Sunday, January 30, 2011

Joseph Joseph

Not to get too home-y, but lately I've been REALLY nesting... I mean, to the point of obsession. Maybe it's because of all the slush and snow barricades around here, or the gigantic muddy puddle at the entrance of my subway stop, or perhaps the winter sniffles. Whatever it is, I am in full stay-at-home-mode.

Luckily for Mr. Z, this also means lots of cooking. I go through phases of this, and there has definitely been an empty refrigerator several weeks in a row in our apartment. However during this particular phase, I realized the utensils I have are sort of bulky and hard to use. After searching for a slimmer design with slighter angles (yes, nerdy), I stumbled upon Joseph Joseph Elevate Kitchen Tools.



The propping up feature is a smart bonus, and these tools are actually fun to use. I suppose cooking shouldn't be more of a chore than it already is, so utensils that feel more like a buddy is nice.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Facelift Project Details

Some of you have been asking about the technique I used to make this coat. I’ve posted the steps I took to attach the knit pieces to the coat here, but by no means is this a professional or right way! Anyhow, here are some details shots of the inside that may help more than my instructions... Click on each image to view them larger.





Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Old sewing supply packaging

I love old sewing supply packaging. Here are a few I've ended up with through out the years.




Monday, January 24, 2011

Hood Wrap

Today is supposed to be record low cold here in the east coast! Luckily, this weekend I finally got motivated to make this slouchy hooded wrap. You can find how to make it here: Hood Wrap – Sewing Projects | BurdaStyle.com






Friday, January 21, 2011

Happy Weekend!

I took this photo today during my commute. May be the Gothamist will use it?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Love Hate L.A.

Sometimes after a trip I don't feel like even looking at the photos I took during the visit. I didn't realize that was the best way to view photos taken on a trip... appreciating the place more. I have a love hate relationship with L.A. (like I do with Chicago and Denver), but I do think that L.A. gets a bad rap sometimes... will New York be next? After letting these photos sit for 6 months, looking at them makes me miss LA!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Oldest Subway Tunnel in the World... in Brooklyn?

I've been meaning to share this, but got side tracked... and since the Tunnel is no longer open to the public, I got a boost to share these photos.

This past September, Z and I went into a manhole, in the middle of Atlantic Ave. (near Cobble Hill) and saw THE oldest subway tunnel in the world.  OK, so it was on a tour, so not as adventurous as if we'd discovered it on our own... but we DID really climb into a manhole, and went down to a place built in 1844.  The tunnel was apparently built to transport goods from the water front to inland faster by avoiding street traffic. The brake technology in trains back then was bad, so it was best to avoid pedestrians among other things.

It's quite amazing that this tunnel was built in about 7 months using very simple building techniques. Our tour guide (and the man who re-discovered the Tunnel) Bob Diamond said the builders (who were mainly Irish immigrants) laid brick by brick and used an arch to hold the brick in place while the joint compound dried. Once the wall was dry the arch would be moved to the next section, and so on. I'd also like to add that the workers were paid cents per hour, and this was considered a good living back then.

What I found most interesting are all the spooky stories and supposed illegal activities that happened in the Tunnel after it was closed. Pirates, Bootleggers, and Spooky Hollow... The historical information about the Tunnel is intense, so here is a link of some historical images and articles.





Lumps where the railroad tracks were are still there!


Uhh... floating head...?

This was definitely a prop...



Sunday, January 16, 2011

Nerd Alert

As I approach beyond the age I can use the excuse of "being young" as an explanation for embarrassing choices, my sight is not as sharp as it used to be. My very first pair of glasses were well designed, but were a little too tight for my face. Finally I found a pair at l.a. Eyeworks that are comfortable and light without sacrificing some style. I feel like I got a new face... also a little drunk as my prescription changed slightly.




I discovered l.a. Eyeworks during my visit to L.A. this fall. Mr. Z had to make a special visit since Neil M. Denari had a hand in the interior of the store.  I fell in love with this pair, and can't really remember looking at the interior of the store. Then we located a store in NYC that ordered from the company and voila~ new eyes this year!



After returning from our visit, we happened to be watching Blade Runner (hence the title "Nerd Alert") and l.a. Eyeworks appears in the movie as a part of post apocalyptic L.A. in the future?

Saturday, January 15, 2011

The Lone Wolf

For those of you who have been to my apartment (or know this part of Brooklyn) know that it's sort of a vast wasteland. However, new places are opening and things are happening. When this happens around here it seems more exciting and noticeable. I've also come to cherish those amenities I do have like the Korean owned groceries and the French cafe across the street. I love that I can still get a good cup of coffee for .75 cents.

Last night I checked out The Lone Wolf that opened across the corner from my apartment in November. I'm glad to finally have a place to go to get a glass of Woodford Reserve on the rocks. The dark and moody lighting and harlequin pattern backed stage suddenly turned my photos into something out of a David Lynch scene...






Thursday, January 13, 2011

Facelift Project - Army Green Coat

I finally put away my dreaded puffer coat for good (I hope)! I wish I could say it was because it's summer already, but quite the opposite.  Winter is here in full, and the other night it snowed. I was wishing for a snow day as I missed the real blizzard that hit New York a few weeks ago. Not as much snow as I had hoped for, but enough to cover the grimy grey concrete with a blanket of white for a day at least.

Black being a default color of most of my coats, I slowly salvaged the only colored one I own. It was an awful shape with shoulder pads and the lining was shredded to threads. The "mandarin" collar was neither here nor there and over all the coat felt stuffy to wear. Even Clio (shown in the photo below) made a sad face when I was taking photos of this thing. The only redeeming quality about this coat was the wool material and color.

I decided on shortening, re-lining, re-shaping, re-pocketing, and adding hand knit collar & cuffs. It did take a long time for me to finish, as I started in September, HA! During the process I did wonder to myself if this was even worth doing... but by then I had already purchased the materials so forward I went! Finally, I finished in the new year, and am very glad I did. Just in time for winter, when I usually have to keep warm in my boring old down coat.



Saturday, January 8, 2011

Feliz Ano Nuevo! Oaxaca! Nueva York?

We are back from our trip and I just wanted to share some photos with you. What I loved most about this trip were the colors. Even the simplest building, concrete step, a half thought out fence were brilliant colors. It was some what depressing to see so much grey and black back here in NYC. So my new year's resolution is to use and wear more COLOR. Though grey and cold, it's nice to be back at home sweet home with the kitties.

Oaxaca Retro


Oaxaca Oaxaca