The Fancy Scrabble Letter Pillows

If I bought these pillows I'd get them to say                      "Work!" 

Our New Favorite Park Slope Brooklyn Cafe

Is our back yard 

Recently resplendent with all manner of plants found outside of Toby's Public House*

*(they were giving them away. We didn't steal any plants!) 

This Weekend I Escaped to Istanbul

Oh how I WISH I was one of those "she's so lucky" types that weekends in the Black Sea, but alas I am purely referring to a candle

Granted this an Archipelago candle (ooh, Greek vocab time. How many Byzantine states can I fit in one post, honey?) so our little Park Slope home took on the sea cliffs of the Istanbul (was Constantinople!) with a heady blend of black cannibus, warm ambers and flush rose leaves. Green and exotic, this scent made the unshakable heat of our New York apartment feel like a divine invitation to wine and Netflix heavy evenings in the a/c

(Turn down the lights, turn down the bed...)

Trust me on this one: Archipelago Istanbul tin candle, $12 for 5.9oz at http://www.archipelago-usa.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductName=Istanbul%20Travel%20Tin 

I Fed my Gremlin After Midnight

This is Gremlin, "It Can't All Be Dior"s resident houseplant. Like all green things, he's not faring well with our black thumbs around here. But this morning, in the wee hours, I replanted him and fed him. What else are you supposed to do when you're up sneezing and coughing?  Stupid early Summer cold. 

Hope Gremlin fares better. He too is "under the weather".  

Part of My #JCPenney Spring Wardrobe Makeover this Weekend

If you didn't already hear, I kinda tore it up this weekend in the Maryland JCPenney's

(We went NUTS!) 

Now tongue wag all you want, but JCPenney has been my secret source for jeans. Those perfect fit Arizona brand skinnies have been mistaken for much pricier styles from the likes of J Brand, Earnest Sewn and even Acne jeans.


Anywho, after hearing so much about JCPenney's controversial shop-in-shops remodel under recently ousted CEO Ron Johnson I decided to check it out in the flesh this weekend in Maryland. I might be in the minority, but I LOVED it. The layout feels vibrant and compelling. Like I'd be amiss to pull a Dionne Warwick and walk on by

(BAM!)

And no one is immune to the pull of the Joe Fresh right at the mall entrance 

The home stuff was right on par too with eye catching and playful prints and pops from some of the big names in the biz like Michael Grave, the aforementioned Pantone collection, Martha Stewart (ugh... can I mention her name?) and the Happy Chic line developed by Jonathan Adler

How I resisted taking these demon dog bookends home is beyond me now

Anywho, I did plenty of damage with or without breaching the home department

But luckily JCPenney figured out customers have always known and loved them for deals and coupons



and this little 20% everything all weekend long worked like a charm. Yes, 20% off EVERYTHING including clearance, child








That meant my bounty went a little something like this:

(Levis canvas knapsack)







(JCP private label broadstripe long sleeve t-shirt, LF floral linen blend shirt and red pin dot spread collar shirt) 


I liked the pin dot shirt so much I got it in navy too


















Many, MANY outfits compiled from the sea of sartorial snap ups I got this weekend to come... stay tuned! 

My Dream Home Just Found Another Sofa

You know that dream house you have tucked away


 in your plans for the future? 



Well mine has enough living rooms and

drawing rooms I can buy a sea of sofas

This diamond jacquard mid-century stunner at 

Venus on the Halfshell right now would be one of the collection





Get it, Get it:

Diamond jacquard mid-century sofa, $495 at Venus on the Halfshell  301-662-6213 

More Bight Ass Ish for the Garden That is Our Park Slope Apartment

The one time yellow showers are

100% acceptable 

   

This Home Depot (yes, Home motha-f-in' Depot, folks) 4-liter aluminum watering can is vintage grace and masculine construction all rolled into one 

All the better to water the jungle that is taking over Mr. Taurus and my Park Slope home this Spring 

(Who's that sexy fauna in the flora?)

                                                     

Umm...This Be Good: Dino-Lite!

  
  R 

  O                   
  A

  R



This weekend, Mr Taurus and I were doing our gay couple best to find trinkets and doo-dads for our ever growing jungle housed in our guest room. 

Perhaps my mind was putting T Rex vibes out there but I stopped dead in my tracks at CB2 and realized I need three (at least!) of these dinosaur tealight holders 

Oh how this little guy will creep around the cactus, slink around the stacks of books and hunt over the haberdashery 








Man, did CB2 see me coming or what???


Aluminum with powdercoat tealight holder, $9.95 at CB2 http://www.cb2.com/dino-candleholder/s618659

This Mid Century Signed Raymor Square Vase is Calling My Name

I've been on a fresh flowers / plant kick lately 






And this signed Raymor square and square print vase would look great with those wacky cottony spider looking flowers I have currently



Ooh or some light branches... 

Raymor hand signed Mid-Century ceramic vase, $230 at Fab.com, http://fab.com/sale/19708/product/367787/

Anybody Know the Name of These Flowers?

They're cool, cottony numbers and I added that large ass leaf thingy. But what are they called? 

Pantone Delivers Colorful Dreams

Thanks to JC Penney, you can sleep under 200 count 100% cotton bedding in Pantone approved colors like Purple Magic, Tangerine Tango and, of course, 2013's color of the year Emerald 

But for all our OCD friends, JC Penney offers a full range color coordinated of linens and home goods

All on sale just in time for Spring at www.jcpenney.com

Anatomy of a Home: Someone Got a New Sofa Over the Weekend

A Pox IN All Your Houses

Who knew smallpox could be so beautiful? Sculptor Luke Jerram did. His series of diseases rendered in blown glass are marvelous little reinterpretations of what plagues us

(Smallpox, untitled mutation, HIV)

Created after lengthy consultation with virologists, disease models, and text book images, these clear wonders allow you to put your decorative money where your foot and mouth disease is

 (Foot and Mouth Disease)

But is this art once again forcing us to examine what makes us squeamish or is this flagrant? After all we've always used art as a way to process and express what's scary and foreign to us. In this case it's foreign bacteria and viruses.

My only quip is the E.coli look like something Delia Deetz would have sculpted

(E.coli happens)

Jerram’s sculptures go on display February 1st 

at the National Centre for Craft and Design in the U.K.

Fashion Inspiration Strikes Anywhere

Today's Look:  Keeping Warm in my Shell

Inspiration: My turtle 

Proof that fashion inspiration can strike anytime, any place! 

Xmas 2012

                                       

'Twas all I ever wanted! 

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

In our Park Slope home 

Anatomy of a Home: Vintage Towel Hook

Us ladies in Park Slope like a good bath, come Hell or High Summer. 

Our towel hook of choice does too

Hair up in a pony bun and legs freshly pumiced. 

Anatomy of a Home: Independence from a Stuffy Guest Room

Yeah, this is how gay couples in Park Slope spend they mid-week holidays 

The guest room now has a secret garden theme