Whatever floats your boat...

The Forecast

Today
Mostly sunny with a slight chance of showers. A slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.


Shorts, tank tops
Summer dresses
Anything cotton, loose and light
Oh, and flip flops.

Snow Daze...

31 Days of Oscar

Tonight marks the start of TCM's 31 Days of Oscar, and they're kicking it off with FUNNY GIRL starring Barbara Streisand. Streisand received her very first Oscar for her role depicting real-life character Fanny Brice. Gossip Girl? Faggheddaboutit...watch FUNNY GIRL for the amazing, eternally-classic songs and 5-star level of entertainment your TV diet is severely lacking!

Peace in 2010

Happy New Year everyone.

Joan of Arctic

Tomorrow's forecast calls for temps in the 30's with "ice pellets" and snow here in the NY area...bring it on! Ankle-deep slush puddles in the city - ha! They're no match for my new Joan of Arctic Sorel's, which were waiting for me under the Christmas Tree a few days back. Dare I say that I'm a little bummed by today's sunny weather and dry sidewalks? Let see what Mother Nature will dish out tomorrow!

Black Friday...Or, Get Your Shop On

For some, Black Friday marks the first day of the Holiday shopping season. The frenzy has begun. Ridiculously low prices and deep discounts are the draw. Retailers opened their doors early: Toys R Us in Times Square, Manhattan, has been open since midnight last night (image above). Some people have been lined up since 3 a.m. waiting to bust into stores to BUY BUY BUY! There are some seriously good deals to be had, no doubt, but a little sleep deprivation makes those deals even more appealing, I'm sure. eTailers have been dishing out the discounts, as well, and any opportunity to avoid the crowds and germs in stores, is a good one in my book! I'll be hanging out on my couch in my favorite old sweatpants surfing the web for good deals, sipping a hot cup of tea, while watching the ELF marathon on TBS...which reminds me, if you're brave enough to brave the stores out there today, avoid the angry elves, avoid the santas who smell like beef and cheese, and remember to incorporate one of the following 4 food groups into your diet: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

For the Olfactory-inclined...

I can't walk by the Bond No. 9 store on Bleecker Street in the West Village without stopping inside to inhale the most heavenly scents in the city...jasmin, vanilla brandy, patchouli....Nuits de Noho from Bond No. 9 is my new favorite 'flavor'. And there's nothing better than stopping in on a crisp Fall day when the air is clear and the nose can discern every subtle turn in each of Bond's amazing perfumes. If I knew how to make this a scratch-n-sniff blog, I'd spray a little right here on my screen to share with you.

Sarouk-It-To-Me

This gorgeous little number will be gracing my floors in the near future...she's an early 19th c Persian Sarouk Lilihan hand-knotted rug...proof that quality workmanship transcends trends and remains relevant in terms of style, generation after generation.

House Style

I've recently added a few new sites and blogs to mashupNYC. And they're not clothing-related, which is somewhat of a revelation to myself. Back in November of 09, I moved into a new home. I left the 400sf, 5th floor walk-up, studio apartment on Horatio Street in the city, that had been affectionately known as "The Nest" for six years, and moved into a 1000sf, 4th floor walk-up, 2 bedroom in Bronxville, NY. This is Nest Part II. I suppose I should change my "About Me" page to reflect that I'm no longer a 'city girl' but since I still have two feet on the pavement in Manhattan for a majority of the days of the week for work, I consider myself a NYC Alumn, and will leave as-is.

As with most NYC apartments both space and money limit one from buying furniture. You have the essentials of the bed, a couch, and a chair for guests, and furniture to store things in like treasured jeans, dresses, and shoes, but little else. Looking back on my 6 years, and in light of finding two new blogs devoted to the pursuit of vintage furniture, I can honestly say I have a regret about my tenure as a NYC tenant. And that is, I did not take advantage of the massive flea market that the city essentially is to collect and trade items that would have made The Nest a slightly more cultured environment.

This is something that I'll reflect upon time-to-time here in these blog pages. But without further ado, here are the new blogs and sites I've added to the list of essentials to visit. Two are major players in the realm of the buying and selling of vintage, antique, or just plain old used items of furniture (and whatever else you can think of): craigslist, and eBay. The craigslist antiques section is quickly becoming a daily addiction if only to look at. eBay is the giant and cannot be beat in terms of finding aggregated lots of antique items for your house: gorgeous round oak claw foot dining tables, Eames era chairs, wrought iron beds, and hand-knotted kilims. And two blogs - which are connected in the pair who run them - Severely Vintage and Sit and Read Furniture, offer their reflections on many mid-century pieces that are either in perfect condition or have been refinished and restored (and all items are for sale).

While no big revelation, I thought I'd state that the home is as much a reflection of yourself as the clothing you wear each day. Furniture is an extension of our wardrobe and should not be relegated to strictly a functional aspect of daily life. The mixing and blending of colors, the elegant (or jocular) lines of a chair, the solid grace of a mahogany chest of drawers, and the endless possibilities of combinations to delight in...I need to go contemplate all of this on my new pair of Paul McCobb chairs I found on craigslist.