck tunic with a bow at the back of the neck, but I wore it with the bow in front as more of a V-neck and loved it. The other way, the neckline sort of flopped in a funny way, like it was too big and so, this dress had been relegated to the back of my closet. Now you may see it in a heavier rotation.
I know it isn’t as flattering to go with the moo-moo look, as my colleague Katy calls it, but we both love the comfort of dresses like this for work. The dress isn’t particularly editorial but in real life, it is really beautiful with a delicate embroidery throughout the sheer fabric.
I completed silk week with this Halston one-shouldered top that I wore with an Allsaints T-shirt underneath. I paid full price when I bought this top from Neiman Marcus. It has this fabulous drape that I love so muchy-much. I am wearing it in my Facebook profile picture. It’s one of my favorite pieces!
Because I blog my outfits, I feel like I need to wear everything in my closet and have something different on all the time, like the characters do on the new incarnation of Dynasty on the CW. And I guess that has to be fine with me. Clothes are an obsession. Clothes? Fashion, really, and knowing my own style. I will spend every penny on my wardrobe. Eating and paying bills – that stuff is overrated, lol. #whatwillshewearnext? <3
Marketplace on James is a new store at 2802 James Street in the Eastwood section of Syracuse, New York, 13206. It is the former Tip a Few bar now transformed into an artisan gallery, a tattoo parlor and a food place.
My good friends and Eastwood residents Bob and Marie Leogrande have begun a new venture making and selling their homemade pastas and sausage rolls. They use family recipes and all natural ingredients. Everything is packaged fresh and ready to eat! The Leograndes are also available for catering private parties (big and small) and will be in the store for occasional pop-up lunches!
Picking up a few of Marlene Roeder’s Zen inspired coloring books is worth the visit to Marketplace on James. They are really lovely – everyone of all ages can enjoy them because, let’s face it, who doesn’t love coloring?
Yesterday was the grand opening of Marketplace on James complete with a visit from the mayor and media coverage. There are about fifty individual vendors represented. I believe they pay a monthly fee to house their crafts under one roof.
I was there briefly and took these snapshots. It is a bit overwhelming when you first walk in because there is so much eclectic merchandise. New folk art style paintings, antique repurposed furniture, handmade jewelry and a lot of gift-type thingys are situated on different retail fixtures and tables. There didn’t seem to be a clear view of individual areas the way the space is divided at The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseeds.
But it is whimsical and fun, if you enjoy gift shopping/browsing. This place is the brainchild of owner/operator Eileen Porto. Her mission – to bring community and small businesses together under one roof.
Marketplace will be open Monday-Wednesdays 7:00 am – 6:00 pm, Friday & Saturday 7:00 am – 9:00 pm and Sundays noon – 6:00 pm. Vendors will replenish stock periodically, so there will always be new goods to see.
The kitchen is new/updated and will have something aromatic available daily, including free samples of products from these fabulous local vendors.
There is only street parking available – no parking lot, but there are businesses on both sides of James Street in that area with parking lots – coffee shops, restaurants, hair salons, banks, etc. If you’ve never done it, you could make a day of it and explore Eastwood! There is an adorable deck around the corner to sit and have a coffee and maybe do a photo shoot by the wall mural – and an amazing plant shoppe that will make you say – this is so cool! (Or at least, it did me, lol). Enjoy!!! (for more information, call 315-928-6724) <3
I visited Cazenovia Artisans. This is a co-op where the artists take turns working the sales floor. Yesterday, that artist was Paula Burke. Paula is a Syracuse University graduate specializing in ceramics. She studied there under Margie Hughto and David MacDonald, among other amazing professors.
Her work is primarily focused around nature. She loves the lyrical aspect of the ginkgo leaf and utilizing glazes that have iridescent effects coupled with a matte finish.
Mary Padgett popped in – she was rearranging her display. She is selling glass mosaic pieces that shimmer in the light, as well as framed paintings of landscapes. She enjoys flipping the media, working on paintings and the three dimensional items sometimes within the same week.
The artwork is united by color – both styles work in unison and would create harmony in many home collections.
There is also a visiting artist program. Allyson Markell is this month’s featured artist. She creates colorful painted collages.
Cazenovia Artisans is located at 39 Albany Street, Cazenovia, NY 13035. Call (315) 655-2225 for more information and store hours or visit their web-site, which includes an online shopping experience.
I visited City Market at the Everson Museum of Art on Sunday. Walked around before it rained and met some new-to-me vendors, as well as old friends.
Randy Casciano of Salt City Salvage creates tables from vintage filing cabinets and bird houses with wine crates, among other repurposed items. He does not have a website yet (working on it) but his email is Randy@SaltCitySalvage.com. I love his work. I want everyone of these birdhouses, especially the copper roof one!
Barbara Floch had a beautiful display of her papier-mache crafted jars, sea shells and jewelry. She has a space at the Delavan Center and calls her company Gypsy Girl Designs. Find her at www.gypsygirldesignsandcreations.com.
Ken Nichols and his lovely wife Kris sold his handmade ceramic bowls and mugs. When I stopped by, they had a large crowd of fans gathered around. Ken is at this event every second Sunday, of the month 10:00 am-5:00pm, May through October 2021.
Goodies Mediterranean Grill & Cuisine was represented with to-go versions of their delicacies. As the sign indicates, they are located at 3605 James Street. Call (315) 433-1003 for more information.
David McKenney of GBD Studio (glass by Dave) presented his glassworks. He can be reached at (315)373-3078 if you would like to make a purchase.
Jane Zell was the musical guest. She is FABULOUS! This video is on my http://www.youtube.com channel. Yes, I have one! <3
These BCBGMaxAzria sandals are currently in heavy wardrobe rotation. They are incredibly comfortable. I love them! They seem to compliment everything too – and, I receive compliments every time I wear them. Best $300 (or so) I have ever spent!
I bought them four or five years ago from www.bcbg.com.
