violet

maybe i've been in new york too long, and am wildly in need of a vacation (true, and i leave for vermont tomorrow), but i've been totally lagging on noticing the lovely little occurrences that used to be so apparent. i'm beyond excited/desperate to spend some time in the green mountain state for a few days. anyway, i know it takes effort and it's easy to let things slide, so to kick things off, i tried to be more aware this weekend. this is what i came up with: 

mary brought me back an amethyst from charleston. i am so grateful and it made me ridiculously happy. when i went to cannes, i brought her back a blue seashell. i am pleased that we exchange treasure. mary gets it.

there is a stamp store a block away from my apartment. during annie's last visit to the city, we stopped in and she bought a swimming lady. i have a rose, which i did not buy from this store but i so appreciate having my own stamp. 

this was a painting that was on my street near a garbage can. it looks like a flying pig. i liked it, but not enough to hang in my apartment and nothing is worth the risk of bedbugs. i liked it enough to add to my blog tonight.

ali's homemade macarons for jenna's welcome-to-new-york party were divine. truly, they've rivaled any macaron i've ever had. and i am no amateur. they were baked with love.

here are the clothes that i am taking to vermont. i spent half of sunday packing for this trip. i am an ace packer, and i weirdly think it is adds into the fun of going away...

...but figuring out what makeup to bring is a different story. especially when i will probably go without for most of the trip. it is vermont, after all. essentials only. this is what i've decided on. it all looks pretty, no?

there you have it. a slew of things that were lovely. 

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.

easy come, easy go

i've been really into green smoothies for the past few months. i drink at least a nalgene a day. blend: three handfuls of spinach, two cups of water, a cup of frozen strawberries and one banana. they taste surprisingly divine and have cured my terrible knees. so much so that within the first three days of drinking them, i no longer feel any pain walking up the five flights to my apartment. magic, really.

though many smoothies means many trips to trader joe's, two or three times each week.

the cashier applied chapstick before acknowledging me, taking his sweet time as i stood there, and then said he couldn't live without it. he noticed my shopping bag from dior. he said that it was impressive, but i told him that it was not from shopping there, but rather acquired from work. i told him what i did when he asked. again, he seemed impressed. he said he was a photographer and that along with bagging groceries, he also worked at a (a very well-known) photo studio. i'm not really a waitress came to mind, though i wasn't judging. especially on that day. but now writing that seems a little judge-y. anyway, he asked me a few more questions that led me to believe that he thought i was super fancy. i looked fancy and i guess that's enough. but i was feeling particularly disgruntled and i thought that i was projecting a different image than what i would have liked and felt. i can't remember what exactly he asked but my response was, "well, i just spent my last 20 bucks on bananas and spinach, so..." and immediately he replied, "easy come, easy go." then he handed me my grocery bag and i left.

i am still trying to think of how that even applies to what we talked about, or general appearances, or whatever. i'm sure if i thought about it long enough, i'd figure out what he meant. but for now, i have just been taking it as general life advice.

perfect fit

sometimes something comes into your life, and you don't even know how truly right it is at first. and once the dust settles, you can't imagine life without it. it's a perfect fit.

much like this crystal/turquoise beaded chandelier that i ordered from urban outfitters a few months ago, of course. it is the third chandelier in my apartment, remember this one i made a few summers ago? when it first arrived, i wasn't quite sure about it. but oh gee, it really is quite lovely. it came slightly damaged. several detached beaded strands (that were impossible to fix) caused for it to hang lopsided. but instead of sending it back, i attached a large crystal (that i inherited from my great aunt) for the perfect balance and a personal touch. 

on top

it's not really an accomplishment, but in a way, it still feels like one. this morning i was on top of the city! or more truthfully, on floor 57 of the setai in midtown for an event. but still, it sure felt like the top of the city. especially at 9am. and it beat my all-time high of the 53rd floor. 

and on that note, you couldn't pay me to go up to the top of the empire state building. i wouldn't go up there for $1,000. maybe $5,000. minimum. the thought alone gives me the chills. 

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.

elle

somewhere in soho.

mor and mor

i couldn't just toss this mor candle in the garbage after it was finished. it was far too pretty with its perfect white glass and pretty metallic peacocks. i am a complete sucker for packaging (proof: i have four empty britney spears curious bottles in my apartment), so clearly this jar just needed a new purpose.

and voila, a new makeup brush holder, which has also inspired me to actually use my makeup brushes again. a win-win.

pretty simple

gems in my jewelry box,

and ranunculuses by my bed.

carry-on

until my new [rose + gold!] spring bag arrives from across the pond via topshop (i dislike the weekend crowds in soho almost as much as i dislike the phrase "across the pond"), my [cynthia rowley, pony-hair, increasingly unseasonable] backpack stays.

wishes and dreams

oh god, i would probably never go through with it, but when asked a few weeks ago if i would ever have cosmetic surgery i said: "only lip injections." they seem [relatively] harmless and sometimes pretty. have you ever had surgery? i had non-elective surgery three years ago and it is not something i would do again if you paid me. let alone something i would ever pay for. it's painful and disorienting, though the hospital was an adventure of sorts and was fairly interesting.

anyway! lip injections. ever since my comment, it's been a total case of "you get what you wish for." last week, ben's friend gave me a robust side-hug in which his watch went straight  for my bottom lip. much pain. the next day, the solid-block-of-ice in my water bottle [thanks, freezer!] came crashing down on my top lip [more pain] as i tried to take a sip [of the 3 droplets] of water.

all the results without the price and stigma!

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. 

sparkle and shine

i get an insane amount of satisfaction polishing jewelry.

le sigh, it's the little things today.

labf

had to.

bambi

presley

everyone is always impressed by my record player because it looks old-timey, but really i got it at linens n' things for like 60% off during its going-out-of-business sale. i am not trying to fool anyone. i really just needed a vehicle to play my mantovani film encore records! come over sometime and we'll listen to them.

anyway, i've been kind of crafty lately (more on that later) and i decided to decoupage the inside of the player with fancy italian, floral paper from new york central art supply—a wonderful shop suggestion from ben's mom.

a good rule to remember for a crafty home: things can always be better! i will paint it peach within the week.

rosey

i like to walk the length of my street from the east village to the west. even though i've lived in the west village before, and even though it's only a mile away from my apartment now, it seems like a world away. and so it makes for the perfect walk at night with ben. but last night we switched it up and walked east down my street to avenue d with the specific goal of seeing rats. rats love alphabet city and i love (seeing) rats. very new york. anyway, we saw three. it probably would have been more but we stopped paying attention.

ben waited on my stoop and i came downstairs wearing a navy sweatshirt, even though it must have been 90 degrees outside. i'm bad at gauging the temperature (especially if i am inside with an air conditioner) and i was immediately hot when i walked outside. anyway, he brought me the most beautiful pink rose and i carried it on our walk. it was romantical. i love when ben brings me flowers. i have every single one he has ever given to me. i should probably learn how to dry flowers properly because most look like sad, shriveled-up things. regardless.

the third night that ben and i saw each other, after we met in january, it was snowing and probably 10 degrees outside. we decided to just stay in my warm apartment and sing along to records, but i told him that he had to also bring a sweet treat with him. he came over with the best cookies in the entire world (tate's) which we both have a love for, and flowers. i knew he was the man for me. flowers on an ordinary night.

minnie

i have kept a diary since i was in sixth grade and what was once about gossip-y junior high stories, has now evolved into an amalgamation of thoughts, lists and lovely pictures. my diaries help me connect with myself and help me map out where i want to go.

i just retired my latest diary. i didn't fill it entirely. not even close. but i knew that i couldn't write in it any longer. i felt no attachment to it. except that it holds the first six month of our relationship. i know that i could have written more throughout the time i had it, but i was not inspired. i suppose it started with the way it looked. its cardboard-esque cover and lined pages were not for me. i can't imagine why i bought it in the first place. and i didn't even give it a title. i don't always give my diaries a title, but i have for the last few. bonjour mademoiselle, favorita.

that said, i am so pleased with my new diary and i can't stop writing. minnie.

ho ho ho

i've had umbrellas of cherbourg out from netflix for nearly the entire month and i don't want to part with it.

so i won't. lost in the mail!