A sketch of one of my favorite West Village townhouses. I mean really, is there anywhere else you would rather live besides a lavender townhouse in the West Village??

Artisanal

When my former roommate and I were poor recent college grads, we lived on three things: popcorn, peanuts in their shells, and the "Red Cheese" as we called it. I don't even know what it was- gouda maybe, but every time my mom came to visit she brought the red cheese, which she lovingly purchased at Costco. We would sit and watch Paradise Hotel on our little TV and eat layer after layer of that thing. 

We've since upgraded to higher end cheese purveyors, Artisanal being one of them. It is the only restaurant worth going to in the East 30's (Les Halles too, I think, though I have never been, despite my Anthony Bourdain love.) You leave there smelling like cheese, but it is worth it for the French Onion Soup and the cheese plate, followed by some fondue. Clearly I need to have my cholesterol checked.

My Happy Place

Rizzoli on 57th street is my happy place. Whenever I need to be inspired I go there and browse the food and art books and the Children's books. They have the best Children's book section in the city, I think. It is small but it has the most unique selection. Buying a book at Rizzoli feels much better than buying from Barnes and Noble, or any other huge book store. 

Project Runway Finale or Presidential Debates??

One was a little more captivating for me....

Children's Book Art!!

My amazingly talented friend Sari reminded me with her post about the "Original Art" show at the Society of Illustrators. Fall would not be complete without going up to the Society on a crisp fall day and seeing the original art from all the best Children's books. It is so inspiring for people who are interested in Children's book art.

Above is a detail from a Children's book I have been working on- on and off.

I went to a wedding this past weekend and I really had to pull from the archives for an ensemble.....tough economic times and all. I managed to pull it together with an old DVF...ever the classic... and accessorized to death.

I was working on a Spring wedding invitation with this as the envelope liner. I would love to open up a white envelope to see this pop of color.

Illustration Friday "Sugary"

Some little illustrations of desserts for a project.

Macaroons

I went upstairs today to visit my wildly talented and funny coworker and friend Dan. He just got back from Paris and brought back some Macaroons.....my favorite thing on earth. I had what I think was a vanilla bean one- unreal. When I went to Paris a while back, I brought some home in the Laduree boxes above....and polished them ALL off while driving back from the airport on the FDR. I did the above illustration soon after I got back. Now they are decorative objects in my apt (I've seen the black and white box a bazillion times in magazines- it is a stylist's go-to.)