My Savior

by Emi


There are a couple of things I rely on daily to help me get through the day like coffee, Garance Dore, my ipod, and Labello lip balm. I am a lip balm devotee. I can't live without it, and I am not a makeup person. I buy three things: Fiberwig mascara (the best Japanese mascara!), Chanel nail polish, and Labello lip balm. I used to be a Blistex only user, but my last trip to Italy changed that. I was originally introduced to Labello in college by my roomate Jess. I don't know how she found out about them, but she used to order them online every once in a while for us. That habit got a little expensive and difficult to order online, so I eventually switched back to Blistex. While in Italy I lost my lipbalm so I went to a supermarket and discovered they had Labello for around 3,00 euros. By the end of the trip I had purchased a handful more. This spring with my Labello stash going low, and I had to ask my boss to pick some up for me in Berlin. That's how much I love it. I have people smuggle it in for me.

Labello is actually a German brand even though Labello means the beautiful in Italian. My favorite is the dark blue Classic Care. It's just really velvety smooth, moisturizing, and has a really mild scent. I hate having some stinky purfumey smell sitting under my nose. My boss brought me back the Hydro Care. The sales person told him it was better. I like it just fine, but better it is not. Soon a German colleague is visiting me, and she is going to bring me Soft Rose, which I'm hoping doesn't really smell like roses, but just imparts a nice subtle rose color. Labello comes in a wide variety of purposes and colors. Next trip to Europe I will definitely be bringing back more Labello. Maybe I'll go crazy and collect them all. They just came out with a Lemon and Olive style. Color me intrigued. If your interested you can find out more about Labello here.

Garden In The Sky

by Emily

I'm excited. Things are growing, blooming and ripening right before our eyes...the results are amazing. The little balcony that I lovingly refer to as our "garden in the sky" is looking better day by day! Here are some photos - we felt like proud parents the day we picked our first bright red tomato. The next one is due sometime later this week. I love gardens, and greenery in general.

Drink it up.

by Emily

My latest discovery within the realm of mixology - St. Germain. Elderflower seems to be the new "it" flavor. A shot of this mixed with either riesling or champagne, is definitely the way to go. Top it off with a bit of lemon zest, and some seltzer, and you've got yourself a ridiculously delicious spritzer. Highly recommended for the hot, humid days of summer, this could very well be the best beverage I've come across in a long time, and I'll definitely have some on hand for the 4th!

Check out their website - I especially love this cocktail recipe description.

New Shirt!

by Liz

In my quest to get through my fabric stash I finished this shirt last night:

It is a free pattern I found over on Burdastyle, a really great place for patterns and project inspiration. This one was the Port Elizabeth cap sleeve top. You can download the pattern for yourself here. The shirt was super quick to make, however the fabric I picked was really fussy so the hem and neckline were a bit annoying. I plan on making a bunch of these in varying lengths. For better or worse, crop tops are starting to surface again and somewhat back in style but I've been seeing them worn with long layers underneath (thank god) so this is my attempt at something like that. I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but the shirt ends at my natural waist.

Sarah, who designed the pattern, has a blog and etsy shop with more patterns for sale. So cute! I also emailed her a couple questions about my pattern downloads and she was so friendly and responsive. I highly recommend trying them for yourself. Can't wait to see what else she comes up with. Here are pictures of two more of her patterns.

Betty's Bay Tunic

Camp's Bay Smock Top

(Photos by Goldfinch and Eagle)

Daydreaming...

by Emi

Recently I've been doing a lot of daydreaming about my next vacation. All this talk about Paris and World Cup has got me psyched for my next Euro trip. I requested last week some vacation time for September, and now I can't wait. This time I am tentatively planning for Denmark, Amsterdam, and Berlin with my two buddies Liv and Mary Anne. I haven't done northern Europe before, and I am super excited. My mom lived in Copenhagen for a summer back in the day, so it would be great to see the same places as her pictures. Liv is part Danish, and has family in Denmark, so we'll get to hopefully stay with some of them. I love going to foreign countries where you know some of the locals. You get a really interesting, special experience that you wouldn't be able to get when your just a tourist. Some of the places I want to visit in Denmark is Copenhagen (duh!), Tivoli Gardens, the Carlsberg Brewery, The Hamlet Castle, Hans Christen Andersen's house, and Lego Land to name a few. I hear Copenhagen is a very walkable city, and I think one of best way to get to know a place is to just walk around exploring. Copenhagen is also famous for bicycles as well. I've never ridden a bike in a foreign city, let alone New York City, so I think it would be a lot of fun if the three of us rented some bikes for a tour around the city one afternoon.

Tivoli Gardens


Carlsberg Brewery


Kronenberg "Hamlet" Castle

Amsterdam is going to be our other big stop. Amsterdam is pretty infamous for a couple of things among them "coffee shops," the Red Light District, canals, Van Gogh, Anne Frank, and pancakes! All of which I hope to enjoy. I'll probably just stroll through the Redlight District and just window gaze, but I'll definitely make an appearance there (I kind of can't imagine what that area must be like. I'm definitely intrigued.). I think it might be fun to try and stay in a boat hotel on one of the canals. September is the start of their off peak season there, so I hope we'll get a chance to enjoy the city without tons of tourists. It's a small city, so I think three days would be perfect.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Red Light District

Lastly I'm hoping to get to see Berlin for a day/night. My company's head quarters are in Berlin, so I would love to take the quick hour flight from Copenhagen to Berlin for a day and get to meet everyone. Plus after doing some quick Kayak pricing, it only costs $54 round trip!! How could I not go for that price. I've heard Berlin has a ridiculous night life that rivals NYC (said by some Germans), so I'm going to have to stop by our office, check out some World War II artifacts, and then afterwards test that theory. I'll be sure to report back.

Berlin's Brandenberg Gate

Overall I think this is going to be another amazing trip. Liv, Mary Anne, and I got a taste of what our adventure could be like in February when we went to visit Liv for the weekend of snowboarding in Old Forge. Considering the small scale of Old Forge and the fun we had, I figure if I multiply that by a thousand that should be a good estimation of what's in store for September.

Paris, Day Four

By Natalie

Today we took the RER and Subway to Versailles. What a mind-blowing place. Started with a quick dash through "Dauphin's Chambers" and followed that with with a guided tour of the King's personal chambers and the chapel. We were supposed to see the opera house, but the chapel was a back up when the electricity failed! Ryan says our tour guide reminded him of an older version of Bruce Willis' girlfriend from Pulp Fiction.

After we finished in the Castle, we walked the grounds; I didn't realize how big and grand they are! We had ten-minute rain showers on a roughly forty minute rotation, which actually worked out for the best - there were less crowds, cooler temperatures, and a very romantic atmosphere. We had a great view of boats on the water, illuminated by sun showers and hazy skies. When we were exploring, we stumbled upon a tiny outdoor cafe hidden in the bushes. We stopped for a glass of chilled red wine and a chocolate crepe. There were cute cats roaming the courtyard, but they were pretty much our only company - the threat of rain kept most of the other visitors safely indoors.

We then headed back to the 1st arrondissement and hit the "big three" in the Louvre; Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, and the Mona Lisa. Checked out the Egyptian exhibit too.

We got back to our apartment around 7PM, had amazing falafel for dinner in Le Marais at a place called L'As du Falafel. It was a marathon day!

Look for Less

by Liz

I've been eying these Frye's for a long time and while I know Frye's are high quality there is no way I can justify to myself that spending $318 on red cowboy boots is something my wallet can handle. How amazingly perfect are they?

I have searched high and low for these puppies to be on sale with no such luck. I had tried to find a similar pair that I liked and came up short until this morning. I can't say what made me decide to check out Aldo's website but low and behold...

Pretty darn close, right? And the price is way more my style ringing in at $59.98 on sale. Perhaps red cowboy boots will be in my future after all.

And while I am at it, I've been a major fan of the Elizabeth and James knuckle ring. I know its totally insane and giant, but like I said before, I love the big baubles.

Again, definitely out of the budget at $195. I searched around for some knock offs and heard about some that people found on eBay but they didn't have great reviews. Then on a rainy Sunday afternoon I found this gem on Etsy:

At $75 it is still definitely expensive, but I'd rather spend that and support someone's handmade craft then let shopbop suck all my money away.

**Random side note - Emi and I saw one of the shopbop models at Lollapalooza last year!**

Happy shopping everyone!

(Photos by Frye, Aldo, Shopbop, and Ashaloo)

Ole Ole Ole!

by Emi

KAKÁ, Brazil
AGE: 28. CLUB: Real Madrid. POSITION: Attacking midfielder.

It happens once every four years, like the Olympics, but instead of skiing, swimming, gymnastic, or track, it's just soccer. It's the world's unofficial sport. I played when I was younger like most kids, but I never followed it professionally. US soccer doesn't have the same excitement as foreign football. It's become a bit of a tradition now when I travel to Europe to buy my sister a local football scarf. On recent trips I bought her a Barcelona Football Club and Milan scarf. I love scarfs, so I like the idea that you can support your favorite team with a cute scarf rather than a boring old tee shirt.

This World Cup I've been following rather closely because I'm doing a company pool. My company is European based, so most of the company participants are real football fans. I think I'm the only US based participant, and basically I'm just guessing my way through it, but it's still fun. I'm actually not doing so bad either. I'm in the top half of the the pool. I wish I could watch more of the games, but the first one starts at 7:30am and the last ones for the day all end around 4 because of the time difference. I caught Germany Vs. Australia on Sunday. It was brutal with Germany scoring four goals.

If your a World Cup newbie like myself, but are interested in the game and players you should check out this Vanity Fair article. It's an interesting article, and the photos aren't hard to look at either. Annie Leibovitz photographed them all in their underwear. Enough said.

DEJAN STANKOVIC, Serbia.
AGE: 31. CLUB: Inter Milan. POSITION: Midfielder.
CARLTON COLE, England.
AGE: 26. CLUB: West Ham United. POSITION: Strike
DIDIER DROGBA, Ivory Coast
AGE: 32. CLUB: Chelsea. POSITION: Striker.
MICHAEL BALLACK, Germany.
AGE: 33. CLUB: Chelsea. POSITION: Midfielder.)

Wish me luck. I'm looking to finish first. It would be hilarious if the New York girl won the World Cup pool.

Photographs by Annie Leibovitz

Paris, Day Three

by Natalie

Great day! We got an early start at 9:00 in the morning. Grabbed a baguette for breakfast (still warm from the oven...heaven) and took it on the go, meeting some folks at Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite for a Bike About Paris tour. It was an amazing time, a whopping four hour ride that brought us all over the back streets of Paris with a handful of major monuments thrown in. Pamela, our tour guide, had some great fun facts - cannon balls stuck into old palaces, pieces of the old fortress wall still in existence, bullet holes from the first World War visible in the walls of Hotel de Ville - all delivered from super-fun, light aluminum bikes. It was a blast. We had a fun surprise too; about three of the places she had pointed out we had already discovered, and we even rode by our apartment to boot!

After the tour, we walked a bit, grabbed a beer, and used our museum pass to visit Musee D'Orsay. Very cool building with tons of light - I found myself gazing at the architecture more than the paintings! We then made our way to Musee Rodin, only to find it was closing time. No big thing, we headed back to the apartment, showered and got dressed for dinner, and ate a dinner of steak frites on an outdoor terrace surrounded by a thick plastic ceiling and walls. Good thing too - the sky ripped open almost as soon as we sat down, turning the terrace into a veritable flood.

Thankfully the rain didn't last long. We walked down to Pont Neuf to catch a boat tour of the Seine. Ryan took some amazing photos with his fancy camera. In fact, he pretty much had that thing glued to his face! After the ride, we shared a romantic evening on the Pont des Arts bridge, where couples can "lock their love" by literally locking a padlock with their initials onto the wire structure of the bridge and throwing the key into the river. We plopped down on the side of the bridge, split a bottle of wine, and listened to young french guys playing flute and guitar, all the while flanked by the glowing Eiffel tower on one side, and the glowing pont neuf on the other. Not bad at all.

P.S. Had my first REAL chocolate croissant. All I can say is, WOW. No turning back for me now - chocolate croissants every day, at least once a day.

And a guest entry from Ryan:

Kind of glad we had not stopped by the Eiffel Tower yet because our first encounter was so epic. It was all lit up as we inched up to it on a boat on the Seine. Perfect way to see the tower for the first time. We will check it out later during the day and take the elevator to the top.

The Ace Hotel

by Emi


The Ace Hotel on 29th St. is one of the newer hotel hot spots. It’s a boutique hotel originally from Portland, Oregon. The hotel itself I believe is in a converted public school and the rooms have different themes. One of the room options is a bunk style, ie: twin bunk beds. That kind of sleeping arrangement doesn’t interest me so much, but the dinning options there do. The Ace Hotel is home to The Breslin, No.7 Sub, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.


The Breslin is April Bloomfield’s newest ode to the pig restaurant. April’s first big restaurant was the Spotted Pig, which is still going strong, and still pretty delicious. The Breslin doesn’t take reservations, and has long lines. I doubt I’ll be making it there anytime soon, but I plan on trying No.7 Sub stat. These are not your average sub, and menu changes frequently from what I understand. I recently read about the Eggplant Parm w/Fontina, Yellow Squash, Pickled Jalapenos, and BBQ Potato Chips. Umm…yum. Also currently on the menu is General Tso’s Tofu w/Pickled Rhubarb, Peas, and Roasted Garlic. I’m making myself starving just thinking about these amazing sounding sandwiches. I think I might try one on Friday night and maybe enjoy some Shake Shack ice cream for desert.


I am also a big coffee fan evident from my previous post. Stumptown Coffee Roasters has a lot of buzz about their supposedly delicious coffee. I’ve yet to try it, but am definitely intrigued. I appreciate a place that does one thing, and one thing really well.

Sounds like a good way to spend my Friday dinner.


Photo courtesy of the Ace Hotel

Paris, Day Two

By Natalie

Our second day in Paris began later than we thought, but was full of lots of sight seeing and leisurely stops. Here is the entry from our travel journal:

We intended to get up at 9:30 this morning, but slept until noon by mistake! Set out for St. Martin Canal, and passed it by a good ten blocks. Ended up in the China Town section of the city, and by the time we got there, I was fading fast from having completely forgotten to pick up breakfast and coffee. We stopped on the way for a few snacks, caffeine, and aspirin and had lunch on a bench lining a busy street, too weary to look for the Canal in that moment. After lunch, we finally found it and took a leisurely stroll on the banks of the water and the steps leading up to the canal's many bridges. Stopped for beers, and didn't use a word of English for our order - it was fun! While window shopping, we had a scare when we passed a homeless man face down on the sidewalk. He wasn't moving. A passerby stopped and poked him with his foot, and finally, after much delay, the man moved! Phew!

We made our way back to the apartment along Rue St. Paul, a street full of amazing antique stores. Got all dressed up and went to a fancy dinner at La Petite Cour in the St. Germain district. Ryan treated, which was very sweet. I spoke French to place our order, although it was very broken! Ry had the prix-fix: great veggies with cream sauce for an appetizer, veal with asparagus for the main course, and creme brulee for dessert. I had clams and greens to start, lamb with pureed sweet potatoes and vegetables for the main course, and a flaky pastry to end. Split a delicious bottle of wine.

Afterwards, we took a romantic stroll back and stopped at a bar for beers, which were served with sweet, crunchy peanuts. On our way back we leaned over the pont neuf bridge and snapped photos of the Seine. It was beautiful at night.

Interior Eye Candy

by Emily

When we were moving last spring, I was very much into all things interior design - it's just too bad that my eyes are bigger than my wallet. I fell in love with Emma Gardner Design - a woven/textile/rug company that has really inspired me to start saving my pennies so that I can own one of these gorgeous rugs someday (preferably when I have more space and can properly guard this creation from kitty clawing).

They recently relaunched their website, and I invite you to check it out - I'm particularly fond of their Floral/Asian rug collection.

Here are a few of my favorite designs below:

I made a shirt!

by Liz

Okay, so I still haven't been able to hem the bottom but its so close I just had to share it with you. Its nice and breezy which means it will be perfect for hot summer days.

I also made french seams for the first time ever with this shirt, so no raw edges inside! It feels so much more professional and really was not as difficult as I expected. I plan on doing this from now on. It takes longer because you are technically sewing everything twice but I think its worth it. You can kind of see one of the seams here:

Can't wait for my next project, I think I'll be making a shirt with this fabric by Heather Ross. I just love the little fish!!!

(Fabric photo via Heather Ross)