So my plan: beg, borrow and steal as much furniture as possible (only slightly kidding), then it’s all about craigslist. I have 2 tables, a sofa, an expedit bookcase, and a twin mattress all lined up to pick up this weekend for under $500. And they’re awesome. After I spray paint them.

I also get to put together some little girls’ rooms.

Overall I’m going for simple, homey but still an edge of modern. And I’m going to try to do it all for under $1,500. I have time to finish out the details, just need to get it semi functional this weekend.

Restrictions: we can’t paint. Damn. We have to limit how many holes go in the walls. Damn. But that’s it.

Tips welcome!

First off, Michael Showalter. Seriously. It might be just me, but I love him. I watched him on The State (back when he reminded me of my high school crush), loved him in Wet Hot American Summer, was probably one of the only people that thought that Stella. He’s was handsome and tall in real life, though I hear he’s a bit of a creep.

We saw him twice in one day: once in manhattan at a lingerie store buying something for a girl who was ‘blonde and sassy’, and later that night we ended up sitting next to him on the date with the sassy blonde. It was hard to believe. It was awesome.

Next up, Michelle Williams. She happened to walk down the street (with nanny, bodyguard and little girl) and into the muffin shop that we were eating outside of. It was a pretty quiet sunday morning so it was just us eating outside with Mathilda dancing around in front of us. That was probably my most awe-indusing sighting. Michelle looked adorable in skinny jeans, vintage sungalsses, a little black hat and flats. I can’t remember, but I think she was wearing red lipstick.

And finally, on my flight was none other than Santino from Project Runway (season 2). He was wearing sunglasses inside. I mean c’mon, you’re cool but you’re not that big a deal. Anyway, he also started going through fabric samples in the boarding area. It seemed a little overboard, but I was still excited to see him.

I ate in a lot of great places in the city and in Brooklyn. But most memorable was Cafe Gitane. First off, if you can ignore any pretentiousness about what I’m about to say, we’re gold. It’s like stepping into a Goddard film. Paris in the 60′s (in new york). The girls all wear these adorable lime green outfits (why didn’t I get a picture!) and the food was simple and great.

They serve this avocado thing: wheat bread, smooshed avocado, lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil and chili flakes. I will be making this at home from now on.

I also love that the menu is printed on graph paper.

The interior is warm, lively and inviting. The orange wall pulls you in, the tiles on the floor make me smile. And the lights overhead are soft and flattering.

I borrowed this picture from floinnyc because it’s better than the picture I took of the cous cous and merguez sausage we ordered. It was delicious and filling.

I’ve heard that they also have great coffee and desserts, but I was stuffed and running late, so we skipped it. Thanks Rachel for introducing me to this place!

[the top photo is from whitespacehk]

Bob’s Your Uncle have been a favorite of mine for their cheekiness and bold graphics. They’re coming out with these children’s books and alphabet art (I like the bat and kind of want to use it as a mousepad):

Pancake and Franks. I mean what can you say. They make whimsical, simple, awesome letterpress cards. And the ladies behind the cards couldn’t be nicer or more humble.

Yes an homage to cute, take an amigurumi class at machine project and make this pink crocheted bat!

First off, brooklyn based enormous champion are awesome. They’re old fashioned ship prints really do it for me. Everything they create is thoughful, beautiful and a little sassy:

Check out their website and their etsy shop for more!

We were also super (super!) excited to see some prototypes for some new Orla Kiely paper goods that will be coming out in January!

I also got to check out Snow and Graham’s booth. Man, I just love them. I can’t wait to get their 09 calendar and these new mini post it notepads: