comprehensive (by which i mean LONG!!!) 2012 nyc holiday windows tour (with master plan!)

a christmas tradition you've heard me talk about plenty of times, is the day, each december, that my mother and i spend in manhattan, strolling up and down fifth avenue, drinking in the amazing department store decorations, shopping at the holiday markets, and generally enjoying all the fun and festivity of "christmas time in the city". something i've not done before is include the logistics of our route and specific locations of the "must see" windows. but it occurs to me that anyone who lives within a train ride of new york (or is planning a winter vacation here?) might like a few hard facts, so i'm going to make this a kind of semi-travelogue, for anyone who's interested!  (for anyone who's not interested, c'mon back tuesday morning, for a lovely holiday card!)

give my regards to broadway, remember me to herald square!

we usually arrive in new york via new jersey transit train to pennsylvania station (31st-33rd streets between 7th and 8th avenues) and by leaving the station complex from the main entrance across from the grand old hotel pennsylvania, it's only about a block and a half walk to...

stop #1:  macy's, herald square (34th st and broadway) where the holiday windows are always quite a feature, and even the building's facade, crowds, and ancillary decorations are lovely. an uptown N, R or W subway train... (there are maps, apps, and whole websites devoted to the ny subway system, also known as the MTA; plus, fellow riders are surprisingly helpful; if you stick firmly to the tourist trail, you should not be afraid to use this awesomely useful resource!) ...from the herald square station to the lexington avenue/59th street stop will whisk you quickly to...

 i'm not sure they've ever refurbished the frontage of bloomies... and why would they?

stop #2: bloomingdale's (59th st and 3rd ave) i call this a must-see, but if you really, REALLY want to avoid the subway or need to knock a couple of blocks off your day's walking, you can skip it. it's a gorgeous store, though, and again, the windows never disappoint. (also a good place to grab a snack, a meal, or a bathroom break!) 

not xmassy, but i love the juxtaposition of the historic plaza hotel and the apple cube on 5th ave

walking west a couple of blocks and turning left onto fifth avenue lands you in the heart of the "windows tour": between 59th and 38th streets, just keep walking south, and you'll see branches of nearly every luxury brand you can imagine (from apple to tiffany to american girl to versace), all the big department stores, some of the cooler old hotels (the plaza, the peninsula), fao schwarz, st. patrick's cathedral, rockefeller center, etc.; you'll need to cross fifth avenue a number of times back and forth to see everything, and when you get to the bigger stores, be sure to go around the corner of their cross-street, because sometimes the side windows have cool stuff, too. i'll name the highlights below, but there's no way i can be comprehensive because there's just too much good stuff. keep your eyes peeled, and allow extra time for diversions. ready? let's go!

my mom, central park south, on one of the most beautiful days of any december, ever

stop #3: bergdorf-goodman (5th ave at 58th st) as with macy's and bloomingdales, this is another series of 5-6 windows with a comprehensive theme and a big budget, though these generally contain store merchandise rather than animated figures or a mechanical display. worth seeing, for sure, though.

 bergdorf's had an art deco theme this year

stop #4: tiffany + van cleef and arpel across the street from each other (at 5th ave and 57th; bulgari and harry winston are in the next block, too) there's always a bit of friendly competition as to who can produce the flashier display. the winner is YOU, as you drink it all in! (for the record, i almost always love tiffany the most, and this year was no exception.)

a tiny tree, signature boxes, and lots of reflection at tiffany

stop #5: henri bendel (5th ave at 56th st) this year we voted bendel's the best for souvenirs, there's a whole room right at ground level with amazing smaller gifts and stocking stuffers; of course NOTHING is cheap in new york, but there were some pretty irresistible trinkets here.

you don't even have to be an anthro junkie to love the decor

stop #6: saks (5th ave between 49th and 50th streets) has a cool snowflake light show every 10 or 15 minutes after 5pm that's worth seeing; also it's directly across the street from rockefeller center where you can see the ice rink, the biiiiiiiiiiiiig tree, and plenty of other decorations. the windows at anthropology on 50th street (about half a block into the complex) are always worth the trip, and inside the center are more shops, restaurants, bathrooms, and more. 

(the viewing deck at top of the rock is definitely worth a visit, but costs about $25 per person, and will consititute a diversion of a couple of hours, in order to encompass waiting time, an interesting film, and finally the taking of 1,000,000 photos of the new york skyline, so might best be left to a different occasion. if you ask me whether i prefer it to the (similarly priced, but possibly even-longer-lined) empire state building for panoramic purposes, i'd have to grudgingly say, "yeah" because the only thing you cannot PHOTOGRAPH from the top of the empire state *is* the empire state... just sayin'...) 

ice skaters at rockefeller center

when you're done wandering around rockefeller center, head back to fifth avenue, and continue walking south.

stop #7: barney's (5th ave at 47th) more window finery, usually with a bit of video or animation.

now... there's quite a long gap between here and your next venue, lord and taylor, at 38th street, but the windows there are usually quite wonderful (our faves this year, actually!) and if you're headed back to penn station at 34th, it's directly on the way. however, if you're beat, this is a good time to either jump in a cab OR walk more directly towards your train via times square if you don't mind being in a SERIOUS CROWD (walk west on 42nd street for 3 blocks and you'll run right into it).

alternatively, the holiday shops in bryant park (42nd st behind the main branch of the NY public library which fronts on 5th ave) are worth seeing, bryant park also boasts a substantial christmas tree, and an ice rink that's smaller (but also cheaper and with less of a wait!) than the one at rockefeller center. add in some pretty good outdoor food venues, a (pricey!) sit-down restaurant, and surprisingly elegant bathrooms... usually with a very long line!

if you divert into bryant park, you'll need to walk back to fifth avenue, and continue proceeding south to get to...

one of the whimsical, magical windows at lord and taylor

stop #8: lord and taylor (5th ave at 38th street) i mentioned that these were our favorite windows this year, and this is not the first time it's happened. more than once we've been tempted to skip this stop, and occasionally we do skip it, but we've never got here and been sorry. it's really up to how tired you are when you've got to 47th, and what time you wanted to head for home.

after this stop, we usually walk a block west and then head south on sixth avenue, so we can grab another glimpse at macy's, afterall, it's right on the way back to penn station... just one more block west and you are all set to catch your train home!

the tree at the metropolitan museum should probably get its own day

however, i'd be remiss if i didn't at least mention a few fun holiday add-ons; though frankly, there is no way you can do ALL OF THEM in one day, so don't even try! but here's the info:

1. the inside of the flagship macy's at herald square (34th st and braodway) is well-known to have one of the best "santalands" in new york... and the lines reflect that, so plan on amusing your little guys and gals during a considerable wait to see the man himself. on the plus side, the store itself is quite nice, with fabulous 1920's wooden escalators, five levels of an entire city block of shopping, a few cafes, and an entire top floor dedicated to the display and purchase of every conceivable type of christmas ornament and decoration. this is also a great warm-up and/or bathroom-break spot!

2. there are outdoor holiday markets with an emphasis on unique and interesting gifts, art and jewelry at union square (14th-17th streets, between broadway and park ave), columbus circle (59th st at the SW corner of central park), and the aforementioned bryant park (42nd st & 6th ave); there's also a very up-scale "holiday fair" inside vanderbilt hall at grand central station (42nd st & park ave). if you happen to hit upon a very cold day, the latter is a nice way to warm up; grand central also has restaurants, some lovely (permanent) shops, nice bathrooms, a food court where you can sample many only-in-ny chain restaurants... oh yeah... and trains, too! (both subway and above-ground rail connections in and out of the city.) 

3. the christmas tree at the metropolitan museum of art (5th ave at 81st st) with its elaborate 18th-century italian nativity scene and renaissance-style angel decorations is my favorite in the city, but it's admittedly a bit of a trek to get to the upper east side to see it, and the $20 museum entrance fee is enough that you'll probably want to spend a few hours touring the museum while you're there. on the plus side, it's arguably one of the finest "all round" art museums in the world, boasting a collection which includes a genuine, full-sized first century BC egyptian temple, a complete frank lloyd wright living room, greek and roman statuary, egyptian mummies, musical instruments from around the world, tiffany glass galore, a fine collection of modern paintings, amazing arms and armor, furniture, silver, pottery, tapestries, altarpieces and religious artifacts... basically if you can think of a well-known artist or artistic style, the met owns at least a couple of really nice examples! there are dining options ranging from the very reasonable cafeteria to the ultra-ritzy trustee's dining room, and again, if you've chanced to hit the city on a very cold (or rainy!) day, it's a nice weather-proof haven!

an amazing fused glass panel from one of the shops in bryant park

a few bonus tips to make your trip even better:

1. don't drive in to the city. unless you're a local or will absolutely NEED a car whilst actually in manhattan, you are fighting the tide! trust me, the traffic is a headache you don't need, and the prices for parking might actually make your head explode. buses and trains arrive daily from all over... try to be on one if it's humanly possible!

2. wear comfortable shoes!!! you'll be walking. a lot. all day long. it's a new york thing. no one will be looking at your feet anyway, i promise!

3. wear comfortable shoes!!! ok, yeah, this may sound a lot like tip #2, but over the years i've discovered there is no possible way to over-stress this point. if your feet hurt, you will be miserable. seriously. it's not worth it.

4. wear warm clothes. this past tuesday it was 62 degrees, and we strolled around in light jackets. this is the first and only time that has EVER HAPPENED!!! 35-45(f) degrees is much more normal, but it could even be 20-25. and there really isn't an "indoor option" for most of this itinerary, so you'll want a hat, a scarf, some gloves, and warm (not to mention COMFORTABLE, see above, and then above that, lol!) shoes.

5. don't count on there being a ladies' room! many new york shops and restaurants-- especially the smaller ones-- genuinely just do not have bathrooms, so if you're in the train or bus station, a museum or department store, think twice before you sail past that restroom. additionally, be prepared for there to be a longish line of ladies in front of you, all of whom need the facilities as much as you do, so plan accordingly; even with a crying baby, a double stroller, and "emergency status"... you will likely not be able to skip to the front of the queue without risking serious injury. to sum up: don't wait till the last minute, k?!

6. be AWARE of where you are! i don't mean in an "it's the CITY, we're gonna get MUGGED" kind of way because every place i've mentioned-- including the subway-- is firmly on the tourist trail and quite safe; what i mean is: don't get to the top (or bottom) of the escalator and stop to take a photo, don't stand in the middle of the crowded sidewalk to consult your map, don't block the doors of the subway car when people are trying to enter and exit. and if you think this is advice so glaringly obvious i shouldn't even have bothered to mention it, i must tell you that i've never, ever, been in new york without having one (or all!) of those things occur in my presence. you may be on vacation, but your good manners ought not to be! your fellow visitors will REALLY appreciate your courtesy!!! ♥♥♥

7. have a ♥WONDERFUL♥ time and take LOTS of photos... then come leave me a link! :)

how do you decide whether to do a side- or top-fold card?

i ask because i only realized last night, midway through what i'm sure by now must be my elebenty-seventh consecutive year of card-making, that i consistently do a side-fold by default, a top-fold when i have an offcut of cardstock that needs using up, and a reverse side-fold (the infamous "left-handed greeting card" lol!) only when i am very, very tired. :)

this one's a top-fold, and thus represents one less leftover 12x4.5" piece of kraft in my cardstock caddy. big win!!!

 (patterned paper: crate, echo park; chipboard tree stickers: recollections; border stickers: my mind's eye; sentiment rub-on: making memories; poinsettia: we r memory keepers; twine: doodlebug; lace: vintage, from m'stash; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

may i say for the record that those sparkly patterned trees might just represent my all-time favorite holiday stickers? they are michaels' store brand, i've gone through AT LEAST 5 or 6 packs of them in the last few years, and i'm certain i will continue to purchase and enjoy them for however long they continue being made! i almost always use the whole pack of 3 at a time... but then... i almost always buy them when they're on a 40% off sale... so i think i'm still up on the deal, fiscally-speakin'!

my layout is based on kimber mcgray's 12.1 saturday card sketch at two peas in a bucket:

i used this week's gorgeous holiday palette (#221) from color throwdown:

and i think that's about all i have to say for the moment, except to wish you a very happy and productive weekend! ciao for now, darlings! ♥

it's important to have a plan!

i didn't say it had to be a GOOD plan!)  :) :) :)

hello, darlings and happy thursday! are you having a nice december so far? mine has been excellent... but a bit hectic... and kind of short on the blogging, for which i apologize. at the moment, i'm all about writing out and mailing holiday cards! wouldja like to see the cool address label i made? (please say yes, k, 'cause it's the only crafty thing in this post!)

i used anna aspnes' retro christmas kit and snow spray brushes #3 from o'scraps, plus katie pertiet's clipped journalers stacks and inked flakes from designer digitals. (if you happen to need a label, i'd be happy for you to g'head and snag some of these to use on your cards or packages!) 

some other stuff i've been doing this week:

enjoying the unseasonably warm and spring-like weather here in the northeast this week... it was 60+ degrees on monday and tuesday!!!

attending the members' preview of the astonishingly cool new matisse exhibit "in search of true painting" at the metropolitan museum of art.

catching up (belatedly!) on the last season of the closer and the first season of major crimes; totally impressed by the quality of acting and writing in both.

crocheting lots and lots (and lots!) of twinkie chan's delightful cupcakes.

visiting my second "specialist" dentist of the year, to get the second half of my implant/crown thingie completed. (if you've got a minute around 4:30pm, darlings, i sure could use a few "good dental vibes"!!!) 

treating myself to one of krispy kreme's luscious red velvet doughnuts.

walking extra miles on the treadmill at the gym or-- as a special treat in yesterday's warm-for-december temps-- OUTSIDE (oh the luxury!) to counter-act the "doughnut effect"!

drinking in the gorgeous christmas decorations of fifth avenue with my mom on our annual "christmas windows tour" of manhattan. (i'll do a whole post on this, next week!)

driving to (just plain) york, pennsylvania, this saturday to celebrate our eldest niece jessica's 21st (!!!) birthday!!! ♥♥♥

planning a visit to longwood gardens to see the holiday finery later this month with lovely husband jeff's lovely parents.

buying our christmas tree on sunday; so far i don't have a "scheme" for decorating it, so i'm thinking we'll go with the special ornaments jeff and i both have collected from childhood to the present. i'll post some photos when it's decorated.

so what have ♥YOU♥ been doing this week? whatever it may be, i hope you've had a bit of fun doing it! ♥♥♥

inspired by... SHOPPING OUR STASH!

it's tuesday, and thus time to see what's cooking at SHOPPING OUR STASH this week! just to be timely, as we gallop full-tilt into december, miss carla has thrown us a super-easy and super-helpful challenge: make a hanukkah or christmas card... OR... make a card with a snow or winter theme! i'm guessing you could use a few of one or other of those right now, eh? so dig deep into your older stash, your remnants, your leftovers, your scraps and see what you can devise! here's what i made:

(vintage: eyelet lace, trimmed; santa element from polka dot pixels' "christmas shopping" digikit, two peas in a bucket; patterned paper--almost all scraps, woohoo: echo park, crate paper, basic grey, amy tangerine, doodlebug; ornament: crate paper; brad: doodlebug; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)  

i was SERIOUSLY "inspired by" (hence the name!) inspired by challenge #52 (and ♥CONGRATS, miss laurel, on your first full year of utterly AWESOME challenges!!!♥) which, as you can see, is soooooo totally rocking the vintage holiday flair, that i basically worked in as many elements from the photo as i possibly could:

at the same time, my layout was suggested by this week's gorgeous retro sketch #40, which i rotated a bit (i used scraps to make up the patchwork bit in the middle, and they just fit the santa tag better in this direction; because yes, this is how "scientific" my process is, lol!) but otherwise it's quite a faithful rendition:

now i hope you'll hop over to SOS and see what my uber-talented fellow DT members have cooked up for your inspiration... it'll be worth the trip, i promise! ♥

strictly speaking, this ornament is a bit too large for the tree :) :) :)

well hello and happy-almost-weekend! this being the first friday since the official end of our ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ 2012 xmas-card-making year*, i thought it would be nice to start things off with... ahem... ok, yeah, it's still a christmas card, lol!

 (patterned paper: mme, glitz, love elsie, echo park, dcwv + a bit of packaging from the girls' paperie; mini bingo card: jenni bowlin; dimensional ornament sticker: crate paper; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

because let's face it, this is the time of year the rest of the world is really tuned in to christmas cards, and whilst i have the bulk of mine completed, a few "extras" never ever go amiss, do they? plus there are some excellent challenges out there in which i can enjoy being a player rather than a hostess, which is awfully fun! for example, kimber mcgray's saturday card sketch challenge at two peas is rather awesome this week:

and when paired with the palette at colour q it's even better!

of course, for me, trying to do anything even remotely "clean and simple"... (which, ok, admittedly, this card would not be considered by ANYONE ELSE, but for me, it IS, so just go with me here, for the sake of argument, k?!) ...takes approximately 97 times longer than my usual super-embellished style. don't get me wrong, most of the time, i love having the "collage gene" but when i see the pared down masterpieces other people make, i just occasionally wish it came with an off switch. but in the end, i got there, and if my card certainly cannot be called "minimalist" by anyone, ever, i think it's got a certain low-key charm. :)

speaking of C+S masterpieces, you should check out patrice's blog, the old back porch, where she is constantly pulling off the kind of super-sleek style that makes me sigh! oh yeah, and why not link up with 52-card-pick-up whilst you are there?! ciao, darlings! ♥

*we'll start up again for the 2013 jingle belles season on january 1st, and we'd ♥LOVE♥ for you to join us! in the meantime, there's a sort of "anything christmassy goes" linkfest goin' on over there, with a bit of a prize up for grabs... just sayin'...

i was hoping to do all *TWELVE* days...

...of the prima blog's 12 days of christmas cards challenge because every single one of the DT examples were amazing and luscious and full of inspiration; but one only has so much time in a day, and i'm proud to have come up with what i feel are pretty good takes on four of them! for today, i've done my version of solange marques' gorgeous round card from day ten. admittedly, mine's not nearly as funky fab as hers, but i've got her round scalloppy edge shape, her cluster of flowers, and (my own version of) her "trees in a landscape" so i do quite like it:

(angelique papers, say it in pearls and pretty window packaging, florals: prima; deco tape: martha stewart; rhinestones: recollections; sticker: crate paper; vintage doily; ink: colorbox; adhesives: staples brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, sewing machine)

one of my favorite things about prima is that they are constantly thinking about good design on a quantum level, which means that even their *PACKAGING* makes its way into my projects! the inner round panel of this card is made from the pretty pale blue glossy cardstock from some lovely prima resin windows (i used one on this card) and the green flowery card out of a packet of pearl embellishments. and really, if i hadn't told you that, would you have GUESSED those bits were completely FREE??!

i used what WAS the current palette at color throwdown (#219) when i started, forgetting that it would change by the time i got this posted! that doesn't takeaway from its loveliness or its helpfulness, however!

and now the thing i reallllllly have to do is stop making christmas cards, and start writing out and mailing all of the lovely ones i've already finished at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ this year! anyone for some hot cocoa??!? ♥

do you have "odds and ends" which are laying in wait??!

if so, this week at shopping our stash is the perfect opportunity to use those babies!!!

Challenge 79 : Odds and Ends 

use two different types of embellishments-- odds and ends in your stash; for example the lone white pearl and a scrap of ribbon, or two red buttons and one green pearl, or scrap of twine and a button, or the left one over brad from the package with a sticker from an old card kit.

any amount/combo is fine as long as two different types are included; and be sure to tell us what your "odds and ends" are, you know we love to hear triumphant stash-using stories!!!

i have LOTS of odds and ends, especially odds, lol! so i used a bunch of different ones on my card:

i don't know about you, but i still have about a gazzillion half-packets of epoxy stickers, and i sort of forget about them, so this seemed like a great time to break them out and really make a feature of 'em by using them to create a frame. there are examples of at least 10 different sets here. seriously. and i've still got enough left for a couple more frame-style cards, as well!

what i framed was my SECOND "odds and ends" element, which is a sentiment made from a bunch of different leftover alphabet stickers (2 sets) and rub-ons (3 sets); again, there are plenty more where these came from, so i'm seriously grateful that SOS runs every single week!!! :)

last week's deconstructed sketch (#78) provided my starting point for the layout, but it really got a bit lost in the shuffle; i'll show it anyway, though, because it's rather fab, and i'm sure i'll use it again!

if, by any chance, you're fresh out of "odds and ends" don't worry-- you can always fall back on "bits and bobs"; or even, in a pinch, break out a little "this-n-that"! whichever you choose, c'mon over to shopping our stash and check out the magnificent DT creations, then link up your own! ♥