The weekend is here!

Happy (almost) Friday, my darling readers! I'm skipping town a little bit early—can't wait for a long weekend off! What do you have planned for the next few days? I'm looking forward to relaxing and maybe going here. Wishing you a great Labor Day weekend ahead! Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

London hotel art.

The perfect color block dress. 

Start a crafting club.

Fashion's biggest icon.

20 films before your 30.

Matching mates.

Good morning, gorgeous!

The best business card.

How do you like them apples?

Shark!

(Image via Glamour) 

Horsing around

So, I'm sort of in love with this new fall sweatshirt from J.Crew. What do you think? It's a little bit silly, but you could dress it up or down. It reminds me of the Frenchie sweater I bought last year. I really thought I wouldn't get much use out of it, but in fact, I wear it all the time.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this look?

To buy: J.Crew Horsing Around Sweatshirt, $65 

Greenport weekend

On the last week of August, I'm rewinding to a few weeks back—Matt and I escaped for a beach weekend in Greenport, New York, courtesy of our friends Erin and Brian (thanks, guys!). It also happened to be one of the most perfect summer weather weekends—crisp, breezy and blue skies. We hit the beach, we BBQed, and we spent a few hours at the Greenport Harbor Brewery. All awesome.

But the best part? Together, with our friends, we re-discovered the joy of Jenga. Do you remember this game? I used to play it all the time with my family, but forgot about it somewhere between the end of high school and now. It is a great game to play with friends—and high pressure, too!

Remember my trip to Greenport from last year?

Reality Bites redo

Have you heard the news that NBC is developing a 30-minute comedy series based on the cult classic, Reality Bites? Um, yes. I'm excited, too. I remember first seeing this film at a sleep-over party when I was in middle school. Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke—Troy and Lelaina Pierce—were just so cool. And the soundtrack? In a pre-iTunes world over a decade ago, I raced straight to the mall to buy it and blast tunes like this and this. 

Now, the big question: Who will play Troy and Lelaina in the re-make? With Ben Stiller signed on to executive produce the new series, and Helen Childress (who wrote the original film) penning the pilot script, I'm sure whoever gets cast will be great—but they have big shoes to fill!

(Image 1, 2)

The weekend is here!

Happy Friday, my darling readers! What do you have planned for the next couple of days? I can't believe it's the last weekend before Labor Day. It's also my sister's birthday! I'm looking forward to a low-key weekend ahead—and maybe one last hop to Governor's Island if the weather stays nice. Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

A modern, Royal family.

Downton preview.

No reservations.

Sparkly earrings!

Tomatoes and cheese.

Because these ladies are besties.

All the pretty horses.

A sweet Australian film.

Swimming lessons. 

Bookshelfies. So clever!

A much more colorful MTA map.

Great news!

Scene from last weekend.

(Image via Pinterest)

Movies with a view

As I do my best to eek out the remaining days of summer, I can't help but set aside more time to wander down and explore Brooklyn Bridge Park. Just like in Manhattan, every week, they offer movies outdoors with a view. Don't get me wrong: I've watched films in Bryant and Central Park. But there's something about seeing the skyline at night and the Statue of Liberty in the distance, while a classic film plays. Last week, I caught a showing of Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone. Tonight, Vertigo—the Alfred Hitchcock film—is the plan. 

Have you seen either film? For a complete schedule of the films that remain, click here.

(Image 1, 2, and 3)

Golden iphone

Have you heard the rumors about the new iPhone 5S? That it is going to be available in gold? I love it! It seems like it will be so pretty and unique. That said, as an owner of the 4S, I fantasize daily about all the stylish new iPhone covers available for people who own the iPhone 5 and up. 

For example, don't you love these New York-specific iPhone cases from Kate Spade? My favorite thing about cases like these is how bright they are. It means they never go missing in your bag!

More info about the products above:
1. Kate Spade Get Carried Away Apple iPhone 5 Case, $35
2. Kate Spade KSNY X Darcel New York I Love You Resin iPhone Case, $40
3. Kate Spade New York Apple iPhone 5 Case, $40

(Images via Kate Spade)

I [heart] blogshop

My darling bloggers, please forgive the lack of posts over the last week! I was on vacation and taking a Photoshop bootcamp for bloggers offered by I Heart Blogshop. The back story is this: Last spring, I applied for an Empowerment Grant from New York Women in Communications to take this course—and won! As a result, I had the privilege of spending two full days upping my Photoshop game, meeting amazingly talented and super cool bloggers from around the world, and falling in love with New York all over again. In the coming months, I'll be sharing lots more of the things I learned in the class, which was hosted by Bri Emery (of Design Love Fest) and Angela Kohler (check out her incredible photography here).

For more shots from the week, go here; for a cool Insta-video of the rooftop view pictured in the photo above, click here; for a full recap from Bri herself, visit here.

A huge thank you to I Heart Blogshop—and to New York Women in Communications!

(Image 4, Image 6)

The weekend is here!

Happy Friday, my darling readers! So, a bit of exciting news: I'll be taking next week off from blogging since 1) I'll be on vacation and 2) I'll be spending part of that vacation enrolled in Blogshop's Photoshop Bootcamp. Thanks to New York Women in Communications, I received a grant to take this course, and improve my photo editing and blogging skills. Very exciting! Yes, it's a week away, but it hopefully means lots more good things to come on this site. :) In the meantime, wishing you a wonderful weekend (and week) ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

A Mumford & Sons parody.

Paul Rudd loves bacon.

iPhone getaway. 

Farmer's Market recipe finder.

Hey, calm down.

When can I move in?

Fresh orecchiette.

The art of summer.

Celebrity emails.

Mary Poppins remix.

Seinfeld hair.

(Image via Pinterest)

Shakespeare in the Park

Last year, I mentioned that Shakespeare in the Park is one of my favorite summer things to do in New York. This year, I feel the same way. On Friday, I got to see the musical version of "Love's Labour's Lost", penned by Michael Friedman and Alex Timbers (the guys behind "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson"). This modern take is hilarious—and features splashy, boy band-inspired dance numbers, too. In 90 minutes, it delivers a ton of fun, all set against the beautiful backdrop of Central Park. If you plan to see it, tickets are available now through August 18. I highly recommend it!

(Images via Theater Mania)  

Finding the calm

What do you do to add peaceful moments for yourself into your day, your week, or your month? After reading this thoughtful post by Megan Gilger over at The Fresh Exchange, I realized: Finding the calm is something I need to start prioritizing...now.

I actually used to be very good at squeezing in time that was just for me. In fact, I cherished it, and put it at the top on my list of things to do. Now, I'm on a mission to get back to this ideal—even if it is only for 22 minutes a day (the length of an episode of Friends, my favorite TV show) or 90 minutes a weekend (the length of time necessary to get a manicure/pedicure and maybe a 10-minute massage if I splurge!) or eight hours a month (the length of time to take a break—from speaking English, at least—and brush up on my French).

Anyways, the point is that it all starts with finding the calm—and doing the things you need to do to "repair yourself", as Megan describes. Good advice, don't you think?

(Image via Pinterest)

Bright doors in Brooklyn

Ever since I heard Hugh Grant describe the blue door that marked his flat in the film Notting Hill, I have thought about how charming and distinctive this design choice really is. Enter Brooklyn, and my new neighborhood there. Somehow it seems that there is a colorful door to be found on every block! I love it, and look forward to spotting one while walking around. 

When I do find a brightly colored door, I'm instantly transported back to that opening scene in Notting Hill. I can't help but think how fun it must be to describe your address with a simple statement: "It's the one with the blue door." :)

PS—Colorful apartments in Brooklyn.

(Image 1)

Museum hopping in New York

This weekend was gorgeous, but since Saturday started off a little bit rainy, Matt and I decided to catch up on all the museums we've been neglecting this summer. We started at the Guggenheim, then worked our way down the East Side, hitting the Met, the Whitney, and finally, the MoMA. Overwhelming? It could have been, but we zeroed in on the exhibits we wanted to see most, then hopped over to the next!

Here, the exhibits you should drop everything to see:

- The Guggenheim: James Turrell's first exhibition in a New York museum is all about light.
- The Met: The Punk installation here is an impressive follow-up to the Alexander McQueen exhibit from 2011.
- The Whitney: Edward Hopper's iconic "Nighthawk" is on display—along with 9 of the charcoal sketches he used to create the final piece.
- The MoMA: Contemporary artists brilliantly experiment with sound and architecture.

(Image 1, 2, 3 and 4)

The weekend is here!

My dearest readers, what do you have planned for the next couple of days off? I'm excited to check out this production of Shakespeare in the Park—Matt is waking up early to get tickets. What a guy! ;) Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead. Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

A frog with an umbrella.

The original George.

Create your own cookbook.

The joy of a belly flop.

Write drunk; edit sober.

A Royal cover.

Marvin Gaye's solo track.

Summer cocktail.

Who's your hostess muse?

Reasons to be amazing.

(Image via Pinterest)

Edible bouquets

Have you ever thought about putting together an edible bouquet? After seeing the gorgeous photography by Kim Lightbody for Cereal Magazine, I think it's such a clever idea! I especially love the cherry tomatoes, still on the vine. Another thought would be to do a summer arrangement of rainbow chard. 

What do you think? As a hostess gift, I think this is a fun update to a traditional idea.

More edible bouquets here (including one with artichokes!).

(Images via Cereal Magazine)