oh california!

i've been in california all week- SF for work and LA for pleasure. i must say, the more i come to SF the more i want to move out here. i got off the plane and an automatic smile hit me- spring fever? perhaps especially since i left NY with snow on the ground, but the weather is fantastic. i could actually wear boots one day and then switch to flats (sans socks) another. i wrap a pashmina around my neck with a blazer and off i go. the food, especially the sushi is great. there is this place i love to go tokyo go go. it's on 16th street between Guerrero and Valencia. has a mouth watering miso black cod and a mind altering lychee margarita. now i'm on a mission to find a lychee margarita in NY...so if anyone knows of a place please let me know.

i stayed at the hotel monaco this time rather than the westin st. francis. the monaco is just like a NY boutique hotel. you get a closet size room with really great decor. i must say though the hotel restaurant, grand cafe, had great french fries cooked in white truffle oil.

well, now i'm in LA visiting one of my best friends (lalasmiles) for the first time since she's moved out here. she already took me to such a cute street called Abbott Kinney Blvd in Venice. we went to this little paper boutique called urbanic. i loved it.



we ended the night at wabi-sabi which was across the street from urbanic. once again a great black cod, tuna tartare, and lychee martini.

i heart CA. now all i have to do is convince mr. sleepy to move and i'm packing my bags. well, move to SF at least and then it's just a quick hour flight down to LA. keep your fingers crossed for me!

{i heart sewing; i hate the flu}

i’ve been out of commission since saturday due to this never-ending flu hence my delayed post. i was actually able to get up today for the first time without my head pounding to the ground and chills going through my body. let me tell you this flu season is wretched. be careful and take care of yourselves.


now on to more fun stuff…last month my friend and i signed up for a machine sewing class at a place called purl soho. it was three saturdays, 9-12 in february. the 9am was brutal...but worth it. we made a tote bag (not pictured above- having trouble uploading) and a zipper pouch (pictured above). {i heart} the zipper pouch. my plan is to make more pouches in all different kinds of fabric. the store has such beautiful & inspiring fabric- mostly from japan.



if any of you are looking for something fun to do on the weekend- this class was great. phyllis, our teacher, is very patient and willing to work with all levels. her class begins in march again. i'm waiting for the intermediate class to begin- i might sign up again. if not i'll be at home in a pile of thread and fabric trying to figure out what went wrong.

a little garden

these herbs are great for a windowsill. {i heart} the packaging. to plant- gently tap with a spoon to break open the top of the egg. water the enclosed soil (in which the seeds are already embedded), and place the egg in the sun. soon you'll have a miniature herb garden! branch also sells mint and lavender. you can get a cactus too. these would be such great gifts.



these little creatures above are quirky sculptures made of natural latex rubber. the "eyes" are actual seeds (melon, tomato, and pumpkin seeds), and their "skin" is soft and pliable. you can squeeze their bodies and they'll squeak. if and when you get tired of looking at your Plant-Me Pet on your desk or shelf, you can literally bury the sculpture in a pot of soil (head-first, so as to cover the seeds), water it and place it in the sun, and -voilá!- the rubber will decompose and a plant will sprout.

once again {i heart} the packaging- a quirky container with planting instructions in convenient "graphic novel" form.

sustainable design for living

an online store called Branch has some of the cutest things...the material they use are environmentally responsible as well. couple of my {i heart} items below.


about: this clever wine rack is made from naturally renewable and recyclable materials. it holds and protects six standard wine bottles.



about: this ingenious design is the result of its simplicity – the bag is nothing more than two layers of a cleverly shaped piece of felt and a zipper. when entirely unzipped, the bag lays completely flat. when zipped, it becomes a beautiful – and super-useful – bag. the wool felt is made from factory waste, so color and texture may vary slightly from what is shown.



about: perfect for using around the kitchen while preparing a meal, these are also attractive enough to bring to the table as small serving pieces. because they're made of 100% organic bamboo, they're sturdy. and they neither impart nor absorb flavors.

happy vday!

if you forgot to send a vday card to someone...go to Kate Spade and send a {be mine} ecard. the cards are handmade.

favorite card today- love is in the air by hello lucky. {i heart} the graphic of the airplane and the use of the dotted line to the word. brilliant yet so simple.

ode to sample sales

the two sample sales i go to every year are the Barney's warehouse sale and the Theory sample sale. below are the details.

What: Barneys Warehouse Sale
When: 2/12-2/29; M-F. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where: 255 West 17th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues

if you can make it out to NJ...this is a good one to go to. otherwise, wait until the week of june 2nd for the SSS sample sale for Theory.

let it snow

even with all the snow in ny today i had to venture out from work to pick up my mom's vday gift. since i was in the neighborhood, i stopped by Arthur's today and saw the cutest card. the company was called two piglets that design letterpress cards. since i chose one for a vday i figured that i would feature some of my favorites from their website. enjoy~

i haven't seen NY covered in white for a long time...it was wonderful. well at least until i had to make my way home and almost fell from wearing high heels. bring on the slush tomorrow- i'm ready.