Navy & White Calligraphy Project

I just finished up another calligraphy project and I love the way it turned out.  The white ink on navy envelopes looks very crisp and clean and it makes the calligraphy really pop.  Navy and white just might be my new favorite color combination! 

If you are interested in my calligraphy services or would like to see samples of my work, please email me at: navybeaninfo@gmail.com for more information. 

Navy Friday

I can't quite say Navy is enjoying the snow.  He's much prefers the couch to winter sports. These were taken on Wednesday, before the other 19 inches of snow arrived!

Schlep, Schlep, Schlep.

Despite the fact that it was snowing like cats and dogs, still...must...sniff... the pee...spots.

Happy Friday everyone!  Hope you have a cozy weekend.

French Onion Soup

Another 19 inches of snow here in Manhattan.  This winter has been brutal!  Why not make some yummy french onion soup for dinner?  It's a cozy and comforting soup for these snowy nights.  Last Friday, Mike decided to take a stab at Ina Garten's recipe (a miracle... he never cooks!)  It was simple but requires sherry and cognac, two items that we don't usually stock in our pantry.  We made a quick trip to our local packy (that's liquor store for you non-Massachusett-ers) to pick up the goods.  And yes, I recommend using it because it adds a ton of flavor. 

The chef.

Mike caramalized the onions for about 45 minutes before he added the liquids.

We've decided to turn Friday nights into cooking date nights.  We had a great time hanging out in kitchen, drinking wine and cooking together.

The recipe calls for grated Parmesan but we decided to make it the old fashioned way with tons of Gruyere and french bread.

I love these little soup crocks.  I got them at the Ithaca Salvation Army, $5 for a set of 4!

Mmm... cheese.

And here it is in all it's bubbly-onion-cheesy goodness. 

We had a fantastic dinner of french onion soup, rotisserie chicken and broccoli.  

And for dessert, gelato!  I love this packaging with the screw top container. 

The leftover soup was even better the next day.  Especially when used as the "dip" for French dip sandwiches.

Job well done, Mike!  I'm super impressed and I look forward to many more of your gourmet dishes!




PS... for those food network fans out there, check out Paula Deen's recipe for English Peas.  It made NY Magazine's Approval Matrix this week.  Hilarious.

New Friends

This weekend I had brunch with some of my new blogger friends, Tara from The Prippy Handbook (a staple commenter here at Navy Bean) and Liz from Octavia & Brown.  We met at Peels, a delightful breakfast spot on the Lower East Side.  Tara and Liz are old friends from grade school and I've been friends with Tara for quite some time now through our blogs and email.  I had such a fabulous time connecting with my fellow comrades; we chatted nonstop about all things blog related and about our love for our frenchies, Navy and Scrapple.  I left feeling exhilarated and excited for what we all have planned for the future.  As bloggers who love what we do, our goals keep growing and growing and the possibilities seem endless!

If you haven't yet checked out The Prippy Handbook and Octavia & Brown, please do.  Believe me, you will absolutely love their smart and stylish blogs.

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  See you Monday!

Shopping in the City: Fishs Eddy

One of my favorite haunts is Fishs Eddy, a dish and glass store with quirky and unique wares.  They also have a whole slew of New York City themed products... perfect for those NYC gift baskets that you send to friends outside of the city.   I think the perfect gift basket would include glasses from Fishs Eddy,  Eleni's NYC cookies and a Cavallini & Co. NYC notebook or calendar.  Anyway, let's get to the good stuff and check out the store!

The first thing you notice when you visit Fishs Eddy is the unique storefront.  I love that rounded window.

 

Fishs Eddy is conveniently located right by Union Square.

Then you'll notice the disheveled but tidy look of the store, such fun to peruse!

Silverware chandelier anyone?

 

I wish I lived in Brooklyn so I could buy these.

Stacks and stacks of plates.  Half the fun is scavenging through them all.

New Yorker mugs

Fun and festive polka dots

Storage vessels

Creepy but cool glove forms

Nothing gets me more excited than stacks and stacks of dinner whites.  It's such a country-farmhouse-clean-classic-kitchen look.  Plus I love that vintage lamp pendant.

For your architect friend

Bins of teacups

Unique platters for ever occasion

Such a cute pink teapot!

Marbles galore

More of those creepy/cool glove forms but miniaturized!

Kitchen kitsch 

New York City coasters, the perfect gift for just about anyone.

I've sent these glasses to family... it's a great gift when you want to give them a "sip" of New York.

I want this jadeite pestle!

Cacophony of gravy boats

Fishs Eddy
889 Broadway at 19th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.420.9020


Store Hours:
Monday 10 - 10
Tuesday-Saturday 9 - 10
Sunday 10 - 9

Nate Duval & Sweet'N Low

I love Nate Duval's ad campaign for Sweet'N Low.  I recently saw one of his posters on the side of a bus stop and it immediately caught my eye.  The bright pink really stands out and the ads are just so whimsical and happy.  Here are some prints from his latest 2010-2011 winter campaign:

 

And here are some prints from his summer 2010 campaign:

After further research, I discovered Nate Duval has done work for Phish, Spoon and Wilco (some of my absolute favorite artists) as well as Flight of the Concords (where Navy once made a guest appearance.*)  I'm absolutely smitten with his work.  Visit his website and blog and you can purchase his artwork on Poster Cabaret.  I'm partial towards this Nighttime in the City print.

(* Navy appeared in the hilarious Epileptic Dogs episode.  You can see a one second shot of him in this video around 1.20.  He's sitting in the front row and it's literally for one second.  But he's still a star in my eyes!)