May 18, 2009

Congratulations, Laura & Jori!

I was a part of one of the best weddings I've ever been to. I was Maid of Honor at the wedding of my friends, Laura & Jori. The whole wedding was very DIY, and it all came together just great! For their vows, the bride and groom sang a song that they wrote themselves. While I was standing there, tears started welling up in my eyes - it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

The ceremony was truly unique, and the reception was casual and fun. The weather was great, and everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. I really feel so special to have been a part of their day.

The City So Nice.....

Jeffy and I got back from a long visit in New York, New York a few weeks ago. I've been to New York a few times before, but there is always stuff I haven't seen. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city, but it was more of an adjustment for Jeffy - it was his first time there. He was amazed at how many people there really are and how big it really is!

When we first got there, we met our friend Kyle in the East Village, and had some donut-flavored ice cream at Momofuku Milk Bar. Then, we met up with our friend Matt, and we all went to a taping of The Colbert Report. We waited so long while they were doing edits and stuff, that they gave us all red Wrist-Strong bracelets. Also, the warm-up comedian really liked Jeffy's hair, so he got to go down to the set and touch Stephen's desk!

The next morning, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but we only selected a few galleries there to visit, since the museum is so HUGE! Then, we walked to Papaya King and got hotdogs and smoothies, and ate them in Central Park. After that, we walked to the Guggenheim, but just decided to check out the lobby and giftshop.

Later that afternoon, we went down to the financial district and took a ferry ride to Ikea in Red Hook. It was mostly just to see the sights. The boat goes between Governor's Island and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty cool view. Then, we met up with our Kyle and Matt, and my old college friend, Terri and her boyfriend, Chris, who are both architects in the city. We went to this Mexican place in Hell's Kitchen, and then went on to see Animal Collective at Terminal Five - which was totally awesome!

The next morning, it was cold and rainy, but we met our friends Lara and John, at the MOMA. We did a pretty thorough inspection of the whole place. We had lunch there, and after the MOMA, we walked over to Rockefeller Plaza and had drinks at the ice rink. From there, we took the tram to Roosevelt Island. The view from there is pretty good. Later on, we had dinner and then parted ways. We headed back to Matt's house in Brooklyn and met up with him at Soda bar. By the end of the day, our backs and feet were aching and we were ready to crash on our air mattress in Matt's living room and have some quality time with his kitty, Soup Towel.

Friday morning, it was warm and sunny again! We got up and made our way to the Donut Plant. What a tiny storefront with such amazingly beautiful round and square donuts. We each chose two: I got Varhona Chocolate and Creme Brulee; Jeffy got Strawberry Jam & Vanilla Bean Glaze and Vanilla Bean. With our bags of gooey deliciousness in hand, we headed to Joe, the Art of Coffee. We read that this place had some of New York's best coffee, and we just had to try it for ourselves. We took our drinks and doughnuts and headed to Union Square Park to enjoy it all. Mmm...mmm...good! After that, we walked down Broadway to the Flatiron Building, stopping in at ABC Carpet & Home - good thing I had a small suitcase, I could have brought a lot of stuff home from there! In front of the store, we ran in to our friend Corey, who invite us to a party at his house the next day.

From there, we made our way to the American Museum of Natural History. I knew Jeffy would like it there. I think his favorite part were the dioramas. They are definitely my favorite part of the museum, too. After the museum, we went to Soho to do some shopping. But...we got lost! We were looking for Uniqlo, but got all turned around. Finally, we found it! Yeah! We also checked out Jonathan Adler (duh) and a bunch of other places that they don't have in KC.

We went back to Brooklyn, and drank beers on Matt's lovely patio, with Kyle and Will, who just drove in from Lititz, PA, to visit us all. After a few beers, we walked to Flatbush Farm for dinner and shenanigans. A little pricey, but my meal was excellent.

Saturday morning, took the train to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, and then we met Will in DUMBO, and had a couple of slices of pizza. We decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a nice day to walk it - not too cold and not too hot. When we got to the bottom of the bridge, we decided to do some more looking around the downtown area, and then we mailed some postcards to my nephews and my grandma.

After that, we went to Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library. We were seeing lots, but honestly, at that point, we were getting really tired of sightseeing. We met up with Matt, Kyle and Will in Chinatown, and we all placed bets on horses in the Preakness Stakes. We watched the race at Toad Hall in Soho. It was a lot of fun to watch, but none of us made any money from the race. The filly won - Rachel Alexandra. I didn't expect it, but Kyle did. Should have listened to him!

Sunday, we met my friend Elizabeth for brunch in Brooklyn, and then we all visited the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. It's so nice that there is this oasis of beautiful landscaping and flowers in the middle of this crazy borough! One of my favorite things there were all of the bonsai trees. I'd really like to try growing one sometime, even though I know then need a lot of attention. They are just petite pretties. I love it. The bluebells were blooming - a field full of bluebells. I almost forgot I was in the city!

And then, it was time for us to say goodbye to all of our friends in the city. We made our way back to the airport, and then back home! It was a great trip, and I miss the city already!

May 3, 2009

Kansas City's Greatest Doormat

Last week I started working on the Sprint Campus again. I've been working there as a contractor in the Real Estate department for a little over four years. It is a very challenging job, and sometimes, it is soul crushing. It's not the most creative of tasks for an interior designer, but I try to make due.

So now, I'm back to working with selfish, clueless people who many times cannot see the forest for the trees. Our motto has been, "doing the impossible for the ungrateful." The stress and challenge has gotten to me in the past - by the end of a workday, I've never felt like I deserved a cocktail more. And sometimes, there has literally been a tear in my beer.

This time, I'm not going let this project get the better of me. I just picked up a book from the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library - Coping with Difficult People by Robert M. Bramson, Ph.D. In the past, I've read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (a fellow Missourian), and I found it a very helpful resource for learning to deal with others.

You may notice on the bottom of this stack of books are a few New York City guidebooks. Jeffy and I are going on vacation to New York City in a week or so. At least I'll be able to break up the stress of this project by going on vacation, and hopefully see some good architecture and design. I'm looking forward to meeting up with our friends while we're in the city. This is Jeffy's first visit to the Big Apple, so he is in for a real treat!

April 29, 2009

Easy Etsy


I've been buying a lot more things on Etsy lately. It's like an online craft fair, but you don't have to search through booths of tacky doo-dads and wall-hangings to find something really unique and well made. I can find a lot of the things I need, like gifts, fabrics and notions on Etsy. I'm usually able to find better quality, variety and service on Etsy than if I were shopping anywhere else.

Most recently, I bought a necklace to wear at my for my friend Laura's wedding from RachelleD. I wanted it a little longer, and just by asking, the seller/artist made it an inch longer at no charge.

April 28, 2009

Cover the Earth?

I ran across an advertisement in a magazine a couple of weeks ago that I thought was completely distasteful. It was this ad for Valspar, featuring a starfish covered in purple paint. The thought of coating natural items in latex paint turns my stomach. Along the same lines, Sherwin-Williams continues to use the slogan "Cover the Earth". Where are the stewards of the environment? I'm beginning to wonder if there are any in the paint industry. Earth covered in paint is not exactly the kind of environment I'm striving to work toward, nor is it any place anyone would like to live. Paint has its place in every construction project, but these advertising and marketing schemes make the paint companies seem out of touch, and insensitive to environmental concerns.

Hella!!!



I love Hella Jongerius - especially her fabrics designed for Maharam. These are more like pieces of art than upholstery fabric. The fabric shown above is Layers Park Double in Sienna/Ginger/Rose. I love the contrasting embroidered details, and the cut outs, a that allow the ginger wool felt to peek through. It really has a great hand-crafted feel to it. This fabric could make a space seem extra special, almost completely custom. The fabric also comes in Mineral/Taupe/Lemon (a green palette) and Black/Peat/Copper (a black palette).

These would make incredible drapes, or even a wall hanging. Maybe it would have some sound absorption value for an acoustically difficult space? Realistically, I would use this fabric for throw pillows - because it's $250 a yard!

April 27, 2009

Knoll Luxe


These are tough times, so the thought of using super high end luxury fabrics for a project would be an excuse for me to get laughed right out of my office. But, they're still so fun to look at, and to daydream about a super rich client and a nonexistent budget.

I love these new fabrics from Knoll Textiles, designed by Proenza Schouler. There are a great variety of textures and subtle patterns, and paring them together would look so complex and sophisticated.