DIY with The Fab Miss B: Fancy New Year Party Favors!

We decided to throw an impromptu New Year's Eve Party this year (because we live in a small town and if you want fun after 9pm you'd better make it yourself!) and I whipped together some party favors to make it feel more glamorous and festive. I scattered these around our apartment with noise makers and confetti and lots of candles and that was all the decoration we needed.

I love making favors for smallish parties because you can go over the top in a way you never could if you were hosting 60-100 guests. Here's what I used to make my New Year Party Favors:

Foil Party Picks
Plastic Champagne Bottle Bubbles
Plastic Zebras(they are already dressed to the nines in those black and white stripes!) Look for them on Etsy.
Champagne Saucers. I found mine at thrifts shops and tag sales for around .50 cents a piece, but you could also try Etsy.
Gold Foil Wrapped Chocolates- mine are Dove White Chocolates, on clearance post Christmas!
I thought about twining the stems with the metallic garlands I had on hand, but in the end I decided they were overkill.

I only purchased the hollow stem champagne saucers because the foil picks stand at perfect attention when you slip them inside. So festive!

Then, I added the champagne bubbles at a jaunty angle, the zebras for a whimsical twist and the gold foil wrapped chocolates to bring sweetness in the New Year! Then I made little paper flags with a calligraphy marker & super skinny sharpie to finish them off.

We had a great time tooting and noisily welcoming the New Year here in Hawaii- everyone around here goes mad with fireworks and we were able to watch them popping and sparkling from our lanai. I'm excited for 2012- this year both Eric and I will celebrate our 30th Birthdays (!!) and we are hoping to take some more fun trips- perhaps to the Phillipines, or maybe we'll finally do that Airstream Trip I've been fantasizing about this summer. I can't wait.

What are you most excited about in the New Year?

Yep, I'm another Tourist in Love with New York City.

New York City. Craning your neck to catch a glimpse of the Chrysler Building glittering in the sun. Bagels beaded with poppy seeds. The blast of cool air that sends your skirt hem skywards as you head into the subway. Even the peeling paint and rats seem romantic; so perfectly filthily punk rock. There is a dashingly handsome fellow with a flat top haircut, houndstooth coat, chambray shirt, perfectly folded pocket square and a pretty little paper corsage in his buttonhole. The air heavy with the smell of salty meat and garlic wafting off the grills of the kebaab vendors. 

The first time I visited New York, I felt intimidated. I'd heard that New Yorkers were rude and exasperated with tourists. It all felt so huge, I couldn't help but get lost and feel overwhelmed. On my second visit however, I had been in Uganda and Kenya for half a year, and New York felt so utterly and inconceivably American. (Remember the roller rink?) Instead of feeling overwhelming, it immediately felt like a summation of all our ideals as a nation, good and bad. I relaxed and felt at home. And this time, the city felt like an explosion of creative energy, filled with a vibrancy, a zest for life that didn't feel rude or aggressive at all, just joyous. 

What travel really reveals is simply your inner state of mind. If you feel defensive, nervous and shy, all these feelings will be confirmed. If you feel open and enthusiastic, the place you are visiting will rise up to meet you with those same qualities. This is a lesson I am learning over and over; how to cultivate an inner state that allows room for surprise, connection, adventure and freedom. 

 I had fun hopping on the Staten Island Ferry, which is totally free and buzzes right past the Statue of Liberty! I munched on some popcorn and watched the boats, birds and waves. 

Later, I splurged on a Turf Lobster Roll near the Highline from two charming dudes in a vintage airstream. They chatted with me about renovating this trailer, which was gutted and driven to New York from Arizona as an empty hull. They also suggested I check out Jalopy for an evening of folk music. (It was even more charming in person.) 

 I sat there savoring the joys of lobster, mayo and cayenne pepper on a toasty bun, basking in the afternoon light and feeling elated by the idea that everyone's journey is a winding one. There is no hurrying the lessons your life is teaching you.

Later I wandered off the hot dusty street, up the mountain of stairs up to the cool, soaring, marbled elegance of the Metropolitain Museum of Art. I took a winding path past Joan of Arc and through the Italian Renaissance, an elevator rides and then a furtive set of stairs up to the panoramic view of the city from the Met's rooftop bar. It all felt wonderfully secret (rather like in The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankenweiler)  until I saw the massive line for beer and wine. I enjoyed a drink with my friend Gwen. (Can you believe two girls from The Big Island of Hawaii just happened to be in the same city during the same week?)

As the sun went down and they hustled us all back onto the elevators, and out into the cool night air, I had to admit, I'm another tourist who has fallen hard for New York City. 

The Modern Gypsy Caravan is a Vintage Camper

Even though we have a contract to stay here in Hawaii until the end of next school year, the wheels are already turning as we begin plotting our next adventure. There is a long list of possibilities, and I thought it would be fun to share the process with y'all.

One of my favorite ideas is to downsize all our possessions (again. Ugh.) and live like Gypsies for a year, crisscrossing the American continent in a little vintage trailer. I did a bit of cursory internet research, which yeileded lots of expensive, unattractive results- you know, wallpaper boarders and curtains that match the pastel upholstery, vinyl flooring and neon lights. I threw up my hands.

Then I saw a commercial for GoRVing.com. With it's charming, easy to navigate layout, it answered a lot of my questions without trying to sell me anything and pointed me towards Tin Can Tourists- a virtual treasure trove of restored and vintage trailers, and a community of helpful enthusiasts. Now I can't get the idea out of my mind!

Of course, an Airstream is the fantasy for me, though I've read that they are quite heavy and cost a fortune to tow (This lady sells gourmet snow cones in her Shasta!). On the other hand, they can look like this dreamboat.

I'm encouraged because a lot of the smaller vintage trailers were quite affordable. I've always wanted to take on a remodeling project, and I think the small scale of a camper would be less intimidating than an entire home! I have lots more potential plans in mind for the year after next, but this one is quite exciting! Wouldn't it be fun to drive from Monterrey to Miami to Vancouver, blogging all the way?

Visiting Vienna: An Island Picnic & Summer Fair

Vienna sits right along the Blue Danube (though it's really more a muddy grey color) and in the middle is an island formed by a canal. We decided it would be a nice spot for a picnic.

I made a little trio of pretty salami & cheese sandwhiches, piled the plate high with nectarines and cherries and brought along a little blanket. The weather here this summer has been quite unpredictable this summer and when it started drizzling we decided to pack up and stroll towards the other end. (The island is skinny, but quite long!)

We stumbled upon some sort of summer festival- there were all sorts of booths, radio stations, puppet shows, a woodworker, and of course, an Airstream selling crepes! I don't need to remind you how I've fantasized about this sort of thing. Can you imagine roaming the countryside in your crepe mobile, sharing the joys of Nutella with everyone you meet? Delightful.

This lady was selling "Lebkuchen" which Eric tells me means "Life Cakes". It's gingerbread decorated with little love notes and strung onto ribbons so you can hang them as decoration or gobble them up.

I also quite liked how this pretzel man had managed to match his tablecloth, napkins and shirt! Very dapper indeed. Gingham seems just right for the humble pretzel, wouldn't you agree?

Have you been on any picnics this summer? What about street fairs? I love the fluff of bright pink cotton candy or an icy snow cone on a hot summer day.

The Tiny House

Have you already heard about Tumbleweed and the Small House Movement? I've got housing on the brain in a big way and this idea appeals to my sense of idealism, but I have a hard time imagining life in 600 square feet let alone 89. I have terrifying claustrophobic dreams of passing through series of smaller and smaller doors- shimmying in on my belly and unable to ever get out again. (Eeek!)

But I also love the romantic nomad-ism afforded by life in a gypsy caravan, house boat or Airstream trailer. And I think a home like this would force you out of doors to enjoy the beauty of the nature around you. It's like a little mini Walden! Could you take the plunge and live the streamlined existence a home like this would demand? I'm on the fence. Have a look at the stories of real life people who've done it here.