New York à la.Keiko

Super flexy skinny jeans...The Avedon from CoH

2012-02-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

I bought the Citizien of Humanity- Avedon Slick Skinny Leg jeans in Charcoal on Hautelook and I need to make sure that my legs and thighs stay in shape because these hug your every curve like crazy. They are very stretchy and almost like jeggings and so they are very comfy. I cannot wait to pair these with booties, oversized sweater, blazers and basically with everything..I can throw my Uniqlo jeggings out now as they have stretch way out.

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2012-02-26T20:22:00.001-05:00

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A day in Greenpoint, BK

2012-02-26T02:03:00.000-05:00

Since the L train into Manhattan is not running this weekend, we decided to explore North of Williamsburg which is Greenpoint and we discovered quite a bit of shops and restaurants in this old Polish neighborhoods.

Snapshots:

Diptyque sale in NYC- I'm there!

2012-02-22T20:40:00.000-05:00

"It's a sign! I must get it!"
That's what I tell myself each time when there's a sale on something I've wanted for some time but contemplate about.

I always wanted to try candles from Diptyque but never got myself to paying $60 for ONE candle and hinting Dave to get me ONE candle as a gift for Xmas or Valentine's Day did not work. Diptyque candles are suppose to burn longer (up to 60 hours for the larger sizes) and scent diffuses uniformly as it burns. No excuse for the apartment to smell bad anymore not that it did! Update:**I just learned to my surprise from Diptyque's website that their candles are vegetable/paraffin wax mix-based. Paraffin is something I have been avoiding as I prefer the natural waxes and didn't mind paying a premium for it. I really didn't think their candle would use paraffin wax (probably explains the longer burn time and not some magical French candle recipe) or maybe it's a higher ratio of vegetable wax over paraffin? Candles from the dollar store are paraffin based candles too...just saying. Paraffin is a no-no apparently but not deadly toxic however, I burn candles by my face bedside sometimes so it's a health concern for me to be breathing that stuff in...hmm

I love candles, I buy them all the time and could buy more if Dave wasn't reminding me that I should finish what we have now before buying more. I really don't mind having "extra" candles lying around as I like to alternate between them from time to time. And if there's a blackout one day, I would be able to pay myself in the back. Anyway, we are down to 2 candles now so 'tis time to buy! I usually spend around a hefty $25-$35 per candle which usually burns for longer hours, soy or wax based, contain natural essential oils, have lead-free wick and all that good stuff that usually comes with a higher price. But never have I splurged on a $60 from Diptyque or Jo Malone and similar high-end brands of candles. So when there's a Diptyque sale where candles are rumored to be discounted as much as 50% off, I will go and stock up for sure! I hope the scents I like are there which are..je ne sais quoi since I've never tried them before. I only know that I like the 'Baies' one and I thought 'Feu de Bois' would be nice but maybe just for the Holidays as it makes me reminisce the days I had a fire place..and the smell..ahh..

I was surprised to hear about the sale? I wonder...are these old inventory they are trying to get rid of? Candles do go bad after some time right? Will the candles not be at their premium scent?

Long weekend foodism: Bistro Petit in Williamsburg

2012-02-21T23:32:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we stayed home and made some dumplings and noodles for a special guest who has been dyinggg to try my delicious cooking. Ok, maybe she just wanted to see our apartment for the first time but since it's my blog, I can write whatever I want. I was too busy cooking and forgot to take pictures...it looks just like any delicious dumplings and zha jiang mian dried noodles :) Modesty please....

On Sunday, a dear friend of Dave's treated all of his closest buddies in NY and by default, their loversss (me!), to a wonderful meal in a very very cozy French bistro (10 seaters!) in Williamsburg on 3rd street and Driggs. We were 6 people and practically took up the entire place but we also ordered almost everything on the menu including all of the evening's appetizer specials so it's fair game. The price is very attractive as well as their high quality ingredients.

This gem opened 3 months ago and is run by chef Sung Park who has served under many chefs including a well-known one, Jean Georges Vongerichten. His bio can be found on the website and spare me some copy pasting action.

Here are most things we ordered that night. There's actually one entree dish missing which was the Kim Chi bouillabaise.

The appetizers:

Special glazed and torched foie gras.

Al dente Truffle Mac N Cheese. I prefer a softer pasta and wasn't sure if I tasted much of the truffle..

The Chefs handmade pasta. This was a super flavorful Asian fusion dish.

Evening's special smoked mackerel appetizer. This was very nice.

BYOB!
Tuan's White and Rouge to pair with every dish..

String beans...I really liked the garlic..

A successful looking chef. Greasy messy hai

Now, the entrees:

Lamb Shank. The meat fell right off the bone.

Side order of Brussel sprouts

Organic grass fed beef

Wild mushroom Risotto with Truffle oil.

Angus beef burger

Order of pomme frites with housemade ketchup

Happy family

And finally, dessert time:

House-made French doughnut: Lime, cinnamon and original flavor

Molten chocolate cake-super rich

And voila! Everything was eaten to the last morsel ...

Salivating much?
Not recommended for large parties (well, larger than 6) or risk being split or have no seats.

Alcoholics in W'burg:

There was some pre-dinner drinking including a Bourbon Whiskey bar called Post Office. Post-dinner drinking was at Dram where mixologists make some drinks based on your choices. My "something gin and something refreshing" was delish. I didnt enjoy it as much as I would like since I was already super sleepy from wine drinking during dinner time.

xx

Long weekend foodism: Zenkichi- a hidden Japanese brasserie in the heart of Williamsburg!

2012-02-21T22:18:00.001-05:00

I spent the long weekend mostly in Williamsburg. It is no longer a surprise to many people now that on weekends, there is no need to visit Manhattan unless you have to. Long weekend started on Friday evening, where Dave and I ate at a Japanese brasserie/tapas restaurant in Williamsburg called Zenkichi. This was a restaurant we were always curious to try when we walk by it. It's hidden behind a tall and large wooden fence wall and a inconspicuous door with no obvious sign of a restaurant. Dave got his paws on a Gilt $25 for $50 worth at Zenkichi so we were excited to go try it.

The food menu. Sake was in another binder 3-4 pages long.

Seaweed Sunomono- A vegetable & seaweed in bonito-vinegar broth

My fav was this Tako Wasabi dish (cured Octupus) which is meant to be paired with their house sake. We had another jellyfish dish (Kurage) but the picture didn't come out too nicely.

My fav was this Tako Wasabi dish (cured Octopus)

Sweet duck salad was wonderful. (Simmered duck, soft egg, baby greens, sweet duck dressing)

Grilled Saikyo- Black Cod and Kyoto miso marinade

Lamb Chop Tataki: Rock salt & coarse black pepper: ginger onion soy sauce

Grilled Miso Oysters: Meaty oysters grilled on the shell with red-miso sauce. Salty & sweet: meant to be enjoyed with sake

The venue was super intimate and romantic..if it weren't for those loud drunken Korean girls, it would have been a nice night.We sat in our own little booth enclosed with a bamboo drape and a ringer we can buzz when we needed our waiter. See pics here on their website .

It's too bad we were not interested in sampling the vast sake menu they had that night so we stayed sober. We were there for the food and we ordered to our heart's desire although one dish that we were looking forward to was no longer being served which was the seafood gratin (oyster, uni sea urchin, shrimp, Japanese mushrooms:oven-grilled in béchamel sauce).

For dessert, we went to a Bodega and picked up a Three twins Madagascar vanilla ice cream to take home and eat. A perfect way to end the evening.

I would definitely recommend this place if you are a sake connoisseur and can sample their sake alongside the food since most dishes were a bit too salty and would taste delicious with all types of alcohol.

xx

Snapshots from Sachika NYFW Style 360 fashion show F/W '12

2012-02-16T23:51:00.000-05:00

The show is about to start!

Photographers setting up

Free cupcakes..

Pretty good view of the runway..

Pose!

Stole these pics from this site where you can find more from the show.

Miss USA- Photo by Patrick Neree

Miss Universe

inner of third cycle of America's Next Top Model:Eva Marcille the Diva..she was fierce!

Sachika Twins

Photo by Patrick Neree

A fashion show is not complete without goodie bags!

Red carpet press

To Tam, Alyssa (Miss USA), Danielle (Miss Teen USA), and Leila (Miss Universe) and To-Nya.

Spending Valentine's Day in fashion!

What's inside the goodie bag..full size eye cream and hand cream, mascara, lots of condoms, a scarf, VIP Emu card, cookies and chips, lots of flyers (not shown), drinks..

Collab: Doo.Ri for Impulse at Macy's...

2012-02-15T16:41:00.001-05:00

Why does miss sick pale zombie girl gets to be on main page of the Doo.ri Macy's website is beyond me. She makes me feel sick just by looking at her. Straight from the movie Contagion...Anyway...

The collection looks super stylish and comfortable. Here are a few of my favs...

Let's go for a picnic or walk in Central Park

"Let's celebrate in a fancy new cocktail lounge in Meat Packing"

Easy breezy beautiful...

I feel like a piece of art

To wear for anything...

Is it me or designer collaborations are everywhere now? It used to be an H&M thing right? Or maybe I just notice them more now since I live in the States. I missed out on Karl Lagerfeld's collab for Macy's and I happen to find out about Doo.ri collaboration in a newsletter ad this morning. Doo.ri is not a well known brand and so there was no hype around it. I own a little black dress from Doo.Ri by Underligne and I wuv wearing it. Doo.ri has classic constructed clothes and easy to wear and pair with accessories.

I love designer collaborations because I don't have the money to afford the real stuff! Most of the collection is under $100 and dresses range from $45-85.

I just heard about a Manolo J crew collab coming soon.

xx

Do you miss writing with a typewriter? Then this is for you!

2012-02-15T14:46:00.000-05:00

Here is pretty much the biggest keyboard one can buy for their ipad, ipod or whatever. It makes an interesting piece at home. Especially in a artsy fartsy lofty hipster apartment...I wonder if the keys jam every 5 minutes as that was the experience I remember having when I used a typewriter at a public library in grade school. Available on Etsy: USB typewriter for $849.

On my way to....

2012-02-14T23:23:00.002-05:00

RGB nail color in Dove
Jason Wu for Target lace clutch
Franky Gehry for Tiffany ring

Valentine's Day made me do it! Sweet tooth treats!

2012-02-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

Lindt milk chocolate

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and seeing all these chocolates and sweets being sold in stores has inspired me to create my own..ok not true. I have been wanting to re-create choco-covered gummies since I bought a pack from Miette in SF last year!... I thought it couldn't be that hard right? Melt chocolate and dip away! Sounds fun to me!So I hop into the nearest grocery store on my way home and buy two bars of Lindt and Ghirardellis milk chocolate, Ghirardelli's white chocolate chips, some fancy brand sugar free marshmallows, Haribou gummy bears and Snyder's pretzel sticks. I stopped myself from buying strawberries only because they were too expensive!

After dinner, I anxiously get the stove ready and start melting chocolate and dipping one gummy bear at a time hoping I can make them look all nice. That quickly became impossible as the chocolate was not consistently smooth and it was too time consuming to drip each bear to make sure the right layer of chocolate got on. I don't have that kind of time! As long as the bear is covered with chocolate, I am content. Dipping one bear at a time seem to take the fun out of the whole process so I threw a bunch of gummies in the pot and realized it was not a good idea as they started melting and make the chocolate gunky! So I was back to one bear at a time but switched it up with marshmellows and pretzels.When I was out of milk chocolate, I start adding white chocolate which made it a nice mocha color and slowly whiter and whiter as I used more white chocolate...I dipped gummies, marshmellows and pretzels...also my fingers, hair and face..chocolate was everywhere!

It took me more than an hour to finish all the chocolate and dipping and had Dave finished off (by licking the spoon) so I could go shower.

Bear goes skinny dipping!

Drying out in the sun..

After Lindt, I melt the Ghirardelli chocolate and dip more gummies and mashmellows

Time to add the white chocolate

Doesn't look so appetizing...the chocolate is not as gooey as I'd like..

I finally got the hang of it and the pretzel began to look more appetizing .

d caption

Let cool for an hour or so and pack away...To be honest, I only had a couple of gummies and that's it! I was actually too tired to enjoy it...I hope others will :)

Final packaging..

"Ingredients"

Happy Valentine's Day y'all. What will you be doing for Vday?

My first NY Fashion Week runway show for Sachika's Fall/Winter '12 collection!

2012-02-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

Of course a NY dream of mine is to see a real runway show with top designer labels during New York Fashion Week at the Lincoln Center however, I know that tickets are hard to come by unless you know the right peeps in the business (or sneak in!)... Maybe one day, maybe!

Taken from http://www.allfashionny.com/

So I was very excited and happy when To-Nya, designer and founder of Sachika whose partner is her twin sister To-Tam (they are identical twins!), invited me to their F/W '12 NYFW Style 360 fashion show hosted by Elle Magazine on Valentine's Day (Sorry Dave!) at the Metropolitan Pavilion. I did not hesitate to RSVP!

The Sachika twins NYFW 2010

I want to support these girls whom I worked with at a sushi restaurant back in Montreal wayyy back in 2003. It has been a long road for them to success but they did it! They have designed for or styled celebs in the likes of Nicki Minaj, Kat De Luna, Miss USA Alyssa Campanella, Patti Stanger, Coco and more. It is super exciting for me to see them during a very hectic but exciting time I'm sure! I believe it is their 3rd NYFW show and got the hang of it by now. I was a tad sad I could not attend their show at last year's SS NYFW because seats were filled so I'm happy I get to go this year :)

Miss USA Alyssa Campanella in Sachika who will be walking the runway at the show

Kat De Luna at Sachika's Fall 2011 show

Nicki Minaj in Sachika

Patti Stanger in Sachika

I remember reading about and seeing pictures of their very first NYFW show for Spring/Summer 2011 back in 2010 where some celebrities walked the runway including reality TV show housewives, singers and models. However, one particular dress on a curvaceous woman put both Sachika and her on the media radar. Ice T's wife Coco, walked down the runway wearing this number and made some major headlines during fashion week. You can see Kelly Osbourne dressed up as Coco for Halloween in the Sachika dress on her E! Fashion Police show. They have recently expanded to L.A. and obviously want to eventually "conquer the world" with their brand. They also model, sing and act on the side!

Since I have moved to NY almost two years ago I have only had the chance to hang out with these busy sisters twice which is not enough...

To-Nya and I at Sachika's Geisha party at Greenhouse NYC

Hanging at Ed Bennett's townhouse

Playing this ONE song I barely remember on the piano

I must mention that this would not be my first time seeing a show during NYFW. Last Fall, my friend J got us a RSVP for a show for a past 'Project Runway' contestant designer Logan Neitzel for his SS '12 collection. It was not at all what I expected. The venue was small, there was no runway and the collection was small. I was slightly disappointed because it was not a real runway show like I had initially though however, the free booze open bar post-collection viewing totally made up for it! It was a fun experience!

Logan Neitzel SS12 collection

Now the question is, what am I going to wear??

I like this Panda Face tank top from Urban!

2012-02-11T21:39:00.002-05:00

I spotted this cute top today at Urban Outfitters. I think living and hanging in Williamsburg so much has influenced my taste in clothes lately...in a good funky way!

My Jason Wu for Target pieces have arrived...and I'm returning most of it.

2012-02-11T00:17:00.000-05:00

The straw tote bag looks good and is big and large which I like. It would look great at the beach or strut around with while summer shopping however, the material is made with PVC and also, I just really don't need another bag. I bought it out of impulse (can't think straight at 4 in the morning). because the kitty tote was not available online....so unfortunately, this one is going back.

A Jason Wu tag adds a nice touch.

This black lace clutch. I liked it when I first saw it in the preview lookbook. It's slightly larger than I thought but the lace and feel of it is chic so it's a keeper, my only keeper! Inside. it has 2 zipper pockets, a divider and two pockets for cell phone or keys..definitely practical which is a bonus!

The jersey navy and red dress. I liked the sheer detailing on the sleeves and the dress which I didn't see on the website however this dress makes me look like a rectangle and adding a belt did not help..it might be a little too big on me but it wasn't what I had in mind...oh well.

I was planning to sell the pieces that I didn't like or fit me on ebay but the website is flooded with the collection and no one is really snatching them up especially since the collection is still being re-stocked and available at Target or Target.com. I'll just return them to give others a chance to snatch these and get a full refund..easy peasy! xx

At home...Our travel postcard collections!

2012-02-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

For the past two years, I have been collecting postcards from special places or in cities Dave and I have visited together (except for the Alex McQueen exhibition Met postcard). Sometimes it's difficult to find unique looking postcards worth collecting especially when you travel to touristic cities where souvenir shops are saturated with ugly generic postcards that you can get for cheap. However, there's always a small selection of nicer looking quality postcards which you will have to fork out more than $1-2 instead of the typical 5 for $1 prices and those are the ones I pick to collect. I've put up some of my fav ones on our fridge. The ones that look vintage are my usual picks.

I also put up some genuine Polaroid pics taken during our last trip to Turks and Caicos with one of Dave's old school Polaroid camera. We keepin' it old school -*Sh-sh-shake it like a polaroid picture!- except Polaroid films are sooo expensive since the company has discontinued making films of this original size. Each shot we take cost approximately $6 and this is an estimate based on prices we saw on Ebay which seems like the only place Polaroid films of this size are still available. People are selling expired films for hundreds of dollars actually. Dave has also saved two boxes of films in the fridge expired since 2009 but still work!

I also have a keychain collection!
What do you collect on trips?
xx

Sam Edelman on Gilt today!

2012-02-08T13:20:00.001-05:00

There wasn't a bountiful amount of styles on Gilt's Sam Edelman sale today however I liked most of the shoes that were there which means,wearable.

The Sam Edelman Hampton Flats were leather and $59 (retail:$110) shown here below! Not too shabby. My picks..black or rose/taupe? I guess black goes with everything and I never really had black flats if you can believe it! In NY, it's best to get black shoes because your light colors will never stay clean especially if you stroll around the city a lot. Not a problem for socialites who cab it everywhere though ie not me!

These camel booties were so tempting and the studded boots are so "Williamsburg" but I left them out of the cart!

I need flats since my Torys have become completely unwearable as they pinch the heck out of me after an hour of wear (It wasn't bad when I first got them, what's going on?) and also, they have now appear too big? All flats I have ever bought "die" on me only after one season of wear due to unknown reasons..sure, sometimes it's the rain that ruin the leather, sometimes it's the sweat, sometimes it's just wear and tear from overuse but why can't they last more than one season of wear! I have tried expensive flats and cheap flats and in between so now, I just get whatever is on sale knowing they will not last. I think it's because I need to get more shoes so I can swithc between flats daily which will increase the life span of each shoes I own! That makes sense right? Will my bf understand this concept? Probably not. He thinks I have too many shoes already...has he never seen a real woman's closet. I really do think that my shoe collection is modest. Really!

My Jewelmint Jewelmintsss...necklaces!

2012-02-07T22:29:00.003-05:00

My Jewelmint necklaces from 2011...

This first piece is the Pomander pendant which is the piece I wear most often. You can open the ball and place a scented cotton with your fav perfume in it and there are holes which will let the scent ooze out throughout the day. I tried it once and it was nice but wasteful on expensive perfume! I tend to bang the ball everywhere especially when I sit down at my desk and the ball will bang on my table and open..I fear it will break one day actually.

This second piece is one of the first pieces I bought from Jewelmint, the Farrah necklace. I used to wear it more often but since it's a costume jewelry, it has this metal scent now which makes it no fun to wear anymore. Some of jewelmints jewelries are actually gold-plated, not this one.

The serpentine necklace, I have worn twice maybe because I don't think it looks very nice on me and looks too serious for my outfits. I'd have to wear it when I dress up more formally..like a shirt and blazer or something. It is seen here on Rosie Huntington..she's gorgeous of course.

Maybe I'll wear it like a bracelet!

Ill be showing my other pieces really soon ...

Phone manual for dummies! Samsung's Tocco Lite

2012-02-07T12:35:00.001-05:00

Out of the box from Vitamins on Vimeo.

I have been living under a rock or I need a TV! Shuffling? What's that?

2012-02-06T22:58:00.001-05:00

I have been living under a rock or I blame not owning a TV..seriously! I've heard the LMFAO song like a zillion times..I've heard shuffling a zillion times and even seen it at a friend's wedding but I had nooooo idea the shuffle was an actual dance move!!Who is rolling their eyes right now?! or, who else did not know about the shuffle?..Even Dave knows so I know I'm the only one. I bet my lab mates don't know...yes yes..we're lab rats.

I've seen renditions of it and thought it was just the running man with crazy arm movements and that's it!...I had no idea it was some kind of rave dance movement from Australia. I just watched the 'Party Rock' video for the first time on Youtube and completely love the shuffle lol! I even recognize Hok from SYTYCD in the video so I know I'm still somewhat "cool".

I blame not having a TV ..seriously!

I watched this video below to learn how to do the Melbourne shuffle. My 2012 new year resolution is to um...shuffle more!

xxx Keiko

Totoro's day out in midtown

2012-02-06T22:28:00.001-05:00

Totoro visited the plaza, took a walk in Central Park, saw Wollman rink but did not skate, smelled horse poo and visited the newly renovated Apple store on 59th but did not go in...

There are 16 bridges in NY, I've crossed 3 only...for now.

2012-02-06T21:49:00.003-05:00

This is Williamsburg bridge. One of the first bridges I've crossed in NY and did it at night. There were interesting graffitis and art all around but you have to look for it. You can try to find one of Space invaders infamous work on the bridge :)

Brooklyn Bridge is a beauty and is one of the oldest bridge in NY. I have crossed the bridge once with my sister from Dumbo but also walked half of it from the Manhattan side twice to record HY and RH's wedding blessings. First time we went to shoot the video, we found out that we charged our battery overnight but the charger was not plugged in...fail.

BK bridge is a beautiful bridge to see and walk, although it is not super pleasant because it is always crowded with tourists and the occasional near hits with bikers that don't seem to care that you have wandered onto their bike lane. You can also enjoy the view of downtown Manhattan while breathing in engine gas from the cars swooshing below...

The George Washington bridge is huge, longer and newer. It is North-West of the island connecting Jersey and NY. It's super high and has a great view of the city of the entire city from far. When we crossed it that day in early January from Fort Lee, NJ, it was freezing but so worth it...for me that is, I think bf almost lost his ears.

The View from GW bridge in the evening.

Wear your heart! Of a Kind- cute shirt!

2012-02-05T12:01:00.001-05:00

This is a cute shirt by L.A.'s 'Laugh Cry Repeat" currently being sold on Of a Kind..I think that it's a super cute shirt. In fact, too cute for me to wear but I can see many girls pulling this cute look off.

I wish they used a different material for the heart..I think it would cling on better. I imagine the heart would wrinkle quite easily and look weird.

Here, it is nicely paired ...

I read more about the artist and the other previous heart tee creations and I wish I could have gotten my hand on that royal blue one

My Jason Wu for Target picks..I'm ready!!! +Updates

2012-02-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Going to get my paws on these even if it means some lack of sleep and quick mouse clicking on the laptop at wee hours in the morning but it will be worth it! I know what I want and it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes! I'm so glad I found an online shopping partner crazy enough to wake up with me at 4 a.m. Yay Viv !
Everything is under $50 and it's limited edition obviously so I like!

Here are my picks: The long sleeve pink blouse $34.99 and lace clutch at $29.99

Jersey dress is $34.99. This dress would be great for Spring and look nice paired with a dark blazer or leather jacket. + the cat tote because it's ..a cat!

A closer look at the lace clutch which I can see paired with this pretty lace dress I have and other things I own so it's perfect.

Some looks to consider: I like big bags so this tote seems perfect but I'm not sure about this one yet..

Cutesy...

From what I can see currently on ebay where items from the pre-launch party are being sold, there are some items that do not appear in the preview lookbook so there's probably more to look out for. Also, it seems that some pieces are only available online so I don't see why anyone would wake up at wee hours in the morning to head to Target and wait in line *Update: Now I know why. Not everything is online. Should have known!* I live in NY so I know it's going to be crazy out there. According to blogs I've read, last year's MissonixTarget in store sales, items were sold out within minutes! I am staying in the comfort of my own bed and going to hope that I can snag a few pieces before the site shuts down if Target's site will actually be brought down again by crazy shoppers. I hope I won't be disappointed with the items and they don't look too cheap...

Update Feb 5:
So, I got up at 4 a.m., logged on, and immediately learned that not everything is available online. Shouldn't they have mentioned that somewhere? Is that why everyone knew that going physically to Target was a better choice...oh well, I should have known.
Online, the items I wanted such as the pink blouse and cat tote were only available in-stores..actually, the pink blouses were available online but in L sizes. Some items such as the white blouse with black bow were available only online but sold out already. However, I got the jersey dress in S, the lace clutch and the canvas tote I was contemplating but got it since the other pieces were not available online. It's about noon now and there are about 5 pages of Jason Wu items now on ebay including several of the pink blouse! The items I bought are sold out online now so waking up was not totally a lost...just lost of sleep for me and poor bf. I snoozed the alarm and didn't shut it off and left the bedroom. The alarm rang again and woke him up :(

Why come I did not find pictures of this dog in the 2011 Westminster dog show??

2012-02-05T00:56:00.000-05:00

This picture was from an online album I found of the 2010 Westminster dog show in NY. It's so high-la-rious!

"The pressure of this show is driving me craaaazy!"

My DIY stud purse..just when I thought it was done..

2012-02-05T00:46:00.000-05:00

THIS (American Apparel pouch MEDIUM)

THIS (spikes and studs.com)

equals....2-5? hours later..

BUT! It's not finished! After a few suggestions from some fashionable gals. I've decided to add more studs! Oh but it's not as simple as it looks. To manually add holes with a piercer and screw the studs through one by one is not a simple task at all. After I pierced the first hole, I was thinking, what did I get myself into?!

First, I had to figure out where to place my studs and a design..I had a few designs in mind but it didn't pan out once I placed them on the pouch and the studs didn't look particularly good in clusters. I ended up with a simple design but the best one.

Once the design was decided, I drew points with a pencil and I started piercing holes one by one hoping I don't mess up and that every stud is placed at the right spot. The studs actually don't readily go through the holes and they have to be screwed in before the hole closes back because it's leather. I've never worked with leather before so this was pretty interesting.

I will add more studs as a gradient from bottom to top as suggested by my friend..and then I'm naming the bag after her!