It has been a long road since the 1968 sanitation worker strike in Memphis. And yet it seems like only yesterday.

Today is a day of celebration and remembering the monumental presence of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr in all of our lives, no matter what color.

Tomorrow, we get to work.

And if you need more inspiration, read the words that Dr King spoke to my parents, my in-laws and millions of others on the Washington Mall so many years ago...

When it comes to Christmas trees, I am a traditionalist. Try as I might to be enthusiastic about little trees in a pot (that I can replant in some forest someplace at some point) or a cool all white kitchy fake tree (landfill fodder, anyone?) I still find myself pulled towards a nice big 7 foot live tree that I stick in some water and load up with as many lights and decorations as I can deal with.

And now that there is a next-generation in my immediate family, we're even more into it.

But now all those people who look down their noses at us trad tree users can just be quiet. Because NYC Dept of Sanitation is picking up trees curbside and mulching them. The mulch is then used to help take care of the city's parks and trees. Just put your unadorned tree on the street before January 14th and you're good.

Or, if you want a piece of the action, this weekend (Jan 7 and 8) is Mulchfest, where, in many parks around the city, you can take your tree, watch skilled professionals run it through a crazy mulching machine, and then walk away with a bag of your own mulch. The Parks Dept keeps the rest.

Sure, tons of people have written about Dumbo's gloriously rennovated Jane's Carousel. But it took a few spare hours to kill on Christmas day to get my little family down to the waterfront between the bridges to give it a go.

It is now one of our favortie spots on Earth. It is seriously not to be missed.

click below for more photos and info:

Damn! Why didn't I buy this at that Krrb auction a couple of months ago?

Oh well. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Here's to making all the right choices in 2012... Happy New Year everybody!

Somehow, despite my adult life's obligations' ability to turn "the holidays" into an insanely long and impossible to actually achieve to-do list (not to mention all of the official year-end business that suddenly needs to be taken care of before Dec 31), I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see the massive tree at Rockefeller Center for the first time each year.

This year, I was running (literally sprinting through the crowds) late to see the incredible collection of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels and frocks on auction at Christie's when I rounded the corner and found myself face to face with the tree. And I stopped. And smiled. And remembered how much I love where I live and how lucky I am to have so many amazing people and things in my life to take my breath away. And then, of course, I took a picture.

So here's to you all. May 2012 be even more chock full of your amazingness.

Actually, it's so last minute that at this point Santa's probably already been to whatever wharehouse he uses in your area to store the gifts till Christmas eve. And if you're celebrating Hanukkah, your deadline is tonight (though you actually have till the 28th, so it's not so bad)

So we're left with what's down the block (Krrb can help you there, actually,) on Amazon (one day left to get it shipped on time) or MP3's... or of course donations to your favorite charities.

If you live in Williamsburg's northside, and you have somebody like me to shop for, consider going to Jumelle and picking her up a pair of the mocassins in the photo above. Soft, furry, warm, perfect.

OK I give up.

Evidently today is one of those days when nothing really works. SO every time I try to upload a new photo of another cool thing that you guys should know about, it comes up blank. I'm taking it as a sign and am going to walk away from my computer right now. Or right after I finish typing and (hopefully) posting this.

When the editors at Tadashop.com asked me to come up with some gift ideas in collaboration with my daughter, I jumped at the chance. It was like getting my holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving. (Too bad I'm not anywhere near finished in reality...)

The site's a great one stop shop for pretty much anything you might want for your kids (or your nephews or godchildren or whomever) culling the best products from huge sites like J Crew and little boutiques like Sweet William in Brooklyn. I probably spent waaaaay too much time on there, but it was so fun to see all of the great products their editors have pulled from the world wide web of children's merch.

click below for more...

I am horrible when it comes to managing money. It's a miracle I haven't been carried off by men in black suits and briefcases and locked in the basement of a bank someplace for decades, never to emerge until I finally learn how to balance my checkbook.

I am determined to save my little one from this horrible fate. And so the lessons in how to deal with money must begin. The experts say to keep it fun and simple at the beginning, and what better way to do that for your kids than with their very own piggy bank. There are literally millions of options out there... Here are three of my favorites.

This glass piggy (see above) from Brooklyn's own The Golden Calf (one of my favorite neighborhood spots) has the added motivation of letting you watch the savings grow inside the bank.

Head a few blocks south from the Golden Calf and you will find this ceramic piggy bank, living happily among the other beautiful things at the Brook Farm General Store. And there's no need to break the bank should the need for some extra candy money arise-- a cork in the back gives you full access to all contents.

click below for more banks...

I was doing some reaserch online and I came across one of my all-time  favorite neighborhood stores: Brook Farm General Store. It's the kind of place that it behooves me to think of when stuck on a rush hour subway car trying to remember why it is I live in this god forsaken city.

The store is nearly perfect. And if you have any friends who love to cook, or bathe, or garden, or have kids, this is the place to go to get them something for the holidays. Or any day, really. Even if they are the really really particular spend-their-summers-in-Provence-send-their-kids-to-waldorf-school types.

Because chances are, unless they live nearby, they don't have porcelain measuring spoons. Or this perfect small enamel pot for heating up milk or hot cider on a chilly afternoon. But how much do you want to bet they'd freak when they saw them?

A keyboard handcrafted out of bamboo that actually works. And a mouse to match. Hallelujah.

Beautiful. Sustainable. Practical. Available on Amazon. What more could you ask for?

Well, for it to be more compatible with Mac's for one. Seems they forgot to include the squiggly key and the command key, the bastards. But hey, isn't it about time for us to finally be able to give a PC compatible gift to the few unconverted PCers in our lives without cringing?

Maybe you have friends who have a garden and all it needs is a birdhouse to complete the picture.

Your answer?  Jack Smith's plywood bird house.

(thanks herewegonow)

Might be logistically challenging as they are made in the UK, but it's not super expensive (20 pounds) so the added shipping shouldn't be too painful. And just think of how pleased the birds will be to have a little extra something to nibble on during the sparse winter months.

Whenever I travel, I try to stop at a good stationary store to buy paperclips, rubber bands, erasers... all of the ordinary things that we don't think twice about when we're browsing the aisles at Staples, but which are so much cooler when they come from Iceland, or Cuba, or (of course) Italy.

Which is where these brightly colored tacks and paper clips are from, though thanks to the global economy, we can order them domestically through Twine, one of my favorite online sources for cool little objects.

Holy sh*t I can't believe my eyes. It's a stylish-yet-understated cat carrier. This thing is such a miracle that I'm actually afraid I'm going to see pigs start flying or lightning is going to strike or something...

All of your cat loving friends are going to love it. And so are their feline counterparts. Brought to you by the folks at Cat Caddy, it's available on Amazon for $89.99. Well worth it, if you ask me.

Flora and Henri is one of those lines of kids clothing that I generally stare wistfully at from afar whilst wondering about what kind of life allows hundreds of dollars to be spent on clothing that your beloved little angel is only going to wear for 6 months or so. And probably draw all over.

And then, somehow, I got my hands on something from them. A gift? A splurge? I can't remember. But now I'm hooked. And every season, I manage to get my hands on at least one piece, which, me being me, I can milk over several years of long-dress-to-mini-to-tunic wear before I hand it over to somebody else's kid to enjoy.

The clothes are impecable. Beautifully made. Exquisite detailing. Subtle colors. The kind of stuff your grandmother would approve of-- if your grandmother were the Duchess of Windsor or Jackie O. With no horrible logos or cartoon characters anywhere. And man, do they make great gifts. Even the socks are impressive. (You can find the above pictured skirt here.) Plus, they LAST, so they make great hand-me-downs if you have more than one little munchkin in your house.

And every once in a while, they have a sale. Like today, Saturday November 26, in honor of Small Business Saturday. You can get 25% off any full priced item just by typing in the code BLACK25 when you check out.

I would like to take this moment to give thanks for my fellow explorers.

Because they rock, and I cannot imagine a life without them in it.

Happy Happy Thanksgiving.

It's not too late.

You can still order these cards, write a bunch of short but heartfelt messages on the inside and get them in the mail before everybody takes off for the end-of-year festivities.

Spread a bit of the magic and wonder of the holiday season via pen and paper. You will look like a champion. Plus you'll be helping the poor US Postal Service, which needs all the business it can get these days what with e cards and all. (I am, for the record, TOTALLY AGAINST e cards, though the kids' versions that we've gotten can be sort of cute...)

These cards are hand made on a letterpress  by this Brooklyn husband and wife team called Campbell Raw Press that I discovered on Krrb

Just wrote a little dissertation for the Krrb blog about how to write a thank you note. FIgured it's actually useful information, so I'm linking it to it here.

For all of those in doubt about how/when/why to send a written thank you, your days of uncertainty are over.

Oh and this is well timed, because the annual Brooke Williams holiday gift guide starts tomorrow and will continue most days between now and when it's pretty much too late to get a gift under a tree/menorah/etc...

On a recent trip to Portland, OR, my aunt treated us with this amazing bread recipe. Called mushroom bread, it's basically a delicious loaf of bread that is cooked in a one pound coffee can and emerges looking like a mushroom.

The recipe, evidently, comes via my Aunt's mother, who had a subscription to Sunset Magazine over 40 years ago, and deemed this one worth saving. It's really easy... after you mix the dough, you stick it in a coffee can, wait for it to rise (and pop the top off!), and then bake.

And let me just say for the record, that I am very glad my aunt has kept so many of her old recipes, because this one rocks.

Click below for details...

I just wanted to give a little shout out to our 2011 jack o'lantern.

Child designed.

Father produced.

Truly a lovely collaborative effort. I am going to miss him...

My three and a half year old is a precocious devourer of stories and will listen as happily to The Cat In The Hat as she will to The Lord Of The Rings (which can get a bit exhausting to read aloud, night after night-- especially as the chapters are quite long.)

So to satisfy her love of complex plot lines and superheroic magical characters who fly, shoot arrows and throw thundrbolts, etc, we picked up a copy of the 1967 classic volume chronicling the exploits of the Norse gods and goddesses (and giants and trolls and other creatures) by the D'Aulaire family.

Click below for more:

I've decided that this fall is going to be all about keeping it simple. Paring down. (Or at least making room for more appropriate stuff...) I'm feeling all of my belongings bearing down on me like some kind of swiftly rising tide, and who knows what'll become of me if I don't do something about it-- and fast.

So I'm gonna start posting more stuff on Krrb in the hopes that people want it.

And I'm also going to clear my head out a little bit by posting more here, whilst ceasing to worry too much about being profound. Although maybe I should take that back, because the topic of this post, a lotion horribly named Vanicream, is pretty damned amazing.

click below for details...

A few months ago, somewhat randomly, I got an e mail from Sarah Engler, an editor whom I'd worked with at Cookie Magazine (may it rest in peace) who is now happily ensconsed at Martha Stewart Whole Living (formerly known as Body and Soul magazine.) She wanted to know if I'd be into giving some style tips to their readers  for their September issue.

Seemed easy enough. I get to sing the praises of wearing vintage, give some shout outs to some favorite designers, plus I figured it'd be good karma, as I spend a lot of time on the other sdide of the coin as a Krrb editor trying to get people to do similar things.

In reality, these things take forever, and to actually answer the questions in a halfway decent manner took me AGES. I am now officially way more impressed and grateful when anybody ever agrees to be interviewed by me-- especially if that means answering questions via email.

The piece was published a few weeks ago, and I must say it is a testament to the good people of MSWL (as it's affectionately known) how spot on it is. And when I spent time actually reading the magaizne (which, to be honest, I hadn't really done in years) I found recipes I wanted to try, books I wanted to read and all sorts of stuff I wanted to buy (hmmm... maybe that last one's not such a good thing...)

So, as we get ready to begin another school year (and are hopefully finished with hurricane related power outages and the like) I would like to take this time out to publically thank all of the people at Whole Living for doing such a thoughtful job, from the wardrobe to the photos (by the talented Johnny Miller) to the text itself. It really is a nice portrait that'll be fun to look back on in the distant future when I have more time to sit and casually read again.

For your kid, that is.

While trolling through the listings on Krrb, I happened upon this super cute dress by a company called Rasany which, were I in the vicinity of the Dekalb Market in Brooklyn, I would just go pick up right now. So I figured I'd share it with you all here, and then maybe somebody I know's little girl can be flouncing around in this little number before the summer's out.

For me, it's the perfect dress: not too frilly, not pink, a print that's sophisticated without being obnoxious... and yet it can be described as a princess dress, which is, right about now, all a certain someone is interested in wearing...

WuTang Clan vs. Fugazi = Wugazi.

No reason to write anyting else.

Click below to download this record NOW.

Before it disappears.

This has been the summer of downsizing, or at least, of trying to get rid of clutter. And yet, while we were donating (or trying to donate-- a lot of our stuff wasn't quite up to snuff) to a favorite local thrift shop, the last thing I expected was to leave the place with new treasures in hand.

But when my husband found this 1960 NY Philharmonic recording of Peter and the Wolf, with Leonard Bernstein narrating and conducting, we couldn't resist and found ourselves listening, rapt, along with our three year old, while Peter and the bird captured the wolf that ate the hapless duck.

It's a wonderful story in any form, but seriously, can you imagine anyone better to narrate the story than the most brilliant conductor ever? Plus he's a great storyteller, and doesn't talk down to his young listeners at all (something that drives me crazy with so many readings of kids books these days.) And he always leads his orchestras to play with such emotion that the entire story is palpable, from the sun shining down on the meadow to the grandfather's anger at Peter's waywardness.

So if you don't already have it, please make this a part of your arsenal of things to do with your kids. If for no other reason than this-- how much would you rather have this music running through your head all day than the theme from Blue's Clues?

A long long time ago, when desperate for something to use as a bathing suit bottom, I bought some black girdle underpants at Woolworth's. Yep, Woolworth's. Thus marked the beginning of my mix and match bikini wearing and it's been going strong ever since.

Best part about it is, I get to pick and choose what tops and bottoms fit (and look) the best, while also being pretty damned sure that no one else on the beach is going to stroll by in the same exact suit. Which is more important to me than I care to admit.

I've had these beautiful bottoms from Araks for several years now, and loved them dearly, but it is only in the past week that I have found them a suitable mate.

Enter Maria Cornejo-- artist, designer, genius-- and her new line of swimwear. I found the perfect perfect top. Beautiful color and cut, and it actually stays on in the ocean (nothing worse than diving into the surf fully clothed and then coming up empty, so to speak.)

I have been meaning to put this recipe up for ages and am finally getting to it-- just when everybody else (of course) is serving up ideas for summertime cooking outdoors...

Whatever. There is always a place for the quick and easy dinner plan. Especially for those of us with tiny hungry picky mouths to feed. And when it stars the lowly and inexpensive chicken thigh (my favorite part of the chicken, with it's sweet dark meat, is actually far more nutrient laden than the ubiquitous breast) it's a no brainer.

I discovered this recipe while scanning the magazine racks of Whole Foods in desperation, looking for something, anything, to help pass the time in that endless line. Lo and behold, there it was. The (at the time) new Gourmet Magazine's Quick Kitchen, a special edition chock full of Gourmet (aka totally delicious) style recipes that can be made in less than the typical Gourmet style (aka lengthy and laborious) time. It was like a gift from the heavens.

So click below for the chicken recipe. I know it by heart at this point, 'cause I make it almost once a week. And if you go to Gourmet's site (which is all that is left of that venerable mag) you can order the Quick Kitchen special issue and get loads more ideas for ways to serve up deliciousness without breaking a sweat.

In my role as the exec editor of the Krrb blog, I've been busily posting away about all sorts of things while sadly leaving my own blog to duke it out on it's own. Aka pretty much ignoring it. But no more! Because I figure the least I can do is to re post some of my favorite pieces here, for you guys to check out.

One post that I have found particularly inspiring in my own life came out of  this conversation I had with artist and composting expert Amanda Matles, who laid out in simple english, with awesome drawings to boot, how to do your own compost. Which I'm going to start doing, instead of hauling my food scraps into Union Square to donate them to the Lower East Side composting crew.

It's long, but really interesting. And we figure if we can get even just a couple of people doing this, the world will be a better place, right? So here it is, reposted in all of it's glory. Totally worth it.

Composting 101 – Amanda Matles gives us the skinny

Composting expert Amanda Matles spreading the gospel from a Brooklyn rooftop garden. Photo by Brooke Williams.

We’ve all heard about the “virtues” of composting, but if you’re anything like us, the idea of keeping a huge pile of rotting food in a bucket someplace in your kitchen (and if you live in NYC, your kitchen ain’t big!) isn’t all that appealing. And worms, too? No way!

But we do love the idea of a little home garden, and we’re also committed to reducing the pile of stuff we send to the landfill. So we paid a visit to our friend, artist and urban gardener Amanda Matles, who gives composting workshops around NYC at places like Trade School and The Commons. She has also taught investigative design projects about the global flows of food with the Center for Urban Pedagogy, in Brooklyn. Who better to give us the low-down on making this “black gold”?

Check out what she has to say. We were fascinated. And by the end of our conversation, we were sold.

click below for the 411:

Happy Easter everybody. And Passover. And just springtime in general. When the clouds parted this morning to let in the sunshine, we all felt especially optimistic in this house. Hope you guys all felt it too. It's a feeling I want to bottle up and save to pass around on those darker days.

If anybody knows how to go about doing that, let me know.

Last week, the United Nations named the newly built United States Mission after Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce under Bill Clinton who was killed (15 years ago this week) in an airplane crash in Croatia, while promoting world peace through international business relations.

He was also one of my father's closest friends and as such, our families are about as close as you can get to being cousins without actually sharing DNA.

click below for more:

Sorry for the late notice, but I only just discovered that my new favorite jeans are about to not be available online anymore. WHAAAAAAT?? After I spent years decrying the demise of good jeans by Levis and wondering what to do? And then I finally buy these awesome jeans by Martin, which I have been hearing about for years, and realize that I have a new BFF in the denim dept.

Only to discover that Anne Johnston Albert, the brilliant designer of this line, is shutting down her website. ON MARCH 31!!!!

So seriously, check them out and get your hands on a pair if you can. They are not cheap, but totally worth it. I bought 2 pairs (something I am often sorry I didn't do when it is too late) which will hopefully last me into the next decade.

Because they really are good.... and we know how hard it is to find a good thing these days.

Sure, fashion week is over, and sure I meant to post this 10 days ago, but neither of those facts make the Tess Giberson Fall 2011 collection any less stupendous. Or me love it any less. I think this woman is a genius and count myself lucky to be among her biggest fans. Her clothes are intelligent, wearable and left-of-center without being overwraught or overworked. And because they are modern but not at all trendy, you can wear them season after season without looking at all dated. Which is important when you are laying down some cash for an article of clothing.

This season, Giberson showed with the grownups up at Lincoln Center, but her show-- an artful layering of texture, shape and color--  was not the usual catwalk affair. She had her models standing, stock still, on various white and metallic platforms in the middle of the room. Great for those of us who want to spend time deciding which look is our favorite. Not so great for the models, several of whom gave out and had to sit down for a moment or two. But then again... maybe they should have eaten breakfast...

For my favorites, click below:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

                                         --Martin Luther King, Jr (1929 - 1968)

Word.

If you want to read one of the most beautiful and inspirational speeches ever given, here's the I have a dream speech-- most likely one of the most quoted and known speeches made by any luminary in American history. If you don't know it already, read it and understand why.

And then think about what this man had to say and how important it is to the future of the civilized world that we not let him down.

Because we still have a long way to go.

For the full text of the speech, click below:

Ok so it's not valium, but this little pack of crayons has come close on several occasions when I had just about given up all hope for a controlled pleasant meal at a restaurant, an extended bus ride, or a peaceful resolution in any situation where my little one has to sit quietly for more than, oh, 5 seconds. It is at this point that I begin to wonder why I am so against those portable DVD players. And then suddenly I remember that my brilliant sister-in-law gave me this pocket sized, attractive (for real!)  bundle of activity for my kid. I then triumphantly pull it out of my bag, secure paper or a napkin or a scrap of newspaper, and peace is mine once again.

Seriously, no one who has to hang out with young children should be without one of these. If you fit that bill, you should get one here right now.

Happy New Year Everybody. Just wanted to say hello and apologize for the lack of noise coming from my direction. But I am experiencing technical difficulties (what else is new?) and as such cannot really post in any satisfying manner. (see the words "blog image" rather than a photo at the start of this post)

So I'm staying  under wraps till we get it all worked out.

Here's to 2011 being less full of technical mishaps and more full of glorious serendipities.

So now it's really down to the wire, but hey you can still go to soho (along with all of the knuckleheads in the NYC vicinity) but instead of hitting up Uniqlo, J Crew and H&M, head over to slightly less crowded Crosby St and check out Jill Platner's beautiful store full of breathtaking jewelry. I have worn little else since I first put on one of her pendants many (many) years ago. If you wear one of her pieces, you can't take your hands off it.

If you want to learn more about Jill and how she makes her work and the thought that goes into each piece, check out this video. It's short and amazing and really does offer a glimpse into her magical world.

And if you want to make somebody in your life very very happy, buy them something from this store or website, depending on where you are.

click below for more:

When I asked my good friend, Jill Platner (brilliant jeweler-- the next post is going to be about her) what she likes to do for the holidays, one of the things she talked about was giving. And as she is very into the ocean and all things aquatic, she likes to give to Oceana, an amazing organization devoted to preserving the 3/4 of the planet that lives under or near the water.

I checked out their site, and you can adopt an animal in someone's name-- say a polar bear or a killer whale. You receive a cookie cutter, a framed certificate as well as (most importantly) the knowledge that your money is going to preserve the way of life of these creatures who are in such peril these days thanks to global warming and oil spills.

click below for more:

This is the kind of gift that is both brilliant and a little mean. Because once you've tried this skin care line by red flower, you cannot go back. Which means you end up throwing out all of the products that you used to think were so incredible and perfect because they now feel like tar and dishwashing detergent in comparison.

Or maybe you'll be like me, and slowly replace your old products with these new ones as they run out, everyday secretly using more of the old stuff than you should in order to more quickly deplete them.

However it happens, if you know somebody who is not already turned on to this stuff, hook her up. All natural (for real!) and light on fragrance, this little set is like getting to go to a super high end luxury eco spa in Costa Rica or something. Without the hassle of a full body scan at the airport.

click below for more:

When in doubt, a subscription to a brilliant, thoughtful, singularly constructed art and literature (oh and music) magazine can be just the ticket to happy gift-land. And by far the best mag out there (in my humble opinion) is Esopus. I have been hoarding issues of this inspirational work since it's second issue (the first issue is completely sold out, though I have considered trading my husband in should one become available. He would understand.)

Each issue is built around a theme (the current one considers the medium of television) and includes written, musical and visual work that digs deeply into said theme. This issue, for example, includes an interview with Norman Lear by Claire Barliant, artist Alex Bag's storyboards of parodic TV commercials, and a CD of original songs by various artists inspired by their favorite TV shows.

click below for more:

A moment of silence for my friend Josh Levine, a farmer who lived in Sag Harbor with his wife and two children. Their life was the stuff that dreams are made of-- they left the city to live a more authentic life, Josh as a farmer and Anne, his wife, as a teacher at the local Waldorf school. Our daughters have similar spirits and play together. Josh lit up any space he was in and was loved by literally every person he met.We were not super close, but he made me happy every time I saw him. And I had been very much looking forward to and working toward a life in which he and his family played a much bigger part.

He was tragically killed on Tuesday beneatht the wheel of a tractor he was operating.

My little family feels so lucky that we were able to know him and that we will continue to know his amazing family. His light will continue to shine.

click below for more:

I have a special place in my heart for Waldorf schools the world over. Some aspects of their educational philosophy may be a bit extreme for my taste, but in general, every experience I have had with their teachings has been a positive one, and the kids in my life have benefited quite a bit from their Waldorf-inspired activities.

And speaking of benefiting, this Sunday, if you are out and about in Brooklyn looking for something to do with your kids, you should check out the Brooklyn Waldorf School's Winter Fair. Which I have actually been looking forward to for weeks now.  For real. There will be all sorts of creative, hands-on activities for the kids that don't involve sponge bob or dora or video games (thank god or allah akbar or whatever) plus an assortment of the most beautiful handcrafted objects you could possibly want to populate a playroom with. I'm actually so excited about this shopping opportunity-- oh no wait-- fair, that I have had not one, but several dreams about it.

click below for more...

SO I got a new computer (woo hoo!!) after 8 years or so (yep. 8 years. close your mouths) and was 100% thrilled until I started looking for a new case. I hate to say it, but pretty much all of the commercially available cases out there are lame.

My husband, of all people, suggested I check out Etsy, which I did. And happily discovered a few options that I really quite liked. But this one actually took my breath away. Beautifully constructed by Blythe King out of Richmond, VA, the entire line of  i-socket cases are individually (and beautifully) made from vintage fabrics-- which addresses all of my issues (ie, is it cool? are they limited in number? and is it somehow friendly to the environment?) So you can be pretty damned sure that your boyfriend or sister or teenaged daughter won't already own one. And if they do, they are living pretty far ahead of the curve.

She'll also make a custom size for you if she has enough fabric on hand. And there is plenty of padding, so your precious machine is kept snug and safe, as well as looking good.

click below for more:

So the person in your life who has everything (except maybe a live-in cleaning staff) most likely does not have this Japanese street broom. Available at Kiosk, one of my all time favorite stores for buying unusual versions of everyday objects, this doesn't say 'I think you're a mess' as much as it says 'you are the type who cleans with style.'

What makes Kiosk a place worth returning to again and again is the fact that they choose a country, go there, and bring back hard to find useful (or just cool) items that bring a smile to any design obsessed person each time they are used. I mean, I even love the fly swatter I bought there last summer and am horribly upset with myself for not buying 10 of them. Cause now they're gone. Oh, will I ever learn?

for more, click below:

I'm not a huge baker, but, not too long ago, I found myself in the position of having to make a pink cake with pink turtles on top for my daughter's birthday. Which sent me in a panic to epicurious.com. Which supplied me with an incredible recipe for red velvet cake. A dash of red color added to the icing and voila! the rose-hued cake of my little girl's dreams. That particular version was devoured before I had a chance to photograph it, alas, but no worries, the cake made a repeat performance at Thanksgiving dinner, this time in it's more adult, white-frosted, berry-coverd glory. (see above)

So many people asked me for the recipe that I figured I may as well put it up here, should any of you people out there be in search of a festive cake. What with the holidays already upon us, I'm figuring there should be lots of opportunities for this little number.

I know I haven't been around in a long time and yet now here I am back, promising never again to leave you stranded for so long. Famous last words, I know. To be perfectly honest, the loss of regular babysitting has put a bit of a crimp in almost every aspect of my life. Except face time with my daughter, which for the most part is really rewarding, when she's not driving me crazy. The challenge in this particular new phase of life is to come up with fun things to do constantly, lest I end up in a showdown with a cranky toddler. Plus I have to keep myself amused, too. Because a bored mother is not the kind of example I'd like to set for my little angel.

Which leads us to the American Museum of Natural History. A semi forgotten treasure from my own childhood growing up in the big city, this place ROCKS. It's huge, and filled with endless exhibits, little (educational!) movies narrated by the likes of Meryl Streep, HUGE dinosaur skeletons and more. The butterfly conservatory was a particular favorite-- we even had one land on us! Next time we will hit the plantetarium for one of the space shows, my own personal favorite from my oh so distant youth.

Well, almost. Hair combing is never a 100% pleasant activity around my house. To get through my own tresses, I have to soak my head in conditioner and then go at it piece by piece-- the entire process takes the better part of 45 minutes. My daughter, unbeknownst to her, has it easier. We just get her hair wet during the bath (easier said than done) and then spray some of this fantastic Black Vanilla leave in conditioner/detangling spray by Carol's Daughter on her head and voila, the comb slides through without too much of a struggle.

And believe me, I know from struggle. I've used nothing (impossible!) California Baby's detangler (next to impossible!) Once I even slathered her noggin with some Bumble and Bumble stuff I got in a gift bag. Which worked but she smelled like a beauty salon for a week. I am as dedicated as a sane parent can be to using all-natural products but was reching the end of my rope when some kind soul recommended that I check out Carol's Daughter. And I have been singing the praises of this miracle elixer ever since. They also make a kid-specific detangler that I am sure is as superb as the black vanilla, but I prefer the scent and, yes, the subtler packaging of the grown up product. We do share a bathroom, after all.

more info if you click below:

Last weekend, my little posse (which includes one exuberant 2.75 year old) went over to the Fairview farm in Bridehampton, NY for a little pumpkin picking. It was a beautiful day, and we left the farm a few hours later with big carving pumpkins, smaller doorstop-style pumpkins, tiny tabletop pumpkins, plus all sorts of amazingly colored and shaped gourds which I have carefully arranged on our dining room table as a sort of ode to the season.

And I'm telling you about this because we had so much fun that we found ourselves back there this weekend, with a slightly different cast of characters, for more fresh sweet potato chips, shooting the corn cannon and, this time, a walk through a labarynth that has been cut out of a huge field of corn stalks 10 feet high.

If any of you happen to find yourselves on the east end of Lond Island between now and November 7th, you really should go check this place out. It's authentic, without feeling the least bit hokey, plus they have a farm stand with some of the most beautiful produce I've seen this season just waiting to jump into your cars and onto your tables.

For website/contact info, click below:

One of my favorite places in the whole world is a beach in Sagaponack, NY called Gibson Beach. The parking is very limited, so it never gets too crowded, and the expanse of sand and sea is so magnificant that even the most annoying city-life issues seem to melt away as soon as I crest the hill from the road and feast my eyes upon the ocean.

Forgive me for sounding a bit romantic about this place, but I really would marry it, if such a thing were at all possible. And I was there this past weekend, with my family, enjoying what was probably the last real summer feeling day of 2010. Desperately trying to hoarde that easy lazy summer feeling before the fall really sets in for good. Sigh.

But I digress, because what I really wanted to tell you all about are these amazing beautiful anonymous sculptures that some magic fairy person builds on these shores. Mind you, this was in July, and I have been meaning to blog about this for, well, months now. But they are still a wonder, these delicate constructions of bamboo and shell, and I find them incredibly inspiring as they are truly sculpted by someone who just loves making beautiful things. And sharing them with the rest of us.

So this entry is a thank you, to whomever the person is that made these creatures and left them for us to marvel at, one sunny afternoon in July. Please make them again next year.

I made it back to Union Square on friday and was thrilled to see that the above pictured "Fractured Bubble" by Henry Grosman and Babak Bryan won the Sukkah City People's Choice award. Not that I have any special links to these designers, but they do hail from Long Island City, which is a mere stone's throw from my own HQ, so I feel like we're family.

So I'm rushing theough Union Square on Monday and am stopped in my tracks by a bunch of amazing structures cropping up all over the park. I love NYC for this kind of thing-- even going grocery shopping can lead to a mind expanding cultural experience.

What I stumbled upon, it turns out, was the final stage of a contest in which hundreds of architects and designers from all over the world were invited to reimagine the sukkah, a ceremonial and temporary structure traditionally built to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. A celebration of the harvest, these structures are for sharing meals, contemplation and rejoycing and are put up for one week each year. Out of 600 entries, 12 finalists were selected and built in Union Square to stand for 2 days. A winner was chosen by the people (there were forms to fill out) and it will stand for the rest of the week as a magnet for discussion, meditation and, well, just to be something amazing to look at.

I'm hoping to get back to Union Square thiws afternoon to see who won--

To see them all and to learn more about the project, check out the offical site. NY Magazine also has a great one page view of all of the pieces here.

The best hair cuts I have gotten by far have been from an old friend of mine named April Barton, who has a salon in the Chelsea Hotel called Suite 303. They can be a bit nervewracking, because she sort of dances around your head and does a lot of talking while she casually chops away at your hair, but the end result is always spectacular and holds up for months. Or years, in my case. I'm now trying to be a bit more regular with my visits as I ease my way slowly into the world of the responsible adult who goes to the dentist and gets regular pedicures. Now that I have a kid, I have no excuse.

But between haircuts, I need my own tools to keep my somewhat crazy locks under control. And I must say that the above pictured comb makes even getting through my mane an enjoyable experience. Handmade out of wood by the Groetsch family (in Germany, of course) since 1898, unfinshed yet as smooth as silk, they make you yearn for the days of fountain pens and handmade clothes. Until you realize that unless you find yourself at Kiosk on Spring Street in SoHo, you will probably need the modern convenience of a computer to go online to order one.

Which I suggest you do, 'cause it's back to school time and we've got to put our best feet forward...

Think of this as a public service announcement. For those of you that live between the Battery and 59th street, you can now shop the Union Square Greenmarket and have your goods delivered to your door. I mean, how many times have you decided not to buy something (watermelon, anyone?) simply because you can't deal with lugging it home? Hello From Earth to Kitchen, a fleet of cute bright green delivery bikes that bring your produce home expediently and (bonus!) without any carbon emissions. Which means that you get to be lazy whilst also supporting farmers and helping to save the earth. How good is that? How jealous am I, whose Manhattan days are long over?

click below for more:

This one is going to be brief, as I am exhausted and still have a house full of dirty dishes, toys and unwatered plants to contend with before I lay my head down. But I wrote you all because the one thing that is keeping me going right about now is the new record by the Chemical Brothers-- a band that I must admit I havce not listened to in, oh, at least five years if not more.

But I have undoubtedly been missing out, because this record, called Further, is great both in it's ability to keep me awake (it is dance music after all) and in the breadth of the samples and the way the songs are put together.

for links and more info, click below:

Talk about a moment we have all been waiting for... When my favorite super local spot silent h closed down this winter, I was devistated. Until I heard that the same chef was going to open up a different spot with a new partner. Would the change be better or worse? Would I be furious with the new for supplanting the old, like I usually am?

And then I heard that they would be serving breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner. My hopes began to rise. This past Friday, I got to taste what aforementioned breakfast will be like when they open on Monday (21 June), and I began to rejoice. Simple, clean, delicous food. Best fresh squeezed OJ ever. Plenty of avocado in the avocado/cheese omlette. Bacon perfectly cooked (sorry all my veg pals, but I love that stuff!) I forgot to order a scone but I have high hopes. Plus the place looks great. Which is a huge bonus not to be underestimated.

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Hard to believe that I am actually writing about this in public (what has become of my life of world travel and cutting edge adventures?) but the dreaded potty training period has come crashing into my life and I am rolling with the punches, as I find most of my parenting experiences require.

I knew it was time to buy the potty, but I refused to bow down to Elmo or Dora or even to Hello Kitty (who I secretly love.) Instead, I went onto diapers.com to pick up one of the simple white numbers by baby bjorn. But then, something drove me to scroll down through the over 100 options in the "potties" section and lo, buried on the fourth page, is the above pictured, dare I say attractive, little training toilet by Hoppop. I gasped, and then ordered one up right away.

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For some serendipitous reason that I cannot hope to understand, I opened a mass e mail that I got from a local artist who's mailing list I am on. It was about a craft fair called Maker's Market, but this one was located in the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens (where I have always wanted to go) and was curated by Alan Wanzenberb Architect/Design, The Noguchi Museum and R 20th Century as well as, evidently, the Sculpture Park itself. And since we were around, I packed up the little family and headed over the Pulaski Bridge into Long Island City to check it out.

Our efforts were rewarded, not only by a lovely breeze on a hot-ass summer afternoon, but by some really great design and some beautiful objects hand in hand with the opportunity to speak with the people who make them. And while we are desperately trying to get rid of some of our excess stuff and clear some space in our home, we couldn't manage to leave empty handed. Here are the two things I bought:

Hallelujah! A plastic placemat suitable both for a toddler's eating habits and a design conscious parent's eyes. In a campaign against brightly and randomly colored kids paraphernalia, this mat gets high marks. Hilariously, it is actually designed (by Jen Curry) for cats. Go figure.

And for us adults, a beautiful cutting board made of cork, which is evidently naturally anti-microbial. The designer, Daniel Michalik, makes all sorts of larger pieces (bowls, chairs, tables) but this little board makes a great addition to any kitchen and is one of those genius gifts (at $30) for someone who appreciates good looking stuff and has almost everything already.

click below for more:

My friend Blake Rayne, in case there was any doubt, is a genius. You have only to set foot into Miguel Abreu's gallery on the lower east side and drink in the incredible, elegant canvasses which, true to his artistic bent, move painting in a new and thought provoking direction.

I am no expert, and you'd do better to read what the art grownups have to say if you want to hear about his place in the pantheon, and how his philosophies merge or conflict with the general status quo. Or at least, read the press release. All I know is that the moment I entered the room I was swept away by the combination of stark sophistication and unbridled use of color (see below) that represent just the tip of the massive iceberg that is the morass of questions and issues about art, painting and the artist's role that Blake Rayne is valliantly trying to resolve. Or at least address.

click below for more images, etc:

I have NO IDEA what has taken me so long to write about my absolute most favorite beauty products in the whole world... Maybe I'm holding this line close to my heart like a precious secret that I don't want to let out of the bag.

But I should get over myself, because there is plenty of the  wondrous red flower products to go around. And the world would be a much better place if everybody partook in a few of their signature ritualistic beauty practices. Nothing like a good steam, scrub, massage and exfoliation to wipe away whatever petty political differences we might all have, right?

At this moment, I am thinking about the iclandic moonflower lotion, as I have almost run out of the bottle I am currently using and must get to the store to pick up a replacement ASAP. But the scrubs, cleansers, scents, teas... hell, pretty much everything in the place... are also to die for. One genrally doesn't get out of the store without a couple of extra goodies. And one is never sorry that one splurged, either.

click below for more:

I have been eyeing this leather key cover for about a year now. Every time I go into the Brook Farm General Store in Williamsburg. It's right up my alley, as it is an extraordinary version of a very ordinary object. Plus it's only 5 bucks. And yet, after all of this time, I have not bought one.

Which is my bad. The next time I go into that store, which will most likely be this week, I am going to get myself one. Unless there's been a run on them and they are no longer available.

click below for more:

This is why New York City is great. You can walk out of your door, hop on a subway and, 15 minutes later, experience a thought provoking and beautiful performance piece, in a public space, for free. Last week, in Bryant Park, the artist Kate Gilmore put up this arresting piece which brilliantly mirrors the activity in the park and the streets below. Titled Walk the Walk, it is comprised of 7 women, all in bright yellow dresses, walking and stomping and shimmying with purpose atop the 10 sq ft roof of a hollow yellow cube. Step inside the cube and you are treated to a sonic interpretation of a busy city street and, if you are my two year old, a chance to reach up and "feel the ladies walk."

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I have this friend who is married to this guy who has a blog. (called secret forts, which is well worth checking out, by the way) And while visiting this blog I read about a show of Mikael Kennedy's polaroid photographs currently on view at the Chelsea Hotel (suite 524) in NYC. And instead of my usual 'oh this looks cool too bad I can't make it' reaction, I packed up my kid and went to the west side to check it out.

I've never heard of Kennedy before, but after spending a bit of time with his images, I feel like I've found a kindred spirit. Not so much in the actual subject matter, but in the fact that this guy, much like me, has been carrying his SX-70 around with him everywhere shooting whatever he finds interesting at the moment. And the result is a series of beautiful compelling mysterious images that tell the story of a life, a voyage, of objects lost and and places that may have been forgotten were it not for their presence in this archive.

The show is simply hung, with the polaroids in plastic sleeves on the off-white walls of an otherwise empty and appropriately worn hotel suite. There is a table with an arrangement of exposed polaroids that didn't quite come out, most likely a result of Kennedy's tendency to buy outdated film, and an SX-70 camera, which one imagines was responsible for much of the imagry in the room. The presentation is slapdash and precious at the same time, a combination that very much fits the medium. And by the time we left, we felt like we had wandered through a secret and magical world.

click below for more:

This weekend I took a trip up to the happy valley in what is known as western Massachusetts (though it's actually more like the middle of the state if you look at a map) and was lucky enough to catch the first Saturday of the Amherst Farmer's Market. It's still a bit early for the produce to be super varied, but spirits were high and people were out in force celebrating Earth Day 2010. There were booths about composting and rainwater collection, as well as the first bounty from this season's harvest.

It actually inspired me to enter the above photo in CafePress and  iVillage's "Why I want to save the Earth" photo contest. Not that I think this picture is all that, but this is a conversation that I very much want to be a part of. Those hippies up in that neck of the woods really have their fingers on the pulse of something that even my cynical urban self has to admit is vital to our survival on this planet. And now that I am a mother, I am even more invested in the future of our planet. The contest goes through the end of the month, so there is still time if any of you are inspired. Click here to learn more.

click below to read on:

If you live, or are planning to be anywhere near, Brooklyn, NY between now and May 23rd, run don't walk to see Elizabeth Streb's extraordinary company of dancers (they call themselves action engineers) perform their latest show, aptly titled Run Up Walls. And if you have kids, bring 'em. This show is a rare convergence of profound beauty, headscratching physical feats and pure, non-stop action, complete with film, sound and robotic effects that serve to bring everyone deeper into the world of extreme possibility that Streb creates.

The performers are the centerpiece, and they do, literally at one point, run up the walls. These are the people I want to be friends with when the sh*t hits the fan, because they will physically be able to tackle any kind of Terminator-like future the bad guys throw our way. There is a metal eyebeam that they play chicken with, jumping over and ducking under and running around it with expressions of pure joy-- as if they could not possibly be having more fun anywhere on earth. There are harnesses and a huge truss that rises up into the ether from which the dancers fly with arms outstretched. Our toddler was so captivated that she jumped out of her seat and stood, eyes transfixed, right at the corner of the stage for the entire second act.

click below for more:

Who needs Baby Einstein when there are products that you can buy for your little ones that actually help their brains develop and have fun at the same time? Every once in a while the stars come together and a new toy comes into my sphere that is educational, fun, durable and nice to look at. This memory game from kidO represents one of these spectacular moments, making all of the searching through horrible blue plastic madness worthwhile.

Four double sided cards fit into a beautifully made wooden board. Hide all of the images (animals, letters and colors) with the red pegs and then find matching shapes and colors by uncovering them one by one. Even my very particular design-centric husband is on board with this one.

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Now there are plenty of things that could qualify for this particular title, and I am sure that I will be using similar headers for more than this particular post, but when I opened up this page on the Haus Interior website, I actually said those words out loud to myself. So there you have it.

Here they are, what you have always wanted. If you are like me, anyway. An old fashioned calling card that you can just pass over to that incredibly annoying person who has the nerve not only to answer his phone at the theater (I'm talking live theater here, too, not just the movies) but to blithely conduct an entire conversation as if he were watching a Barbie DVD at home with his kids (those "movies," by the way, are so horrible I wouldn't blame anyone for seeking interruption/relief from them)

OH MY GOD IT'S TRUE.

Polaroid film is making a comeback. Not that I don't love Fuji for stepping in with the Instax film and cameras, which I have used with reckless abandon (see here) but my first love will always be the SX-70 and I can now blow the dust off and start shooting with it again.

Thanks to the Impossible Project, a web based collective out of Vienna that specializes in all things Polaroid. They sell vintage prints, cameras and, most exciting of all, film that they have produced using old materials from the great Polaroid factories themselves. This film does not come cheap (a box of 8 images for $24.50), and I have no idea if it's all they say it is, but I have ordered a bunch and suggest you do too, as the quantities are limited, and who knows when this little window of happiness will close again.

click below for more:

A friend e mailed me to ask for some suggestions of great places to eat in Paris as her parents are headed there for a celebratory vacation. Now I haven't been to Paris for any length of time since the 90's, but I asked my friend Susannah, who has just moved back from there, if she had any suggestions. Her e mail describing various places to eat in Paris is so spot on that I felt I had to share it.

If any of you are lucky enough to be heading over to Paris any time soon, here's some solid advice on how to keep your taste buds happy.

My favorite perfect lunch: Bar de La Croix Rouge at intersection of Rue de Grenelle (v good shopping) and Rue de Sevre in the 6th arr. The thing to order is the Saint Germain (grilled Poilane bread with most divine thinly sliced roast beef and delish salad) plus best tarte tatin in Paris (also v good chocolate fondant). U must have a glass of wine.

For macaroons, Laduree of course, also Pierre Hermes.

Have a Berthillon sorbet on Ile st Louis. (They sell is several places on rue Louis Phillipe or whatever...)

Have oysters anywhere. Am serious. If u want serious fish/oyster fancy place for dinner, the Dome is wonderful, Avenue Montparnasse.

Cafe Flor for a total chic Parisian scene (sit on covered outside and if eating lunch, somebody has to get the classic French baguette sandwich Jambon beurre, ham and butter, or saucisson sec)
For pleasant outdoor lunch on fabulous Place des Vosges, Ma Bourgogne. Get warm leek salad (poireaux)

For a fabulous relaxed dinner, L'Ami Jean.
Fancy chic crowd dinner: Voltaire on the Quai Voltaire
Way fancy/haute cuisine: Joel Robuchon (there's the Atelier where you sit at bar but probably better for her parents is his lovely restaurant in the 16th arr.) For lunch, no reservations but they should always aim for 12:30 or 12:45. The French all eat at 1pm on the dot, so all tables suddenly full.

In food-related dept., if they are there on a Sunday, they must go to the beautiful famous organic market on Boulevard Raspail between the rue de Sevre and Rue de Rennes. (9-1pm). It is ravishing.

So I'm finally opening about two weeks worth of old e mail, and I come upon a daily candy post about a tea cozy that is really cute. So I go to the site and lo, I discover perhaps the most beautiful collection of ordinary objects that I have ever seen. All for sale. And at reasonable prices.

Appropriately called ancient industries, even their homepage (see above) is beautiful. The site is streamlined and perfectly designed, with an emphasis on the objects, rather than a bunch of flashy web trickery. And oh, the objects that can be yours with a click of the mouse.

First off, for all of my fellow mothers out there that cringe at the various baby bottle related products one has to keep handy, HOW GREAT IS THIS BOTTLE CLEANER? I am ordering one the minute I finish this post. Old school in the best way possible. And when you are using a beautiful functional object, the task of cleaning out those bottles (glass, I hope!) becomes far less odious.

click below for more:

I know, I know. It's pretty much March. Winter is over. The stores are filled with cotton sheaths and sandals, and people are starting to think about summer beach rentals. But I'm looking out my window at a snow covered tundra (20.9 inches fell in Central Park this week!) and I felt it would be doing the world a disservice if I did not give a shout out to my Steger Mukluks, which I have been sporting for 7 years now and are still going strong as the warmest, most perfect amazing snowboots I have ever seen.

Made in Minnesota in the Northern Cree Indian style, these lightweight moosehide boots come with thick felt insoles and lining that basically keep your feet from ever knowing that it's cold outside. They come in a number of styles and colors, so even the picky NYC fashionista in us all can find something that works.

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Rye is a truly welcome addition to the dining scene in Williamsburg. The food is good enough for grownups to love, while the atmosphere is cool enough to keep you from feeling stodgy. Just what the doctor ordered.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not take this picture. I just lifted it from their website for the purpose of illustrating this post. When I showed up at the restaurant the other night, exhausted and slightly miffed at the tardiness of my overworked husband, it was all I could do to manage to act like a somewhat civilized human being, mush less take photos. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, and to say that we were desperate need of a date night is an understatement. I'd heard this place was good and figured we should try something new to shake it up again.

The concept of a romantic date night was ruined as soon as we saw  our old neighborhood buddy Vihn Nguyen, the chef of the dearly departed  Silent H (sob!) waving at us from across the room. But we joined him and another chef friend at their table and began an eating orgy that far exceeded my expectations for the evening.

I think we tasted about half of the menu. The beet salad and the artichoke stew were delicious and took spectacular advantage of the natural flavors of their main ingredients. The meatloaf sandwich was killer, and is beyond worth it's weight in gold.

click below for the main course:

I am finally going through and getting rid of all of the piles in my office. And their name is legion, for they are many. One of the benefits of this massive undertaking is that I am actually taking a second look at all of the pages that I have ripped out of magazines for god knows what reason over the past few (or 7) years. And I am finding some pretty cool stuff. Which may not be brand new, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of sharing.

Like this play stove and washing machine made out of cardboard by the design collective Nume. Each can be yours for $38 here, should you be so inclined. The price cannot be beat, the design is cool and all of that blank white space really encourages your kids to get creative with the crayons.

click below for more:

So this came out last October, which makes this little blog entry pretty far behind the ball, but I only just had a chance to check it out (welcome to my life!) and I think it remains as relevant now as it was a couple of months ago.

Good magazine is all about people who are actively doing things to help make the world a better place in all sorts of disciplines... education, design, politics and food, to name a few) It's goal is to create a community of like minded people all of whom, in their own ways, to save our planet from the certain disaster it is headed for if we just sit around and do nothing.

The Good 100 is their list of the 100 most important people and projects going on right now that we should all know about. If you go to the site, each icon (some are pictured above) corresponds to a particular item on the list. A simple click will tell you all about ilovemountains.org, which is helping to fight against mountaintop coal mining in Appalachia, or Emily Pilloton who designs impactful stuff like educational playgrounds in Uganda and North Carolina.

more below:

I have known Lara Meyerratken for years and years and she has never stopped making music. Sometimes for herself, sometimes in other bands (like Ben Lee and Luna, for example) she has been tinkling away on the keyboards and singing her heart out for as long as I've been aware of her existence. And now, finally, she has her own full length CD which I stumbled upon when reading her blog one night (when I should have been sleeping.) The limited edition hand screen printed version (you can order it electronically, but why would I do that when there's actual artwork to be had?) arrived in my mailbox this weekend and it's been on high rotation ever since.

I'm terrible at describing music and have no idea why I think I can start now, but here goes... My husband says she reminds him of Suzanne Vega, which I kind of get in that the subjects of the songs are all intimate and very real, but the harmonies and the arrangements, while blissfully simple, are more lush than the Suzanne Vega that I remember. I'm thinking this music is not unrelated to the Brian Wilson aspects of the Beach Boys, but with a distinctly female and modern sensibility that is most evident when you buckle down and really listen to the lyrics. It's kind of sun-is-streaming-through-the-window-on-a-lazy-Sunday-afternoon kind of music.

And what could be better than that?

See below for links, etc:

My husband sent me this link a little while ago, partially, I think, as a joke-- though he knew it would appeal to a certain crazy paranoia I have about how much video surveillance there is of everything. But is it really crazy? Evidently, in a modern urban environment, a person is on camera 85% of the time they are out in public. Which to me is outrageous no matter how you slice it.

I am clearly not alone in my distaste for this fact. Enter the folks of iSee, a site that has plotted where the video cameras are out there (well, at least in Manhattan) and will help fellow kindred spirits to plot the route of least surveillance. All you have to do is click on the start and end points of your voyage and they will highlight the least videoed way to get there.

more below:

My husband is the real chef in the family, with a gift for just picking up random ingredients from the store and then inventing some kind of delicious restaurant caliber meal off the top of his head. I'm not bad in the kitchen, but I do require step by step instructions, even if I do riff off of them every once in a while. Tonight, however, I managed to make a delicious meal (curried tilapia and collard greens) and I figured I'd share it with you all, not least of all because the recipe comes from a brilliant website called No Take Out, that is dedicated to promoting more home cooked, healthy, family style meals.

They've got lots of great recipes (a new one every day!) and a good percentage of them are vegetarian. The preparation is always simple and the results have never been less than delicious. Plus the most brilliant thing about them is that they give you step by step instructions to make the complete meal, from "walk in the door and put a kettle of water on to boil," to "here you have a few minutes, go set the table and put the bread on." Which is super helpful, as timing the various dishes is one of my weak spots when planning a meal. If you actually do what they say, you'll end up with a perfectly timed, healthy flavorful meal. They even make wine and dessert suggestions.

Which is never a bad thing.

recipe below:

So I have now joined the ranks of not-enough-to-do-with-our-time parents who make their own play dough at home with their kids. But I have to admit, it was really fun and took no more than 15 minutes from the time I thought it might be a good idea to seeing those 4 balls of color on the counter. Plus I know what I put in there, which makes me less nervous when the inevitable fistfulls go hurdling towards those litle mouths!

There are tons of recipes on line, but I picked this particular one because the blog entry started with the words "Finally I've found a playdough recipe that works!" I figured, why not just piggyback on her success, right?

Recipe is below. And in the interest of full disclosure, the above photograph was shot not by me, but by our junior chef!

Here is the piece in it's entirety... we are going to build a frame for it as well, but I'm not patient enough to wait for that to be done before I start showing this thing to the world. It took days to put up, as each image is affixed individually to the supporting board, but it is sooo worth it. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

What is it, you ask? I was commissioned by soulcycle, an indoor cycling studio (yep, spinning) to make a piece that celebrated the community of incredibly happy (and in-shape) people they have built up over the past three years. As they grow from a single sweaty room on the upper west side to a 5 studio empire, it is still the extended family vibe that takes center stage. So when you walk into the newest, biggest studio at 103 Warren Street in Tribeca, you are greeted by hundreds of smiling faces which is only the beginning of what will most likely be an incredibly positive, if exhausting, experience.

more below...

I am sorry to have been so MIA lately but I have been finishing this HUGE installation of what we like to call polaroids (but are actually Fuji instax film photos) for the brand new flagship, opening tomorrow, indoor cycling studio called soulcycle.

I am so tired that I cannot even go into detail now, other than the fact that I am thrilled to have been able to orchestrate the piece and that it looks f*cking awesome.

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So with all good new things (2010! Woo hoo!) must come some sadness... My favorite neighborhood restaurant, Silent h, a brilliant delectable casual inventive take on traditional Vietnamese home cooking has closed it's doors for good. So local that we could pretend it was an extension of our living room, so mellow that the brilliant chef/owner, Vihn Nguyan, gave my daughter the run of the place, so wonderfully delicious that nary a week went by without a lunch and/or dinner there. Revered by the grownups in the local press (and by local, I mean the NY Times, among others).... and yet, the evil evil economic meltdown was too much for it, and a truly great eatery is no more.

All is not lost, however. Vihn is hard at work with a couple of partners on a new place that will open, like a phoenix, in the same, albeit renovated, space. The type of cuisine is a closely held secret, but one who's revelation  I am eagerly anticipating.

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Don't let the door hit you on the way out! Not that we all didn't have all sorts of wonderful moments during this stressful and eventful year, but man I must admit to being very excited for the better times that I am sure lie directly ahead in the form of a rosy 2010.

So here's to less stupidity, more peace and creativity, and above all more time to enjoy the people and incredible moments that make life on this earth worth all of the struggle (and the overcrowded subways...)

A highly qualified holiday wish for you all:

May your days be merry and bright (and prosperous and fulfilling and memorable and fun and enlightening) and may all your Christmases (and Hanukahs and Kwanzaas and Ramadan and whatever other holidays there are around years end) be white (and by white, I mean clean and clear and full of possibilities.)

Thanks for hanging out with me.

So I was trolling around the Soul Cycle website and I came across this gift guide on their blog. And it's great. Like it features the above beautiful object that is, believe it or not, a humidifier. Go figure! And then go check this list out. Stephen Mack, the brains behind the goods, is clearly far more than just a technology consultant.

Ok grandparents and other secret and not so secret admirers, let us all take a moment out and think about how cute our favorite little scorpio would look in this sweater. That is currently being sold at my favorite neighborhood kids' store, Sweet William. Probably the most brilliant curation of singular, often handmade (but NEVER hokey) and always tasteful clothing for kids from zero to six, this store is always a pleasure to check out. And I'm going to have to say that I wouldn't mind owning  just about every single thing in the place.

My daughter has a crush on Bronagh Staley, the wizard behind the cutain at this place, and who could blame her? This native of Ireland has brought a wonderous world of beautiful things to Williamsburg and doesn't seem to mind near daily visits (and shop redecoration) by the various children of the neighborhood. Future shoppers in training, I suppose.

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My friend Ria Browne, who was most recently the business mind behind the timeless and damned near perfect fashion line Mayle, has decided to pour her eye for design into a flower delivery service that carries only potted plants and flowers, as they last longer and are far more environmentally friendly. Called Tiny Park Flowers, this little company has exploded and she is now most likely going to continue the fun throughout the year. Oh happy day for us NYC dwellers!

Prices start at a very reasonable $25 and she's got orchids, paperwhites, amaryllis and all sorts of other seasonal flora-- she'll also take requests, as long as the plant in question is available. The arrangements are simple and beautiful-- the perfect thing for the person who already has the latest everything else. E mail her at ria@tinypark.net for more information or to place an order.

And click below to see a few more arrangements-- just to get your mouths watering!

Back in the good old days, when Domino magazine was still pumping out issues, I wrote a profile about Tessa Edick, co-founder of a brilliant company called Sauces 'n Love. She and her business partner Paolo Volpati-Kedra turned their love of Italian cooking and entertaining into 2 mouth watering lines of pasta sauces, one of which (sauces 'n love) lives in the fridge and the other (scarpetta) keeps in the cupboard. And best of all, they both seriously (and I am NOT exaggerating here) taste like you went out to your garden and picked the ingredients yourself before slaving for hours in the kitchen. I was SHOCKED the first time I tasted their tuscan vodka sauce. SHOCKED. Even my gourmet-calibre-chef husband likes this stuff.

And they have gift sets that you can buy for all of the people you really like but don't know what to get for the holidays. No pantry should be without, and I'm telling you, your friends will thank you when they get home late on a Sunday night after a flight that was delayed for 4 hours and they realize that they can have a sumptuous meal in minutes with minimal effort.

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For the next 20 hours or so, the very very talented shoe designer Eileen Shields is slashing the prices on whatever stock she has left in her online store. This includes these amazing show-stopping sandals she designed for Zero + Maria Cornejo. And many other, equally incredible styles. Seriously, you will not find a more beautifully made shoe anywhere. The construction and materials are out of this world, and best of all, you can actually walk in them!

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Why is it that I fall in love with every place I go in Portland, Oregon? I'm here visiting my uncle (weather: uncharacteristically sunny, but a frigid 23 degrees) and we popped over to this delicious sandwitch spot for a ruben slider and some chili. Billed as a Jewish delicatessen, but with an industrial-slash-farmhouse feel, the sandwiches (and the succotash, which was yesterday's soup of the day) at Kenny and Zuke's rock.

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So I've taken up spinning. Yep, indoor cycling on a stationary bike with my feet clipped into the pedals listening to Jay Z in the dark while some incredibly in shape and inspiring person urges me on (and 40ish of my fellow NYers) with the aid of a hands free mic.

The full story (as any of you who actually know me must be waiting to hear) is that I have been lucky enough to be commissioned by Soul Cycle, one of New York's premiere indoor cycling studios, to make a huge (like 18 feet by 6 feet) installation of Polaroids (actually Fuji brand instax images as Polaroid is out of business) for the new studio they are opening in Tribeca. Similar to the Hands piece I did a few years back (see photo above), it's going to be like a huge family portrait of the community they have built up over the past three years. You can read more about the piece, and the studio, here.

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Now this looks to be just a beta version, but Slate has come up with a lyrically beautiful way to follow the news while also helping us to understand how the f*ck all of these people, places and things are connected. It's called the News Dots Network, and it is a fantastic way to waste untold hours looking up all of the articles in major newsfeeds that mention both Obabma and, say, Congress.

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Ok after today I promise a few posts about things other than shopping will be interspersed betwixt and between this gift guide stuff. But for right now, here are a few flash drives for the gadget minded person who still cares about what her toys look like. If you have to transport data, I say you may as well do it in style. And these are the kind of things that people don't tend to buy for themselves...

This first drive, by Oooms, hails from the Netherlands (of course) and is a perfect marriage of old world craftmanship-- each stick is hand made from a unique piece of wood-- and technology with 1 G of memory. Check it out here, where it is currently on sale!

Completely different vibe, but no less excellent, these playful dolls are perfect for the collector of Japanese action figures or the hello kitty crew. Available at MOMA, they make a great little gift and are less heavy on the wallet.

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Now why I found these on a kids' website I could not tell you... these thumb wrestling masks are the kind of thing that could have come in handy on many a late night in my not too distant former life as a childless person with a social life. There is a cartain sensibility that appreciates the esthetic value of the mexican wrestling masks (and it aint all low brow, either-- check out the amazing designs of DFCasa, a Mexican studio that merits it's own future post for sure)

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So I ran into my friend Dara Caponigro the other day at Soul Cycle, the ultra hip spin (i.e. indoor cycling) studio on the upper east side of Manhattan. I was shooting for a large scale installation I've been working on (more on that later) and Dara was there to get her groove on in a class. A veteran shelter magazine editor (Elle Decor, Domino) Dara has perhaps the most elegant taste of anyone I have ever met. So I naturally asked her what she suggested I put in this little gift guide and, funnily enough, the first idea that popped into her head were these heart shaped cutting boards from a British company called Daylesford Organic.

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My friends Howard Goldkrand and Beth Coleman (of soundlab|cultural alchemy fame) have some of the best taste I ever ever encountered. Seriously. They make great art (see my first blog post) produce amazing events, have a super cool kid and give the best gifts ever.

Like this book they gave to my daughter, by artist Dallas Clayton, aptly titled An Awesome Book. All about the importance of dreaming, it is filled with whimsical and hilarious drawings of candy cane machines and rocket powered unicorns all meant to encourage little people to dream BIG. To be honest, I think I love it more than my kid does, which is great since I'm going to have to read it to her about a million times between now and when she is really reading on her own.

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We're still in the kitchen, but this time looking to keep things fresh in the fridge. How much do you want to bet that your family I-own-the-whole-Williams-Sonoma-catalogue chef doesn't have one of these babies in the icebox? This smooth cube of Korean white charcoal (it only LOOKS black!) acts as a natural air purifier by absorbing excess gasses.

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In a perfect world, you will somehow automatically be able to watch this short and great video about people having a good time with art by clicking here. I am placing my bets on perfection. Lets see if it works.

While we're on the topic of cooking, it just so happens that one of my favorite friends from high school (the talented furniture designer Adam Simha) is now designing a brilliant line of kitchen knives that are as pleasant to look at as they are a joy to actually use.

With brightly colored bicycle grips for handles and blades produced in Sheffield, England (a world capital in the knife trade) these old world/new school hybrids will make any serious cook smile.

Just read what the pros have to say, and check out the MKS website for store information or to buy one directly from the source!

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Let the Holiday Gift Guide begin! From now through the end of the season, I will bring you as many cool gift ideas as I can muster (which better be numerous as I haven't even started doing any shopping for my posse!)

Here's one for the kids:

Some families on this earth are lucky enough to have whole rooms devoted to the toys and entertainment of their children. Playrooms, I think these spaces are called. I wouldn't know, as I live in a typically space challenged apartment in New York City. Which is why, when considering a toy stove for my daughter, I had to also consider the fact that it was going to be living in our dining room and had to meet the design approval of my very very (dare I say overly?) discerning husband.

I found my answer in this beautifully crafted wooden stove by Camden Rose. Truth be told, I saw one at a friend's place and immediately had to know where she'd found it. She generously pointed me to palumba.com, which is your dream destination for old school and often hand crafted toys for your kids.

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Lets get one thing straight right off the bat. I have had a copy of this CD in my possession (and been listening to it on a near daily basis) for months. So while I am happy beyond words that my friend and some time collaborator, the extremely talented Xian Hawkins (of Sybarite) got a glowing review in the Paper Of Record (aka The New York Times) I am slightly annoyed that this entry might now feel a bit like I'm following the pack.

I am not, damn it! I have been a fan of Bell Horses since before they even had a name. So there. Though I must admit that when Jon Pareles refers to this music as a gorgeous disorientation, he's got a point. It lifts you up and carries you away to some other nearby spot-- almost like home, only warmer and with greener grass. Though you need not despair of getting completeley lost in a psychadelic soundscape. There is always a thread of a song, and a downright hummable one at that, to guide you through the complex swirling waves of music that make up these compositions.

Click below to hear it for yourself (and to read me rave on a bit more)

This is the holding page for my friend Brian Keith Jackson's website. It is the best holding page I have ever seen, hands down.

Brian is the author of several novels, including The Queen of Harlem, and god only knows how many magazine articles and sundry other writings such as a brilliant introduction to Kehinde Wiley's catalogue of recent paintings. He is also a great human being, and I am a huge fan of his work and of him. (is that grammatically correct?)

Still no link functionality on this thing, (plus the date and time are completely off (it's actually 10:30 pm on Nov 1) but I couldn't resist posting this photo of me (in the red sweatshirt) screaming my brains out cheering for the front running men in the 2009 NYC Marathon. And in this shot (taken by my husband, who I now owe all sorts of favors) we are cheering on Meb Keflizighi (white shirt, grey hat) who went on the win the marathon in 2 hours, 19 1/4 seconds. Incredible. I mean, what do I get done in 2 hours these days?

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So as it turns out, there is something horribly wrong with the linking functionality on this blog-- whenever you click on a link, you end up right back here at thisisauthentic.com. Not that I don't like the destination, but it kind of misses the whole point, you know what I mean? Anyway, we're working it out and hopefully will be back up and running in the next week or so. Thanks for your patience.

Oh happy day! The beautiful weather has brought the Van Leeuwen ice cream truck back to Bedford Avenue. This is, bar none, the best ice cream ever. For real. And it's parked right outside of my local subway stop. I have no idea what arduous tasks I completed in a past life to deserve such proximity to this deliciousness, but indulge I will. And frequently.

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These people make really nice clothes for kids. Beautifully constructed, simple and classic. Original without being annoying or overly cutesy. Plus the color palatte is mellow, unlike so many clothes for children-- especially girls-- these days. Worth every penny (which is saying something in this the land of H&M and Target...) Check them out here.

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Ummmm.... not sure why I didn't take any photos at this event, but behold the program above. This was a truly interesting look into some of the most  forward thinking work being done in education today, and about how we can all participate, which is the exciting part. It was brought to East 3rd Street by the Blue Man Group, who have founded their own school (think Reggio Emilia meets Neuroscience) to attempt to address what is lacking in current mainstream primary education.  If they keep this up and continue to inspire in this way, there is actually the possibility of a truly bright future for our kids. My favorite part of the whole thing was a video of a talk given by the classical music conductor Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion. Take a minute to check it out here. You won't be sorry.

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Ok, Ok I confess. I have fallen prey to the obento box craze that seems to be swelling amongst those of us who pack lunches, either for ourselves or our kids. Being a person who feels like I do the majority of my mothering on the fly, coming up with everything from meals to activities at the last possible second, the whole idea of preparing a lunch ahead of time is beyond traumatic. So to help ease the pain, I thought I'd go with something cute. Here are my two favorites.

Read on for specific info...

I am sitting here, at my computer, coming down with a cold/virus/oh-please-not-the-swine-flu, listening to TV On The Radio guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone sing his heart out on his solo album, Rain Machine. Which I am loving. More stripped down than his day job project, but emerging equally (and excellently) from someplace far out in left field this is the kind of record to be listened to when everyone else is asleep. Not because it will drive them crazy, but because you actually want to pay attention to what is going on.

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Is it me? This is the second magazine in a row with which I have been regularly affiliated that has gone under. Still do not know what is happening with the website, but my guess is that it will go the way of dominomag.com and so many others. Run do not walk to the site to stockpile the great recipes, decorating ideas and fun products (even if many are way too $$ to ever consider for your 2 year old) And check out the home decor stories for some inspiration-- the more recent ones I wrote can be found here (for now!)

While I will not miss the $300 cashmere sweaters for toddlers, I will miss the photography, the style and the whole attitude of Cookie-world. It is never a bad thing to help to remind us that new motherhood does not equal a life sentence of wearing spit-up covered sweats.

I have spent the vast majority of my summers in a house on the same street as one of the significant locales in Colson Whitehead's latest novel, Sag Harbor. In fact, we played tag together as little kids and I'm sure he must have scooped me up dozens of ice cream cones from behind the counter during his summer gig at Big Olaf's in town. So I was more than a little curious to see what this semi-autobiographical novel was all about. And thankfully it does not disappoint. Because there is nothing worse than struggling through your friend's unreadable novel (or unbearable play or unlistenable concert) and then trying to figure out how to respond when he (or she) asks you how you liked it. We've all been there.

Whitehead (also author of The Intuitionist, John Henry Days and Apex Hides the Hurt, to name the major titles) is a beautiful writer, whose prose in this novel alternately takes your breath away or cracks you up. Which is particularly fitting for a boy-coming-of-age-in-the-80's story. His descriptions of the people and places that populated his adolescence are so true to the version of Sag Harbor that I remember as to almost confuse me into thinking that this story is the gospel truth, rather than a fictionalized version of one semi-imaginary kid's journey.

So to begin with, there is a compass and a live webcam. Which rocks. Next throw in the 13 speaker sound system, the laptop, the EQ panel and the radio receiver and I'm basically sold. But what makes this thing truly dope is the classic seat combined with the gold plated hubs, wheels and pedals. I mean, what is the point of all this technology without equal attention to style?