My week in NYC

I had the balls to ask my friend from college if I could invade her space for a whole week recently. I knew it was a lot to ask but lucky for me she said yes. She handed me the keys to her super beautiful apartment in Queens so I could come and go as I needed while she worked. When she had off we spent time wondering around together and even though she has been living there for 3 years we discovered new places which is always fun. We ate amazing food, drank amazing gimlets, walked amazing distances and then both came down with amazing colds. All in all a great time was had. I had a few surprise visitors while I was there, my sister and her family, and my friends Alan and Fred came from Baltimore for the day.  Then there were not so surprise visits with the hoards of friends I have who have moved to NYC over the years. Here is my incredible week in pictures. As always I wish I took more. I have come back home feeling sick with a cold, fat from all the food I ate, full of inspiration and drive to get to work, but more than anything I feel joy and thanks for a such a great time.

 Thanks again Amanda! You are amazing!

Brooklyn Bridge on a beautiful day.

Some of the best from Brooklyn Flea.

Best Fish and Chips I have had in this country, AND they had Mushy Peas! My Favorite! Chip Shop, Brooklyn NY

My breakfast companions and I eating outside the New York Public Library.

Lillie's, the most beautiful bar ever.

Fun day with Alan and Fred.

Charm City

I saw something beautiful in Baltimore as I was headed out of town. Today I left my house, bags packed, bus ticket in hand, ready for my week long trip to New York City. It was sort of a grey day and it started drizzling a bit just as I was leaving my house. By the time I got to the bus stop it was RAINING, and if you have ever ridden Bolt bus you know it is not so much a bus stop with a shelter as it is just a corner on St. Paul Street. So I stood there, waiting for the bus, watching my bag become more and more saturated thinking to myself "great, I will be damp for the 3 and a half hour ride and then some". Right at that moment a girl came up to me and asked me of I was waiting for the bus to NYC. "Yes" I said, noticing immediately she was DRENCHED! I invited her to share my umbrella which she was very excited to do. Making small talk, I asked her if she had taken the Bolt bus before. Not only had she not, she had never been to the US before. Right as we started talking about where she was from an older gentleman got out of his car and handed this girl an umbrella and told her to keep it. As he got back into his car, she said to me "Everyone here is so nice" to which I replied "well that is not an everyday occurrence here". She told me that that sort of thing had happened a lot over the past week. Needless to say I was a little surprised but I was super proud of my city in that moment. Baltimore truly lived up to its Charm City name, at least to this girl. 


This proved very well just how much small kindnesses mean to people! On a rainy crap day like today it would have been so easy to be grumpy and this girl was just so happy. It rubbed off on me with out a doubt. It's going to be a great week rain or shine!

Wedded Bliss and NYC

I had mentioned in my last post about the wedding my husband and I attended in St. Augustine Florida. It was an Etsy lover's dream! Everything was handmade, if not by the artists about to get married, then by crafters of the Etsy community, including yours truly!


When the bride asked me to create something for her ladies to wear I knew I had to do something very special. This was not your typical wedding as the groom's men were wearing there sleeves rolled up, suspenders and floral bow ties, and the ladies were wearing navy blue dresses with cowboy/biker boots.


I decided to create a cuff for her bride's maids to wear. I created a 1" thick cuff frame from 16 gauge sterling silver and then did my signature wire work technique to create the actual cuff. I learned alot in making these and each one became better than the last...as most new designs generally go. I am so pleased with these. They are now a feature in my etsy shop. Take a look! (http://www.etsy.com/listing/71118181/sterling-silver-wirework-cuff?ref=pr_shop)

Just when I thought I was done traveling, a surprise opportunity to go to New York came up and I pounced on it. There were many reasons as to why I would drag my well traveled body onto a bus. Reason #1...I don't grow weary from travel, I live for it.  Reason#2...I love, love, love New York. This is not a crush, it is true love. Reason#3...Too many friends to count live there and I haven't seen many of them in years, if not a solid decade. And Reason#4...the most important of all of them was to see He Who Laughs, Live.


About 10 years ago, I was sitting in American history class, bored out of my mind. Lucky for me I was sitting in front of one of the most entertaining people of my acquaintance. A boy named Isaac. We passed the time passing notes back and forth and it was something I looked forward to each B day.


We attended a magnet school for the arts. While I was there dancing, Isaac was there for writing. I used to go to the coffee houses that the literary department would put on and was always mesmerized by my friend's talent. To say we haven't seen each other in almost 10 years seems totally crazy, but it is true. Thanks to facebook I feel like we haven't lost touch. We have messaged each other from time to time. I'm still up to date on what he is up to, and what he is up to is totally spectacular.


In 2008 Isaac, started his blog www.hewholaughs.com . His posts are beautifully written, brutally honest, often times poignant and laugh out loud funny. He Who Laughs is so different from what you would consider the normal blog. His posts are written as mini plays, sketches really. They cover the day to day life in New York, love, the pursuit of Jake Gyllenhaal, and of course one of the loves of my life...Starbucks. He writes inanimate objects and emotions as characters in his plays that he himself interacts with, which is a much more interesting way of writing about self discovery than anything I could ever write or have ever read.


He Who Laughs, Live had a very small cast of 6 and Isaac, who served appropriately as the narrator. The actors performed the scenes from Isaac's life and mind and the audience along for the ride. What a ride it was. He and the amazing cast took us all from tear jerking laughter to sober reality, all the while delivering jaw dropping honesty. The whole thing was beautiful.


About my friend Isaac there are many things I admire, but what I admire most, above all else, is his bravery. Not everyone can lay it all out there for all to read, see and experience as he does. His writing brings humor to things in life which often times are not so humorous. I would imagine that brings hope to some, and I know it brings joy many and I for one am thankful for his talent and for him.


Seeing him again after all these years was so awesome. I felt like writing him a little note and passing it to him quietly for old time sake but I couldn't juggle my glass of wine, pen and paper.