Lovely Things

1. Zaha Hadid show, the paintings especially, at the Guggenheim
2. Chihuly art glass at the New York Botanical Garden
3. Fantastic handcrafted clothing and jewelry at new shop Ai Ai Gasa on 5th Ave, Park Slope (plus an art opening on Friday the 7th)
4. Lemon ice made daily at Court Street Pastry, Carroll Gardens
5. The long holiday weekend - aaaaaah!

Book chat: we've actually been spending our days off preparing our late summer and fall orders for the store. Choosing new books is always lots of fun. One that we are very much looking forward to is By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art which will be out late in the year, just in time for gift-giving, really. Read the synopsis, it sounds very good. (Also, putting the words 'craft' and 'art' together can be contentious so I am curious to see what Shu and Joe have to say about that.)

Soon at the shop: some very well-priced and nicely made not-leather handbags by Melie Bianco, good summer fun bags. Delicate rings in sterling silver, yellow gold and rose gold by Amy Tavern. Fabric-covered headbands by Cookie and the Dude for your bad hair days. Even more jewelry designs in laser-etched stainless steel by Polli. And a big summer sale, soon - make sure you're on the mailing list to find out first.