The BirchBox

On the recent subject of obsessions, I've got another thing to share. I was reading an article in the Times a few weeks back about a venture capital firm that is going to open an office in Manhattan this summer. The article went on to explain some of the VC firm's companies. One was called Birchbox. I thought "what the hell is that?" So I googled it to find out. Oh be still my miniature heart. It's beauty samples (the best kind of miniatures!) delivered straight to your door every month. How could I NOT get a subscription after finding that out? So me being well, me, I signed right up. This week my first delivery arrived:

It's here!

All wrapped up with a little bow. Yah presents for me!

Can't wait to see what the next 11 months bring.

I must admit that my first Birchbox was pretty rad. And also extremely coincidental. You see, the very day that I got the Birchbox in the mail, I had also seen a quote on Pinterest that I really loved. It said "She had a cocktail in hand and confetti in her hair." Turns out, that quote is the tagline for the Kate Spade Twirl perfume, a sample of which was included in my shipment. I adore when things like that happen! So between this new perfume to try (I'm digging it), bronzer, nail polish remover mitts, face moisturizing spray, and shiny hair oil, I've got plenty of new things to play with. Thanks Birchbox, for delivering some fun to my mailbox.

Pinterest and Cardigan Love

Shhhhhh. Don't tell the Mister, but I've got a few new obsessions. You see, this week I discovered something AWESOME. Jaw-droppingly awesome in fact. Pinterest. I'll spare you the details and let you check out the website for yourself, but basically pinterest is a virtual bulletin board. You "pin" things from the internets (mostly pictures) onto "boards" that you create for yourself using categories, and then you can share these boards and pins with the rest of the world. For a lady who has spent years collecting magazine articles of interest and sorting them into categorized binders, this is a dream come true. Now instead of clunky binders, I've got "boards" for inspirational quotes, apparel I love, new make-up techniques, photography ideas to try, and a whole range of other things. It's amazing.
Related to this new pinterest obsession though, I've been spending a bit too much time evaluating my wardrobe and "pinning" cute outfits. That's led me down the road of purchasing 4 new cardigans in the last 24 hours. Because a lady can never have too many cardigans, right? Am I RIGHT? My summer wardrobe really needed some new cute blouses, some cotton summer weight cardigans, and some cute shoes. Thanks to sales recently at Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Jcrew, I was able to make that happen for dirt cheap. Thank goodness the Mister just tells me I've been looking cute lately and hasn't delved any deeper into the credit card statements. ;-)

I currently can't get enough of this ensemble. I want to live in it. Daily.

On Exploring, Wizards, and Butchers

Having this new camera has been super rad. I spent one afternoon after work wandering around Brooklyn Bridge Park with my snazzy new camera & Crumpler camera bag in hand. I managed to take a few cool shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and Pier 6, but mostly, I was just interested in getting to know my camera, and testing out how it performed in different light conditions. Note to self. Need to take a camera class ASAP.

Empire State Building off to the right!

<3 This

The tall building is the new Frank Gehry Building. The cranes are for One World Trade.

Love the purple in the glass & the taxi sign

A little Bridge love

Then I spent another day last weekend totally nerding out, and going to the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Discovery Center in Times Square. Being an American Express cardholder, I was also able to snag a free audio tour, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed in the exhibit, and I wasn't spending $17 for an "exhibit book," so I don't have many images to show for my fun trip. I will say however, that this exhibit was super cool, and my favorite part was getting to see all the wands from each of the characters in the movies. You better believe they had a gift shop at the end of the exhibit selling all the wands too. I was THIS CLOSE to buying one. But I told myself, wait, wait. Spend all your bucks when you eventually make it to the Harry Potter world at Universal Studios in Orlando. Perhaps this year over Thanksgiving? I wonder if I can convince the Mister....

Harry Memorabilia

Display case at the gift shop

And in another nerd alert, I got some new glasses finally! I'm psyched about these Modo's with green inside and tortoise shell outside. They look cute on, and after picking them up from the shop, I promptly wore them for the rest of the evening while I read my new cookbook/butcher's guide. The famously humane Fleisher's is opening a branch of their butcher's shop here in Park Slope, literally 4 blocks from my apartment this fall. I could NOT be a happier camper. Local eggs, grass fed and happy meats, and a whole variety of other local cheeses and goods will be right at my finger tips! I'm geeked for my weekly trips to the store.