Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

Happy Friday and Memorial Day weekend everyone! Enjoy the extra day and hopefully you are spending it with friends and family outside somewhere fabulous.

I'll be in sunny California sitting on the beach with some of my dearest friends. My itinerary keeps growing by the day, but I have a feeling much of it will be spent on the sand, sharing tecates, old stories and many laughs! As noted in the photo above, my vacation started a tad early last night enjoying beers from Uruguay.

Odelay!

Brooklyn / Manhattan

I took this last weekend on a rooftop on Brooklyn. I love it when you can see Manhattan in the distance.

Brooklyn is the best.

The Lavender Bloomed

A few months ago I planted a small lavender bush on my firescape that I purchased from Crest Hardware on Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg. You really need to go if you haven't been yet. It is the best hardware store ever with the friendliest and most helpful staff. I actually wish I worked there sometimes when I'm digging around in the garden section.

Anyway, we have had such incredible warm weather in New York recently that has helped the plant grow to five times in size in the past week alone. Wow, today is HOT. It's 94 degrees in the city.

Image above is from my actual Polaroid SX-70 (shocker, I know) I took this morning. I clipped a small bunch and placed the stems in an old jar on my nightstand. I am sooo excited to know I'll smell fresh lavender when I go to sleep tonight.

Summer is here, finally.

Living Etc...

Living Etc...is one of my most followed sites that showcases beyond amazing homes all over the world. I was browsing the "galleries" section last night and came across this gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone owned by Jenna Lyons, the woman who has transformed JCrew's art direction and more fashion forward looks in recent years.

My favorite rooms are the bathroom and her dressing room (of course it's fabulous). This home embodies what I love about great design - comfort, ease, sophistication and style. Enjoy browsing. I promise you will be inspired to paint a wall black or dark gray. I just painted my small foyer Benjamin Moore's Chelsea Gray and love love love it!

Happy Wednesday...

Free Kurt Vile EP on Matador Today!!

Matador Records is offering a free download of Kurt Vile's newest EP masterpiece Square Shells today only. Get the album directly from their site and enjoy the rest of your lovely day listening to it.

The Selby Gives Brooklyn Some Love...

One of my favorite sites is The Selby. Tom manages to shoot the most interesting spaces and people mainly in New York City but recently as far away as Australia, Paris and London.

His most recent addition to fulfill our (or just my own) sick voyeuristic fantasies are Brooklyn's own Jamie Isaia, a very talented photographer and clothing designer Anthony Malat. Enjoy browsing their perfectly cluttered and curated home. It's a bit heavy for my own taste, but I love peeking nonetheless.

Record Deals...

Grim-O Comix Sequence
Columbus Discount Records
$13.50
Vinyl LP

I fell in love with this record yesterday. I mean fell really deeply madly in love with it. I spent yesterday on Tina & Kevin De Broux's rooftop (photos coming soon) and then as the sun decided to leave us we all migrated downstairs for "one more" and enjoyed the early evening listening to their (more mellow) records.

Grimo-O Comix Sequence was recorded in 1974 by Tommy Jay and Mike Rep. This was the year they both graduated high school in Columbus, Ohio. God, this album is what so many bands are trying to record now: the lo-fi dizzy, honest, analog, deep sea-like sound that doesn't always come off quite right (unless, of course, you are Kurt Vile). This album is that sound. It's two teenage boys writing and singing about minimum wage jobs, assholes, Ohio, girls, etc...

This record is magic; I really fell in love...

Carmine Street Soiree

Speaking of New York City BBQs and get togethers, my dear friends threw a little wrap up shoot party in their backyard on Carmine Street (thank you Patrick and Paul!!) earlier this week. It was such a great night with food, dancing, drinking and lots of laughing.

(1) Twinkle lights

(2) Bust(ed)

(3) Patrick kept asking everyone if I looked like Suzi Quatro (thanks dude)

(4) The spread

(5) End of the night

Enjoy your lovely weekends everyone...XX, V.

New York City BBQs

I love New York City BBQs. We will find the teeniest tiniest patch of anything and make do. My old workmates invited me to the company party (I was a stylist's assistant in a former life) a few nights ago to grill out on the photography studio's balcony. Okay, when I say balcony I really mean the 12 inch strip of concrete that is supposed to only catch water, not hold a grill, people, wine, beers and food. We ate, we laughed we had a great time!

(1) The tiny grill and views
(2) Fallen cupcakes

Sunshine and Pastries

What a great morning. I met an old friend (very) early today for pastries and coffee at La Bergamote Patisserie in Chelsea. Well, I only had coffee; the French don't care much for vegans (and I don't blame them).

(1) The pastries are amazing

(2) Perfect decor

(3) My shadow early this morning

Pastries, coffee, old friends and sunshine - what could be better?

La Bergamote Patisserie

169 Ninth Avenue (between 19th and 20th Streets)

New York, NY 10011

(212) 627-9010

Take the C & E trains to West 23rd and walk the one avenue and 4 blocks down.

Early Show @ The Mercury Lounge

Kris and Mike (who was performing) invited me to see his new band the Rewards play at The Mercury Lounge last night. I love love the early shows - you get your drink on, see a few great bands and then get home by 10:30pm. It was a perfect night of early happy hour with Kris at 138 Ludlow (my favorite dive for $3 Guinness until 9pm in the city), cheap tecates, free admission, fun rock show and guest list at the Merc. Again, thanks for the invite guys. I had such a great time!

Photos are taken by moi, Kris and randoms from the night. I promise I'll stop using ShakeIt soon. I'm addicted and can't help it. I shoot with a real polaroid SX-70 and the trusty Holga usually but lugging it around the city all of the time isn't ideal or smart. I love that camera too much to harm it.

Chalkboard marquee

Rewards

More Rewards

Drinky
Kris and Valerie blurry (thanks to the guy who took it)

Soap and TP
The real party

Backstage

Tecates

Stacks

Breaking rules

Record Deals...

Gang of Four
Entertainment!
Barnes & Noble Music CD
$16.19
Vinyl LP

This album is a classic. You are truly blowing it if this isn't in your collection.

Blauer Mondays

Mondays can be blue but last night wasn't.

(1) Innocent people on the L

(2) Gedi Broome tells a great dirty joke on the train

(3) We took a moment on the walk home to praise Mary

Ausflug Bauhaus

In honor of the 90th anniversary of the Bauhaus, check out this gorgeous set of seven booklets, each composed by a Bauhausmaster and packaged in beautiful keepsake boxes (so very Bauhaus).

Back to Civilization

Okay, so living in NYC has some ups and downs. We all know this. The worst part of urban living (in my opinion) is going to the laundromat. It involves lugging your bags, waiting for hours, getting hit up by homeless people for cash, buying things like tube socks and great dvds for cheap (if you are lucky) and feeling annoyed and anxious the entire time. Basically, doing laundry in Bushwick has been my Dante's Inferno since my washer flooded and my dryer blew out the power in one entire side of my apartment (awesome, right?!) a month ago.

I'm so happy to say this morning was my first in weeks that I finally did a load of laundry in my apartment! For those of you that don't live in NYC and are reading this are thinking big deal, right? Well, this is huge for me. I feel like I've been accepted into civilization again.

The photo above is from musical genius and photographer Aaron Freeman of Ween. The washer and dryer is underneath the butcher block counters (that I sanded and sealed myself last weekend) but I thought that would be a boring photo. Aaron's image of a Barbie Doll sitting in a sink of dirty soap water is better. The duvet cover and shams are IKEA, $15 clearance.

Sunday Sunday

This was another crazy go-go-go weekend involving friends, goodbye shindigs on the LES (see you in Los Angeles Cecelia!!), too many 2 for $5 Genessee Lights, volunteering all day, female masochism, late nights, hanging out with my favorite crush (Shannon, I adore every single ounce of you), racing around, over booking, over extending, over indulging, train hopping, working on Sunday, errand running, etc...

I did take a few minutes to have to myself at least. The photos above are the rare and much needed quiet moments I had alone.

(1) McCarren Park under a tree daydreaming

(2) Freshly laundered sheets on my mia bed

Enjoy the rest of what is left of the weekend. Oh, and it was decided last night that if Shannon and I had a band we would name it either "The Trapper Keepers" or (my favorite) "The Chrysler Sebrings" or just "The Sebrings" for short, naturally.

The Weekend

1. Candlelight dinner

2. Modern romance

Above photos are from last night ($2 Yuenglings!). Have a great weekend everyone. Mine will consist of above photos just rinsed and repeated tonight at Daddy's on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg for a little happy hour get together. I'm spending tomorrow volunteering at MoMA all day. Sunday will be a work day in the office. I'll spend the morning walking up the 25 blocks from Soho to Chelsea and then work for a few hours. Hmm...then something mellow like a movie and homemade soup on Sunday; that sounds perfect.

Enjoy your weekends and besos (XX) everyone, V.

Bushwick CSA

The Bushwick CSA pick ups are next month!! I love the location - off the Myrtle Wyckoff L subway station (my train & stop anyways), next to the Kentucky Fried Chicken and under the above ground M line train tracks (that's directly from their site). Sounds yummy, right? Well, we make do in the 'wick and offer our Community Supported Agriculture Program on the sidewalk next to fast food joints and under major mass transportation railways. I love it.

This year I am downsizing to the quarter share. Last year was too much kale and random things that I didn't really know how to make so I think going smaller and buying more flowers will be better.

Summer dinners at my place very soon...friends bring the wine, I'll provide everything else. YAY!!

Cars Kill

This is just another reminder how much I love New York City.

I saw this a few days ago on Bond Street near Lafayette in that weird part of Manhattan below Houston but above Bleeker (nowheresville really) downtown.

Nanook Builds Things...

I've recently had a flood in my kitchen that ruined all of my lower cabinets and parts of my wood floors. Yeah, it was a disaster and the second time this has happened. Anyway, I (and my bank account) decided not to install cabinets again but to simply put this IKEA beauty for only $199 in their place. I built her myself last night. Well, that's not entirely true - I had my favorite Fred and the New JBs record, Breakin' Bread and a bottle of malbec to help.

I'm glad to report the flooding issues are taken care of and there were no random screws left when finished. I did slice my hand open though but the malbec helped cure that too.

L.L. Bean Totes

My new L.L. Bean tote bag arrived today! I am in LOVE with her. I try to embrace the inner prep that is nestled inside in small doses. I find JCrew blazers and L.L. Bean totes are the perfect fix for my little high brow cravings.

The sturdy bag costs $20.95 (medium size with long handles) and the monogram (best fucking part) is only $6.00. The colors are standard but navy blue is best (I think).

Marvis Wins!!

Anyone that knows me well knows my obsession with the perfect toothpaste. I try them all - Jason (sea salt flavor), Marvis (peppermint flavor), Urtekram (fennel flavor), Kiss My Face (triple action aloe flavor), Boiron Homeodent (anise flavor), Solay Smile Tooth Powder (peppermint flavor), etc...The list and search has gone on and on...until now. I have found a winner.

MARVIS wins the gold!! First runner up is Urtkeram from Denmark. Honorable mention goes to Tom's of Maine (propolis & myrrh).

Sunday Cupcakes and Gary Numan

(1) Dean & Deluca Bakery in Soho
(2) Coconut Cupcakes!!
(3) Happy Birthday
(4) Twinkle lights
(5) Tipsy
(6) Tired feet on the subway from dancing for hours (and doing the robot to Gary Numan's Cars)