Last week of "Graphic Design: Get the Message" exhibit at the Albany Institute of History and Art

Another artistically inspiring day! I'll keep this post short and sweet.

The (greatly underappreciated) Albany Institute of History and Art is holding an exhibit called "Graphic Design: Get the Message" about graphic design in advertising. It's been up for a while, and it ends next Sunday (June 12th).

http://www.albanyinstitute.org/z-%20AIHA%20website/4-Exhibitions/exhibitions.main.htm

I was saddened, but not really surprised, to find that there were very few people at the museum today, and those who were there were mostly senior citizens. Nothing wrong with older folks enjoying the museum...it's just that I wish that more people of all ages would check it out and not think of museums as a boring, musty old place.

A lot of the pieces in the show are related to local history and regional products, so if you're from or familiar with the area, it's interesting to see the way things were many years ago, and to find that some of the brands that are still on shelves have been around for a hundred years or more.

There are also amazing national and international pieces, both original artwork and prints, demonstrating a wide range of items from ads created with early movable type, hand-painted signs and posters, lithographs, war propaganda and video game design.

If you get a chance to visit, it's well worth the trip.

~Leela

Daisies on the roadside + funky bowls and jewelry = INSPIRATION!

Wow...It was actually gorgeous out today!

It was sunny and warm...not hot and humid, nor rainy and cold. (It was beginning to seem like those were the only two kinds of weather we'd have this spring.) So it was a great day to go out with Colin and a friend and hit the flea markets.

The Capital District of NY (Albany and surrounding towns and villages) may not be very big, but it's definitely got its share of flea markets, ranging from tiny to large. Some are simply once-a-year affairs (church bazaars), while others are seasonal and yet others are year-round, permanent places.

I love going to them and picking through the aisles and stalls. Don't get me wrong...many times it's quantity over quality. There's a big difference between displays of interesting old things and tables piled high with crap. There are some really... underwhelming flea markets out there. (For instance, the first place we went to today - an annual sale type of event) Let's just say it was... ummm, all shabby, no chic.

I don't mind looking through junk to find treasure; that's what flea markets are all about. But some places are just run-down and depressing, and others remind me of vendor stalls in a b-grade, post-apocalyptic sci-fi film, with people who look like character actors selling the most random and bizarre assemblage of run-down, "what-the-hell?" stuff you could imagine.

And then there are places like Aunt Katie's Attic (on Amsterdam Rd, between Scotia and Amsterdam, NY) which are an absolute pleasure. http://www.auntkatiesattic.com/ Today was their annual outdoor flea market, and although I've meant to stop there for ages, it was the first time we visited.

We had to park down the road a bit, as the place was packed and it has a bitty little parking lot. As I stepped out of the car, the roadside was blooming with daisies, waving in the breeze in the warm sunshine. I mean, how could I *not* feel happy?

There weren't a huge number of vendors, but the ones that were there offered a really great range of products and prices. Everyone seemed cheerful and considerate, and no one was selling soap on a rope or a half-empty bottle of Avon cologne shaped like a cowboy boot.

Today's Bonus: kitties! There was a local animal rescue charity there with 5 cats up for adoption, and (naturally) I had to stop and talk to them (the cats, that is)

Aunt Katie's Attic is housed in an old school building, though it looks more like a market. Walking in is like setting the "wayback machine" to happy-kitschy mid-century land, with a fantastic and well-organized variety of kitchen tools, jewelry, glassware, etc arranged in creative, colorful and inviting displays. Unlike a lot of antiques/vintage shops, it doesn't give the sense of being in a "no-touch" museum. The prices are very reasonable, and you know that the staff takes care to stock good quality interesting pieces.

After wandering all around the shop - 2 floors of smile-inducing goodies - we went to pay for our haul. We ended up with a "Peanuts" lunchbox (same design as I had when I was a kid!), some dice with cats on them and two honest-to-god Pyrex measuring cups.

Did you know that not only aren't the classic Pyrex variety no longer manufactured, but the "new-and-improved" glass or plastic versions that have replaced them can have measurement markings that are as much as 15 to 20% in error? (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=28172) So make sure you're careful not tobreak your old measuring cups, boys and girls. And remember to hit those garage sales and flea markets to hoard the ones you find!

I finally met the shop's namesake, Katie, whom I've been Facebook friends with, but never actually met. She's a really neat lady and I can tell that her spirit and passion for her business is a lot of what makes it work. That positive energy shines through.

When we left, I was energized.

You know that feeling when you go someplace beautiful or fun, or see something that excites you, and you feel a spark ignited in yourself? That's how I felt when I left there today.

So now I'm in my studio and I'm making all sorts of goodies! Time to go...my supplies are calling me!