green cleaning...

today i am grateful for...

removing the last lingering holiday decorations. so long christmas tree and wreaths. farewell confetti and putz houses. bye bye festive garlands and snowflakes.

after sweeping up the mounds of pine needles and glitter, i whipped out some basic cleaning agents. baking soda. vinegar. coffee filters. and an old shoe polish toothbrush. easy peasy.

here is an old bottle belonging to ed's grandfather. over christmas vacation, we all drew numbers and got to go around in a circle and select treasures from his basement. we took this little guy home. it says "golden wedding". and it's a whiskey bottle. a little she, and a little him.

as a reward for my day of deep cleaning, eddie bought me flowers from my favorite park slope flower shop. this is an old enamel coffee percolator from my collection of enamelware. and i love me some ranunculus, especially these ladylike pink and white babies.

and a bundle of billy buttons. i wanted to try and plant some daffodil or amaryllis bulbs... but apparently it is too late in new york! everyone is just plain sold out. and no paperwhites to be seen either! oh well. maybe i will try and plant some heliotrope seeds...

i am hoping this clean sweep will make sticking to #19 on my list, a wee bit easier.

hold me accountable...

so, i love lists (duh, i'm a girl) and i came up with a list of goals/hopes/ wishes for 2010. please help me stick to them.

1. floss everyday. boring, boring, boring! but i DO NOT do it and i NEED to DO IT.
2. learn how to make and bake bread. nothin' fancy, just a simple, belly warming recipe.
3. take an etiquette class(it's been way too long, and i am very out of practice). and i don't hope to be snooty patootie either. i just do not want to make mistakes at fancy dinners. as i have in the past.
4. start embroidering my wedding quilt.
5. read gone with the wind. my husband is reading it right now, and i am embarrassed to say i've never read it. i'm not so fond of the movie, and i want to love the book
6. take a calligraphy class i registered tonight for my first one! i would love to be able to address wedding invitations. too bad i didn't learn in time for my own-shoot!
7. learn how to make a mean ramos fizz. or a bramble.
8. host more parties. i really love having all of my favorite people in a room together, eating, drinking. preferably wearing funny hats or some sort of flair. anything with a theme.
9. treat my hands and feet better. i'm really hard on them. pumice stones, nail files, and cuticle cream. any recommendations?
10. drink more water. i love water, but i drink more coffee than i should ever admit.
11. go on more adventures. anywhere. local. exotic. mysterious. conventional. i do not care! i just want to leave my neighborhood more!
12. visit j morgan puett's artist colony in pennsylvania. i was hoping to go this fall, but tours stopped in october. so, this spring...
13. take a lace class or a woodworking class at john c campbell folk school. or maybe broom-making? if i don't go this summer, someone CALL ME OUT on it. or volunteer to go with me. i would love a camp companion.
14. have a small gallery showing of my drawings. maybe. this one might be a stretch. maybe a group show. i don't know. i get last-minute panic attacks about this kind of stuff. someone would have to hold my hand through this.
15. be more experimental with the cameras i use. i have several, but i always rely on my digital. i love my pentax k1000, fugi instax, lomography diana and holga. i am a very, plain jane hobbyist but i want to have a bit more variety.
16. forgive more. i tend to hold onto grudges. hard. it's one of my many flaws.
17. practice more yoga and maybe take another ballet class? or just DANCE MORE!
18. be more mindful of my spending. i'm not terrible, but i could be better. i get suckered by bargains, and ebay/ flea markets are temptresses of cheap, lovely old things. things i can absolutely live without. i want to try a spending freeze. maybe after valentine's day...
19. tidy up countertops every night. just a little bit. ideally, i would like to go to bed with nothing dirtying up surface spaces. piles of clothing, on the other hand, is practically unavoidable in new york!
20. be more accountable. all-round. ownership. it's an important trait. one that i need to work on.

lapse...

today i woke up and wished it were spring. i miss walking to work. and sipping lemonade and smoothies. and picking wildflowers. and nature walks. and exploring. sigh. only three months to go...

how do y'all survive these long winter months?

let's go to the movies...

today i am grateful for...

finally getting a chance to see bright star! a bunch of gal pals and i are braving the biting cold weather to see this utterly romantic movie. i am so stinkin' excited! i'm going to attempt to don a party dress(with a pair of winter boots). i just need to remember to bring a hankie...

*saw the movie and am such the smitten kitten! it is one of the most romantic, visually beautiful films i have seen in a long time. so worth forking over the ridiculous amount of money it costs to see a movie these days. so much better than avatar.

in and out...

my sister gave me this book for christmas last year, and i have been waiting for the right time to share it. allegedly, supposedly, according to some heresay, these illustrations were done by andy warhol before he became a fixture in 1960's new york pop culture. if you have ever lived in new york, i highly recommend seeking this book out. even though it was written decades ago, it still feels shockingly contemporary. filled with all of the arbitrary INs and OUTs that make people feel hip.

this is so new york.

i guess by this definition, i am extremely OUT! i love sticking weird things in my hair and i am a sucker for gimmicky shoes. but that's ok, i don't mind. i'm no stranger to some glamour don'ts...

currently, i'm the left stocking, in this recession...

...but i secretly i want to be this stocking. mainly because i like lots of flair.

this whole page makes me melt.

perfect.

hmmm, what will be IN in 2010? hand-written letters and hand-made gifts? shopping your closet? drinking lots of water( to balance out the champagne)? flossing? saying no to snarkiness? self-sufficiency? upcycling? board games? make,do, and mend? gratitude? humility? positive thinking? optimism? dear god, please let optimism be a major IN.

what do you hope to see become a trend in 2010? i'd love to hear your thoughts.

*p.s. this post is so OUT written by an OUT gal living in an IN city.

corrie wright...

today i am grateful for...

this little number arrived in my mail, as a present from my sweet corrie wright pellerin.

her designs are so beautiful, ethereal, and feminine and the perfect piece to accompany a party dress. or to dress up a pair of jeans and a leotard. i lived in this necklace over the holidays. i'm so proud of corrie. actually, we all are. and i am so grateful she is making so many pretty things.

cheers to the naughties...

this beautiful new year, i am grateful for...

ushering a new decade with the people i love. in a tiny apartment. on a slushy, wintery night in brooklyn.

the merrick sisters arrived in yummy, vintage party dresses, red lipstick, and hairbows, brandishing bottles of bubbly. sweet haylie bird brought us a bouquet of mauve roses covered in thick, icy drops. chelsea cook mended her too-large, glittered popcorn crown just in time for the evening. mollie little gifted us a twine-wrapped pomegranate. katie miller came all the way from philly, a most excellent surprise guest. emily cox attempted to walk in my eight-inch high heels, and paul wore his christmas plaid vest. josh goleman snapped away with his new camera, a gift from his lovely fiancee, murphy. and adrian muniz brought the fanciest bottle of rose moet( which we saved for midnight).

we capped off the countdown with a game of "leading ladies" aka the marie antoinette game, much to my husband's chagrin.

i woke up to a sea of confetti and a lingering reminder of all the champagne imbibed. pictures of my glittery friends in their party frocks still dance in my head. noismakers and party hats are littered across our apartment. this was my favorite new years, without a doubt. our home was filled with revelry and laughter, and a whole lot of talented people under one roof.

for the new year i hope to practice more yoga, take more classes, and cook at home more. i've said i'm stickin' to three... but can i add dance more and host more parties? more, more, more! what are y'alls resolutions? cheers to a new decade, filled with hope and high spirits... and hopefully a whole lot of naughtiness! on that note, i think a glass of mimosa and my handsome husband are both calling my name, ooh la la...