They Say, You Cant Have Just One!

Since I recently jumped onto the Etsy bandwagon, it only seems right that I start a blog for my store! My new blog PicturesqueBrooklyn will feature store updates as well as all of my DIY home projects that have gradually started to take over this blog.

I am really looking forward to this new blog and all of my upcoming projects I have planned for this year!

www.picturesquebrooklyn.blogspot.com

My New Etsy Shop is Up and Running!

Check check check it out! Ive started my very own Etsy shop this last week, www.etsy.com/shop/PicturesqueBrooklyn. There are only a few items up now, but it will soon be filled with lots of wonder vintage glassware, wood, handbags and handmade wall art for the home. Keep checking back for new stuff and help spread the word about my shop!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade PicturesqueBrooklyn.etsy.com

Suzy Homemaker: The 2009 Brooklyn Edition

Time for change at the apartment...my year lease was up November 1st and Dave planned to move out with his boyfriend. I of course was going to renew, so I went on a search for a new roommie. Luckily I found an awesome girl who met all of my requirements, that recently moved here from California.

I started cleaning and organizing the apartment the minute Dave moved his stuff out. In the last month Ive spent most all of my free time decorating the apartment or thinking of other cute ways I could decorate. Ive made several trips to IKEA and of course found some really cute things such as a new desk, wall art, shelving, along with other random nick nacks. I also found a really great Mid-Century Eames error foot stool on Ebay for cheap.

This last week I stained my birch colored Pello chair to match the rest of my living room furniture. This was my first staining project, the color matches the rest of the furniture pretty nicely, but I just wouldn't look at the quality of the job too closely since I was a little sloppy with my 7 coats of stain :)

I still need curtains for the kitchen, that has been a long ongoing search. But for the most part, I think the apartment is pretty close to finished, now I can just sit back and relax.
Pics below, enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Unfortunately I won't make it to the parade today due to work, but I definitely have a lot of wonderful memories from last year to last me for a bit. But on the bright side Im not a vegetarian anymore, so I get to enjoy turkey this year...wahoo!

I wanted to take a second and reflect on some of the things I am thankful for...Im thankful for my family back home, thankful for the wonderful memories and daily reminders that I have of my Nanny, for my pup Chili Palmer, my beautiful apartment in Brooklyn, for my super fun J O B and my ideal schedule, for great friends back home and here in New York, for not having to drive a car or buy gas EVER :), and thankful I get to see the beautiful Manhattan skyline on my way to work everyday...lucky girl!

Hope everyone has a great Turkeyday!

Fall Bliss

Today was such a beautiful day, sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s, definitely the kind of day that must be enjoyed outdoors. I decided Chili and I would go to the Brooklyn Flea, underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, to spend the day. So I dressed CP up in a snazzy blue Cosby sweater and we headed downtown.

Right when we walked through the main gate of the flea, we stopped to chat with a very nice Aussie couple who were visiting New York on holiday. They told me about their Chihuahua/Maltese mix back home and how silly it was and about the different foods they tried at the flea. Then they pointed out a camera crew just about 4 feet away from us, who were following a blonde woman around. The couple said her name was Martha, but they didn't know who she was. I realized it was the one and only Martha Stewart as soon as she turned around. I explained to them that she was a talk show host and a master crafter..I left out the part about her going to prison for a year over the Enron stock scandal :) I said goodbye to the lovely couple, snapped a couple pics of Martha and was on my way.

We walked around the flea, checking out all of the goods and stopped by our favorite pastry tent for a brownie. I saw a ton of cute stuff, but nothing that really jumped out at me as a must buy. I did buy a cute little Brooklyn Based tote for $8, but that was it. We ran into Martha one more time, I wouldn't have even noticed it was her standing right next to me, but her two French Bulldogs were making a huge scene barking at a another dog in front of us. Luckily CP was safe in my arms or he too probably would have suffered the wrath of Martha's ferocious Frenchies.

We left the flea and headed into DUMBO to spend some time in the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Before entering the park we walked through an adorable mini farmers market, but the only thing that really caught our eyes was a small pumpkin pie tart..yum. We found a nice warm spot to lay on the steps of the park alongside the river. We had the most amazing view as we were located between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge and directly across the East River was downtown Manhattan. I was so overwhelmed just thinking about how much I loved living in New York (Brooklyn especially) and how lucky I was that I was to be able to take advantage of this beautiful day, I swear I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

After enjoying a couple hours at the park, laying on the steps and people watching, it was time to head home. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect fall Sunday afternoon. If the weather is nice, I think I will venture out again tomorrow.

Martha Stewart

Man's best friend...Chili Palmer

Family photo :)

Michelle's NYC Bachlorette Weekend

Im just going to do a quick photo recap of my October visits. The first weekend of October I had my sister and some friends from Jacksonville up for my dearest friend Michelle's bachlorette weekend. There were about 8 girls that came up, they all stayed at my hotel, and 3 of us that lived here. We did lots of shopping, eating, drinking, and dancing. We had a good group of girls together and have so many great memories from that weekend.

Moms October Trip

A couple weeks after the girls came up for Chelle's bachlorette weekend, Moms came up to NY for a 3 day visit. She got here just in time for the cold weather to start rolling in :) It has almost been a year since her last visit, so Chili was extremely excited to see his grandma.

The first day she was here I took her to the Natural History Museum, walked around Central Park, the Top of the Rock, and dinner at Stickey Rice. The next day we had breakfast at a little cafe near my house, then went to do some shopping at Macy's, and a dessert lunch at Downtown Atlantic in Brooklyn. On her last full day we went on the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour. Unfortunately it rained the entire day so we only went to Liberty Island to see the statue. Later that night we laid in bed, watched movies, and ordered pizza, this was nice since the rain took away all of our energy.

We didn't get to do as much as I wanted to due to the weather, but we still had a really nice time together. Looking forward to her next trip up!

Friends, US Open, and Stretch Limos

The 2009 US Open was held here in New York, August 31st - September 13th. I was really excited that the tournament was here and had planned to buy a ticket and go solo. I sent an email to my tennis coach and friend, Brecht who lives back in Jacksonville, to see if by chance he had any plans on going. He didn’t really have any solid plans to come up for the tournament, but said it was something he had always wanted to do. So he and our friend Jessica booked a flight to arrive September 8th.

When they arrived that morning, I was just getting off my night shift. I headed over to meet them at their hotel in Queens, which had scary hallways that looked like the Shining :) Brecht booked a double room so I could crash at the hotel with them. We slept for a few hours and then headed out to the Open early that afternoon. The stadium grounds were very impressive. The first thing we saw as we walked towards the main entrance was an amazing huge steel globe sculpture surrounded by fountains and beautiful gardens. Once we walked into the gates, we were standing in front of a huge arena and to the sides of the arena were other small courts and restaurants.

We immediately went to get drinks and a ton of food. Then made our way to the seats, which were awesome! We had a great view of the courts and the weather could not have been more perfect. The first match we watched was Cilic vs Murray. After the match, we took a walk around, ate more food, and found the practice courts. There we saw Serena Williams, Federer, and McEnroe practicing side-by-side. It was so amazing to see them all practicing on the same court, I was in awe. After exploring the grounds a little more, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest.

Once we were all rested, we got ready and headed down to the lobby to order a town car to drive us into the city. The concierge arranged for a car to pick us up, but instead a white stretch limo pulled up and agreed to drive us in for the same price as the town car, talk about lucky! We had the driver drop us off at Rockefeller center. We had a couple of drinks at the very cute Rink Bar and then went to the observatory at the Top of the Rock. The views were absolutely beautiful that night. Afterwards we had a really nice dinner at a restaurant near time square and headed back to the hotel. The next day I headed off to work and they flew out to their next destination.

I had such an amazing 24 hours with Brecht and Jessica. The US Open was a memorable experience that I will never forget. I'm so glad I was able to enjoy it with friends. Pics below, enjoy!

Passing of an Amazing Woman

Last Wednesday, September 30th, I received a phone call at 10:30 p.m. from my sister with news that my grandmother had passed away. This has been a very sad time for everyone in my family as she meant so much to all of us. I wasn't able to make it down for her service, but In my absence the church pastor read this letter that I wrote to my grandmother. I know that she is in a better place now and free of pain. She will be forever remembered as a great women.

"To my Nanny,

You were an amazing woman and I always looked up to you. You were a great dancer, singer and pianist. When you flashed that beautiful smile, your eyes lit up so bright. When you left the house, you were beautiful and always dressed to a Tee. Whenever you held me in your arms, my heart melted and I knew everything was going to be ok. I looked to you for advice and you were always so wise. You encouraged me to go after what made me happy, because happiness was all you ever wanted for me. When I moved to New York , you would tell me how proud you were of me for going after what I wanted. You helped to mold me into the person I am today and for that I am truly thankful.

The last time I spoke to you, was just a few hours before you passed. I told you I loved you and you whispered it back to me. God knew he was taking you and he graciously gave me the opportunity to say my goodbyes and I love you before you were gone. You don’t know how much those last words mean to me. I wish I could be here with my family today to celebrate your life, but I know regardless of how many miles we are apart you are smiling down on us all.

Nanny, I love you so much and will keep you in my heart forever.

Love always,
Your Amber Faye"

Happy Anniversary NYC!!

I made it!! One year ago today, I packed 3 bags, jumped on a plane, and moved to New York City. I didn't have a place to live or know exactly where I would work, but I knew I wanted to make my home in Brooklyn and wanted to work in a hotel in Manhattan. I did exactly that, I have an apartment and a job that I love so much. Chili and I officially survived all of the seasons and loved every minute of it. I am looking forward to all that the next year brings.

Cheers NYC!