Happy weekend!

(Images courtesy of Flickr)

Happy weekend...at last! It's gorgeous outside here in NYC and I can't wait for a few days off.

I don't know if it's the realization that tomorrow is August or if it was watching last night's Jersey Shore premiere in Miami (S hearts Snookie. No, seriously...), but I woke up this morning wanting to savor the last few weeks of summer before the leaves begin to turn.

The seasonal farmers market in Rock Center opened this week and I can't wait to spend the ol' lunch hour browsing. I'm in the mood for some fresh berries.

Also, the countdown to a very necessary beach vacation officially begins today. In celebration, I purchased this "lagoon blue" bikini from J. Crew.

(Image courtesy J. Crew)

I can't wait to wear it listening to the sounds of waves with the feel of sand between my toes. Our trip can't get here fast enough...

A little bubbly

I truly heart champagne. Is there anything more fun than a pretty dress and a glass of bubbly?

Check out these dainty little flutes. Want. them. immediately.

(Image courtesy Olive & Cocoa)

While I'm usually a champagne purist, I've fallen in love with the delicate liquer, St. Germain.

St. Germain is made from elderflowers and while a tiny bit is tasty enough on its own, adding a splash to a glass of champy is oh so lovely.

(Image courtesy food service warehouse)

Doesn't the recipe below sound refreshing? It adds ice, cucumber and mint which makes this concoction a perfect summer cocktail.

(Image courtesy Zested)

Here is the simple recipe courtesy of Zested.

Elderflower Champagne Cocktail

Fill a tumbler with ice.

Fill three-quarters of the glass with dry champagne or prosecco.

Add thinly sliced cucumber and fresh mint.

Top off with St-Germain.

Cheers!

Bored to Death

The word on the street is that the second season of HBO's Bored to Death will be back in September. Yahoo!

(Image courtesy of HBO)

In the series, Jason Schwartzman stars as Jonathan Ames, a writer and fan of detective novels, who moonlights as an unlicensed private investigator via an ad on Craiglist.

I've been a fan of tiny little Schwartzman's since he starred as Max Fischer in Wes Anderson's Rushmore.

(Image courtesy Review Fix)

The nifty intro to the show features a catchy tune sung by Schwartzman.

These postcards (randomly spotted at the sandwich shop downstairs at my office?) are great. For those of you who didn't catch the first season, the talk bubbles hint about what tends to consume the minds of the three main characters.

(Images courtesy of HBO)

Lacquer trays

I love the idea of using lacquer trays to organize things around the home in a pretty way.

(Image courtesy Williams Sonoma Home)

Aren't these trays a beautiful way to store and display perfume bottles, candles, jewelry and other girly knick knacks in a dressing area or bathroom?

(Image courtesy of DomestiKated Life)

These trays also look wonderful on coffee tables or ottomans in living rooms for organzing magazines and more. I even like them on kitchen counters holding a set of glasses.

How about this laquer tray table? Those gold bamboo legs are smoking.

(Image courtesy my design secrets)

The above table would make a great end table (complete with a brightly colored lamp, of course)

which could pull double duty as a tiny cocktail station for parties.

PS: I love Cate and Dave's styling apartment (seen above). Here's a wide shot of their living room complete with lacquer tray table on the left hand side. How delicious is this gallery wall?

(Images courtesy of Apartment Therapy)

Click here for the full house tour.

Curious George and a glass of wine

Isn't this little bistro sweet?

(Images courtesy of Le Paris Bistrot)

It's called Le Paris Bistrot. We stumbled across it in Carnegie Hill this weekend and popped in out of the heat for a little afternoon refreshment (aka a glass of rosé).

Also on the agenda for our day double date with L and D was The "Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margaret and H.A. Rey" exhibit at The Jewish Museum. The exhibit features original drawings and dummies from Rey's famous Curious George books

(Image courtesy lesstvmorelife)

(Image courtesy Art Knowledge)

as well as original illustrations of lesser known characters such as Pretzel, the world's longest dachshund,

(Image courtesy Follow Your Bliss)

Spotty, the bunny who looks different from the other bunnies,

(Image courtesy Land of Nod)

and Raffy (and all of his 9 monkeys).

(Image courtesy booktryst)

The exhibit focuses on this delightful couple's life both in Europe and later in the United States after fleeing from the Nazis in 1940.

(Images courtesy The Jewish Museum)

Random factoid? Curious George's name was almost...Fifi.

(Image courtesy serious juggling)

The Trustworthiness of Beards

How bizarre is this chart all about trust and facial hair? It really cracks me up.

(Image courtesy of Auburn and Ivory)

Here are a few highlights:

(Images courtesy the awesomer)

Hey, what does this chart know anyway? I really like "The Hogan."

Captain Awesome

At first, I was a little skeptical about these copper postcards spotted on Catbird's blog. While I love the idea of sending these hilarious and simple messages to friends and family, surely the postage must outweigh the silly sentiment.

That was until I spotted this gem.

(Image courtesy Catbird Blog)

Who doesn't need their college nickname (so what if you nicknamed yourself during a game of Flipcup) pressed into a piece of copper?

Also, I love these pointy studs!

(Image courtesy of Catbird)

Happy, happy weekend!

(Image courtesy Disco Profile)

It's time to bust a move.

"Ugly Betty"

As you know, I've been counting down to this week's Mad Men premiere. In honor of its arrival on Sunday, check out this hilarious video montage documenting Betty Draper's awful parenting skills.



Best lines? "Bobby stop playing with the robot," and "Go bang your head against the wall."

Best Mom ever!

outrageous paper engineering

Aren't these paper structures from David A. Carter's pop-up books cool?

(Images courtesy Amazon)

Carter and other notable paper engineers' works are currently featured in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries' exhibition Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop & Turn now through September 1, 2011.

Yay!

Nice 'stache!

Some cheeky subway passenger has taken grafitti to a new level. Instead of drawing the classic moustache (other variations may inlclude the full out goatee, devil horns, or my personal favorite, the eye patch) on some of the posters in NYC's subway stations, this creative bandit uses a Sharpie and lovely penmanship to accomplish the below results.

How hilarious is this?

(Image courtesy Subway Art Blog)

(Images courtesy Flickr)

chocolate + bread = yummy chocolate bread

I spent Sunday afternoon lazing around the Village with a great pal for some much needed girl time. At her suggestion we hit up the sweet and cozy Cornelia Street Cafe for a late brunch.

(Images courtesy New York Mag)

This homey place has a really reasonably priced pre-fixe brunch (complete with mimosas, of course!) It's ideal for a leisurely catch-up meal.

While I opted for the chicken sandwich on a baguette with warm goat cheese (yes, please!), A got the the pre-fixe which came with a delicious piece of chocolate bread.

(Image courtesy Sugar Plum)

I know what you're thinking. It looks like someone rubbed a little chocolate on a twist of bread. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The chocolate is baked inside this moist and fluffy pastry. It's sweet, gooey and just plain delightful.

A informed me that Cornelia Street Cafe gets these tasty treats from Amy's Bread right on Bleeker. I bet you can guess what we made a beeline for next.

(Image courtesy Murray's Cheese)

(Images courtesy Amy's Bread)

Jerry's glasses

(Image courtesy of iPower)

I know we've all seen every episode of Seinfeld thousands of times, but does this show ever get old? One of my top five episodes has to be "The Gum."

Hardcore Jerry fans, may recall this episode where Kramer takes over an old movie theater and Jerry is forced to pretend he always wears this serious pair of glasses (naturally done in an attempt fool recently released mental patient Lloyd Braun).

(Image via Seinfeld Tumblr)

I challenge anyone to look at this picture without laughing. Seriously.

(Image courtesy Patrick Cooper)