Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
Do you have a Leap Year tradition? If I have one, I can’t remember what it is.
It would be fun to have something you do every 4 years.
As it is, I’m just looking at it as an extra day. There’s usually not a February 29, so anything you actually accomplish is bonus, right?
Also, I’m pretty sure calories don’t count, which is good because my local Culver’s is offering 29-cent custard cones for the occasion. But maybe I should leap a few times just to make sure.
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Have you seen the photos of colorful lampshades hanging above Paris streets?
Here’s one…
This was the first one I saw, and it was posted by Fat Tire Paris, a tour company I follow on Twitter, with the caption “The lamps (officially) came back out today! You can find them on Rue de Furstemburg.”
I was intrigued. What were these lamps? An art installation? Some kind of elaborate sidewalk sale?
I did some investigating and found out the oversized laterns are meant to show the beauty and versatility of European linen.
They are displayed annually in January during the 5 days of the Paris Déco Off. As I understand it, the Paris Déco Off is when home decor companies open up their Paris showrooms to debut new collections. It’s open to the public, and interior designers from around the world come for that and the tradeshow held at the same time.
There are free shuttles to take you to the different Paris Déco Off neighborhoods. (They’re Volkswagens, because it’s Europe.) Some of the showrooms have receptions with food and champagne. (Because it’s France.)
The lamps hang over 8 of the streets where there are Paris Déco Off showrooms, including the aforementioned Rue de Furstemburg. The whole display is called Linen Lux, and it’s put on by Masters of Linen, a certification for material traceable from flax to fabric as being produced in Europe.
This year it included 140 lamps representing 85 different producers.
While I was trying to figure out the deal with the lamps, I learned about the Rue de Furstemburg. It’s also spelled as the more German “Furstenberg,” because it was named after 17th-century abbot William Egon of Fürstenberg, who built the street and restored its abbey, St-Germain-des-Prés.
The abbey later was home to artist Eugène Delacroix and is now a museum of his work.
Less notably, in the middle of the rue is the Place de Furstemburg, which, depending on who you ask, is either the smallest square in Paris or just an overachieving roundabout.
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Photo credits:
2.-3. European Linen and Hemp
4. Flickr user Max Sat (CCL)
5. Flickr user Hervé (CCL)
Maybe it’s because I grew up in Phoenix, where trees either don’t lose their leaves or lose them very late (like in the middle of our “winter”), but I think there’s something kind of lovely about bare winter branches.
When we were at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in mid-January, I kept taking photos of plant shapes silhouetted against the afternoon sky.
How are the trees looking in your part of the world right now?
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We’ve been including a list of hand-picked maker/artist/explorer events in our monthly newsletter, and I thought I’d share the Arizona portion here today.
Arcosanti, near Cordes Junction. Art by Arcosanti residents and alumni for sale. The day we had breakfast at Arcosanti was also during an art show. Work for sale included jewelry, photography, and mixed media pieces.
Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina, Scottsdale. Read our review of the redesigned Macayo’s Scottsdale.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior. Whether or not you take a class, it’s a lovely place to spend the day.
10am-5pm in Hertiage Square, Phoenix. Market for vintage goods, fine art & crafts, fashion, and artisan food.
12-7pm in Downtown Mesa. Read about a previous SWMF or my travel journal workshop.
6pm at Gangplank Chandler. Meet other artists and crafters and learn something new or bring your own project to work on!
Phoenix. Self-guided tour of studios in Phoenix Arts District.
26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 100 artists set up shop under big tents in Scottsdale for 10 weeks. Also cafe, sculpture garden, and weekend music. $10 season pass.
After looking back at what an app considered my top photos from last year, I realized the app doesn’t really know my life.
So this year, I’ll be choosing one of my Instagram photos each month that speaks to where I’m at in some way and sharing it here as my own Photo of the Month.
For January, I chose this photo from the foggy day we visited Monticello during our DC and Virginia trip. Phillip and I enjoyed exploring the grounds, and the fog added a layer of romance and mystery.
Also, I find myself drawn to photos with empty seats in them. Maybe when I see this type of image, it makes me feel like there’s a place for me in the space. Maybe I take them (and post them), so you can feel like there’s a place for you in my photos too.
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