Archive for May, 2010

inspire me

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

as everyone in the office, friends and especially my husband can attest to ~ i am sick about tear sheets. i subscribe to at least thirty publications, keep in mind that does not even include the many, many print magazines i purchase at newsstands and add in the daily blog and website perusing, and my life is overcome with advertisements, skinny girls in pretty clothes, mouth watering food, and give or a take, a few how to articles.

is this a method of procrastination? or is it my way to be inspired?

as i believe everything happens for a reason and at the right time, wouldn’t you know it, but this morning i received an email from an editor at traditional home with an attached pdf, titled ‘inspire me’

inspire me!

these two words give me my answer. yes, tear sheets, print magazines, photos, food, travel and even how to articles inspire me!

at all times i carry my ‘tear sheets‘ folder with me.

lots and lots of inspiration in this one little yellow folder

i pamper myself and get a mani/pedi with only my magazines and folder to accompany me. i read, i think, i smile, i tear… over and over again…

crinkled inspiration

the endless ideas of where to go, how to redecorate, what to buy…

more and more inspiration

and sometimes… as i revisit my little yellow folder i think, ‘why on earth did i tear this out?’

unending inspiration

i am making a bet with myself to chronicle how certain tear sheets inspire me. every few weeks you will begin to see little posts about articles, photos, or blogs that have inspired me

~ natalie

the littlest things can change your day

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

something is going on in the universe, the stars, the energy surrounding us, well me. looking back throughout 2010 i have had some seriously high highs and some very low lows. so what to do when you hit those lows? today being one of those days, i have decided to take the bull by the horns and climb back up the happy mountain.
how do i plan to do this?
simple.

1. miss emma ~ how can that face not erase all your stress?

am i not the absolute cutest!

2. thoughts of childhood ~ i am loving my new tretorns. they make me happy and put a little pop in my step

3. traditional oaxacan food ~ nothing compares to a meal made with love by a friend’s mother. my food of choice is cafe el portal

cucumber margaritas here i come

and off i go to pick myself up

~ natalie

vintage inspired

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

What is it about vintage knick-knacks and photographs that are so charming?  I find myself drawn to images just because they have that bleached, scratchy, frazzled around the edges look. Something seems so perfect in an old image – maybe because it’s tried, and true, and maybe because an image is one of the few bridges we have between past and present.

I can hold something vintage, whatever is it, and know that it existed decades before I did.  That people who have come and gone before me have seen that very same thing, held in their own hands, and took enough gentle care of it that it made it, in tact, all the way up to the present.

I love the rising trend in vintage-chic design, or perhaps it’s not a new trend at all, but rather one that ebbs and flows, and is enjoying a moment in the spotlight. One of my favorite vintage items: the record player. It’s beautiful, it’s analog, it plays music, it’s enormous. And, most of them still work, even half a century or more after they were made.  Imagine my iPod working in 2 years, let alone 50!  The mechanics are so simple, the function so basic, and when in operation, the record spinning round and round is nothing short of mesmerizing.

our new neighborhood

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

One of our favorite things about our new office {aside from the bevy of new and phenomenally talented new office friends} is the abundance of food in the neighborhood!  We are at the intersection of Chinatown & Soho, and can actually see a dozen restaurants & cafes from our perch on the 6th floor.

Until a few days ago, I was a regular at the La Esquina upstairs taqueria; to my great displeasure, it’s recently been shuttered, so I’m on the hunt for a new taco hut.  In the meantime, I’m scavenging a vast landscape of coffee shops – every corner has an option! From the bodega’s giant $2 iced coffee to the twice-the-price supremely delicious version at Saturdays Surf Shop to the abundantly available Starbucks menu, this neighborhood will keep me caffeinated.

But one of my simplest and greatest pleasures is exploring the myriad delis and their expansive selection of imported items, stacked precariously on ceiling-high shelves. Every time I visit, my current craving leads me to discover a new item. Like this beverage box, for example; the cutest, happiest little iced tea that I ever did see:

And despite my efforts to eliminate it, I still maintain a hearty sweet tooth, which is always satiated by either Girl Scout cookies Do-Si-Dos, or one of my all time favorite consumable items from abroad, Pocky & its hilariously named sibling, Mens’ Pocky *for the record, I prefer Men’s Pocky.

A little taste of the new neighborhood for now.  Stay tuned for many more delicious food findings from the old & cobbled streets of southeastern Soho – or from my desk drawer, where I keep an eternal stash of Vosges Organic Enchanted Mushroom Candy Bars.  Yum.

~ lauren