On The Market

Jenna Lyons - J. Crew creative director and newfound(?) lesbian - and her husband have put their amazeballs Park Slope brownstone on the market as part of their divorce proceedings. Apparently Lyons is / was / whatever having an affair with another woman and was found out over the summer. Bye bye brownstone. I die for this house - who doesn't? So if you want to drool a bit over your keyboard click here for some more pictures (or just re-read any of your past issues of Domino, Lonny et al). Anyway, there really isn't much purpose to this post except to stare at the interior of the home of a freshly separated couple (sad) so we can relive our glory days, aka her awesome wall of shoes.

Online Shopping

I forgot how much I LOVE TO BUY THINGS ONLINE. You can't really do it here in BA so it's like this suppressed addiction that is a slippery slope.

Inspired by this slideshow on Refinery 29, I snagged the dress featured in the photo (but in black). The nude was all sold out! And there was just ONE left in the black ... and it was on sale. I feel like the Internet gods were shining down on me just now. woops. It's just so damn easy to buy things online. I can't wait to try it on when I'm home in just two weeks! Now let's just hope it fits.

Arrowheads

Loving this Arrow Cuff that I saw on Refinery 29 today. Christmas gift, anyone?

Welcome EPK!

My friend Eileen finally started a little bloglet of her own to document her musings on life, culture and politics in Buenos Aires. She's down here working with Unilever on some cool projects that I don't even understand, so I won't try to explain.

Eileen is the friend that everyone wants to have around: She's totally nuts (in a good way, of course), is always up for anything and is like a breath of fresh air. You can count on her when you want to go out dancing, when you're hunting for Super 8 film, or when you just want to have a great time. She also understands the value of documenting your youth and beauty before you blink and are 40. For that, I salute her.

Check out her blog: EPK in BA to see what she's up to.

Heart of Hearts

I love this whimsical and happy jar that I found on Tipple and Snack (my favorite Etsy shop). It would make such a fun engagement gift or housewarming present. To be frank I'd much rather keep it for myself and use it for fresh minty lemonade (hooray Springtime!)

Jonathan Adler I Love You

If only I could get my paws on some whimsical and chic designs (courtesy of Jonathan Adler) here in Argentina. I've been looking online for some living room inspiration and I just love the bright, retro yet modern and happy feel that all of his rooms have. Here are some snaps from the website that I wish I could magically have appear in Basavilbaso .. I love the coffee table in the second image, but am just overall in love with that first room. I die for that rug! Those chairs! The TURTLE LAMPS. Pleaseeeeee I need.

The Ya Ya Beans

Many of you might know by now that I have a pretty serious problem. Try as I might, I can't really keep it under control, and it often affects my social interactions with friends (where we choose to have dinner, for example). I'm constantly trying to get my hands on MORE, no matter the cost.

I'm talking about spice, people.

Sweet, firey, amazing SPICE.

It's old news that spicy/aromatic/flavorful food in Buenos Aires isn't always easy to find. Luckily with the influx of tourists and expats flooding the city, restaurants have followed suit and now there is a respectable variety available to those who suffer like yours truly.

I've resorted to extremes - having friends from the UK import huge bags of cayenne, chili powder, garam masala, madras, etc in for me - and had moments of serious withdrawal. You can buy Tabasco at some grocery stores here, but that's not always the kind of spice I want (let alone when it costs 3x as much as I would ever reasonably pay). Asking for crushed red pepper at most restaurants (even Italian or pizza places!) will result in your being met with stares, as if you had 2 heads.

I think I've painted a pretty good picture - the spice dearth is a serious issue.
Wait, I stand corrected ... was a serious issue.

Source

Enter The Ya Ya Bean. Two guys from the DC area (!), McLean to be exact, moved back to BA after graduation (like most of us) in order to do something about this spice problem. They lived on an organic farm in Patagonia (super rad) and learned how to make their own hot sauce. Now they sell it every Sunday at the San Telmo Fair, under the name La Boca Roja. They're also just all-around funny dudes who make entertaining music and keep us spice-deprived expats happy.

Their sauce is excellent. I've already almost finished a medium sized bottle; once I opened it I literally couldn't stop. Empanadas, tacos, crackers, bread, anything that could be sauced up. It's a great heat level and the flavor is awesome.

Check out their website and if you live in BA, be sure to pick up some hot sauce! Hopefully the Ya Ya Bean empire will keep our palates happy for many years to come.

Friday I'm in Love

... with champagne. How could you ever say no? Especially when it's presented like this, as was done at Kate Moss's summer wedding. My friend Will (reliable source of all things fun on the internet) sent the link from Vogue's website to some of the snapshots from the fete. I'm not really a huge Kate Moss fan, but I loved her dress and I thought the color palette was beautiful.

I vow to have a champagne tower at some point in my life. Even if it's just for José and me (and our dachshund, le sigh .. one day) it will happen!

Cheers!

Snail Mail + Email

My lovely friend Emily sent this link to me yesterday and of course I started drooling and squealing immediately. While I remain firm in my devotion to REAL snail mail (it's not hard to use your hand for something else than typing or texting! Remember when we had to practice cursive and block printing in elementary school?), this is a nice alternative for those of us who are fiercely loyal to their gmail account.

"Snail Mail My Email" allows you to generate the content (say, a love letter) by sending nothing more than an email, which is then magically transformed into a written letter and sent to whomever you wish. They even pay the postage for you! You can add up to one customization (doodle heart, etc) per letter.

Now I have a hard time accepting the fact that someone else would be writing my love letters (one's one handwriting is obviously that much more authentic and meaningful. Imagine speaking with the recipient and saying "Actually, I outsourced that task - I provided the words but someone else composed the letter!" Not sure that would go over well). However I still think this is a cool way to pique interest in the fading art of snail mail. When I read articles about the closing of hundreds of Post Offices around the US, I get really sad. Yes, yes, email is easier for many things (business, to start), but who wants to receive a VIRTUAL wedding invitation? Or a thank-you note from someone for that lovely gift you brought them from your travels abroad?

Stationery allows you to personalize yourself, to give yourself an identity via paper, and to keep that amazing tradition of the written word alive. There is something so romantic, timeless, and intimate about letters .... Email is so black & white, whereas writing something with your own hands is so much more dynamic.

Maybe one day we'll be telling our grandchildren about snail mail and they'll be in awe ... But I guarantee you I will still be writing letters and notes regardless!

Beep, Beep

I'm going to toot my horn right now because I feel like a quasi celeb! I was thrilled that Katie from Matchbook Magazine (also of Neo-Trad fame) emailed me requesting a photo from our wedding along with some info for Matchbook's "Just Married" section. Luckily we had just gotten the images from Leo so I was able to send along a little something. A couple of days later the issue went live and there we are! Kind of weird (in a good way), but totally fun. Matchbook has really evolved in the 6+ months that it's been around and it makes me happy to see them doing well - a strong fan base, incredible branding and fun content. Here's a screen shot of the newlyweds... (Click to enlarge, obvi) Be sure to check out the whole issue!

What Food Really Looks Like

Caren Alpert used to work photographing foods commercially, but her love for all things magnified led her to explore a different passion. She now has an impressive gallery of images - all things that most of us eat on a regular basis - taken at magnifications up to 50x (or more). It's so cool! Sun-dried tomatoes look like they were lifted out of a biology textbook, and the letters on an Oreo cookie suddenly look gigantic.

Fortune cookie

Table salt

A shrimp's tail

I saw her work linked on Gawker but her entire website is just incredible. I want a huge print of the brussels sprout (my current culinary addiction, I love that they're in season!) in our kitchen.