cold mornings...

today i am grateful for...

another slow start to the day. i love cold weather for its laziness. any excuse to savor my mornings with coffee, warm socks, and pretty dried flowers.

i really don't mind having dried flowers in the apartment. i love that i don't have to keep changing the water. cotton, sea holly, billy buttons, and pussy willows are pretty dear in bottles stashed all over.

my favorite pair of socks... well, more like stockings. they are comically big and thick as a sweater. these were a pretty funny find. no pun intended.

and i'm also so happy i found these duck boots from j crew. i fell in love with the peanut and cafe au lait color combination. and the shearling inside was a huge bonus. maybe eddie and i will go for a walk around the park later.

***side note... i was this close to buying a pair of hip-hoppy timberland boots. was feeling like touchin' on my ATL roots. but my husband begged me not to.

the giving tree

today i am grateful for...

seeing one of my favorite books come alive. and for breaking my heart all over again. i love this story.

pockets of goodness...

today i am grateful for...

little bits that make me smile.

stalks of cotton readily available at neighboring bodegas. reminds me of georgia.

when eddie buys me flowers. brightens little corners of our home

an old paintbrush and a pair of mini dice.

tackling the blank walls of my tiny studio room.

oh, and reading the little house on the prairie book series.

short and sweet...

today i am grateful for...

my day off tomorrow.

the plan...

1. sleep unreasonably late.

2. decorate the walls of our apartment.

3. make apple cobbler for eddie (hopefully).

that's all. short and sweet.

ain't it funny...

today i am grateful for...

adding a new antique store to my menagerie. pretty funny antiques is a pretty adorable lil' victorian house in tarrytown, new york. the whole house is brimming over with irresistible junk-y goodness. i saw many things i wish i had room for.

what sweet spectacles! a true sight for sore eyes, but i had my eye on a particular mad scientist pair...

and a pair of saucy black and white wing-tipped brogues.

and a sweet stuffy for francie.

and an old thread spool cabinet. ooh this made my heart go a pitter patter.

and i had many a reminder of projects to finish in decorating my own apartment...

...like hanging my collection of old photos and artwork. geez louise, i haven't hung a single thing yet. shameful.

...and rearranging my many suitcases.

...and solving my impossible shoe storage situation.

we all walked away with a humble pile each. chelsea found a pair of witchy boots and an early christmas present for a pal. i also found a christmas gift for my sweet pete. and a few other bits and bobs that i will share later. i had to leave behind a pair of specs and a perfect, reasonably sized leather purse that i might have to phone for after my next paycheck...

sleepy hollow...

today i am grateful for...

philipsburg manor

sneaking out of the city with friends. chelsea cook, john gardner, and i hopped the train to sleepy hollow, new york for a sunday adventure. chelsea led us to philipsburg manor, a historic house on a sprawling 52, 000 acre plot of land.

walking through the cow barn, we were greeted by hanging gourds, corn, herbs, and horsetails.

and i met my first barn kitty, mischief.

and i found where they keep their sheep.

all cameras had to be put away once we entered the house for our tour. it's a shame because their were lots of charming bits of history i would have loved to share. particularly the sugar cones, fabric swatch books, and kitchen table.

a little fall still-life. my thermos and heart sunglasses.

my sweet chelsea cook.

chelsea's favorite view as we made our return.

the golden hour. i collected leaves like a mad woman. i even naughtily broke some low branches off. i'm terrible.

even the duckies came by to say farewell.

it was a beautiful day with beautiful friends. public transportation is so good to me, a girl who doesn't know how to drive. little day trips to escape the city is very good for the soul. we also hit up the sweetest antique shop (photos for later). and read scary stories aloud on the train ride back. it was a perfect fall day.

bag o tricks...

photo credits: the sartorialist. the flapper girl.

maybe it's because i recently saw these lovelies in theater. or maybe because i dolled myself up for halloween. or maybe because my hair is inching towards a 1920s bob. for whatever reason i am reclaiming a little glamour in my life. here are my fancy favorites that i have been workin' into my daily beauty routine...

*lipstick: my signature red (face stockholm silk). and nars velvet matte lip pencil in cruella for a vampy super matte screen siren look.

*lip balm: fresh rose sugar lip treatment. this also works in a pinch for a really nice sheer blush.

*blush: i just have fallen for terracotta rouge after i saw this sartorialist shot. maybelline's apricot flush is just tawny enough without looking like bronzer gone horribly wrong. kind of how cheeks look after several gusts of wind.

*eyeliner: nars soft touch eye pencil in aigle, a smoky black with flecks of gold glitter. and i've been adding on extra glitter for good measure.

*skin: linda rodin's olio lusso. this is the best face oil i have ever used. i received samples last winter and have been addicted every since. it creates a clean, matte dewiness. i don't know... it's heavenly. and it smells incredible too.

so this is what i've been up to lately. painting my face up. fall is a nice time to play with makeup. and wear fur collars and rolled thigh high nylons.