Decorating Domino Style

I have been eyeing this book for over a year and finally purchased it shortly after moving into this tiny apartment. The place needs a bit of updating. The walls and ceiling need painting and a complete deep clean has taken me three and a half weeks. So, I find myself ready to stretch my creative wings. Beautiful paint colors have been chosen and work has begun. I've rolled up the carpets and put them in the closet. Turns out the parquet floor is in good condition and the place looks so much bigger already. Sofa slipcover ordered and it's the most gorgeous India ink color of blue. Shelves have been added in the kitchen and bath. It was eclectic before but now, I think, it'll be really quite chic.

I was talking to R about it last week and he inspired me by saying that I should make it mine while I'm here. I haven't really been able to do that for such a long time it was a shock to be reminded that it's possible. So,  I'll change the things I can and keep the general European vibe of the place. Instead of England, though...we're going Parisian. Muddy mustard yellow walls with mocha and white striped entryway. Accents of cocoa brown and perhaps a new cork floor in the kitchen. Warm, inviting, comfortable, and definitely including a bottom drawer of the dresser for toys and books that L can get into when he visits on weekends.

You can find a few of the before photos here: Gramercy Park Apartment.

And inspiration for yourselves here: Apartment Therapy.

xox...

Indian Summer

Wollman Rink opened in Central Park today and I ended up walking around the Flatiron district in a t-shirt. It was nearly 70 degrees today and BEA-U-TI-FUL. What an awesome day. Great lunch at 'Wichcraft with B & J. Finally could put a face to a new Facebook friend, which is always awesome. Popped into a couple of shops and picked up R's birthday present. Something I really really wanted to keep for myself but know that what comes around goes around....so I'm giving it to him. Which got me thinking about my very own birthday just around the corner. November 9th to be exact. Yes, that's right the 9th. Mark it on your calendars folks.
As many of you know I'm not big into celebrating my birthday...doing anything special or different or out of the ordinary. However, I consider my birthday to be my very own personal international holiday. I have never worked on my birthday and have always expected the day to be great and I've never been disappointed. Well, except for that time the police showed up....and DeLaSoul cancelled their concert that night....but that's another story.
So, really, I've already bought myself a fantastic present for my birthday...on SALE of course and at Kate Spade. The happiest haven of girlie goodness. Just walking in the doors puts a smile on my face. But really what I want is for my friends to help me paint the apartment. And I really need a great coffee cup. All my own. I keep searching. Found some pretty ones in Anthropologie but couldn't decide between olive green (my favorite color) and sunny yellow (always a good color for a coffee mug). So, I walked out empty-handed. No, really, I did. This time. Although that, too, is another shop that I could just hang out in for-EVER. So comfy. Especially grabbing a couple cookbooks and hanging out in the kitchen section on the yellow leather sofa that is so buttery it seems meant only for me. Yeah, folks, I'm talking about shops. I'm a total sucker for the marketing approaches of these places. The girls that quite possibly are the prettiest I've ever seen in real life...cheerily buzzing around and not in a fake way but in a sincere, want you to be a comfortable shopper kind of way. As always, I digress...
So, this year maybe something different? C is coming up for that weekend to visit and maybe I'll do something different. Coney Island. I'd love to see the water. I do miss the beach...and the sand.
Maybe have dinner w/ friends that Friday night...maybe just go see a movie and eat buttery popcorn and sno-caps for dinner. And laugh. A lot.

I'll keep you posted.
xox

Branding Education

If a revolution is to happen we need to start thinking of education as if we were in the business.
Why aren't educators featured in Gap ads? American Apparel ads? Coca-Cola ads? We need to start working within this modern age instead of fighting against it.

Gramercy Park Afternoon

So, the afternoon was spent with friends wandering my new neighborhood and stepping into the quiet, private, and oh-so-exclusive Gramercy Park. Full of squirrels, birds, little stone paths and benches. One couple conversing under still-green trees. The sounds of the city seemed so far away. As if suddenly I could take a deep breath again...what is it about this place? Being locked in was way better than being locked out. And I'm glad I could share the privilege.

Waking Up

So, I've arrived NYC after four days of packing, two days of saying good-bye, and three hours of crying. It was tough to leave the little comfortable home I'd made with P and the cat. My cozy, lazy routine has been thrown out the window and now on day three I've already cleaned out a closet, excommunicated all the dust and grime from the bathroom, and did more laundry than I thought humanly possible. I wonder if there's a way to wash these curtain shades?

For those of you that don't know, I've moved into a studio apartment in Gramercy Park. It's about 400sqft of dust bunnies. My aunt Mimi lived here for years and since she passed away two years ago no one's really come in to clean out the place or update it at all. Until now. So, in helping out my cousins for a month or two of free rent, that's what I'm doing. I'm thinking of tackling two big projects first. (Packing up all the things my cousin wants me to send to her from the place, and painting.) Or...now that it's light I'm looking at the floor...the parquet could use a deep cleaning.

So, that's the home stuff. What else have I been doing you ask? Well, reading two books for school: Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, and The Presenter's Fieldbook by Robert Garmston. Both having to do with this month's class which is Training and Motivational Development. Lots of videoing myself doing interviews and presenting things.

So, today is Thursday, blogging day, Action Research Project organization day. Parquet floor cleaning day and a bit of grocery shopping later. So much for my glamorous life in New York City.