Summer Yard Sale

As an aspiring designer, I find it heartening to see other creative-types emerging from their studios and actively creating opportunities to engage the wider public. In Krakow, they seem to be doing a great job of it. Similar to Targi Dizajnu, which I posted about a little while back, Yard Sale Cracow is organized 4 times a year by local artists to show and sell the fruits of their labor amidst a laid-back atmosphere complete with music, food and drinks.

This year's summer edition of Yard Sale Cracow was held in the outdoor courtyard of Betel Klub. Thanks to facebook, I did a better job identifying all the artists whose work is pictured, so you can check out their online stores too.

Some humorous decor by GarazShop

Wallets, pouches by Mybag and custom gear for your bike by Distanz Bikes

How cool (and patriotic) is this bike?

More waterproof accessories for your bike  /  Lego accessories for your self by Agabag

Pretty hand-painted cups by Magda Barcik, and coinpurses by Maua in the background

Colorful dolls and a whale-print tote by Miszko Maszko

Meanwhile, the bright colors and playfulness seemed to spill out onto the square (Plac Szczepański)...

Some hip rides

The obvious place to cool off

All images taken by me - Copyright 2012 CozyCity. Please cite if borrowed.

I wasn't able to identify all of the products shown in my photos. If you see your product, please let me know so I can tag you.

Kids on a Mission

... a mission to litter the street with flowers, while dolled up in festive traditional folk outfits.

These little girls were busily tossing flower petals from their tiny woven baskets, all part of a procession celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi this past Thursday (a national holiday in Poland - also the start of yet another long weekend). Just one of many such processions around Krakow, this one happened to be going straight through my neighborhood.


 
 I remember doing the same thing as a child, wearing a red flowered skirt and ornate velvet vest just like the one above - both were hand-sewn and embroidered by my grandmother. This outfit is specific to Krakow, while other cities and regions in Poland have their own unique styles and patterns. 








It's fun to be able to admire these little works of art 'in action' once a year, walking the streets proudly with their very important mission in mind. Perhaps the only time of year when littering is encouraged. 

Boys get to dress up too - a glimpse of the traditional 'Krakowiak', top left

All images taken by me - Copyright 2012 CozyCity. Please cite if borrowed.

A Favorite View

Ulica Bracka, looking north towards the Ratusz- always a lovely sight in the evening


All images taken by me - Copyright 2012 CozyCity. Please cite if borrowed.

Woodblock and Linocut

Inspired by a recent visit to Krakow's Manngha Center for Japanese Art, I've been looking into woodcut and linocut printing techniques. The Manngha Center has a beautiful collection of original woodblock prints by both Hokusai and Hiroshige, two of Japan's most celebrated artists from the late 1700 / early 1800's. The center also hosts fun cultural and artistic workshops for all ages (during our visit we discovered a fantastic playroom hidden away in the basement).

It was my first time seeing an exhibition of woodblock artwork, and there were two things in particular that made an impression (pun intended). The first was the expressiveness of the tiny people portrayed in Hokusai's prints, how lively and dynamic they appeared. The second was Hiroshige's ability to evoke a mood in his prints based on weather conditions. A common motif in many of their prints is the ever-looming Mt. Fuji.

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai

Hiroshige Ando

Each of these prints required multiple blocks (one for each color) to be carved with intricate precision.  
Printing with woodblock or linocut is limited to simple lines and limited tones, resulting in a textured graphic quality that's unique to the method - using wood instead of linoleum also adds the texture of the grain. Once the block is cut, it can produce hundreds of original copies. Modern prints are just as enticing, an affordable form of decorative artwork.

 Prints by Magprint  1 | 2 on a moleskin notebook

Clockwise from left: prints by Sadanobu, and thebigharumph 1, 2

Animal prints by annasee 1 | 2

Krakow's Indie Market

Two weekends ago I (along with some friends from out of town) serendipitously stumbled upon 'Targi Dizajnu vol. 3', a sort of artisans market for independent Krakow-based designers.  Apparently this is a seasonal event, where mostly 20 to 30-something artists gather to showcase their various handmade wares, apparel, and accessories. The level of craftsmanship was pretty impressive, especially for some of the stylish hand-sewn purses and clothing items. It seemed like a lot of the designers are available for custom orders, and many are reachable through facebook if they don't have independent websites. A list of links to designers is available here.

A few of my photos from the event:

Upcycled bags by Trashki

Right: Jackets hung in background by Bosque

  

Plush critters by Entala

All images taken by me - Copyright 2012 CozyCity. Please cite if borrowed.

I wasn't able to identify all of the products shown in my photos. If you see your product, please let me know so I can tag you.

So Long...

 
Sunday was a bright, breezy winter's day in San Francisco. The sidewalks were bustling with shoppers and locals dressed in a wide range of layers, from t-shirts to heavy coats. This was to be my last visit to the city for a while, since I will be heading over to Krakow soon for a longer period of several months. 

I was on a mission to savor a delicious espresso at one particular cafe before leaving the Bay Area indefinitely. Despite being tucked away out of sight in a side street, Blue Bottle Coffee had a line out the door. This is not too surprising, considering how generally awesome they are. Perfectly crafted drinks and some good decor decisions are only part of what makes this particular Blue Bottle establishment a thoroughly pleasing Sunday afternoon stop. Luckily, we brought a camera to practice snapping photos. 

  

Waiting in line, eyeing the goods

Latte and cappuccino

 
The cafe's layout was efficient and welcoming, with wooden bars lining the large windows on two perpendicular walls as well as along the counter, and one large communal bench in the middle of the room. We also liked the placement of the espresso machine, making it so the baristas never have their backs turned toward the customers. The plain, bare surfaces and limited color palette allowed for open shelves that showed off an array of stacked ceramics, glass wares and paper sacks. The ceramics glazed in rich brown or white, like coffee and milk, looked especially nice against the cooler toned shelves (what color is that - robins egg blue?).

A major highlight of our visit to Blue Bottle was seeing their vintage glass-bulb siphon pots in action.  Basically, a halogen lamp heats water in a sealed glass bulb until the vapor pressure forces the water up a tube into the top chamber filled with tea or coffee grinds. The barista stirs the grinds with a small wooden paddle, and when the process is complete the heat is turned down allowing the liquid to filter back into the bottom chamber, ready to be enjoyed. 

Siphon Pots

Don't you wish you had these in high school chemistry class? What an enticing way to learn PV=nRT.

fini.

So long for now, Bay Area, and thanks for all the great coffee!


All images taken by me - Copyright 2012 Cozy City. Please cite if borrowed.

Source for: Cozy Loungewear

The habit was ingrained during my days of working in biochemistry and polymer research: Upon returning home from the lab each day, I'd immediately strip off all my 'contaminated' clothing in exchange for clean and comfortable house clothes. Today, even though I'm far away from lab chemicals, I still prefer to change into soft lounge-worthy apparel at home.

Oysho is an excellent source for comfy and inexpensive sleepwear, loungewear, and lingerie - although they don't have any stores in the US yet, there is at least one in Krakow and many more elsewhere. I like them especially for their soft cotton basics, but they're also good at subtle feminine details... and spunky cartoon-animal motifs if you're into that. 

Images: Oysho 1 / 2

Images clockwise from left: Oysho 1 / 2 / 3

Ancient Wool

[Local Bay Area company: Peace Industry, based in San Francisco, workshop in Turkey]

These beautiful, natural, chemical-free felt rugs look and sound too good to be true... yet here they are. The felting method by which they're made goes back to neolithic times in Central Asia, and was on the verge of obscurity when the duo behind Peace Industry revitalized it and brought it into the international market. Check the About section on Peace Industry's website for the inspiring story of their work, and in the meantime enjoy their handmade primitive-turned-modern designs:

Images : Peace Industry Collection

This kind of textile really strengthens the case for having only hardwood or tile floors in homes, partially covered with natural-fiber rugs and never permanent carpeting. If I ever get to build my dream house or dream cabin, at least one of these rugs will have to find its way in. Oh and those two snuggly pups below are more than welcome, too.

Images : Peace Industry Collection

Silhouettes

I'm both smitten and amused by these monochrome wall decals from ferm LIVING:

Image : ferm LIVING

Images : ferm LIVING 1 / 2

Edit: Those knit poufs in the above-right image are rather attention-grabbing, no? I'm pretty sure they are the same ones as these from CB2. ferm living also has square ones.

Images : ferm LIVING 1 / 2

I love the silhouettes' playfulness and simplicity, each one evoking a certain memory or association. The birds sitting on power lines could be music notes on a scale. The tree branch is reminiscent of my mother's favorite tree, the patchy sycamore (or plane tree). The 'hydrangias' actually look more like weeds that used to give me awful allergies... I like the idea of trapping them harmlessly on the wall (take that, pollen!).

There's also the nerdy part of me, analyzing how the sharp contrast between wall and decal stimulates our brains on a cellular level. Your visual cortex automatically approves.

[Local to Bay Area and Krakow : ferm LIVING products can be found in 9 different stores in San Francisco, 2 stores in San Jose, one store in Oakland .... and also one store in Katowice, near Krakow, Poland. See Store Locator.]