My dear wonderful, long time friend visited this weekend to celebrate her birthday with us and we took her to the New Museum and walked through the Rosemarie Trockel: A Cosmos exhibition after brunching at Testo. Two important take aways that I got from the visit: 1) NYU students get free entry… always. Yes! 2) A new German word: wunderkammer – cabinet of curiosities. I also walked away with some snapshots of some of Rosemarie Trockel’s work before I realized I wasn’t supposed to. I really liked some of her yarn work and am thinking of experimenting with this in a future pillow project. Snapshots from the exhibition:

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I read via @TechCrunch that BirchBox is expanding its subscription services of providing samples of beauty and cosmetics products to include home goods as well! I remember hearing about BirchBox a while ago and am happy to hear of the new vertical – I think a new subscription is in my near future! They have an exclusive Limited Home Edition box now perfect for holiday gifting just around the corner…

This limited edition box is jam-packed with products for your kitchen, dining room, and beyond. Whether you’re a beginner cook or an expert chef, you’ll love custom Birchbox Recipe Cards (complete with recipes from three top food bloggers), the snazzy Core Bamboo Spatula Set, and Quirky’s smart Stem citrus spritzer. We’ve also included Dean & Deluca’s Rosemary and Sabatino & Co. Roma’s Truffle Sea Salt to amp up all your dishes. There are chalkboard placecards and eye-catching cocktail napkins for your next soiree, plus anAntica Farmacista Home Ambiance Fragrance to set the mood. Use Paperless Post’s letterpress cards to send a sweet note, then use the included promo to design your own stationery online. And you’ll have fun using your P.S.-I Made This… DIY Kit to design fun ikat fabric napkins and other one-of-a-kind creations. Every box includes either ultra-mod Jonathan Adler Playing Cards (colors may vary) or whimsical Chambre de Sucre Rainbow Sugar Crystals—choose your option from the drop-down menu.  

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I’ve been going to the NYCC every year since I first worked a booth representing the After Dark Horror Fest. Let me first explain that I LOVE horror movies. I’ve loved them since I could remember watching movies. So with a little sheer determination I found myself working at Comic Con, among other once in a lifetime things, as a perk from the film publicity world. While I’ve since strayed away from that life, going to the NYCC has stuck.

This year, amongst all the nerdy and geeky booths, I came across Geek Chic. Geek Chic designs furniture including tables and storage perfect for those hard-core gamers and figurine collectors alike. Their pieces are unique and made from domestic hardwoods from sustainable forests. I personally really like The League which is designed for all your comics collectibles. So if you or your loved one is in need of something special to show off their nerdy, geeky, and/or dorky beloved toys, books, and games, I recommend checking out the Geek Chic.

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In just a few more weeks we’ll be heading into the summer’s almost-over frenzy and try to do all the last minute summery things we said we’d do before it’s too late. Yeah, that’s how I always feel around this time. One of the simple joys of life is just sitting out in the sun and soaking in some natural vitamin D – preferably with a good book and some homemade grub on hand. I love a good picnic in a quiet part of a park near some shade and always wanted one of those traditional red & white checked picnic blankets for such occasions. We don’t have one but I’m hoping to come across the most typical picnic blanket one day and snatching it up. I also wouldn’t mind coming across this cute picnic inspired bedroom designed by Ellen O’Neill:

JOHN KERNICK

For this week, I’ve put together some pillows perfect for a sunshiney picnic day:

1. Meadow Gold Pillow at Kasa Atelier

2. Burnt Orange Square Patches Pillow at CB2

3. Seedling Pillow in Sunshine Yellow by Inhabit

4. Labyrinth Pillow in Citrine Yellow

5. Blue Gingham Pillow on Etsy

6. Lava Arum Pillow

7. Dragonfly Pillow by Lacefield Designs

8. Thomas Paul Beech Pillow

9. Strata Basket Weave Pillow

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On our trip to Europe, Prague was one of the stops we made and where I fell in love with a shop called Manufaktura which carries “traditional Czech folk craft products”. I spent some good time there looking at all the handmade decor items and came back with some treasures including a handful of glass beads which are now bottled up in a pretty little Parisian bottle from Montemartre.

For this week’s pillow set, I’ve put together some pillows with some stunning beadwork:

1. Beaded Ikat Pillow in Grey & Silver by Gervis Design Studio

2. Winter Trees Beaded Throw Pillow by Muriel Bandolini

3. Beaded Wave Pillow in Purple by Diane Von Furstenberg

4. Aviva Stanoff Jewel Home Pillow in Sage

5. Beaded Stripe Pillow in Green/Copper

6. Heavy Beaded Net Pillow in Charcoal at Allan Knight

7. Circle Beaded Pillow by Nordstrom at Home in Grey

8. ELLE Beaded Pillow in Black/Silver/White

9. Serrengeti Natural Linen Siver Beaded Pillow by Gervis Design Studio

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I’m afraid I’ll be turning into one of those cat ladies. I might start contributing to the whole cat-web craze and document all of Dexter’s insanely cute moves and poses then want to hug every cat in the whole world. But I can’t. I’ll try not to though. Instead, I’ve put together a pillow set purrfect for feline printed and themed lovers:

1. Spotted Cat Embroidered Pillow by Diane Von Furstenberg

2. Lion Tangerine Pillow by DwellStudio

3. Dijon Cheetah Pillow at Stylish Furniture & Decor

4. Barneys New York Spot Pillow

5. Tiger Striped Hair On Hide Pillow at Cactus Creek

6. Fushia Silk Tiger Velvet Pillow at Dering Hall

7. Scalamandre Tigre Pillow at Barneys New York

8. Tiger Pillow by Counterfeit Studio

9. Cheetah Comforter Set Pillow by DKNY

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A tiny furball of joy has just entered our lives today. We finally went to the ASPCA on the UES and adopted the best kitten in the world. His shelter name is Edson but we decided to name him after Dexter’s Laboratory ( it is important to note that no, we didn’t name him after the serial killer of serial killers) so now he’s Dexter Edson. He is blind in his right eye due to an infection he had when he was a baby and is 5 currently  months old. Words can’t describe how much love I have for this little boy. I’ll always remember his first day home with us:

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I try to make it out to Coney Island at least once each summer to walk the boardwalk, have a Nathan’s hot dog, and kick up some sand. We recently made it out there two weekends in a row for some amazing weather and got to ride the Cyclone, check out the NY Aquarium, and have some Brighton Beach Russian food with good friends at Tatiana’s Grill. Nothing beats a subway ride all the way out to the water on a nice day to take all this in.

Coney Island Beach

Wonder Wheel

The Cyclone

The New York Aquarium

Diego’s mahi-mahi w/ wasabi mashed potatoes @ Tatiana’s Grill

For this week, I thought I’d round up some pillows that take you away to the beach side right in your own home:

1. Octopus Hook Pillow

2.  Bold Lobster Coastal Pillow

3. Crab Pillow

4. Marlo Lorenz Coral Printed Pillow

5. Beach House Words Hooked Pillow

6. Nautilus Pillow

7. Bigger Boat Throw Pillow in Turquoise Green

8. Burlap Beach House Starfish Pillow Cover

9. Whitby Pillow with Seagulls

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It’s been pretty hot lately so the oven isn’t on as much as we’re used to but we’ve still managed to come up with some creative and fun dishes with the oven on, but just not on too long. I love making homemade tortilla chips with just a bag of corn tortillas bought from the store, cut up, and baked in the oven to crisp perfection. For the better part of a bag, that was what I was making but I tried something different the other day. I made little blue taco bowls and filled them up with chicken and veggie goodness. To create these little taco bowls, I learned a little trick from a Pinterest post I saw. Using a muffin pan to bake something upside down isn’t the first time I’ve done this to create an edible bowl so I was happy to learn a different recipe using this methodology. The outcome was delicious and something I’ll be making often to fill with all sorts of yummy eats.

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It’s been another heat wave kind of week here in New York and it looks like there will be a few more hot days ahead. To help heat things up even more (because we really need it), I’ve scoped out some pillows reminiscent of the scorching sun and shiny rays:

I love wide stripes so one of my favorites from this set is the Marimekko Aino Red & Yellow Pillow. I’ve stocked up on bright yellow pineapple popsicles that would go perfectly with this heat – I hope you’ve found a way to keep yourselves cool as well!

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