Good Friday

This is certainly a good Friday in NYC, the most beautiful day EVER. I am so excited for my weekend too- Flea Markets, donuts & coffee, Easter Picnics, sprucing up the old homestead and lovely friends. Spring is REALLY here and I can't wait to soak it up day by day. Above is the start of my sprucing, a tiny vignette in my bedroom, above my desk. And the bottom image is of me with the most scrumptious donut you could ever eat. It is from Peter Pan Donuts in Greenpoint, a great little section of Brooklyn that I am slowly falling in love with. I will post more about P.Pan Donuts later, inside it is as magical as their donuts are delicious. Sadly, I can't eat too many of them since I am trying to stick to a gluten free diet still, but that's why we have Babycakes (which is where you will find me in line for a gluten free donut @ 10am tomorrow)!

Hoping April Has No Fools

In these parts, every week or so lately we have been teased with the warmth and the glow of spring time~ only to be fooled and have it stolen away by dampness and the cold of prior winter months. I am so over the trickery of this weather and so tempted to stow away my winter coat and boots, but I'm still unsure. Hmmm... I certainly hope that April doesn't bring anymore cold showers. I can handle a little rain, but let it be warm at least, please oh please!?

Late last night while rummaging through some old forgotten things, I found these sweet little painted eggs that my mother sent me for Easter last year. I added them to our fruit bowl as I brewed coffee this morning. The sweet little New York Tugboat drawing in the windowsill is something I picked up from an artist at the Williamsburg Artists & Flea a few weekends back. The artist's booth and line of goods is called Small Home. She had a charming little corner set up there, I advise you take a peek if you are in the neighborhood.

Happy spring & I wish us all warmer & brighter days!!

xo

Abby + Cherokee = LOVE

Abby Hyslop of Lovey Dovey is now designing prints for Target's Cherokee children's wear and I believe Abby and Cherokee make a perfect match. Look at this gorgeous print Abby designed for this little girls dress. I am totally in love. I would like one in my size, please!? The colors make me so excited for Spring & Summer, for real. Yay for another of my very talented friends.

xo

Footloose & Toe-Tackler

This week I am on vacation. Well, kind of- I am kitten sitting with my friend Chelsea in Park Slope/ Carroll Gardens area for our dear friends- Emily & Paul. Last night Chelsea and I walked down Smith Street, grabbed dinner and then delicious flan and cafe' con leche for dessert. Then we went back home to the (sometimes) sweet little Omelette and watched an all time favorite, Footloose. I can remember watching this movie as a kid and being so in love with Ren (Kevin Bacon)- what great moves he has! I think my favorite part is when Ren teaches Willard how to dance, and that is followed closely by the Senior Prom where glitter falls from the ceiling endlessly. I couldn't help thinking as I watched the glitter scene last night that it was Ginny Branch Stelling's ultimate shiny dream come true. The other great part about this movie is no matter how hard you try, you can't sit still. Your feet just start tapping and bopping around, and this is when sweet Omelette turns not so sweet. Just imagine kitten claws to the tender toes. You will be sitting in peace and out of nowhere comes this crazy kitten claw, just swatting away. In the end I love Omelette. More than anything I want her to cuddle up in bed with us at night, but of course- no such luck! Instead as Chelsea and I laid down in Emily and Paul's big comfy bed last night, the cat just sat fully erect at the foot of the bed- watching & waiting for a toe to wiggle. That darn cat.

top photo of omelette (kitten) taken by emily a little while ago, she is bigger and friskier now.

Cross Creek

I am currently reading & loving Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek. It is Rawlings' account of life in the Florida "scrub" surrounding the Cross Creek region in the 1920's & 30's. Marjorie is an ambitious young writer who moves from the big city to this cracker country in rural Florida to cultivate and live off of her own land. She is ready to be inspired by the unknown natural Florida setting and finds more than just inspiration. She discovers life and a true love for the land and the community that she is surrounded by. She depends on her neighbors and they depend on her- she becomes absorbed by this mystical yet raw and sometimes harsh environment. As I read it I can't imagine making such a leap, from the overly populated New York City to the desolate, back-woods, snake and insect infested Florida (especially in those days)!

M.K.Rawlings is so inspiring and brings such light to a region of the world that I am so familiar with and forever fond of. Sometimes it is difficult to explain to people that I am from Florida, but I did not grow up going to the beach every weekend. We spent time at the natural Florida springs, or boating down the rivers and playing in the woods. Florida to me is cow pastures and orange groves under a blistering hot sun or a volatile thunder and lightening storm. Marjorie captures this side of Florida that seems so lost between it's two beautiful, yet very different coastlines these days. I know life on the beach and out on the gulf too, it just wasn't at my backdoor. I am homesick for my Florida home and even more so now that I am reading Cross Creek. It is such a beautifully written piece of literature and the people are so intriguing. It's hard to believe that they aren't just characters- they were real people. Above and below are images of Marjorie, her home, and some of her neighbors- including Mrs. Martha Mickens- the matriarch of the black community and a very inspiring and supportive figure to M.K.Rawlings.

The Marjorie Kinan Rawlings' Farm is still in existence and open to the public for tours. I have plans to visit next time I am home! Click here for more info.

xo

L.L. BEAN SIGNATURE

I was so happy to learn about the launch of L.L. Bean's Signature Collection, it's just one more reason to love this classic Maine based company ( and not to mention one more reason to love maine)!! The creative director behind this new line is the handsome, former L.L. Bean designer, Alex Carleton, also owner & creator of Rogues Gallery.

This entire collection makes me want to pack up, find my dreamboat and head to Maine to live in a cottage by the sea for eternity. Dressed like the model above, of course. If you know me, you know this is no new dream, but now I have the outfit picked out.

xo

DIY D*SPONGE

I am so excited to announce, that as of this morning I am a new Do It Yourself (DIY) contributor on the ever popular blog, Design*Sponge. Check out my first post here, and keep an eye out for upcoming monthly projects!!

xo

Just as I was getting back into the swing of things, my computer has failed me. I am finding it rather difficult to get to a computer around here, and when I do- my time is VERY limited. Please bear with me. I will be hauling my beast of a laptop to the electronics store before work tomorrow and crossing my fingers all the way there, just hoping that there is a solution- because purchasing a new computer is NOT an option!! Thank you roommates and friends, for offering your precious functioning computers when you aren't using them. I don't know what I would do without you!

Above is a photo of one of my favorite four legged friends, Fanny A. Lamb Skurow. Pet (daughter) and best friend to Sunny Skurow. Her amazing bed frame was found at a NY flea market and her bedding is homemade to match Sunny's. How much cuter could it get? I just had to share.

xo

LATELY

In case you are wondering where I have been: Lately, I have been trying really hard to stick to my new year's resolutions and sometimes that requires just a little more time, and a lot less blogging. I am learning to juggle life. It's a great thing. I must admit that this week I have fallen off the wagon some, though I am picking up in other areas, such as blogging. I will get it down... eventually. I have mostly been concentrating on budgeting my finances and getting into a daily exercise routine that includes lots of jump rope & jumping jacks (and now my neighbors hate me!). So far I have had good results all around. This week I am beginning to work on kicking my procrastination tendencies right where the sun don't shine!

xo

p.s. i don't look nearly as cute as this kitten jumping rope, of course!

p.p.s. I have also been reading more than usual, two highly recommended books of recent: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls & A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. Enjoy.

Emily Marie, Illustration Extraordinaire

This post is long overdue, I apologize for going M.I.A. recently, but I can promise you I have good and healthy excuses! If you have read my blog before, I know you have heard mention of Emily- one of my nearest and dearest friends who I tend to have entirely too much fun with. For the past few months Emily has been bulking up her portfolio in a really magical way and I just have to share it with you. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do...

Above is a sneak peek of the children's book illustrations by Emily for the book, Isobel's Birthday, written by our talented friend Sun Hashmi. Also, Emily has had some great success recently, launching new children's wallpaper designs with Hygge & West, check out her bio page on the H & W website here. I have also included some personal favorites below, including Emily's valentines from the past two years, and a fantastic barrette pattern that I just adore.

2010 Valentine, Broccoli Love

2009 Valentine, Mr. Rogers

H&W Circus Troupe Wallpaper

Hair Barrette Pattern, I LOVE LOVE LOVE!