Don't you just love this waterfall-style shower head? If you don't want to install your own, you can take a yoga class at Exhale in Boston, and then have the best shower in town. You will love it! Treat yourself. I haven't tried the Exhale spas in New York yet, but I plan to someday. I wonder which one is more luxurious, Central Park South or Madison Avenue?

Walking along Hudson Street in pursuit of a certain restaurant a few weekends ago, I snapped these detail shots. The following four are from the same building, 119 Hudson.* I peaked inside. Fashion! Well that was unexpected. And a Gehry-style aluminum ribbon ceiling. What company is this? I gave it a Google. I was right! It is a Frank Gehry ceiling!!


*The window above comes from a separate building, further up the street.

I didn't realize I was peering into the
new Issey Miyake flagship!

Funny, I was once tossed out of Issey Miyake's
studio in Paris for peering in, when he was
doing final fittings with all the models
during Fashion Week. I did get an invitation
to see his show at the Carrousel du Louvre
though, and it was amazing.

In case you were wondering about the contents of my dish rack last Friday morning, here it is. And now you know what dishsoap I use too. Definitely win-win.

This week in NYC is Restaurant Week (January 29-February 2), which means you can get lunch for $24.07 and dinner for $35.00 at places like Nobu and Chanterelle! But this week (well, at least it starts this week: Feb 2-9) is also Fashion Week at Bryant Park. Which leads one to wonder, where will all the fashion editors, celebrities and models eat on Friday if the restaurants are at capacity? Queens?

I am in love with a certain necklace by Amy Bengston. The Egg Necklace. Hint! It has everything I like in a necklace: dark wood, silver, a birdie, and a carouche-like shape. And guess how I found her? I clicked through from a blog ad (on indieshopping.com)! Yes I did. And I said I never click through on a blog ad. Never say never. Oops, there I said it again. And why did I click through? (This is for all of you who love to study metrics.) Because the product presented was eye-catching and already something I like. The ad was graphically pleasing and showed the product. Actually, I first clicked on "Designer Interviews" from IndieShopping's e-newsletter, because the topic appealed to me.

Riddle:
How many (c)licks does it take to get to the center of the TootsieRoll? (The TootsieRoll here is meant to represent the product, in this case, the Amy Bengston Egg Necklace, and the clicks, steps in the Conversion Funnel.)
Answer:
Three clicks.

Back to Amy Bengston. Naturally I want to wear two necklaces together, exactly as the ad showed it. Not because I am easily manipulated by advertising (which I am, but don't tell anyone), but because the two necklaces look so nice together! Maybe I should put a donation button on my blog, as is so chic nowadays, asking strangers for donations. Afterall, I said I would never do that either.

The 'temporary charitable fund' could be shamelessly called the

Buy Elaine
The Egg Necklace
and
The Nest Necklace
by Amy Bengston
Fund


Goal: $210.00 plus shipping.


Would you care to send a dollar or two my way?

I looked up a site for a designer I saw featured in Nylon Magazine, in the "What's the Matter with Kansas?" article, only because the site they cited was a .typepad.com and not a .com. What?

Times certainly have changed. I remember being told by magazines back in the day that if you are not featured in key retail locations, "we can't cover you." So I got myself into key retail locations. And got coverage. And then, online shopping hit the scene, and Luckymag.com's rule was 'no shopping cart, no coverage.' So we upgraded our site to full e-commerce with a custom-designed shopping cart and added our own Elaine Perlov Gift Cards too. And I got more coverage. Lots of coverage in fact. I am not complaining. Believe me.

So back to Nylon. I went to this designer's Typepad Blog, and there is no link to her designs. I am surprised. Maybe that's what's the matter with Kansas. Aha! And her blog is more diary-style than professional-promotional. Call me old-fashioned, but I want a Website in the credit line, not a diary. Snarky? Perhaps. But I have to tell it as I see it.

I confess, I heart luxe too. And I love this blog-style Website with the same name. And what a great name. The designers of the I Heart Luxe site have done an excellent job with branding. The love all the luxe touches: the fonts, the scrollwork, even the scrolling flora superimposed on each photo. The ribbon at the top is a nice detail too. I heart I Heart Luxe.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE SCROLLING FAUNA SUPERIMPOSED ON EACH PHOTO

Many thanks to InStyle.com for giving our SATIN KARATE BELT a nice online feature! It seems that actress, Thandie Newton wore our black SATIN KARATE BELT to the London premiere of The Pursuit of Happyness. Well I am thrilled!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I know, I can't believe it either. Wasn't it just New Year's? Check out our new index page, and while your at it, browse some Valentine's gift ideas, hot sellers, and offerings in shades of red (and black, pinstripe and camo).

Happy Shopping and Hugs (000000)
from Elaine

[image from indiefixx]

I don't know about you, but my day would not progress without my trusty To-Do List. I always include a number of easy tasks on the list, so I can get some immediate cross-offs get some momentum. Come to think of it, I haven't made my list yet for today...

Go public with your list. I saw these crafty Emoticon Magnets by Pillowhead on IndieFixx this morning, so I thought I'd pass them along. Take your To-Do List from the private pages of your notebook to your fridge, or cubical wall, or Project Success Board (click and scroll). And remember, have fun making good use of your time!

A public service announcement from Elaine. ;-)

Here is another thought to ponder from Here is New York by E.B. White (1949). As promised, I will be sprinkling more of these posts into the blog this month and next. This one from pages 21 and 22.

The eighteen inches were both the connection and the separation that New York provides for its inhabitants. [...] New York blends the gift of privacy with the excitement of participation; and better than most dense communities it succeeds in insulating the individual (if he wants it, and almost everybody wants or needs it) against all enormous and violent and wonderful events that are taking place every minute.

Hi all! I have been thinking about you. But not writing anything for you, is the problem... I have lots of thoughts and things to report, but it is almost like I have too many things to report. So alas, I will try to do some quicky haiku-style posts, just to get some new things out there for you to read. Have you ever clicked on the About this Blog over to the left there? This post falls into the category of musings on the stop-start nature of the creative process. For sure.

If you think you have seen it all, perhaps you haven't seen these yet? Erasers in various delectable dessert shapes by Edesse. Each one is handmade. And each one is only about $1-$3. As the designer Erica who is working on her PhD in Economics and hates Juicy Couture says, the "yummy dessert inspired erasers [...] make great Valentine's day gifts!" I would tend to agree. [images from edessedesigns.com]

Yes you heard me correctly. Etsy HQ is coming to Brooklyn. Read all about it here.

I started Here is New York by E.B. White (1949) on the subway the other day. I bought this for my husband right before we moved to New York and read it then, from Boston. Now that we live here, the words take on new meaning. I thought I'd give you some excerpts every once in awhile to give you a little flavor of New York. This one from page 19.

It can destroy an individual, or it can fulfill him, depending on a good deal of luck. No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.

Have you ever had a snickerdoodle? I don't think I ever had, until I tried one in California a few weeks ago. I think I would have remembered it. I love saying snickerdoodle. I have a friend who hates even the thought of that word. I think that's why I like saying it. Snickerdoodle.

Anyway, I don't know and I don't want to know if snickerdoodles are even sold in New York. I like to think of them as a California food. Not available here. They sell them at Diedrich's. I hope I don't start seeking out snickerdoodles. I form bad habits so quickly. Luckily I gave up sugar cold turkey.

Succulents are such well-designed plants. How could I not love them? Particularly the one on the right that looks like elephant ears. I love the red on the edges. And the one below that looks like a tall jade plant. Simply heavenly. I am pleased they are surviving on my Brooklyn windowsill.

The other day I found really nice drawstring warm-up pants for only $5! How can you go wrong? But then, I topped myself, and found ones with racing stripes for only $3! Gotta love New York.

I ask you. These are all the pins I have left. Not even enough to pin up a blind hem on an A-Line Skirt. It is the mystery of sewing...

Oh well, off to the store.

If you want to be thin,
eat in.


For another opinion, see on restaurants.

Thank you Popgloss for adding my blog to your Poplist sites you like. I am honored! Great site!

I thought you might like a break from reading. Here is a purely gratuitous post about pretty things found on other design blogs this week.


(I think I smell a regular feature on this blog. Blogger Roundup! I rather like the ring to that. Consider yourself a reader of the first installment of Blogger Roundup. gee)

Bowls from Sally McCubbin
Post by Happy Mundane


Letterpress cards from New Egg Press
Post by PoppyTalk


Porcelain from Lorena Barrezueta
Post by Apartment Therapy


Stone Doormat from Acacia
Post by DesignMilk

Well this is too New York for words. For a mere $40 a day, you too can lose weight, on a Four Star diet program. After seeing a commercial on TV for ZoneChefs, I went to their Website and investigated the Vegetarian Plan for instance, by Zen Palate no less. Here is a bit about the program.

We provide our clients with 3 delicious gourmet vegetarian meals and 2 great tasting snacks by 5am each and every delivery day. In order to insure variety, we make it our top priority to maintain a twenty-one day cycle of various vegetarian entrees.

If you have an exterior door in which we need a key to gain access to your residence, you can FedEx us a duplicate key in which we will gladly pick up at our expense. Veggie ZoneChefs is not just a diet, it is a lifestyle so when you wake up in the morning we are there to start your Zone compliant day.

Oh yes, that sounds totally feasible. Why not give you a copy of my front door key, at your expense of course. Ivanka Trump is one of their celebrity success stories. Well at least we know that it is affordable for the Everyman.

(I am glad I know how to cook.)

I just received this e-mail, so I thought I'd pass it along. Jumelle is having a sale on winter merchandise, with reductions of 40%-70%. Nice.

jumelle
148 bedford avenue
brooklyn, ny 11211
718.388.9525

www.shopjumelle.com

I hadn't thought of this angle for a New Year's resolution exactly, until I read this week's Time Out cover story, or collection of articles, "(Re)New Year," where "six New Yorkers give up their very real New York behaviors for 30 days each. The results will surprise you."

Although I guess I did think of this idea on the airplane home. My husband and I have resolved to quit sugar cold turkey for 4 weeks, after overindulging in cookies day and night in California. He says we have given it up for longer than that. I say 4 weeks. I guess the results of our experiment may surprise us too.

Anyway, I recommend reading these six stories. The first one is "A month without: cell phones." The second one is "A month without: slovenliness." After I read these first two, I came straight to the computer to tell you about it. I think they are rather enlightening and inspiring.

This issue of Time Out (January 4-10, Issue 588) is still on the newstands. Or for the time being, you can access the six articles here.

Plain and simple, I am a doer. I simply can't sit around not doing. I feel that I can achieve anything by doing. If a problem needs to be solved, I can do it. So when I was sitting on the subway yesterday after my CardioKickboxing class and swim, I realized I am approaching my whole weight loss New Year's resolution thing all wrong in my head. To achieve my goal, all I have to do is: not do. It is that simple. Don't eat that. Don't eat this. Don't eat now. Don't eat after dinner. For the first time, I can uncram my schedule. Eating less often will free up my time. I like this new thought. I think I can achieve this.


PHOTO: Me! Look at my little fist of determination. Even at age 2 you can see that I was a doer. I put on that rain bonnet whenever I played. It was my going-to-play uniform of sorts. Look at all the stuff going on. I'm working on my letters inside my desk, I've stored a bunch of toys in the crib, ready to be played with next, but I take a little time out to pose for the shot next to my blanket. I wonder if I arranged it there for the picture. I have a feeling I did. I am still an orchestrater/arranger of stuff.

Who's next indeed. Target instructs you to go to their Website on January 15 to see the next designer in their mass market stable.

I was perusing the Bryant Park Fashion Week roster, and found Twinkle. What a pleasant surprise. [photos: twinklebywenlan.com collage: me]

When meeting with Kenneth Cole,
it is probably not a good idea to wear Nine West.

When in doubt, eat out.

My waiter wore jeans that were W30 L30.
And yet, he was not shaped like a perfect square.

It is hard to find a tasty yet affordable lunch in Midtown. But yesterday I found a satisfying sandwich, for only $3.72. Grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella and arugula on a skinny baguette. It was a half portion, but quite frankly, the half portion is the proper portion. No overeating. No overpaying. Around three dollars is my kind of price for lunch. I like this Pret a Manger. I like the chandeliers too.

Find all the Pret a Manger's in New York City here. Check out their menu here. I visited the store on 54th and Lex. It is near my Y.