Have a Great Weekend!

Hiii. What are you up to this weekend? I will be working on some exciting projects ;) and doing a little Christmas shopping. Patrick & I are finally trying Rosemary's tomorrow in the West Village (they grow all their veggies on their rooftop!) before meeting some friends for a belated birthday gathering. It should be a great weekend! Oh, and keep a lookout for a Little Lady December desktop wallpaper. I drew her on the train coming back from Virginia (which happened to be four thousand degrees), which explains why she's not wearing a coat...k? :)

 

some links for you to click on ::

 

this might be the coolest accessory i've ever seen for an iPhone.

ladies, do you not have much time in the mornings to get ready? check out this 4-minute-makeup video. (call me crazy, but i always find these mesmerizing!)

how fun would these drinks be at a daytime holiday party?

truth.

 

do you work with germy kiddos? make these for your co-workers.

 

wreath inspiration.

 

nice leather gloves.

 

well this app puts my Christmas Excel spreadsheet to shame. I think I need it.

do you have a pair of Hunter boots? winter-fy them with shearling inserts.

 

the Dec/Jan issue of Adore Home Magazine is live!

 

i will still try and suggest some gift ideas throughout this season, but in the meantime, this is like the mega guide. i like everything inside!

are you a little OCD when it comes to cleaning? or do you wanna be? here are some good tricks.

ooo, this would be fun to carry to a holiday party!

it's the end of Movember! let's look at some sexy mustaches.

 

you can make Santa's cookies in the shape of SANTA!

 

this is why i want a kitty.

and a reminder for us all during this busy time of year.

 

until next time,

 

g

This Dog & I Share the Same Morning Ritual.

until next time,

g

I Have A Crush...

...on an artist and work spaces!

all pics via

how fabulous is Garance Dore's work?!

see more here!

now bear with me for a second while I heavy sigh...

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While I love my life in Manhattan and our ridiculously tiny home, I have many-a-daydream about having more space. As my mom put it, "you must spend a lot of time making yourself small." I do. And it's exhausting. And it prevents me from having the creative space needed to do everything I want to do. I spend so much time putting things away and cleaning just so I can utilize the tiny space that I have! I'm not gonna lie, it gets old. I'm working on a couple big projects at the moment and the storage options are completely nonsensical, but it is what it is. I keep reminding myself that one day I might not have this big beautiful city right outside my front door - I have to think of it as a trade-off. Maybe one day I will have (something that seems so foreign to me right now) an extra room that I could make my own. If I do, I will probably just hide in there for hours and hours reveling in the delight of having ample storage space and the ability to leave work halfway finished just out in the open...ya know, without worrying that spaghetti sauce might be prepared two feet away.

For part of my birthday present, Patrick gave me a portable blogging station that holds my computer and Wacom tablet at the same time comfortably so I can blog and draw on our little couch. It was completely unexpected and thoughtful when he told me he wanted to give me something that would help me with either my blogging or art jobs and had seen me struggling to find an adequate & pleasant set-up. I know I must drive the guy absolutely crazy with all my little projects (have you ever heard someone writing calligraphy? it's like the sound of nails on a chalkboard!) so it means a lot that he actually encourages my nerdiness. So for now, I will enjoy my new little station and I will just look at the lack of space as a challenge. And I will look at pictures of art studios and daydream and tell myself, "one day." :)

until next time,

g

Holiday Gift Guide - Men Edition

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

plus 10 more ideas!

a subscription here.

a Kiehl's refueling kit.

tickets to a concert.

an accordion brag book of his children.

finally get him hooked up with the TV show he wants to start watching.

a hand warmer.

new cologne.

nice pajamas (or something funnier)

101 handmade gifts for men.

or a little buddy.

until next time,

g

A Week of Festivities

There has been a lot going on these past few days... a birthday, Thanksgiving, a wedding - oh my! Despite being sick (why this week?) and traveling five days in a row, it has been downright special...and a celebratory stretch that will make returning to reality tomorrow mighty difficult. I especially loved spending time with my family and sharing those moments with Patrick...staying up late with my sister, breakfast on the farm, hunting stories & deer meat (mah country roots), watching The Family Stone (one of my favorites) with my parents, sitting by the fire, welcoming a new face to our crew, extra long hugs, a fatherly talk over lunch, and discussing all the many things for which our family is thankful.

Here are a few moments these past few days I wanted to share ::

I was greeted at work the day before my birthday by the most thoughtful arrangement...

a homemade card, homemade "healthy" cake pops, homemade hair ties, 

metallic calligraphy ink, and pumpkin spice tea. 

I mean, really. Does it get any sweeter? 

"Macks" by essie

 (makes for a great holiday color!)

I got a little excited when it was just the 'G' hanging in our neighborhood,

but Google had to go ahead and ruin my excitement. 

So I said goodbye to NYC for a few days...

...and flew through some pretty thick fog. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, you can breathe now." - the flight attendant after we landed

some birthday pamper! gotta love it when your parents' loft is above a cute hair salon.

they even have massage chairs for when they wash your hair!

ya know, just in case getting up at 3:15AM didn't make you sleepy enough :)

Patrick's train pulling in! 

birthday dinner.

just so you know...if you peeked inside my heart, 

these two would take up a rather large space.
coincidentally, they both share the nickname "Mac"
...so basically? they're my Big Macs.

Patrick in his happy place.

our view on Thanksgiving.

most of the gang.

since i can't cook worth a lick, i made 23 place cards as my contribution to the meal.

yup.

a few post wedding snapshots!

(take a second look)

wait.

it's hard to keep up with all my adorable nieces & nephews,

but one of these is not like the other.

one last stop in Virginia before we boarded our train.

...

On Thanksgiving, our family passed around a blessings jar. 

We jotted down notes of things for which we are thankful and put them inside.

This was a quote my mom dropped in :: 

I was a total sob-fest as my stepdad read the cards out loud, by the way. I just can't help it. Looking back on this year...looking around the room that night...I don't know how I deserve what I have, but I feel endlessly and overwhelmingly blessed. It's a good thing one of my nephews wrote "God and football" on his card as I quickly giggled those tears away! :)

Cheers to the beginning of this magical holiday season. 

I'm so glad it's here.

until next time,

g

Dearest Future Self

Dearest future self,

Remember that time you successfully pulled 10 inches of a pain catheter out of your boyfriend's neck without fainting?? As your mother smiled and said (yes, you heard her grinning through the phone), "Gin, if you can do that, you can do anything."

Love,

me

Let's just say these past few days have been a growing experience... I'm not gonna lie, they haven't been easy. And I'm not even the one in a ton of pain and restricted to the use of one arm/hand! Attemping to help someone do everyday tasks who's nearly a foot taller than you in a teeny-tiny-obstacle-course-apartment makes for a ridiculous scene. And just a random sidenote, who knew my dry shampoo from "Sandy week" would come in handy again so soon?!  But in all seriousness, I really don't like to see a person I care about so vulnerable and in pain...it's such a terrible feeling...so when I'm the one in charge of pulling off surgery tape or ya know, a cord out of the back of his neck (!) while functioning on limited sleep, I am left feeling like I need to just bury my face into a pillow and cry. Where is the adult in charge in these kind of situations??? Oh, right...

Patrick seems to be doing better each and every day, though, which is wonderful. To say it's been a long road to this point would be an understatement; a successful recovery will remain high on my prayer list. Witnessing and sharing someone's struggle is difficult - but it's the low moments that not only build your patience and force you to grow and learn, but they're the moments that make you appreciate the better times. So, really, we should be equally as thankful for all the difficult things in life - the chapters that test you and break you down and the metaphorical mountains that seem impossible to climb. Because without them? We wouldn't know how good the good is. In a time of acknowledging things for which we are thankful, I ask you to look around at the not-so-good, too. Maybe it'll teach you what you need to change...maybe it'll remind you of something better for which to feel blessed....and hey, maybe the not-so-good won't seem so bad, after all. Keep in mind the quote, "If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back." You might even find out you're thankful for more than you realize. I know I have.

So, speaking of thankfulness, what is everyone doing for Thanksgiving?? I'm signing off early this week as I head home tomorrow! It'll be my first time home since last year (ahh!!!) and I am so, so excited. Even if my wake-up call is 3:30AM...! Between spending my first holiday with Patrick (he'll meet me at home tomorrow!), a lot of time with my family celebrating Thanksgiving and a wedding, and the fact that my mother has already entirely decorated for Christmas (yes), I just. can't. stop. smiling. Oh! And if you see a girl skipping through JFK circa 5AM tomorrow? That'll be me, the birthday girl ;)

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!! I leave you with this quote ::

via

until next time,

g

My Goal for Thanksgiving Week

until next time,

g

Happy Friday!

{original}

 

 

you made it! :)

////////////////////////////

So I have great news - Patrick's surgery went really well!

before...

 

...and after

(might be blurry, but i still spy a smile!)

 

[yep, he documented this himself. I think he secretly appreciates the photo evidence ;)]

It's all very complicated, but they repaired a tear in his shoulder and relocated his bicep tendon (sounds crazy, right?), but the recovery prognosis is very promising! The best part is that he seems to be in good spirits :) He actually flies back up today. I seriously can't wait to see him. Although! I'm terrified to go anywhere near him in that go-go gadget sling contraption. I would be the awesome gf that would somehow forget and like, throw a playful jab. I'm just gonna stay far, far away.

 

On a serious note, thank you so much for your positive thoughts yesterday. If this surgery really did fix his injury, it will mean the world to him.

Any fun weekend plans?? Do tell. Aside from taking care of the patient (I may or may not have bought 3 different flavors of ice cream last night...) I will be running around getting things done and preparing for the jam-packed-crazy-wonderful week ahead.

some fun links for you to click on ::

i'll be sitting here drooling over this scrumptious Thanksgiving menu.

how cool would this look on a bookshelf? you could put any sort of treasure inside.

i'm sorry, but essie's winter collection does not look like winter. whyyy didn't they consult me? i'm much more impressed by this trifecta.

this monogrammed pouch would make a great gift.

this is for my girlfriend who is traveling to India next week by herself: how to be an explorer of the world.

a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece.

you will think i'm a goober when i tell you that these are on my Christmas wish list.

where the magic happens.

i love this bathroom addition!

not gonna lie...T.Swift is kinda bugging me lately, but this pic? is gorg.

are you hosting Thanksgiving? here's a guide.

i keep staring at this pillow.

these would make awesome stocking stuffers!

and a mantra for today & every day.

have a wonderful weekend, guys!

until next time,

g