these grand things

trumped!

2009-06-15T17:08:00.001-04:00

okay SCAD student, Invader just topped you as far as time-intensive and well-planned videos went for today...can't wait for his show next month.

TOP 10
Uploaded by extermitent. - Discover more animation and arts videos.

things

2009-06-15T14:53:00.004-04:00

been out and about doing stuff so much lately i don't even feel like my apartment is mine. letting the dishes sit in the sink for more than a day hasn't even been giving me ocd guilt cause i know i won't be seeing them. out of sight out of mind.

go see: tyson, the hangover. will see: food, inc.

if you haven't already read all of michael pollan's book, do so now

just discovered discovery today. comprised of one part ra ra riot and one part vampire weekend i was surprised i liked them because i'm not into either of those bands. and not gonna lie, i mostly decided to give it a listen because i liked the album art so much. it's dreamy poppy stuff, a little tahiti 80, a little röyksopp...but not quite.

anyway, go listen

and speaking of röyksopp, they provide the soundtrack to this cool SCAD student video. i've definitely seen stop motion with post-its before, but whether or not this is completely original doesn't matter...dude put in a ton of work. only an art school student would have enough time to do this...

loving the little bomb guy

a dream of a weekend

2009-04-30T14:39:00.005-04:00

sooo i started to write a post a few weeks ago about the damn near perfect weekend i'd had (seems to be happening a lot lately) and became distracted and now it seems silly to try to capture the sense of elation i had at that moment. it's still there just not fresh...but for my own memories sake i'll sum it up in the following:

photoshoot on the roof, bike rides galore (to babysit, around the hood, to nature park, to coney island), purchasing a top notch dress, full days and lazy nights.

anyyyyway...i do have documentation of part of this stellar weekend...a trip to the 'nature walk' set near a shit cleaning plant and on the heavily polluted newton creek in greenpoint just a few blocks away from where i lay my head. so post-modern, industrial and surreal, it's an oddly relaxing setting and i've already returned a couple times.

check it out

my man snapping a polaroid

i think these onion like structures are where they purify the oil out of the water, but i could be wrong

finding beauty in the blow

this pretty much sums it all up

ghost leg man

dawgs being dawgs

just look at that

looking at the pictures - one set taken in afternoon, one at sunset - i'd definitely say the place has a certain beauty and mystique about it at the golden hour, so i'd head there then for a post-dinner romantic walk (that may or may not smell bad depending on the shit factory's mood).

who got the keys to my jeep

2009-02-26T21:47:00.007-05:00

cars hit me with a double whammy today, yall...

first i learned about mayor bloomberg's plan to close traffic on broadway between 42nd and 47th to make way for a pedestrian mall. i really have mixed emotions about this.

on the one hand, this will create more room for the people in my way every morning, lunch, and evening as i navigate my work day. they'll spread out, stop crowding the sidewalks and give me some breathing room. my run-ins should decrease, right? the frequency with which i appear in tourists' photos should decrease, right? i'll stop saying 'are you kidding me?' and 'wtf' and 'motherf***er' all the time, right? (OR will there just be even more of them filling the newly found car-free space?)

on the other hand, it is already difficult to secure a cab when leaving work for the airport or a show...so what happens when the traffic decreases? the benches and outdoor seating sound nice, but i really don't need to eat my lunch while visitors mill about...especially when bryant park is just an avenue and couple of blocks away.

so, there's that.

and then there's this...my dad has been loaning me a spare car the past few months. i can't tell you how much i love this car. my friends love this car. people i don't even know see me in this car and think, i love this car. i live in brooklyn where parking is easy so i never worry about finding a spot. sure i've had a couple of parking tickets, but clearly the benefits far outweigh the consequences.

so imagine my shock and horror when dad says "we've got to talk about the car." he needs it back. i feel sick just typing about this. i was so looking forward to driving the ol' marquis to the beach this summer, girls in tow, windows down, wind blowing my hair. i don't even know what to say...still processing this one.

in memoriam

takeshi murata not takashi murakami

2009-02-25T15:05:00.004-05:00

seems as though takeshi murata is blowing up these days! i suppose it helps that kanye bit his style with his video for 'welcome to heartbreak,' doesn't it? shouldn't be surprised as this isn't the first time (and surely not the last) kanye rips something off and proclaims he's an originator (justice's 'd.a.n.c.e.' yielding kanye's 'good life' ring a bell?).

anyway, 'ye hatin' aside, takeshi murata is an artist worthy of all the praise. he figured out a way to use the beauty of mishap and manipulate what was formerly an error in a deliberate manner. check it out...

i love the sand art vibe of this one

a still from takeshi's 2007 dvd, Untitled

below is the kanye vid. now i'm not a complete hater, i realize that the video incorporates new elements, but you'd be a fool to not acknowledge takeshi as the inspiration...

i long for the city that always sleeps...

2008-12-02T17:05:00.005-05:00

...cause these days i never want to get out of bed...

it's been a rough few weeks. kind of feel like i'm headed in the wrong direction in more than one aspect of my life right now. usually it's only one facet out of sync at a time...but times like these, when it feels as though i'm out of gear at every level, something big has to happen to resolve it all. what will that big thing be? waiting for the other shoe to drop stinks, yall.

i know that this tangle started because i started to live my life making up for lost time. i've been a bit out of pocket the last few months (year even? yeah, basically all of 2008), acting a little too big for my britches...and i don't regret it. i think i deserved it. but now it's time to hunker down and find a balance. i know that i don't want my youth to go to waste - i want to do all the stuff i can get away with while i'm still wrinkle-free & sunny side up but i don't ever want to regret not doing what i should have been doing now, later. cause really that's what got me into this mess.

so yeah, there's that.

a few ruminations

2008-11-29T16:11:00.006-05:00

i visit home a lot, too much so for each trip to offer any grand insight on what i'm missing in my life, where i'm headed (or should be headed) or any other ah-ha type of discovery. but this thanksgiving a few things presented themselves in such a sequence that i can honestly say had i not come home for these 4 days, i might not have realized i need to do something.

i've prescribed to the 'live fast, die young, no regrets' mentality of living for the past few years and i think it's time i find a little balance with something from the 'do something with your life' school of thought. don't get me wrong, i am by no means a slacker, i could just be doing a lot more if i didn't choose to hang out 24/7. so...there's that. a month or so early a resolution of sorts...

that being said, i cannot wait to get back to new york. damn!

it doesn't get cuter than this

2008-11-13T17:36:00.001-05:00

i'm baaaaaaaaaack

2008-10-17T16:35:00.003-04:00

the tunes for this post...

this website has been consuming too much of my time...seriously, stop by and i dare you to get any work done.

here's what i made:

a few flaws yes, but it's just the first of what i'm guessing will be many...

i am alive

2008-06-26T13:13:00.001-04:00

all puns intended

as requested

2008-06-09T13:43:00.004-04:00

so i disappeared...and you can bet the nice weather had something to do with it. i'm going to come with something BIG in the next week or so, but for now...

a few pictures i've snapped the past couple weeks.

this guy lives a few doors down from me; i look forward to seeing him everyday

one day i saw somebody had placed a bunch of flowers in ghandi's hand and really wished i had my polaroid with me. i went back a week later and even though the flowers were now dead, it didn't make a difference to my polaroid

i went to david byrne's 'play the building' at the maritime building with jordan. it made for a great little sunday

in the maritime building. ooooooh & aaaaaaaah indeed

and you KNOW i went to the beach this weekend (drug rug in tow!). it was a real scorcher!

breakfast for one

2008-05-24T10:06:00.002-04:00

pancakes, my specialty

after successfully escaping jury duty on thursday (i'm set for 8 years now!), i kicked off a FOUR day weekend. yesterday was spent in soho doing some light shopping and lunching at cafe gitane with roulie. i rode my bike around for a little when i got home and finally purchased a bike lock.

today's goal: bike basket.

couldn't finish

places i'd rather be...

2008-05-20T12:21:00.002-04:00

riding a motorbike with a billy goat

i'm looking for some kind of change...something big...what's it gonna be....

MOMS

2008-05-11T16:06:00.002-04:00

I've got the best...

a mother's loving gaze

through the cute times (the beginning of my schwoopy bangs)

and the not-so-cute times (those glasses! her exasperation!)

you've always known what i needed & the right thing to say (even when i wouldn't admit it)

i love you, mom! happy mother's day!

hovie's home

2008-05-06T13:26:00.004-04:00

friday i was fortunate enough to check out the mary jay-z blige tour at madison square garden. my cameras pix were lacking so i lifted this from ms lacey to demonstrate the mean dance moves ms mary had going on. it was a great show, not to be missed.

photo by ms lacey seidman

annnnnnnnnnnd that's all i've got. LATE

harmony korine love & other pretty things

2008-05-02T14:50:00.001-04:00

last night i got a two-for-thursday of one of my all time faves, mister harmony korine. after work i met a friend and swung (swang?) by the apple store in soho for a little q&a with harmony re: his new film, mister lonely. now, i would have enjoyed this if the hour only consisted of him sitting in a chair on stage, so it might not be much coming from me, but i thought it was grand. he's one of the funniest/most intelligent-in-an-emotional/human-way people i think...and when he laughs....sigh.

the man himself, harmony korine

my favorite moments: when some idiot asked him what he thinks of his audience as a reflection of him/his work? and harmony reacted with a "whhhhhhaaaaaaa??? face. i also enjoyed when somebody asked him who would win in a fight...him or david blaine...and he told the guy to get real...of course david would.

anyyyyway, after that we went to a screening of mister lonely. every single frame would make a beautiful still. and diego luna was amazing. after samantha morton's performance in this and the joy division biopic control, she's becoming one of my favorites. also, she looks like my grandmother when she was younger.

from mister lonely: beautiful

the film opens this weekend; go see it!

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a few PrettyThings...

pretty colors AND fonts

don't eat me, piranha, sir

this is truth, you lying jerks!

wish it said '1982' but then i guess it'd be completely different

i'm kinda dizzy, but, i mean, come on...those colors!!!

always remember

this song came to me via ryan via greg. i really enjoy it. you don't have to watch the video, it looks like it was probably fun to be in, but it doesn't do much for the song. i think they should have just had two people playing in a really sunny field...yeah a field, even though the song sounds beachy

bah humbugging april showers

2008-04-28T13:16:00.004-04:00

so that BIG post i said was TK? yeah, i realized i was super hyped on something that wasn't that interesting. i thought i was going to get motivated and book report about it here but then yesterday was dreary and today is even drearier and i'm just not in the mood. so, i'll summarize...

a couple weeks ago i wrote about henry darger and how his artwork reminded me of richard dadd. then a few days ago i wrote about the book i'm reading about the insane dr w.c. minor (who was one of the main contributors to the oxford english dictionary)...well, in the book it mentioned that he was friends with fellow crazy inmate richard dadd (who was in the asylum for killing his...dad)! annnnyway, i just love when things come full circle like that.
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the rain outside has got me down so i'm just going to post some images i'm digging today...

my heart, it is heavy...

...but this guy's moves make me happy

envious

yeah!

omgomgomg

Cute Kittens Bop Their Head - Watch more free videos

did you see at the end, the one with his paw on the others back? and the yawner midway through? needless to say i'll be watching this on loop all day...

in appreciation

2008-04-26T09:58:00.003-04:00

pg tips + aesop rock + wikipedia = me in bed all saturday morning

place me under the covers

BIG post TK, but between my clicking on wikipedia and proclivity for tangents, this one might take a minute

library time

2008-04-25T15:08:00.003-04:00

two for friday! i'm back with another post already because today is s.l.o.w. bout to go have some friday-afternoon-at-work-margaritas with my co-workers and then call it a day...but first...

i love to read! i typically read a book a week between the subway and pre-bed time rituals. i almost never juggle books, but over the past few weeks i've been reading the following simulatenously. i don't like that and i'm going to get back to my one book at a time pattern soon, i promise.

this one is so good. it's increased my random food knowledge and perpetuated my growing belief that the government/big business/the media are all in cahoots. i want to buy a copy for my mom, sister, sister-in-law, and you and you and you.

a co-worker lent me this one. donovan's a funny dude. the writing is such an odd mix of him writing naturally and him flat out telling the audience. do you know what i'm saying? that aside, i'm enjoying it. he has a serious inferiority complex when it comes to bob dylan.

this is so good. i started it last and will no doubt finish it first. i found it in a box of books in my old bedroom last week and realized i'd never read it. ummm what else to say about this one...i don't know, it's definitely only for a certain kind of person and that person would be one that is really into reading about how the dictionary as we know it today was composed (aka a geek, square, nerd, ME).

don't put off your happy life

2008-04-25T12:20:00.004-04:00

oh hai...here i am. it's friday yet again, gorgeous out and i'm dancing in my desk chair listening to some good tunes.

last weekend with the family was great, as is (was) to be expected.

this guy and i are now BFF

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things i've encountered, imbibed, and enjoied today (in no certain order):

#1 lego man

fillin in the holes

kinda reminds me of space invaders for some reason. maybe one inspired the other? or maybe not.

pre-installation

a lego related story:
when my brother and i were little, we would barter barbie playing time with lego playing time. he knew that i liked legos though, so he had an upper hand. we usually compromised at 1/2 hour barbies, 1 hour legos. sometimes we'd go all out and play a barbie/lego combo where the legos were aliens. fun!

#2 this photo

attention, dear sister. you should use the color scheme in this photo in your nursery. how calming.

#3 a plaid dress

i want (need!) the plaid dress in this au revoir simone press photo.

one smart looking dress

because i haven't found it (yet!), i settled for this plaid brassiere instead.

a little personal to share, i know

#4 sebastian tellier

a frenchman with a good sense of humor. divine is today's theme song and here is the (funny!) video

suckers!

2008-04-18T12:44:00.003-04:00

so it's been a minute...but here i am! i was quiet for a few days because i felt it would help to prepare me for a new personal goal. and that goal is...

not interrupting! i've started to realize when somebody brings up a topic that i'm really into or know something interesting about, i overstep myself and interrupt. i quickly follow up my anecdote with an oh my gosh, but you were saying? but that's still rude. and i won't do it anymore. or at least have every intention of curbing it to the best of my potential.
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it's spring and i need a new springtime jacket. i've found a few nice uns but they're always mens only! that is not gonna work, even a small would be too big i'm afraid...

this seersucker one from subscript would be real nice...

i can plz has in syze xtra smallz?

oh gosh, this one from woolrich is just...a dream.

guaranteed to turn any boy into a babe
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okay this is pretty funny. guy made a drawing of every piece of art at the MOMA viewable to the public between January 19, 2005 to January 31, 2005. clearly i'm a little late to the party, but at any rate, might make a nice gift for a few of the art phags i know...

the same artist, jason polan, has a blog where he is documenting his attempt to draw every person in new york. i'd love to spot myself on there, but sadly i don't frequent the taco bell on 14th (he has so many pics drawn there!).

taco bell on 14th

oh but i'm in luck. you can make an 'appointment' of somewhere you'll be for several minutes and a description of what you're wearing...and he just might show up to draw your portrait (in secret!).

oh, looky here

2008-04-15T15:33:00.004-04:00

what just crossed my inbox but some info on a little art show i'll have to stop by...

DARGERISM: CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND HENRY DARGER

The American Folk Art Museum is home to the world's largest collection of work by Henry Darger, the Chicago recluse and compiler of a 15,000-page chronicle of intergalactic war. Hundreds of watercolored drawings accompany the tale, begun around 1930 and worked on until his death. In them, the often-undressed child heroines of Abbiennia, the Vivian Girls, defend their country against enslavement by the evil Glandelinian people. Dargerism establishes this eccentric genius' pervasive influence on contemporary art by showcasing 11 artists alongside his own drawings. In the process, the exhibition assembles an irresistible anti-canon of young artists seeking an alternative to the sanitary, concept-laden, New York aesthetic.

it's at the American Folk Art Museum and runs till September 21st, so you can walk and not run...i knew they had a henry darger center there, but this will give me extra impetus to get there sooner rather than later...

funny how when you learn about something new, it manages to creep into your world again and again...

2008-04-14T10:16:00.006-04:00

wowowow what a great weekend. saturday was a real beaut. yesterday was overcast and chilly but there was a silver lining -- i picked up my new bike...

me and this guy are gonna have lots of good times this summer

peter pizza at the bike shop on lorimer hooked it up. that really is his last name. when i found out, it was hard to resist proposing. mrs. sara pizza. can you imagine?

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every time i get on flickr and see this, i lol.

Thinking about the immortality of the crab

2008-04-11T13:14:00.010-04:00

i cut my hair off and i feel like a new woman! and that woman is...a girl. who knew it would be possible for me to appear even younger than i already do? just call me baby sara.

it's friday night and as i'm wont to do, i drifted to sleep on the couch...and after moving to bed it became apparent sleep wasn't in the cards. my mind's busy with it's favorite past-time...daydreaming. or in this case nighttime daydreaming. i really think i'm a champion daydreamer. i mean, i daydream HARD; it gets me in trouble! the scenarios i come up with for any and all situations are borderline ridiculous. pipe dreams, if you will.

a few interesting tidbits from the wonder that is wikipedia (and my own thoughts in bold):

re: daydreaming

While daydreaming has long been derided as a lazy, non-productive pastime, daydreaming can be constructive in some contexts. There are numerous examples of people in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists, and filmmakers, developing new ideas through daydreaming. Similarly, research scientists, mathematicians, and physicists have developed new ideas by daydreaming about their subject areas.

In the late 1800s, Toni Nelson argued that some daydreams with grandiose fantasies are self-gratifying attempts at "wish fulfillment". and what's wrong with that, i ask!

re: pipe dreams

A pipe dream is a fantastic hope or plan that is generally regarded as being nearly impossible to achieve. The term derives from the opium pipe, and dates to the late nineteenth century when opium smoking was common in the United States. who knew???

i feel like my dream of going back to school is a pipe dream right now...but if i throw enough PMA (positive mental attitude, see below) at that thing it just might come true.

one of the 'see also' links on the daydreaming wikipedia page was "Thinking about the immortality of the crab." obviously i was all "what the...?" i should have known...

The phrase is a Spanish idiom usually used to express that an individual was daydreaming, "When I have nothing to do I think about the immortality of the crab" (Cuando no tengo nada que hacer pienso en la inmortalidad del cangrejo). It is also used to wake someone from a reverie,"Are you thinking about the immortality of the crab?" (¿Estás pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo?)

hey guy

Spanish idioms are the best...they're so crazy! A couple off my favorites list....to which this crab one will be added...

“Aquí hay gato encerrado” - “There’s a cat locked up here” aka “There’s something fishy going on here”.

“Eso lo sabe hasta el gato” - “Even the cat knows that" aka “Everybody knows that”.

a final note on daydreaming from a WebMD article:

"Daydreaming is looked upon negatively because it represents 'non-doing' in a society that emphasizes productivity," says John McGrail, a clinical hypnotherapist in Los Angeles. "We are under constant pressure to do, achieve, produce, succeed."

my first thought was ugh that is so true and typical of americans. but then i reconsidered...yeah, we should be driven to do, achieve, produce and succeed. you only live once and shouldn't you DO while you're here...but when pressure is added to the mix things get tricky. it's got to come from your own will. live and let live, i say.

okay...so now for the PMA. in the last year or so i've made a concerted effort to live life on that posi tip. if you're interested in some quick, light, cheesy but possibly life-altering reading, pick up Creative Visualization. not to get too geeky on you, but ever since i put its ideas into practice i've been a pretty happy girl.

PMA - POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
Positive mental attitude, or PMA, is a psychological term which describes a mental phenomenon in which the central idea is that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. PMA implies that one has a vision of good natured change in one's mind; it employs a state of mind that continues to seek, find and execute ways to win, or find a desirable outcome, regardless of the circumstances. It rejects negativity, defeatism and hopelessness. Part of the process of achieving PMA employs motivating "self talk" and deliberate goal-directed thinking.

it's raining buckets outside and i'm headed off to bed...but not without a bad brains lullaby...

Don't care what they may say
We got that attitude!
Don't care what they may do
We got that attitude!
Hey, we got that P.M.A.!
Hey, we got the P.M.A.!
Hey, we got the P.M.A.!

ART

2008-04-11T10:24:00.008-04:00

on my way from the subway this morning i saw 10 reds caps...count 'em, T-E-N reds caps in only 4 city blocks. i'll never cease to be amused by that trend.

speaking of the nati, i'll be heading home a week from today. get to see my preggers sister and sister-in-law, go to a real thrift store, spend time with the fam AND friends...and even go with Jess to her doctor's appointment to learn the sex of Baby Mason.
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though i miss the marc jacobs of yore, i still think the man is a genius. and love him. and i could care less about victoria beckham but appreciate that she has a sense of humor about herself. really enjoyed the recent nytimes article on juergen teller...

you can get out of town if you don't like these ads

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a friend recently put me on henry darger. dude was insane and wrote a 15,000 page fantastical manuscript called The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion (phew!) and made hundreds of drawings and watercolors to illustrate it. OH and nobody knew about them until right before he died. i really dig his work...already put the documentary about his life in my netflix Q. i was all "i'm going to read his biography, too!" but it costs nearly $500! WTF?! i'm going to do some further investigating and try to track it down, but...seriously?!

i encourage you to google for larger images...gotta get in close to really appreciate

darger traced a lot of his work from pix in magazines/papers/etc. i think i spot the Coppertone girl's head on the right!

darger's work reminds me of another mentally insane artist...Richard Dadd. at one point before he was diagnosed as 'not all there,' Dadd had to fight off urges to attack the Pope. me, too, dude...me, too.

I was taken by one of his faery paintings at the Tate in London this summer.

detail

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okay, one last thing. a little light-hearted fun to send you on your weekend...because it's FRIDAY! compliments of dutch boyz Kraak & Smaak.

a change is a comin'

2008-04-10T12:11:00.005-04:00

okay okay so i've done some soul searching lately, okay not really, but if i'm going to BLOG i decided it shouldn't be all consumery, consumptive, greedy-seeming, and whatnot. because i'm really not all about that. yeah i appreciate the finer things in life, but i also like to read, enjoy funny things and honestly don't have money to be spending on STUFF. well reading and funny things are also finer things, but you know what i'm saying. i've got to stop. i want to travel so i need to save my money for that. YEAH...i dig that.

so anyway...on to GRAND THINGS. not necessarily of the material variety anymore.

i gotsa date tonight! cute outfit today, ta boot. looking forward to that...

people around me aka my friends are DOING things. i really respect that. i wish there was something i really really wanted to do. i've got the motivation, just lackin the vision right now. ryan's going to be a famous pastry chef. rosie's going to be a famous fashion designer. and i'll be cheering them on along the way...while i contemplate going back to school (on the DL)...

need to sign up for some more races so i stay motivated to run. i also need to get back to running outdoors now that it's so nice out...68 DEGREES today, people! nothing better than that first real spring day, don't you agree?

two (?) springs ago in mccarren park

old school

2008-03-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

for a while now, i've been interested in finding a typewriter...i want to get a small table to place it on in my foyer. people could leave notes when they're over...or i might use it to type reminders to myself. i came across this beauty on three potato four. i love this site...they find the best vintage items and have a well-edited collection. prices range from affordable to...astronomical. unfortunately this typewriter is the latter. they have red, turquoise and powder blue models...i'd have a difficult time deciding which color to get (if it were in my budget, that is).

oh and while we're at it...i want the wooden card file to the left of the typewriter. where can i find that...hmmmm???

SHOES

2008-03-19T13:21:00.003-04:00

alright, at this point it's safe to say i have a problem. just ordered another pair of chie mihara heels :-/

and i covet these. i emailed the designer, Keller NY, to see where i can find them IRL. UPDATE: unfortunately the designer won't be producing these for her spring line...maybe next year though :(

somewhat recent acquisitions

2008-03-16T10:41:00.005-04:00

i haven't had much trouble finding things to spend my $ on of late...some purchases over the last couple months below...

first up are a pair of chie mihara heels. i originally thought they were navy and white when i ordered them, only to find upon their arrival they're actually brown and cream. i still like them, but i wouldn't be honest if i said i wasn't disappointed. but what most attracted me to these are the actual heels...love the detailing in the stripes...

i also purchased a pair of frye heels. they'll go with pretty much anything...

...and yet another pair of shoes. these weren't purchased, however...i had my mom dig my old doc marten's from high school out of my closet back home. not only do they still fit, but they're probably my most comfortable shoes with the perfect amount of wearing.

perhaps my most exciting purchase was this rachel nasvik handbag. i'd been searching for a great basic purse i could carry everyday...after contemplating the marc jacobs dr. q bag for awhile, i decided to do one last search at some boutiques on the LES. at one of my favorites, TG170 on ludlow, i stumbled across this beauty...while it was more expensive than the marc bag, which i was trying to avoid, it was pretty much perfect and exactly what i'd had in mind; so i had to get it.

without a doubt my favorite purchase is this jumper from my good friend rosie's etsy shop, Clothes For People. it's such a unique piece and garners many compliments.

and last but not least, what may prove to be a great find...i ordered these eye glasses for just $15 from a site called zenni optical. who knows what they'll look like in person, but at such a low price i figured it was worth a shot. they should be here in a couple weeks, so i'll report back then...

i love lamps

2007-08-13T16:42:00.000-04:00

it's true, i love lamps. i have 6+ lamps in my little apartment and am always tempted to add more. lighting is very important, right? the problem with all my lamps is they lack good shades. these guys ($99) from brocade don't need a shade though, making them the perfect lamp for me. i am partial to the clear...and the stem might look nice in my living room (if it were larger and necessitated more lighting).

once upon a time i had the most amazing lamps bookmarked somewhere but i've since lost them. they were clear like these but more squat and had a red bulb...and they were very affordable. i would love a pair for my bedside table. maybe i'll come across them again, but until then here is another choice from DWR ($228). not in my current budget, but still nice to look...

here are even more choices from conran ($650, $715)...(not nearly as affordable as the brocade option but definitely more appealing to me)

here is a somewhat similar lamp currently in my living room...i lucked out and found a big discount, so i decided to splurge...

hello

2007-08-12T14:42:00.000-04:00

there is a lot of great inexpensive artwork to be found on the internet these days...and i've definitely taken advantage. i've amassed 10+ prints but have yet to hang them...custom framing is expensive! i've placed a self-imposed ban on myself from buying any more artwork until i have properly framed and hung all the great pieces i already own. so...i was very excited to come across the document frame below on crate & barrel's website...especially when i saw the price. at only $14.95 i figure i should knock out the framing of at least two prints. i'll be keeping an eye out for other cheap options...perhaps via ikea or west elm?

i won't frame this steven harrington piece with the crate & barrel document frame...the stock is too thick and the piece requires a nicer (and larger) frame...perhaps in white...but i wanted to share it anyway...i don't speak french, but was told this says "one kingdom, we will build together."