i’m trying to catch up on work and other projects after taking ALL of last week off to hang out with my mom and our friend karen, who came out to visit from california. the week was mostly spent gardening, shopping, and eating… perfect. after a few days in the city, we took a little road trip through the hudson valley. our first stop was blue hill at stone barns, mmmm– so good. then through cold spring (for vintage shopping), beacon (more shopping– i love the store relic), and to new paltz, to spend the night with friends. day two, we drove through red hook (great vintage/antique stores), hudson (favorite stores were moderne and five and diamond), and then north adams, where we spent the night at a the porches hotel (i felt right at home with all the vintage plates!) day three, we back-tracked on a similar route and checked out some of the things we missed on the way up, including the clark museum for a monet exhibit. i found some vintage fabric, ceramics, & other goodies… but unfortunately left my camera charger at the hotel so i can’t take any photos until i buy a new one! some photos from the trip here… back in new york, karen started a major transformation of our garden, from a wild mess of weeds, to a real planned out garden. it looks great… really exciting!


over the weekend i found hikaru furuhashi’s lovely flickr photos and then found my way to her website. hikaru is a new york-based artist and graphic designer, and was born in japan. she has a really diverse portfolio of work, and i enjoyed taking a peek at her projects. i especially loved her lettering made from veggies and plants. aren’t they great?

(image from japenese book– ISBN4-391-13224-9)

i picked up a few books at my favorite book store kinokuniya yesterday… one in particular that is really stunning. i go crazy for these japanese books! i was putting some of the plants that we bought on our way back from shelter island into pots today– and was inspired to take some photos mimicking the book’s style. now i have the urge to photograph every mundane thing in my apartment on a linen backdrop…


josh and i went to shelter island for a few days to celebrate his 30th birthday. we stayed at a great hotel, a modernized old motel decorated very minimalist with lots of beautiful whites and yellows… everyone working there was european, which made us feel like we were a lot farther than an hour and a half from nyc… a big portion of the island is a nature preserve and we took a hike and we found ourselves on a totally secluded beach. it was heavenly! on our way back we found a great thrift store (always on the look-out!) and bought some vintage mugs, a platter, a few vintage aprons, and some mustard colored linen napkins. All for under $15! more pictures here

new purchase: saltwater sandals

i had these when i was a kid and have been wanting to get them again for a while. i ordered this dark color and also shiny yellow. i love them! the dark blueish/black suede especially– it feels like a grown up version.