Christmas 2013: I'm too full...okay one more bite.

Well I'm sitting in the passenger seat while Mike is driving us back to nyc. I am a little sad leaving our quiet home town but I know it won't be long before I return to see everyone again. Our trip back has to be better than our trip out of the city which included 3 hours of gridlock and breaking down right outside the holland tunnel. All in all a 7 hour trip took 12 but we made it!

Christmas was without my papaw and relatives on my moms side for the first time since I can remember which was sad but luckily we got to skype with a few of them. I also got to see the relatives on my fathers side whom I don't get to see very often.  We went around in a circle discussing our favorite christmas present we ever received. I said Rocky, my dog that I got to pick out on christmas when I was 12. Yes, he was named after THE Rocky Balboa. Everyone else's answers led to some great memories and ended with some great stories from my grandma about my dad's childhood.

There was not a second of the time during my trip home that I was hungry. Cookies were dropped off by friends and neighbors. And of course there was an abundance of CHEEEEEESE! Which reminds me I received an awesome cheese slicer for christmas along with some wine, a deer antler wine topper, a wine glass, and some metal pouring spouts - its almost like my friends and family are trying to tell me something? Is it possible to care about drinking and cheese accessories too much? The intervention hasn't happened yet so I guess time will tell.

I feel very blessed for all the people I got to relax with these past 3 days including my high school girls brunch (plus Jer Bear), the Anthonys, the Hilers, and the Skunta's. There is just something about Belgian chocolates, mimosas, and a fireplace that feels right.

Here is CJ unwrapping her present:

And here is how you fit 320 feet of foam insulation into your honda civic. Cheers to doing a little bit of display work while I was home.

P.S. You would think that watching jack and rose die in Titanic wouldn't be a good christmas movie, but you'd be wrong.

I'm eating brie right now...

So as you can tell from my title, I'm eating - like always. But this is notable. We just made brie with a honey drizzle and almonds and baked it.....There aren't enough words to describe how much I love cheese and when you add baking it? I can't...

Anyway, I had a great day at work. I was part of my first conference call with the other Display Coordinators and Visual Managers in the NY Metro area. We discussed each store's interpretation of the overall theme and my sketches were well loved. I got some great feedback, made a few improvements, and am really excited to get to work on actually building it. I'm determined to make it into the anthropologie highlight album in my first solo window. It's all going to come down to the big gesture AND the small "touch of hand" details. I'll share the sketches as soon as I'm allowed.

Other than that - after 7 weeks of waiting, our dining room table was delivered. It's a small 2 person table made out of century old barnwood, steel, and iron. It was made in Oregon by a fella' named Dusty.  I was so excited to finally get the table that we had bought before we moved into the apartment and when we set it up we realized its too small for the space. Its a bummer because its a really great table. I never expected something would be too SMALL for a new york apartment but I guess it's always a good thing to be able to fit more wonderful individuals around your table. Especially if i'm trying to do puzzles and play some major board games...which I am.

We will be selling the table so let me know if you are interested. Pictures below.

Its spring time in display land already

Although its not even christmas I am already planning the new spring window and interior displays. I've already got my sketches and wire model done but I won't be releasing the photos until the idea has been approved by the higher ups. Fingers crossed there won't be too many changes because i'm REALLY excited about the idea. Hint hint it involves hot air balloons, bird cages, and vintage patterns.

Anyway, since I've done 90% of my christmas shopping there isn't too much money left over in the entertainment/home decor budget so the Manth and me did some DIY projects around the house. It got pretty frustrating, things went wrong, and we had to take two trips to home depot BUT the end result was awesome. This is before:

And this is after:

We got rid of the tile and purchase some wood slabs that we cut to size. I made a chevron pattern and used a gray stain to complete the look. It felt good to do some projects this weekend and I'm really excited for our dining room table we ordered about 6 weeks ago to arrive. It's made from barn siding with iron detail.

I did a couple other small projects this weekend like organizing the window seat - now its a cozy place to listen to records. It has a hanging turkish lamp and a terrarium glass ornament that my visual manager made me for christmas. Speaking of, I went to an ugly Christmas party with co workers and I represented Ohio by making buckeyes (I had to explain what they are....like the world doesn't revolve around Ohio State?). The party was in Brooklyn and the apartment was straight out of a movie - complete with a spiral staircase, a private rooftop, floor to ceiling windows, and a sky light. Needless to say I almost died from envy, but half the fun is making a new space your own so it just means I've got a  lot more projects to do. I'll keep you posted. 

In the mean time be jealous of the B.E.L.T with avocado and mixed greens.

New Yahk tip of the day: DIY project? Make sure you have a fridge stocked with beer.

David Lee Roth lights the menorah

Since watching the SNL christmas highlights clips I've had Adam Sandler's hannukah song stuck in my head. Anyway, I've finally taken some pictures of the interior displays I've done in my store if you'd like to have a gander. Spoiler alert, I like them. Almost everything is handmade using cardboard, gold leafing, spray paint, etc. The only things that were store bought are the lights and ornaments, so lots of hours and love go into each and every detail - including the hundreds and hundreds of "tie-ons" I make for every candle and mug in the store.

No sleep till Brooklyn?

More like tons of sleep AND brooklyn. Of course I watched that amaaaazing OSU vs Michigan game while I made some drinks courtesy of the bar cart. Yes, I'm fresh squeezing lime juice while on the edge of my seat for every play.

After the intensity of the game, we drove to brooklyn to check out a pizza joint recommended by the one and only Chris Roberts. The atmosphere was amazing - complete with candle light and a wood fired oven. The entire "kitchen" was situated in the dining area so you got to see your pizza being prepared with love.


We decided on a red sauce pizza with portobello mushrooms. Of course it was awesome, and I folded my pizza in half like it should be but I gotta say my favorite pizza is still "Nicks" in forest hills. Its the one to beat.

On Sunday we visited the Brooklyn Bridge, walked around a park by the water, and met up with Kitty Kat Marsh in Williamsburg. We had a pleasant brunch at Two Door Tavern and walked around the area to see what it had to offer. It reminded me a lot of Columbus and if the commute to work was better no doubt this is where I would live. We stopped in a couple places including A&G Merch, an industrial home store which was amazing if you have the budget.

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing and I just got back from a great day at work, some supply shopping, grocery shopping, and da dada daaaaaa eating a BLOOMIN ONION. Ya, we ate 2,000 calories in one deliciously gross appetizer made into a meal. Ya gotta do it once a year.


New Yahk lesson of the day: Just don't let the honking bother you. They don't realize people other than themselves exist.

Beloved Friday

So today "black Friday" is known as beloved Friday at Anthro - and honestly it was a great experience. Don't get me wrong I'm ready for the weekend but I had a great day working - even with all the crazies out there. I really enjoy how Anthro adds personal touches to everything - whether it be through hundreds of "tie on" ornamentation that I make to add to each candle lid, or the free hot chocolate we supplied to customers all day. These little touches make what could be a crazy day into an enjoyable holiday experience. I'm thrilled to work where I do.

Other than work I had a nice Thanksgiving alone in the apartment. Of course I missed my friends and family but I also LOVED having the day off to eat, sleep, do some crunches, and watch "say yes to the dress". It all started by waking up to a beautiful sunrise right outside my window. No I don't have blinds yet, but that just means I get to see this view all the time! (yes thats manhattan in the distance)

So lets get down to it - what did I eat! I don't like to brag but Mike and I eat VERY well on our grocery budget. We make dinner every week night and I look forward to it every day on the ride home. Waking up on Thanksgiving my immediate thought was "what do I want my first meal to be?" So I chose 2 over easy eggs with fresh ground pepper over blue corn tortilla chips, srirachi hot sauce, mixed greens, and an apple with some pear cinnamon cider. This was my first breakfast of course. My second breakfast was Trader Joes "Vanana" yogurt with pumpkin flax granola. I'll spare you the details of my grazing throughout the day but know that I pretty much cleaned out the fridge and am excited to go stock up at trader joes in the morning!

All of my holiday displays are done because the final deadline was black Friday so my next post will contain some pictures of the interior displays. 

New Yahk tip of the day: Can't find a parking spot? Just park your car in a strategic spot and wait - its better than driving around in circles stalking people. Let them come to you. 

Pizza pie to die for

So first off, I found it. The reason I have taste buds - its for this pizza.

Its from Nick's pizza in forest hills (the neighborhood we live in/by), which by the way is where Simon and Garfunkel met AND the neighborhood where peter parker is supposed to be from - so there is that. Anyway back to the pizza. We've been doing some research and taste testing of pizzas and this is the best pie i've ever tasted. We ordered a white pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, spinach, and pepperoni. As you can see they did not skimp on the toppings. I have 2 left over pieces in the fridge that are calling my name right now. The salad I had for dinner just isn't making that little voice in my ear go away that says 'have another slice.' I'm sure i'll give in eventually.

Other than the pizza, we spent the weekend both in our neighborhood and in Manhattan eating brunch via groupon at a super nice restaurant complete with a bellini and mimosa. We watched the Ohio State game at the bulls head bar where we quickly realized why the beer was so cheap - might need to clean out their tap lines. Some light hearted dart playing with a sub par dart board lead to us researching dart bars to go to. We walked through the freezing wind to play some serious darts at Ace. As you can see below I lost in cricket by only ONE dart throw - defeated by white Mike.

On the way to Ace we stopped in a karaoke bar and sang with a small group of people having a really good time. I'm sure they enjoyed our version of "I believe I can fly." After the subway ride home we stopped in the local cafe"hot and tasty" for some chicken, vegetable, and rice soup for me and a chocolate chip cookie for Mike, which was an excellent night cap.

The last thing to report this weekend was our trip around Austin street in forest hills. We stopped in various wine/cheese/desserts shop and of course had to taste test those as well. We stumbled into a pottery painting shop and stayed to paint a spoon holder to put on top of our cooktop. It will be ready in about 2 weeks so I'm excited to see what it will look like!

 Oh also I visited a sacred site - Kleinfelds.

New Yahk tip of the day: bring cash with you EVERYWHERE. Or have a girlfriend that does.