Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Definitely In My Zone (Day 2)

Day 2 of Blogfest 2013 wrapped up with a breakfast & tour of Kravet's studio in the Flatiron District.  This is truly where all of the fabric designing magic goes down people!  Aerin Lauder was there to introduce us to & discuss her inspirations for her much anticipated new fabric & rug line with Lee Jofa.  I can't wait to see & touch all of the samples again when they arrive in the showroom!  
It was a gloriously sunny day & afterward I headed uptown to meet a friend & spotted this beautiful koi fish swimming away in one of Central Park's ponds.  Can you see him?  The orange spot!   
 My sweet friend treated me to a fancy lunch of lobster mac & cheese, scallops, champagne, iced tea & strawberry shortcake at the Kelly Wearstler designed restaurant at Bergdorf's.  I couldn't have invented a more perfect lunch & setting if I tried! 
 Afterward we walked around & did some fantasy shopping....I was bedazzled by this table (vintage 1950's mirrored) & setting...
 
  then Jason Wu'd me with this dress...
check out the back!
 And finally the grand prize...something I've been wanting to do for years.  My friend encouraged me & was there for moral support so I did it...I tried on this Verdura cuff I've been pining for forever.  It was everything I could have hoped for & more & seriously fit my wrist like it was made for me but unfortunately the price tag was not!  Maybe next time ;) 
 
I left feeling full on fantastic food, company & fantasy shopping.  It was one of those NYC days that is pure magic & my heart was definitely full too :)
 
photos: 3/8/all others me

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Definitely In My Zone

I hope you all had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!  As someone who immerses myself in fashion & interior design, the word luxury usually brings to mind designer clothing & accessories & sumptuous fabrics & home furnishings, i.e. expensive & beautiful material things.  This Memorial Day weekend reminded me that freedom & time with our loved ones is the ULTIMATE luxury & I was happy to spend it doing just that.  In our often times materialistic & fame obsessed culture let us never forget the sacrifices made by so many others so we could be free to prosper, express our opinions & creativity & enjoy our time with family, friends & pets.  I am truly proud & grateful to live in the diverse, entrepreneurial & yes, sometimes crazy, America the beautiful. 

Continuing on the note of gratitude, this past week I was so thankful & fortunate to attend Blogfest 2013, a conference in NYC for interior design bloggers graciously sponsored by Kravet.  I realized that it was the first time in my interior design career that I was surrounded by so many of my amazing peers & the positive energy was palpable.  There was a time in my life where this was all a pipe dream & I truly felt grateful to spend time with so many kindred spirits that are passionate about what they do, i.e. bringing more beauty & comfort to the world through their unique visions as designers :).  I was delighted to see some old friends & make some new ones.  Here are some highlights....

A "Bubbly & Bites" cocktail party at Jonathan Adler's "Happy Chic" shop on Madison Ave....
Fellow design bloggers Sarah Sarna, Lisa Ehrlich, Laurie Gorelick & me
 
My favorite room in the Kips Bay Decorator Show House - a sassy & sophisticated lounge by garcia maldonado inc. ......
HGTV Magazine hosted a beautiful lunch with presentations by HGTV Magazine Editor in Chief Sara Peterson & renowned interior designers Alexa Hampton & Thom Filicia at the Norman Foster designed Hearst Tower (one of my favorite architects & buildings in NYC)...
 
Me & the super talented (& rip roaringly funny) Thom Filicia (you might remember my dress from here).  One of my all time favorite things in life is hearing a person's success story & I loved Thom's advice....Put yourself out there & JUST SHOW UP!  It's all about being in the right place at the right time.  And also be fair, be open to listening to others' opinions & then assess them for yourself.
And as the perfect ending to an unbelievably inspiring day I had a glass of Sancerre & the oyster pan roast (aka heaven in a bowl) with tarragon butter crostini at The John Dory.

Stay tuned, more to follow tomorrow! 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Periwinkle & Kelly Green

I was writing with my favorite kelly green pencil (ya, I'm pretty dorky that way) the other day & thought what a fun combination it was with my periwinkle nails (American Apparel's L'Esprit, totally addicted to it lately)....
then realized of course I like it, I used it in this project....
and spotted at J. Crew later in the day, just in time for the beach....

I'm on the lookout for more of this fresh & fun color combo!

photos: me/me/1/2

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Old School

Remember waiting to hear your favorite song on the radio?  In a weird way I kind of miss that.  In the advent of any music you want at your fingertips I find I get burned out on my favorite songs pretty quickly & don't appreciate them as much.  Not that I want to go back to radio days but there was something about the surprise of what song would come next & the anticipation & joy of hearing your favorite song.  Not having it at your fingertips made you treasure it all the more.

It was so exciting to go to the record store too to buy that new tape or CD....actually holding it in your hands, taking it fresh out of the plastic wrapper, looking at the cover art & reading the lyrics & thank you's.  I think artists must miss that too.  Each album was a complete work & the songs were put in a certain order for a reason.  This has all gone out the window now in the name of speed & convenience, which I can definitely appreciate, but it's a little sad in a way. 

 I listen to the good old fashioned radio when I'm in the car & the other day I heard a song my friend (who now lives in another state & I miss terribly) & I used to love.  I had completely forgotten about it & it brought back a flood of fun memories of us hanging out together, crazy how a song can bring you right back to the place you were in your life when it was popular.  I arrived at my destination but didn't get out of the car until it was over....just love the beginning....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0QMfK9hzgA
photo: 1