style / cathy's living and family room makeover

when cathy came to my mom for help in her house, she was deciding between rooster fabrics. the massive overhaul of changes are a testament to the fact that my mom helped her to get over the roosters, turn from the dark side, and choose to have great style. they started with the downstairs, and have now moved upstairs to bedrooms and offices. how great does it look? her house has been completely transformed!! i don't have before pictures, but check out these after pictures that were taken by her son jacob dunford, an excellent photographer who i hope to learn a thing or two from. {you can check out his website here}

i still can't decide what i love more, the chesterfield couches, or the color palette of green and blues with pops of pink. i loved tagging along and shopping with them, helping to choose living room furniture and couches. hopefully someday i will be able to do what my mom can in the styling department! 

currently obsessed / urban outfitters maps

it's taking everything i have to not go out and buy every single one of these map posters. i honestly can't decide which i love the most: the scratch off world map where you can track where you've been? the new york metro map? the northeast map? (just because we are living here for the moment.) they are all so cute and would add so much to an office, playroom, living room... really any room would do better with a map. currently i own two maps, one of the world and a vintage one of london. someday i want to have a wall dedicated to maps, probably in my office, and it will probably have each of these urban outfitters ones.  also, check out their map tapestries if you want the whole wall to be covered in a giant map. which i would also love to have.

scratch off world map

dry erase world map

new york city map

paris map

new york metro map

midwest map

northeast map

artist you should know / henri de toulouse lautrec

when jarman and i were first dating there was an exhibit at the san diego museum of art all about lautrec, and i forced him to go with me. it was such a great exhibit and had so many of his unfinished works. my favorite part about lautrec is his sketchy quality and rawness, some of his works are even done on cardboard. jarman ordered a lautrec book for me for christmas that year, and i loved that he thought of it. lautrec has been one of my favorite artists since then.

the artist:

lautrec came from an aristocratic family. his mother and father were cousins, and the inbreeding in their family caused health problems for young henri. on top of that, he broke both of his hips, and his legs stopped growing. as an adult, he had a full torso, with children's sized legs. because he could not enjoy most activities that others could, he took to painting. 

lautrec was a post-impressionist who borrowed a lot of his stylistic details from impressionists.  he painted contemporary french society, and showed what lower class life was like during the post-revolutionary era. lautrec moved to the bohemian montemartre area of paris, and painted scenes that were common to the bohemian lifestyle. many of his works were painted in the moulin rouge: he practically lived there. he was very depressed and became and alcoholic, drinking the formidable absinthe that was so fashionable. he died at the young at of 37.

the art: 

the most well-known pieces by lautrec are his posters that he created for the moulin rouge. while many other artists turned down the commission, he gladly accepted because the moulin rouge was like home to him. he also painted many prostitutes and entertainers that he saw at the moulin rouge, some of them were even done on site. 

where you have heard of him: 

i hope that most of you have seen moulin rouge- if not, go watch it right now. lautrec was portrayed as the midget play writer. he goes by toulouse in the movie. he was also featured in midnight in paris, as one of the artists of la belle epoque.

10 favorite things to do / new york

i have been lucky enough to visit new york three time in the past year and a half. while i'm no expert on the city, i have found some great things to do and see. my friend aubrey is visiting the city for the first time next week and asked me to make her a list, so here it is!

1. the one thing that i have done and loved every time i go to new york is make a trip to grimaldi's (go to the one underneath the brooklyn bridge). they literally have the best pizza ever. they use fresh mozzarella and have the best roasted red peppers ever. we usually order the antipasti plate and one pizza and have more than enough for the two of us. oh, and it's cash only- they have an atm, but it's generally better to just bring it. supposedly the lines can get really long, so we have always tried to get there super early (they open at noon) and have always gotten right in. near here is an awesome view of the city, just walk down the street to the docks and you can get some great pictures. 

2. after we eat at grimaldi's we walk across the brooklyn bridge. on clear days you can see the statue of liberty (which is the closest we have been to it). the bridge is amazing and you can get one of the typical pictures of all of the steel wires that hold the bridge up. 

3. walk (or eat) through soho. i have decided next time i go to new york i want to stay in soho. there are so many shops and food places, you will leave penniless and fat. and oh so happy. last time i went i was introduced to rice and riches, which is a rice pudding shop. now i have never eaten rice pudding in my life, because it sounds absolutely disgusting, but this rice pudding is to die for. it has actually been on my mind a lot lately, and i have been contemplating spending a lot of money to have it shipped to my house. 

4. walk through the high line park. it is an old railroad turned in to a park. it is literally raised off the streets, so you can get really interesting views of the city. there is great architecture to be seen and some interesting sculptures along the way. last time i went it rained the whole time, but was still totally worth it.

5. towards the end of the highline is chelsea market. i know half of the things i have told you to do have to do with food, but you really won't regret this one. there are tons of little food shops and cute little boutiques (and anthro:). our favorite thing to get is the crepes. they are kind of hidden, but find them and eat one. our favorite is the brescaola- italian meats, arugula, goat cheese, lemon dressing... need i say more?

6. the museum of modern art. this may be the greatest museum i have ever been to. it makes me so happy to see so many amazing artists in one place. the work that is probably the most famous is starry night, but take time to look at all of the art. you can also see jackson pollock, marc rothko, kandinsky, matisse's dance, picasso's les demoiselles d'avignon. these are the artists that make up modern art books/classes. 

7. see a show in times square. it's totally worth it. even if you choose something totally random that you wouldn't normally choose- last time i saw macbeth and it was amazing! if you haven't bought tickets beforehand, you can download the tkts app and see which shows will be available that day. at 3 o'clock they open the windows for the evening shows. there can be really long lines, so be prepared to wait.

 8. walk through central park. parks in the middles of cities make me so happy. i love that although new york is crammed and crowded, they still have space for a massive park. next time i go i'm hoping to see the bethesda terrace, for one embarrassing reason. 

9.  the met. you just have to go. my favorite spaces were the 18th and 19th century rooms where there are tons of impressionist works. they have had the greatest exhibits the last times i have been too, so be sure to check out what is currently being shown. 

10. eataly. it is a large italian market that is divided the way that stores are divided in italy. there is a gelateria, pizzera, pesceria, etc. my favorite is to order cheese and meats at the bar tables, it feel so italian. the gelato is legit too. also, close to this is a shake shack, another new york must. 

my last bit of advice pretty much goes for any new city that you vist: walk as much as you can. you will see so much more and get such a better feel for the city. your legs will hurt, your feet will be tired, your ankles may swell, but keep walking! 

i know that these things are pretty common/typical, but for your first time in new york i think that you have to do all of them. i pretty much want to do each of these things every time i go, but i try to branch out as much as i can.