Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity 2/26 - 5/27

Women with Parasol - one of my favorite paintings.
Fashion and the Impressionism movement go hand in hand --  what with artists paying astute attention to how their subjects moves and particularly how their clothing moves before creating a more dreamlike vision.

The Metropolitan Museum opened up the exhibit to the public yesterday - "Impression, Fashion and Modernity."  They pair various artworks with illustrations and actual pieces to examine how fashion greatly influences art and vice vera.  Already receiving good reviews, this is an event not to miss out.

Something to check out on a rainy day like today.

Impression, Fashion, and Modernity
Feburary 26 - May 27, 2013
The Metropolitan Museum
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028

Monday, February 25, 2013

Cupcake of the Week: Dylan's Candy Bar

A cupcake fit for a princess: lots of sugar, lots of frosting.

Dylan's Candy Bar is a store full of candy that we all grew up and loved. It's kitschy and full of pop, and a tiny bit of a tourist trap. However it doesn't hurt to shop there once in awhile if you are looking for something specific or a unique gift for a Yankee Swap.  Also you can see winning outfits from Project Runway competition when they raided the store for materials.

Apparently they have expanded quite a bit since I've been here last, improving their cafe portion and moving their private room in the basement to upstairs.  Naturally they sold cupcakes.  But not ordinary ones. This "Princess" cupcake was one of three they still had at the end of the day.  The other two was Red Velvet and one with Gummi Bears. Made up of chocolate cake and Sixlets, it's an ordinary cupcake that has been jazzed up.

Also if you are in need of a sugar high, these cupcakes have a lot of buttercream frosting -- as in half cake, half frosting. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

San Francisco: My West Coast Home

How could you not go?
Old news is good news if you haven't talked about it on the internet yet.  In December, I piggybacked on my husband's business trip to San Francisco.  It's been years since I made my first trip to the West Coast, so going back was like going to a West Coast home that I wish was home. 

Surprisingly it would be the first mini-vacation as a married couple as well.
(Note: this post is long but has lots of food and pictures)

Saturday, February 9, 2013

The Chocolate Bar at Cafe Fleuri

Things have been busy as I am in a wedding of a good friend of mine. And as she was counting down the days, I was traveling back and forth from New York to Boston to help out with the festivities.  Last weekend, I traveled for a bachelorette celebration.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Loli-Date with ParfaitDoll

Last Friday Victoria from ParfaitDoll was interested in coming into the city for an afternoon, so we decided to meet up for some lunch and shopping. She had a determined interest in visiting Ladureé's New York location, so I suggested Mon Petit Cafe.
 
Mon Petit Cafe was a restaurant I discovered with my husband as we were on our way to Central Park.  It's a cute French cuisine bistro that I now take people whenever I have the chance to go uptown.  It's also a good alternative for those who are unable to get into Alice's Tea Cup Chapter II location as this place is just a few blocks down Lexington Avenue.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

I Spy DIY

via HonestlyWTF
New York Fashion Week has just begun, and while we all can't get inside the tents at Lincoln Center nor wear the high-end designer brands, we can at least look like it.

And I don't mean schlepping to Chinatown to buy fakes (because people who matter can often tell).

Sometimes all it takes is a glue gun, some creativity, and a trip to Micheals. I love sites like ISpyDIY, HonestlyWTF, Violet LeBeaux, and sometimes Cupcakes and Cashmere because they offer a lot of tutorials on making editorial-worthy projects with simple materials.  ISpyDIY and HonestlyWTF tutorials focus on items and projects that could be easily seen in a magazine spread but you could also make yourself with a few tools.

And they look just as good.