Wash Park

After Santa Cruz I flew straight to Denver, which will always and forever be my hometown despite a few technicalities--I was born in D.C. and lived in Maryland and Indiana before moving to Denver, not to mention that my family now lives in Wisconsin. But thankfully I have Jon's family and my BFF Gina's family willing to temporarily adopt me while I'm there, so it still feels like home.

I went to Washington Park with Jon and his mama and we walked through the gardens and around the lake. I made Jon take a picture of me with this flower that is bigger than my head.

Santa Cruz

I'm back in New York after a lovely vacation that I wish didn't have to end! As much as I love the city, it's hard to come back after being in California. My mom and I walked down to the coast everyday, which meant braving a monstrous hill back up to my aunt and uncle's house. I snapped these pics one afternoon on the way home.

This picture doesn't do the hill justice. It's a steep one, trust me.

Backyard BBQ

Brian and a squash friend from Choice Greene.

Brian eating a popsicle.

Jon grilling the squash on his fancy new grill.

Lauren skewering the mushrooms and peppers. She's making the choking hazard sign for Habana Outpost.

We had an impromptu backyard barbecue on Friday complete with grilled shrimp and veggies. Even in the shade it was almost too hot come mid-afternoon, but we powered through and it ended up being really nice. We're planning round two for the Fourth of July, so hopefully the weather stays sunny but cools down. In the meantime I'm staying put in front of my air conditioner.

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

In Bushwick we lived two blocks from the Marcy Projects where Jay-Z grew up, but we were also in  the Hasidic neighborhood, which meant that there was no need to think twice when entering a stranger's house as there is nothing sick and twisted about turning off a light switch on the Holy Sabbath in exchange for cheesecake or bananas. Entering a bathhouse full of naked men and boys to switch off a light is another story, but thankfully I was not the one asked to do this.

Now we live in Bed-Stuy, albeit on the edge of Clinton Hill just a few blocks from Pratt, but Bed-Stuy nonetheless. If you are not a New Yorker you may not be aware of Bed-Stuy's reputation, but it certainly has one. Thus far the worst we have had to deal with have been rats in the apartment and a rock through my roommate's car window, but a little duct taping under doorways and not parking a Mercedes in Bed-Stuy have taken care of that. We're learning. 

Unlimited Prosecco at Black Swan on Wednesday nights = dangerous.

There is an airplane in a lot around the corner from my apartment. In Brooklyn.

Shoes on power lines and bottles on fence posts.

The Spencer Street Community Garden, nice to walk by but reportedly full of rats, like my apartment.

One of many Occupy graffiti sightings, on Nostrand and Dekalb.

Happy Housewarming

Plenty of Off and citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes away.

Adding some religious iconography to reinforce the graveyard theme of our backyard.

Baby Jesus sleeping in the plants.

Jon chilling in the backyard.

An off-color request for privacy on our bathroom window.

Starting to make my room pretty.

My llama from my bff Gina chilling on my bookshelf.

Jon tending to his chives.

Housewarming etsy presents to myself.

 Another etsy treasury dedicated to things I want for my new apartment! We're finally starting to get settled, but we still need a few more personal touches to really make the place ours. The good news is I can finally get back to making things for the shop, so expect new items in the near future!

A Little Slice of Bed-Stuy Paradise

I spent this past weekend moving into my new apartment! We don't have internet yet, so excuse me being a little MIA. I've also been super busy unpacking and organizing. Saturday I went on an all-day IKEA excursion and I'm pretty sure I've been to Home Depot at least five times this past week. But it's finally coming together, especially our beautiful garden! It may not look like much, but trust me, this is prime real-estate in Bed-Stuy.

Post-weeding cigarette break.

Clover torso.

We decided our backyard is graveyard-themed.

Sunny spot in the corner for the tomatoes and herbs.

We're making more additions to the garden daily. Next step: an awesome grill and some more chairs, and then we'll be all set to have a backyard barbecue!

Saying Goodbye to Bushwick

I am currently in the nightmarish process of moving, which in Brooklyn includes lying landlords and fourth floor walk-ups. After a month now of dealing with surprise bullshit every couple of days, finally all that's left is the physical moving of crap into our new apartment. Needless to say, I am stoked for summer.

This is my friend's apartment where I was supposed to be moving, until the asshole landlord decided not to let us move in for some unknown reason.

My boyfriend barbecuing on the roof last summer.

Thankfully however a summer of rooftop barbecues will now be a summer of backyard barbecues, because our new apartment has a beautiful backyard full of flower beds for my boyfriend's babies (a.k.a the more than a dozen vegetables growing in pots on our current roof) and not to mention an ARCH OF PINK ROSES. Expect pictures post-move-in, and lots of them.

For now I can definitely say I won't be missing our current place in Bushwick. The apartment itself is super nice, but the neighborhood is desolate. The closest restaurant is McDonald's a few blocks away. Our block consists of a junkyard and the abandoned Pfizer factory. I'm pretty sure the junkyard dog eats the stray cats because I hear them crying in fear in the middle of the night, probably after mistakenly chasing all the juicy rats into the junkyard.

Live poultry market in Bushwick

View of the abandoned Pfizer factory from my window

View from the bedroom window, with the Empire State building in the fog

Not that the neighborhood is completely bereft of charm in the broken-down building sort of way. We could even buy a chicken and watch them kill it for us if we so desired. The new apartment is much closer to bars (top priority) and other necessary amenities. It's technically in Bed-Stuy, but as with many of my decisions cheapness outweighs quality so we're willing to brave the possibility of muggings to pay $500/month in rent.

Assuming my safety is in no way threatened, I'm planning on taking a good chunk of the summer to focus entirely on the etsy shop, so expect new products and hopefully a much-needed make over for this hideous blog. More things to be excited about this summer!