i heart linen

I Heart.....

Mother Nature......*sigh* the Earth is just beautiful isn't it?  The kids and I took a little day trip away from the city.  We had such a good time!  I rented a good ol' Zipcar and packed up the kids and off we went.  I didn't have a plan, I just wanted to get out of Manhattan and drive. I started driving and ended up on the West side highway, which lead me to the George Washington Bridge and over to New Jersey we go!

We ended up in Palisades Interstate Park which is right at the base of the George Washington Bridge.
Once you're inside the park, you follow this quiet, lonely road all the way down to the bottom of the cliffs. 

It's so surreal, I felt like we were in the middle of an enchanted forest or something.

Such a beautiful drive into the park.

The main roads are somewhere up there.

George Washington Bridge and teeny tiny Manhattan before us.

There's a nice playground there.  This was Elijah's first time in a swing.  He looks thrilled doesn't he?

Our next stop was one of the many scenic stops along Palisades Parkway.  You can get some beautiful views of the Henry Hudson River and Westchester County.

Bella loves sticks.

Next we drove up the Palisades Parkway back into New York (it's so funny to me that you have to leave New York and drive through New Jersey to get back to New York!) and drove about 40 minutes up to Bear Mountain State Park and drove up to the top of Bear Mountain.  I've been told that part of the Appalachian Trail is on this mountain.

*sigh* The views there were just breathtaking.  I'm thinking I'd like to make another trip up there during the fall when the leaves are at their peak color.  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be that time of year.

It's funny, when you live in a big city like NYC you sometimes tend to forget that there are all of these beautiful sites to be seen.  Everything in Manhattan is so in your face and I love taking the time to get away and see some earthy eye candy.  And it's so nearby.

The kids really loved it too.  I think they're country folk like their Mommy.

The hills look like you could just lie down and roll over the top of the trees.  Too bad you can't!

Yeah, this trip reconfirmed that I'm ready for us to leave the city.  I want some greeeeeeeeeeen!!!

Try to take some time to enjoy the outdoors this weekend!  Enjoy it!

Mommy's day out

Happy Monday to ya! ^_^  How was your weekend?  Mine was just grand!  Saturday was one of those rare days that I got to go out and ramble around the city on my own without a giant double stroller and my two sidekicks.  It was my big day out and boy did I make the most of it! 

My first stop was to the new Books Kinokuniya at Bryant Park for my Japanese literature fix. The crafting section is so much larger than in the old store and I was just stunned when I came upon it.  I met a really cool woman by the name of Amy Lou there too....What up Amy Lou!!

We talked for what seems like forever as we browsed through all the yummy selections before us.  It was so hard to choose just a few, you want to take the entire stock home!  I ended up leaving with two books, a new sketch pad, and some recycled colored pencils.

My next stop was to the City Quilter in Chelsea, my favorite place to shop for fabric.  Huge selection as you can see and the people there are super nice.  Spent quite a bit of time there and left with several happy prints to add to my stash.

Next stop.....downtown to Purl Patchwork in Soho!  My other favorite place to shop for fabric.  What else do I need to say about it.  Everyone loves Purl.

I left with lots of yummy yardage from there as well. 

Next I was back uptown to meet a friend for some lunch in the Gramercy Park part of town.  I decided to take a little stroll around the park to kill some time before we met.

Does anyone one know what type of tree this is?  I was so amazed by the beautiful purple flowers blooming all over the branch.  How cool is that?

Only residents around the park have access to it with a special key, so it's a private park. 

So not fair!

Some of the buildings that are around the park.....

How grand it the entrance to this apartment building?

Hard to believe there are homes like this in Manhattan.

I need yellow windows like this! So lovely.

Next stop...L'Express for lunch.....nice little French Restaurant....

Okay I'm stuffed now.....off we go to the Farmer's Market in Union Square...

This dog was such a sweet girl.....she was at the market for adoption.  I hope she found a good home.

Oh look!  A street fair! Let's go!!

Let's see....where did I go next? Oh yes! The Apple Store in the super dee duper trendy Meatpacking District......and then up the street for some dinner.....5 Ninth sounded good...

but then we settled on  Pastis.....feeling kinda French on Saturday.

So that was my day....I ate, drank, shopped, and was merry and ended up throwing myself into a cab at then end of the day, exhausted.  I felt like I had walked all over the city.  It was sooooo nice to be out on my own for the day, but I missed my little ones and my hubby so much the entire day!  And almost felt guilty for not being with them.  But not that guilty though, I'll probably run away next Saturday too! ^_^

Fall-ing

Couldn't resist posting some pics of the magnificent colors I've been seeing from my window lately.  Fall is my favorite time of year.  How could you not love all of these delicious colors that mother nature made for us? 

Love it.

Speaking of Fall, here's what I've put together for my Fall Swap.  I know it's late, but at least it's still Fall! Luckily I have a very sweet and understanding partner.  Thanks Larah, I hope you like what I've sent! 

• Some yummy Spiced Hot Chocolate for "a cold blustery night". (That's what it says on the canister lid. ^_^)
• A nifty notebook (For some cabin fever writing.)
• Some Ferreo Rocher (Perfect for nibbling with a good book.) 
• A few wooden buttons and funny little woodgrain binder clips.  (I found the clips in Staples, looks like they only sell them in the store.) 
• One of Melissa D's lovely cards. (It matched so well with my yellow/brown theme.)
• And finally a special little zipper pouch made by me!  (What makes it so special?  Scroll on down and see!)

Tada!

It's flu season!  A girl's gotta have tissues handy!

Here's what Larah sent me!

I love this bag.  She made it from a 1974 Butterick pattern and "some old mod fabric my grandma has had in her stash since about then." Thanks Larah's grandma! So cool. It looks really good with my  trenchcoat.(Mel always teases me when I wear that coat and says I look like Inspector Gadget. haha)   

She also sent me some fun buttons and trim. Vintage I think.  Oh! Some really funny cards too.  This one is my favorite.  Cracks me up!  I put it on my refrigerator.

Thanks Larah! Really fun swap!  And thanks to Chara Michele for organizing it!  You ladies rock!

And one more lady who rocks....Linda of dalinda-Plonka.  She passed along a "You Make Me Smile Award" to me and it made me smile.   So sweet of you Linda, thank you! You make me smile too.

Be sure to check out her site.  She make the cutest things! See.......

So before I go I'm going to pass on the "You make me smile" love:

Kayla @ just like sew - Craft lady here....definitely one to watch. And I'm so jealous of her crafting table! haha

Candace @ Sparkle Power - Cool vintage finds in her Etsy shop.

Laure @ At Home At Home - Really nice blog about things for the home. 

That's all folks! Ciao!

"....Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside."

*hums theme song to Green Acres*

I'm longing for some green!  No, not money green,(Although I wouldn't mind some of that ^_^) nature green.  The concrete jungle is finally taking it's toll and I'm ready to move on.  Yeah, Central Park is great, I love it there.  But it's just not the same.  I'm ready for some peace and quiet and some nature.  I want my children to have a back yard to play in, not a playground in the middle of some city block.  I'd like to be able to see stars at night.  It would be nice to look out my window in the morning and see nothing but sky and clouds instead of a sea of apartment buildings.

I was brought up in a small town in Florida where everyone in our neighborhood knew each other.  As a child I got to climb trees, roll around in the grass, play with the garden hose, help my grandfather in his garden, ride my bike around the neighborhood, fish at the local lake.  I could list things for ever.  These are things that I want my children to experience, things that I know they won't be able to do in the city. 

The city life just isn't for me anymore.  I'm tired of the noise and the congestion and the dirt.  And it's just too darn expensive!  Hubby's feeling the same way.  So we've decided to leave Manhattan and head to the South.  We're not sure when or where just yet, we're still discussing it, planning. researching, etc.  (We're thinking North Carolina.) 

Is there anyone else getting the itch to leave a big city for the "country"?  Or has anyone already made a move like this?  Please share your story! ^_^

(photos via istockphoto.com)

日本語よく話せません......

......but I LOVE anything and everything Japanese!
I was in need of some inspiration for my doll quilt, so where do I go?

This is one of the main reasons I love living in Manhattan!  The fact that there is a Kinokuniya so near by is the best! 

The craft book shelf....*faints*......

Naturally, I couldn't leave without picking up a few items....

ISBN439162286

ISBN4391623129

ISBN4579110390

ISBN9784529044165

and this t-shirt....kawaiiiiii! ^_^

 

Happy Feet

Had a great time with my two loves this weekend.  We checked out the Renegade Craft Fair on Saturday and on Sunday drove around exploring the different parts of Brooklyn, ending our day with a little visit to the ocean before heading back to the city.  The water was like ice! *shivers*  It reminded me of why I dislike going to the beach on the east coast.  I'm originally from Florida and I always go to the beach in the Gulf side of the state.  The water is so much warmer, it's calm, and you can see the bottom.  Of course you can't beat the water in the Caribbean!

The fair was awesome!  It was held at the McCarren Pool in Brooklyn.  The tents were actually in what used to be the pool.  Apparently, it was opened in 1936 and the six-acre pool could accommodate 6,800 swimmers and was said to have been among the largest public pools built at that time.  It closed in 1984.

So much inspiration, and wonderful and creative work to be seen.  It was definitely motivational for both my husband and me. Everyone was very friendly. Didn't take many pictures out of respect for the vendors and their work.  Didn't get to buy anything either. =(  Unfortunately, our visit was cut short by a storm heading in that direction.  But there's always next year!

Renegade Craft Fair

Yup!  The Renegade Craft Fair, taking place June 16th and 17th here in the Big Apple. Brooklyn in fact.  How excited am I?  My wallet is trembling with fear at this very moment. 

A list of just a few of the vendors who will be in attendance:

• Adorn Magazine
• Aranzi Aronzo
• Crafster
• Curious Bird
• eli & ra
• fred flare
• Lotta Jansdotter
• Make Workshop
• Pinecone and Chickadee
• Reprodepot
• Sesame Letterpress
• The Small Object
• Smitten Kitten
• So Softies
• WREN handmade

And many, many, more!  This will be my first time going.  Hopefully I won't have something crazy happen  that will hinder my attendance.  Oh you know....like going into labor or something nutty like that.  I mean, who wants to give birth anyway?  ^_^ Just kidding! 

Back to Reality

Yep.  I'm back. (Long post btw ^_^)

Can you believe I left this.........

to come back to this....

Well, New York isn't that bad now.  The snow has finally melted and
it looks like Spring is finally trying to bloom.  Well, sort of.  I had a great
time down in Florida though.  The weather was beautiful everyday!
So beautiful that I decided to stay for an additional week.  So I had a full
three weeks away from the cold and snow. I also gave me more
time to visit with a lot of old friends and some family. 

Isabella was great on the plane both ways! 

She cried for maybe 5 mins when we were landing on the
way there.  Other than that she was the perfect traveling angel. 
If you ever decide to travel with your little one I totally suggest
scheduling your flight during a nap time.  We traveled the
very first flights out @ 7 am and our seats were in the very
rear of the plane.  Perfect because no one likes to sit back
there and if she did decide to have a little crying fit no one was
back there to be annoyed. We also had an entire row to
ourselves both ways.  I don't particularly like to ride in the rear
of the plane myself but for traveling with my wee one it was perfect. 
I just don't suggest flying alone with a 10 month old when
the flight is more than 3 hours.  More than that and it could have easily turned ugly.
I was pleasantly surprised when we returned to our little apartment. 
My husband was steady trying to convince me that the place
was an absolute disaster and that he was in total bachelor mode the
entire three weeks I was away.  And I believed him of course.  When we finally
arrived home I was greeted by the most immaculately spotless apartment
I have ever seen!  And as an added bonus, I guess he
does listen to me every now and then.  I've been complaining about our bedroom
and how drab it looked.  I wanted more color and for it to actually
look like a female lived in it as well.  So he took himself to West Elm and
basically had the entire store helping him choose the right items and colors
to redecorate our bedroom!!  He chose my most favorite color,
Aquamarine!  And here is the before and after!!!

The photo doesn't do it justice, but it is such a huge
improvement from what we had before.  Now I barely want to get out of
bed in the morning because the room is so cozy!  *sigh*  My Mel,
you rock my socks baby!  You're the best, I love you!
Oh!  Also, came home to find these pretty babies
waiting for me in my pile of mail.

A combination of purchases from Kitty Craft and Ebay.  It was the
best feeling to get these because I had forgotten that I ordered them
before I left for Florida.  I had to make a promise to myself and my
husband that I wouldn't buy anymore fabric for a little while.  I'm starting to
build up quite a stash.  I really need to use them. I'm sure I'm not alone
when I say that I just hate the thought of having to cut into them!  Oh well....
you can't take them with you so I might as well get to sewing!

And finally............

I am officially 21 weeks today!  Yahooooooooooooooooo!!! 
More than half way there!  Mel, Bella, and I went to have my
anatomy scan on Wednesday.  No, we did not find out the sex. 
We've decided to keep it a surprise this time.  So this is our little
Isaiah or Elizabeth....we call him/her Isaiahelizabeth.  ^_^  Everything
checked out normal so far and my doctor said everything looks great! 
Mommy just needs to slow down on her weight gain.....hehe. *blushes* 
Anyhoo, it's great to be home and it was nice to have break from the
cold, from the hubby, from the INTERNET!  I swear the internet
just sucks the life out of you sometimes.......it grabs you by the wrist
and won't let go until your eyes are all red and swirling around.