sisal style

Choosing a rug is never an easy task.  If you're like me, and you're looking for something that looks clean all the time, is easy to clean, and repels dirt and odor, well the answer is a sisal rug.  Sisal is a stiff, coarse natural fiber obtained from agave plant leaves, and when woven together make an amazing rug for any room, indoors or outdoors.  I love sisal!

paper gangster

When I am at the mall, one store I always stop into is Papyrus.  I am a stationery/ribbon/frame/pen FREAK and this store has it all: stylish wrapping paper, candy-colored ribbon, and some of the most amazing greeting cards ever.

cut the cheese

When we were walking down to Greenwich Village, we stopped in a place called Westside Market, located right on 7th Avenue.  Packed tightly into one small corner of a storefront, this place had everything!  It is a combination grocery store/deli/salad bar/cheese shop.  We picked up a wedge of parmigiano reggiano cheese.

table for two

Finding a place to eat in New York City can be harder than it seems.  We had planned on just finding a place along the way as we walked, but we had a tough time finding something.  After a few hours of searching, we finally found an amazing restaurant called Jane that was just perfect.  It is located on West Houston street, so right on the border of Soho and Noho.  I got the spaghetti, which was made with shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, arugula, hot chilies, and pesto.  Scott got the toasted ricotta gnocchi, which had Italian parsley, parmesan cheese, and a white truffle sauce that was absolutely to die for!  We also got a side of the rosemary fries, which were amazing as well.  The whole meal cost us less than $40, which is a really good price for NYC dining that isn't from a street cart.

the perfect napkin

I am a lover of napkins, and I have been on the hunt for some really fabulous cotton napkins.  I wanted something casual, but made well enough to be fancy too.  Where did I finally find them?  West Elm of course!  These 100% cotton napkins are only $12 for a set of four.  They come in a lovely array of jewel-tone inspired shades; I chose the classic tan.

with sprinkles on top

Shortly after we arrived in New York, we HAD to stop at Magnolia Bakery.  We went to the one next to Rockefeller Center.  They have quite the fan following in NYC, and recently expanded their business to Los Angeles.  We both got a vanilla cupcake, and let me tell you, they were absolutely to die for.  My only complaint is that they weren't bigger!

shine on

When we were in New York, we stopped in a place called Michael Aram.  It's located on West 18th Street in Manhattan.  They have a lot of silver pieces, and they are delicate yet every structured; and very piece is entirely handmade.  The pieces are expensive, but they are all works of art and absolutely gorgeous.

nyc

Truly one of my favorite and most inspiring places to be is New York City.

on the house

After we moved in, one of our friends gave us a few bottles of wine, and House Wine was one of them.  This red wine is a cabernet blend, and it comes in a white variety too.  The winery that makes this also has a couple other original blends that we are excited to try!  And look at the label on the bottle.  How fun?

charge pad

An electronics charging pad, like this one from Duracell, charges devices like your cell phone, iPod, or camera, by just putting the device on the pad; no more messy cord confusion.  This is definitely going on my Christmas list.