Beautiful Day in NYC

On Sunday we spent the most exciting and joyful day in Manhattan- more specifically on the west side along the Hudson river, my old "stomping grounds." For ten years I worked in a high school located on w19th and 9th Ave...Not always as glamorous as it is now, The Meatpacking District is known for its high-end designer boutiques, trendy restaurants, bars, and hotels... I still appreciate its urban beauty, both old and new.

The High Line park is so pretty and surreal. Have you heard about it yet? You can read more about it here. How cool is a park on top of old elevated train tracks? Very.

Check out this restaurant underneath the tracks? Tres chic, no?

I see myself there someday sharing a drink with a new love...

Creepy, beautiful wall on W22 St.

Me and my girl took lots of portraits together using this as a backdrop.

Still love my graffiti. Love the drip on this one.




We have been surrounded by so much love and support from family and friends the past few weeks. It has been wonderful. I feel truly blessed.
And...
as we were leaving, this jumped out at me.
So hopeful and appropriate.

Sewing for Her

One of the things on top of my summer to-do list was to begin making clothes for me and my girl. I've already upcycled a bunch of old t-shirts into cardigans, necklaces, and shrugs (soon to share) for myself...and the undies are going to happen before season's end! But today I am feeling especially satisfied after making these comfey bandana pants for Cub. (They couldn't have been any easier, either.) She put them on immediately and has already requested a pair in red.

No problem, my Sweetie.

Luckily, our local dollar store carries a whole rainbow of colors.

Cute, cozy, practical, and quite affordable.
Next on deck is the popular pillowcase dress.
It's going to be one of the handmade gifts I give her for her 5th birthday next week. The other is a set of handmade pillowcases. She picked out the fabric last night and I went back to get it today. I'm so excited!

Her Many Faces

My little one often comes up with some excellent craft ideas for herself.

This morning, she made some masks, "for Halloween." I didn't bother to tell her we have a while to go until then. I sat back and watched as she drew out each emotion with marker on paper. I think she did pretty well: Sad, Shy, Angry, Happy, and Worried.

This is how we're feeling today.

The only mask Mama would to see added to the collection is "Sleepy."

Us

The steady downpour of rain earlier today left me in that "I hate my hair!" mood.

I suppose it's not that unusual considering I've been letting my gray grow out these past months. Actually, that hasn't been bothering me as much as I thought it would.

What's more troubling is I've been losing A LOT of hair. My thick ponytails have been feeling thinner and thinner. I hate to be vain about it, but I have always had thick hair. Could it really be my age that's causing all this thinning? This hasn't really happened to any of the friends I have in my age group. Hmmm...

Anyway, a short bob seemed like the right thing to do today...

for the both of us!

Cuckoo For Crochet Flowers

We are in full summer enjoyment mode here. Schedules have been long tossed aside.

Most of our days are spent sleeping late, lazing around for a bit enjoying our home, and then off for some outdoor fun...usually a beach and/or park, then shared meals with friends and family. Late evening, we are the best kind of tired...beat from the air and activity.

I am still enjoying my late-night crocheting projects, which have recently been of the flowery-theme.

This necklace is lovely and was quite easy to do as well. I was playing around and grabbed whatever stiff yarn I had on hand. Also, I used a different flower pattern.

Next version will be black with flowers of the eighties-style neon variety.

I have always been smitten with rosettes-especially when it comes to embellishment-cakes, clothing, textiles, whatever. I've been having a lot of fun with these cuties lately.

Yes, there have been lots of little pins, necklaces, and hair clips around here, too!

Hope you are enjoying these beautiful summer days. Tonight, while enjoying a lazy popcorn dinner, I made travel plans for three long weekends this month. The hotels and campsites are reserved, so it is now official...We're hittin' the road and I can't wait!