NYC ♥'s Vegans

(Babycakes' lovely vintage sign)

(inside)


(aren't they cute? and isn't that true?)

(i love this.)

Who knew? California, sure, but I just don't think "Vegan" when I think of New York City. Boy, were we doing the happy dance when we found an amazing vegan bakery right around the corner from our hotel (more about our hotel later). You know how "alternative" baked goods turn out kind of tasteless and dry? Not here.

The little slice of heaven we found is called Babycakes, located in the Lower East Side on Broome Steet between Orchard and Ludlow. There you'll find several different types of cupcakes, sweet bread loaves, cookies and muffins, ALL vegan. And ALL delicious. I really meant to take a photo of my cupcake, but it disappeared before I could get my camera out. We tried lemon (uh, several times) and red velvet cupcakes. Yum City. We didn't try anything other than cupcakes, but people were streaming in ordering banana bread and muffins late into the evening. I hear sometimes there's even a line. This stuff is THAT good.

Click here to read their blog, written by the genius behind this wonderful place, Erin McKenna. And click here to check out her Babycakes cookbook. I brought one home and I can't wait to recreate those heavenly cupcakes! The recipes look pretty easy.

Another fantastic vegan place we visited was just a few blocks away from the Whitney on 3rd Avenue between 74th and 75th called Candle Cafe. I had a GIANT serving of lasagna served on top of some greens that would have made my mother cry (no kidding, she loved her some greens). I wish we would have gone back to this place because I would have love to have made my way around their intriguing menu. Candle also has a cookbook (yes, we brought one of those home too!). Check it out here.

Gosh, I'm really hungry now!

Some Perspective Today

After Years

Today, from a distance, I saw you

walking away, and without a sound

the glittering face of a glacier

slid into the sea. An ancient oak

fell in the Cumberlands, holding only

a handful of leaves, and an old woman

scattering corn to her chickens looked up

for an instant. At the other side

of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times

the size of our own sun exploded

and vanished, leaving a small green spot

on the astronomer's retina

as he stood in the great open dome

of my heart with no one to tell.

Ted Kooser, from his book of poetry called "Delights & Shadows" which won the Pulitzer Prize. He is the 13th Poet Laureate of the United States.

Happy Tuesday.

Vintage Horse Love

As a child, I had favorite book that will forever be etched in my memory: Album of Horses by Marguerite Henry. It was filled with winsome paintings by the illustrator, Wesley Dennis. I spent hours poring over that book and even more hours on the floor in the sanctuary of my bedroom with typing paper and a No. 2 pencil attempting to draw each horse featured in the book. I loved that book.

So when I found a few vintage Breyer horses at a flea market a couple of weeks ago, I knew just what I wanted to do with them: PLAY. And that's what I've been doing.

This is the beginning of a series of photographs inspired by my favorite book, Album of Horses. Stay tuned for more. If you'd like to see more of this horse, please check out my Flickr. I've named her Honey.

Vintage Photography Book Find

Lookie what I found!! Published in 1972, packed with beautiful photographs from that time AND a special section devoted to One-Step Photography. Specifically, my love: the Polaroid SX 70.

Below is a statement by a wonderful man, Edwin H. Land, that I just had to share. (Click on it to see it larger so you can read it, silly!)

And here are the diagrams from the book that illustrate exactly how this wonderful camera works. (Click on the diagram to view larger.)

Brilliant, huh?!

A Daily Walk

I've been mulling over a personal challenge for the past couple of days. Friday my husband took me to see Julie & Julia (or did I take him?). I enjoyed it SO MUCH. The two thoughts I walked away from the movie with were 1) I want Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (as I'm sure everyone else in that theater did) and 2) like Julie, I need to give myself a personal challenge, because I tend to float around in my own head, lose direction very easily, put things off, make excuses and I need something right now. School is starting, the days will be getting shorter soon and my brain need something. Something that will push me somewhere.

So my idea is to go walking in my neighborhood (that's in suburbia, people) every day (side effect: lose some pounds) and shoot what I find. Every day. The point of the challenge is to keep my eyes open, keep shooting and to prove that, even in land locked suburbia, where all the houses are on a grid and seemingly nothing happens unless it's planned, beauty is abundant. I do know this to be true, but to find it every day would be challenging to me. Am I up to this challenge? Hmmmm....

Art + Cars = LOVE

I love art and I love cars, so when you put the two together - kaPOW! That's what happened in June in Dallas at the CityArts Celebration. This is a little bit of what you get.

This crazy thing above is what's known as Ernie Steingold's California Fantasy Van. It's covered in $15,000 worth of coins and 5,000 brass trinkets. I could have gawked at that thing for hours! Ernie passed away in 1998 and his beautiful van lives at the Art Car World museum in Arizona (road trip!!). More about the car here and the museum here.

This freaky machine is known as Mark Monroe's Brick Mobile. It's a 1968 Ford Country Sedan station wagon that is completely covered in bricks! Find out more about Mark and his Brick Mobile here. I just love that "Country Sedan" emblem against the brick.

And speaking beautiful emblem backgounds, check out Tim Klein's car called The Elements above. It's a yarn covered 1967 Imperial Crown. So cool. What a vision! More about his car and his vision here.

Now if you can't make it to an art car parade or museum, you can check out Harrod Blank's Automorphosis. Harrod Blank has created a Camera Van I long to see in person. Click here to find a screening of Automorphosis in your area, or here to find other documentaries and books about art cars and the artists who dream up these wonderful machines.

Now I wonder how many pretty pretty clouds I can fit on my ride.......

P.S. I've got more pictures of these art cars on my Flickr.

Little People Love

Last night my husband came home with a little prezzie for me! Oh, I love surprises! Have you ever heard of Slinkachu? I certainly hadn't. He's an artists in London who leaves little tiny hand painted people around the city in different scenarios. This book, "Little People in the City" , is filled with photos of his work and it is fantastic!! His work is both gloomy and hilarious. He also has a blog. For his current project he's finding snails around London, painting them and putting them back where he found them, a project called "Inner City Snail". Can't wait for that book.

No, I Haven't Died - Not Really

I know. I've been absent a long long long time. I suppose you could say I've gone into hibernation. I've been keeping company with some very interesting characters and a heroine I just adore. I've been going to bed early almost every night since Christmas so I can escape to the mysterious, hilarious, and FUN world Charlaine Harris has created in her Sookie Stackhouse series. Yes, these are the books that the HBO series, True Blood, is based on.

These books are fantastic! So far there are 8 books in the series with another due to be published May 2009. I just finished the fourth titled "Dead to the World" and tonight I'll dive into "Dead as a Doornail." The series on HBO is devine and I was a little disappointed I'd have to wait until this Summer to get my weekly Sunday evening dose. But the books are just as good!

Check out the covers of these paperbacks!









The illustrator is Lisa Desimini, who also wrote and illustrated one of my favorite children's books (among many others) called "Trick or Treat, SMELL MY FEET!" which we just read to our son this past Halloween. All the illustrations are made from torn paper. Its a truly beautiful book AND funny!


Check out Lisa Desimini's other work at her website HERE. You'll also find that she sells prints of the covers from the Sookie Stackhouse books: YIPEE!!

Sunday with an SX-70

This weekend we went out for mexican and spent time in the park and I took along my little friend, my SX-70. Sure, I really "should" get this camera adjusted so the images don't come out all over exposed. But I'd only do it out of curiosity. I really really love what comes out of this camera the way it is. They're like instant little watercolor paintings. With tidy white borders.


This beautiful book, edited by Jen Altman, is filled with Polaroid photographers. It is so inspiring that, after I got it, I bought my SX-70. I just had to capture some of the magic that comes out of a Polaroid camera.

I'm pretty sure the book has been sold out for a while, however, click here to see the list of photographers with links their websites. I hope these amazing photographers inspire you to pick up a Polaroid.

The Wedding Reception

The reception for my brother and his new bride was wonderful. I managed to finish the cake toppers and get them painted by the time the cake was delivered. Isn't that cake cute??? It was made by Creme de la Creme in Fort Worth, TX, who also made my sister-in-law's wedding cake. Deeeelish!


The grooms cake was made and decorated by my son (with some help from Daddy). He saw Mommy making the birds out of Sculpey for the wedding cake and decided he'd make some cake toppers too! There are four ducks swimming in a lake, with a "guy" and a horse looking on. I think Herb really liked it. Beautiful!

The paper Calla Lillies were the favors the guests took home. I made these flowers from beautiful hand made seeded paper from RecycledIdeas.etsy.com. Holly, from RecycledIdeas, went out of her way to make this gorgeous paper and get it to me quickly so I could finish all of these in time, and I really appreciate that.

I got the idea for these flowers from a great book I got from the library called Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Flowers by Karen Flamme. The book includes detailed instructions on how to make lots of different flowers from fabric, though I decided to make these from paper. The flowers can be enjoyed as they are, or the paper can be removed and easily germinated to grow wildflowers. Holly sent me easy to understand directions which I included with each flower. Fun!

Funny Book

Oh my! I know I'm late to the table on this one, but if you haven't thumbed through Amy Sedaris's book, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" yet, you're in for a TREAT! I first saw this book about a year and a half ago and didn't know what to make of it. Then, I picked it up at the library recently and I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!! So many useful tips on hosting parties, crafts, cooking. Genius!

Holiday Wishes

The mountains were so beautiful this Christmas. Lots of snow, lots of animals, two trips to Taos and my favorite bookstore. Here are some photos.

This is the house.

Deer came up to see us.

This is my favorite seat in the house. I could sit here all day.

A New Year's Day walk in the fresh snow.

My cutie and I rest in the snow. He always leaves a big impression. (sorry)

My favorite bookstore. Moby Dickens in Taos, NM. I never walk out empty handed because I always find something interesting there. They have a GREAT art section. And Ruby is a sweet bookstore kitty.

And my snowangel.

So now the Christmas decorations are down, my cup is filled with inspiration and I'm ready to make some things. Where to start????