What I Did This Weekend

What I Did This Weekend in 4 Episodes

Saturday- The C-Word

Saturday morning marked the grand opening of the C. Wonder at Columbus Circle, so I decided to check it out.  If you're familiar, C. Wonder is a clothing/homewares store that a lot of ladies have been losing their shit over ever since they opened their first store in Soho last year.  I am not insanely in love with their stuff, it's a little too Sorority in the City for me, BUT they have this:

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I really want it.  Why?  Check out my Hot Pink post & you'll know.  The Grand Opening promised treats, prize drawings and "mystery gift cards to the first 300 customers" so I thought, anything that makes this less than $98 has to be good, right?

So a little background on me: I'm not really the "shopping party" type and I hate crowds and lines (wait, why do I live in NYC?).  But for a gift card and the chance to get something I already wanted, I swallowed my pride, joined the 150-person line that had formed BEFORE 10am and prayed I wouldn't see anyone I knew.  A too-cool image is very fragile, ya know?

15 minutes later: Cut to me hiding in the corner of the store eating free candy and just trying not to get body checked by the monogrammed masses, clutching my $5 no-longer-a-mystery-gift card.  One of the salespeople, reading my mixed expression of social anxiety and disappointment, felt the need to ask me if I was OK.

All in all, it was generally a waste of my time.  C. WordWonder is on my S-list and I was too annoyed to buy the tray.

Sunday- Seventh Heaven

After such an unsuccessful Saturday, I needed some divine intervention to renew my faith in the Office Redo Gods.  I found it at Organic Modernism, one of my favorite furniture stores in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  I had merely stopped by to ogle a few pieces I've had my eye on, and ask some questions.  But then the next thing I knew, there I was, talking to the owners about the Alma Brass chair and lo and behold, they offered me a $200 discount.  People, if someone offers you a 33% discount, you take it, right?!!!

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She's home now, already covered in cat hair just like God intended.

 

Sunday- The Emmy's

Sunday night my show had a black tie Emmy's party.  The show had been nominated but we didn't win.  My husband's show won.  So really I won too.  Because Jon is a winner.  I got to wear a silver silk charmeuse dress I bought on an impulse 5 years ago and never worn.  I also got to break the news about the chair to Jon at the party.  A little booze never hurts when discussing impulse purchases.

 

Monday- The Office

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Don't try to go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or the Brooklyn Museum on your day off Monday.  They're closed.  In fact, don't try to get any type of culture at all, culture is closed on Mondays.  Instead, go to Allswell in Williamsburg for brunch.  Order the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  And be happy that not being in the office has been instrumental in completing your home office redo this weekend.

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The End.  

No wait, actually:

To Be Continued...

Project Runway Season 10 Recap- Episode 10

Bitch Slap That Bitch

After last week's goodbye to Gunnar, we're down to 7 designers!

All photos courtesy of Lifetime

This week the designers are sent to Radio City Music Hall and before we see a single kick ball change, we all know they'll be designing for the Rockettes.  Tim Gunn explains the specifics: a new costume for the Rockettes that can be worn year-round and that is practical and modern.  The winning design will actually be produced and worn by the Rockettes!

Project Runway Season 10 Recap- Episode 8

Conventions of Democracy

Last week NO ONE went home and Christopher, AKA Ted Bundy, is furious.  You can bet your ass he'll make sure that won't happen again this week.  Just ask Andrea and Kooan (too soon?).

All photos courtesy of Lifetime

This week the producers of Project Runway have officially run out of money.  Their budget was supposed to last for the entirety of the season, but between Ven's insatiable ego and Nina's insistence that everything look "expensive," including the toilet paper and chicken caesar salad, the producers found themselves flat broke by episode 8.  Fear not!  Nothing can stop the show!  Tim Gunn holds up the Michael's on 100th St. at "Gunnpoint" and makes it back to Parsons with a shitload of puffy paint and t-shirts.

Huckleberry Bar

Today I'm hungover.

Last night my sister, her friend and their youthful livers came to visit me in Williamsburg.  I thought I was just going to do my older sisterly duty of treating them to dinner and sending them off on their sloppy bar hoppy way.

I thought my bar hopping days were over.  Now I'm much more of a bar plopper- I like artful light fixtures, artisan bathroom soap, a music level that permits conversation and seating so I can wear exquisitely painful shoes and get compliments from the gays.

But last night I hopped with the 24 year-olds and marveled at their remarkable tolerance for shitty bars. We went to five bars (which incidentally quadrupled my bar tally for the month).  One had loud shitty live music and a cover, one was a pool hall without pool tables, and one was an ironic hipster country club.  I drank beer out of cans.

Me and my sister, Stephanie.  Basically she's my face from 7 years ago.

After all that, I was desperate for a good cocktail and something resembling decor, so I brought the crew to one of my favorite local spots: Huckleberry Bar.  I love this place.  It has a sultry ambience and an excellent bathroom.  The lights fixtures are grade A and the bartenders are charming, dapper and adorable.  Oh yeah, and the drinks & food are good too.

A Williamsburg Weekend

This weekend was all about exploring.

I don't know about you, but I tend to fall into patterns- going to the same places, seeing the same people, doing the same things.  It gets to the point where I'm actually nervous to try something new.  Some of you may call that Social Anxiety Disorder, but I just call it "being in a rut" because that sounds way less certifiable.

I guess I was feeling especially adventurous this weekend, however, and tried to shake things up while at the same time getting to know my neighborhood a little bit better.

If you don't know, I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  But not the "cool" part, not Bedford.  I live a few subway stops east, though I daren't say I live in "East" Williamsburg because a.) there's no such thing as East Williamsburg and b.) that's what people say when they live in Bushwick (not that there's anything wrong with that).

There are tons of awesome spots in my part of town, however.  Here are a few that I visited for the first time this weekend:

Grand Street Bakery:

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These people really walk the walk, repurposing the former Grand Street Bakery into a cool vintage store.  The t-shirt selection is righteous and I saw some pretty awesome leather boots that wanted so badly for me to adopt them.

Asian Foods Express:

This Asian restaurant supplier on Grand Street is a true gem.  Though it has a storefront, it looks like a store that has yet to open, with boxes piled up in front of the windows.  Even Yelp says it's closed, which I think adds a bit of street cred to the place.  I guess they just don't care because their main line of business is wholesale; providing Asian ingredients to the Thai and Chinese restaurants in the area.  However, if you stop in (at a time that they happen to be open, which seems a bit unpredictable), they'll sell you whatever you need!  Jon and I bought palm sugar, Thai basil and green chilis, all ingredients we don't see at our regular grocery store.

Then we went home and rocked out with our wok out.  We (Jon) made Pad Kra Pow and it was sexy hot.

Mei Ying Qi Gong Tui-Na:

Finally, I also got a Chinese massage because my legs hurt from marathon training and my neck was sore from writing Project Runway recaps on my laptop.  True story.  I'm usually a little wary of massage spots- all the nakedness and the fear of a little tug with your rub.  But reviews suggested this place was upstanding and cheap so I gave it a try.  My masseuse rubbed my neck so hard I thought my head was going to explode, and if you know me, you know that means it was the best massage ever.  I have bruises on my legs from where she punished my calves.  After she ripped apart my muscles, she used hot stones so I left feeling like Paula Abdul 5 minutes before an American Idol taping.  It was glorious.


I'm so happy I discovered a few new "regulars" in my 'hood.  Sorry some of these pictures are ass- I forgot to snap my own.

Project Runway Season 10 Recap- Episode 5

The Tale of Nitpicking Nina and the One Way Monkey

All photos courtesy of Lifetime

Last week Andrea and Kooan disappeared into the murky abyss, Raul was brought back from the dead and we said Auf Wiedersehen to Buffi. 

Nevertheless, the show must go on!  This week is another team challenge!

Oh how I love this meatloaf of a challenge.  It is to design a capsule collection of professional women's wear that is both editorial but also works in the real world.  There will be 2 teams, and both will have to direct their own photo shoot in addition to designing the collection with no designated team leaders.  The winning team's photos will appear in Marie Claire Magazine!!!  Oh, no, wait- that's not right.  They will appear in Marie Claire.... @Work..... Magazine!@#$!?@?#!!!  Our #1 source for all women's work fashion journalism, duh.

Project Runway Season 10 Recap- Episode 4

Episode 4: Saved by the Belt

All photos courtesy of Lifetime

Last week's episode left us with more questions than answers; Andrea disappeared into the night while Chris, with wide eyes but a tell-tale heart, at once feigned innocence while admitting that he "pushed her in front of a bus."  

Beth and Jon's Wedding: Part III

Ceremony

All photos by Heather Waraksa

Beth and Jon's Wedding: Part II

Portraits

All photos by Heather Waraksa

Beth and Jon's Wedding: Part I

Getting Ready

All Photos by Heather Waraksa

PostScript Brooklyn

So this weekend I finally began writing thank you notes for the wedding.  It took me forever to get the stationery in because I was an idiot and didn't order them along with the rest of my wedding invitations.  But they HAD TO MATCH so I placed another order after the wedding and patiently awaited their arrival.

In case you couldn't already tell, I go ape-shit crazy over stationery.  If you have ever gotten a letter/note/birthday card from me rest assured I spend the better half of a day AT LEAST picking it out.  I'm seriously the person who reads every single card in the card store.  And I buy the $7 laser-cut, hand sewn, bejazzled cards.  But not the ones that play music, those are just ridiculous.

Naturally, picking out my wedding stationery was a task in and of itself.  I came across PostScript Brooklyn and loved their stuff- all done by local Brooklyn artists.  They'll do letterpress or digital and will totally work with you to customize something.  My favorite designs were their Cityscapes collections of various NYC landmarks cause I'm obsessed with NYC.  But they do other stuff too.  And if they can draw the Chrysler building I'm sure they could totally draw the St. Louis arch, or that dumb LOVE sign from Philly.  

And they totally didn't pay me to say any of this so don't worry, this isn't one of those BS sponsored posts you see on other blogs.  I would never do that (unless you want to pay me to do that, then I would totally consider it).

Third Street

Bedford

Seaport

Grand Central Station

Spring Street

San Remo

Photo by Heather Waraksa

Photo by Heather Waraksa

And here's my invitation suite- which I used elements of the San Remo collection but did a custom illustration for the invite card.  I'm a little crazy too cause I went on Ebay for weeks to buy vintage stamps of the Brooklyn Bridge and flowers.  But I'm not crazy enough to post our real address.  SUCKERS!

Hope you all had a stalkerific weekend!

Project Runway Season 10 Recap- Episode 1

Season 10 Project Runway is Here!!!

Oh how I've missed you, regular Project Runway!  Cause let's face it, Project Runway All-Stars wasn't the same.  It reminded us why none of those people won Project Runway to begin with.  And the femme-bot with gams they had hosting it didn't even say "auf wiedersehen."  And Isaac Mizrahi ain't no Michael Kors.  No one can tell someone they look like Joan Crawford at a St. Patrick's Day party like MK.

Life is Grand

Photo by Heather Waraksa

Yesterday I showed you all pictures of the apartment pre-Beth and Jon, so today I thought I'd show you what our Grand St. apartment looks like now:

PB&J Loft

 ... as in Pre- Beth and Jon.  Here's what it (sort of) looks like currently:
(more current photos here!)

Photo by Heather Waraksa

I thought I'd share some photos of our current apartment from our first walk-through over 2 years ago.  We got to look at the apartment before the previous tenant had moved out, which was a huge help for us "walls & doors" people to see how one might decorate an open space.
Though things clearly worked out for us,  just seeing these photos reminds me of the nightmare that is apartment hunting in NYC.  I'm not saying all brokers are terrible people, but if you were in the piles-of-crap-selling-business you might compromise your ideals too.  The lies!  Oh the lies-
loft = studio
jr. 1 bedroom = studio
2 bedroom = 1 bedroom plus a large closet
New York area = Jersey
upper east side = spanish harlem
harlem = washington heights
williamsburg = bushwick / bed stuy
cozy = so effing tiny
quiet = dungeony dark
close to everything! = drunks at your doorstep
minutes from the subway! = miles from the subway

Oh there are so many more.  I almost sucker punched a broker who spent 20 minutes telling us you don't pay for the apartment, you pay to be in NYC.  Don't tell me what I'm trying my best not to admit.  Nevertheless, most apartments here are shit-holes and you really have to look hard to find a good one.

So when we saw this place, Sally Struthers shed a small tear, cause baby we were home!
More photos after the jump!