Auld Lang Syne

Noticed while waiting for the subway:

Discarded Noisemaker

It was dark, hence the blurriness...but the above is a forgotten, soot covered this:

I felt kind of bad for it.

Toot toot.

Sing Me A Happy Song

I'm really enjoying this entire album:

Would It Kill You? - Hellogoodbye

It has such a good vibe to it. Simply makes me happy.

Once on a long trip overseas, before the days of highly entertaining individual TV monitors, I decided to whittle the hours away by listening to the Beatles radio station in my armrest (also before the days of ipods) while I attempted to nap. It was a terribly uncomfortable flight and I had a dazed and anxiety filled form of "sleep". Unfortunately, the radio channel contained about 11 songs and my headphones were ancient. Every time I was about to obtain some real REMs, I would be jolted awake by the end of the radio cycle which was Hello Goodbye. Imagine being so drowsy and tired that you feel sick and just when you are at the point of gaining some relief you are ripped back to your reality with a very loud and static "Hello...hello, hello". Every 27 minutes for 8 hours. I mean, the song is repetitive as it is. I've loathed the tune every since. So, it's nice to have some positive feelings about the words Hello & Goodbye in music again.

Also excited about these:

Mission Bell - Amos Lee

Kiss Each Other Clean - Iron & Wine

Ooh, speaking of wine...sipped a tasty one last night.

2008 Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir

Or, as I like to refer to it, Meow Meow.

Anything But Ordinary

I'm not sure a piece of jewelry has ever made me giggle. Or sigh. Or gasp.

Until now.

Taking the Plunge

Jenny and Jimbob "Outrageously Original Matchbox Necklaces" are über-unique, sassy, and meaningful artisan charm necklaces, packaged in a playful matchbox and accompanied by a saying that takes the pretty yet quirky charm to a whole new level.

I overlapped a bit of college with Jennifer (the Jenny of Jenny & Jimbob) and she was the kind of gal who exuded an admirable amount of whimsy, star quality, and fun so I'm not at all surprised that the jewelry line created by Jennifer and her husband Jimbob offers the same flavor in precious metal form. 

Some of my favorites in the current collection include:

 A Major Turn On

 Mighty

Dreams Come True

 Be Great

 Life's a Journey

 Forever Young

Old School

I really could have listed every item, but now it's your turn to peruse JennyandJimBob.com and I guarantee some emotional window shopping will be had. I think these make ideal gifts, as J&J have pretty much done all of the work for you: fun bauble, funky wrapping, and written sentiment all in one!

Target & Nordstrom have already jumped on the turn the ordinary into extraordinary bandwagon and I know I will hop aboard, as well. If only I could decide which one (or ten) to buy!

Three Apples Tall

Is it bad that I almost bought this today?

Smurfs Coloring and Activity Book

Is it worse that I'm considering going back out to get it? Hm, maybe it's online...

Have a Smurfy Day!

Spring Fling (with Carrie Mulligan)

I have weeks that are chock-full (what does that mean anyway?) of responsibilities ahead of me. Yet, what am I doing? Daydreaming about tropical vacations.
Remember this?

Anguilla

Eh...probably not since I haven't blogged about it yet and it wasn't a vacation per se...but it WAS tropical and I AM scheming about what realistic way I can either return or make New York City suddenly contain cerulean waters and trade winds. Hmmmm...
Not the best sign knowing it's only 21 days into the new year and I'm already craving Spring. What can I say, I'm fickle.

Last weekend, I stopped into West Elm while helping a friend grab a coffee table she'd been eyeing. It seems they were also ready for Spring and I loved most of the new offerings.
Terrariums, floral, lots of natural wood, and green, green, green. It made me ache for late April/early May. I think I may need to buy one of these:

10 'Ziva' Paperwhite Flower Bulbs

I already raved about these striped sheets (and purchased them) which are a strikingly similar look to the much more expensive Dwell version. Now they come in green (see? Spring!) and some other delicate patterns:

West Elm - Stripe Sheet Set

These tea light holders remind me of garden parties and trellises:

West Elm - Porcelain Tealight Holders

I am easily bored with typical bathroom hardware and accessories. I like the imitated branch look of these new products:

West Elm - Textured Nickel Plate Bath Hardware

White, green, and dots make for a playful setting:

West Elm - Paisley Print Napkins, Jason Polan Dinnerware, & Laquer Wood Tray

I felt that this was pushing the garden theme a bit too far. Gnomes, mushrooms, fake cacti, and white rocks? Someone got a little too creative (or bored, or high) in the design department:

West Elm - Gnomes & Mushrooms

I obviously have an obsession for owls, as stated in THIS post, and I'm glad to see they are still flying around in stores:

West Elm - Owl Table Lamp

Unlike the owl creations, this creature was hard to decipher. At first we guessed a camel minus the hump, then came to the conclusion that it was most definitely a llama. Turns out (according to the price tag), it is a horse. Hmmm...I'd still say llama. Maybe that's why it is on sale?

Humpless Camel/Llama/Horse that Doesn't Look Like a Horse

Oh, and I also like this bed. Nothing seasonal about it, I just like it.

West Elm- Ellipse Metal Canopy Bed

While admiring all of these items, who walked across the store and stood shoulder to shoulder with me? None other than the terrific actress, Carey Mulligan:

Carey Mulligan when not shopping in West Elm

FYI: She really digs gray throw pillows.

So back to the reason we frequented WE to begin with. This table:

Have you ever tried to carry a bulky & massive boxed piece of solid glass for 5 blocks? What about for 5 steps? Let me tell you, my muscles have not forgiven me. But, being the wonder women that we are, mission accomplished. Looking forward to many a party, TV viewing, and gossip session around that table.

Torture

Speaking of Spring, how cool is this: a temporarily indoor "pop up" park has magically been planted at a gallery space in Nolita.

Park Here - Openhouse Gallery

Complete with grass, a pond, birds chirping, bocce ball, and even a seesaw, this June-in-January park is open and free daily from 11am-6pm until the end of the month. I might have to try a picnic featuring local vendors, movie night or the morning yoga class!

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

I would like to win the HGTV Dream Home this year. The locale is Stowe, Vermont! I mean, I think I could use a quaint, small, getaway home in one of my favorite states. Just a little home away from home.

HGTV Dream Home 2011 - Photo Gallery

As I said, just an understated shack in the mountains...

...back to reality!

Pretty Prints

Three print collections that caught my eye:

These Crate & Barrel ikat dishtowels are bright & punchy. Who doesn't love a good ikat?

Ikat Dishtowels - Crate & Barrel

From a distance I enjoyed this bright and busy print, but upon closer look I noticed it was red balloons! My favorite-ahhh! So cute. Beci Orpin is an Australian artist/designer and I simply went gaga for all of her yardage designed for Built By Wendy. Check them out!

Beci Orpin Yardage Design for Built By Wendy

The last series of pretty prints makes me sigh. Some of my most beloved children's books whimsically patterned bound. SIGH.

(image: www.twigandthistle.com)

Penguin Classics - Anthropologie

I think I would be quite happy spending the rest of the day with my dog, a cup of tea, and re-reading these childhood classics. Would you?

You're As Cuddly As A Cactus?

I needed a good laugh yesterday evening and as usual one of my girlfriends saved the day.

She was describing a guy that she is quasi-dating, and mentioned his most charming & attractive attribute: his dimples.

But it didn't stop there. She went on to describe how she has never met anyone who had such distinct and perfect dimples. To quote, "They are like...Grinch dimples."

The Grinch

And it was a compliment!

Still makes me laugh.

Pow! Whack! Blamo!

I'm not condoning violence, but when I ran across this quote on another blog, I found it to be very useful and true. Why hadn't I thought of that?

"If someone breaks your heart, just punch them in the face. Oh sure, it seems obvious now, but you’d be amazed at how many people don’t think of it when it’s relevant. Seriously, just punch them in the face and go get some ice cream." -Chuck Klosterman

Plus, I like ice cream. Sometimes you hit the ice cream jackpot without even having to punch a heartbreaker in the face. While visiting a friend (LB) in Boston, JenJen, LB and I took a little trip to the Cape where we had a goal of getting some relaxation, sun, and ice cream (okay, maybe the ice cream was my goal). We made a pit stop at a cute ice cream barn off the main drag and the scooper may have had a little crush on LB. When she ordered a small cone, she received no less than 3 giant scoops of her preferred flavor. JenJen and I quickly ordered small cones as well and since we had witnessed the whole exchange, Mr. Scooper had no choice but to give us the same version of a "small" cone. I love having pretty friends!

JenJen, Lu, & LB with their "small" cones

Speaking of ice cream, these are delicious:

Ciao Bella Key Lime Graham Gelato Squares

Again, as stated above, I do not condone violence. I do, however, condone getting some ice cream.

A Few Hours On A Wintry Friday Afternoon in New York City: A Study

Ooh, boy! I actually have a "normal" weekend. Meaning, I'm not working Saturday and Sunday like regular 9 to 5ers often experience. That means time to focus on the dog, the apartment, and getting healthy. A whole 48 hours. I'm thrilled. But first, today. Also normal (for me), but not "normal". Date: Friday afternoon. In January. Location: NYC. Subject: One single gal making her way. This is what her way looks like from about noon til 3pm...

First off, I was all out of sorts about the great Zodiac debacle. Rule #1: never mess with a Scorpio, especially regarding their Scorpio-ness. I'm starting to understand how Pluto must have felt.

Then I received an email from an online retail store informing me that it was National Dress Up Your Pet Day. It was not even a pet retailer. Odd. I've never had much luck dressing the Boog up as evidenced in Post A and Post B. I don't think I want to see those dagger eyes today.

Here is a friend's pet/pet friend of mine all dolled up for Christmas:

Madison as a Holiday Fairy

Did you know such things as Holiday Fairies existed? Madison didn't.

The scary thing is (besides the idea of a National Dress Up Your Pet Day) is that I now have no evidence of that email. Inbox, Trash, Outbox...nada. Did I dream this idea up? Only Google can tell me the truth. And it did!:

National Dress Up Your Pet Day - icanhascheezburger

I began my work day searching for a Rolex in someone else's apartment followed by observing a pleasant man named George deep clean a sofa. Sometimes, it's hard to explain my life. Pleasant George noticed my cough and said the only thing that helped him and his wife after a 3 week bout was MucinexDM. Thanks for the tip, Pleasant George!

Mucinex DM Expectorant & Cough Suppressant

On to the next errand, but I couldn't help but stop into LUSH first. I mean, how could I resist? I could smell it 10 blocks away. I love their new solid perfumes. Tuca Tuca translates to "touch touch" in Italiano and has scents of violet, vanilla, and jasmine. 

Tuca Tuca Solid Perfume - LUSH

Downtown we go-wait, what? Through that? Oh NYC, your curbs are the pits. Literally-slush pits. The best part was the man behind me after I slightly hesitated barked, "Are ya coming or are ya going?". I replied, "You first, sir." to which he took a very determined step into a foot of grimy murk. I might have giggled a little.

Curb - 75th & Broadway, NYC

OK, what is that bridge doing there and who in their right mind would use it?

Bride O'er Troubled Waters - 70s

I've been reading a lot about THIS product. Thoughts? It was slightly expensive for the small jar, but the celebrity raves convinced me to try it. Plus, the lid was cracked and I was able to finagle 25% off.

Egyptian Magic Cream

Sometimes when people try and hand you things on the street, they actually have cool things to gift you. Thanks for the Metrocard, BofA!

Bank of America - 72nd Street

A quick pop into Trader Joe's for some weekend essentials.

Poms - Trader Joe's

Don't they look beautiful and luscious?

Of course, I buy the version covered in chocolate. Duh.

Pom's enveloped in goodness - Trader Joe's

Like every line in NYC, this one was long. It didn't help that I had a woman behind me who would jam the cart into my lower back every 30 seconds or so...maybe I really am a different Zodiac sign because I was unusually forgiving and patient for a Scorpio. I did sneakily snap her photo just as proof.

Sweet Elderly Lady Out & About

But, my positive vibes about TJ's were renewed when sent this youtube video by my friend MC:

The TJ's Song - YouTube

How did I never see that?

A few more blocks to go...

Happy to see that the wide leg is back. I've finally come to terms with skinny jeans, but I'm much more of a wide legged gal. No jokes, please!

 Window Shopping - The Gap UWS

Riding home on the train at 3pm. Actual seatage-score! 

You know you're an actor when you see this sign and think they are talking about improvisation, not improvement:

You Must Take the A Train...

Hope you all have an improving AND improving weekend. Til next time...