new york moment...

oh new york. i told myself i wouldn't miss you, but who was i kidding? as soon as i got off the airplane it felt like coming home. i felt like i was seeing the city with the same bright eyes as i did when i first moved to nyc. i am kind of kicking myself for not taking more pictures, but i was too happy to think of anything other than living in the present.

here are my favorite new york moments that i am so grateful for(in no particular order)...

1. dinner at flatbush farm, thursday night with my nearest and dearest. i talk annette's ear off about my friends and she finally got to meet (almost) all of them. there was plenty of delicious food, healthy libations, and a glittery feather headpiece(thank you peter hale cooney III, you never fail to deliver).

2. drinks at little branch with chelsea, lauren, and madeleine. i can't remember that last time i have laughed so hard. we were definitely a bawdy bunch, giving the folks next to us more than an earful! this was followed by late night french fries at pomme frites, more wine, and ended with three of us cozied up in lauren's bed falling asleep to reality bites.

3. brunch at diner in williamsburg with chelsea and jamie, a delicious upscale diner that gives watercolor pencils instead of crayons to the kiddies. paper tablecloths for the waiters to write the ever-changing specials on. early morning brooklyn fashionistas in full regale.

4. my "polite new yorker" pin from gray's papaya. if you live in new york, i highly recommend getting one. it is the best conversation starter in the world! everywhere we went, folks commented on it!

5. visiting my friends sarah and ryan's AWESOME store, life curated, in williamsburg. nuzzling with nutmeg, brook farm general store's beagle. marveling at darr's treasure-filled new williamsburg outpost.

6. celebrity sightings: caroline rhea in the container store and jack mcbrayer(kenneth the page) at the today show's green room.

7. touring the west village with annette and natalie. seeing my favorite peeps: judi at cafe cluny, mohammed at casa magazines, a former client roy, and my peeps at marc jacobs' bookmarc store and maison martin margiela. if i could collectively give the west village a group hug, i totally would.

8. snagging a copy of lula. if anyone knows a source in atlanta, let me know! i can never find it anywhere but nyc...

9. attending amy merrick's awesome wreath-making class! she and her adorable sister, mischa, foraged the woodlands of maryland and brought back the most delicious smelling firs, juniper, sweetgum balls, and other holiday foliage. they even marvelously merchandised everything in trapper baskets,fishing baskets, and old wooden crates.

10. befriending cabbies. asking them how they aren't afraid to drive in new york, and how many accidents had they been in. also, announcing that i just got my license to all of them.



i miss my friends every.single.day. i am so grateful the majority of them are all corralled in the city that never sleeps. my resolution for 2011 is to travel more, and definitely to frequent NYC much, much more.

i will miss y'all most of all...

today and i will always be grateful for...

last night my closest friends gathered at madam geneva for a final farewell for ed and me. i really do believe the old adage, "if you can count your good friends you have on one hand, then consider yourself lucky". well then last night i needed at least 5 other free hands! we sipped pimms cups, gimlets, ellisons, and various other delicious gin-infused spirits while laughing and gossiping the night away. and then we capped the revelry off with an ungodly amount of french fries at pommes frites.

i didn't take any photos of the night, what was i thinking?! the night was perfect. a very special speech was made. beautiful smiling faces were aplenty. an abundance of gorgeous flowers speckled the room. very dear cards and books were given. there was a healthy showing of glittery sequins, bows, and party dresses. hilarious friends belted out showtunes with gusto on the streets of new york.

peter hale cooney III. chelsea rose cook. corrie wright pellerin. lauren weinerth. haylie b. waring. savannah wyatt. amy emerson merrick. john gardner. mary ping. madeleine alder-cossitt and anton hansson. abby hasler. jamie freed. blake lewis. max shimizu-jones. sarah meyer. mandy kordal. lauren demith. brendan coleman. nick derosa. i will miss y'all so much. new york has been a real wild ride, but none of it would have been half as special if it weren't for having each and every one of you in my life. thank you for making me love new york. i will always be grateful for the times we shared in the big apple. and i promise, i will be sure to write...

*all flowers shown were styled by amy merrick at saipua.

**thank you jamie jean freed for organzing our bon voyage. you totally nailed it.

bottled up...

today i am grateful for...

an adventure to dead horse bay with sweet friends. chelsea rose cook and peter hale cooney III researched tide charts and even managed to wrangle up directions to the secretive bottle beach. chelsea designed a treasure map, pieced together by bits of cryptic, neverland-esque instructions, transmitted over the phone, by a mysterious woman.

after a near-apocalyptic ride on the 2 train, a fairly tame ride on the Q.35 bus, and a 3/4 mile hike to floyd bennett field beneath circling buzzards, we approached an unmarked, winding pathway flanked by cattails and creeping, thorny brambles. this pathway then lead to a three-tined fork in the field. still nary a sign or marking in site. scratching our heads we chose the middle path which crooked and bent so much we figured we were walking in circles.

we finally saw the first good sign. it should be dubbed, "heart marks the spot"!

after several more paces, matt released a cheer, and we knew we had arrived!

armed with rubber rainboots and work gloves, we set to diggin' and collectin'. we divided and totally conquered that little beach! i could hear little gasps and yips of excitement and wonderment from my pals at all points. discovering little treasures all about.

we unearthed so much milk glass, cobalt glass, brown apothecary bottles, handled jugs, coca- cola bottles, ponds cold cream bottles, tea cups, chunks of horse bone, and doll parts. such a treasure trove! we filled our satchels to the brim, and waddled away with heavy arms and numb fingers and noses.

now our kitchen table is littered with my new(old) loot and our bathroom smells like a drip castle. my tub, is dusted with a layer of sand, sea sludge, and unappetizing bottle innards. but hey, now i have vessels for any and every occasion. and a really lovely memory with good friends. hooray!

old sweet song...

well y'all, looks like georgia is calling us home. i've had a mighty fine time in new york, but these two georgia peaches are homeward bound. i've got five more weeks to play in the big apple before we board that midnight train. there are so many things i will miss about new york, but i am going to miss my friends the most of all. i love chelsea, pete, haylie, lauren, john, madeleine, kristi, savannah, neil, mary, emily and paul, mollie, bethany, amy, jamie, ulysses, to name a few. not to mention all the fun, wonderful, hilarious folks i've been lucky enough to meet while here. new york can be a tough city, but if you surround yourself with good, kind people, that really is all that matters.

i love what conan said on his last show, "if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." it's true. i'm seeing it happen to all my friends, who are all so talented, so hardworking, and so genuinely, amazingly kind. if i've done anything right, it is kept good company. i am so proud of the people in my life, and i wish i could bring them all in my suitcase back to georgia with me. and i hope y'all will help me paint this town red for a few more weeks ; )

i heart the weekend...

today i am grateful for...

a weekend off! here's what lies ahead...

1. it's antique week in nyc and some of my favorite peeps will be accompanying me to look at old, fancy junk.

2. gathering supplies for my calligraphy class next week!

3. fine-tuning some valentine's day crafts and present ideas.

4. finishing a birthday present for my best friend in the whole world... my mother. her birthday is on sunday!

i hope everyone has a marvelous weekend! if you live in new york and see me rifling through antique piles at the piers or armory, please say hi, i'll be the crazy, red-headed gal in too many layers, all flushed with junkin' fever!

*p.s how sweet is this hankie? thank you haylie bird! i love my love-ly pocket square!

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.

hi! my name is ginnybranch stelling, and i love fall!

i love fall. i really do. i love fall.

today i am grateful for...

1. finding glitter in my pillowcases and on my husband's flannel shirt... remnants from a glittery halloween party at john gardner's new home!

2. collecting fall leaves to stuff between the pages of my flower press.

3. a lonely oil painting i rescued from the garbage man.

4. a family of apples. momma apple, poppa apple, and baby apple.

5. lavender and rose "happy fall" tea from chelsea rose cook.

so how is everyone spending their fall? somewhere, i hope it involves a little glitter...

daisies and fizz...

today i am grateful for...

( photo courtesy of sidecarbrooklyn.com )

1. sidecar. my new favorite south slope spot. cozy, dark wooded interior, bespoke cocktails, and fancy twists on classic american bar fare.

2 .and for my favorite, peter hale cooney III, my date for the evening. i miss living with my sweet pete and it was 'specially nice to catch up over gin daisies and ramos fizz's (one of the most delicious, decadent drinks invented). he makes me laugh 'til my sides hurt and he can out-accessorize me any day. lately, i've been seriously slack on my pieces of flair. too hot to wear any extra of anything... now i want to stock up on orange blossom water; layer on some costume jewelry; slip into my ridiculous shoes, and break out my sequins. i am so ready for fall.

thank you petey pie for schlepping all the way to this part of brooklyn. and for being you. i love you to pieces.