passion pit

When Steve & I were dining in NYC, this catchy song came on and since I don't have one of those fancy phones that can recognize music and tell you who's singing it, I quickly made my way to the bar to see who it was.

Turns out it was Little Secrets by Passion Pit…

A review reads, "Lead singer Michael Angelakos and his merry sidemen play with a verve
that traces back to disco; Passion Pit’s falsetto vocals sound like Bon
Iver being sampled and sped up by Kanye West. It’s easy to say that
Passion Pit makes dance music for people who hate dance music, but
these guys also make dance music for people who like dance music, so
here’s the new paradigm: They make dance music for people who like
music." -Nick Marino
from Paste Magazine

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window watching at anthropologie

Before I returned back home from the gift show, I had to swing by the Anthropologie near Rockefeller Center to see what they cooked up for their summer window displays…

I love how the hose is squirting out blue paint onto the colander/bowl sprouts.

 

And the flurry of flowers is made from cut up soda bottles… as well as the leaves.  They are always coming up with clever ways to transform the ordinary into art.

Like using cardboard, paint, some wood and a nail gun.

Always inspiring…. which reminds me I need to change up our front windows soon.

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cupcakes, records & restrooms

We made our way to the hipster restaurant, V*ynl  in the Hell's Kitchen district for dinner and discovered some of the coolest bathrooms around…

The bathroom door simply reads CHER, and upon entering you're greeted by a full wall mosaic of the vixen along with a story shadow box and her music playing in the background.

And for the guys… how 'bout a commode dedicated to the king?

Also couldn't help to notice the clever chandeliers made from a bunch of dual light socket extenders.

Earlier in the day we snagged a couple cupcakes from Crumbs (thanks for the recommendation Sarah:) and dined on them for dessert.  It was so hard to pick just one flavor… so we started off with the key lime pie and red velvet.  Maybe tomorrow we'll try the peanut butter cup and Boston Cream… do you think we could score a discount since our last name is McCrumb?

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eating my way through nyc

Steve & I are in New York again for the summer gift show – which means selling our paper goods during the day and enjoying tasty dinners every night with all our artist friends.  Two new spots this summer so far…

Authentic burritos, sandwiches and the best tasting grilled corn-on-the-cob ever at Cafe Habana in SoHo.  They were so busy, we opted for the take-out window and dined on the street corner with our friends Michelle & Katie.

And for dessert… malted milk ball gelato anyone?  Ymmmm Ciao Bella.

Night two…  Five Napkin Burger in the Hell's Kitchen district with Jodi, Collen and Amy Peters.  These burgers were so huge we ended up splitting them and boy-oh-boy were they amazing!  I might need to scout out some gruyere cheese and rosemary aioli when I get back to Detroit.

And of course I made my must-stop at pinkberry on the walk back to the hotel.

All charged up for the 3rd day of the gift show! 

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strawberry rhubarb crisp

Typically I try not to turn the oven on in the summer months, however the grocery store cleverly placed their rhubarb display right next to the strawberries which gave me the idea for this tasty treat.  I remember my mom making rhubarb pie when I was younger and I loved it, but never made it myself.

As lovely as pies are, I personally think you get a similar result with a lot less work by whipping up a crisp.  So I googled away and found this simple recipe.

the magic of duirwaigh studios

Meet Angi Sullins and Silas Toball of Duirwaigh Studios.  Along with designing striking artwork for beautiful cards, they also produce products and services that inspire creative
consciousness.

They believe each product and experience should transport its audience
through the portal of wonder and into the limitless realm of soul,
where impossible things happen every day. With creative wild abandon
and imaginative play, with a belief in the infinite possibilities of
the human psyche, with feet on the ground and heads in the stars, we
endeavor to knock at the door of the human heart, re-minding ourselves
and each other that once upon a time is really here and now.

I love their vibrant color palette,  illuminating images and inspiring messages.

To peruse more of their cards, visit our virtual card gallery.  All of these cards are available at our Berkley & Rochester locations.

Like to see our latest greeting cards?  Then sign up to receive these pretty blog posts in your email inbox….finding the perfect sentiment has never been so easy!

who gets pampered for free?

Thank you for participating in our summer spa giveaway!  We loved hearing all about your extravagant and simple ways you like to be pampered. Also, thanks for
spreading the news to your friends through facebook and email
forwards.  Word of mouth has always been our best form of advertising
and we couldn't do it without YOU! 

Out of all our entries,  Adrian Rosen of Syosset, New York
is August's giveaway winner

And her favorite way to be pampered…

a blow-out!!
I always feel like a million dollars when my hair is blown out.

Funny thing… right after we taped the give-away, I was on my way to trim, highlight & style — quite ironic :)

Congratulations Adrian.  We hope you enjoy using our summer spa goodies

Stay tuned for another fantastic giveaway in September.  You never know when it'll be you lucky day!

Don't want to miss out on future fantastic firefly giveaways?  Then be sure to get them delivered to your email inbox by signing up here!

bohemian wrist wear

When I spotted these pretties, I couldn't resist ordering them in every style!  The rich colors, hip patterns & poppin' posies —ahhhh—- a great summer-into-fall addition to my jewelry drawer.  And the best part they're $12.95 (thin band) & $15.95 (thick band) each!  Currently they're available at our Berkley & Rochester locations and maybe they'll make it online in the future.

Like to see what our UPS man is bringing us?  Then sign up to receive these charming blog posts in your email inbox….window shopping has never been so easy!

back to school gift guide

Looking to make this September a little bit more special?  Add a few of these clever goods to your Back-to-School list and you'll get extra large grins from your kids – young & old.

1. scented pencils $15.95  2. image changing note book $8.95  3.nose pencil sharpener $1.75  4. chocolate calculator $6.75  5. super student brag board $23.50  6. school years keepsake album $16.95

1. sweetbytes crust cutter $3.95  2. butterfly lunch bag $16.95  3. candy necklace $.75  4. retro lunch box $13.95  5. scratch magic mini notes $2.25  6. flower penny pal $4.95

1. monkey lunch bag $16.95  2. dynobytes crust cutter $3.95  3. retro lunch box $13.95  4. monkey penny pal $4.95  5. lunch mail $5.95  6. whistle pops $2.25

1. chinese jump rope book $12.95  2. whoopee cushion $1.95  3. monkey pal back pack $19.50  4. mad libs $3.99  5.  cat's cradle book $9.95  6. zipper pull $4.50

1. retro lunch box $13.95  2.  image changing note book $8.95  3. life-life butterfly magnets $3.95  4. peace key chain $7.50  5. curly girl stainless steel water canteen $21.95  6. snifty scented pen set $10.95

1. good luck garden-in-a-bag $8.95  2. hangover & stress buster shower steamers $3.95  3. friends dry erase board $39  4. curly girl 2010 calendar $13.99  5. poo-pourri (for those shared bathrooms!) $9.95  6. dream magnet $5

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these colorful blog posts in your email inbox…. window shopping has never been so easy!

funny new cards from avanti

They've done it again!  More fabulous funny cards from Detroit based card business, Avanti.  We just got a fresh batch in at our Berkley location.  Click HERE to peruse our Avanti online card gallery.

Like to see what we're filling our card racks with?  Then sign up to receive these charming blog posts in your email inbox…. card browsing has never been so easy!