Ahh-May-zing!

Brown & Black Spring Additions

LOL

I hope you find this as entertaining as I do...

The man behind the woman

Who knew...not me! For years I have been mesmerized by this graffiti lady near my old apt (Gansevoort and 10th to be exact). I took photographs with her and of her, and most recently was trying to decide how I am going to add her into my graffiti art collection in my new home.

So, out of curiosity, I begin to Google...graffiti artist, Meatpacking graffiti, NYC graffiti, trying to find the guy behind the beautiful woman. It did not take long before I was successful. Not only did I find the man behind this work of art, he had been right in front of me the entire time. Shepard Fairey, the man famous for portraying Obama’s face in graffiti. Have I been that out of the loop?

In summary Shepard Fairey went from private school to creating stickers, t shirts, and skateboards to creating a very successful marketing and branding firm, Studio Number One. Not taking into account his other business of creating fine art and owning a gallery. I discovered his website to see that the beautiful woman is a very typical style piece of his. Here are his two sites and below the works he is famous for. http://studionumberone.com/main/
http://obeygiant.com/

We Heart Gaga

If you are nearly as obsessed with this wild child as I am, then make sure you pick up this weeks New Yorker, Sasha Frere- Jones writes about Lady Gaga in the article titled Ladies Wild. Enjoy!
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2009/04/27/090427crmu_music_frerejones

Gardening W/O The Garden

With this gorgeous weather comes ideas and with ideas comes a garden...on my window sill.

For those of you who live in the City, you know that outdoor space is limited and gardening space even more so...but how about that under valued piece of real-estate we all have, the Window Sill.
I know New Yorkers use theirs all the time...and it's about time this New Yorker does too.

Thankfully, I am already ahead of the game with a design friendly planter given to me as a gift) pic to come).

Fresh herbs fragrantly growing in my kitchen, I can smell them already.

Here is my shopping list:
Lemon Grass
Basil
Italian Parsley
Lavender
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Thyme

xo

OutNet

From New York Magazine:

If you're anything like us — we're extremely budget-conscious and almost never purchase apparel at full price — you may know Net-a-Porter as that designer e-commerce site you will never be able to afford to shop from. But today, Net-a-Porter's outlet site called the Outnet launches. The items on this site are still expensive, but you have a far greater likelihood of being able to afford something here than on Net-a-Porter. Labels include Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Derek Lam, Diane Von Furstenberg, Phillip Lim, Jill Stuart, and Oscar de la Renta. The Outnet is like a never-ending online sample sale, which is great, because you don't have to leave your chair to shop, or throw elbows with the girl trying to swipe the last dress in your size. However, a lot of the stuff is a few seasons old, so you'll want to search for things that are relevant and won't go out of style. Approach shopping here as you would the first day of the Barneys Warehouse Sale: Buy things you think are a worthy investment or that you think will sell out quickly. http://www.theoutnet.com/

Here are a few pieces for sale on the site right now that we like:

No Day But Today

Do you live in the present? Are you living to your full potential today?

If we are always looking ahead or constantly looking back, how can we be present in today? We act this out in the smallest ways. For example, I did not work out yesterday and this morning I woke up and said "how am I ever going to get there today?"

If we are always looking at what we did not do, how are we going to progress and better our game? Its something I struggle with lately and today I am challenging myself to be present.

Ask yourself, what do I want to accomplish today that will make me the person I want to be tomorrow?

Today:
I am making an aggressive to-do list
I am working out to my full potential
I am eating the way I know I should, not the way I did yesterday
I am going to think about my future as it is now, and not what i think it must be


Be present and enjoy today, not tomorrow or yesterday!

XO

Success!

Last night, Stacey Dina and I had a girls night. We did all the things girls do, we ate, talked about our boyfriends, bitched about people we dont like (ha) and, of course, created infamous sake infused business plans...Stacey am I the CMO or sales?

We started out at a great place Stacey found for Dim Sum in Chinatown , Oriental Garden.We had steamed dumplings, veggies spring rolls, stuffed eggplant ( the stuffing still remains a mystery) and two delicious bottles of sake. If you are new to Dim Summing or never adventure into Chinatown to eat because you just dont know where to go, this place is your answer. The food is fresh and the price is right. Reservation suggested.

3 hours later we mozied over to Santos Party House...we deliberated going in because its not exactly what we were looking for, but another three hours later, it was exactly what we were looking for. The best part of the night...Qtip was the guest DJ. Music was awesome, live rapping by some punk ass kid and we just danced! They say Friday night is the best night...i'm not sure about the other nights, but this Friday was fun! No frills kinda place...great crowd, killer music and if you arrive by 10, easy breezy to get in, just dont forget some cash for the door...$15 bucks to get in.

Oriental Garden, 14 Elizabeth St. near Bayard
Santos Party House, Lafayette and Canal

Friday Night Lights

Girls night out...can't wait!

Kitchenette

In an effort to get to know Tribeca as well as we know our old neighborhood, we are trying restaurants one by one. We finally found our "got to" sushi place, our bagel place and tonight we found our home-cookin casual place, Kitchenette.

The menu is a cross between southern and americana. I had this delicious roasted chicken with an apple bread stuffing under the perfectly crispy skin. With an option to pick two sides, I went with the biscut and squash...yum!

I'm sure this is an old haunt for this neighborhood but a pleasant discovery for these newbies!

Kitchenette
156 Chambers b/t Greenwich and W.Broadway

Oh Anna...

Chad Moore Anna looking out
I dont know what it is about her, but i just love Anna looking out...i cannot wait till she hangs on my wall. i feel like she will brighten up our already bright apartment while at the same time make it feel very zen and peaceful. what is she looking at anyway? it changes for me everyday.
http://www.thesethingshappensometimes.com/

Springing Around

I spent this gorgeous April day with my bf Dina. We started with a bootcamp held by personal trainer and nutritionist Stacey Grant. Stacey coaches this bootcamp every Sunday in McCarren Park in Williamsburg. It was my first one and definitely not my last- it totally kicked my ass. I am not sure how many of you exercise outside...boy is it nice! For more info-http://www.wellnessworkshealth.com/. Stacey also teaches at various clubs within the city and Williamsburg, check her site out!

I then strolled to a coffee shop type place that made me a much needed Kale, Spinach,Carrot Apple Juice. The detox really helped me learn more about what our bodies need, I am going to try and do a veggie juice once a day!

We then grabbed an outside table in the sun at Bonita...a delicous little Mexican place we love on Bedford. We ordered up salads, buritos and Michelada's, delicious!! For those of you who are not familiar, a Michelada is a Central American beer cocktail, recipe below, a must serve at your next roofdeck or backyard party.

1 ice cold Mexican beer (dark is better)
coarse salt (for the rim)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1-2 dashes of hot chile sauce (such as Tabasco, Tapatio or Cholula)
1 dashes of soy sauce
1 dashes worchestshire sauce
beer mug or large glass (chilled if possible)
Ice

So, first spring- like day was a real success...Booty camp, Michelada's and some vintage shopping along the streets of Williamsburg. Ahh I am satisfied and soo happy spring has come and brought Dina back to NY with it!