Books in the City...

I have many favourites in New York, but this place stole my heart 15 years ago and still holds it now. It is the New York Library. Beautiful architecture, stunning decor and Books to drool over this has all my favourites in one building sitting in the middle of New York City... It couldn't be more perfect.
On every visit as I climb the steps ( guarded by the iconic marble Lions Patience and Fortitude)my heart beats a little faster as I know what I will see as I enter.... A grand hallway flanked either side by two marble stairways ( now iconically famous for Carrie fleeing her aborted wedding to Big in Sex & the City) and then room after room of books...

As you wander from room to from its hard to believe that this is a working library.... even with the introduction of wifi, PC's and laptops it doesn't distract you from the stunning decor and classic bookshelves.

As you can see from the photos the building was elegantly and aesthetically styled for the holiday season, it bought comfort and cheer to an overcast drizzly morning in New York.
This is a must for any book lover on a visit to New York, you will not be disappointed. Situated just around the corner from Grand Central Station, in front of Bryant Park it's a fashionistas must venue at New York fashion week... VB using it to showcase her collection for the past 2 fashion weeks... A "must visit" for the book reading fashionista sex & the city girl...

Walking the Line.......

The Highline... (not an homage to Johnny Cash!)... New York day 3 continued....
After completing my S&TC tour I chose to head back down towards the Chelsea Village / Meatpacking district... I stopped for a coffee in Billy's Bakery (separate post) before picking up the Highline on 20th street. The highline is an old disused train line, which is above street level, which used to take the freight trains in and out of the meat packing district delivering the meat.

A couple of years ago regeneration work began on the line to convert it to a natural park space, and as the line bent to accommodate buildings etc each space had its own styling. The main feel is for natural planting to

complement the skyline and surroundings. The first time I walked this it was bleak mid winter and although I loved it could only visualize what a warm sunny evening could look like..... what a difference a couple of years make. The second phase is due to open soon and will take the highline further uptown. A lovely ramble with some stunning views.

With the Highline coming to an end in the meat-packing district I decided to explore this neighborhood a little and have a spot of supper. Restaurant of choice was Pastis ( as seen in Sex & the City where Carrie has brunch with "the Russian") and with the Abercrombie & Fitch view it made for a pleasant interlude sitting on the terrace watching the world go by! A light supper was called for and Homemade Fresh Pea ravioli with Mint,Pea Shoots & Pancetta was ordered..... delicious

A subway ride back uptown  for an evening of Glee to look forward to!
More informationa and how to get involved with The Highline project is here>

Sex & The City day in New York..

Day 3 continued....
Prior to picking up the coach for my Sex & the City tour I perused the windows at Bergdorff Goodman & took a little trip to Tiffany's ( well it would be rude not to!)completely fell in love with the blue typewriter.... do you think Carrie would have typed on one of these before her Mac?
Bergdorff &Goodman windows were stunning ,worshipping at the altar of Chanel. Bergdorff's is the store that the girls meet at in the 2nd movie for gift purchasing for Stanford & Antony's wedding.

So onto the Tour!..... picked up outside the Plaza by the fountain... the spot where Carrie see's Big's wife Natasha for the first time!...
after the 'rule's' from Amy (tour guide) (lots of fun required and not for the faint hearted!) the tour took us down 5th ave towards our first stop ... New York City Library (one of my favourite places in NY) where the wedding that didn't happen was set... & past the road where Big is hit with the wedding bouquet.

Moving on more sites are pointed out from several episodes with accompanying clips shown on Tv sets in the bus.The next stop was at the famous "Pleasure Chest" shop, where Charlotte met and fell in love with "The Rabbit"... much fun and frivolity was had in here.....once we were led away from the "toys"our coach then took us through the meat-packing district home of Samantha Jones to Buddakan...the site for Carrie & Bigs rehearsal dinner and Carries "Last Single Girl" kiss....(stunning room and would go back for dinner on the next trip)

Our next stop saw us in Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village home of the cupcake and just round the corner from Carries brownstone. Half hour to explore this neighbourhood and taste a complimentary cupcake. (Carries lived on the Upper East Side, but those familiar with NY will know that there are no brownstones on the Upper East Side, so exterior shots were filmed in Perry Street which also just happens
to be around the corner from the real home of Sarah Jessica Parker)...

after much exploration we headed across to the Little Italy area to Aiden's bar "Scout" (O'Neills in real life) on Mulberry Street where we were met with a bar of Cosmopolitans....

much effort was now required to get us all back on the bus before heading uptown to our final stop at Bryant Park (Home of NY fashion week and Carries mini melt down in those Dolce pants) and the HBO store.
This was a great girlie tour ..... Amy the tour guide was fab (very much a jobbing actress & probably beats waiting tables) and interacted with the party with much fun & knowledgment....
The company offers several tours, including NY Movies, & Gossip Girl, but this was probably my fav!

Sex & the City Par-Tea.....

was had by myself on thursday evening,...... one of my team bought it for me for my birthday. how lovely?

the Par-tea was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Portman Square, London.
The Hyatts afternoon tea has been taken over by the Sex & the City girls, including cocktails! choosing from Cosmopolitan, a Manhattan, a Flirtini (champagne, vodka and pineapple juice) or a classic Martini with an olive!

The savoury dishes on the Afternoon Tea menu are inspired by the city of New York and include pastrami on rye, and mini New York bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Mini burgers (named after Jack Berger, ) and mini New York hot dogs with a light drizzle of mustard add a little Manhattan glamour to the tea.

For the sweets & treats a selection of mini pastries have been created with each of the girls in mind. For Carrie, a strawberry-flavoured chocolate pink stiletto; for Charlotte, a mini pink strawberry cupcake; for Samantha an appletini jelly in a mini martini glass; and, finally, for Miranda, mini glazed doughnuts!

You can also choose from a fine selection of teas that have been highlighted for each of the girls: For Carrie, a 2007 Organic Silver Needle White Tea: light, delicate quenching flavours, yet surprisingly full textured with a satisfying velvety finish. For Samantha, a Flower Osmanthus: an explosion of variegated green tea leaves out of the heart of which unfolds the flame-coloured petals of the osmanthus. For Charlotte, the traditional Sapphire Earl Grey: refreshing and bright, a perfectly focused classic. Finally for Miranda, Darjeeling 2nd Flush: sprightly, lively, sappy and refreshing.

For an extra special treat you can have champage served through a christian louboutin shoe glass.

Sex & the City tea is being served until the end of August... a great girlie afternoon and a fab bit of fun for any S&TC fan....

Fun,Fashion,Friendship & Flirting

what more could a girl ask for?.... this sums up Sex & the City 2 in one sentence.

Last night I saw the girls back on the silver screen after 2 years away ... was I disappointed... hell no! Ignoring all critics and reviews, it's pure escapism and indulgence. Bags of fun ( some very naughty one-liners!) Fashion to die for, including Halston Heritage., and Louboutins ( what SATC! did for Manolo's blue shoe... SATC2 will have you all craving a gold pair of Louboutins!)

Age has mellowed the girls, but this just enhances their relationship and you see a vulnerable side to them all, with the girls covering off everything from Men, Menopause & Marriage.... a pure romp!... Eye candy everywhere! Big, Aiden & Smith. all there to enhance the indulgent treat! and interiors to drool over.

Will I go and see it again......In the words of 'Big'... "AbsoF**kinglutely"

The Girls are back......

hoorah....

Guess where I'm off to tonight!..............

i'm soo excited........

Cupcakes & Crumpet......

mmmm where do I start, there has been so much that has made me smile today! (other than the sun shining!)

my lovely postman dropped this in the porch at 7.... Charlottes Cupcake apron as seen here 

how fab..... so I can now cook cupcakes just like a Sex in the City girl should!

so that's the cupcakes dealt with, now onto the crumpet..... apologies for the blatant drooling but Becks & Army in one go is just too much that a girl (rapidly approaching  her 40's )can take.. especially on a hot day.

I am of course referring to DB's trip out to our boys in Afghanistan. having met this guy last year I can't tell you what an amazing presence he has and what a fantastic morale boost our troops would of had on the back of this. Here is his video diary from his trip.... and all round nice guy and sooo beautiful he can leave a girl incapable of coherent speech for hours.!

The girls are back ....

and ticket is booked for opening day!

This weekend I pre-booked my ticket to see the much awaited Sex & the City2 movie. (I am sure that I will not see this film once, so friends don't panic I haven't left you off the invite list.)
As always the hype is huge for this movie, with guarded secret plot lines and clothes to die for!.... Carrie's white vintage Halston is much coveted as is Charlotte's cupcake apron!.... and it's a welcome back to some old faces!!

only 4 weeks to wait!..... cupcakes & cocktails being planned!

Cupcakes in New York.........

well there was always going to be a post about these.... New York is renowned for its Cupcakes, made ever more famous by the Sex & the City girls (more about those later!)

Obviously my NY itinerary would always include Cupcake haunts... some old favs and some new discoveries... and Santa was also good to me with my very own Cupcake stocking!

I sampled 5 cupcake haunts.... fortunately just round the corner to my hotel was the Buttercup bakeshop, a lovely Breakfast Cupcake & coffee was sampled here. On another walkabout I stumbled upon Crumbs Bake shop which was lovely (there are several of these dotted around NY)

Whilst ambling around Soho I was captivated by a little pop-up ButterLane Cupcake store which was there just for December... how lucky was I. This was a welcome retreat on a cold wet day!.. how cute is the delivery bicycle in the window.

On the same day parked in Broadway was the fantastic Cupcake Van... how fab is this!

My last Cupcake stop in NY was of course the fabulous Magnolia Bakery there are 3 magnolia's now in NY, Columbus circle, Rockefeller centre and the original Bleecker Street ... I arrived anticipating Q's but as you can see it was crowd free!... Here i sampled the legendary Red Velvet ....mmmm very yummy.

I loved them all, if only we had a cupcake van here!......

Obviously with my cupcake obsession , it was never going to be hard to fill a stocking with treats... here are some of my goodies that the Cupcake Elf delivered this year, several to adorn my desk: Cupcake screen wipe,

Cupcake mug,

Desk calendar 365 days of cupcake recipes!

Cookie cutters, Calendars & diary and Handwarmers... just what i need in my pocket at rugby!

Cupcakes in the City......

Well a trip to NY was never going to be without a cupcake at the Magnolia Bakery and a walk past Carrie's apartment (which is situated in Perry Street off of Bleecker Street)... I love Greenwich Village and an amble round here on a crisp December day was just fab.

So how excited was I that on my return the trailer for Sex & the City 2 has been released along with press shots.... how much do I want Charlotte's cupcake apron and the cupcakes look scrummy...... I'm now very excited and can't wait for May 28th...

A day in the village....

Today I'm heading downtown to explore Greenwich Village and its surrounding areas. This will include a stop off at Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic, Anthropologie and a Martini & Manicure at the Beauty parlour before heading back!.. There is so much to explore in these areas I will start off down at the Tribeca area before heading into Soho and then up into the village.... of course I can't stop off at the village without a cupcake and to check out Carries brownstone, which although on the TV she lives on the upper eastside the brownstone is actually a road away from Magnolia in Perry Road...spookily that's the name of the road that my Gramps was born in! ... I will finish my day off at the Beauty bar where I will have a martini & a manicure! so Cupcakes & Cocktails for me today!

the girls are back!......

roll on May 2010!........today on the streets of Manhattan outside the Met the cast and crew started filming Sex & the City 2!..........

How excited am I!!!!......

Carries's back in her trade mark killer heels... Gold sparkly Christian Louboutins, white dress, gold metal Chanel clutch & gold raybans wayfarers.. guess gold is in for the spring then!

Check out article here, no surprise that the plot line is a closely guarded secret, but speculation is already rumouring.. no wedding ring?... baby?... credit crunch?... I can't wait!... if your missing out on a NY fix... my tube read this week has been this, One Fifth Avenue ~ Candace Bushnell, creator of S&TC, a good read... welcome back Carrie....

Welcome back girls!..........

How excited am I !....look what dropped on my doormat this morning!....welcome back girls....missed you!...yes can you tell that i'm excited that Sex & the City was released on DVD today!.....having seen it 3 times at the cinema i can now watch it every day!......more good news today was that I won last weeks Tilda & Co challenge which was a lovely surprise...so thankyou Monica for letting me know!

hugs Tx

fabulous 30!

Today is my friend Lucy's birthday, she has now reached her 30's!!.....here is the card i've made her....one of her fave films is Breakfast at Tiffany's so this is my version!...she loves Wizard of Oz so i'm taking her to see it at the Festival Hall in London on friday, it's only been on for 6 weeks and finished sunday so i hope she enjoys it....hugs Tx

recipe: Stamp Rubber Romance, Paper ~ Polar Bear press, Flowers ~ sarahs cards, Ribbon from stash. Quote stamp ~ Stamping bella

Cupcake catch-up!....cosmopolitans...

this week I am determined to try and catchup with some of my cupcake layouts.....i've got behind as my printer is broken.....but i've managed to get some done!....here is my Cosmopolitan Cupcakes...which i made for the Girls night out for the SATC film...it's very different to my usual 'controlled' style...but i'm liking it!...the papers are from the a Kit from sarah's cards....Rhonna Farrer French twist...this kit has been languishing in my stash pile!...in addition I stamped shoes on the paper alongside the words. This week I've started a Cupcake recipe swap on UKS...it's my first time at hosting a swap and i've been amazed by the response...I started with a group of 10 i'm now on my 2nd group...there are some very scrummy recipes! so watch this space. Tx

Cosmo's & Cupcakes!

hope everyone has had a fab week....no scrapping today as I was at work... going to try and get some done tomorrow!....managed to pick up a copy of American Vogue today which as you can imagine is a little SATC city inspired....that's one of the great thing about working in Selfridges you get all the imported mags!...they keep a pile for me; creating keepsakes,








papercrafts, martha stewart weddings and vogue!.....SJp & 'Big' have done a spread by Annie Leibowitz...here's a couple of pics!... and my Cosmo Cupcakes!.....just received some Digi Stamps! from america. They don't export so she has sent me a file to play with!..i'm excited...no sneak peaks at the moment other than they have a cupcake tree!!!!...how fab is that!

hopefully i may have some scrapping tomorrow!

Tx

scrapping in the city

been playing with some new stamps today....as a couple of the challenge blogs ( Cute Card Thursday & Arty Girlz) have the theme of travel this week I have tried to incorporate that too!....as everyone knows I Love New York!....so here it is!.can you guess the inspiration! ha ha..I've used the skyline stamp from Rubber Romance and i've adapted the Bella Bridesmaids .. my tickets are booked for the movie, i'm going with the girls so i'm now working on a little goodie bag for the evening...currently trying to perfect 'cosmo' cupcakes!!!.watch this space.....

the girls are coming.........

quick post...no time for scrapping this week...busy busy at work...some weeks i enjoy me job...others I Love it!...this week was the later, purely because it was incredibly surreal!...Monday started with the 'Girls'..Sex & the City premiered at Leicester Square...SJP popped into Personal Shopping during the day as Patricia Field was in doing interviews ready for her 'diet coke' launch later in the week (to be featured in Hello magazine) ...Thursday was the launch of Paris Hilton's can can perfume...so I got the job of escorting mum!!...they know how to work the cameras the Hilton clan! Friday was the launch & signing with Patricia Field's Diet Coke (now selling for $100 on ebay!!)..£8 in Selfridges!!......a party in the personal shopping suite followed...and today we had several chefs in the foodhall guesting and cooking.(Mark Hix, Tom Aikens, Mitch Tonks)..which led me to having lunch with our food director, & Marco Pierre White! in Brass Rail which is fab deli restaurant serving the most fabulous salt beef sandwiches!...definitely surreal!...inbetween that on Friday evening, I took my mum and my friend to see Jersey Boys. It was fab...it's the storey of Frankie Valli & the 4 seasons...it's a real sing a long!...thought i would share a few pics of the week...scrap stuff to follow....thankyou for all the comments ref Gramps...he's better today still a little cranky (haven't got the weather to blame today ha ha!!)..hugs Tx

T in the City!!..

another beautiful day....gramps was not great today..as much as we love the weather, it doesn't play too kindly on his health...found time to finish my layout for this weeks challenge on UKS, had to use a picture of yourself, visible journalling,blooms & ribbons...so here's mine... I'm not a lover of green but I got these papers a couple of months back from a kit from sarah's cards and this is my second layout with them...picture is of me taken in NY in december 07 sitting on the steps of a brownstone!...in the faint hope that 'mr big' was going to appear..apologies for the lack of Manolo's..but it was cold, walking weather!!....

last night i managed to download the track which is featured on the SATC trailer which has been driving me mad!...so will drive everyone mad on the tube with it ...ha ha!

I have also entered this into the Scrummy Stash Cafe challenge for this week....this is new to me have just discovered it!.....mmmmm yummy & scrummy!

Hannah in the City.......

Hi everyone....quick post as i'm tired!.....been experimenting this evening whilst watching CSI NY...found a tutorial on masking & stamping...so tried it tonight with my little hannah and NY skyline!.....wonder what my inspiration was?...My blogger friend Monica did a fab hannah & shoe card a couple of weeks ago which I loved so here's mine ...... SATC premieres in London Monday night..how fab is that!....

hope everyone has had a lovely day in the sunshine...my 'tube' book this week has been the fab 'Going Dutch' by Katie Fforde, her books are a great chick read....and i always look out for her next release....found a fab site..sheetload of cards..who have a downloadable free magazine, which this month features Bellas!..mmmm love bellas...