Favorite British Home Magazine

I went ballistic at the "news agent's" yesterday. Found my favorite home magazine - Living etc. Most mags come plastic wrapped with freebies like the canvas tote bag you see with the InStyle.

Blast from the past

Do you guys remember the five & dime shop - Woolworths? It's alive and kicking on this side of the pond. We'll be riding bicycles through the village today, so i should get some interesting shots.

Afternoon Tea

Hello from the UK!! I thought it would be fun to have a british term per day.

I'm currently having afternoon tea w/ mr & mrs H. Afternoon Tea (Earl Grey w/ milk) is traditionally served at 156:00 with finger sandwiches and cream cakes. Stay tuned for sheep and cow pics!

How to pack a suitcase

one last one for the road...



I've been trying to perfect my packing skills for the past 5 years. I've become very obsessed with packing. My editing skills when deciding what makes it in the case or not would put Anna Wintour on liquid meth to shame.

There's nothing I hate more than packing clothes, shoes, and toiletries that I don't end up using on a trip. Deep inside, I revel in the 3oz liquid maximum and quart size ziplock rule. I think this obsession is also fueled by other factors: a fear of losing luggage, or the annoyance of having to wait for a suitcase on the conveyor belt (mine never comes out first) and ending up at the very end of the three-mile-long taxi line at JFK after traveling 6 hours with my knees stuck in my ovaries. I'm 5'3 so that's obviously an exaggeration.

Here are some packing pointers. Follow each rule and never worry about having to check-in luggage again!

1. Roll everything
2. Save underwear for last. You can use them to fill-in holes and gaps.
3. Have a plan. Know exactly what you'll be wearing for the week. Only pack complete outfits. I'll be there for 8 days so I've planned 7 outfits (I wear the same outfit that I arrived in back). It's essential to try on every single outfit before-hand so you know that you're 100% happy with the way it looks & feel
4. How do I plan the outfits? I start with the base element like my favorite pair of jeans, a dress and a skirt. All 7 outfits revolve around these 3 pieces and they each have multiple pairings. So the idea is not to have 7 bottoms and 7 tops. You need to pick pieces that can work with each other. I also allow myself to bring 2 cardigans just in case the weather cools down. I also pick pieces that are made out of light fabric so I can handwash if necessary.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. I'm also bringing one workout outfit. Fortunately for me, my feet don't stink. So I'm able to fit both the socks and the tanktop inside my sneakers. I plan to handwash after each use.
6. I'm not bringing extra shoes, all my outfits work with the shoes that I'll be wearing on the plane.
7. Toiletries are all in very small pots and tubes. Liquids in a quart size ziploc and the rest are randomly placed in my case, filling in gaps like the underwear.

I'll let you know how I did when I get back! Pack less and have room for rare finds!

Weekend Read

Happy Friday!!! I'm going away on vacation (flight leaves tonight). We'll be crossing the big pond to visit Mr. & Mrs. H. They live in Stilton, a very small town about an hour north of London. Looking forward to the village life - sheep running around in grassy knolls, four pubs and five restaurants (the four pubs and one Indian restaurant)! I'm not sure if I'm going to have connection once I'm there, so posting times may get a bit erratic. I'll be back on Saturday the 4th, so regular postings will resume on Monday the 6th. If you want, you can email lifeflix@gmail.com with the subject line "Lifeflix reminder" and you'll receive a one-time email once postings are back to normal.

Just in case - I hope everyone has a nice week!! I put together a little weekend read for you, a collection of sites to check out. Enjoy...


SHOP:

Here are some sites that make me wish I still had a job (ok maybe just for a few minutes):

• Shop Frock
• Odd Molly - I love all of the pieces.
• Here's a a great Etsy shop for affordable art! "DNA Memory Drawing" is my favorite one. I love this!! It's drawn, painted and stitched. I also like "Fungi Print".

(*I found the illustration above from a Berlin-based illustration team wacker eins)


GOOD READS:

When I get back, I'd like to sit down and go through all of the archives from these blogs.

• The Ivestown Blog - I want to live in her house!
• Bodi - Beautiful images. I can't read it but the pictures say it all.
  

For my soon to be brides. Check out these sites for tons of inspiration:

• charlestonweddingsmag.com
• charlestonweddingsmag.com/style/ (blog)
• hudsonvalleyweddings.com
• kristinnewmandesigns.com
• soireecharleston.com

COOKING:

• Ever wonder how to corn beef? or how to serve and plate? The Classic Culinary Arts site has a short collection of cooking techniques as well as an impressive collection of 19th Century American recipes.
• What spices to use? A great guide to spices.
• Here's the next dessert recipe that I'd like to try - Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie. It's from dessert comes first, a great food blog written by a food writer from the Philippines.
  

DESIGN & TOOLS:

• I love Paula Sanz Caballero's work. I just love the way she mixes her illustrations with hand-embroidery and fabric swatches. I would love to have a collection of her handcrafts in small shadow boxes!
• DIY graph and grid paper. Free downloadable and printable PDFs. (I forget which blog I saw this featured in - sorry!)
• Need more fonts? A great resource for different themes (e.g., basic, script, fancy)
• Bored with your Desktop image? Browse through this great selection of free desktop wallpapers.

I apologize in advance if I failed to reference a source. I have tons of bookmarks and I can't remember where I find them all.

Last night's dinner #4: Angel Hair Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

You guys have to try this recipe (scroll down for recipe). It's easy to make, the ingredients are easy to find, looks good on a plate and more importantly really really tasty. The sweetness of the sun dried tomatoes and the rich tartness of the goat cheese were a match made in heaven.



You know that it's been on my "current obsessions" list for the past two weeks - I made it again. I love this brownie recipe, it's super chocolaty but not overwhelmingly sweet. It's rich but doesn't make you feel sick afterwards. I decided to make them again because I wanted to bring a gift for Mr. & Mrs. H. They really loved these pancakes that I made one morning last time we were there, so I was thinking that they'd really appreciate a hand-made gift upon our arrival. Only 3 big ones fit in the box so I cut up the rest into brownie bits for Jonathan's office - as a "happy Friday" treat. I made seven individual baggies with two bites in each, hope they like them. I feel like a PTA mom.




Angel Hair with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis (Again!)
Difficulty: Easy

1 (10-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup dry white wine
8 ounces angel hair pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese and parsley and stir. Mound the pasta into bowls and serve.

"The freedom of freshness": Secret Clinical Strength

I first heard about Secret Clinical Strength back in March from one of my favorite blogs Not Martha (this was the first blog that I ever read, wow it's been like 5+ years - we all know that that's a record). Surprisingly, it took me a while to find it around here and I never really thought about ordering it online. I finally found it at Rite Aid (1st Ave/5th Street), of all places!?! That place is such a mess and they never have anything in stock. But the world's friendliest cashier works there. I don't know her name, but she is always so cheery and always makes it a point to be nice. If I ever open up my shop, I'm going to recruit her.

WARNING: You are about to experience TMI*...
Let's just say that I have a slight sweating issue during the summer months. Fortunately for the public, it's only a sweating issue and not a smelly one. It tends to act up when I'm wearing tops that have sleeves that cut right at the pits or if I wear non-absorbent fabrics or blends. So anyway, I was so excited to use it the following morning but didn't realize/remember that the stuff had to be applied at night for "optimal performance". I was way too excited to wait another day, so I chanced it and applied it in the morning and left for work. It didn't work so well.

It's been a month since I started using the stuff and it works like a charm. I highly recommend it. I don't even have to apply it at night (only when I remember to). I also don't apply 2 clicks per pit, more like 1 click. Another plus is its light scent, it isn't overwhelming at all. One negative is, like most deodorants, it does rub off on clothes. What's up with that? You'd think someone would be able to figure this out? Even the Degree product that claims to have fixed the issue does not work.

I'm really happy with it, but I'm going to switch to another brand (let me know if you have any recommendations) once I'm through with the tube. Like everything else in life, I believe it pays to switch out beauty products every now and then. I strongly believe that deodorant is one of those products that loses its spark & effectiveness once you get accustomed to the formula - shampoo is another one.

So give it a try if you're willing to admit that "your body chemistry causes you to perspire more than the average woman..." Check out secret.com, it has videos and everything!

*too much information

The Newleweds

Sarah sent me a link to her wedding photos and I couldn't help but share a few of my favorites. I used to work with Sarah at A&E but now she's at Lifetime AND happily married to John!! Sarah was the most organized bride I ever encountered. Rumor has it she bookmarked her entire fantasy wedding at age 12 (ok maybe 16) and once John popped the question all she had to do was import her bookmarks into Firefox, make a few calls, write a couple of emails & checks and the entire wedding was planned =)

Sarah, if you ever feel the itch to plan another wedding... I'd be happy to hook you up with Zandra and Lynda (both planning weddings and hating every minute of it!). In fact, you would be a great wedding planner blogger.

Photographer: Nancy Gould

Last night's dinner #3: Almond Amaretto Tarts

Wednesday, July 25 - Karen, here's proof that no one eats like that every night! Jonathan is having dinner at Carne Vale (Sao Paulo-style churrascaria - good stuff) with people from work tonight. So instead of cooking, I decided to be good and had some leftovers. Besides, we need to clear out the fridge since we won't be around next week. The cremini pasta was actually better today than it was two days ago, the flavors were much more intense (note to self).

Not to disappoint... I did attempt to make something today.
Almond Amaretto Tarts
(photo & recipe courtesy of Matt Lewis from BAKED via Martha Stewart)
Difficulty: hard

Baking is not one of my strong points and I definitely saw proof of that today! It's like one disaster after another. I may have to stay away from the kitchen or I'll just be sharing "what not to do*s".

The recipe called for both Amaretti cookies and finely ground blanched almonds.



There was something therapeutic about peeling blanched (pour boiling water over almonds and let soak for exactly 1 minute, drain, soak in ice-cold water for about 10 mins, peel and dry) almonds.

Let's just say that there was a reason Mike and Martha said to use a Paddle attachment and not a standard hand-mixer.



What was I supposed to do? I don't own a fancy Kitchen Aid!
I guess this would count as "over-working" the dough? Matt Lewis repeatedly advised against this - This dough doesn't like to be handled. Matt, I think I may have slightly manhandled the tart dough.



**UPDATE**
Thursday, July 26 - I did it! I was able to save the tart pastry. I was afraid that the manhandled dough would not work, but after chilling in the fridge for about 3 hrs, I was able to successfully roll it out as instructed. I feel like one of those kids that would always say Oh god I think I may have failed that test - only to get like a 97 (oh wait, I think I was one of those annoying kids).



So this is what came out at 11pm last night. The meringue didn't crisp up, but I'm not sure if it was suppose to be crunchy. I'm not a fan of lemon or lime pies so I'm not sure what the standard texture is supposed to be. All in all this was a success. Someone came home after ravaging 10lbs of red meat and I got the this taste just like my mum's response - success!



Would I voluntarily make this again? No. There are some things you make and there are some things you buy. Although there was something very satisfying about seeing the three recipes come together, pleasing the crowd of one and best of all - not having the urge to finish all four tarts (I hate lemon and lime desserts); for now, I think I will save my efforts and only choose hard-to-execute CHOCOLATE-based desserts.

Orla Kiely Sample Sale

If you live in NYC, Orla Kiely is having a sample sale. I love the travel cases. Monday, July 30th - Saturday, August 4th 9am - 7pm everyday @ The Gallery 446 Broadway 5th Floor (btw Grand and Howard). Totally sucks, I'm going to be out of town next week.

Nest: Changing the world one purchase at a time

Check out Nest - a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro loans for women artisans in developing countries to help them pay for supplies and materials to get started or to maintain an existing business. The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers. The founder, solicited female artists, fashion and graphic designers to sell their goods on her website and donate a portion of the proceeds to her loan program. The recipients of the loans can either make monetary repayments or pay with the goods they produce, which are then sold on buildanest.com. The proceeds are then recycled into more loans. What a great idea.

There are some great stuff on sale, like a super cute ses petites mains Chloe dress. You can also find Karin Eriksson Tea light holders.

Photos from Nest

Last night's dinner #2: Garlic Chicken Wings, Corn salad and Espresso Granita

• Pickled Mango & Red Onions with Grilled Corn Mixed Green Salad
• Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings
  
• Espresso Granita
  

ATTENTION: I have to say that last night's dinner was not a complete success. I would categorize it as a semi-disaster, but even disasters need to be shared. So I'm outlining the issues and my suggestions on how to fix each one.


SALAD (Pickled Mango & Red Onions with Grilled Corn Mixed Green Salad):
Ing: 1 Mango cut into thin strips, 1 C of corn (I used frozen) grilled in the oven, 1C grape tomatoes, 1/2 red onion cut into thin slices and mixed greens.

Preheat oven to 450.
I decided to pickle (1/2 C of white vinegar and cider vinegar, 1/2C of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp black pepper, pinch of salt) both the mango slices and onions for an hour or so. Mistake #1. The mangos ended up being way too acidic. Next time, I would add another 1/2 C or more of sugar to cut down the acidity of the vinegar. I would even consider using a different type of vinegar, something milder (maybe Sherry or Rice?). I would also just pickle the onions and decrease the time to 20 mins. The mangos don't need to be pickled unless you're lucky enough to have the hard green sour kind. In the meantime, bake thawed corn for about 15-20 mins. I left 1/4 of the corn in the oven longer to brown a bit more for presentation-purposes (I think it looks better when you get bits of caramelized kernels).

Dressing: I used 1/2 C of the pickling mixture and added 1/4C olive oil, tsp of sugar and a pinch of fleur de sel (sea salt). Mistake #2. The dressing was way too acidic. Again, the white/cider vinegar was too harsh. I would suggest Rice wine vinegar or White wine vinegar. But more importantly, I didn't add enough oil. Rule of thumb for vinaigrettes - 3 to 4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Adding Dijon mustard is also common.

Toss greens and dressing then add tomatoes, mangos, onions and corn. Make sure the salad is nice and cold before serving. It just tastes better! I chill my plates/bowls in the freezer before I plate the salad to help keep the salad nice and cold.


CHICKEN (Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings):
Recipe courtesy of Hostess with the Mostess

The flavor was good but as you can see, my version looks very different from the original. I'm not sure if it's my oven, but the wings just didn't brown as much as I'd have liked. It's hard to believe that you could get the wings to crisp up like that in the oven. I even ended up brushing them with some oil midway through because I wasn't getting the color that I wanted. The only thing I can think of was that my wings didn't have enough space to cook and brown properly. Mistake #3. Make sure you space the wings out. I would also increase the amount of sugar and honey.


DESSERT (Espresso Granita):

I remember making "granita" with Coke when I was a kid but I just referred to it as frozen coke not Coke Granita. Make 2 Cups of espresso and add 1/2 C of sugar. Taste it and make sure that it's almost too sweet. Mistake #4. I made my espresso too strong. Cool it in the fridge before putting it into the freezer. Pour mixture in a pyrex glass bakepan and freeze. Give it about 20 mins or so and scrape the ice crystals as they form with a fork. Keep checking every 20 mins and scrape newly formed crystals. It should take a total of 2 hours or so. Whip up some whipping cream (1C heavy cream and sugar to taste). Spoon slush into cups and add a dollop of cream on top. Sprinkle a bit of espresso powder on top for good measure!

With mistakes come new lessons =)

Asia goes solo?

I know that both Luis and my brother Tom have been at the edge of their seats for this update so I couldn't wait until tomorrow ;)

So here it is, as promised...
It appears that Asia Nitollano is definitely NOT a Pussycat Doll. Sources say that Dawn Ostroff (CW president of entertainment) made it official at the Television Critics press tour. "Asia has decided to do a solo career," said Ostroff to the group of laughing journalists. "we always said that, you know, it's their choice to either do a solo career or join the Pussycat Dolls ... It was totally her choice."

How odd - poor thing never even got added to the official PCD site.
Rumor has it, we can all look forward to a brand new show next season -"The Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious". Antin is forming a new girl group - "Girlicious"... oh boy!

Taking the family portrait to another level - Photos into wallpaper!

How cool is that? Better Wallpaper turns your photos into wallpaper, via Popgadget.
I think this would be perfect for kids rooms - you could even modify the image so it becomes more of a coloring book type of image. Washable markers of course!!



Here are some other resources if you're interested:
- Wallhogs (they also do reusable vinyl)
- Rasterbator (diy)
- Blockposters
- Check out what this dad did

{photos from www.betterwallpaper.co.uk}

Last night's dinner #1: Arugula salad & Creamy Farfalle

Since I've been cooking a lot lately, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the recipes that I've been trying out in a series called "Last night's dinner". Enjoy!

• Balsamic Roasted Figs and Brown Sugar Caramelized Walnuts with Goat Cheese Arugula Salad
• Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus and Walnuts
• Pimm's Citrus Mint Lemonade
• Simple Strawberry parfait
  

SALAD: Preheat oven to 325°. Heat up 1/2 C of brown sugar and 2tbs of balsamic vinegar in a small pot. Add about 1C of walnuts and transfer mixture to a baking pan and bake for about 10 mins. Carefully watch to make sure you don't burn them or else you'll have to start over again. Once nuts are done, turn up the heat to 400° and heat it up for a bit (15 mins.)



Cut 8 figs in half (lengthwise) and spread out onto a bakepan. Heat up 1/2 C balsamic, 1/4 honey and 4 tbs of brown sugar in the same pot you used before. Spoon mixture over figs and bake for about 15mins. (until the mixture thickens). Once both nuts and figs are cooled, arrange on top of arugula and add a nice hunk of goat cheese or blue cheese if you prefer. Dress with aged balsamic.



PASTA (recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis): I cut the recipe in half.
1/2 pound farfalle pasta
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/2 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Add the pasta. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 3/4 of the walnuts. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining walnuts.



COCKTAIL: (for 2)
Zest of an orange and a lemon (about 1 tsp of each)
fresh orange and lemon Juice (2 tbs each)
4 slices of cucumber (1/4" slices)
lemon and orange slices (2 of each)
8 mint leaves cut into ribbons
1 can of French Lemonade. You can substitute Sprite or Ginger ale (I prefer Sprite)
Pimm's (you can find it in the Cordial section in your wine shop)

Fill 2 tall glasses with ice (I prefer crushed or at least stabbed into smaller than standard ice cube size). Throw in the lemon and orange zest, juices, fruits/cucumber/mint and a shot of Pimm's. Stir. Top with French lemonade and stir again. Garnish with a mint sprig.



DESSERT:
I baked yellow cake cupcakes the other day and had some left over. So I whipped up some heavy cream and cut up some strawberries (let berries sit in some sugar for 10-15 mins) and layered the ingredients into a makeshift parfait!

Rooftop Films

THINGS TO DO:
Rooftop Films Summer Series

I'm so bummed, I just missed -
The Way We Get By - Deeply philosophical, desperately inspiring, and darkly hilarious short films about the illogical lives we lead. Sounds like a film that would've been perfect for me - not the philosophical or the darkly hilarious part ;)

Next one is on Thursday 7/26 The Show Must Go On - short films about people who find beauty and value in the pieces and places that others have left behind.

Forever Copying?

So what do Gwen Stefani, Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, Tokidoki, Bebe and Anthropologie all have in common? According to WWD, they have all filed lawsuits against Forever 21 - accusing the retailer of copying both fabric and apparel designs. It looks like there are at least 20 different lawsuits against them.

Apparently, Forever 21 admitted that they were at fault when DVF first filed the lawsuit and claimed that they would take action to ensure that this would not happen again. However, DVF has recently discovered additional designs that have been ripped-off. Unfortunately Forever 21 has not returned any calls from WWD so their side of the story has not been told.

I've only been to Forever 21 maybe twice in my life. The one in Union Square is a little to overwhelming for my senses - in a bad way. I just checked out the site and they have some really cute things that all fall in line with the "if you love _____ then you'll love this" mantra! You can fill in the blank with Anthropologie, Bebe or any of the other plaintiffs =)

I quickly visited all the sites to see if I can spot an imposter. Do you think I found one?

So for all you designers out there, register your designs!!

Cookware / Kitchen Peg-boards

Happy Monday.
I'm obsessed with peg boards and I'm seeing them everywhere. Both Domino and CHOW have great tutorials on how to install one.



I'm determined to put one up in the kitchen to free up some cabinet space and to make it easier to store cookware. I'm just worried about whether or not the walls are going to cooperate. I'm not too sure about stenciling in the shapes either. If I do, I'd probably do it in color. The problem is that the kitchen is about 100 degrees and it's a little too hot to be messing around in there. The AC isn't powerful enough to cool the entire apartment so the curtain to the kitchen must always remain closed - so when I get nostalgic and have a desire to relive my childhood years and sweat in tropical-like temperatures, you know where to find me.

If you don't want to install a board to your wall - attaching chains to the ceiling or using cake cooling racks along with S hooks are other fun alternatives. There's a post on thriftyfun.com with lots of other great pot rack ideas.



PS.
Amanda - thank you for reading!!! What's weird about writing a blog is that you're never quite sure if you're just talking to yourself!

Plan A, B, C...

I have to have a plan right? Or at least options in my head?

To be quite honest, I haven't thought about opening a store in a while. I haven't done any additional planning or research for it. I haven't touched my concept boards in months - I've basically allowed myself to put it out of my mind - at least for now. Right now I really want to take a crack at making things with my hands but I'm having a really tough time starting. I can't seem to find it in me to actually start something. I have a million bookmarks of projects to try, you've seen the new books, I've even written about potential projects (e.g., thrift dress, tearsheet notebooks) but I just can't get myself revved up. Oh no, I think I may be in a funk.

Instead of sewing or organizing tearsheets... guess who found herself sitting in a new Japanese salon for 3 hours getting full-on BANGS!!! AND thinking about doing something drastic to the color next week? Maybe the physical change will inspire a shift?

Pinkberry: Case of the missing culture

I finally got around to tasting Pinkberry and I have to admit that it was pretty damn good. Lynda was originally not a fan - I suspected it was because she wasn't mentally prepared for the sour factor. Even I was a little surprised of the flavor explosion once the green tea sample hit my palette. I opted for the original flavor and loved every drop.

So I've been apparently hiding under a rock and was completely oblivious to the pinkberry "no yo no go" controversy. Lyn reports that no one knows what it's actually made out of and of course I say "that's impossible - I'll get to the bottom of this". Same way I nearly fell out of my seat when I noticed that the winner of the "Next Pussycat Doll" was again not part of the group during their Earth Day appearance and knew I had some research to do. What a complete hoax of a show. Good thing Melissa R. didn't win or else it would have been a waste of her talent. (This is really way too much information I'm giving you about my horrendous TV habits).

Anyway, like the missing PCD case - I told Lyn that I was so on the case and would get to the bottom of the Pinkberry mystery. More to come... I'm still finalizing my theory but have given you a bit of a teaser in the above image, stay tuned =)

To craft or not to craft

Once my mind commits to a new idea, the first thing I do is go to the bookstore. Back when I lived in Forest Hills, I would head straight to the library and borrow as many books about the topic as possible. Come to think of it - I really should pay the library a visit. As you can see, I have one about sewing, paper crafts, japanese crafts and of course the Crafter's Companion. This book has been covered by all of the craft blogs I read. Not only is it a good resource for project ideas, but it also features a number of crafters who talk about why they create, what inspires them and even showcases their workspace. I love seeing the actual space where people do what they do.

I haven't decided on my first craft project yet. I'm currently overwhelmed with the possibilities - so true to form =)

Operation Tearsheets

This is what I consider an acceptable amount of magazines to keep. You should've seen this side table 3 weeks ago - the stack was so high that it was constantly tipping over. Now that I think about it, that was the best part about working for Conde Nast - the monthly delivery of a rather heavy mega manila envelope full of magazines.

I came up with a better solution. I now have a routine that I follow:
Flip through the magazine (out of pure excitement) and scan as if I were the Bionic Woman (btw I can't wait to see the new series)

1. Read from front to back, earmark (or use the lovely stickers that now come with LUCKY and DOMINO) everything that I want to keep for future reference. It could be a product, an inspirational room layout or a paint palette. If I'm feeling up to it, I'll kill two birds with one stone and rip out the page as I go along. If I'm really into it, I actually circle or make notes on the page so I don't forget why I earmarked it in the first place. Believe me, I would forget. I always find myself launching a new browser window and then forget where I was headed!
2. If I was too lazy during the editing phase, the 2nd step is to rip out the earmarked pages and put the sheets into my designated tearsheet plastic bin (.99 at the dollar store - I love the Container Store, but sometimes the dollar store will do the trick. See my cute white bin with neon green handles above).
3. (Keep in mind that I haven't actually done this yet) Sort through the bin and separate sheets into categories (e.g., Fashion, Food, Travel etc). You can get creative and use pinking shears to cut out the images. Use a gluestick to paste them on the pages of a notebook. I'm still trying to decide what type of notebooks to use. I just hate spirals but I also don't want to pay a ton for notebooks. I just came up with a great idea. There are about 20 yellow pages in our lobby that have been sitting there for a month. I should pick up 3 and recycle the pages and figure out how to bind it into a notebook. Oh my god a project within a project!!! More on this later. Watch - the yellow pages have been there for a month and now that I want them, they'll be gone. I'm not going to chance it, I'm going downstairs after I publish this post. I think yellow pages paper would be perfect because its thin, might be tricky because of the rubbing ink issue but who cares - recycling is good right?? Anyway, back to the original project - so you basically create a separate book for each category. This way, you keep what you want from the magazines but you don't end up with stacks and stacks of magazines. Now you can find what you need faster, without having to go through a years worth of MARTHA STEWART LIVING!
   

Off to get some Yellow Pages books ...

Summer - enjoy it while it lasts

I usually welcome Anthropologie email blasts with open arms, but when I saw the word BOOTS and FALL - my heart sank and I quickly deleted the email (of course not before I got a screenshot for you).

Summer is my favorite season and I'd rather sweat to death than freeze, so it pains me to be reminded that it's almost August which means that Labor Day is just around the bend. Why does Winter feel like the period during a beach vacation that just won't let up? And summer... well, I guess it's like the wedding reception that took 6+ months to plan but whizzed by in 6-seconds.

So bust out the tank tops, denim shorts, spare ribs, corn on the cob, flip-flops and coral blazoned toe nails while we can (I don't want to hear it Californians!! and yes you too down there!)

O Capitalism!

My new favorite blog has inspired me to go on a little journey.
Have you ever been to a Salvation Army, a garage sale, or a flea market? There's so much STUFF out there. There's absolutely no need for anyone to ever buy anything brand new. I'm sure we could all survive by reusing and recycling all of our material belongings. I know, I know - the market would crash, Anthropologie would have to file for bankruptcy and lots of people would be find themselves clinically depressed.

I'm invigorated by the opportunity to provide second life. I recently purchased these 2 wooden trays, 2 wooden wall hangings and a lovely silver plated bowl (made in Italy) - all for the bargain price of $9.99 from the Union Square Salvation Army. I haven't decided the specifics yet but I have a few ideas. I could paint the serving trays and give them a more weathered/vintage look, I could cover them with vintage paper or maybe even paint a pattern. Too many choices!

I also came across this top from the Monk Thrift shop on Avenue B. I was immediately drawn to the pattern and it's free-flowing nature. I love the bold graphics and love love love the burnout look. I think it was originally a blouse but I have other plans for it - I see it more of a dress. I picture it with black tights and platform shoes for the early fall. I think the first step is to create a slit on the sleeves all the way up to the shoulder - I want to give the sleeves less of a Dolman shape (I think?) Wish me luck with this one!