lux

in austria, week 2 of our road trip, ben asked if i bought myself a souvenir. as we stocked up on gifts for our parents, friends, et al., it seemed as if i didn't consider myself in the equation. au contraire, mon ami. i bought myself quite possibly the most spectacular treasure that in its own right would represent the entirety of our trip. 

an oversized, crystal lotus-esque flower that in certain angles, reflects a neon bubble-gum pink hue. purchased at a gas station en route to florence from lake como. 

it was the obvious choice. 

after making my selection in the glass display case, the attendant disappeared into the stock room and returned with my precious floral jewel tucked inside a maroon gift box lined with gold satin. only to confirm what i believed: italian luxury!

wait v. worth

when days were cold (think wind chills of negative 30) in vermont, the obvious choice was to skip the mile walk up to campus, stay in my nest of blankets and watch the martha stewart show. i was thankful that she kept my creative up while temps were low. i was inspired by everything she did. she was my idol. and among many things, i am grateful that martha introduced me to etsy. i've been using the site since february of 2008 and i've made countless purchases--my first being this sterling silver bracelet that i had custom engraved with "give peace a chance." little vermont hippie that i was! i didn't take it off for nearly three years and now it lives in my jewelry box. 

anyway, on october 29, 2010, i purchased a 1970s red kimono dress. now i should note that i am very selective with my purchases and make it a point to not buy everything that i see. the package arrived and i brought it back to my apartment, but i never opened it. the year ended. 2011 came and went. i moved into a new apartment. i'd see the package, but still i didn't open it. i kept the package in a duffle bag with my extra gloves and scarves, and occasionally i would think about opening it. but unexplainably, i wouldn't. until yesterday. june 4, 2012. i found it while i transitioning my wardrobe for summer. 

and here it is:

nice. it is nice. i'm neither over- or underwhelmed. worth the wait? sure. but maybe its worth was in its wait. i didn't expect to fall in love with this red kimono. i didn't think it was going to be the dress to end all dresses. i felt as neutral as i do in writing this. what i am trying to figure out: at which point was the anticipation for this dress lost?

emily once bought a powerball ticket, or something of the sort, that allowed winners an entire year to claim their prize. she waited months and months until she was ready to see if she had won. for her life to change. she'd mention every once in a while, in a variety of contexts, "well, i might be a millionaire." i don't remember her reaction to losing, or the minutes leading up to losing, or what made her finally decide to check. the deadline? the curiosity? 

last month, i ordered something from the something store. for ten dollars, the company will send you something. it could be a fragrance. it could be a tie. it could be a robot alarm clock or a patio lantern. my level of anticipation was through the roof. i figured that i would be the person that randomly got the laptop or the camera. i'm often very lucky. i had my coworker order something too. our somethings arrived on the same day. within three minutes, a week's worth of excitement dissipated as i opened my retractable car charger. my coworker received a reflective runner's vest.

the laundry

if you really want to indulge, go out there and get yourself a bottle of le labo's rose 31 detergent. it is beyond divine and it will make wearing a white tee, slipping into sheets, drying off with a towel, etc. more lovely than you could ever imagine. trust me. 

my mother has been using this stuff for years, so whenever i travel back to connecticut, i am overly eager to bring my laundry along with me. but this weekend, she got me a bottle of my very own (merci, merci, merci!), so i guess this means i can pack a bit lighter from now on for a weekend home.

rabbit

last year's weekend in burlington included at least four trips to thrift stores. i was trying to stock up on tschotskes for my apartment. my bedroom [in the lower east side apartment that i shared with emily] was stuffed to the brim with beauteous knickknacks, but i soon realized that i would have to distribute everything from a single bedroom into a kitchen and living room when living on my own. my new apartment suddenly seemed empty. so last year's trip to burlington was my chance to stock up. new york just doesn't have that many options. at least not in my budget. nothing ever seems that unique at picked over second-hand shops in the city that i can afford. 

my usual motto of don't buy unless i love did not apply so strictly on this trip. this phrase pops into my mind when i am debating whether something is a must-have. if there is any debate, i put it down. this time in vermont, i purchased just about everything that caught my eye. including a seashell rabbit.

and this rabbit [or mouse, i can't quite tell] is so bizarre. because, though hard to see in this picture, it has googley eyes. and i always try to understand if it was someone's craft project or something that was once sold in a store. after painstakingly taking the time to apply all of the shells to the animal's body, why are there googley eyes? there are plenty of real-looking eyes at craft stores that would make this shell rabbit look less like a [talented] 14-year-olds arts and crafts idea. i didn't exactly love it at first, but now i really find it quite fancy.

gone forever

i once had a little mirror. it was hot pink plastic, in the shape of a heart, and on the back of it was a purple rhinestone heart. i loved it. i remember driving to my aunt's house with my mother, grandmother and older brother. vague memory, but i was sitting behind the driver's seat and i had the mirror in my hand. as soon as we got out of the car, my brother took it from me and threw it in the woods. never to be seen again. i must have been three or so, but i still remember. and i am still slightly bitter.

other things that i loved, lost/broken and think about:

heart necklace

on a family trip to the american museum of natural history in the city when i was nine, i bought a little crystal heart necklace at the gift shop. to remind me of the gem and mineral room, of course. that room has always been my favorite. anyway, i remember playing out on our front lawn when i realized that i was no long wearing it. i had an inkling that it fell near one of the trees but i was never able to find it. i looked for it for years. when ben and i went to the museum in april, they no longer sold that necklace.

green ring

it was emily's birthday weekend and all six of us piled into justin's suv. one of us had to sit in the trunk. alternating. but we went over to the brooklyn flea in fort greene and i bought two marvelous pieces of jewelry. a crystal bracelet that i am over-the-moon about but rarely wear because i am that afraid of losing it [because i did lose it! but it was returned to me], and a massive, [faux] emerald ring. seen below:

the emerald fell out. somewhere. i don't even remember where, but i think it might have been lost in my apartment. i still have the metal ring so i suppose i could easily replace the stone with another lovely big jewel. i just haven't yet. the ring and the bracelet were five dollars each.

pink ring

oh, this was my favorite forever 21 jewelry purchase. ever. it came as a set of five rings, but i really only wanted the gold band with the magenta stone. i actually bought two sets. just in case anything happened to the pink ring. and something did happen! maybe i should just not think these thoughts. the stone broke off within a few days. and the same thing happened to the next. yet it seems funny because absolutely nothing happened to the other rings in the set. which i've been wearing on and off for over a year now. whatever.

here is a wonky picture of the beauteous ring that i took on photobooth at ben's old apartment this summer:

i look for a duplicate of this ring everywhere. but nothing ever seems exactly like it. not in stores, not on etsy. it should be fairly easy to find another, right? but i just haven't. have you seen it?

le sigh. 

gobs

i woke up on saturday morning with the urge to buy some jewelry. i felt it in my bones.

so i walked down to soho and made a beeline for forever 21. is there a better place for fancy jewels? no.

side note: when will there be a law against text-walkers?

things we do

whenever we pass them, my boyfriend and i buy the little critters from the 25-cent machines on the street. animals, jewelry, homies, etc. we put them up on the shelf in my building's staircase (at the second floor) to see how long it takes before someone notices/takes. usually they are gone within a few days. a miley cyrus heart charm stayed on the shelf for an exceptionally long time. three-ish weeks.

the first one we got was a little pig in brooklyn. the very first week that we met. smile.

but, really, who is taking them?

my home

ever since i decided to decorate my apartment in the style of a rustic/feminine log cabin, i have not been able to stop thinking about home decor. i think i'm a bigger (if that's even possible) etsy addict than i was before. in new york, vintage shopping is pretty unremarkable. everything has been picked through. the best of the best is already in people's homes, or it's priced way beyond my budget. etsy is the perfect fit. etsy, and my nana's house.

so in shades of peach, crimson, chocolate and cream, i am creating my ladylike cabin space. living by myself (and having complete control over the decorating decisions) is wonderful. most of my friends can't believe that i'm not finished decorating yet when they walk in, but i want my apartment filled to the brim with treasure.

and speaking of treasure! this little gem of a jewelry box arrived yesterday from this etsy shop and i am in love! it's painted in the most delicate ballerina pink shade and it's just darling, no?

free spirit

i'm not entirely sure that i would have bought it in a store, but finding ted andrews' animal speak: the spiritual & magical powers of creatures great & small in the staircase of my building (lending library!) has been the luckiest occurrence of my day.

and now i want to buy a bunch of copies and give them to my best friends.

marigold

a peek inside my new apartment

my dreamy junior one bedroom in the east village.
i lovelovelove living here.

chocolate brown, peach, cream and red.

an exposed brick wall with tons of floral.

obviously.

margaretha

escada margaretha ley

i found the bottle today at housing works on crosby street. regal, no?  empty. another jewel for my vanity.

mag

after brunch at spitzer's with a college friend on sunday, we wandered around the east village, stopped in a few community gardens and then a magazine shop. i had to check for new arrivals. (foreign, fashion) mags are one of my many indulgences (also: peppered beef jerky, jamba juice, taking cabs home from work). and at first, my friend was a bit unsettled from the waste/recycling standpoint of my habit (she just moved to the city after a life in vermont, love!). but there is really no need to ever think i am being wasteful, magazines are my treasure and i adore them all accordingly.

when i was twelve, i snooped around my mom's childhood bedroom in brooklyn (don't ever ask me to house-sit, because i will look through all of your stuff) and came across an old magazine from the early 80's (my aunt's, perhaps?). and my forward-thinking mind decided then to save every magazine thereafter. similar to my reasons for keeping a diary, i imagined that i'd want to look back on them at some point. someday in the future! and now i have box after box (of seventeen, ym, sugar, elle girl, teen vogue, glamour) in my parent's attic. whenever i'm back in connecticut, i'll grab a few to peruse and they're always relevant (even when they aren't).

and so, i've spent the past two nights in, not making a single plan but to stay in my apartment, in my bed, with a massive stack of mags to read. and it feels good to just be, for once. 

to do

right around christmastime, a little old lady came up to talk to me as i was shopping in sephora. and we had a very pleasant twenty minute conversation, but because of her heavy accent, i wasn't sure if we were talking about the loveliness of manhattan or about recruiting me for a religion. it was all very fuzzy. but it was about the loveliness of manhattan! and at the end of our conversation she gave me a sheet of paper that she wrote on both sides of. it had the details of wonderful events and museums to attend to in the city, complete with her commentary ("fabulous!", "grand!", "excellent!"). it's written in the most beautiful cursive, states the addresses, hours of operation, which exhibits are not to be missed. and she drew a heart around it all. i don't believe she had any association with these places and just wrote it out of the goodness of her heart.


it really makes me smile.

girl talk

ya, ya, it's important to have wonderful interesting/relevant/meaningful conversations. and often. but! it's also fun and indulgent not to. silly chats about more frivolous endeavors are awfully lovely. so here are a few things that i am thinking of:

• say what you will about starbucks, but that iced passion tea (with milk and sugar-in-the-raw) really makes mid-day in midtown a bit brighter.
• i'm really enjoying essie nail polish in haute as hello. coral. cool, festive.
• currently in the habit of nail-polishing only my left hand's thumb. other fingers blank.
  
• does everyone secretly enjoy watching the bachelor? and doesn't dare admit to it?
  
• i made awkward eye contact with kristin chenoweth on lexington avenue tonight.
• jurlique makes the best hand cream.
• how would you feel if you had a romance with someone who was wildly famous in japan but relatively unknown in the US?
• emily and i once got eyelash extensions. we felt extraordinarily fabulous for two weeks.
• i just realized my gym offers ballet classes developed by the new york city ballet.
• and speaking of which, i can't believe darci kistler's last performance is next month. and i am really glad i already have my ticket.
• had an a++++ meal at 'inoteca (on rivington) last week with the emilys. divine! a cured-meat lover's paradise.
• have you checked your horoscope yet? how do you feel about it?
• new metallicy-mesh purse from mint julep is one of my favorite purchases of 2010.
• and, bloom where you are planted.

things

if absolutely nothing else, i've acquired a rather pretty collection of dresses since moving to nyc.

there are so many beautiful things to have and to experience here. and i feel extremely fortunate that i'm able to surround myself with these things that i think are so lovely. to have the luxury of pretty treasures and wearing sparkly dresses and listening to classical music and having a subscription to ABT and going to see momix next week with emily. new york city has really taught me how to indulge in a certain type of beauty. i may not save a lot (or any) of my money, but i'm enjoying.

but i also know how to live very happily without all of these things, as and very well. the beautifully simple life in vermont, where days were endlessly spent on front porches with friends, countless trips to swimming holes and creative cooking with flowers, was beyond fulfilling.

there are so many ways to enjoy what you have around you.

cocoa cookies

picked up this sweet mirror/comb disguised as a plastic oreo at babel fair in nolita a few weeks ago. haven't used it for the intended purpose yet, but the text really appeals to me.

american girl

there has to be some study out there that has researched who your friends are as an adult compared to which american girl doll you had when you were growing up. except for a few mollys (and one or two samanthas), all my friends and i had felicity. even though felicity isn't the obvious choice (samantha was the prettiest and she was rich=!!!!), something drew us all to the spunky red-headed gal who grew up in colonial williamsburg. something? and for the same reasons why i am friends with them all now? much to think about.

christmas 1995.
look! me and felicity have not only same nightgown/bear/bear in same nightgown, but we also have the same teeth! ah ah ah.

sparkle motion

i will probably wear this magnificent dress everyday.

sweet nothing

moving to a different neighborhood a few months ago has really opened up a new world for me, which is just what i wanted to happen. new restaurants, pizza places, coffee shops, new boutiques. places to explore. there are so many little and wonderful shops in the lower east side and weekend strolls always include popping into them and seeing what we can find.

this weekend emily and i bought these adorable sweet nothings pendant necklaces at in god we trust.

they look completely innocent but have rather cheeky sayings on them. you would never know unless you looked very, very closely. some were vulgar but ours are more silly.

guess which ones we picked up? wink.

in god we trust

153 ludlow street

(between rivington and stanton)

new york, new york 

10002

framed

above my bed was once a mirror, but it has since gone above my closet doors when i moved last month. i needed a change in this new apartment and then i needed something to fill the empty, white space.

strolling along on a saturday with friends, i spotted the most unusual picture frame at billy's antiques & props, an indoor/outdoor antique shop bursting with oddities on houston street. a frame that is violet, rose and cream; embroidered and with pom-poms. how bizarre and charming!

so i stapled a maroon and ivory fabric into the glassless frame.


and voila! just as i envisioned it, or even greater.