treasures at home.

The holiday season is officially upon us. A time centered around family, friends, and giving thanks.

Working in the fine jewelry industry, the end of November and the month of December make up the busiest time of the year. Orders pour in as people design sentimental gifts for their loved ones, the calendar becomes jam packed with often overlapping appointments, and weekends are spent traveling outside Manhattan for private trunk shows.

Little time has been left for blogging. However, I did manage to play around with my camera over Thanksgiving.

The holiday was spent at my late grandparents' home in New Jersey. For as long as I can remember, most family events have been hosted here. This year was special as it will probably be the last time that my relatives gather at the memory-filled estate.

The house is a treasure trove of small oddities, antique (often mismatched) furniture, vintage newspapers and magazines, beautiful 1950's wallpaper (also occasionally mismatched within the same room), old photographs, heirloom paintings and cross stitches... The list goes on.

Every table top, corner, and wall is littered with mementos from the very full life my grandparents lived. Photographs tell stories of past family get togethers, small figurines littered between painted china recall special travel experiences, the click of a typewriter evokes the spirit of my grandmother, the writer.

Beauty abounds throughout the entire home. I hope to discover more inspiration as my family continues to rummage through its relics.

fall cutlery.

Last weekend I took a break from the city and ventured out to Montclair, NJ. It was my favorite kind of crisp autumn day. The trees were afire in shades of yellow, orange, and red. A bright blue sky provided the perfect backdrop.

The destination was the Montclair Art Museum, which I had never visited. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the museum has an exceptional collection. An exhibit on Native American art was followed by a show featuring some contemporary artists I am very much interested in - including Cindy Sherman, Alex Prager, and Nan Goldin.

However, my favorite part of the visit was just outside the museum walls.

Artist Jean Shin was commissioned by the museum to create the fascinating sculptures that currently reside near the front entrance. Her three pieces are constructed from stainless steel knives, forks, and spoons. Welded together, the cutlery is transformed into a tree stump, a log, and a spindly tree.

Shin has successfully transformed these mundane, everyday objects we usually never give a second thought to into breath-taking art objects. Highly recommended and definitely worth the trip.

Shot at the Montclair Art Museum. All photos by Nicole Weiler.

past treasures.

A few weekends ago I made an impromptu trip to Brattleboro, VT and Keane, NH. The original intention behind the trek was to search for ideas and inspiration with the area's small artist-jewelers. Instead, I ended up stumbling upon the most incredible treasures in an old junk shop and discovering an unexpected beauty in the weathered paint of a brick wall and an old chair.

Older things have always appealed to me. Well-loved trunks add character (and provide necessary extra storage space) to my East Village apartment, tiny colored glass prescription bottles litter my shelves, brightly patterned vintage rugs line my floors.

Old things have a sense of history, of character, of identity. There is a story behind them, one that you may never know. And my love for vintage extends beyond my home decor. Vintage items have increasingly become a major part of my wardrobe.

I love to think of who owned the fabulous 1960's leather bag I chance upon at the flea market. Was the woman who owned it an artist? What adventures did she go on with the bag in tow? Did she store love letters in the inside pocket?

Perhaps my love of vintage shopping is deep down inspired by a yearning for the past, a quest to connect with another time and place, an opportunity to create new stories with history-rich pieces.

Bottles shot in Brattleboro, VT. Painted brick wall and weathered wooden chair shot in Keane, NH. All photos by Nicole Weiler.