Wallpaper!

My OL samples (Osborne and Little "Dryden") came in today for the boutique. I'm in LOVE with this print and the flocking is lovely. I'd probably end up rubbing my face on it when people weren't looking if it were in my house.

The background's a bit on the pewter side so it got vetoed for the boutique, but the good news is I may frame the samples. 

Of course my nails match (duh! honeysuckle is the Pantone of the year and it comes as a gel color). 

I'm flying down to the Dirty tomorrow for a wedding in the ATL this weekend. I'll be at the pool if any of you wanna come play hooky. 

gimmegimmegimme

Elizabeth and James

versus

Dior

I need new glasses. The bigger the better.

Please weigh in.

Try not to crack a smile

Creative Flow...and Jolt of Inspiration

My very dear friend has been running a women's clothing boutique for the past year out of her home and finally took the plunge to pursue her dream full-time. This means quitting a cushy "Corporate America" job with its perks and benefits. She did what we all dream to do but cutting all ties to her safety net and took a leap by opening up her own store.  

LaLa Couture Spring 2011 Lookbook

KP Photography

Styling: (Me!!)

It's such an inspiration to behold and be a part of the birth and metamorphosis of someone's creative process. LaLa Couture was born out of Molly Carey's dream to make great fashion accessible to all. It was built from the ground-up: from at-home trunk shows, to driving sales through Facebook, and now out-selling established competitors at expos. 

LaLa Couture Summer 2011

buy here (I own this dress in green and it is AMAZING!)

KP Photography

Everyone has pitched in to make LaLa what it is today. Molly's friends and family volunteered their time at manning booths at expos, hosting trunk shows, and standing in as models for photo shoots and fashion shows. LaLa has united women, designers, and artists all over the South Florida community...and now, beyond. Their Facebook page is a testament of weaving connections and creating a community. Where most store owners close themselves off by being cut-throat with the competition, LaLa has flourished in an open-arms policy. 

This little boutique has gained exponential momentum in the last year and it's now time for LaLa to have a storefront in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I was asked a few months ago by owner, Molly Carey, to help with the design and have been working remotely in tandem with an amazing interior designer. It's been a huge leap for me that has reignited my passion for design and stretches my creative limits daily. There's so much on the line to deliver a product that captures the essence of LaLa and embodies the ultimate dream of a good friend. I cannot WAIT to share the results with you!

Please support Molly and LaLa by taking a gander at the website and "liking" the boutique on Facebook.  I can personally attest to the quality and uniqueness of these clothes, as roughly 80% of my wardrobe is now LaLa. You may even see a familiar face on the website ;)

Happy Monday! 

Sunday Throwback

I think someone misses his porch in Florida.

I know I do, especially with this NYC heat being hotter than FL.

Wowza.

BBB Artists: Etsuko Ichikawa

source

I stumbled upon "The Anthropologist" section of anthropologie.com and fell in love with another abstract artist.

First, this film is shot and produced beautifully and the score perfectly nestles into the tantalizing footage of Ms. Ichikawa producing her work. You will see in the film that the artist uses molten hot glass to burn paper and create these graceful, organic pieces.

I loved seeing the hot glass burn a pattern into the paper. The glass is so hot it's like it's almost alive, like a moving creature the guides through the paper and then takes it away, rendering it back to glass.

She calls it "fire-smoke." You NEED to see this.

Tattoo Art

 

Source: boingboing.net via Courtney on Pinterest

It's been a crazy week. It's boiling hot in NYC, my internet's been inconsistent, and I'm swamped with work. Please enjoy these images while I toil away in the heat. I'll be back Friday fresh with some new images, artists, and projects to share!

I've always been a huge fan of tattoos and I see my fair share of some amazing body art here in the city. Here are some images I found on Pinterest that could totally inspire some amazing decor!

Source: 8negro.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

OBSESSED with this:

Source: fuckyeahtattoos.tumblr.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Colors remind me of this:

Source: aresidenceapart.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Do you have any tattoos? I don't but love seeing them on other people when done well. I've sat through a few sessions with friends and it's an amazing creative experience. 

More info on the High Line

Again, more great info from TED.

My friend and artist, Nolan Haan, sent me this video yesterday that gives some great info on the High Line.  The video's under 5 min and gives a lot of insight on the community's efforts in making this amazing park a reality. Check it out for before and after photos, as well as some insight on what's to come for this NYC gem.

NYC Rooftops From the Highline

All images c: Iwan Baan courtesy of www.thehighline.org

This weekend by bff from the 4th grade came to visit and I took this opportunity to take my guests to walk the High Line in Chelsea. The High Line is a former elevated railway-turned public park that opened in 2009. The elevated railway was built in the 1930s, to reduce freight rail accidents (10th Avenue was called "Death Avenue" because of street level rail collisions) on the street. The High Line connected directly with warehouses and factories, allowing trains to roll directly inside the buildings. Meat, produce, milk, and manufactured goods were transported on this line without disrupting traffic on the streets.

The High Line was useful in the late 20s and 30s but the growth of our national interstate systems in the 50s led to a drop in railway traffic, and the High Line faced demolition as its use declined starting in the 60s. In the mid-80s, Chelsea residents band together to save the High Line and eventually cultivate the finished product you see here. Construction began in 2006 and the project saw completion on June 9, 2009, with the first section opening on Gansevoort St.

I was overwhelmed by modern styling and the details on the High Line. We walked at noon on Saturday in the sweltering heat and the park was packed! I didn't take many pics so I captured a few screen shots that I felt captured it best.

There's so much detail I wanted to share with you. Everything pays homage to and echoes the former rail line running through this structure. The park's utilizes metal, concrete, and wood (teak?) and weaves it throughout the numerous gardens and art installations.

This was so GORGEOUS in person!! It's like the modern world weaved itself into the wild, overgrown railway.

There are several lookout points that provide great views of the Hudson, as well as great perspective looking down the streets of Manhattan. This spot here ingeniously (and literally) frames 26th St. and  looked like the perfect place to come in the early AM to read a book and watch the traffic trickle in.

 The view above is spectacular. My head was on a swivel admiring the gorgeous, modern buildings in the Chelsea area. The perspective from the High Line allows you to see much more building than you do on the ground. Here's some pics I took as we were walking.

If you're in NYC, I would definitely recommend taking a stroll on the High Line. It's accessible by train, foot, and bike (tons of bike racks). 

Styling the bookcase: I need help!

Before. Messy, clutered, unorganized, unrelated.

After. A little more refined. Edited. 

I grouped everything of like color and/or tone on the bed and took a look.

Out went the wall brackets turned bookends. My Domino mags and my misc books are just stacked on the third shelf because you can't really see them because of the bed. (not really, I'll keep telling myself this.)

I'm a little happier.

 Yes, I still owe you a McQueen recap. I'm still digesting.

 Perhaps you'd like to stare at this face while you wait. He's such a sophisticated dog, isn't he? He's crossing his paws.

Happy Friday! My BFF from the 4th grade is coming tomorrow to visit. We're going to do the High Line and the Standard Hotel Beer Garden so I'll take pics!

More on Creativity: Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love

More TED goodness.

If you loved Elizabeth Gilbert as much as I did through Eat, Pray, Love  and Committed, she is even more real and endearing here.



What people let go of "being" a genius and just accept that, at times, we "have" a genius.

We're going to have moments of brilliance AND moments of ordinary being. Why not celebrate those shinning moments/projects/ideas and then give ourselves a break when some of our work lacks a superhuman luster?

Exploring NYC: 9th Ave Rush Hour

View from my room of 9th Ave last night. 

Lots of yellow. 

Courage: More thoughts from yesterday

Have the courage to be imperfect
Have the passion to be kind to yourself, then to others
Have connection. Let go of who you think you should be, to be who you are.

Fully embrace vulnerability.


via Cat

Taking the leap: Do you dare?

Alexander Wang's office done by Ryan Korban is a perfect example of being bold with a design. 

This weekend a dear friend was in the city on business and her visit has resonated with me since Sunday.  We started our day Saturday by going to the Met to see the McQueen exhibit. I will post more on this later this week, as it was a lot to digest. 

We talked about the creative process over brunch. My friend is a trained painter and I wanted to know about how an artist refines their work. Talked about the depth of McQueen's body of work which was striking. He was constantly evolving and ideas seemed to flow out of him. I shared with her that I've been stuck for some time in my own creative process. I have an idea in my head what I'd like my designs to look like but what if I can't execute it? I am so fearful of how my work will be judged that it's even hard to get started.  

My friend gently reminded me that the creative path is a process and it is not the individual pieces but the body of work overall that represents you. We have to work at it and create muscle memory out of practice. How do we start? Well, it's taking a leap and seeing where you land.

I write this because I want to send some encouragement to some girlfriends who are on the brink of taking a leap into new careers, projects, etc. If you're in this boat, don't worry-you're gonna land where you're supposed to land.

xx c&h

Exploring NYC: Greenpoint Edition

Thanks so much for the great feedback on my post last week on NYC houses. I've been taking a lot of photos during my weekend excursions so I'll be sure to share these with you in the future. NYC is beautiful on the large and small scale and I hope to show you this in the upcoming months. 

Saturday night we caught a gorgeous sunset off the roof of my boyfriend's apartment building. They have an amazing, unobstructed view of the Hudson and the light up there is amazing at sunset.

The Hearst building is a block away and the light coming off of it during this time is magical.

On Sunday we decided to explore Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which is known for its high Polish population (read: I was there for the food). There was a Redbull Event there that we wanted to check out and also to check out the neighborhood that my boyfriend's family lived in for many years.

 Brooklyn is like another planet compared to the city. We were in Williamsburg this past Wednesday for a concert (Kid Cudi) and most people get around by bike. It's got so much diversity and it's striking how the young, hipster/urban yuppie crowd is infiltrating these old school immigrant neighborhoods. You can see it in even down to the architecture.

Old row houses line the streets and then there's an outcropping of new, modern Dwell-like luxury buildings popping out of nowhere. I should have snapped a few to show you.

Part of our mission (other than to consume my weight in pirogues) was to stop by the old houses of my boyfriend's aunt and grandmother. 

Check out the differences in each townhouse. You've got shingles next to vinyl siding, colonial shutters, lattice work....even though these homes are literally on top of each other, the homeowner still expresses their tastes. 

En route to grandma's house. 

Hehe. Polish "pizza."

Hope you had a great weekend!

Seen in NYC: Gorgeous Homes

When I moved to NYC, I knew I was up for a lot of change. I luckily got to keep my sales job and simply transfer to an open spot in the city. I anticipated that there would be differences in my position in FL versus NYC, but not in any way I could have imagined.

I walk. A LOT.

So much walking that for the first month my feet and joints ached at the end of the day and that I was constantly hungry. Keep in mind this all coincided with my 30th birthday. I thought my body had peaked and was quitting on me- I thought I was in good shape, how could I be hobbling around like I'm 90?

New York beats the crap out of you. 

My legs are stronger and I've gained back all the weight I lost from walking an average of 5 mi per day. I probably walk more (if you factor in dog walks in the AMs and PMs, milling about the neighborhood, etc)  but I took my pedometer at 5pm, that's where I stood. 

Why walk? It's simply easier and faster to get around the city on foot. My job requires me to visit multiple customers a day and the easiest way is to park and hoof it. 

But here are the rewards. I get to stumble upon the most amazing residences, buildings, and hidden nooks in the city. I'm going to start snapping them and sharing them with you all because I know you'd appreciate it.

This pic is from somewhere in the West Village (I think). It's so nice to walk around there. 

Hilarious: Unhappy Hipsters

I found a website at the suggestion of Simon Doonan and J'Adler which made me chuckle. I'm living in NYC at the peak of hipster-dom. Below are some links to get some of you up to speed who may not be well-versed on the biggest and fastest-growing, mainstream "subculture" in US cities.

"Their foreplay was pure shelter porn, complete with low-VOC paints and retractable measuring tape."- http://unhappyhipsters.com/

http://www.hipsterhandbook.com/

http://stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com/

This made me laugh out loud:

Hipster traps” have been springing up across New York City, and one of the baits used is a Holga 120N camera. The traps are the latest project by artists Jeff Greenspan and Hunter Fine. 

via: petapixel. 

Kinda funny, no?

I can't get this out of my head

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Courtney on Pinterest

I am a HUGE fan of bold lamps, obviously (see below).

My house.


What fascinates me about this pic is how the lamps are quite the statement in the above room without


being'THE statement. I love the soft brass tones playing off the wood side tables, and the parquet


floors....this room inspries me to get out of my signature 'black and white'' style and into something


softer and boho.



Anyone interested in being my guinea pig!??