[uhp-steyt fan-see] - adjective

1. not exorbitant or extravagent by city standards, however in a rural setting (like upstate new york) it is in fact, quite fancy.

2. a wonderful blog dedicated to art, design and other things that are indeed upstate fancy.

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Jul
09
Uncategorized
ENTER TO WIN the upstatefancy summer mix

I happy to have our first ever contest!  What’s up for grabs? An illustrated cd case fully of summer silliness and a cd with some of my favorite summer songs that keep me inspired. The songs are a surprise but i promise you wont be disappointed, there is really something for everyone! A song about an ice cream man, one about loving cold drinks, maybe one about wearing a grass skirt, and definitely one about christmas (in july)! 

It’s easy to enter! all you have to do is leave a comment in the comment field with your favorite summer song!!! I will randomly pick a winner next friday (7/17) so you have a whole week to enter! Good luck!

summer_mix

Jul
08
art
MOVE OVER VINYL TOYS wood is back in town

If you don’t think these are adorable I don’t know if we can ever be real friends. These painted wood toys from bubblesinburry are amazing! And don’t worry parents these wood toys are finished in non-toxic materials so it’s okay to let your kids play with them too. I personally would probably just put them on on a shelf and admire them from afar. I love the retro look to them as well, complete with old school tape players painted on their sides. And just in case you haven’t fallen in love with one, they are also open to custom orders, I’m thinking wedding cake toppers! 

wood_toys

Jul
07
art
BEAUTIFUL DIPTYCH wonderfully illustrated

I’ve had the work of Jennifer Judd-McGee on my watch list for quite a while. Today I happened across this wonderful illustration on the front page of Etsy and it just blew me away. I really wish I had this sort of illustration style. Her sensibilities are exactly how imaginary villages look in my head, but I am never able to get them down on paper. Her work is wonderfully detailed and yet simplistic enough to not feel overwhelmed at first glance. I can’t recommend her shop, Swallowfield, enough. A perfect mix of Whimsy and color.

swallow_field

Jul
06
art
BRIGHT AND MODERN cut paper art

As I’m sure you all know by now, I’m a big fan of cut paper art. I love the complexity of taking large sheets of paper and turning them into intricate works of art. The cut paper works by Jen Stark, are nothing like that. They are big, bold, and chunky. And I love them. I love that they are intricate without being precious. To me it’s a whole new way at looking at cut paper.

stark

Jul
01
housewares
YOUR SHELVES really can say something about you

I love these shelves from designer Oscar Nunez. No not Oscar from the office, he’s a really cool designer doing some really cool stuff for Mexico’s Fusca Design. These shelves are inspired from comic book speech bubbles and would look great filled with books or other doodads. Or maybe if you get really creative you can paint words on your wall and hang the shelf in front of it. Either way I really would love to have some of these in my apartment. 

comic_shelf

Jun
29
crafts
SAY GOODBYE to green and black chalkboards

You should never be afraid of color! This new paint from Hudson Paints is sure to add a punch of color, that you can write on. Think about how much more fun math problems would be if they were on a hot pink “blackboard.” The possibilities are endless for this colorful chalkboard paint. Available in 30 different colors, and also available in custom colors if you are looking for something specific. At $25 a quart this would be perfect for that entrance wall to be able to keep up to date on the happenings of your entire clan. I definitely have an idea for this paint using some of my lasercuts, that i will be sharing with you soon!

chalkboard

Jun
26
illustration
POPSICLE WALLPAPER download

It’s hot here in New york. And rainy. And humid! So why not cool off with a popsicle. Illustrated by yours truly, these frozen treats will hopefully cool you and your computer down for a while. Download for  1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1600 x 1024, or the giant 1920 x 1200.

pops

Jun
25
Uncategorized
HANNAFORD MARKET illustrations

There is this pretty great supermarket chain in Maine called Hannaford. We became regular shoppers there while vacationing in Bar Harbor last week. The quality of food was great, even though they didn’t have any strawberries, and their wine selection was unbelievable, the thing that I liked the most was their signage. All of their signage has these amazing cute illustrations on it. They even appear on their reusable shopping bags. I really love the style and whimsy with these little drawing, however I can not for the life of me find out who the illustrator is. If anyone knows who did the illustrations for Hannaford’s signage and promotional materials in 2009 please let me know.

hannaford

Jun
24
food
THE BEST LUNCH EVER with jordan pond popovers

Since I’m still reliving my Maine vacation I have to share with you the best lunch of my life. Truly. The restaurant at Jordan pond, in Acadia National Park, is not only serene and picturesque, but the food is amazing! The waitstaff were the nicest people ever, college students from all over the country, and the popovers were to die for. If you have never had a popover, I hadn’t, they are big fluffy hollow pastries, best eaten with jam and butter. Just to give you an idea of how amazing everything was there, we ate there 3 times. We even bought a popover pan so we can make some at home. Just in case you want to try some for yourself, the Jordan pond recipe is below!

• Four eggs
• Two cups whole milk ( you can use 2% if you want)
• Two cups flour
• One-half teaspoon salt
• One-sixth teaspoon baking soda

They recommend making the batter a day ahead of time, refrigerating it, and then letting it return to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 450. Break eggs into mixing bowl and whip; add milk and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix until almost smooth — do not overbeat. Fill greased popover pans, muffin tins or custard cups 3/4 full. Bake for 14 minutes at 450, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes more. (DO NOT OPEN OVEN UNTIL BAKING IS COMPLETE!) They’ll be crispy brown on the outside and moist on the inside at this point; remove them from the pans and serve with butter and strawberry preserves. (Jordan Pond House uses Stonewall brand — I looked in the gift shop.)

popovers

Jun
23
housewares
BROWNS FOSTER HOME and their upcycled birdhouses

While shopping in Bar Harbor last week I hit up my favorite store, Window Panes. If you are going to bar harbor and like small stores with kitchen gadgets and unique housewares, this place can not be missed. One thing that really caught my eye was a wooden birdhouse with an old skeleton key as a perch. They had a few other birdhouses on display and each was a little different and made of upcycled materials. The owner of the store informed me they were made by a group of men with unique challenges that were part of the Browns Foster Home. Recycled Reflections – the birdhouse project was started in 1997 as a creative outlet and a way to reflect on some walks in the Maine woods. It was how all creative endeavors should start, for fun! Each house is created from upcycled materials, old keys, golf clubs, drawer pulls, and each roof is thatched with pine cone shingles. Today it has blossomed into something bigger than ever expected. Thousands of birdhouses have been made and sold. It has nothing to do with the money, It’s about the love of creating something new, something maybe we all need to remember sometimes.

birdhouses

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