pop bar

This Pollock looking pop makes me want to go and try all the different combinations. I've added popbar to my weekend list of things I want to do.

wedding photos

I knew that having my photo taken over and over on our wedding day would be a challenge for me. The solution to that challenge, getting two of my favourite people to take the photos, Christina and Steve Willows! They made it a breeze and her photos are amazing.

the taste of sunshine

While I was in Victoria to try and finish off plans for the wedding. I also made strawberry jam with my mum to give as wedding favours. I love preserving; I always feel like I'm slowly saving summer to bring out again in the middle of a dreary winter day. I've also been fortunate enough to live in a relatively rural community where I can walk to buy locally grown veg and fruit, which fulfills my hippie slow foodie community and environmentally responsible ideals.

silhouette masterpiece theatre

I love how absurd these are. I'm trying to think of the best place to put them in a house; the best I've been able to come up with is guest bathroom. Mostly as anyone who is a guest of mine will understand my humour and not think to themselves that a) I'm on some form of hallucinogenic or b) I'm a sociopath.

missed a month

Sorry for being MIA over April. All things wedding related have been very stressful and resulted in me not enjoy life as much as I could. The good news is that I'm now feeling a lot more in control in regards to the wedding, which has reduced my stress level by at least 85%. The remaining stress is left with having to plan a wedding relatively last minute in my 'hood. However, with team mum in my corner I have a feeling that everything is going to work out and run smoothly at this point.

My amazingly talented and loving cousin Auburn was also in New York for a little less than a week in April and having her here brightened up my mood considerably. We walked around, talked a lot, saw some shows and sights. It was a very healing distraction. I'm so fortunate to have her as a cousin and I miss her tons now that she's back in Alberta. We did do the extremely touristy thing of going to Ellis and Liberty Islands, or what I like to call the Day of Queueing. Note to self: never go to Ellis or Liberty Island ever again. Ever. Full stop. So if you come to visit and you want to go see the very famous Islands (which were gorgeous and affordable), I will be more than happy to hop on the subway down to Battery Park, queue with you to buy your ticket and that's where my dedication to being your tour guide will end.

Image courtesy of Auburn's amazing photography skills.

bird whimsy

I love the idea of measuring out my spices with these little bird measuring spoons. They're so pretty and whimsical. Who said indie bird art was dead? I sure as heck didn't!

yum

I made thai style noodles for dinner last night. They were delicious served cold at lunch as well! It needs repeating, yum!

i know jacques

I'm in love with this purple-y grey nail polish, sure it might not scream "spring is here!" but it does scream "I'm gorgeous!" So I'm ok with the not so spring colour.

momofuku noodle bar = drool

Ami and I went out to Momofuku Noodle Bar which is just a few blocks south of home, I'm sad to say how long it took us to get there as I've been to the Momofuku Milk Bar for crazy ice cream but never for food. Wow, I regret not getting there sooner! We shared pork steamed buns, shitake steamed buns, and ginger scallion noodles. Dang yo! Amazing food. I also had their ginger slushy which they dub "dark and stormy" it was deliciously warm from the spice but cold from the slush! If anyone comes out to New York you can be guaranteed I'll be taking you to this restaurant.

what a difference a week makes

Knock on wood that this post doesn't equal another month of winter. That photo was taken exactly a week ago, however today makes me think that spring is on it's way in New York. Ami and I went to brunch with some friends this morning, and we sat outside with no need of heaters! Amazing! So hello to spring and goodbye to my very gorgeous snowboots.

union square farmers market

The problem with not planning before going to the farmers market: a) you come home and realise that you needed onions, b) you didn't buy onions, and c) you watched as your lovely brown man took photos of them instead.

Damn and blast.

sugar lip treatment

Thank you for protecting my lips from the wind, the cold, the dry and the sun. I've considered your application for permanent status in my purse and it's been accepted, congratulations on being a part of the team! I've decided to ignore your price and enjoy your velvet consistency!

when the sun isn't shinning

When my widget reflects what looking outside my window shows, it gives me no excuse to not make some bread like I've been planning to for awhile! Although I wanted to experiment with getting a sourdough starter up and on the go in my fridge, I was not prepared enough for that. So instead I pulled out my trusty Canadian Living cookbook and get stuck into it.

First note: I do not have a mixing bowl large enough for a double recipe. First mistake: making a double recipe thinking it'll turn out fine. Oops.



I added 3 cups of whole wheat flour to fool myself into thinking it will be healthy! Or at least healthier than the insane shelf life bread available here (unless I'm willing to part with a big chunk of cash to get the good stuff from the bakery).



Before shot.




Delicious after shot.



My plan is to keep making homemade bread as this batch (for my first batch without the aid of my mum) turned out extremely well. The flavour is very mild as I'm used to something a bit more hearty, time to try out the country harvest recipe next or the sourdough! Yum!

balloons should be happy

Ami and I finally got around to watching Up tonight due to the fact that we're both ill (which you will note is entirely Ami's fault). I had been warned about the depressing content in the film so I thought I was prepared. Uh... yea... no wasn't prepared. My favourite part was when Ami said, "you better not die first."

cuddle time in the afternoon

Sweet Boris and Zoya. They've been part of my home for over a month now and it's been an excellent month indeed. I cannot say that I'm looking forward to shedding non-kittens but I invested in some lint rollers from Ikea to be prepared. Boris has become a cuddle monster, he walks along the edge of the bed at night, slowly makes his way up by my pillow and decidedly flops down in front of me to get some bedtime cuddling in. Zoya sleeps above Ami's head on his pillow and if she's in the mood for cuddles she'll fall asleep in pretty much any position. She also ate so much the other night that she waddled out of the kitchen, I don't think I've ever seen a kitten waddle before.

ceramic antler chandelier

Drool, it's gorgeous. One day when I have a room worthy of it, I'll investigate how much it costs. Artist = Jason Miller.

wish list

For some reason looking at swatches of spilled nail polish makes me want it even more! However, you suck for being sold out in haze, the colour I would purchase... dreamy smokey violet how pretty you would look on my nails rather than spilled in a picture.

trendspotting

I've become a collector. I walk places, I see pixelated awesomeness, I document said awesomeness in photographs. Extra points awarded if pixelated awesomeness is from arcade games. Above spotted in the East Village.


Spotted in the Meat Packing District.


Spotted in Montmartre, Paris. I especially love the flower box.

i missed the sun today

They said there was a massive winter storm warning for today. I believe they lied and stole the sun at the same time. Jerks.

Picture was taken by an ex-firefighter from Brooklyn who now works on the water taxi to Ikea. He told me the story of how he miraculously survived September 11th in the most authentic Brooklyn accent I've ever heard.

dancing in my underpants

Sondre Lerche's soundtrack to Dan in Real Life makes me dance around in the morning semi-clothed; specifically To Be Surprised have a listen, maybe you'll want to dance around in your frilly lacy things as well!

Photo by Isabell N Wedin www.isabellnwedin.com

back to regular programming

Sorry about the lack of posts. My parents came to visit me in New York and we had a blast; mum kept saying, "this is opening up my horizons." Dad knew everything there is to know about New York after reading my rough guide except how to swipe the metro card with any success. I took them to the Frick Collection as it is my favourite, over to Brooklyn to see the view back at the city, up the Empire State Building and just walking around the city to get a feel for it.

wish list

Brought to you by etsy seller smartfish. Would be perfect for my wedding day! Swoon, but expensive.

dear skylight diner

This is not a fork, it is a trident. A trident is for ruling the seven seas. Please re-evaluate your utensils and purchase some forks accordingly.

Kind Regards,

Kim.

glam-tastic

Oh goodness oh goodness! Normally I'm not a huge fan of J Crew with their loafers, cardigans and gold sequined shorts? However, this beacon bag I'm drooling over (minus the price, there is little to no drool over the price)!

boris and zoya

Black pets are notoriously hard to photograph, I've been attempting to capture Boris and his sweet expression and failing miserably. Ami, in his infinite wisdom (or what I like to refer to as buying a new lens and mucking about with his camera) has managed what I thought might be impossible without professional studio lights! Look at my sweet Boris and his curious little face. However, he has decided that my pillow is his chosen place for sleeping at night... not that I mind his motor purr near my ear as it helps drown out the noises of New York (aka sirens and loud garbage trucks).

Zoya is adorable and ridiculously easy to photograph. Plus she's a freakin' ninja, more stories to follow.

sunday morning in gramercy

One thing that I've have being enjoying is the sun in New York; it's January and there is sun everyday! Even at -8°C outside, I can deal with it because of the sun. Ami and I went out for a late brunch at Five Points restaurant which is 20ish blocks away from home, but we were walking south which meant the sun warming my cheeks while we walked. I was disappointed in brunch though, it was a decidedly average meal which I wasn't expecting with the 4.5 stars it had received on google, especially when Cafe Orlin was delicious last weekend and significantly less pretentious. On the way home we stopped at our local bagel shop Ess-A-Bagel to pick up a baker's dozen. Seriously, they're as big as your head, and delicious! I do miss the hand rolled skinny Montreal style bagels that I grew up with, but these are a welcome change.

I also got a few French Macaroons from a cafe across the street and devoured them.



I ate three, and left Ami one. Yes, I am that much of a pig.

in search for the perfect bag

I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm very picky when it comes to bags. I want some detail and flare, but not too much. I want it to be functional, but not ugly in a bad utilitarian enough pockets to fit all of my posessions. I've been looked for a good 4 months, and I haven't found a thing. I have been drooling over this one from the etsy seller valhallabrooklyn. It's gorgeous! And the lining! I love bags with great prints when you open them up, it's like a fancy surprise.

j'adore musique francophone

I love listening to musique francophone... and by love I mean I'm mildly obsessed. It's probably due to the fact that I can sing along which in some twisted way makes me think I'm practicing my french. It has also resulted in some massive girl crushes, oh if only I was more than .25 francophone maybe someone would have a massive crush on me. Un jour, peut-être. Something about the effortlessly fabulous style that I aspire to.



I've been listening to Coeur de Pirate for awhile now, I downloaded it from itunes when genius told me I'd like it... surprise surprise, I love it!

And today I stumbled across Claire Denamur, love this video.

i could be crafty too

I'm thinking I should've brought my few embroidery supplies to New York as I'm drooling over this project. However, I will use it an opportunity to go to some amazing craft stores that I'm sure are ridiculously overpriced. Project care of Craft and their etsy love.

wish list

Oh etsy... how I can while away the hours on you. Case in point I skipped across this picture on flickr and thus was directed to the etsy store for avphotolove. Swoon, how lovely that would look on my wall.

and you will be my squishy...

I'm officially a cat owner, not only that, I'm officially a two kitten owner! Oh joyous! I've fulfilled a goal of 4 year old Kim. They are so cute, soft, sweet, playful and purr purr purr... there is no perfect exclamation for this moment! Ami and I went into the rescue organisation planning on getting one cat... we left pending approval on getting two kittens after a house visit (this means our apartment is cat approved?) Now we have two kittens, one black boy named Boris and one grey and cream and stripy girl named Zoya. Yes, we have two russian cats living in New York... they might be unaware that they are russian but I like to speak to them in what I'm sure is a horribly fake russian accent.