Friday, February 26, 2010

Giving Up the Charade.

With a very serious scowl, I trudged through over a foot of snow and slush to get to work this morning.  I was not thrilled.  On the overcrowded, flooded 6 train I started thinking about my blog for today and how the simple idea to post a favorite thing each day has become so difficult in these harsh winter months.  I thought, "I'm a southern chick and not cut out for this stuff!"  Throughout my three and a half years here, I've made a point not to loose my accent, to still say yall and yes ma'am and no sir.  I've tried to remember my southern recipes and for the first two years, only dated boys from below the Mason Dixon line!

Today's commute however made me realize, it's time to give up the charade.  I'm a New Yorker now and I knew it the moment I saw the school closing lists on tv and thought, Wimps!  I don't have to love the snow and tough commutes we have when the weather is nasty, but I can certainly handle it fine.  I'm proud of myself for having learned to adapt and toughen up and that is my favorite thing today.  Here are some images from the commute to work:

I had to sled down my apartment stairs.  This made me want a doorman, now.


My street, okay, okay, it really is beautiful when it first comes down.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Another Two in One

Today is super rainy and gloomy.  And after a weekend of almost spring-like temperatures, the return of the cold is certainly not welcome!  Even though I knew it was coming (I check the 10day forecast like it's my job,) I was still hoping for a miracle; that Ole Phil was wrong and that we were experiencing that first wonderful spring weekend when New Yorkers literally come out of the woodwork and flourish until Memorial Day when everyone hightails it out of here every Friday at 6pm.

Unfortunately, that's not the case and it looks like winter's here for a few more weeks.  In the spirit of my super high hopes for spring and expected disappointment of the return of winter, I'm going to feature an event space that works well in both situations.  Snow and sun.  Rain or shine.  Frigid or Mild.  Boots or Sandals, okay, okay you get it.

The Gramercy Park Hotel is one of my favorite spots in the city.  Recently, legendary hotelier Ian Schrager worked his magic and turned this well-known spot into part modern art museum/part luxury hotel/part incredible nightlife location.  With works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Keith Haring, and Julian Schnabel, this is one destination not to be missed.  It also has some amazing spaces for events. 

My 2nd favorite thing in this post is Polyvore.  How is it that I just now know about this?  Today I've created outfits using Polyvore that would be appropriate for the following occasions at the hotel.  Can't you imagine a surprise birthday party in this room? I'd be looking up at those light bulbs all night!


Birthday Drinks

Items in this set:
Arita jersey mini dress, $325, Diane Von Furstenburg
Lady Claude 120 pumps, $775, Christian Louboutin


Their outdoor rooftop garden is spectacular as well.  Lovely for an afternoon brunch with friends, a bridal shower, or even just an after work cocktail.




Almost Summer


Items in this set:
Mysie Top, $135, Calypso

Hotel images here.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Viva Las New York!

This Sunday afternoon I popped into Barnes and Noble.  I should have known better.  It was packed beyond packed.  I trudged on though determined to find something.  First stop, interior design books, then cookbooks, then event planning, and finally wrapped it up at magazines.  Although I went in initially with no real plan, I decided once inside to make this trip about work and therefore, not a total waste of an hour and a half on a beautiful sunny New York afternoon. 

It's been a little over a year since I've been in the event planning business so first things first, get familiar with current local vendors.  Vendors can make or break your business and developing good relationships is key to successful events.  I found a magazine that was chock full of photgraphers, cake decorators, caterers etc., a fantastic pick and truly fun to look at. 

One article in particular caught my eye and I couldn't wait to share it here.  Over the past 8 months, down in the Lower East Side of NYC, there was a temporary art installation/space otherwise known as The Norfolk Street Wedding Chapel.  No need to jet off to Vegas, New Yorkers could easily stumble over to Grand Opening at 139 Norfolk for their quickie wedding or vow renewals.  The teeny space has also been home to some other exciting concepts including a drive-in movie theater, ping pong, and underground poker.  This is the kind of place that makes New York such a unique city.  And because the Wedding Chapel was so successful, I have a feeling they might bring it back this summer :)

The first couple to wed at Grand Opening.


Decorated for a lucky couple wanting a memorable NYC wedding.


Guests shotgunning beers outside of a shotgun space for a possible shotgun wedding?


Getaway vehicle of choice for these newlyweds.


Friday, February 19, 2010

Fashion Friday

Here's a look at some of my favorites from this year's Fall 2010 Fashion Week.  Let's indulge a little on this Friday afternoon, shall we?

Coats
Michael Kors                                                                                           Carolina Herrera

Peter Som                                                                                                            The Row
Pants
Ralph Lauren                                                                                                   Calvin Klein
Peter Som                                                                                                         Peter Som

Cocktail/Skirts
DVF                                                                                                             Michael Kors
Michael Kors                                                                                                     Jason Wu
Halston                                                                                                               Marchesa
Peter Som                                                                                                     Ralph Lauren
L'Wren Scott                                                                                                    Tory Burch
Gowns
Marc Jacobs                                                                                           Monique Lhuillier
Carolina Herrera                                                                                            Naeem Khan
Michael Kors
Someday I will have an event to wear this to, I just know it!


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Neighborhood Sweets

Growing up in Nashville, we always had a go-to bakery for birthdays and special occasions, or even just a special after school treat for good grades (although this was a rarity for me.)  Becker's Bakery is well-known to Nashvillians and even though it closed it's Belmont neighborhood doors a few years back, they are still thriving in another location just outside of town.

I'm lucky to have found a similar place in NYC just two avenues from my apartment!  We used Two Little Red Hens all the time at my last event planning job for our birthday cake needs.  Their cakes are rich and tasty and their buttercream frosting is simply heavenly.  It's so creamy and buttery, ahhhh, I just melt.  I would totally recommend them for your next event.  They are a delight to work with and their cake decorators are true artists.  Their store is a teeny space that is reminiscent of a small farm house.  Tons of straw baskets both hang from the ceilings and hold cookies and muffins on top of glass cake displays. Red hen memoribila decorates the shelves and there are three or four small tables for patrons to sit to enjoy their coffee and cupcake(s).  My favorite is the red velvet cupcake and I'm sure it won't take you long to find a favorite flavor of your own.  You can find them on E. 86th St. and 2nd Avenue.

I love all of the handwritten displays.

Cakes, pies, scones, muffins, brownies, tartes, etc.!

Red Velvet Cupcake, especially divine.
Images courtesy: Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3

My Favorite and My Best

Jenny from ATL writes My Favorite and My Best blog. She is sort of a polar opposite from my first blog hero, The Pioneer Woman.  Jenny curses like a sailor and pours out the sarcasm heavily.  But the way she pulls together images are so creative, fun, and beautiful.  I've had to refill my coffee twice while going through her old posts and I've only gotten back to January!  Hope you'll enjoy as much as I have.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Happy Accidents

Last night I met up with a friend for drinks at Monkey Bar.  It's a block away from my office and I've been meaning to pop in for happy hour.  I told myself only one glass of wine but as predicted, that turned into more.  This made packing for Nashville later in the night kind of a joke.  There's no telling what I ended up with.  Anyway, because we stayed a little longer than planned, we bumped right into Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on our way out!  She was very teeny and had way too much sun and he was much more handsome than I thought.  To quote my friend, "Her Overboard days are definitely over."  But my point you might ask?  Because we didn't stick to the original plan, we had a super cool celeb sighting! 

We've had a happy accident happen at the office this week too.  Our bi-weekly delivery from Poland Springs came with two cases of San Pellegrino Aranciata-definitely not ours.  I've never tried this kind before and since I work with 6 men, it's likely I'll have to drink all of it, oh well :).  San Pellegrino's colorful packaging has always caught my eye and now I'm in love with this flavor too.  Salute!

Image here.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Dreaming...

If you follow this blog regularly, (yes I realize that's a big IF!)  you may have read some posts on how much I love my little bitty studio apartment.  I've certainly done some bragging...however, you will rarely hear me brag about or even mention my kitchen.  That's because it looks a little something like this:


Only enough space for one person, dark, ugly cabinets, ugly floor, about two inches of counter space, you get the picture...

I've been doing a good deal of cooking recently and although I've made the space work, I look forward to the day when I can spread out, have another person join me in the kitchen, or at least use more than one pot at a time!  Here are some kitchens I'd be happy to spend all day in.

First, I'd love to have a checkered floor:




Second, a place for art:

The subway tile is great in this one too. 

And speaking of subway tile, how about the dark grout used in between them in this kitchen?



Although most of these images have lighter cabinets, these darker ones below make a bold statement and work well if you already have plenty of natural light to work with:



The farmhouse sink here is also a must.

And finally, tons and tons of natural light:

                   Cool overhead lights.                                                         Love the blue and white.

Glass cabinets and/or open shelving helps to show off pretty dishes and glassware.



Fantastic windows welcome the sunlight.