Shabby Chic and All

Day two in NYC was a doozy....I walk everywhere and boy, I put in some mileage! We get up and hit a Starbucks about 7:45 am. Then we walk from 11 st in the Village to 29th street right up 7th ave. until we get to the place where Jeffrey is taking his course. He is there all day until 5:30, so I have a nice long time to play and discover. First, I checked out the flower district and then headed up to 18 th Street where I hit all of the art supply stores and Books of Wonder. My first purchase, card stock ,cello bags and envelopes from Paper Presentation.

Then I wandered my way back to the village and towards SoHo.

My first visit to Purl. They have 2 teeney tiny shops on Sullivan Street. One is fabric and sewing oriented, and the other for yarn and knitting supplies. I was lucky enough to arrive at the sewing shop just when they got a big shipment of Liberty of London fabric.

There's plenty of other dandy fabrics to pick from as well.
This is their sample display of Liberty fabrics that they stock.
The Gals were working hard at getting everything in order.
This is the window display. Lots of color!
Outside view of the fabric shop.
And of the yarn shop.
WOW! I don't knit, but I did buy some mohair yard in pretty colors to make some dainty scarves that I saw in a Martha Stewart article....made with a knit wit!
I also bought some blonde, red head, and brunette colors for my doll's hair.
Onward to Babycakes!
It was quite a walk, but I found them. Jeffrey eats gluten free, and this wee bakery makes gluten free cupcakes sweetened with agave instead of sugar. So....


I picked up a DELICIOUS scone with jam to eat right then and there ( non-gluten free) and some gluten free cupcakes for Jeffrey.
They had these great flowers on the counter....kind of a mix between dried and fresh.
Just a tiny little place!Off I went, wandering around until I came upon The Dumpling House....

I had 4 dumplings for 1 dollar! And despite what the review says, the place was crowded, but no line!

I found Shabby Chic on Mercer Street. It's more like a showroom to show off their decorating style.
Did you ever go into a place, and the sales people know that you aren't their to buy anything or get decorating advice so they ignore you? Perfect time to wander around and take a bunch of pictures!
Here's a papier mache cake....I have been thinking of making one to display my cake toppers on....Mine would look more like this....HA!


I love the fabric inspiration.
Here is a bedroom scene...
with cloths strewn about....

The bed is great! I then wandered some more and went back to the Village in a round about way. I've never been to Three Lives and Company, so I decided to make my way there.
A great little bookshop with an incredible selection of books in such a small space. I got this book and headed back to get ready for dinner.
Here's my catch of the day.....pink spray roses from the flower market....my mohair yarn from Purl....Babycakes cupcakes....I like those pastel colors!

My stash from Paper Presentations.....
We ate dinner at Risotteria, a gluten free Italian restaurant in the Village....Gluten free pizza, gluten free apple pie....the best crust I have ever tasted! xo:):)

NYC Whirlwind Trip

Our first stop... The Dove Parlour for a little refreshment. What a lovely little place! They are open at 4 for happy hour and continue into the night. We were delighted with the little menu....all organic and sustainable. A nice collection of music played...from sultry French to jazz to Nat King Cole romantic to rockabilly.

We sipped our wine and nibbled on house cured mixed olives with lemon zest and french herbs and almond roasted with olive oil, thyme and seasalt, all served in little mismatched tea cups....
The flocked wallpaper added to the decadence of the place....we liked that.

There are tea sandwiches...cucumbers, yogurt,lemon zest, mint, and sea salt on wheat...or goat cheese, lavender honey,rosemary also on wheat........There are" toasts"....roasted heirloom beets with creme fraiche and black truffle shavings or artichokes with preserved lemon, mint and piave vacchio cheese.
And to sip on....How about some Absinthe served the real way over a sugar cube, or the Green Fairy....Absinthe and fresh mint....There is the Ginger Snap....vodka and fresh ginger with lime juice and sugar soda....cognac, single malt scotch and all of the classic cocktails....On their web site it says that the three owners had a simple plan when they opened in 2004: to democratize decadence. I love this place!
Then it was off to The Mermaid Inn and Oyster Bar . We went to the MacDougal Street location.(My pictures are a bit fuzzy...so go to their web site and look at the gallery....)
We had oysters at the bar and sat next to a couple who consumed 72 oysters between them! Boy, I bet they had a great night......
It's a simple and clean style at this location. Jeffrey had tilapia, and I ate the trout with herbs....yummy! It looks like they changed their menu since we ate there....but still a great selection of seafood to devour....

I love the logo, of course.
And they serve a complimentary chocolate pudding with whipped cream and a fortune telling fish!The sign outside.....I love the logo, of course.
A great first night! :):)

In NYC

Hello all. I'm in NYC with my camera and laptop and as soon as I can fix my laptop, I'll post all of the great photos of where I have been and all of the pictures of what I got! Wait til you see.....until then, here is a link to a restaurant we will be dining at tonight...Camaje

Jane McGowan of Roadside Projects

What a cheerful web site

and blog....

Here is her etsy shop....
Here is her portfolio
A lot of snipping involved....

I'm off to NYC with my loved one for a week! Stay tuned for more exciting adventures....xo

Valentine for a Sweetie

This is what I'm giving Jeffrey for Valentine's Day....in his favorite color...ORANGE....I've never painted on orange before...I like it!
He loves birds, and here are some that are in our yard from time to time....a Cooper's Hawk....always takes our breath away when he lands in the tree just outside our kitchen window.
A little Woodpecker....he sometimes likes to peck on the house near our bedroom...a wee alarm clock...
I love painting vines....good thing......
A big fat Cardinial....lots of them at the ground feeder although they like the top one too.....
smiling....:):):)
And finally a Bluebird, which we don't see alot of, but once in a while. A Bluebird of happiness!
Tweet!
The top....I varnished the whole thing so it can be used outside....I've painted hundreds of watering cans....my folks still use theirs from way back when and it still looks great! Happy Valentine's Day, Jeffrey! (shhhhhh) xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox