Saturday, July 31, 2010

Friday, July 30, 2010

Puddle Hopping...


This fall the designers seem to be being inspired by L.L. Bean classic footwear. The Rubber Moccasin, the duck boot to most of us, the suede and rubber rain Wellies and Boaters are showing up as Fall 2010 must haves! So before you go spending $100's of dollars for the designer label click on the title and check out the original versions for a more economical and classic investment.

Old Fashioned Cleaning


Pond's Cold Cream  and Oil of Olay aside one of the staples in many of my family's bathrooms was a jar of Noxzema. The smell alone brings back memories of being 6 years old and sneaking into my Nana's bathroom, opening Uncle Dennis' jar of Noxzema's Deep Cleansing Cream and "washing" my face in gobs of the stuff just to get that tingle. As a teenager I never attempted to use it, my skin was oily enough, adding a cream cleanser to the mixture wasn't going to happen. But recently when my "adult" cleanser failed and I found a few pimples on skin that should have been pimple free more than a decade ago I decided it was time to try something new.

Overwhelmed by choice and price for things that all contained either Salicylic Acid and/or Benzoyl Peroxide as a preventive for adult acne I was just about to give up when I happened across the newly designed Noxzema line of facial products. Awash in nostalgia I purchased Noxzema's new Clean Blemish Control Daily Scrub especially formulated for adults. Oil and Alcohol free this salicylic acid based scrub gently removes impurities and leaves my skin smooth and moist without feeling greasy and heavy.

Available at your local drugstore - $5-6 per tube

Hop On Over to Wholefoods


This week to catch Wallaby Organic Down Under Yogurt on sale for 4/$3.00.
This is my favorite yogurt and once you try it I suspect it will be yours too!
click on title to go to product site for more information.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Doing Arm Curls As I Type..

So that I can rock this look like Michelle
Vogue ($3.99), McCalls ($2.99) and Butterick ($1.99) Patterns are on sale today
click on title to go to site

SWELL SEASON

Friday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
click on title for more details for this
Prospect Park Celebrate Brooklyn Event
(LOOOOOVE THIS DUO!!)

Thank You Celine

Fall 2010
(words fail me)

Some Where Over the Rainbow...

Picture it..1938..Salvatore Ferragamo designs the above shoe for Judy Garland
Picture it..Fall 2010...
this shoe inspires designers to reach for
BOLD, VIBRANT STATEMENT colors for shoes and accessories,
against black clothing of course...

Monday, July 26, 2010

Jazzed Watermelon Slices

Out of all the fruits of summer Watermelon is by far my favorite.
I can eat it everyday until it is no longer in season.
One of my favorite ways to share it with guests is as follows -
Slice Watermelon
Mix 1 TBS Sea or Kosher Salt
with 1/2 TBS of Chili Powder
Sprinkle Evenly Over Watermelon Slices
Finish With Squirts of Lime Juice
ENJOY!

Thick & Beautiful

I once dated a guy that couldn't get over how thick my hair was. He was constantly asking me what I used to make it so full and shiney. Of course at the time he was losing his hair and desparate to retain as much of his lovely locks as possible. Eventually he just shave his head and stopped asking about my shampoo and styling routines. Sadly we parted ways, not because of his lack of hair, but what he never realized was that having thick hair is both a curse and a blessing. Either products weigh it down or do next to nothing to enhance its natural texture so when Pantene recently introduced a line of hair products formulated for the weight of hair I had to try them.

Pantene’s Medium -Thick Hair Formulas features micro-polymers that form a protective film around hair strands. It helps shield against heat damage that can result from styling and minimizes folicle friction, which enhances style-ability and leaves hair with a lustrous shine.

I use the Straighten & Smooth Creme, especially when I air dry my hair, for a natural bouncy wave. And when I want to play with the blow dryer and/or the curling iron I reach for the Heat Protection & Shine Spray.
Available at your local drug stores $5-7.00 per item

Move of the Moment

Friday, July 16, 2010

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Empty Chairs, Empty Tables, Empty Beds

 by ELLEN BARRY

Image by Mari Bastashevski
Batyr Albakov was arrested by police on the night of July 10th, 2009 remained missing for two weeks until his body surfaced in a Nazran morgue. Riddled with multiple bullet wounds the body also displayed signs of severe torture.
Photographer Mari Bastashevski' s site
http://maribastashevski.com/about/

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tuesday's Mental Musings

I own nothing. All that I have is on loan. Because of this I respectfully try to care for all that I am blessed with knowing that it is only mine for this moment. It is not an easy task.

It is a hard to understand and accept that I am only the custodian of my life, this life. In order to do so I must continually remind myself that much of who I am is a gift from my ancestors,a genetic loan so to speak and though much of who I have become and what I own is a trade off of those gifts and my labor I still don't own anything that results from my intent. I am only enjoying the fruits of my labor knowing that all that I have will either disappear with me or live on after I am gone.

Cookie Cutter Round Up...

Last Thursday evening before meeting a friend for a late coffee I made a point of stopping in at the Sur La Tabel store on Spring Street.

For those of you not familiar with Sur La Table, the store first opened in the 1970's at Seattle's Pike Place Market. They sold hard to find kitchenware imported from France and continue to do so via 75 nationwide locations.
I love to browse the aisles and dream of cooking in a large French country kitchen. 
They were having a Huge sale.


I ended up purchasing some of their amazing cookie cutters at full price, just $1 each.
Click on title to go direct to their link to enjoy their culinary accouterments.
(though I encourage you to find the store closet to you)

My Favorite Treat...

When I am feeling a little peckish I make myself some tea and a few of these cracker treats.
Onto a Wheat Saltine
I place a thin slice of Pepper-Jack Cheese
(slice as thin as you can)
then top it with a thin slice of German Ham
(I prefer this style of ham because it tends to be on the firm and dry side)
and finish with a paper thin slice of Quince or Guava Paste
ENJOY!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Too Much of A Good Thing

Hi, my name is Simone and I am a recovering fabric junkie.

There was a time when I purchased whatever fabric caught my fancy. If I walked out of a store without a yard or two of my "dream" cloth I would obsess about it and the things I could make with it until overwhelmed by desire I had to return and buy a "dress length". 

I purchased with intent and expectation. I purchased fabric to make items to sell, to make my own clothing, to make gifts for friends and family and eventually to make art (I make fabric collages). I purchased so much fabric I could never get around to using all that I owned. Organizing became a nightmare and much of it ended up stored and forgotten but that didn't stop my lust or buying because there was always more fabric to be had.

I could blame it on working in the garment district where fabric was cheap and accessible or Wal-Mart's amazing and now defunct (I cried myself to sleep many a night over that one!) fabric department because since leaving my job near Broadway and the demise of Wal-Mart's fabric department my fabric buying has all but stopped and I have forced myself to address my stash.

Despite my hoarding I was never cheap with my stash. I shared but even after sharing I still have way more than I could or can realistically use on my own. It has taken me a long while to let go of my fabric lust. I no longer have the desire to own every piece of fabric that catches my fancy. The new dream is to use all the fabric I own and own all the fabric I can use. Don't get me wrong, my apartment isn't over flowing with fabric. I have culled much of it, assigning specific garment intent to some by placing a sewing pattern with it or passing much of it on to friends and strangers (free cycle, craigslist, Housing Works) but there still more to let go.

This go round I tend to release my stash to as many artists as possible by donating it to Materials for the Arts, an organization that provides thousands of New York City's arts and cultural organizations, public schools and community arts programs with the supplies they need to run and expand their programs.

Click on title to go their website

Too Much???



I think my little purple bass can handle Badtz-Maru.....
click on title for buying details

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

My Favorite...

I have yet to see Toy Story III but I have been introduced to one of the movie's new characters, Chatter Telephone. This toy was one of my childhood favorites. I dragged it around "talking" for hours to various friends and family members who can't seem to remember ever receiving my calls!

The remake of this classic has been reissued(click on title). Unfortunately it's not exactly as I remember it. Regardless, it is still worth the effort of trying to pry that toy cell phone out of my 2 year old nephew's hands and share it with him.....

A Neutral Summer

I had the urge to purchase some summer make up this week so with a $25.00 budget in hand off to Duane Reade I went. There were more than enough options to keep me inside the air conditioned store (it's hot as heck in NY this week!).
After an hour of play this is what I purchased.
Wet & Wild Lipstick, 902c Neutral Color, $1.99
Solid coverage that creates a nude lip that tends to be on the matte side.

Wet & Wild Coloricon, 383B Knock-on-Wood, $3.99
A great pallet for a brown eye.
By mixing it up with a cream yellow highlight I already own I can get a number of day and night looks from this set.
Palladio Lip Liner, Natural, $2.50
Creates a strong neutral line that defines without being overly obvious.

Palladio Herbal Tinted Lip Balm, Naturally Bronze, $4.00
Goes on smooth, moist and give a neutral glaze to your lips
Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow, Not Just Nudes, $5.99
A pallet for a naturally enhanced eye, mixes perfectly with other colors.

And I still had enough left over to buy coconut ice from the neighborhood ice man.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Bronx Born Bowls

Ivan Braun, a Bronx-based craftsman, uses the wood from fallen Bronx Botanical Garden trees to create unique and one of a kind bowls and vases. The are sold exclusively at the Garden and prices range from $45-$145. Click on title to read a NY Times piece on this artist and his work.

Movie of the Moment

Come Dancing...


Starting Tuesday, July 6, at 6 PM join other Brooklynites and
Dance Under the Stars 
at
Brooklyn's Washington Park
(5th Avenue and 3rd Street)
click on title for more info

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Sweet Memories

My cousins and I were strolling down memory lane recalling our favorite childhood candies.
There were the sweet Now & Laters.
Green Apple was always the pick.
Unfortunately a green tongue always let our moms know we had a candy without their permission.
My favorite were the Cinnamon Bears.
They always seemed enormous in my tiny hand.
Can't forget the Blow Pop.
Watermelon seemed to be the winner here.
And the key to enjoying Red Licorice was to be able to unravel it.
We all enjoyed the comics and tattoos more than the actual Bazooka Bubble Gum.
My Aunt Karen's pockets were always filled with Mary Janes.
If we were lucky she would share.
We joked about that summer cousin Yvette turned blue from all theViolet candies she ate.
It was the summer she had her 1st boyfriend.
It was the texture of the peanut butter center that made the Chick-O-Stick
And a box of Lemonheads let us share with everyone.
Now with all of us trying to be more healthy our favorite candy seems to be frozen fruit.
Grapes are my favorite though I will sneak a Now & Later from the niece every Now & Then ..lol..

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Crafty Jeweler..

Imagine a time when jewelry was truly precious and adornment was self made and if you were lucky enough to be in a position that afforded you the means to purchase or barter for it you still only owned few pieces because their individuality was their true value. Imagine owning only a few pieces that became part of your identity. People could tell strangers how to find you based on a necklace or pin. Your ring told your family story. You broach connected you to the group of people your family belonged to. Now come back to reality and check out McCall's Pattern MG048.
On sale for $3.99 from July 2 -5
click on title to go to site

Fruity Watches...

Aren't these delicious?
They are available at Bloomingdales
Click on title to go to Fruitz site

Friday, July 2, 2010

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Celebrate the 4th at the Kensic Dam Music Festival

Join in the Annual Kensico Dam (Valhalla, NY) Independence Day 
Music Festival & Fireworks Celebration 
Saturday, July 3
Plaza opens at 5 p.m. for picnicking
6 p.m. The Wanderers
8 p.m. Gerard Carelli Orchestra
Fireworks display following concert

Free admission; carpooling suggested.
Bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.
For more information click on title

Cake Walking..


100 Years ago I played bass. I owned a Rickenbacker and played in a short lived all girl band. Then life interupted and I realized that making visual art was what I wanted to concentrate on. So I sold the Rickenbacker for much less than it was worth, passed on the amps and packed away the custom made strap a friend gave me for my 21st birthday.

Recently I found myself plucking and slapping and thinking of chords. After walking around playing air guitar for a few weeks I decided it was time to pick up an instrument again. I researched purchasing my original guitar and found that my little red Rickenbacker now sells for way more than I am willing to spend and a Washburn, which is comparable, is still too much of a financial investment for me at this point in time so onto EBAY I went. Despite trolling the listings and half heartedly bidding on a few guitars I still couldn't zone in on a bass worthy of toying with. After much research and the realization I really didn't want to spend 100s$$$ on a toy that might end up hanging on the wall as art (WHY didn't I think of that when I had my Rickenbacker?!!) I finally purchased the SX GRB1K CPP Purple Left Handed Bass Guitar from Rondo via amazon.com.

The Pink or Purple bass comes with a gig bag, strap and dvd and there is even a package option that includes an amp! The guitar weighs only 8lbs and is slightly reduced in scale and size so that I can play comfortably. The Alder wood body gives my plucking and slapping a "vintage" sound and for just under $60 it's worth the risk, though a real musician will be embarrassed by its badly designed box, the juvenile decorating stickers, strap and the cheap purple gig bag it comes with.

click on title to go to site

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