New Year's Eve

(images courtesy of high street market and vintage culture)

Hooray for New Year's Eve! Hope everyone has fun, festive plans for this evening.

Due to the darned flu, S and I had to abandon our New Year plans. This is sad for many reasons, but I'm terribly annoyed because I will miss the champagne. I love the champagne.

(image courtesy the daily green)

Even more than champagne, however, I love my sweet husband who is currently serving up my new favorite beverage...piping hot peppermint tea. Party on, Wayne!

Blue Valentine

(image courtesy ten gossip)

Blue Valentine looks intense and very intriguing.

It's the story of married couple Cindy and Dean. The movie details the evolution of their relationship over a number of years by juxtaposing scenes from when they fell in love with scenes of them falling out of love years later. Wow.

I have a feeling this is a movie that will be painful to watch, but I'm anxious to see if Michelle Williams and yummy Ryan Gosling's (read an awesome story about him here) performances are as powerful as we've been hearing.

Check out the trailer below.

P.S. Saw this movie and loved it so much less than I expected. So sad. Ryan Gosling's "old(er) man glasses" are the worst.

sick.

(photo courtesy alita)

Alas, the doctor has spoken. We have the flu/virus. How awful is that? I must say I have not felt this gnarly since college: the early years.

Stay healthy out there!

men's watch

I've never worn a watch. I love bracelets, but when it came to picking out a ladies watch I could stand, the options always felt limited...a bit too dainty and so not worth the investment.

When S and I first started dating, I would sometimes borrow his watch. I loved the large face and its stout presence on my wrist. Still, to avoid being an absolute thief, I always returned it.

Well, this year, Santa (aka my darling Mommy and Daddy) gave me the best watch ever for Christmas...a men's watch!

(image courtesy esquire)

I'm more than a little bit obsessed with it.

Ashley Olsen totally feels me on this one.

(image courtesy sway & cake)

lazy days

(image courtesy wit & delight)

Ahhhh-at long last a lazy day!

I spent the majority of the day in front of a comfy fire reading a great new book while a pretty serious "blizzard" rages outside.

(image courtesy real simple)

My poor, sweet hubby is down with a vicious cold. I've been playing nurse while hoping he feels much better very soon.

Looking forward to another slow moving, wintry day off tomorrow...

In the meantime, hope everyone has a lovely, snuggly evening!

happy christmastime.

(image courtesy of great works of style)

Have yourselves a merry little Christmas, dears.

simple dessert

(image courtesy jamie oliver)

How deliciously simple does this dessert by Jamie Oliver (spotted on frolic!) look?

Pair frozen grapes and a few pieces of really good chocolate (Jamie recommends dark) with chilled Grappa for guests to snack on post dinner.

The presentation is beautiful and the compliementary flavors in this simplified dessert would be a wonderful way to wind down a dinner party.

From Jamie Oliver's website:

If you’re having a nice night with mates and there’s good wine and some conversation happening then I think this is a lovely thing to bring out a few hours after dinner. It’s like a sorbet, but without the work. Fiery chilled grappa, good-quality chocolate and delicious frozen grapes are a great little combo that show you care and you’ve made a bit of effort. You could either use dark chocolate or a mixture of different flavours, depending on what you fancy.

Put your bottle of grappa and the grapes in the freezer about 2 to 3 hours before you want to serve them. Right before serving; give your bars of chocolate a good whack against the counter to break them up into large chunks.

Pile these chunks in the middle of a nice wooden board, arrange your frozen grapes beside them and serve with a nice little glass of grappa to sip on while you watch the grapes and chocolate disappear. So simple, but such a treat.

sisters

(image courtesy from paris to london)

Today, I'm really missing my baby sister. It will be so hard to be away from her for Christmas this year.

This afternoon would make a perfect movie day. Snuggling down at Mom and Dad's to watch Home Alone and Love Actually wearing warm slippers

(image courtesy beso)

and sipping hot chocolate. Sigh. How divine...

(image courtesy real simple)

Just remember, the yellow blankie is mine, Beast. xo

pretty headband

(image courtesy refinery 29)

What a beautiful sparkly hair accessory! This headband is perfect for holiday parties...especially a New Year celebration.

Go on then, fancy pants!

back baring dress

Isn't this back baring dress from Rachel Pally beautiful?

(image courtesy rachel pally)

The long sleeves keep the plunging backline from being too over the top. It's the perfect little black dress for the holidays!

Dressed up with statement making gold earrings (like the ones seen on the model above) and rocking suede pumps, this sleek look feels festive without sparkles or an overabundance of the color red.

holiday cheer

Last night, we stopped by the Blue Ribbon Wine Bar on Downing Street in the West Village for a little bit of holiday cheer with some pals.

(images courtesy urban daddy and on the inside)

AK and I bypassed the enormous wine selection and settled on a cocktail called the Hummingbird.

(image courtesy beatinthebox)

This tasty concoction is made with St. Germain, Avinyo cava (a sparkling white wine), soda and garnished with two raspberries. Mmmm.

The drink was wonderfully delicious, and I'm now obsessed with scoring a set of the silver straw/flat spoons (see below) that came in handy not only for sipping our beverages, but also for fishing out da berries.

(image courtesy kblog)

This cozy, candlelit little nook sits right across the street from the famous Blue Ribbon Bakery.

(image courtesy gg eats)

Blue Ribbon's fried chicken has quite the reputation. Super anxious to try it before the New Year diet commences.

(image courtesy nyc foodie)

justin townes earle

"As a southern man, there's two things I'm definitely not scared of: bow ties and white pants." - Justin Townes Earle, GQ Magazine.

Wow, Justin Townes Earle's music is great.

The lanky Tennesseean ( and current resident of the East Village) creates original "Southern American" music slightly reminiscent of another time. Earle's original style is hard to stop listening to.


The son of country music favorite, Steve Earle, JTE apparently fell in the love the sounds of his native South after his father informed the soon-to-become musician that his favorite Nirvana song "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" was actually written and originally performed by the iconic American folk and blues musician Leadbelly.

Check out "Harlem River Blues" and "They Killed John Henry" below.

In addition to making great music, Earle has made quite a name for himself in the world of fashion. Apparently, GQ voted him one of the "25 most stylish men in the world."

(images courtesy nucountry, gq, olive-loaf, garden & gun, hear ya)

baby, it's cold outside

Brrrrr! It is absolutely freezing in NYC today. It's the sort of cold that makes your fingers and toes numb for a good ten minutes after you've ventured back indoors. Yowser.

In an effort to fight off the frigid temperatures, here are a few pretty cold weather pieces (worn separately) that make me smile.

This FAUX fur snood is quite glamorous and very cozy.

I also love this ladylike coat...

and these funny mittens (especially the turquoise ones with a circular palm patch reading: "place snowball here").

(images courtesy shop bop, anthro and fab sugar)

Stay warm, dears!

christmas at home

Christmas will be here before we know it, and as beautiful as this time of year is in NYC, I do find myself missing home.

Lucky for me, my Mommy has gotten quite tech savvy as of late. She sent me this photo of my very first Christmas ornament ever as it currently hangs from our family tree.

How cute is she?

clever band-aids

Boo boos are the worst.

This morning at work I smashed my finger with a stapler and was in desperate need of a bandage. While I settled for the boring, nude-colored Band-Aid I keep in my purse for emergencies (yes, I am serious), I think the bandages below would have made me giggle enough to at least temporarily forget the throbbing pain in my middle finger (still serious).

(image courtesy a cup of jo)

Answering the question of "what happened to your finger?" with "ninja fight" or "shark bite" sounds much better than the reality... foggy-headed clumsiness following your company's themed holiday party the evening before...

On that note, happy weekend, friends!

holiday time

(image courtesy kelly ball)

As much as my mind still feels trapped in October, the holiday season is most definitely upon us!

Today I bought my first few gifts, and this evening is my company's annual holiday party which is being held in our offices. How Mad Men is that?

(image courtesy slant magazine and community)

Here's hoping for egg nog

and awkward singing/dancing with coworkers!

(images courtesy x-entertainment and jezebel)

Let the festivities begin!

P.S. Speaking of the office, here's a shot I snapped on my way home from work. The Rock Center Christmas Tree never fails to take my breath away.

Follow-up: For your viewing pleasure, a prom style, blurry Polaroid snapped on the 80's floor of our office party. The backdrop was a sign reading "Happy Bitchin' Holidays 1985." Stay classy!

a good song

I like the song below courtesy of the Canadian band Stars.

I also like the name of the album from which it comes...Sad Robots. Why is this album name so hilarious to me?

Happy hump day!

kate and andy spade's pad

I love these photos of Kate and Andy Spade's NYC apartment designed by Todd Selby (spotted on oh happy day!). Their place looks just like I'd imagined...but better!

I'm in love with this wallpaper and a comfy all white bed.

I love the abundance of framed art placed, well, everywhere.

I love the idea of filling our walls with random framed memories (a receipt from a favorite meal, a birthday card, a classic movie poster). How nice and cozy!

I'm also more than a little jealous that the famous duo's little girl is rocking at least two Hugo Guiness pieces on her bright yellow walls.

(images via oh happy day; images courtesy Todd Selby)

Black Swan

(image courtesy olsen twins news)

How deliciously dramatic/old school glam did the always lovely Natalie Portman look at last month's Black Swan premiere in NYC?

I love the saucy side buttons on her Dior dress, the bold red lips and the super cool Lolita book purse!

Everyone seems to buzzing about Natalie's performance as a ballet dancer named Nina. Are you guys planning to check out this thriller from Darren Aronofsky (the same guy who did The Wrestler)?

(image courtesy nerdy nothings and music n)

Check out the rather intense trailer below.

weekend tunes

S and I caught The Walkmen at Terminal 5 with our pals LD and AK last night. What a show!

The band was AMAZING live. I highly recommend checking them out if ever you have the opportunity. I nerdily even scored this rad band t-shirt!

(images courtesy the walkmen)

We arrived in time to catch the opening act, School of Seven Bells, who were also fab. The guitarist had some pretty happening hair and the lead singer is quite the dish.

(image courtesy baeble)

Here are two of my favorite songs by the band to help ease us into the weekend. Have a great one!

tidy things

(image courtesy black eiffel)

I'm a bit of a neat freak. While I love being tidy, my love of organization reached new heights when we moved to NYC. Less space means even less room for clutter. A haphazard stack of mail on the table? I don't think so.

Based on the above, can you imagine my excitement upon discovering Things Organized Neatly? This site simply contains images of tidily collected odds and ends.

The perfectly oragnized items in these photographs are quite beautiful. Check out a few examples below.

(images courtesy things organized neatly)