Summer Wedding. Mattituck

In honor of their union and their wedding this summer, my daughter and her husband created a Family Crest. They included various symbols of each of their histories and interests, combining them to represent their collective lives. Then, they used the crest as a connector throughout the communications and decorations for the wedding. They printed golden crests on Save-the-Date postcards, party invitations, cocktail napkins, The Invitations, anything that would stand still long enough. They stopped just short of requiring tattoos on the guests.

So, it was inevitable that the crest would show up on the favors for wedding guests. I had the crest printed in gold on some cardstock...lots of cardstock... then proceeded to cut out and form 85 TinyBuildings. It was an adventure. At least I had the sense to allow myself lots of time, which I then squandered until I had about six weeks to make most of them. I ended up generating about a half dozen a day. Rough, but driven by love....

The most difficult part was making a variety rather than replicating the same form and format over-and-over again. I always want to form the TinyBuildings based on the proportions and layout of the original material...In this case that was the same 2 inch by 2 inch card with the same slightly-not -symmetrical drawing; with some segments of the image [sketches of their two cats] 'demanding' that I not cut off their legs or heads. Arghhhh! I wouldn't say it got boring, but it was challenging to address each piece of cardstock with the same enthusiasm..HAHA!

But, they turned out wonderful, and everyone seemed thrilled to receive one. We packaged them in small lucite boxes so guests could drop them in their pockets to take home.

So, that's what I did this spring. I don't have, yet, any pictures of masses of these Tinybuildings, but I do have a couple shots, along with the special version I made for my daughter and her husband, which included their Invitation. The black dot on the roof of one little house is the fastener from the envelopes....

c.2008

Hearth Too. NYC

This is a second version of Hearth. The earlier one was much more simplistic; and this one catches the essence of the restaurant more richly than the 'beginner' version [I think it's the chimney that does it...]. I'm particularly proud of the way the flame image from the card continue across the roof and canopy. Oh, Joy!

Hearth is on the north western? edge of the East village [not sure exactly where the village starts and stops]. The wine list is excellent and the food is great. Rustic, but refined, if you know what I mean. This place means 'comfort food' to us, so we've trudged there in ankle-deep snow, on bitterly cold nights, for some good hospitality and warming food.

c. 2005

Bluehill. New York

A-H-H-H-H! Bluehill at Stone Barns!!!! I cannot recommend this place heartily enough. It is just above New York City, along the Hudson River, just outside Tarrytown. Totally worth the drive out of the city. Some years back, Dan Barber, the chef at Bluehill Restaurant in the city cut a deal with David Rockefeller to turn his family estate into a working organic farm with a restaurant and educational center. and it is worth every penny of the tens of millions of dollars they spent in making it operable and beautiful. Its worth the trip just for the stonework, let alone the beautiful wood beams and wonderful lighting.

Then, there is the food. OMG!!!!! Elegant, imaginative, fresh, beautiful food! and a great wine list....


If you have been paying attention, you will remember this card was used to make the Virginia cabin, some posts back. I admitted in that posting, I believe, that I had borrowed the cardstock because it looked like stacked logs. Well, now you can see the *real* restaurants representation. I may have to make another one or two...I want to make the grouping of buildings around a stone courtyard which you walk through on the way from the valet parking point to the restaurant...you get a peek into several other structures...must go up there for one of the tours or classes....

c. 2004

Mas. New York City

Mas [French farmhouse] is a restaurant in the West Village with wonderful ambiance. It has been designed to portray its namesake with admirable restraint. No kitsch. No hype. Small space beautifully used. Has just enough dark wood, reminiscent of barn beams, to make the point; but doesn't hit you over the head with 'rustic'. A New York interpretation of a farmhouse- maybe wearing Prada, as *they* say.

The food is wonderful. We have had several family celebrations here, and are happy every time we return.

This tinybuilding is [I've said this several times before, I know...] one of my favorites. I love that the blades of grass encouraged the random openings in the facade. Think of them as worn out barn siding...holes in the side of the structure where the cows can peek in or out. Where the chickens can escape. Where the kids can sneak away to play instead of milking those cows.

But, on the other side of the tinybuilding is * the truth*. This is a farmhouse, with orderly windows; but, what? no door?! hahaha. This is the only tinybuilding without a door. Love it!!!

The Mas farmhouse/barn is about 1-1/2" tall. It is as wonderful as it is mainly due to the exquisite business card it is made from. Beautiful paper and printing and unusual, almost square size/proportion. Really conducive to a special no-door tinybuilding. Hooray!

c. 2006

Prune. New York City

This is one of the best restaurants in NYC, in the USA....Tiny place in the East Village, owned by a woman chef whose childhood nickname was Prune. Excellent food, very vibrant, comfortable atmosphere. Always crowded and hectic, but somehow you don't mind people jostling your elbow getting to their table or gazing at the food on your plate while they look over the menu.

The restaurant is in the ground floor of one of the ubiquitous apartment buildings that border all the sidewalks in Manhattan. I don't know it there is really a skylight on the back side of the roof, but it seemed like there oughta be. Maybe because Prune somehow makes you think of a Parisian bistro/brasserie...might be the tall skinny windows and the old mirrors and woodwork inside.

They have a great Sunday brunch; and the roasted fish on the dinner menu is melt-in-your-mouth good. Always interesting side dishes.

c. 2005

Frame Eleven. New York City and Zurich

This tinybuilding was made from a couple business cards for Darko Karas' motion graphics company in NYC. Darko is Jane's partner-in-crime-and-love.

I tried to do the card's graphics justice by placing and cutting the windows and doors in this tinybuilding at interesting locations and with unusual compositions-for windows, at least...I let the lines on the card dictate the positions and sizes of the cuts. Nice, huh?

c. 2006

Lupa. New York City

Lupa is one of Mario Batali's restaurants. My favorite, in fact. It has the feel of a 'neighborhood hangout' place, but with very good food. Not unlike Delfina in San Francisco [although, Delfina's food is even better I think].

It is particularly pleasant to eat at the bar, even with all the foot traffic and bustle. The energy level is great. Pasta, yummy roasted artichokes, Prosecco....We have had lots of good meals there. Makes you feel like a New York Insider to be there, somehow.

The actual building is not shaped like this Lupa 'diner'. But the atmosphere and attitude is sorta Italian Diner, I thought. Hence-the Lupa Diner.

c. 2002

Log Cabin. Virginia

This is one of my very favorite tinybuildings. It is a replica of log cabin, in the woods near Falls Church, Virginia. The business card is from Blue Hill @ Stone Barn, a really special restaurant and organic farm in the Hudson Valley, north of Manhattan.

I have made several copies of the cabin, as gifts for various families with connection to it; hence the multiple 'collections' label.

I prefer for the buildings to represent whatever the business card is from, but the stripes on the back of the restaurant's card so perfectly mimicked the horizontal lines of the log cabin, I just couldn't resist.

The tinybuilding is 'to scale' with the original cabin, which is in an idyllic locale, resting in a small clearing in some woods- visibly removed from the neighborhood that surrounds it, but within an easy hike through the woods.

c. 2005

KidO. NYC

These three connected tiny buildings are the first in my new grand daughter's collection. There is a mommy house, a daddy house, and a baby bear house. The daddy house is about one inch high.

They are made of cards from a great kids' store in the West Village. I am sure many presents will be purchased here.

c. 2006

Hearth. NYC

One of the really nice restaurants in the East Village, it has been the site of some great meals...they have an impressive wine list and great service. We have had several family celebrations there.

The pencil marks are 'proof' this is handmade....and they add to the character....

c. 2005