What I'm Cooking!

♥ My first official "real meal" of the season: Rigatoni Bolognese!

New York has cooled considerably in the past couple weeks and I've actually been cold by the time I get into bed at night which I haven't experienced since April or so. But with this cool weather brings my renewed interest in using my stove top and oven again. The first big meal I decided to tackle was Rigatoni Bolognese. Anyone who knows me knows that I usually go through phases of eating the same food frequently for a few months until I get sick of it and move on to something else. Over the last year it has been burgers, steak, sushi, sandwiches, pizza and now it's pasta with meat sauce. This phase may have something to do with the fact that I've been watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" a lot and Marie, the Mom, is constantly making lasagna or bragioli. I've had bolognese at Cafe Minerva and Extra Virgin (both in the West Village) in the past couple weeks and I just can't get over how good it was! I used this recipe from Epicurious and it turned out amazingly well. I used one less onion than the recipe (because I only had one) and instead of white wine I used a cap-full of white vinegar and another cup of water. I was so excited about it that I made a big meal out of it for my boyfriend and I a couple nights ago, complete with a salad of romaine lettuce with avocado and Gorgonzolla cheese and garlic French bread and (reduced-guilt) brownies for dessert. I spent about $20 on the ingredients for the bolognese but I think technically it serves 20, so you can freeze some like me or just half or quarter the recipe.

Have you tried any noteworthy recipes lately? Do any of you go through phases of eating a specific kind of food? I'm curious to see what you've been cooking and if any of you are as weird as I am!

Instagram Rewind - Labor Day Weekend

From top to bottom, left to right:

♥ 1. A couple friends and I went to Brother Jimmy's (again!) on Saturday for happy hour wings and a bowl of "Swamp Water." Right as we were paying our bill, the waitress brought over another fish bowl and said someone at the bar bought it for us!

♥ 2. After happy hour, we met my boyfriend at the Frying Pan. It's a bar on the Hudson River on a boat. It has an amazing view and the weather was beautiful! I had a couple Bluepoint Blueberry Ales and if you can I highly recommend you try it!

♥ 3. Our view of the city from the Frying Pan at night.

♥ 4. On Sunday, my roommate wanted to go to the Brooklyn Flea and I happily obliged as I love any kind of vintage or thrift shopping. Artists & Fleas is another market on the same street.

♥ 5. A sketch I did of a glass of soda pop!

♥ 6. At Target, Campbell's released a limited edition run of their tomato soup with labels by Andy Warhol.

♥ 7. My exciting Labor Day meal was a classic BLT sandwich.

♥ 8. I finally finished my deerskin tote bag that I started a few weeks ago. Now I can bring a book and my sketchbook with me on the long train rides downtown.

Did you guys have an amazing three-day weekend? My whole life is a weekend so it's a little less exciting for me but I managed to have a lot of fun- hanging out with my roommate, my friend Olivia (who was visiting from SF) and my BF. This week will be a little more exciting because I'm visiting my family on Thursday in Seattle, so I'm sure to be busy the whole time I'm there! I'm excited for Fall but I'm a little sad to see Summer leave. Are any of you extending your Summer by doing or going anywhere this week? I hope you all have a fun, short week! To see what I'm up to, check my Instagram!

What I'm... Doing!

 

♥  My Canon Rebel 2000 film camera!

Yes, this week's "What I'm" post is a little broad in title but very specific in actuality. I am constantly looking for things to keep myself occupied and a very smart person suggested that I do something creative that doesn't necessarily have to do with fashion. As in, what would I like to creatively pursue as a hobby that is only for me? The answer is photography. I've always been interested in it and even took a couple classes in high school- darkroom and everything. I have a Polaroid camera that I love using but the film is expensive so I decided to start using my Canon Rebel 2000 film camera again. It took a little brushing up on my shutter speed and f-stop numbers but I started taking my first photos with it again last night and I can't wait to see how they turn out. I leave for Seattle on Thursday (in what is a very spur of the moment trip, so no "why didn't you tell me?!") and I'm so excited to capture some good times and share them here!

Have you been pursuing a new hobby lately? Or have you had a renewed interest in an old hobby? I'd love to read about it in the comments. I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend!

Instagram Rewind - Wings and a Birthday!

From top to bottom, left to right:

♥ 1. My view from the West Side Highway of the New Jersey skyline.

♥ 2. My roommate Allie and I went to happy hour at Brother Jimmy's. We had some amazing wings and a pitcher of Bud Light.

♥ 3. The Guggenheim museum is Pay-What-You-Wish on Saturdays from 5:45 to 7:45 PM so a couple friends and I took advantage of that and saw some great modern art!

♥ 4. My party outfit for my friend Olivia's birthday party.

♥ 5. My view from New Jersey of the New York City skyline.

♥ 6. Olivia cutting her birthday cake!

Hello all! My weekdays tend to drag on a little bit because as my job search continues I almost feel like I'm running out of things to do. Fortunately for me my weekends are usually jam-packed! New York has so many free things to do that even living on a budget can be fun, as long as you have someone to accompany you every so often. To keep myself busy this week, I plan on setting up my serger so I can start making a dress I have dreamed up. I hope you have a fun and busy week! And don't forget to see what I'm up to this week on my Instagram @chelseapurcella!

What I'm... Reading!

 

From top to bottom:

♥ 1. My copy of "Just Kids".

♥ 2. A photo of Patti Smith's photo of the Nathan's hot dog stand.

♥ 3. My Instagram photo of the Nathan's hot dog stand, at an eerily similar perspective.

In my next attempt at establishing an editorial calendar, Fridays will be "What I'm..." post days. Anything from what I'm listening to or eating or even as broad a subject as doing. Today's post is about what I'm reading. Or in this case what I've read. I finished reading "Just Kids" by Patti Smith somewhere around the 4th of July and I felt compelled to share because it is such an amazing read! I won't lie, I didn't know anything about Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe before I started reading this book. Generally speaking I am just a big fan of biographies about women who have contributed something to culture in one way or another so I bought it one day at the Strand. As I started to read it I sort of felt like a kindred spirit I suppose and it seemed that I would be feeling the same as Patti Smith had. Like needing to escape New York City to see Paris or wearing or doing things because it related to an artist I love. And in one outstanding circumstance I was at Coney Island while reading about her and Robert Mapplethorpe going to Coney Island and a few pages later she made a reference to Audrey Hepburn's clothing in Funny Face- a movie, that very night, I was going to see for the first time. And we had even taken almost the same exact picture of the Nathan's hot dog stand but 35 years apart.

Can all this be chalked up to just a lot of coincidences? Of course, but maybe it's all a part of the same journey on the way to becoming what you're meant to do with yourself the rest of your life.

Have you ever read something or watched something that seemed to relate to what you were doing or feeling at the time? Comment on any experiences you've had below!

Instagram Rewind

From top to bottom, left to right:

♥ 1. I got the new J. Crew Style Guide in the mail and these heels definitely made me strap happy!

♥ 2. I had the pleasure of babysitting my cousin Georgia on Saturday night. Together we watched "Tangled"... and after she went to bed I watched "Love Actually" and "Julie & Julia."

♥ 3. My at-home mani in Clambake by Essie.

♥ 4. My new bag obsession from Kate Spade's Fall ad campaign.

♥ 5. Walking to the subway Saturday night, someone had just celebrated their 50th birthday and I had to wait sixteen minutes for the train!

♥ 6. On Sunday, I went to the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg for the first time and came home with this wide-eyed kitten knick-knack.

I am fairly new to having an iPhone. Prior to getting mine in March, I had the same phone for almost three years! And now that I have my iPhone, I am in love with Instagram. As the first post in what will become a weekly series, "Instagram Rewind" is how I spent my weekend in my photos from Instagram. If you're on Instagram, come say hello @chelseapurcella.

Funny Face

You may have heard that the weather in New York has been sweltering over the past week and only in the last couple of days have we got some relief (read: weather in the eighties). Upon receipt of our last utility bill and no more money to spend at Target, I've been forced to seek air conditioning elsewhere, which lately has been at the movies. Saturday was a scorching 100 degrees in the city so my friend Sarah, who was visiting from Seattle, and I decided it was best to hit the beach for the day and after that catch Funny Face at the Film Forum on Houston. Neither of us had ever seen it, which is surprising since we are both Audrey Hepburn fans. I really had absolutely no idea what is about, my only knowledge of the movie was that one of the dancing scenes was in a Gap commercial a few years ago. But as soon as the opening credits started I knew I would like the movie. Richard Avedon did all the photography and served as a special visual consultant for the movie's many photo shoot scenes. I was left so inspired by the opening credits I have to share them here:

Also, here is the Gap commercial for your viewing pleasure:

 

Etc.

Yesterday turned into a search for something I didn't know I needed. I have been watching a lot of the "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and the spin-off show "Rhoda" lately. I've always liked MTM and Rhoda was a pleasant Hulu+ discovery. If you've ever watched either of these shows, you've noticed that in Rhoda's home there is a wooden "etc" sign hanging on the set background. It's always stood out to me for some reason, so when I made my once weekly Target trip a few weeks ago, I noticed their new Typography home collection. Some brilliant designer decided to make a wooden etc sign very similar to Rhoda's. When it was $20, I couldn't justify it, but it went on sale this week for $10! Unfortunately, my local Target was sold out and so began the one woman sign hunt. I called my mother and friend Sarah to look at the Target in Seattle and I asked a salesperson to tell me whether any other store still had it. After concluding that it would be too much effort to go to these other Targets looking for something that may or may not still be there, I left. This morning however, I woke up with such vigor that I decided I would find this etc sign if it was the last thing I did! I mapped out two Targets, one in the Bronx and one in Harlem (with a pit stop at Coinstar!). Getting to the first Target in the Bronx was a three train trek in itself but it paid off... they had the sign! Victory! I couldn't be happier with my acquisition. With this, begins the official redecoration process of my apartment. I can't wait to share the process here, stay tuned!

 

Resort Dreaming

Since the Style.com app was recently updated to be much more user-friendly, I've been flipping through all the shows I've missed the past few seasons. We're in the middle of Resort 2013 and I found myself drawn to the same pink color that almost every designer used! My favorite designs this time around came from Erin Fetherston and Monique Lhuillier. I love the bows and glitter Erin used and the simple silhouettes of Monique's lacy numbers.

 

   

Beantown

I'm currently sitting on an airplane to Seattle and thought I would post about my recent travels to Boston. It was a very quick trip but I had never been so I was soo excited to go! We took the Bolt Bus which wasn't a bad trip, about 4 hours, and it's a beautiful ride.
The first thing we did was eat at an amazing restaurant called Asana. It was a Japanese restaurant at one point but is now "New England contemporary." We had foie gras, oysters, bass, seared yellowfin tuna and it was amazing. After that we took the subway to The Omni Parker House where the Boston Cream Pie was born. We paired our pie with a couple Sam Adams Boston Lagers, which was perhaps not the tastiest pairing but it was my tribute to the town I was in at the time!
The next day I had the whole day on my own to explore which I was totally up for. It rained most of the time I was out but I managed to hit up 15 of the 16 historical landmarks on the Freedom Trail (I missed Bunker Hill because of time) plus the famous Cheers bar in Beacon Hill and the Boston Public Garden complete with swan boats.

Coming Clean

I guess it's time I finally say it somewhere with some sort of officiality: my freelance time with Jordache came to an end last week Tuesday. While losing your job is never the ideal situation I am really grateful I got the experience as an Assistant Designer. I consider it invaluable and I know I will take everything I learned and be amazing in my next position.

In the last week+ I've been without work, I've done the usual things: filing for unemployment, reaching out to friends and industry contacts, etc. But ironically, a week or two before losing my job there were a plethora of Assistant Designer jobs (a few of which I did apply for) and not much since.

With all this time on my hands after the job search part of my day is over, I must confess I've just been catching up on some much needed sleep, watching classic movies and hitting the gym. And while that stuff is all good and fun it's not necessarily the most productive thing I can be doing with my time; which is why I've decided to come back to my blog. Expect posts at least 3 days a week and maybe more once I get a schedule down. My portfolio will be undergoing a major change in aesthetics to reflect the kind of job I want and posting on my blog will be an essential part of this. And my posts won't just be about fashion. It'll be about anything I like and enjoy. Imagine, maybe this is what a real blog is supposed to be like!