life : sunnyside up

song : zebra by beach house via {frolic!}
not sure what this song is about, but i love it.

hello, hello! as mentioned the other day, our neighborhood, sunnyside, was listed as the third best place to live in nyc according to a survey in new york magazine. it's not as cool as brooklyn, but really close to the city, safe and has a suburban feel. we do know our neighbors here and if i go to the corner deli the owner always asks me 'where is your husband?' like she's worried about him and he loves it. sunnyside gardens is the historical district designed by british architect lewis mumford in the 1920s using english garden community principles, so springtime is the best season to be here.

these photos were taken this weekend and sometimes i think i should make them pale and dreamy, which seems to be so popular. i try, but always bring them back closer to reality. believe it or not, my camera is set to no sharpening and i slightly blur them in photoshop to soften the edges. plus, there is no vibration reduction feature in the lens. i suppose it's just my way and i'm still figuring it out. enjoy your weekend, everyone!

xo, cindy





we have a small plot of land in our community garden and the grape hyacinths are from our space, while the bleeding hearts are in the plot across from us.

garden : orchid fever

video : change the world by eric clapton
this song makes me cry if i think about scott when i hear it.
a good loving cry though, not the ugly one.

hello, hello! thank you for all the can do encouragement! this weekend i believed it and got enough photos for posts about -

1. can do - i never noticed so many little plants around town.
2. cherry blossoms, including one tree that still had its cherries.
   
3. spring blooms, including an amazing lilac & wisteria bonsai.
   
4. our pretty flower-adorned neighborhood (sunnyside), which was just listed as the third best place to live in nyc according to a survey in new york magazine.
   

these are the orchid photos i took the second time round at the new york botanical garden. and, you know what? i did not feel good at all that day. i didn't want to miss the opportunity though because the show was going to close, so i pushed myself (can do). to keep it simple the aperture was set to 3.5 and i was lucky because the light was so pretty. my mom loved orchids and would have loved these.

so, what would you like to see next from the list? do tell.

xo, cindy

life : can do

song : every time you say goodbye by alison krauss
seriously love this song, although it has nothing to do with this post!

last week, i picked up i think i can by partners & spade in anthropologie. it features photos of plants growing through the cracks of concrete, bricks, etc., so i found one myself. i purchased the book because i don't always think i can, so any type of inspiration is encouraging. it might sound cliche, but if a tiny plant can make it here, well, you know how the rest goes. enjoy your weekend. i think you can!

xo, cindy

ps has anyone bought an ipad? i'm really tempted to tap into my rainy day fund if i can justify the spend. our laptop is ancient and i'd love to be able to look at our photos while traveling, which we don't do that much unless you include moving from the computer to the sofa ;).

life : morning time

album : normal as blueberry pie from nellie mckay
her charming tribute album to the charming doris day

hello, hello! they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. with an italian orange from charlie combined with creamy ricotta cheese & honey on an english muffin you can't go wrong. well, when it comes to taste - not sure it's healthy. pretty easter flowers from my brother made it even better. this was my first attempt at photo-styling in almost a month. i thought i might have lost my mojo for good. i guess it is true about having a good breakfast. what about you? quick coffee on the go or a proper breakfast?

xo, cindy

ps although charlie was born in nyc 87 years ago, he took the subway for the first time, yesterday. never too late to try something new, but i think he got lost. oy!

garden : greenhouses

video : chasing pirates by norah jones
i have called her 'snorah' jones, but not this time.

hello, hello! i hope you all had a lovely weekend and easter if you celebrate. the weather has been beautiful here and we enjoyed a nice family get together. wave hill will be featured on martha stewart today and also here on quaint. most of these photos were taken in their greenhouses and feature the prettiest flowers. enjoy your monday!

xo, cindy

ps i hope all of our friends in southern california are ok after the earthquake, yesterday.

pretty in pink.

sweet rock garden bloom.

gigantic variety of lemon and pocketbook plant.

so tiny.

the vine is incredible.

wave hill has wonderful art programs and is currently displaying knitted hats made by visitors for robyn love’s project, house study/handmade. we mentioned robyn once before with her crocheted water tower cozy. when we visited recently, they were also displaying work from their children's art programs, which must be pretty cool for the kids.

garden : spring flowers

band : freelance whales : mellow and nice.

hello, hello! i love spring. it's my favorite season and always amazes me when beautiful blooms emerge from the frozen tundra, ok, soil. we've had an incredible amount of rain lately and i'm grateful there has been no flooding in our neighborhood. the reports on the news are terrible and we have a lot of empathy for those who have been submerged in water.

these blooms are from the new york botanical garden and wave hill and i'll have more orchids and greenhouse flowers next week. i hope you have a lovely weekend and happy easter to those who celebrate. scott's cousin and wife are driving in from nebraska, so we'll have some new faces at the table this holiday.

xo, cindy

ps scott says thanks for the nice words about his view of nyc. he's a very good scout and guy. we get along pretty well most of the time, but are not sickening like the couple in the movie best in show. swear ;).