Spring Blooms

The weather was really lovely for walking around this weekend, which was perfect since we had guests visiting from out of town. We took full advantage of Saturday and spent the entire afternoon walking around the city, stopping only to graze on amazing food along the way (pizza, cupcakes, fried chicken… what didn’t we eat?).

We stopped by the Union Square farmers market, which is one of my favorite places to be during the spring and summer. You can easily make an afternoon out of browsing the amazing offerings from the local farms. There were a few stands selling cherry and plum branches that bloom with tiny pink flowers, and the tulips just screamed “spring”!

I’m keeping fresh flowers in our apartment more frequently now — it just makes our space feel a little more fun when there is something nice to look at when we get home at the end of the day! Ranunculus is one of my favorite flowers, and I’ve had the bunch seen here for over a week already. As long as you change out their water and get rid of dead leaves, the buds will continue to bloom! What are your favorite spring blooms?

IFB’s Links à la Mode!

Happy Thursday, everyone! I’m completely thrilled to have been featured in this week’s Links à la Mode on IFB for the first time. Check out all of the great posts that made it into this week’s roundup!

The Style Economy

Wow, this was a tough week. There were enough great posts in the submissions to make TWO roundups… but alas, there is only room for 20. So making a mix of informative, introspective, and fun posts I really got to pick some fun posts from the community! It seemed like we had our mind on our money and our money on our mind this week as there were some great posts linking lipstick and shoes to the economy, how to set your wardrobe budget, a wonderful example of restyling items in our wardrobe and a great tips on finding Spring accessories on the cheap. So click on, you’ll be delighted by the things you’ll learn (I particularly liked the informative post about fragrance) and the new habits you just might pick up.

Links à la Mode: April 4, 2013

• à la Mode St.: Corsets: A Transcendental Garment
• All is Belle: Spring Lookbook: Monochrome
• Attire Club: The Fragrance Wheel: Choose Perfumes Like A Pro
• Burgundy Whispers: Can A Daily Routine Be Hurting Us?
• Chic City Live: Runway to Real Life: Jason Wu
• Chicisms: Spring Shoe Trends You Need Now
• City Coeur: How to Create and Maintain a Wardrobe Budget
• Coffee Breaks & Cupcakes: I Wish I’d Known: The Value of Travel
• Cosmolawitan: Lululemon Keeps Taking the Hits: IP and Fashion Woes
• Dress up on a cloudy day: 9 Ways to Wear a Striped Top
• Frantic but Fabulous: How to change your wardrobe once you become a mom
• Jolly Caucus Race: Les Sapeurs- Power Through Clothes
• Look Sharp, Sconnie: Lipstick Magic Trick
• Love Lucy Girl: Makeup Timeline
• Real Girl Glam: 4 Spring Denim Pieces to Wear Now Later
• Rose and Pine: Colorful Spring Jewelry for Under $30!
• Sophisticated Lace: Eugenio Recuenco’s Picasso Women
• The Brasharian : Five Tips to Book a Modeling Job
• The Fashion Junkie: Where is fashion blogging taking us?
• Youth Savage: ?Basta! Shoes & The Economy

SPONSOR: Shopbop: Tocca, VPL Shoes, Massimo Giorgetti, Liebeskind, Golden Lane, Moyna, Thierry Mugler, Christopher Kon, Versace, Joie bags, Rochas Bags

How did I get here? And where am I going?

Image by Chris Piascik

I’m a frequent visitor to IFB for their great posts on blogging. This week, they posted a prompt that is really quite relevant to me right now: why did you start your blog?

Between working full-time, keeping up with my friends and family, and doing all of those boring adult things (paying bills, doing laundry, cooking dinner, etc.), I often let my blog go stagnant for weeks at a time. Lately I’ve been trying to work harder at building my blog, focusing my content, and really making it a reflection of who I am, how I got here, and where I’m going.

When I first started my blog, I was on the verge of graduating from college and had just secured a new job and apartment in New York. It was a really exciting time in my life because I felt like I had finally crossed the border into ADULTHOOD, and I was filled with nothing but hope for what was to come. I didn’t really have a clear vision of what I wanted the blog to be, but I posted occasionally about things that I did, places I went, and (of course) clothes that I liked.

Going back today to think about what my vision (or non-vision) was for my blog has been really refreshing. I’ve realized that my content here hasn’t always been a true reflection of who I am, and maybe it’s time to change that. I have looked to a lot of very successful blogs over the years and wondered why I couldn’t be more like them — to have the money for travel and pretty clothes, to live in a perfectly styled apartment that provides a beautiful backdrop for photos, or to have hours each week to test out new recipes and crafts to feature. But that’s OK, because that is just not who I am at this point in my life.

I want to be able to connect with people here who, like me, are balancing the things they want in life with reality. And more importantly, I want to be able to show people that there is a positive way to find a balance — whether it’s updating their wardrobe while staying on top of their student loan payments, or finding time to whip up something homemade and fabulous in their kitchen despite their 9-to-5. So, cheers to the future of City Coeur! Here’s hoping that I can bring back that same new-graduate hope to this blog years later!

On 25

Last week, I turned 25. Unlike in years past when I had big plans for parties or dinners with too many people to reasonably split the bill with, 25 came quietly. I spent the day with people who I genuinely enjoy, doing things that I wanted to do: a yoga class, a mani-pedi, a drink with a good friend, and a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. No loud party, no splitting the bill 14 ways.

This is a funny age — grown up and full of responsibility, but still young enough to get the occasional, “25!? You’re still a baby!” from certain people (Should I embrace the praise of my youth while I still have it, or feel a little annoyed and patronized?). I guess the good news about turning a year older is that looking back on the past year, I can barely recall the bad things that happened because there were so many good things that take precedence in my mind. Of course there were difficult times as well, but maybe part of getting older is learning to stop keeping score and start savoring both the wonderful and the not-so-wonderful moments for what they are!

Image via Flickr

Snow Day in NYC

This weekend brought us a ton of snow. I was actually pretty thrilled about it, since I really love seeing the city frosted in a fresh blanket of powder. I grew up in New England where a few feet of snow at a time is a pretty regular thing, so it’s always pretty funny for me to watch the reaction of New Yorkers when the city gets more than an inch.

The weather was the perfect excuse for me to lay low and enjoy the finer things in life, such as pizza delivery, excessive magazine reading, and cup upon steaming cup of hot tea.

We wandered a little on Saturday so that we could scope out the park and enjoy the snow before it got all dirty and melty (it didn’t take long!). The photo above is of Central Park, which I found to be looking particularly magical. Our only regret was that we were too late to buy a sled (literally, sold out everywhere) and join with our neighbors on the hill!

Winter Blues

Via flickr

Once the warm glow of the holidays has faded away, we’re left with the months of the year that I dread most: January and February! The weather gets colder, the days can be bleak and overcast, and all I can think about is how badly I want Spring to arrive. It can get to the point where it really bums me out to be indoors all the time, and I know I’m not alone there. Of course, there’s no magic way to just skip over this part of the year, but here are a few of my suggestions for making the most of it!

Keep Moving — When I wake up and it’s still pitch black outside (and cold!), the last thing I want to do is jump out of bed and hit the gym. Ditto for when I leave the office at 6 and it’s been dark since 4:30. Do yourself a favor and figure out a way to keep exercising, even if that means you buy a workout DVD to do at home when you just can’t bear the thought of hoofing it to the gym. The endorphins you’ll get from a good workout will naturally put you in a better mood!

Lean on a Friend — During the warmer months, we’re more inclined to go out for drinks after work, pop by a friend’s apartment for a visit, or go out on a Saturday night. But when the cold sets in, a lot of people go into hibernation mode and the social calendar tends to slow down. Make an effort to do something once a week with a friend, despite the cold weather. See a movie, go to the gym together, or grab a drink (even if it’s just polishing off a bottle of wine at your place). It will keep you from getting too lonely and give you something to look forward to!

Via Pinterest

Enjoy Some Downtime — Catch up on a favorite TV series, read that book that you’ve been meaning to read, work on a project that keeps getting pushed to the side, or just spend some extra time on the couch snuggled up with your #1 (person, pet, sappy movie… doesn’t matter!). Learn to balance your social time with some breathing time.

Plan Your Spring Wardrobe — As soon as the post-holiday sales wind down, the Spring merchandise starts hitting the shelves full-force. It can be tough to think about leg-baring skirts and peep-toe sandals when it’s freezing outside, but giving your closet a thorough clean out and mapping out your spring wardrobe will make you feel prepared as soon as the temperature rises!

Resolutions

Another holiday season and another year have come and gone! Tomorrow will be a “back to reality” day for me after enjoying more than a week of Christmas celebrations and downtime with family — wish me luck!

I’m not much of a resolutions-maker, since I tend to forget about them at the first temptation (skip the gym tonight to meet a friend for a drink? Sure, why not?). So this year, instead of setting a goal to go to the gym 5 times a week or start (and finish) a new sewing project every month, I’m going to aim to experience 2013 with my feet off the ground a little more often instead of always relying on the tried-and-true pathways that we all default to. Maybe that will mean being more open to experimenting with our weekly dinner menu, or something bigger like trying to launch a business (more on that later!). Either way, I’m looking forward to this fresh new year and everything it has to bring. Happy New Year!

 

Lunch

Credit: NYPL, Jonathan Blanc

“How much time do you have?” asked my friend Morgan.

I looked at the time. 12pm. I came in early that day, didn’t have another meeting until 2. “I think I can swing a full hour”

This made Morgan laugh. He was hours away from boarding a flight back to his home in Switzerland, where an hour minimum is a standard lunch break. And here I was, hemming and hawing over whether or not I could take a measly hour to catch up with a dear friend who I only get to see once or twice a year.

It’s no secret that Americans are some of the most stressed out human beings on the face of the planet, even if it is our own doing. We work long hours, bring our work home with us, and apparently don’t use half of our paid vacation time! AND we don’t take proper lunch breaks. Catch me on any normal day at the office, and there is a 99% chance that I’m eating my lunch in front of my computer — possibly while I’m still emailing.

Morgan shakes his head when I explain my routine. “You’re not meant to sit in front of the computer all day,” he says to me. “You need to take a break.”

This solution seems so simple, but in the back of my mind I can’t help but think, “it’s just not the way we do things here.” All the talk about lunch (and, I suppose, the unusual circumstance of sitting in a restaurant in the middle of the workday) takes me back to a fabulous exhibit that I visited a few weeks ago at the New York Public Library, Lunch Hour NYC.If you are in the city, I highly recommend that you visit this free exhibit if only for an excuse to wander inside the beautiful and historic library on 42nd Street (if you’re not in the area, you can check out the online exhibit!). Although the display is rife with nostalgic memorabilia, from menus to 1950s tin lunch boxes, there are some overarching themes that are so quintessentially American and which explain my lunchtime conundrum to a tee — everything was fast, convenient, and productive! The power lunch. Wonder bread. Food carts. All of the foundational elements that led us to the lunch break-averse culture that we are today.

I’m not saying that there is necessarily anything wrong with this. Sometimes I’d rather power through lunch to make my day go by faster and have one more thing crossed off of my to-do list before I head home. But I must confess that after lunch, a coffee, and a good conversation with an old friend (clocking in at an unthinkable hour and twenty-five minutes, no less!), I did feel more relaxed for the rest of the day.

Cashed In

For the first time in a very long time, I bought a new wallet. After reading this article by Gala Darling about doing a little Feng Shui action on your wallet, I realized that my wallet was, quite frankly, busted. As you can see in the photo below, the cheap-o fake python wallet that I bought at Urban Outfitters as a freshman in college served its duty admirably. But once that faux python started peeling away from the edges of the wallet, exposing the foam padding underneath, I knew it was time to part ways — my hard-earned cash deserved better!

I took Gala’s advice and did a thorough cleaning-out before transferring my things into the new wallet. Gone are the unused rewards cards, gift cards with $.01 left on them, and crumpled old receipts. I even took the leap and endured a painfully long trip to the DMV to have my license switched over to New York (something I was supposed to do, ohhh… 3 years ago?). I can’t say that I’m ready to make my license picture my new profile pic, but at least it’s over and done with! And most importantly, I feel good about housing my funds in a nicer home.

Something Old, Something New {Friday}

I’ve been trying to think of a little feature that I could do on a weekly basis that would keep me thinking and writing. I think I’ve come up with a good one, and I’m going to attempt to implement it starting today! Each Friday, I’ll share two things that happened during my week: one “old” and one “new.” The Something Old could be anything from catching up with an old friend to making a classic family recipe for dinner — think the kind of “old” that gives you warm fuzzies, not back pain! My Something New will run the gamut from something new that I learned that week to a new place I’d never been to before. The point of all this is to end the week on a happy and optimistic note! So, here we go…

{Something Old}

I had the pleasure of getting together with one of my best friends from college early this week for a bottle of wine after work! M and I are both Francophiles, and you may remember that she and I ran around France together for a week last year. We met up at The Bourgeois Pig, a great little wine bar in the East Village that offers a superb 1/2 price bottle night on Monday and Tuesday. I always enjoy my time with M because she’s one of those people with a contagious laugh who is so easy to hang out with. Sometimes there is nothing better than spending a few hours with an old friend!

{Something New}

I tried a Barre method class at my gym for the first time — and hoooooo baby were my muscles burning afterward! The class I took is called vBarre, and it combines ballet methods which are done at the barre with some Pilates-esque moves. The toughest part was using the glide board, which is a slippery plastic board about the length of a yoga mat. It looked like so much fun in the videos I saw online, but it’s really hard to do at first! Once you get the hang of it, you can get going pretty fast. I’m definitely looking forward to my next class!

Happy weekend, everyone! What made you happy this week?

Top photo by arvindgrover via Flickr