A bit of sparkle...

On Saturday I got up bright and early...
And made my way down to SoHo for a little shopping excursion.
You see, my coworker has been telling me about this jewelry designer she came across a few years ago. So she took me to The Market.
The market is actually an old gymnasium full of artisans from all over NYC.
And while this photo is a terrible representation, the designer we were there to visit had an amazing table full of beautiful treasures!
Of course I left with a tiny bag full of accessories- want to see what I took home? The first thing I picked out were these earrings. My family loves ginkgo trees, so when I saw these I immediately added them to my pile. Not only were they reasonably priced ($4 with the "friend" discount thanks to my co-worker's relationship with the designer), but they were eco-friendly! The designer dismantled the leaves from a pair of gaudy, vintage clip-on earrings she found. Then she soldered and hammered them into these sparkly little numbers- aren't they fun and season appropriate?
I also nabbed these, which I lovingly refer to as "the kidney earrings".
How about these dangle-y babies?
Aren't the striations on the medallions interesting?
And while I had planned on purchasing only earrings, I couldn't resist this ring.
Isn't it fun?
But my favorite find of the day was this pair- aren't they perfect?
I just love that color- especially with a bit of back light!
As you can tell, I had a pretty productive weekend, jewelry-wise!
If you're ever in SoHo, I highly recommend stopping by Jennifer's table- you won't regret it!
Thank you for visiting- I hope you have a great weekend!

Bar marche

When SFS' buddies were in town a few weekends ago, we visited Bar marché.
It's this really intimate restaurant in SoHo, which tin roofs and chandeliers encased in Lucite boxes.
Yeah, I'm not sure why that is, either... but there you have it! First we ordered some cocktails, I had a glass of sangria.
Then the waiter brought this over: a dish full of hummus and veggies, instead of the traditional basket of rolls/bread. Isn't that a nice alternative? And since I LOVE hummus, I was stoked. (NOTE: I know you can't really tell WHAT that is... but those green things are the ends of the celery sticks...)
To start, SFS ordered some Tortilla Soup.
And his roommate had Almond Stuffed Dates, with crisp bacon, blue cheese & herbal greens.
And his buddy had Bruschetta Du Jour, which was toasted country bread topped with arugula & balsamic reduction.
For an entree, I ordered the Classic Cheeseburger & Frites (grass-fed beef with cheddar). I know- I came all the way to a fancy restaurant for a cheeseburger, but it sure was good!
And SFS' buddy got Steak Frites (Creekstone Farm hanger steak, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions & chimichurri sauce).
While SFS ordered Seared Sea Scallops over blue cheese polenta & a demi-glaze sauce.
We had an amazing night, and were definitely a riotous crowd at our corner table. If you ever have a hankering to check this place out, you can find it on the Corner of Spring Street and Elizabeth Street.
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have an amazing weekend!!

Urban art

This weekend, SFS and I walked by this interesting building. From this view, it looks pretty average, right?
Now, see it out at street level... check out all that GRAFFITI!
There was so much to look at along the side of the building. From big symbols...
To artwork glued to the facade...
(Coney Island anyone?)...
Or even a tiny, little heart!
As we checked out the tags, I realized I had no idea what most of them said!
Which makes me nervous that I'm inadvertently advertising gang symbols on my blog... so if that's the case, I'm sorry!
Check out this face:
Or this cute cloud!
But of all the neat things painted on that building, this was my favorite...
Maybe I've been living in NYC too long... but this looks like an amazing piece of art to me!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great Tuesday!