etsy pick ~ aussie ali j

oh, just a good pick on etsy to browse. ali j shows a lovely collection of illustrations on all different formats: originals, prints, cards, etc...

natalie's cute vegan shoes?

about a year ago, a vegan friend of mine recommended we head to our appointed lower east side restaurant early so that she could check out shoes at a nearby vegan shoe store. ugh, i'll meet you at the restaurant. i love animals; i'm darn near cat-nuts. but "vegan" and "shoe design" are two terms that didn't even belong in the same paragraph.

now, joining the ranks of animal activist stella mccartney, natalie portman has tried to add a little style to the cause for little lambs keeping their skin. and natalie does so at a very affordable price point. available online through tecasan.com, and each retailing for under $300, here are some of my picks, pippa, paloma and petra:

february domino

is it me or is this cover shot for february domino a bit underwhelming? i'm being nice. it looks like a vignette from pottery barn circa 1990. the college wicker extra-bed futon, the boring foam-filled pillows... was there some wierd dictate to have red on the cover of a february issue? because inside there are some really nice images, even from our cover girl. i was actually suprised to see that her store looked so chic:


lovely china pieces and look at this cool light fixture.


and then there's adorable chassie post with her room full 'o butterflies. how gorgeous is that tiffany blue paint on the floor and ceiling? why isn't she on the cover? i want to see the rest of her digs and to know how she keeps that floor so spotless with a child around.




this isn't any sort of threat to my subscription status, the folks at conde nast will be glad to know, but do you see my point?

when you care enough to hit send

check out my friend brook's hilarious e-cards at someecards. the realationship-themed ones will get you right on in the early valentine's mood.

mom + me

you felt emphatically that black and navy should not be worn together, condeming that color combo to be one of my favourites. you loved symmetry, english antiques, appropriately modest necklines. my whimsical, mix-and-match collage of a look was never exactly your taste but i always knew you were proud. cheers to a hot mamma who taught me to have style and an opinion.

the met at the movies

i have always been a bit of an entertainment snob: musicals for tourists, theater for residents, dan brown books are vastly overrated. guidelines follow when thinking of format and venue: art films at the angelica, philobolus and alvin ailey at the joyce, etc. but when the met and peter gelb started hiring big-shot film people to direct opera, the cracks in this argument began to show. among others, anthony mighella's madame butterfly was delightful. and now, for the 2nd year, the met is broadcasting performances to movie theatres internationally and live ( i don't know how the live part works in say, london, where one is just not going to go to the opera at 8:30 in the morning, but, i digress).

my lovely neighbor melinda bought tickets to romeo and juliet which was broadcast in december and i went with her although skeptically. in a word, it was fabulous. i mean it would have been fabulous at the met, no doubt. but the camera angles, backstage glimpses between scenes, intermission interviews with diva rene flemming, and shots of placido domingo directing were all five star extras for those watching from a movie theater.

and the performances were top notch. anna netrebko looks like audrina from the hills (doesn't she?) with pipes (and presumably a brain). seriously, the wedding night scene was hot. have i ever thought of the opera as hot? so no, not all of this has to do with the broadcasting to movie screens, but these are all components in making opera, well, hot.


this saturday at 1:30, the met is broadcasting "macbeth" and i'll be watching from the participating theater in charlotte, nc, with my friend emily, and, i am sure, many excited others. go. you won't be sorry!

magnolia, '08 resolution

just so you know, it's not been cool in the hood to eat magnolia cupcakes for some time. and standing in line with the sex-in-the-city touristas is downright shameful. but, since i live just around the corner, there are times when i will walk by and there will be practically no one in the store. just rows of those rather dry and over-iced cupcakes. given the constant weekend and evening frenzy there, it's hard not to feel like i just have to take advantage of an opportunity to indulge. alas, this is the season of resolution so i'm putting my foot down. (remember, i have been recently called "soft" at the gym). the last time i set foot in magnolia was in '07 and i'm going to see how long i can make this last. don't be afraid to ask about my progressive day count here.

happy sunday

january blahs

ok, i have been a bit remiss in posting. aw, i mean really, it's january. is anyone motivated? yesterday it was 11 degrees in new york with the wind chill. violet, kickboxing teacher extraordinaire at equinox, called me soft. hmmm. succinctly well put. but as i see my fellow bloggers getting back to work i feel inspired to do the same. nb: i finally got a new digital camera, courtesy of santa (oh, i do believe) with the specific intention of taking more pictures of my work. what work? you say. exactly.