buying a new calendar always feels like a rite of passage.  i picked up this beautiful letterpressed cherry blossom calendar at abc home late last year.  i’m so happy that i finally get to use it.  the images follow the life cycle of a cherry blossom tree.

good inspiration for an upcoming trip to japan for cherry blossom season (fingers crossed!!!).

a few pictures i snapped around the apartment this christmas season:

our tree.  this what happens when you buy all your christmas decorations from anthropologie.

the second year we have used this peacock as a tree topper.

decided to have some hot chocolate with my marshmallows.  (both vegan!)

went a bit crazy with the sugar paper + target christmas collection.

we don’t have a mantle so our tv console is covered with the cards we received from dear friends.  #newyorkcitylife

upon a friend’s recommendation, i tried this recipe for cauliflower rice stuffed peppers.  they ended up being easy to prepare, super filling, and oh so delicious.

how long do your shoes last?  i mean the ones that you actually wear, not the ones that are reserved for weddings or nights where the main activity is sitting at a restaurant.  i have a pair that are over 5 years old, though i was admittedly precious with them the first few years i wore them.  some others make it 1-2 years tops.

i try to extend my shoes’ lives by buying good quality and spending time with my cobbler, but sometimes that is not enough.  i bought these manolos with the hope they would be forever pieces, but 2.5 years later the suede was scuffed up beyond repair and my feet slipped out so often that i began tripping.  the manolos were meant to replace these, which lasted about 2 years.

clearly i haven’t learned my lesson with the black suede, because i picked up these sergio rossi classic pumps on super sale.  i hope they don’t stretch as much, and that my next post on classic black pumps is more than 2.5 years after this one.

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i don’t know why, but i ended up taking tons of pictures of paris windows, books, and vintage cars.  most of these shots were around merci, one of my favorite stores to visit.

when i was in paris, i found myself in a rainstorm and ducked into the astier de villatte shop on rue saint-honore for shelter.  i was familiar with their pottery because of abc home, but something about seeing it all stacked up in a charming store took my breath away.  i spent hours there, rummaging through all the options and narrowing down my shopping list.

although it is not for everyone, i love love love the handmade touch of their pieces.  no two items are the same, and there is a myriad of styles and options to choose from.  buying this much pottery was admittedly not my brightest idea, especially since i had to carry it around for the next week and half on flights and ferry rides through croatia and london.  amazingly, nothing was broken when i got back to nyc.  besides the design, i also love how light but strong each piece is.

for fans of the line, i should note that although still expensive, the prices ended up being about 30% cheaper in paris (after vat) than if i had bought them in the united states.

also fun tidbit – while i was there, i saw helen mirren.  she was wearing a floor length pleated duster coat with platform sneakers, and was easily the coolest and best dressed person that day.

my astier de village haul:

i took an amazing trip to paris, croatia, and london in august and am still sorting through my pictures to post.  as with many visitors to paris, one of my must do stops was the french pharmacy.  the internet and general interest in foreign beauty products means that many classic french brands (la roche posay, vichy, avenue, etc.) are readily available in the united states.  therefore, i tried to focus on products that were france specific.

here’s what i came back with.

the nuxe body oil used to be available in the united states, but i think the brand recently stopped their north american distribution.  it is too bad, because i will be so sad when this is done.  the oil smells like heaven, and can be used in the bath, on hair, on dry skin, and even as a perfume.

bioderma is generally available, but i haven’t seen these mini sizes (so great for travel!).

i have not tried to find the la roche redermic R, but forgot to bring my nightly retinol cream and was excited to try it.  this contains 1% retinol, which is the highest amount you can get over the counter.  i love retinol – it fights both acne and wrinkles (also can we discuss how unfair it is that we have to be concerned with both?).

i have to confess that i have no idea what these sanoflore serums are for.  the packaging is all in french.  i basically bought them because i saw them on a blog.

the nuxe lip balm is my favorite balm of.all.time.  it smells great, is light, but is also deeply moisturizing.  i have never seen it in a store in america, but there are some overseas sites that will ship it to the united states.

the marvis toothpaste is readily available, but it is so much cheaper over there that i wanted to try it.

biafine is basically french neosporin, but the packaging and name are so much chicer.

the serozinc is a spray toner with zinc that is supposed to be good for acne prone skin.  i have just started using it.  i will report back on the effectiveness.

i finally got around to posting these pics of my visit to the met.  the main event was the costume institute show, but i also enjoyed the irving penn exhibit.  (sorry the text under the picasso picture is so blurry.  i loved the story so much that i thought it was worth posting anyway).