Following Rabbits Blog

I've been working my little bum off since I got home from work and ::finally:: have my new project site to share with you! I've been a veritable mess lately, as witnessed by my posts regarding my less-than-perfect apartment and my tweets about general frustration with the daily grind. Every once in a while when things start to pile up, it's easy to feel like the city is conspiring against you. She definitely has an energy all her own... she's capable of inspiring you and giving you those magical "new york city moments", but she'll also kick you when you're down. If you want to be a new yorker, you have to just go with the rollercoaster ride and hang on tight. I love new york. I've been here 2 years and definitely consider this place my home. Sometimes I have to make mental lists- what I love about the city, everything I've learned and experienced since I got here, the amazing people I've met... I'm a lucky girl. I'm starting this project, Love for NYC, in an effort to collect and share the reasons why new york city is so special. She's so many things to so many people. 8 million of us, in fact. Every postcard I collect will be a reminder of why this city is the best there is.

I'm starting a new project that I'm super excited to share with everyone! Unfortunately, my bedroom ceiling is caving with the rainwater on the roof, so I'm doing cleanup and damage control this evening. I've been feeling pretty discouraged lately, one of those situations where it seems like everything is going wrong all at once. I randomly thought up this project idea last night after watching Amelie for the first time. The premise is that I absolutely whole-heartedly love New York City... but I need a reminder once in a while of just why I fell in love with this city in the first place. When times are tough (and trust me, living on your own in NYC, it happens frequently) I feel like the city is hating on me. Bad. The city will take all the love you have for it, but rarely does she love you back. (When she does, I call them my "New York Moments"). Tomorrow I'll be heading to SpaceCraft in Williamsburg after work for a little craft meetup. I plan on telling my fellow crafters there about my project and enlisting their help to get the ball rolling. When I get home I'll have lots to share with you! (And hopefully I'll be blogging from a warm, dry apartment by then!!)

The office has been a bit crazy lately, so I was happy to go to the Ginger Man after work today for a brew with the boys. Their beer menu is enormous, but I went with my standby- blueberry wheat. Yum! They've got tons of rotating beers on tap, and often get beers that are hard to find anywhere else. A friend of mine got to be a regular there and they actually consider his requests when they're looking to rotate a current brew out. Occasionally they have special events-- the day before Thanksgiving I went for a 'pumpkin patch'- more than a dozen pumpkin beers from all over. It's a block from my office on 36th and Madison, which makes it a convenient stop before heading to the train. Definitely worth checking out to try different beers or enjoy an old fave in a laid back place. 

Today I went to Chinatown for the afternoon to catch the Chinese New Year Parade. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. (2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, ooo!) The details I found online regarding time, place, duration, etc. were pretty vague, so I headed down to Canal Street around noon. There were a lot of police officers on the corners and parade barricades set up down Allen Street, so I figured I'd hang out and wait. And wait. And wait some more. It wasn't very cold today, but after an hour of standing still on the sidewalk and the sun going behind the buildings, I was feeling a bit discouraged. Finally I could hear drums in the distance, and by then the crowd lining the street was 2-3 people deep. I went hoping to see colorful costumes and wasn't disappointed. The dragon dancers were my favorite, hence most of my photos are of them. Kids were shooting confetti all over the place... the atmosphere was very festive. People shouted wishes for a happy and prosperous new year from the parade floats, kids marched with their school marching bands, and Chinese beauty queens waved from cadillacs. It was one of those moments that made me smile and appreciate the city... there is always something happening here. I hope to take better advantage of the city and seize opportunities to see and do things that I couldn't do if I lived anywhere else.

I've had Isabella's Art bookmarked in my favorite etsy sellers for a long time. I've recently "rediscovered" her prints while browsing for Alice in Wonderland themed art for my bedroom. Her black and white illustrations are all very whimsical, portraying fairy tales and folklore. "A Mad Tea-Party" is my favorite of the Alice set. I love the details-- the teacup in the tree, the ribbon on the rabbit's ear, Alice's hair. I think she does a great job of capturing the essence of Alice in Wonderland-- all of her prints have a very fun, magical quality about them. She also makes adorable laser-cut shadow puppets.

Isabella has a blog where she collects ghost stories, folk tales and lore from her fans and followers. She chooses stories to illustrate and share as blog posts. You can also see more of her portfolio at deviantART.