alacrity designs

nyc, there we were!

2009-05-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

i just want you to know that i'm completely aware that's it's ridiculous to be posting about the nyc trip a month later.

but i want to have a record of the trip & since i gave up scrapbooking years ago, this is IT
besides, we had SO much fun, i have to share.

day ONE -
mission: survive the plane ride with a 2 yr old, catch a cab to johnna's apartment, eat a yummy dinner & prepare for the rest of the week. mission accomplished with no pictures.
oh, & we brought dessert home to eat while we played spades. jonty & mom kidded johnna's & my butts.

day TWO -
mission: visit Treehouse (brooklyn store that carries alacritydesigns).

alas, Treehouse was closed (we went back another day) so we had to eat pie. yes, that's right we ate THE BEST apple pie right there in the big apple. can brooklyn be considered "the big apple"? johnna, please advise.

***here's hudson busy charming the place :) we loved how she mixed old furniture, dishes, silverware. everything was mix-match & just darling.

the blue stove. really, it was so cute. this girl just loves pies, so she opened up a store & that's what she does - pies. i love it. there seems to be a lot of that type of thing in brooklyn - new little shops (we also liked brooklynski) mixed with old.

we experienced the old before our pies when we ate @ a little italian deli. while the food was really good, the best part was hearing a couple of nyc firemen talking. one ordered a "meat ball saaaaandwich" & the other started in with a story, "so i toll huh..." (so i told her.) classic. another fun part was that we sat out in the courtyard (aka the italian family's backyard, since they live on the top 2 floors) & ate our delicious italian fare while watching their laundry dry in the breeze.

after such a great lunch, hudson fell asleep in the stroller, so mom & i strolled along the streets, letting him snooze & just enjoying the beautiful weather. i'm so glad we got to spend so much time in brooklyn - it's not really touristy at all & we got a really good feel for what normal life is like for people there. we strolled through parks & up to a church & finally caught the bus back. & that really was a fun experience, too. so MANY different kinds of people both on the bus & off. we went through several neighborhoods including an old orthodox jewish neighborhood. that was totally fascinating - seeing basically every single male dressed all in black (suit to hat) w/ beards & long, curly forelocks. women all had some type of hat/turban/head covering w/ long black skirts. & almost every sign was in hebrew. i had just finished reading the chosen, set in that very area of brooklyn, so it was especially interesting to see!
back in johnna's brooklyn neighborhood, we met up with clint's sister, suzanne & her boyfriend, mitch for some playground action @ park slope.

hudson loved getting to swing & slide with aunt suzy :) afterwards we ate at a yum greek place. i loooooved the hummus & pita bread, but i could have done w/o the falafal. i had been feeling all adventurous & wanted to try it. um, not my fav. hudson really enjoyed the greek restaurant though. they had something called... oh, what was it??! something really ethnic... oh yeah, they called it "chicken nuggets"!!

day THREE -

mission: take the subway to work with johnna in the financial district & lunch @ madison square park

it was fun to see what johnna's normal commute into manhattan was like. she took us to a fun little coffee shop close to the water & then skipped off to work for the morning. mom, hudson, & i drank a little coffee with a muffin & we were off. with a couple of stops on the way, we made our way to the world trade center site. there's not really much to see, but a HUGE, massive hole in the ground (both deep & wide) with crazy amounts of construction going on. you can peer into the fire station that is right there (& was a part of the first responders). mom & i were surprised @ how emotional we got looking @ pictures in memorial of the 5 or so firefighters that gave their lives in the tragedy. whew, i could get emotional now :)

so if you're feeling kind of emotional, you should probably shop, which is what we did next. i had to get an fdny shirt for clint & then we headed to century 21. have you ever heard of that store? because we hadn't. we just happened upon this huge department store full of discount designer clothes, shoes, appliances, bags... everything you'd find @ saks or dillard's. it was a crazy shopping experience & we could have done some major damage without a certain little 2 year old who wasn't too keen on the whole shopping thing. i'm just saying i WILL go back one day :)

next on the agenda was that lunch w/ johnna & her boyfriend, jonty (whom we all love!). one of jonty's favorite places is a super yummilicous hamburger place in madison square park, called shake shack. the place is soooo good that the line to order is constantly super, super long. so, i let the others enjoy that long wait with i strolled the sleeping toddler around the beautiful park! it was just what you'd expect of a springtime stroll in a park in nyc - crisp weather, pigeons, cherry blossum trees, big buildings all around...

the burgers were great.
and by the way, we know johnna's pretty crazy about jonty solely on the fact that she wanted to go to this burger joint because it's jonty's favorite. she's a vegetarian :)
walking around the upper west side (or the lower east - i can't keep them straight.)

pit stop for hudson...

on to a pit stop for us!!!
tonnie's minis
what kind of name is "tonnie"? i'm really not sure, but he/she can make on mean cupcake.

a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1Jbf9-XMg-Y/ShHVn8GihPI/AAAAAAAAA6I/w_bThZ-Udq8/s1600-h/100_7459.JPG">

besides the fabuloucity cupcakes, this neighborhood also has loads of fun shopping. johnna found a great dress @ one of the stores. she & i shopped while mom had to go back for another minicupcake for hudson. i had thought one would be enough for him, but apparently while we stepped into the shop, hudson shoved the cupcake in his mouth & stretched his arm up to mimi shouting, "cake!" with his mouth full! being the good mimi she is, she went back & bought that child more cake.
here he is choosing his flavor...

that night we ate cupcakes & talked politics & everyone walked away WITH their heads intact! it was a good convo :)

day FOUR -
mission: eat pizza

i really can't remember what we did first. all i remember is the pizza. all mom remembers is ted dansen. yep, we saw him on the way there, fufilling mom's one nyc wish - to see a celebrity.

on to the pizza

oh my gosh, it was good. cheesy, hot, greasy - mmmmmmmmm.
we had the waiter take about 17 pictures & none of them were good! we laughed so hard about it! so i just chose the one that was best of me. sorry guys, it's my blog!!!
if you're wondering where in the world is hudson san diego (get it?). that's when we left him in the cab. just kidding! he's in the stroller taking another snooze. boy, did that child miss out on the good food.

a little more walking & then back to brooklyn to see treehouse again. we sure did go back to the blue stove for more pie, too :) of course being the awesome business owner i am, i got NO pictures of treehouse! bummer! i was actually waaaaay too busy meeting wonderful Siri & searching through their awesome selection of vintage + new stuff. i got a super cool vintage necklace & some cool handmade cards. johnna got a dress & mimi bought hudson a really cool owl tshirt for his birthday
that was when we thought we needed to head back to get the airport. long story short, our flight was canceled, so we were back to the city that night for another round of fun.
this time we stayed in midtown @ the helmsley...

we don't know if the hotel has a connection to the infamous leona helmsley, but we really hope so because that makes for a better story!
while having your flight canceled & all that entails is really not fun, the extra day ended up being a total blast!

day FIVE -
mission: central park
we headed up 5th avenue where we spotted all the fun stuff like trump towers, rockefellar center, & f.a.o. swartz...

and after a street fare where i bought impossibly cheap tshirts (what clint, yours already has a hole in it??!) & some street food, we made it to the carousel in central park...

the stuff of boyhood dreams.

he was in love.

and shockingly enough, that concludes our nyc tour.
i could tell you about the plane ride home & how we ran out of diapers & how hudson went commando for the last 2 hrs home. but i'll save that for another day.
i think i've said quite enough.

oh, except THANK YOU, MOM for one of my ALL TIME favorite birthday presents ever :)

lip gloss as lucky charm

2009-04-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

i've been a big believer in lip gloss for awhile now.

no time for a shower? lip gloss.
can't find your make up bag? lip gloss.
just had a baby & don't know which way is up? lip gloss.

i've worn lip gloss for so long now that i couldn't pick out a decent shade of lipstick if you paid me!

it just seems to make things a little better. apparently it was my trusty lucky charm again today when alacritydesigns landed another store (in my yoga clothes + lip gloss!)!! yaaaaaay!

soon we'll be selling in THE most darling gift store i've found around here - i'm so honored to have my line there! PLUS the ladies that work there are so very super sweet - the kind of women you could chat with for hours. feels like i'm selling to friends!

so welcome aboard store #5!!!

***they're also the first store to carry the new green sundress for girls!!! i can't wait to get my new pics up to show you everything!!

newbies

2009-03-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

i have a couple of new items to show you...

one, i officially added the t-rex shirt to my shop. now your toddler can charm the masses, too!

two, i reincarnated the monkey to suit toddler boys...

fun, no?

and lastly, not to leave the little gals out, i present the flower sundress...

summer, summer, summer - i looove this cute little dress! it sports a racerback back that is oh, so cute, too! i love the shade of green - bright, fresh, fun! this dress could also be worn with leggings, or even over jeans. i could even see a black l/s shirt & black leggings for those cooler days of spring, or a little denim jacket, or, or, or...!

okay, so now you're caught up on alacrity happenings!

(they're all in the shop as of now...)

assets in austin

2009-03-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

i wore my assets to austin this week.

did i get a picture? oh, no. but i got a few of a certain cutie that accompanied mom & i on the trip...

that one charmed the city while mom & i did a little alacritydesigns sales. we stayed at hotel san jose on south congress ("soco" if you're hip). it was a real treat - more $ than we'd normally spend, but totally worth it. it's so fun & funky. the rooms are small (which doesn't make for the best of sleeping arrangements w/ a little one), but the ambiance is modern + old school (it's a renovated old, old motel), clean&neat meets austin hippie. plus they had a fish pond, which won my little guy's heart.

and here we are eating at magnolia cafe. two words - AH MAZING. we ate there twice. (another fun thing about staying on south congress - you can walk to tons of shops & all of this good food.)

you may notice that the little guy has the same outfit on in every picture (a new alacrity t-rex shirt). well, that's because he was such a good sales tool on the first day, that i decided just to put him back in it the next day, too! plus somehow he spent about 8 hrs wearing it the first day & didn't get it dirty, & i consider that a modern day miracle!!!

we went to austin initially to meet with lizelle @ parts & labour about carrying some alacrity stuff. they've moved a few blocks north on SoCo (oh, i'm soooo cool!) to a new & super spacious space, & fyi - they'll soon be carrying some alacrity gowns & t-rex shirts! in addition to kids' stuff, they have lots of super fun skirts, dresses, t's, accessories, & also men's stuff.

we also talked with will @ kid genius (also on soco) & hope to do some t-rex shirts there, too.

lastly, alacritydesigns proudly joins the lines @ picket fences in north austin! what a fabulous baby store! seriously, kathryn knows her stuff. it's a definite MUST STOP!

what a fun trip, though we weary travelers were quite happy to reunite with our beloved daddy :)

happy almost weekend!!

p.s. when in austin, i also recommend (all on soco)...

ten thousand villages - super cool ethnic artsy stuff from all around the world & all fair traded!

uncommon objects - antique-y items (furniture, china, quilts...), all organized by color groups

hey cupcake! - yummmmmm is all i have to say. oh, & order the vanilla dream.

guero's - i've eaten here several times now. love the tortilla soup & the chicken quesadillas are really, really great. i also recommend the strawberry margarita, while debs would recommend the sangria.

jo's - the coffee shop that connected with hotel san jose. just so darn austin-y. try the iced turbo.

jonah

2009-02-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

hello dear bloggies! have you missed me??! i just haven't had much to blog about lately. it seems to come in waves - i have something to write everyday, then i have nothing for a week! if you have a blog, you know what i mean.

anyway, i have yet to introduce you to this cutie little design...

don't you just love a whale?

i've wanted to do a whale design for awhile. i'm drawn to them for some reason. big, friendly, fishy, mammal. i don't know what it is. my friend had really cute whale-themed bedding for her son's nursery. i think that's where i got the original inspiration.

anyway, when i found this fabric, i thought it's colors where a bit nautical, so the whale was born...

on a slightly random note, whales also make me think of "jonah & the whale", of course & the name "jonah" often makes me think of my sister. her name is johnna, as in "john" + "uh", but growing up she constantly got called "jonah" & also "joanna", & once even "johonanonon". seriously. the story always cracks me up! i, of course, know nothing of this as i have such a plain name. i always wanted a fun, individual name that could possibly be mispronounced! she ended up switching to "lea" (her middle name is leann) in college. lea = short, simple & not easily confused.

anyway, whales seem to be such happy creatures & darling for little boys. possibly big boys, too - i'm currently experimenting with some different colored tshirts for older boys. more on that hopefully next week...

happy week to you!

shining polka stars

2009-02-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

fun little stars, huh?

i love how simple they are. with a tidge of punk. could you imagine little converse peaking out under the gown?

thanks for all of the sweet comments on my last post. so kind. i'm feeling the love :)

(the star comes in gowns, onesies, bibs, hats, & tshirts.)

2009-02-03T21:41:00.001-08:00

you'll remember this little shop...

it's the shop in brooklyn that carries my line - alacrity designs. it's just so very charming & cool & cutting edge funky fun... i'm totally honored that they take my stuff. (it pays to have a cool sister!)
anyway, i was checking out their blog
THEN i saw that they'd been featured on a fun new blog (CityGirl shops) -
THEN i went to that blog & guess what i saw??? this...
"Stepping into the store, you might feel a bit dizzy and giddy from all the eye candy. So here’s a little guide to get you through. Start by hunting down Siri’s own line of clothing... Then go to the handmade baby onesies by Alacrity designs." complete with a PICTURE of one of my designs AND a link to my etsy shop!!! yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, i can't believe it!!
i just shook clint awake to tell him!! in his grogginess, he just kept saying "that's great, babe, that's great... great..." ahhh, so supportive even in a sleep stupor :)
and i'm just sending a new shipment to treehouse this week!

what a fun treat.

(mom - you can click on any of the words that are in grey. click on "CityGirl shops" @ the top to see the post about alacrity designs. you may have to put your glasses on to see it. you're welcome :) )

no way, jose!!

2009-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

you'll remember this little shop...

it's the shop in brooklyn that carries my line - alacrity designs. it's just so very charming & cool & cutting edge funky fun... i'm totally honored that they take my stuff. (it pays to have a cool sister!)
anyway, i was checking out their blog
THEN i saw that they'd been featured on a fun new blog (CityGirl shops) -
THEN i went to that blog & guess what i saw??? this...
"Stepping into the store, you might feel a bit dizzy and giddy from all the eye candy. So here’s a little guide to get you through. Start by hunting down Siri’s own line of clothing... Then go to the handmade baby onesies by Alacrity designs." complete with a PICTURE of one of my designs AND a link to my etsy shop!!! yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, i can't believe it!!
i just shook the hubs awake to tell him!! in his grogginess, he just kept saying "that's great, babe, that's great... great..." ahhh, so supportive even in a sleep stupor :)
and i'm just sending a new shipment to treehouse this week!

what a fun treat.

(mom - you can click on any of the words that are in grey. click on "CityGirl shops" @ the top to see the post about alacrity designs. you may have to put your glasses on to see it. you're welcome :) )

dino might!

2009-02-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

and for the boys this spring?

dinosaurs!!

i love these for baby boys!!! dinosaurs are so tough & boyish & so cute in baby blue polka!! i made a shirt for my little guy, but my hubs said it was too girly for older boys!!! what do you think???

i know, you were impressed that he's posing so nicely for the picture, huh?? you were thinking that i must be such a good mother, that i can get my child to pose so well in pictures, weren't you?
well, this is what he did next (complete with yelling & foot stomping)-

mm hmm & that's why i had a discussion with my friend, katherine this morning about "time out"!! we'll be trying that one soon. i'll keep you posted...!!!

(ps - his tshirt was my first attempt @ the dinosaur - that's why the head is kind of in the armpit - ooops!!! the design now has the neck more verticle & the head higher up - as you can see w/ the gown. much nicer, i think. especially for stinky boys :) )

soup!

2008-11-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

well, i was over @ anna maria horner's blog & saw that she's having a little contest! you enter your favorite soup recipe for the chance to win one of her new aprons & matching dish towels! if you don't know about anna maria, you should definitely browse her blog - AMAZING! she has such great tips, ideas, fabric, pictures... ahhhhh. AND she has 5 kiddos & one on the way! pretty amazing woman, if you ask me.
anyway, in honor of that, i'm posting one of my favorite soup recipes. it's mexican chicken corn chowder & it's YUM-O, not to mention fast, easy, & only one pot to clean afterwards! perfection, no??!

mexican chicken corn chowder

1.5 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized chunks
1/2 c. chopped onion (i just use one whole onion b/c we love onion!)
1 clove garlic, minced (again, ++ we love garlic!)
3T of butter
2 small cubes/1 lg cube chicken bouillon
1 c. hot water
3/4 t. ground cumin
2c. half&half (sometimes i use whole milk, which works fine - just thinner)
2c. shredded monterey jack cheese w/ jalapeno flakes inside (you can always add more cheese!)
2 cans cream style corn
2 cans regular corn
1 can blk beans, drained
1 small can (4 oz) diced green chilis
1 dash tabasco (we like more!)
2 tomatos (or more)
fresh cilantro to garnish, if ya want
crushed corn chips are great on top (we love the multigrain tostitoes)

1. in large dutch oven , brown chicken, onion, & garlic in butter (if you have a nonstick pan, you don't have to do the butter) until chicken is cooked through.
2. dissolve bouillon in hot water. pour into dutch oven, & season w/ cumin. bring to boil. reduce heat to low, cover, & simmer for 5 mins.
3. stir in half&half, cheese, corns, chilis, beans, tabasco. cook; stirring frequently until cheese is melted. stir in tomato & garnish w/ cilantro & crushed corn chips!

enjoy your super fast, fairly healthy, easy clean up meal!

roses

2008-10-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

did you know tyler is the rose capital of the world?

this time of year you can buy them by the dozens off most street corners in town. they come wrapped in newspapers, & you do have to watch the thorns. the best part is that they have THE most amazing smell. i'm talking about the kind of scent you catch just walking by. and the dreamy colors...

this is the stuff of childhood memories for me.

2 tyler roses themselves came into town tuesday and brought these to me! thanks margaret & mere :)

**if you haven't read about the trunk show in the rose capital yet, scroll down to see my good news!

news!

2008-10-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

okay, i have THE most exciting news to share! it's soooo exciting, it makes my heart flitter & those stomach butterflies start their fluttering dance!

okay, breathe in & breathe out...

i'm having a TRUNK SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes!!! i'm so thrilled to tell you! it's going to be @ Snug as a Bug in Tyler the first week of december. oh my gosh! can you believe it??!

my mind is TOTALLY racing a million miles an hour with so many thoughts & ideas - aaahhhhhhh! last night i had a hard time sleeping because i was just thinking of all of the possiblities!

oh my, oh my, oh my! i'm so excited i can hardly stand it! i'll keep you filled in on all of the details & please DO plan to come if you can at all swing it :)

i'm off to dream...!!!

(*picture courtesy of www.snugasabugtyler.com)

organization 101

2008-10-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

today i spent hours washing & nicely folding all of my new fabric. ahhhh. what a beautiful stack. it makes me so happy just to look @ this picture :)

the only problem is that THIS is what the rest of my fabric looks like...

and...

and these lovelies are in a basket on the floor...

ahhh! so i've spent this evening refolding & organizing & trying to make some sort of sense out of my studio. it's not finished, but i'm already feeling so much better. nothing like spring cleaning in october!

welcome!

2008-09-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

welcome to my new blog.
i've wanted to start a blog just for all of my alacrity designs "news & notes" & so here i am :)
i hope to update at least once a week, to keep things interesting! i just love "getting to know" fellow designers/crafters through their blogs, so this is my little contribution...
oh, & i love comments, so do feel free to leave one!