what measures success?
kate spade boxes via agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com
hi guys, i hope your weekend has kicked off right and you’re enjoying some down time. i’ve had a pretty rough few days truth be known, and ny’s dramas are still on my heels. i tried a walk on the beach to clear my head, a nap, meditation! nothing worked but blogging. why is that?
i think it’s cause this is a place we can get away and feel supported no matter what. haven’t you read a comment left where someone felt better after reading a post or even a comment? i just can’t overstate the force blogging has become in my life.
anyway by now you may be wondering what these delicious packages are. they’re masterpieces created by sande of a gift wrapped life. it’s actually a bit of a story and i guess i should start at the beginning since have no tv or dvd, no one’s home and my phone just died.
it started with janet, one of my fairy godmothers. (the other is lynn). they’re the ones who convinced me to take sponsors and ads on my blog which i debated. i finally set it up with their guidance and their ads were the first.
on friday sande wrote to let me know janet written a ridiculously adorable post all about it. to say it was humbling was an understatement. the comments were so supportive that i offered a free quarter of ad space to one of her blog friends who left a comment. word spread via sande’s post,
and another by a-la-parisienne.
and newromantic-1000markets.blogspot.com
and now i want to take it further. we all have platforms where we’re able to promote each other. if adding a link to a boutique can help grow a business it’s the perfect way to work together in a bad economy. for the first 4 commenters who have a blog and web business, i’m offering a free month of ad space. (just have to pay my web-gal her $60 fee). i’ll also offer space in my web boutique to carry your gorgeous items, you brilliant artists!
having you in my life is what i call success, you so have my back and i have yours.
janet’s drawing is on monday. if you have a blog and a boutique go to her site for the 3 month drawing. if you have something you think would sell in the boutique please let me know. i have stationery and textile sections just waiting to be macked!
speaking of advertising, i was fortunate to be included in this month’s house beautiful magazine and wanted to make a couple points. first, i’m honored cause it’s house beautiful and my mom gets it :)
but also, it was just a simple handle that was featured, nothing major. but this is what i mean about measuring success. it’s only a handle. but in this economy my handles have been good to me.
i guess i’m saying success is how you look at things. if i looked at my biz the way i did last year i’d be out. but having a little something like this can be an entire business. what’s your ‘widget’ and how are you promoting it? send it to editors and bloggers to review by email or with an actual sample.
by the by, the hb page was written by samantha emmerling if you’d like to send her something, and why not? magazines and blogs need content and you’ve got the goods! her email is: semmerling@hearst.com
so that’s it for tonight. i did get to see my lil muffy man for a minute yesterday when i picked up my car at liz’s. she and i both have to move yet again. it’s always like this with us. weird. i’m going to start looking tomorrow for that place i crave!
these were the only shots i got of the not so little guy. the good news is now he can hang in or out. what a man. well, c’est tout pour moi, bon nuit and bon weekend!
back in the high life
hey guys! thanks for your well wishes home, i made it safe and sound without a hitch. i’m kicking back all alone with a bottle of coconut juice. the cable’s shut off (til sunday)! and the window’s wide open with a warm breeze. it’s kind of cool to be without the tv in a way. it’s going to force me to play with itunes radio, check out new things, maybe even read?!
anyway i got an email from robyn who introduced me to a great site, houzz.com, and invited me to come by and look it over.
on one hand it’s a lot of information. it’s a great tool and a resource for both sides, the designers and the clients or any one who wants to upload pictures and be seen in a great venue.
anyway i’m enjoying the sound of silence and there’s no place else i’d rather be right now than right here. see you chez vous over the weekend and happy friday!
i’ve looked at life from both sides now
why is it that with all new york’s history, one single image captures it best?
bon soir mes amis, comment allez vous? i’m doing as well as can be expected, what with packing up my physical and emotional baggage and about to leave nyc. it’s been a long, strange trip full of life lessons, and please god, let them stick this time!
Photo by Charles Cushman via drx.typepad.com/psychotherapyblog/2008/08/vintage-phot-11.html
i went to look for a vintage photo of new york ‘real quick’ over an hour ago. i just wanted to say au revoir to this crazy city of ours. it truly has a life of its own and no one gets out easy.
funny how the streets still look the same everywhere you go.
when do things change?
at least some things never do
i came across this pretty vintage shop in my search and couldn’t help but post it.
and i’m dying to get this book
so that’s it tonight. so long new york, it’s good to know you’ll always be there, quiet and unchanging through all the noise and change.
strangers are friends waiting to happen
hello everybody! hope all is well in your world. i’m getting ready to wrap up my time in nj with my family. it was great to be with them, sleep in my childhood room and hug and kiss my parents, nieces and nephs whenever i wanted! i’ll be back in the city for a few days and between now and then i should be working but i wanted to take some time to really acknowledge an honor i received and pass it on.
paul from hemingwaysparis.blogspot.com sent me an award i mentioned briefly but never got the chance to celebrate. i can’t remember if i mentioned the rules but here they are:
The Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you must:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.
i decided to nominate blogs who were on my stats page over the past months, most bloggers that i haven’t had the chance to explore or who had sent new friends over from their pretty sites. i hope you enjoy them as much as i did and get a chance to visit. i’m about to get on a bus back to nyc so have to jet but wanted to send a hello and will report back from the other side!
littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com
![Mesa_thumb[2]](http://parisapartment.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/mesa_thumb2.jpg "Mesa_thumb[2]")
charmhillinteriors.blogspot.com
goodbye to two of my six little chicklets, i’m sure gonna miss all of your beautiful faces, hugs, kisses and love!
welcome summer!
happy memorial day weekend everyone! i hope this is another summer of love! i know times are tough but we have each other, what else do we need?
take pics!
any day now
this is al roker’s flower box.
hi everyone, i’m in and out tonight since it’s friday and almost 9. if i don’t get out in the city on this gorgeous night for something other than fixing, painting, moving, organizing or overseeing it’s my own dang fault. before i head out i just wanted to wish you a fantastic memorial day. i probably won’t be around for a couple days cause i’ll be with 3 of my favorite little lambs who i hope won’t let me have a moment’s peace!
every day i seem to say life’s getting wrapped up life here in ny. i didn’t realize how much stuff was stashed around! and how much this city really means to me. these old mirrored valances were in my friend lorraine’s basement. claudia t. and i got them years ago in brimfield. they’re from the 40′s and in great condition and there are six of them. if you’re nterested, let me know, i just don’t want to put them on ebay or leave them there for another decade when they should be up and sparkling and loved!
in the book i wrote book oh so long ago we used mirrored valances and i wanted to show them in action so busted it out tonite. it’s funny cause i rarely look through it and got nostalgic cause it was all shot in ny.
this was the chapter for james coviello‘s hat salon. this was the loot we got all in one day at the ny fleamarket. the mirrored valances were our big coup. we had a lot of fun that day and it was a candy store! the flea is one of ny’s great treasures i hope it keeps going for years to come. there was talk of closing it but for now it’s still alive and kicking. there’s a good market in brooklyn too:
actually you can’t really see the valance unless you look hard. but since i’m re-living my past i thought i’d share these pics.
james was the bulletin board king back in the day!
ok, well that’s enough memory lane for tonite. thanks for indulging me :)
bon nuit everyone and have a roaring weekend!
this charmed life
good evening guys! how are you on this spring night? i’m pretty good cause i am officially out of the store and that’s one less piece of cake on my plate. i’m excited to see what life will look like without all the excess energy vacuums.
anyway it was a long and busy day, already almost midnite and meeting robin and the gang for her garden makeover tomorrow am. for now i’m just posting a little about my day cause if i don’t i won’t!
i”d like to introduce you to gina cartwright of charmed circle. i fell in love with her tiny birdcage charms and story. her grandmother loved jewelry and they’d pour over her collection. ( i loved my gran’s jewelry box too. i bet you did too)!
one of gina’s favorite pieces was her mother’s charm bracelet. the way each charm held a moment in time is what inspired her to create a line of jewelry based on the charms of the charm bracelet.
visit her beautiful boutique at charmed-circle.com and let her know what you think on her blog, cakewalkstyle.com.
in my travels i had the pleasure to meet rebecca spinner today. our rendezvous was at her gorgeous apartment. what a treat! thanks rebecca, the tea and croissants were amazing! we talked about lots of projects including shooting her apartment for the new book.
she’s in the before and after process (aren’t we all)? but this was the one corner she really tackled: her floor to ceiling bookshelves. her book collection is nothing short of incomprehensible! she has so many and such beauties that she was able to color coordinate each shelf.
she’s got lots planned so more on her later!
on my way from there to the store i stopped into the lafayette house on east 4th street. i’ve been meaning to go but finally went in with the thought of books and apartments on my mind. this fabulous townhouse has 15 guest rooms, all decorated in antiques (chandleliers, mantles, chairs and beds).
it’s a great place if you’re coming to the city, you can’t beat the location just off of the bowery.
the rooms are cozy
it’s just fun to be in an entire building like this in ny. every floor is used. there are some with kitchenettes and balconies.
they’ve really stayed in character with the original decor. it’s not stuffy though cause they did it in a playful way with chenille bedspreads, ironic portraits and left much of the orignal kitsch in where they could.
anyway if you’re in the hood, ask to see a room!
finally i thought i ‘d share these sunset boulevard shots with you. i found them in the basement and carol and tony scanned them for me. this is the shoot for elle magaizne. it was so much fun to be a princess for a day!
and now it’s over, the end of an era. onward and upward to the next adventure!
we’re all alone
mmmm i have the apartment to myself after a big day walking the stationery and icff shows but not for long so i’m grabbing this time to post all about it! both are at the javits till tomorrow. i really wasn’t in the mood to go but i found such incredible things and got completely inspired once i stepped inside. if you go this time or next, visit the surtex section to meet manufacturers who will private label for you, design bedding, paper and just about anything you can imagine. these vintage books from europe are sold by potterton books and are sold as royalty free designs. Oh the collections!
i was thrilled to see one of my favorite bloggers there, anahata katkin.
her work is devastatingly beautiful and she gives workshops throughout the year. she was in belize but had a super team at the booth. when i asked to take a pic, of course they they thought i meant of them!
i forgot my memory stick so didn’t get any other shots unfortunately. lots of the illustrators, textile collectors and those with one of a kind pieces don’t have a website. i almost want to go back tomorrow but it’s another full one at the crack so i don’t think it will happen.
the icff was just as amazing as the paper goods and a completely different vibe. it was high energy (the archival textiles and stuff like that is handles really delicately). the pieces were magnificent. there were art installations like this which is a window box concept by micaDesign.org. they were students from mica who had lots of great green ideas.
so that’s it, i have to get back to the second shift but before i go maybe i’ll check out some of the websites from the sea of cards and brochures i picked up. i tried to be sparing but it’s a wonderland of beautiful things! hope you enjoy them too:
(i’m such a sucker for an embosser) have a bon soiree!
i’m under a spell
i forgot how much i love new york. i know i’m really hard on the city. but it was hard on me and still is!
guess it’s a love/hate affair. after a grueling day going up to the top and back down to the bottom (twice)! i asked my buddy tony to head toward the west village cause i needed what i knew was there.
i confess i am starting to have a passion for window boxes. thank god for them, they make the such a difference.
tony was so kind whenever i yelled stop! or back up! and let me get my groove on.
they’re like window candies, and you know this is only skimming the surface.
this obviously wasn’t a window box but it was random beauty
same here. how could i resist this powder puff?
these windows were all in a 5 block radius.
well i’m back on the east side now. it’s been a chilly day and they’re filming a head and shoulders commercial outside my window. so going in and out it looks like the dead of winter. guess i should be relieved i missed the real thing and soak up this spring!
i hear them wrapping it up now
tomorrow’s a busy day, i’m headed to the icff and the stationery show at the javits in the morning. tony wants me to send pics of robin’s backyard so i’ll post them in a hot sec. then it’s off to chow. a girl’s gotta eat after all! bon nuit!
this fine day
(chez prada)
it was not a busy or especially productive day, but it was special. it’s funny how different things look when you try to stand still in a world of chaos. ny has a way of trying to hustle everything. if paris taught me anything it was to slow down and do one thing at a time. and enjoy it! now i’m the one who won’t be rushed!
hi guys, i’m just checking in. it’s sort of a seinfeld day, a post about nothing but a small hello. i’m taking it easy, what with it being sunday afternoon and all. no stress, no troubles. the next few days are pretty packed so today i just cleaned and took the plastic off the chairs after 2 years.
they’re not my chairs so i’ve been reverent about it for a long time, and they’re here in the apartment. i figure if i’m not going to enjoy this gorgeous 50′s chintz, who will?
spending the day here i really saw what disrepair the building across the street has fallen into. usually it’s beaming with pride but it looks like a war zone! it’s probably the perfect place for some flowerbox love.
the flowers are fun but if don’t focus i’ll get totally sidetracked from what i came to ny to do. and i think that’s what makes me so nuts. there’s always something else to get involved with…
on another note, i’d love to get a video camera. on the plane coming home from that trip i read how people are becoming video travel journalists in their own home towns. there’s an academy run by the travel chanel, who may even buy the videos. i’m still trying to master the single shot but want to learn about shooting video. i’m going to explore what’s out there. do you have one? anyway, just sending some love and hope you have a great sunday night and fantastique week mes amis, a demain!
