Four for Friday

I found out yesterday that Easter is next weekend.  I'm going to finagle this into a loosely-based Easter-theme FfF post.  Are you planning any festivities for April 8th?

What about this weekend, fun stuff ahead?  I have to do my taxes.  Talk about waiting until the last minute, eh?  Nothing much else on the agenda.  NY is supposed to get an icky rain storm.  It might be a nice weekend to stay in, watch movies and bake something tasty! 

- Rad egg decorating over at Hey Look!  The whole vegan thing prevents the BF from partaking in the (super fun) crafty activity.  Maybe some eggs from (cruelty free) Queen's County Farm would go over okay?  (They have sweet, happy lil chickens.)

- How about this perfect(ly cool) Easter dress?!  If you're snickering at my choice, head over to Asos and pick your own darn dress!  There are 1772 to choose from.

- Aw!  Adorable Easter Bunny Peep cards at the C Design Illustration shop.  Also, check out the Etsy Spring Guide for more seasonal buys.

- As an Easter treat, go non-traditional and whip up these adorable pink and green Mochi from Bakingdom!

Challenge: Creative Assemblage

First, I just have to say the the tulips are happening in New York.  Yeeeowza!  The planters in Union Square are busting at the seams with a fiery rainbow of orange, red, pint and yellow-kissed petals.  Maaaaa-gical!

Anyway, on to the real post.  This brings me to a disgruntling realization... I haven't really made myself a proper meal since December.  Breakfast is something I grabbed at the deli on my way into work, plus coffee (or sometimes just coffee), lunch is some form of takeout (Wholefoods, deli, food truck, etc) and dinner is pre-made bt the grocery store or an assemblage.  And no, it's not a creative assemblage (alla some sorta chic salad).  It's pre-cut veggies and hummus in a tub.  Even on the weekends, the most effort I've put into meals in covering a toasted bagel with tofu cream cheese.  Fail.  Big time gourmet fail.

After spotting this recipe for Quinoa Sushi I'm gaining motivation though!  So pretty, right?  I ate quite a bit of sushi on my Asian adventure.  Truth be told, I have actually made veg sushi before.  (The whole truth is that I was 8 and in 3rd grade summer school.)  I just need to pick up a few supplies before jumping in.  Challenge: Creative Assemblage has been accepted!  What about you?  Sushi lover?  Sushi maker?

All photos by Sara of My New Roots

Hello Magnolia!

As promised... aren't they gorgeous?!!!

All photos taken at the BBG courtesy of the (very talented) BF

French Feet

Hurry, head over to Refinery 29 and check out Cri de Coeur.  The French company does sassy footwear, cruelty free!  Register with Refinery and get $50 off a hot pair o' shoesies!  More often than not vegan shoes are... um... rather... unsightly.  Cri de Coeur offers anything but ugliness.  Promise!

P.S.  Tell the man or men in your life about Good Guys.  Also French.  Also awesome. 

Springing Up

I did check out the BBG last weekend!  We were a little early for most of the cherry trees but we did see some lovely early-bloom bulb flowers and a load of incredible magnolia trees.  Today I'm just going to share the flowers.  You have to await the tree photos with baited breath, those are for tomorrow!  Back to the bulbs... narcissus, daffodils and snow-in-summer covered entire hillsides and were overflowing in flower beds.  There were clusters of gorgeous little grape hyacinth and quite a few of the large Dutch hyacinth too.  My parent grow all these lovelies, so they have quite a soft spot in my heart.  There were oodles more flowers of course, including stunning hellebores and a few early tulips.  I'm planning to check out the gardens again soon to catch the cherry trees and tulips in their full glory.

Four for Friday

So much nice weather!!!  Springtime, yay!  Unfortunately, it's supposed to start raining soon.  Weekend bummer.  I really wanted to check out the flowering trees and blooming bulbs at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.  Fingers crossed that a rain-free window opens up either tomorrow or Sunday.  Any fun Spring-weekend plans in your day book?  See you back on Monday chickens!

- Love this dress.  Actually the entire Anthro spring line is dreamy.  Sundress season!!!  So flippin' excited. 

- Getting lost inside Paper Source.  Too much stationary is never enough. 

- I'm not a huge fan of (dare I say it) children.  Eh.  Don't be glaring at me through your computer screen.  On the other hand these tykes are SO CUTE.  I think it's the DVF + GAP clothes that are really working magic on me though.

- Totes crushing on Lola Nova's crafty lanterns.  They would be so sweet for a Spring fête!  The in depth tutorial will have you hanging the luminous, patchy creation in no time.

A Crazy Floral Fancy

Last weekend, my heart sorta skipped a beat when I saw these cheapo jeans staring at me through a storefront window on 2nd Ave.  I tried them on.  I was torn.  Cray-cray?  Yes, they are a little out there.  The BF told me that I wouldn't like them next year.  I figured they would be worn once every 3 weeks for the next 9 months.  I told myself it wasn't worth it.  But here I am, enjoying the happiest sunniest (most weirdly amazing) March afternoon, wearing black denim and thinking of these faded floral print 5 pockets.

Quick Pic

Hey guys, I'm not dead!  Just figuratively drowning in work.  Here is a photo from the peak, looking down over a foggy Hong Kong.  Beautiful right?!!  Ideally, not the greatest day to take the tram up (up, up!) and snap photos.  But I kind of loved the moodiness.  And it wasn't crowded : )  At times the wind gust would reveal the water and Kowloon side.  Even mostly obscured, Hong Kong from high above was quite a site to see!

Back!

Yes, yes, I'm home!  I did a super bad job of keeping in touch but work filled my every waking hour.  Even mangia time people.  Seriously!  Breakfast?  Eating room service over the lap top, getting a jump on Eastern Standard Time's emails that arrive in your inbox overnight.  Lunch?  Stuffing delivery in my face over the lap top.  Any few minutes to sit in one place and play catch-up on email was gold.  Dinner?  Ugh.  Vendor dinners.  Really pricey food and rather uncomfortable work chatting.  Not a cool combo.

Whilst I had a wonderful time, I am quite relieved to be home.  I'll share pics and tell you more about the trip later.  For now, just a peek at some of amazing orchids at Hong Kong's Botanical Garden and Hong Kong Park.  I was blown away.  Most of my camera roll is of Asian foliage & architecture.  Most of the foliage pics are orchids : )

P.s. I came home to this hardy little fellow, flashing blooms!  (Pardon iPhone 3G crappy camera fuzziness.)

Overseas & Far East I Go

I wanted to issue a quick goodbye last week but the nutz-o-ness at work prevented any me-time.  Thursday ended up an all-out s#@& show.  Pardon the expletive.  It was day 3 of our Spring 2013 concept kickoff meetings and also my final day in the office.  Busy much?  Yep.  One of those no time to eat lunch until 4:00 days, where coffee and stress kept me alert, and the must-do's finally wrapped at 9pm.  Which left me an hour to buy a new piece of luggage and a few other travel essentials. 

But, let me tell you a bit about the amazing last 3 days.  Early Friday morning I boarded my (swanky business  class) flight for Korea.  It was by far the most enjoyable flight of my life.  Korean Air is fantastic.  Unreal.  I spent my 14 hour flight exploring the depths of a complimentary travel bag (cooling eye gel, face cream, hair brush & comb, toothbrush & paste, aerosol mineral water spray for misting your face!), watching free films, eating superb (restaurant quality!) meals, and sleeping blissfully- in a giant, beyond comfortable seat that reclined into a flat bed.  The pillows and blankets were A+ too.  I stayed away from the 2 on board bar/ lounges because I feared dehydration and a hangover.  But they looked pretty sweet.  Mood lighting, intimate booths and all.  Oh, and the bathrooms were nearly the size of my bathroom at home.

Then came Seoul.  I stayed in the Park Hyatt...  Holy.  Cow.  This hotel is beyond beautiful.  It's pricey but it's well designed, luxury to the max.  The bathroom alone made me want to cry.  If ever I have the opportunity to renovate my future home, this hotel room will factor in as inspiration.  The breakfast buffet was killer too.  Elegant.  Delish.  Had fresh-pressed kiwi juice that changed my life : )

We did some major shopping yesterday, 10-6.  Hard core.  My back and neck were pissed by the end of it.  So worth while though.  Korean fashion is out of control creative.  The stores are also superbly merchandised.  I could have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Restraint prevailed.  The damage ended up in the tens of thousands of dollars range instead.

Now it's Monday, yes, manic Monday.  I'm currently on a flight to Hong Kong.  I'll be in China for another week.  I can't promise completely frequent posts but do venture back!  I'll be making every effort to check in, say hello and share some current events.

Kisses from Asia!!!