I want.

iwantiwantiwantiwantiwant.

This iRetrofone from Scott Freeland might be the coolest thing on Etsy.  I would love the feel of having a land line at home without having to pay for one.  Check out the photos...

New Nail Polish!

I bought some new nail polish for Fall/Winter. Sooooo excited!

Glitzerland by OPI - a nice gilded shade

Ski Teal We Drop by OPI - a gorgeous deep tone of teal

Merino Cool by Essie - just enough purple in this taupe-y color

Now, if only I could figure out a way to wear them all at once...

Whip my hair.

Is it wrong to be envious of a 9 year old??  Well, Willow Smith is kind of too awesome for words.  Love her new video for "Whip My Hair." LOVE.  Girl's got style...

APT: Pitania Collection.

Hurry over to A Peace Treaty to check out their new Fall collection - Pitania.  It's chock full of alpaca wraps, ponchos, gloves, and hats!  I love this brand because they work to create "employment for skilled artisans working in places of socio-political strife, effectively supporting their craft while elevating their products to a level of high design for an exclusive, international audience."  Here are a few new items I'm in swooning over...

So beautiful.  And perfect for this Fall and Winter.  Make sure you check out all the previous collections while you're at it!  I love supporting fashion with a heart.

Things I know: Cosmetics.

I've decided to start a series about, as the title suggests, things I know.  These are things that I feel highly versed in.  I might not be an expert, but I think there are a few areas where my advice can be somewhat valuable.  And the size of my makeup bag definitely suggests that cosmetics would be a good place to start.  My eyeshadow collections covers the entire spectrum of ROY G BIV and beyond.

First, let's start with cheeks.  Because nothing does wonders for your complexion like a little rouge!  This and mascara are the two things that can quickly make you look more alive than you might feel (hello, happy hour that went until 3 AM, oops!).  The longest lasting product you can buy is Benefit's Benetint - a wonderful cheek and lip tint.  Just brush a stripe or two on each cheek, rub it in along your cheekbone and the apples of your cheeks, and you have the perfect amount of natural looking color.  Not only does the color last all day, this bottle will also last you for. ever.

Ok, on to the eyes.  For mascara - the smaller the brush, the more separation you can get between lashes. Nasty clumps are not the same thing as fullness. Just a small tip ;). So that you don't waste your money, make sure to buy eyeshadows with heavy pigment.  I love MAC makeup for this reason.  Their eyeshadow pots with loose pigment provide the most options.  You can easily use the shadow dry or wet depending on how heavy you want the color.

Lips! One of my new favorites.  I can't commit to the super bright stuff yet, but I've been loving Lipstick Queen. Medieval is my favorite because it contains vitamin E, so it doesn't dry up on your lips while you're wearing it.  Deep red lips are the perfect Autumn accessory, methinks.

An Autumn Treat!

So, I've admired the site Ming Makes Cupcakes for a while now.  For my fiance's birthday this past weekend, I decided to make him the cupcake of his choice.  He picked "Cupcake 15" - the pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  A great choice, if I do say so myself...

Here's the recipe from Ming's site:

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

CUPCAKES

1 cup flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cloves

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup pumpkin

 Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and eggs. Add oil and mix at medium speed for three minutes. Add flour mixture, and then add pumpkin.  Mix at medium speed until well blended.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

FROSTING

4 oz. room temp. cream cheese

1/2 stick room temp. butter

1/2 lb confectioner’s sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

crystallized ginger

Mix ingredients together by hand.  Once blended, whip with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Top cupcakes and add crystallized ginger if desired.

I'll walk you through how I made them, because I will admit they turned out puuuurty good.

Starting with the cupcakes.

First, I mixed all the dry ingredients together like so...

Then, whipped up the wet ingredients...

Next, I added the flour mixture and the pumpkin to the wet ingredients to create the cupcake batter.  When filling up the cupcake sleeves, note that this batter doesn't rise as much as fluffier batter tends to do. So, you can fill the cups up about halfway or a little more.  Although, I inadvertently liked the smaller cupcakes I made before I knew this.  So, just a heads up so you can choose your preference.   

On to everyone's favorite...the FROSTING!

In order to convert the half pound of powdered sugar that the recipe calls for, I added a little less than a cup.  This turned out really well!  I also ended up doubling the recipe, because you can never have too much frosting!  The recipe calls for you to mix by hand before using the electric mixer.  I'm guessing this is a really important step; otherwise, the powdered sugar would fly everywhere.  Cleaning. Nightmare.  Not that I know from experience or anything...

I piped the icing onto the cupcake, then sprinkled a little cinnamon on top (instead of the ginger ;) ). Voila!

The Paris of the Plains.

We've been in Kansas City for a little over a month, and I'm starting to have a couple favorites.

I am completely smitten with a fantastic lunch spot called The Farmhouse.  This little joint in the River Market uses all local ingredients for a menu that changes with the seasons.  So far, every meal I've had here has been absolutely delish!  There's also an outdoor patio that will be perfect for the upcoming Fall days.  I would definitely recommend the pork sliders... like buttah!

And for dessert, we have Glace - artisan ice creams for the refined palate.  Last night, I had a combination of Salted Pretzel and Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream.  Garrett chose the infamous Goat Cheese Ice Cream - he's so predictable ;).  I had issues deciding because there were so many mouth-watering options to choose from!  And a little story for my NYC friends... I totally tried to name drop "Balthazar" while we were at this adorable little ice cream post, and the woman behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy.  We're not in NYC anymore, Toto.

Now playing...

Cee Lo's new single "F*** You" is just dang catchy.  So, please excuse Cee's French, and check out the lyric video below.... you won't regret it.



Cee Lo Green "Fuck You"
Uploaded by Push36. - See the latest featured music videos.

Saying yes to the dress...

This past July, my mom and my future mother-in-love came up to NYC to go wedding dress shopping with me before the big move.  The first day was wonderful!  The second day was frustrating... but I eventually found the perfect dress and I can't wait to wear it next summer.  And no, you will not get to see it in this post - so keep dreaming ;).  BUT I will show you some of the other beautiful gowns I found on my shopping journey.

I knew I wanted something with texture and a splash of uniqueness that I hadn't seen on anyone else's wedding dress - and I've been to a lot of weddings.  Nothing too sparkly. Nothing too poofy.  I was a Texas debutante.  So, needless to say, been there. Done that.  I also didn't want anything too heavy since we were having an outdoor wedding.  I was actually leaning towards a short dress, so that I could keep costs down and also get some rad shoes.  However, I was definitely one of those brides who ended up with a dress that was NOT expected.  But it's beautiful and sophisticated, and I couldn't be happier.

So, here's how it all went down...

We started at Amsale.  One of my best friends from college had an Amsale dress that was beautiful.  They also carry a whole line of "Little White Dresses" that I wanted to check out.  A lot of the dresses (like the ones below) at the showroom were gorgeous - I guess their prices have gone up with their popularity. So, it seemed like a lack of unique design for the price.

Next, we headed down the street to Pronovias, a spanish brand known for its beautiful lace and european style gowns.  I found so many dresses that I loved here.  And the prices seemed so much more reasonable for what you were getting!  Here are a few that I looked at...

Our final stop on Day 1 was a new bridal boutique in the West Village called Lovely Bride.  Lovely carries a lot of smaller designers and most of their dresses have a similar aesthetic to what I was looking for.   I highly recommend this "lovely" little place.

Day 2 was the more frustrating day.  We started out the day at Kleinfeld's - you know, the "Say Yes to the Dress" people.  It's a lovely salon... a lovely HUGE salon.  That was one of the difficulties here - you really had to rely on your consultant to understand your criteria and pull the right dresses.  The problem? My consultant did not understand what I was looking for.  Also, I don't think Kleinfeld's really specializes in the style of dress I was looking for.  They have so many more options if you are looking for a big glitzy ball gown. Sorry, Pnina Tornai, I'm just not that into you.

The final stop on my wedding dress journey was the brand new J. Crew bridal salon on Madison Avenue.  It is a great boutique!  They don't quite have their process down yet.  And as much as I love the simplicity of the J. Crew dresses, I was looking for something with just a little more panache.  But here are a couple that I tried on....

I am going to remember their jewelry though!  So unique - it's over-the-top, but in a good way!  Check it out...

The next couple days, I slept on everything I saw and eventually came to a decision.  It was a tough decision because going into my dress search, I was thinking I would end up in a more casual dress.  However, I ended up purchasing a beautiful dress from Pronovias that is more on the fancy side.  It will still fit in our rustic mountain theme with its delicate, vintage details. And I'm so excited to marry the love of my life in this dress!

Vacation Recap by way of food.

Sorry friends for being so MIA last month!  I went on vacation, had visitors in BK, and moved halfway across the country to Kansas City.  I promise to return in full force now that we've settled in here. And I'll catch you up on the past month bit by bit. Here goes..

I've decided to share the Southern road trip we took in July by illustrating our many local food destinations.

First, in Virginia Beach, we found a lovely fish taco spot called Pelon's Baja Grill. If you ever find yourself in the VA Beach/Norfolk area, you must hit up this little surfer joint just off the boardwalk!  The fish tacos were to die for - as were the shrimp tacos, the homemade salsa, and the guacamole.  G and I also got to share this lovely dining experience with my old NYC friend, Lauren, who know lives in the area.  She's also 20 weeks pregnant with a precious baby girl!  But, of course, you can't even tell in this photo...

Next, we made a pit stop on the road at the famed COOK OUT! Garrett had told me stories of this place.  He told me about how everything you order here tastes just like your dad just pulled it off the grill.  And man, oh man, was he right.  Not only can you get a made-to-order burger, you can also get a pretty damn good shake.  Just choose from the 40 umpteen million flavors!  Sadly Cook Out can only be found in North Carolina - good thing we are going back there for Alex and Barry's wedding in August!

When we finally reached Asheville, NC - which is gorgeous, btw - we found a lovely Mexican/Caribbean place called Salsa's.  Have you ever had a curry sauce with your guacamole?  Well, let me just assure you that it's pretty delish.  Also, the pineapple margaritas weren't so bad either!

The following morning, we happened upon a wonderful brunch spot in Asheville called Mayfel's.  Crab Benedict with about a pound of butter in it? Yes, please.

I think that about sums up the highlights of our vacation food.  We were pretty successful!

Stay tuned to hear about wedding dress shopping in NYC!!!!

Play me, I'm yours.

Talk about a GREAT idea.

My fiancé and I first noticed a random bright orange piano in the park near our apartment last night.  On top of the piano it said, "Play me, I'm yours." Hmmmm, that's intriguing.

Then, on my way to work this morning, I saw another piano in Times Square with the same phrase.

Well, I guess I'm going to have to look into this....

As it turns out, the non-profit Sing for Hope, an arts education and outreach organization, has put 60 of these puppies all over the city.  All the pianos were donated, then fixed up and decorated by Sing for Hope.  The goal of this two week project is to create a public space for music in the city.  Here's the PSA from Sing for Hope...

Enjoy giving those keys a good tickle.

New Arcade Fire...

A preview of two songs from Arcade Fire's forthcoming album The Suburbs...



Dropping August 3rd. Oh, yes.

Moving on up... to the Midwest side.

Midwest here we come!  Garrett and I will be making the big move out of Brooklyn later this summer.  We'll be heading to... (drum roll, please)... KANSAS CITY! Garrett was accepted into the History PhD program at University of Kansas and will be starting full-time this Fall. So - Rock, Chalk, Jay... Nope, sorry. Can't do it.  The Texas Longhorn inside me runs far too deep. But I am very excited for our new adventure!  As sad as we are to leave Brooklyn, it also feels like time to move on.

I've visited Kansas City a few times, and the place definitely did surprise me!  Here are some lovely photos of our soon-to-be new home:

a view of downtown's skyline

the plaza lights

one of the city's famous landmarks - Union Station

Also, I'll just go ahead and clear this up for all of y'all who haven't brushed up on your Midwest geography lately. Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS are the same city spread across state lines.  I know a lot of you were wondering. We'll most likely be living on the Missouri side.

We'll also be having some sort of going-away shindig in July to make sure we see all our NYC friends before we leave - so, stay tuned!

Beachy keen...

So ready for our beach trip this summer, and I just got this Red Carter swimsuit to prove it.  Tres chic!

Now, if only I could miraculously have this girl's abs when I put it on... bring on the wedding diet!

Now playing...

The Swedish-sensation ROBYN!!!  Love the new album...

 Not to mention, she's just cute as hell.  Can I be her?

Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaal!

In honor of the World Cup...

Carl Castle shouting "goooooaaaal"



Google showing their World Cup love. So clever.

USA! USA! USA!

Now playing...

Sucker's debut album Wild Smile, out now...

Copa Mundial!

The World Cup is upon us!

I'm so excited about experiencing my first World Cup where I actually understand more about the game, and I actually know who some of the players are (thanks, G).  New York is shaping up to be a great place to watch the games... Here are few cool "spaces" in the city to watch the 2010 Copa Mundial!

#1 - Puma City - you can go down to the South Street Seaport to catch some of the games, among many other activities, at this "city" built just for the World Cup.

#2 - Men with Balls - visit this art exhibit that will be combining the art of soccer along with a space for screening some of the high-demand games.

#3 - Madiba - this will probably be my go-to place.  Not only is it a wonderful South African restaurant, it's also in my n'hood.  Oxtail for breakfast? Yes, please.

So, I guess the only thing left to say is.... COME ON, YOU YANKS!!!

Quotes aplenty.

{photo from my engagement sesh}

I always love a good quote. Here's a few of my current and all-time faves for your inspirational needs.  There's so much going on in my life now that a good quote always helps to bring me back to center. Cheers to letting happiness and chaos coexist!

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -Ralph Waldo Emerson


"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." -Mother Teresa


"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." -C.S. Lewis


"Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien


"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day." -E.B. White


"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." -Victor Hugo


Ahhhhh, much better.

Now playing...

Broken Social Scene's new one, Forgiveness Rock Road...

Louise Bourgeois, you will be missed.

Yesterday, the art world lost a true visionary.  Louise Bourgeois passed away in New York at the age of 98 this Memorial Day.  I was fortunate to see a wonderful retrospective of her work at the Guggenheim in 2008.  She created art that expressed the difficulties of her past in a beautiful manner.  I could feel the cathartic process as I worked my way through the exhibit. Here is a photo of one of her iconic spider sculptures. I love these spiders because they so succinctly exhibit her extreme feminist views.

I highly recommend the documentary The Spider, The Mistress, and The Tangerine.  This movie provides a wonderful explanation of Bourgeois' work, the stories behind her pieces, and a glimpse into the personality of the artist. She was quite the little firecracker! And she will be missed.

I want...

this organic turkish towel from dia living...

It seems perfect for the beach...which I plan on seeing a lot of this summer!

via {design sponge}