The Weekend

It's March already, and here on the northeast we have most likely escaped the worst of any possible harsh winter weather.  Let's see . . . only 2 more weeks till SPRING arrives.  Somehow it feels like we missed a season somewhere, but frankly I have been too busy to notice much.   Just BEing part of this complicated world we all live in sometimes takes much more than we think we have. But incredibly, things always seem to right themselves, in someway, somehow.  Patience.  Love.  Prayer.  My 3 favorite words.


For someone like me who really doesn't get out much ( I need to change that I think), this past weekend was like the super bowl.  On Friday night I had an opening reception for a show I'm participating in at s.h.e. gallery http://shegallery.com/ in Boonton NJ.  The theme calls attention to women artists of the abstract expressionist movement and their battle to win their place in art history.  Great event, met lots of very interesting people, and was honored to pay tribute in a small way to the much larger group of women artists who have been long overlooked.  I used to wonder why, except for some of the more  obvious and well know painters like . . .


Mary Cassatt

Mother and Child

 Georgia O'Keefe

Red Poppy

and my personal favorite 
Helen Frankenthaler

The Bay

most of the names associated with the "artists" we all know,  are men.  Not to take anything away from their accomplishments, but heck.  Without getting into a long discussion on the reasons why, (which I think we all know anyway) let's just say that men traveled, sought patrons, and painted because they could.  It was, and still is in many ways, a path that women are not as free to spend their entire lives on.  

Featured in the exhibit at s.h.e. gallery was a photo by Nina Leen (1909-1995), The Iracibles, capturing this group of prominent abstract impressionists,  who were protesting a juried exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which was, at the time, stacked with jurors who were according to them, "hostile to advanced art".  Among the artists pictured were Ad Reinhardt, Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Wilem de Kooning, Mark Rothko & the sole woman standing prominently in the back, Hedda Sterne.  Go Hedda!


That being said,  I'd like to salute those women who in many ways, opened the doors for many of us. To BE able to persue our creativity in the arts, when and if, the time becomes the right time.  

The second night of my weekend was spent in the most wonderful way. . . at (dare I say it) my 40th high school reunion.  
Re-connecting with so many great high school friends was something like going back in time for a few hours.  Despite all of us changing in so many ways since those carefree days, there is still a bond. Even if it's just the happenstance of all of us growing up in one place,  at one time in history, it's enough to be able to share it once again now, years later.  Though sadly we are missing far too many faces who were so much a part of our lives then, we still remember.  And we love them as well.

LOL.  In 1972, our class was called out and reprimanded for pulling this prank on the administration.  Imagine.  We were so rad, even then.

The smiles are still the same, the memories are still intact, but mostly it's the heart of those friends who were all part of something which shaped us as a class then, and brought us back to where we are now.  Especially today,  I can't help but remember and cherish those words etched on our yearbook, by Henry David Thoreau so many years ago: 

We have taken different paths, but we can all always remember where the path began.  And I'm grateful that it did.  Love you all! 

Switching

I don't know about you, but in my house sometimes I feel like I'm moving but I don't actually move anywhere.  I box things up, re-organize my rooms, switch furniture around, and constantly try to use spaces in a new way.  Sometimes it takes weeks to lug things from one room to another, and sometimes my own family does not even notice anymore because things change here so much.  So much for what goes on in my home.  Now it's something else.  


Design Challenge!  


It's been about a week now since the transition from shop to something else.  Right now, I'm not sure what the something else is, but someone once told me (thank you Max), that confusion comes right before clarity.  So, I'll take that advice to heart right now.


Here's a pic of what the confusion was last Thursday.

My studio was filled with all kinds of shop related pieces which had remained unsold.  Mary has a similar situation at her home.  Thankfully, although this looks like a lot of stuff, we were able to sell the majority of pieces we had.  But due to the time limits of the lease, we were not able to sell everything, (which was never a real possibility anyway), so there we were . . . needing to find a place to store our treasures. 

In the midst of this mess, one piece you may remember is the big white desk that worked so well for us at SWITCH.  Here it is again making a pretty big statement and taking up quite a big amount of space in my studio. But, it was just too good to give up, and I thought it might serve another purpose here.  It is just waiting to become acclimated to it's new digs. . . and I think it's going to be wonderful!


As I did mention a few posts back, we are in the process of developing an on-line shop, instead of a brick and mortar one for the time being.  Still setting up the website, and it will probably be a few weeks before that is all done, but it will come.  In the meantime, for those of you that are local, I think my studio will be a kind of studio/shop.  If you see something here that you like, just give me a heads up here on the blog (go to the comments section if you like), or e-mail at www.switchlaroche@gmail.com.  


I'm usually in the studio between say 11- 4 anyway, so if you stop on in I might even have a pot of coffee on.


Here is some progress as of yesterday.

Clearing out space little by little. . .

I can see the floor, and am slowly getting my light back.  A few more days and I should have a good start to showcasing some select items for sale, mixed in with my art.  We'll see how it goes from there.


In the meantime, keep checking back here for the same unique and interesting things we had in the shop. Maybe a little less of these things in terms of numbers, but still one-of-kind and affordable as always. 


I'll be making some changes to the site itself, but for now,  what we have available is still listed on the 'Our Stuff" tab at the top of the blog.

I know it's not quite spring yet, but we can pretend, can't we?  Have a great day all you wonderful SWITCH shoppers.  Miss you!

Last Day

Well this is it.  Today's our last day at 121 Laroche Avenue.  We'll be packing up most of the day today, and wanted to let you know what is still available. . . some really great pieces at some really great prices.  


If you're passing by, stop on in, and maybe you can catch a good buy before we get our on-line site up and running.  


This is what's still in the shop today. . . for a short while anyway. . . 

Irish Pine Buffet

Gorgeous

SWP $800

Mid-Sized Shabby Armoire

SWP $300

Painted Wood Screen

Would be an amazing headboard 

for a full bed.

SWP $125 

Pair of 2 perfect French Armchairs

SWP $150 each

Wood & Glass Console Table

SWP $150

Vintage Hall Stand

SWP $325

Irish Pine Armoire

SWP $640

Pair of Counter Stools

SWP $200

Painted Black Table

48"Diameter + 1 Leaf

SWP $240

If you can't make it in today, you can reach us here at the blog, or e-mail us at switchlaroche@gmail.com

Have a wonderful day, and see you all here from time to time!

The Circle

Time has a unique way of being measured for all of us.  People. Events. Work. Memories. Dreams. Relationships.  Random everyday occurrences.  The days pass, and we learn.  We all do our best.  We realize that things are never static.  They change.  We change.  We understand more.  We accept.  We adapt.  We continue.  And all the while we hope and pray that time will be our friend.  

As Mary & I wind down our last few days here at SWITCH, (our final shop day is Saturday, February 11) we are grateful for many things . . . among them the overwhelming support from our families and friends,  and the patronage and friendship of all those people who have come into our lives in just this past year.  We know that for every good thing that is attempted, there is much good which results. 

image from bakerella.com

Happy Valentine's Day.
These have got to be the most incredibly beautiful cookies I have ever seen.  So, in honor of you my dear readers, I am reposting this special Valentine's Day sweet treat. http://www.bakerella.com/ .  I have never, ever attempted to work with fondant, but these exquisite yums may get me started . . . Drop me a line if you try them before I do, and let me know if they are worth getting over my fondant fear. 

image from sliceofsuburbia.com

Dear Friends 
. . . stay tuned for the next window to open, both here at SWITCHSTUFF, and as your own days reveal themselves.  Life is good.  We are all blessed. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend . . .

and the 

of all St. Valentine's Days!

              

Contentment

Do you ever have a day like this . . . lolling around, whiling away the hours, not a care in the world, just enjoying a good thing until something better comes along. . . dogs know how to relax better than we do I think.  When I look at this photo, I just have to remember how good it really is to chill. For a whole day.  Maybe a whole week.  I think we all should do more of this whenever we can.  Just grab those moments as limited as they are, and put the world aside.

I took this pic last summer, and when I look at it now I feel instantly relaxed.  Remembering that morning, and recalling the soothing sound of the tide does take me there.  Peace.  I think I'll stare at it for a few minutes more.






BTW . ..

Our resident wine goddess is looking for someone to take her home.

And this vintage sconce would look amazing over someone's door frame.  I have been SO tempted to own this myself . . . waiting it out for a few days :)






Our final in-shop sale days have begun, so stop on in when you can! 
In the meantime . . . 

                                                                        image by afadedpalette.blogspot.com
Remember the joy of this memory for a moment!

We Have to Tell You Something

What do you do when faced with a decision to make?  One way is to take some time, try to come up with a few possible solutions, explore the viability of each one, and then choose what appears to be the best option.  


Mary and I have had some soul searching to do in the last few weeks . . . and have decided that we need to make a change.  We love our little shop, and all the really wonderful people we have met in this last year -so this is hard to say . . . but, we will be closing our doors at SWITCH on Saturday, February 11th.


 But hey . . .  DON'T LEAVE US.   We'll have our online shop up and running within the next few days, and will continue to bring you the best of what we can find; interesting and one-of-kind pieces, affordable as always.  For you, our regular customers, we will  make our finds available to you, somehow, someway.  No details right now, we're working on that, but they will be coming soon.  Different space (sigh), but the same stuff.

So, keep checking the blog for updates on what's new . . . as we reconfigure SWITCH with some exciting new ideas.  Change can be good. Switching it out is what we do.  But we do hope you all will keep in touch.  We still love to hear from you here on the blog especially,  and hope you'll stop on by in the shop within the next few weeks! 

WINTERSALE WINTERSALE WINTERSALE

We are now marking selected large pieces 20% off, and some of our mid sized pieces (like chairs) 15% off.  Shop hours until we close our doors will be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11-4, and Friday & Saturday 10-4.  If you are interested in a purchase and cannot make shop hours, just e-mail us here . . .

switchlaroche@gmail.com, and we can arrange to open the shop for you.  No problem.  

Wishing you all a great weekend. . . and see you at the shop!

2 New Things

Like an open window clears the air to make way for a fresh new season, the new year can do the same thing to inspire new ways of thinking and doing everything.  Whether it's a new fitness routine, new job, new attitude or just a tweak on a current situation, now is the time to move forward and GO FOR IT.

So. . . here at Switch we are 

re-evaluting, and re-thinking some things too.

First the little thing. . . You may have noticed that I did get my Pinterest button activated on the blog. . . Honestly it's just for fun and inspiration, but there are just SO many creative people and ideas out there that it's nice to record some of the ones I like . . .virtual pinboard. Much easier than scrapbooking for me.  Check it out only if you are not afraid of a Pinterest addiction!

The other new thing Mary and I will be doing very soon is opening up the shop to on-line sales.  We have had some sales inquires from as far away as Mississippi, but haven't had a way for people to pay & ship till now.  We're excited to be able to offer another option to our far-away-friends, and hope you'll share the SWITCHSTUFF blog with people you know!  
Just copy and paste the blog from your browser, or here:
www.switchconsigndesign.blogspot.com and put it in an e-mail, or, simply just check out our page on Facebook (Switch Consign and Design), and share it that way.   If you can help us out by sharing our site, we are already grateful! 




One last thing . . . which makes it 3 things actually, is our WINTER SALE, starting this Tuesday-Thursday 11-4, and Friday-Saturday 10-4.  Our prices are pretty good all-the-time, but as a special promotion we'll be marking down an additional 20% on ALL our large pieces.  


Like this:

Irish Pine Hutch

originally $1100, now $880

and this: 

Irish Pine Armoire, originally priced at $800, now reduced to $640.  

and this . . .  

Natuzzi Black Leather Loveseat,

one side reclines.

Originally Switch-priced at $500, now $400. Yes, $400.  Perfect condition.

In addition, we are also marking down quite a few selected mid sized pieces 15%. . . 

Set of Kitchen/Bar Chairs reduced from 

$300 to $250

This morning at my house was really nice.  Special. Yes, it was COLD outside, but a coffee from Jack, some Irving Berlin on Pandora, some nice conversation at the fireside, and of course my Jackie

 making himself comfortable as usual was special.     

Things are not always this idyllic . . . but

for each of the few blessed moments which randomly happen to come my way, I am very grateful. 

Wishing you a great week, and some blessings to cherish as the days roll on.