new york, I love you but...

I'm so over these snowstorms, and yet we are expecting another one tomorrow! Also, today was nuts -- my flight tomorrow morning to SF got cancelled and it was so crazy difficult to reschedule (Thanks United). Fingers crossed that it doesn't get cancelled again. I'm trying to focus on all the positive things about living here in Manhattan (and counting down the days til Spring)...

 

(Photo source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

we've got a long ways to go

This picture of a young Leo and Kate makes me grin from ear to ear. We have so much learning and growing to do. Just look at how far they've both come since this photo!

(photo via here)

creative courage

I've been thinking about how wonderful it is to create something or experience someone else's creation -- a concert, a book, a business. We enjoy the fruits of someone's vulnerability and passion every day. The past couple of years since college I've been in an artistic slump -- I barely write or make music, two of the biggest passions in my life. I wonder why I thought it would be so easy to keep up, when actually creativity takes a ton of courage and intentional planning....

my bucket list, illustrated!

The fabulous Eunsan illustrated my bucket list....

I'm so grateful for my creative friends like Eunsan, who inspire me by taking on such amazing projects. Seeing all of my aspirations in one place is super motivating - thanks E!

fascinating portraits

Lately, I've been really into portraits. It's astounding the many creative, different ways we can see into a person's soul through portraiture, and how the subjects' expression and the way the photo is composed all help us to feel something. Portraits can be serious, quirky, artsy, and iconic. (Maybe that's why I've had this photo of myself as my Facebook profile picture for so long?)

(Photos via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

beautiful silk flowers

It's snowmaggeden outside! Okay, maybe not really. Snow doesn't affect me very much (I was raised in Ontario, Canada where it snowed like half of the year), so it's entertaining to hear the buzz regarding Snowstorm Nemo. (Fun name!) Anyway, to offset Nemo and brighten our day a little bit, here are some beautiful silk flowers from Terrain that I would love to have at my desk.

Doesn't the red ranunculus bouquet look especially real? Do you own silk flowers, or would you rather have the real deal?

illustrations by lolla james

I'm so impressed by my friend Eunsan (aka Lolla James) and her amazing illustrations. Her drawings are humorous and clever, and often remind me of Gemma Correll's work. Also, major kudos to E for sticking to her illustrator dates -- it really looks like her 25 minute vow has paid off, since she is getting better and better. This is good motivation for me to get back to writing my columns and essays. Keep it up E! (Find more of Eunsan's illustrations here.)

This one's called "The Patient Patient" and made it on EatSleepDraw!

PS: Her cheeky Valentines card made me laugh. 

PPS: Did I mention that she designed my blog header?

(All illustrations by Lolla James)

spring, you couldn't come fast enough!

You guys, I think the weather is getting to me. It's so tough to leave work and be surrounded by pitch darkness. Remind me not to sleep in this weekend so that I can actually enjoy some sunshine, okay? In the meantime, here are some things to help shake away the winter blues.

A denim jacket over a white dress... perfect warm weather outfit in my opinion. (via Let it Be)

Whoa, spring bouquet popsicles! Almost too pretty to eat.

Isn't this photo of Phuket, India beautiful? I can't wait to travel this spring. (photo via Anne's Flickr)

This painting makes me feel alive... it's serious and moody, but full of energy too. (By Stricher Gerard)

Have a good week!

new giveaway! two prints from UGallery worth $150

Friends, how was your Inauguration Day/Martin Luther King Day long weekend? I was en route from a long weekend in Philadelphia and basically sat on my couch all Monday evening :) Above is an instagram of my living room last week... as you can see, we're building a gallery wall! To celebrate, I'm partnering with UGallery, a super hip San Francisco-based virtual gallery, to host another sweet giveaway for Helen Hearts readers: 2 beautiful prints worth $150 that would look fantastic on any wall. Here they are pictured below...

Brigid's Sunset by AK Hardeman  

To enter and win:

Leave a comment below with your email address
+ Why you would love to win these prints

+ "Like" UGallery on Facebook

+ Follow Helen Hearts with Google Friend Connect (on the right)

As always, receive extra entries by tweeting and sharing this giveaway on your facebook -- just let me know by confirming in an additional comment below :)

Hanging Tomato Plants

Winner Announcement & 15% Off for HH Readers!

A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Valentines Day, February 14th. Prints will be 8x10" and arrive unframed. UGallery is also kindly offering Helen Hearts readers a whopping 15% off your purchase until Valentine's Day with coupon code: helenhearts15off

I can't wait to hang these two prints on my wall... think they will look divine! Hope you're enjoying the colorful art on UGallery's site, and wishing you luck on the giveaway. xoxo

Update: Congrats to Alex on the win! Thanks all for playing. 

currently browsing: bella foster on stampa

Stampa is a website that provides monthly curated limited edition prints for purchase. Right now, I am enamoured with Bella Foster's art -- her still life watercolors have such a wild air about them, you just have to look again. (Thanks for the intro, Matchbook Mag!)

"Tulips"

"Radish" 

life lately... august recap

Hi lovelies! I'm still reeling at the fact that it is past mid-September. While I love autumn, I'm feeling bittersweet about summer passing by so quickly. This August marked my 1 year anniversary at work, which made me reflect on both how much I've grown and learned, as well as how fast time flies when you're working!!! So here's a little recap of my life through August and early September... captured by Instagram (my obsession). It's important to me to remember the little blessings in life, so I'm going to get as detailed as I can (don't mind the rambling)!

Food Fair, Brunches, and Gelato...

August was definitely a foodie month. Jen (a blog friend turned real friend) and I went to the Brooklyn food fair Smorgasburg to try as much food as we could consume (like the fried rice with egg above). I also had Sunday brunch every week at places like Veselka (a neighborhood favorite --see how big those pancakes are above?), Linen Hall (beautiful ceilings), and Cafe Minerva in the West Village, which I love for their delicious french pressed coffee :) And of course, you can't keep me away from Gelato ti Amo, the gelato & sorbet place next door -- I probably go there at least once a week! Luca (the owner) is a friend, and it's always nice to have neighbors who are really great people too.

Washington D.C. Trip...

First weekend of August, I went to visit one of my best friends Anna in D.C. (again). We hung out with Jill and Audrey (two girlfriends from our high school) and Katie (Anna's sorority "little"), and it was such a blast. I had no idea that D.C. could be SO hot in the summer (it was almost 100 degrees that weekend!), but we had a great time enjoying Jazz in the Garden, a Nationals baseball game, walking through Georgetown, brunch at Clydes and more. (I found the beautiful graffiti above on the Georgetown campus - isn't it gorgeous?)

Fashion Week!

To be honest, Fashion Week really intimidates me! Especially Fashion's Night Out, when Manhattan is a complete hot and scary mess.... and of course I still participate ;)  The energy in the city around this time of year is intoxicating. I was lucky to be invited to Glam Media's NYFW blogger dinner-- meeting other New York based lifestyle and fashion bloggers was an absolute dream! I loved hanging out with the girls at my table, and getting to know the team behind Glam, who impressed me to no end and were super fabulous to boot. I also had a chance to attend Harlem's Fashion Row for work, as well as visit Birchbox's fun Sample Stop with my L'Oreal friends and to catch up with my friend Deepica.

Long summer walks...

 

Okay, this sounds cheesy, but I adore New York summer walks. Living in a walkable city is so important to me... I get to see so many things along the way (like this pink brownstone 3 blocks away from me in the East Village and this kooky NY Magazine spin-off in Nolita). There's nothing a good, long stroll can't fix. This past weekend when my family came to visit, one of the best things we did was walk the entire High Line, an elevated park on the West Side that used to be rail road tracks. The views are spectacular--case in point, the rainbow-colored WWII-inspired couple kissing mural. My mom, sister, and I also indulged in popsicles while walking -- a heavenly summertime combination.

 How was your August? Are you ready for fall?

PS: Some other Life Lately recaps from this year.

cute cartoons by gemma correll

I know, I know... everyone is in love with illustrator Gemma Correll and I've posted about her before, but how cute and hilarious (and pun-ny) are these drawings? I love scrolling through her blog for more laughs.