Missing New York

I have really been missing the city lately.  Our trip this past weekend just wasn't long enough and it only left me wanting more!  

Mike and I have even been talking about maybe buying an apartment in the city, something modest and small so we could live there part time.  We left the city before we were ready and even though we are enjoying our new digs in Florida, there is something about New York that just can't be recreated anywhere else.  I am constantly inspired when I am there.  It's just not a place I ever want to forget, I always want to be a part of it.  

It felt different this weekend being back.  The city wasn't ours anymore, we were officially visitors...tourists, buying 1 day metro cards and flashing our Florida i.d.'s to buy a drink at the bar.  It made me sad.  I felt like this great thing I used to be a part of was no longer mine.  I miss you New York.

Photo: Me

Bad blogger...

I know I have been the worst blogger lately. I have the best intentions but I get distracted by other things and I end up ignoring this little blog! You would think being unemployed would actually leave me with more free time but it hasn't!

On the job front, I actually just got a part time job which I am excited about. I had such high hopes for really pushing my business to the next level but sadly, that hasn't happened. Mainly this is due to lack of effort on my part and not just the slow economy.

Since we left New York we have become so preoccupied with other things that I sort of put by business pursuits on the back burner. I am trying to put all of my creative energy into The Design Boards as I am so passionate about interior design, and fashion, and inspiring things and I really love blogging about my finds.

I have to say though, Mike and I just spent the weekend in New York City, visiting friends and hanging out in our old neighborhood and it really did reignite the creative juices. You can't be in New York and not get inspired, there is such an energy that exists there and every where you look there is something interesting and unique to see or explore. It made me really anxious to dive back into creating things. I love soap making and it will always be a part of my business, but as I keep saying, I really want to explore other things like sewing and screen printing and jewelry making. There are so many things that excite me and I want to try them all! For now, I am going to focus on soap making and the holiday season that is quickly approaching! Then I will begin to evaluate what I should focus on because it is still my dream to turn my hobbies into a career.

Photo: Flickr

Getting moved in...

Well the closing and the move were successful, we are now officially homeowners! It's such a great feeling to be settled again. I love coming home to something that is all mine.

Most of the house is still in boxes but I'm really looking forward to getting our office set up so I can start working again. I had plans to really focus on my business during this time off and instead I have been very sidetracked with other things, like house hunting! Now that I have the house thing out of the way I hope that I can really focus on my business full time. Mike and I had plans to do some traveling and unfortunately we haven't done that either but we are going to try and plan some trips over the next few months.

All of my plans for this year really got messed up after I was laid off. It's really made things confusing and difficult, especially with the wedding planning, but hopefully now that we are settled into our new house we can get back on track.

I promise to post pics of the new house soon, once the boxes are all put away!

Neglected

I know it's been a very long time since I've posted anything here. I'm sorry. I am keeping a much more regular blogging schedule over at The Design Boards. I'm finding it hard to maintain two blogs right now, life has been kind of hectic these past few weeks.

We have been house hunting like crazy, we finally found out after two weeks of negotiations that we got a house! We are really excited but also trying not to get too worked up since we have been burned on so many other properties since we started our search. If all goes well today at the inspection, we will close next Wednesday. The house is really cute but completely dated. One of the bathrooms has a blue toilet in it but it's only had one owner and they took really good care of it so we're excited to get in there and put our own touches on it. I will post photos of the house soon.

I have been all over the place with my business, it's hard to focus on that when there are so many other things to worry about too. I am most likely going to have go back to work, I've been looking for jobs but the job market in Tampa isn't great right now. Mike and I are also trying to plan one more trip before we get back into regular life again. I hope that when things settle down I will be able to maintain a regular posting schedule here.

Home owners!

We are home owners! Well, we will be in 1 week. We just found out that the house we really wanted that we didn't get....the first potential buyer fell through so the house is ours! It needs a lot of work but I can't wait. It's such a great little house, it's in a great neighborhood and it's so adorable. I will be keeping a renovation diary at The Design Boards so you can follow our progress.

This is such a great feeling. Mike and I haven't felt settled in a long time. It will be so nice to own a home again and put our own touch on it!

Green Tea & Peppermint Soap Bars

Just added to the shop! This is one of my favorites, it smells so clean and refreshing. Also available in mini sizes.

House Hunting = Disappointment

Well now that we are settled we are starting to look at houses and possibly put down some roots in good ol' St. Pete. The house deals here are just too good to pass up but unfortunately that means battling with 20 other people who have put an offer on the same house you want.

We just lost out on a house we really wanted. It needed A LOT of work but it was oh so cute and had so much old Florida charm. We really low balled them because of the work that needed to be done but they didn't take our offer so I guess it's back to the drawing board. In the mean time I am very busy with Mother's Day orders and I need to figure out what I am going to get my own mother for Mother's Day so I'm sitting in bed with the lap top, perusing Etsy and eating some left over Easter candy...good night blog!

I'm here

Hey everyone who is still around and checking in on this poor neglected blog, I'm here! Sorry for the quietness around here, Mike and I have been settling in here in Florida and I've been busy with The Design Boards and the shop.

Florida is actually great, I can't believe how happy I am to be home. I don't miss New York as much as I thought I would....it's much more relaxing here, and I need that right now. I am now in the comfort of family and old friends and I love it. I promise to keep this blog updated a little more now that we are more settled. Have a great weekend everyone!

Changes

I have news but every time I sit down to write the post it is very hard for me to get the words out. Mike and I are moving out of the city next week. This decision comes with very mixed emotions. On one hand, we always knew New York was not a permanent location for us, on the other hand, I'm just not ready to leave it.

There's no way of really describing these feelings because it's hard to understand if you haven't lived here. Living here, you develop a sort of love/hate relationship with the city. There have been times where I've gotten so angry and annoyed and wanted to get the hell out but most of the time, I really and truly love it. The city gets into you, there really is no other place like it and that's one of the things that makes it so hard to leave. I can't move to another city in the country that is even going to compare to New York.

Tourists come here and they get a small taste of the city but they don't really get to ever see all the amazing things about living here day in and day out, like the crazy energy you feel on the streets when a warm day breaks through after 4 months of cold and everyone is out and about, restaurants have put tables outside and your radiator has finally stopped banging. Or going out at night and bar hopping from one bar to the next, every bar being completely different that the one before it. Or running downstairs to the corner bodega for something you ran out of while making dinner. Or just being able to walk everywhere, the freedom of not needing a car to get from point A to point B. The way the park looks in October when the leaves change or the way it looks in April when all the tulips start popping up. Grabbing Pink Berry or a falafel at 2 am and walking home while eating it. Or coming across the coolest shops when you are walking in SoHo or the Village.

New York has a lot of meaning for me. Moving here was the first big decision Mike and I made in our relationship. It is the first place we ever lived together, it's the place where our relationship went from being just "boyfriend and girlfriend" to being engaged. It's the place where Peewee had his $6000 surgery. It's the place where I had the idea to make soap. It's the one place where I always feel creative and inspired.

There have been a lot of tears over this decision, but I know that right now it is what's best for us. I am going to have a really hard time saying good bye to the city, but it will always be in my heart.

Shop Update

New items in the shop!