Lights out.

I turned off the lights in my office for the last time yesterday.

It was bittersweet. I've spent many (emphasis on many) hours in this office over the last eight years. I am happy to move on to my new job with new challenges (on Monday. Who doesn't take time off between jobs?! Apparently I don't.), but sad to leave behind a core group of colleagues I will miss working with.

I will also miss the stellar view from my office window of the Chrysler Building.

But the funny thing is I'll only be down the street. That's right -- one of the biggest cities in the world and I managed to find myself a job one block away. Go figure!

Hopefully I'll be able to do a better job of finding work/life balance this time around. That's the one thing I've failed miserably at.

Besides, I have blogging to catch up with!

I hope you'll stick with me while I continue to sort out my new life over the next couple of weeks. I mean, it's yard sale season! That's peak season here at the shorehouse.

Happy spring everyone.

Luck of the Irish

(Memorial benches on the boardwalk. I wrote about them here last April.)

I know I've been a bad blog girl. I don't post. I don't visit. I don't even call you on the phone or bake you brownies. I'm not going to attempt to make excuses.

Well, yes I am.

You see, the luck of the Irish has smiled upon me. I got a new job! My one and only New Year's Resolution was to find a new job this year (well, that and lose my bubble butt). The job search turned into a bit of a full-time job in itself.

I found out about new job while I was in Colorado and will be at old job until I start new job on April 5. And in the midst of everything I took on a freelance job last month. So there is a whole lot of job in my life right now. But the good news is, everything's starting to come up roses. Roses and pansies. Because after all the snow (finally) melted last week, the pansies I planted in September started blooming! With new buds and all. I took these pictures on Sunday after the big storm:




It's like they were cryogenically preserved under all that snow or something.

I hope everything is rosy in your neck of the world. Today in NYC the sun is shining and the mercury is climbing. Life is good.

Sad day in Ocean Grove.

I was hoping to come back and talk about our trip to Colorado, and about some really great things that happened this past week, but that seems pretty insignificant right now.

About three blocks from the shorehouse, chaos erupted in the darkness early this morning.

(Photos from the Asbury Park Press, here and here.)

We're in the midst of a terrible storm and the 48 mile-per-hour winds caused embers to be swept for blocks, making battling the blaze extra challenging in a town of wood-framed Victorian homes. Miraculously, no one was killed. But some people's lives were changed forever, many losing everything.

Clark, the amazing owner of The Manchester Inn, has lost his home and his business. His Inn was a favorite stop on the Ocean Grove House Tour. He would whip up the most amazing homemade soups (even a vegetarian one!) and his gratis lunch stop was always a favorite for those of us in the know. Anyone who's ever asked me about the Ocean Grove House Tour knows I say, "Make sure you stop at The Manchester Inn!" For the Holiday House Tour his special hot mulled cider was also on tap, along with recipe cards so you could recreate the magical potion at home. The Inn was solar powered, a project Clark took great pride in and would talk to anyone about with the excitement of a grade school boy who just hit a home run. A well curated photo display right inside the front entry helped tell the story.

The Manchester Inn was on a popular stretch of the local July 4th parade, and guests always spilled out of their rooms and onto the porches for one of the best viewing spots in the town. Here's a couple of pictures I took in 2008 (the Inn is behind the trees):

When I saw what was left of The Manchester Inn and its neighboring Painted Ladies this morning -- a pile of charred embers -- my knees got weak and the tears flowed freely.

Please keep my neighbors in your thoughts this weekend.

Things I've learned in Colorado

So far, I've learned that waking up to a snowman outside of your window is a great way to start a day...


...that signs like these are just a suggestion to some people...


...and that the view on a gray day is still better than the view from a desk any day.


I learned when the sun shines on the mountains it is breathtakingly beautiful, and in a town this high up in the sky you feel like you could hug the clouds and kiss the sun.



I also learned that the thrift shops aren't open on weekends (that was a bit of a buzz kill, I admit)...

...and that waking up early on Sundays to have Nutella and banana crepes should be compulsory.

I learned that our friends' seventeen year-old son is pretty rad (or whatever it is the kids today call it) and I also learned that I think I am still seventeen, judging in part by the way I dress on a ski vacation.

(Notice the trifecta of ski vacations on the counter...peroxide, Band-Aids and sunscreen.)

I learned that Colorado is very dog friendly, and that people take their dogs everywhere (to work, to the ski slopes, to Happy Hour...). And that made me happy.

(That is a full-sized garbage pail. And a gigantic dog.)

And I learned that the folks back home are still as amazing as ever. I got an email from Beach House Living saying that she was once again donating to my Help for Haiti 2 auction. And look at the fabulous earrings and hand-stamped ribbon from her Etsy store that will go to the winning bidder:

The current high bid for the entire package of items is $100, and you have until 11:59 p.m./ET on March 10 to bid. You can choose to donate to the Haitian or Chilean relief organization of your choice (or split between charities). And think of all the gifts you can tuck away (or keep for yourself)! Plus remember: I'm matching the winning bid dollar-for-dollar and making a donation to the babies of Hudson Cradle. So click here to bid...and thank you in advance for your generosity.

There you have it. From 12,998 feet in the sky. Be back soon!

Snowing, I mean Sewing Challenge

M. Avery Design Studios in Hoboken decided to host a sewing challenge that I just had to be a part of. And being that sewing is very much a challenge for me...how perfect!

Megan recently acquired a large lot of upholstery fabric samples. And by large lot I mean enough to cover New York's Central Park many, many times over. She invited members of her Meet Up group to come pick out one pound of fabric scraps. The $10 entry fee would be used to set-up a scholarship at the sewing studio for a young and deserving local lass. Great idea!

For the project you must use only the pound of fabric you grabbed. I had an idea in mind so grabbed Damask fabric from the same style/design group:




I also grabbed these little Asian inspired panels because they fit into my one pound pile. I'll make a separate project out of those...I'm thinking lavender sachets since the pieces are smaller.


The other, and somewhat unexpected, part of the challenge was this:


Waking up to yet another snow storm in the city and needing desperately to get to my Singer at the shorehouse to complete the sewing challenge in time for this Wednesday night.

Cool heads and excellent shoveling skills prevailed. I spent a good deal of the weekend cutting and piecing together and sewing. Here's a sneak peek of what I'll be entering:


The contest is Wednesday night so I'll show you my project in all of its (somewhat pathetic) glory after the competition has ended. Let's just say that I wish I didn't use Damask. Shredded, hairy mess.

I also want to thank all of your kind comments on my Help for Haiti 2 post! Wow. WOW. There aren't enough ways for me to say, "thank you." Sadly Chile now could also use some help so the winner can donate to Chili or Haiti, or split the donation between the two fund raising efforts.

Rue de la Clef has also pitched in some homemade goodness to the prize package:


Head over to the original post for more details, and thank you again for your generous bids and links.

As an aside, the lovely lady behind Rue de la Clef is also embarking on a month-long project to replicate Martha's calendar (yes; that Martha). Today's task was to feed the chickens and gather eggs. And it's only March 1 so this should be something.

Help For Haiti 2...and a little something extra...

The debauchery of Fat Tuesday ushered in the season of lent. Many who celebrate do so by giving up something...sugar, soda, dessert (and these days, maybe reality television, facebook or twitter). When I was younger I gave up meat for the whole of lent, not just on Ash Wednesday and Fridays like the rest of them. I went, if you'll pardon the pun, whole hog.

It should be noted I was (and am) a vegetarian. But those nuns were never prouder of me, so why ruin a good thing?

But now I'm older (and wiser, and less deceptive) and think life should be more about giving back than giving up. And if all of us did a little bit, we could make the world a better place, I tell you what. I am astounded by the generosity of the blog community, and it's part of what has drawn me in.

So here goes: Haiti still needs a lot of help. As of this week, the UN estimates the death toll in Haiti could reach 300,000 and the number of people left homeless hovers somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5 million. I really can't wrap my head around these numbers. All we can do is try to help, even a little.

The Help for Haiti 2 auction at the shorehouse will offer the following prize package to the winning bidder:

Another nifty tote bag made by my own hands. This one is slightly larger than the one in the last auction, and is reversible!

Then there's a sweet little clutch from M. Avery Designs where I learned to sew. It's made with a great textural upholstery fabric, and lined in shantung silk. It has a snap closure and I added a vintage pin to jazz it up even more:

How cool is this? Bracelets with a Conscience is the brainchild of Point Pleasant, New Jersey's Ann Harmon. Talk about giving back! The story of her company and commitment to helping can be found online here.

More prizes will be added so be sure to check back. The auction will remain open until March 10 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Simply leave a comment in this post with your bid amount. At auction's end the winning bidder just needs to make a donation to the Haitian relief charity of their choice in the amount of the winning bid. I will ship the prizes at my cost anywhere in the world. This is the perfect way to get some (really) early holiday shopping done -- keep one prize for yourself, and tuck away the others as gifts!

Update, March 1: The lovely Rue de la Clef has added a tissue pouch and homemade pancake mix to the...well, mix! The winning bidder will also find these coming their way...

Update, March 7: Look what Beach House Living has added. These gorgeous earrings with smokey colored stones...

...and handstamped ribbon that's tres chic. Both are from her Etsy store.


And wait! There's more!


I will match the winning bid dollar for dollar and donate my money to Hudson Cradle, a group home in Jersey City, NJ, providing full, nurturing care to homeless infants with complex health, development, social and safety needs. These folks are among the hardest working and most compassionate people I know, and we're in an economic time when charities need our financial help more than ever. Hudson Cradle is hosting a Taste of Hudson fundraiser on the Jersey City waterfront on April 29 -- I'm in charge of the auction at that event so if you have ideas for prizes, or want to learn more about the event or organization, please give me a shout!


And more...


Everyone who links to this post will be entered in a random drawing to win something made by little old me. Everyone who places a bid will also be entered. Little old me has been a little stretched lately (as evidenced by lack of blog time. Eek!), so hasn't exactly made anything yet but will this weekend. I'm thinking I'll make a pillow using that Ikatish fabric I recently blogged about (thank you for the kind comments on my "evolving" sewing skills!) and one of the 12 x 16 pillow forms I picked up at Jo-Ann's. So it will kind of look like this...







...just better. Because it will actually be sewn and all.


I'm also going to automatically enter everyone who so kindly bid on my last auction: Rue, Modernemama, Blondie’s Journal, Desiree at Lookiloos, Jane at Atticmag, Fairfield House (who has a fun postcard project going on -- go check it out!), Maureen at Mom Times Two and Northlandmom. Thank you, ladies. I think together we can all help make this world of ours just a wee bit better.


Now...start yer biddin'!

Happy Mardi Gras!

How happy was I when my friend showed up at the shorehouse on Sunday with this little something he whipped up for moi? It's good to have great friends. And it's better to have great friends who are florists.

Whew, it's been a whirlwind of activity at the shorehouse. We finally decided on the contractor to work on our attic redo (gulp) and I had no idea how time consuming that whole process would be! Things like plumbing parts are about as exciting to me as walking a half mile in the snow every day to the train (yup; still snowing here). He'll help with the little half bath, too, which I'm sorry to say hasn't gotten much further than the vanity. I feel like my home life is moving in slow motion. And my work life...is interesting.

I dig manage to finish another dress. This is more of a pseudo-dress-tunic-cover-up-thingie, but it's cute, and unlike the other dress I didn't have to seam rip myself out of it. But truth told, I think I'll stick with pillows and crafty bits. I think building a house from the ground-up would be easier for me than reading a Vogue pattern that is suspiciously marked something like, "Super easy, moron-proof pattern inside!" Lies. The only thing I've gotten good at is sleeve patterns.

Speaking of sleeves, I've got something up mine. I'll be hosting a giveaway, a fundraiser for Hudson Cradle (the NJ charity I'm involved with) and a Help for Haiti 2 auction all together in my next post. So stay tuned!

Now I have to get back to something of personal importance. Which would be polishing off the delicious Mardi Gras snacks my awesome brother had sent to us from the Big Easy. And for the record for all you aficionados, the trendy Sucré on Magazine Street in NOLA is now officially home to the king of all King Cakes in my humble sugar-loving opinion.

Laissez les bon temps roulez! Which I think is Creole for "My butt is getting incredibly big from all the crap I'm eating. But who cares! WHOO HOO!" That's right; I put the Fat in Fat Tuesday, y'all.