Happy New Years from Brooklyn!

Diposting oleh fawaid on Rabu, 31 Desember 2008

I have been utterly remiss in my holiday well wishing. Please forgive me?


Here's a hearty happy new years from both me and Joe Jr's (New York's most charmingly decorated greasy spoon). It's the great equalizer; always full of West Village parents, off duty cops, nannies and students and it wishes all of us "Happy New Year" the same.

2009 is going to be a real treat, I can tell already.
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Last Chance......

Diposting oleh fawaid on Selasa, 30 Desember 2008

Ok - time is ticking away! 2008 is drawing to a close and so is my giveaway! I will post the winner January 1, 2009 so you have until Midnight New Years Eve to enter! (I'm sure you will be busy at midnight - tee hee he - so don't wait - Enter NOW! ) Visit my GIVEAWAY POST to enter and find out all the details!

Happy New YEAR!
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Confession.....

Diposting oleh fawaid on Jumat, 26 Desember 2008

Confession #1 : Alright, I have a confession to make. As of about 10:30am this morning - 99% of my christmas decorations were boxed up and put away until next year.................and it feels so GOOD! I love to "de-clutter" the house after Christmas. And I mean right after Christmas. *snicker*

Organizing, redecorating, dusting the nooks and crannies, reagganing the furniture and making my space feel "clean" again is my favorite way to ring in the New Year. The kids don't seem to mind. Maybe because they think it's normal since I have always done that. So what about you? Do you think I'm crazy???/ Do you take Christmas down right away or do you bring the New Year in with your Christmas decorations still up?

Confession #2: I am smitten with this little guy. He is 7 weeks old now and we all just can't get enough of him. He was the best Christmas present we could have gotten this season. Don't you just want to give him a squeeze? And he is the best snuggler right now too.


Confession #3: I've been eyeing these fabrics - Andalucia - from my Friend Patty Young for a week or so now. They just been sitting there in my online shopping cart. Why so long??? Not sure but I'll be buying some up today! So look for new items in my store with these HOT new fabrics in 2009!!! :)

Well that's probably enough "confessing" for today! Have a great one!
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Merry Christmas!

Diposting oleh fawaid on Rabu, 24 Desember 2008


May your days be merry and bright and may your Christmas day be full of magic and all that you hope for and hold dear. See you after the Holiday!

and don't forget about my apron giveaway here.
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Elf yourself!

Diposting oleh fawaid on Selasa, 23 Desember 2008

Send your own ElfYourself eCards


I remember doing this last year but it seems they have "up'd" the fun this year! LOL!!! My kids get the biggest kick out of watching the dances we have created! Here's one of them. So ya'll join in and kick up your heels! *snicker* Go elf yourself too!!!
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It's (almost) a wrap..

Diposting oleh fawaid on Senin, 22 Desember 2008

3 days to go and I've finally started wrapping the meager amount of presents I have to give out this year. (Mostly to my sister, the lucky lady!)

I was always spellbound by Julie Andrews saying brown paper packages tied up with string were some of her favorite things and now I'm a "grown-up" I practice it religiously. With the amount of trader joes bags we go through in this house, it's a good thing I was so obsessed with the idea as a girl.

I like to tuck something personal in said string to make distribution easier, though. For my sis I cut out a paper doll and matching outfit from my embarrassingly large collection of Dover paper doll books.

Micha and I adored these old timey paper dolls and always got them from the same general store in Greenfield, New Hampire. At the ripe old age of 24 I still love them and I've long ago passed the point of embarrassment over such things.

And for your own sake, don't get me started on the American Girl dolls of my youth, we'd be here all day.
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Tea for Two

Diposting oleh fawaid on Minggu, 21 Desember 2008

After a brief spell of disappointment followed by a longer spell of the flu, Jim brought me some little corner store flowers to brighten my spirits.

They were so sweet and goofy, the stems were nearly two feet long and they grew dead straight, almost as if they were mass manufactured in a flower factory.

Hmm, now for a vase; a mason jar was too big, a jelly jar was too small but a teapot for two was just right. Not to mention that they were EXACT same color as each other and my kitchen! The boy knows me well, I guess.
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DisplayLink Customer Doubles Up On LG USB Displays

Diposting oleh fawaid on Sabtu, 20 Desember 2008

"I heard of the LG USB Monitors by word-of-mouth. We provide two monitors per employee, as we are very well aware of the productivity increased that an additional monitor brings. We were very impressed in how easy it was to set up and get going. Also, the clarity of the LG USB monitors far surpassed the non-USB Dell ones we had in-house. In addition, the SW that manages the USB monitors makes the multi-monitor experience nicer and intuitive."
IT Manager, Silicon Valley, CA

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The Snowmen Sartorialist

Diposting oleh fawaid

After yesterday's snow, the Williamsburg snowmen were out full force last night.

Diminutive but perfectly proportioned outside of Moon River Chattel.

Down by the east river, hair was a bit more lustrous and beers were being iced in pockets.

On River and N.1st street was a frenchman snowman. Perfect twig arms.
And knitted wool beret. Magnifique!

A purist, modern snowmen shone brightly on Grand street. Complete with an organic baby carrot nose and progressive, ahem, vertical form.

Well done snowmen, well done!


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Peeking......

Diposting oleh fawaid on Jumat, 19 Desember 2008

Don't you love to see how other people live? I love to tour homes and the Holidays make it extra special too! If you stopped by my house here's a few things you might see. It's just a peek though.... ;)
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Inclement weather

Diposting oleh fawaid

My annual mad closet toss to find my beloved bean boots has taken place this snowy afternoon with mixed results. I found both, together, which is rare, but they are still covered in muddy mystery sludge from the last time I wore them. Yuck.


When I moved to the city before college, my cosmopolitan Uncle David said "Welcome to weather hell. You have to buy a good solid winter coat, snow boots and umbrella, don't waste you're time with shitty ones, you'll be glad you spent the money. Also, when it rains, stand far away from the curb or else you'll get splashed when a taxi comes along and everyone will know you're not from here."
Point well taken.

Well I bought the boots and they're still going strong. And I still have the "how to roll your shearling bean boot" instruction card, because you never know, I may want to do this one day and won't remember how.
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I spy.......

Diposting oleh fawaid on Kamis, 18 Desember 2008






What do you spy?........................... LOL!
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Finally a bloom!

Diposting oleh fawaid on Rabu, 17 Desember 2008

After a botched first attempt at paperwhites (which in a well meaning gentleman bought me daffodil bulbs instead of paperwhites by mistake. So sweet!) I'm thrilled to have something in bloom chez moi.

A few weeks ago I potted up my first amaryllis bulb, in honor of my grandpa. Family legend has it that my grandmother gave him a bulb before she died and dear old grandpa took extra care with it and it's rebloomed every Christmas since she passed away, over 18 years ago.

This one surprised me a bit, as it was tagged to be an all white, feathery variety but ended up being pink and white striped. The candy cane of bulbs.

*And not to worry, the imposter paperwhites have since been replaced with the real thing.

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Making Snow......

Diposting oleh fawaid

We had our first "big" snow of the season this past weekend. And when I say "big", it's not really that much, but significant for the area we live in and if it covers most of the grass the kids get pretty excited.

What better to do on a snowy weekend morning than make snowflakes! I forgot how much fun they can be. I love the discovery of opening up the folded paper to see what has been created - especially in the eyes of my kids. We had some good laughs as some turned out pretty interesting in shape.









And there's no better place to hang them than in Daddy's Office! :)


Let it Snow! Enjoy your own wintery wonderland today...
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Blue Plate Special

Diposting oleh fawaid on Selasa, 16 Desember 2008

Okay, okay! No more posting about blue and white china after today, I promise. After a round of flea markets this weekend, my pile of collected china could no longer be ignored as it threatened to topple at any minute.

But before I could find a home for the pieces I'd already found, I needed to do a bit of rethinking my space.

Here's the wall across from my bed before the shift occurred. Cute, but so busy and cluttered and I never did get the spacing right on the gallery wall thing.

Trying to find a better arrangement, I moved my beloved empire dresser off to the right to let some more light in and brought in a fireplace mantle (acid green, yuck!) to center at the foot of my bed.

Once the mantle was painted to match the trim in my bedroom, I drilled holes and screwed in into place in the wall.

I bought 13 plate hangers from my local hardware store to hang my 13 plates above the mantle.

Attaching the hanger to the plate was so easy and the hanging hardware was included, too. I swear to you, I was a bit intimidated but it was a snap.

I worked out the general outline on paper first and just eyeballed placement, having to rehang some of the more wonky ones.


Some of the plates are from the 1890's, some are from the 1970's, some are chipped, some aren't. Some cost 99 cents and some were $25 and you'd be surprised which is which.

In the beginning I was a little fussy about only buying beautiful old, old, old plates but in the end it didn't matter, they all look wonderful together. Yay, hopefully I can refocus my energy and money away from china now!
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Headcase

Diposting oleh fawaid on Senin, 15 Desember 2008

A few weeks back I found these little printed bowties at my friend Frances' darling new store, Franny and Roey. Why oh why did I not buy them to make headbands?


*Note to Frances, find more bowties!
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Apron Giveaway...........I want to know!

Diposting oleh fawaid


Let's wrap up 2008 with a giveaway! It's the same apron that is available in my Apron DIY kits but this one is already sewn up for you!

How do you win???? It's easy! Simply post a comment about what you'd like to see from Brassy Apple in 2009! Whether it's on my blog or on my website - I want your input! Post your opinion in the comments section and you'll be entered for a chance to win this apron! That's it!

**Please make sure I can email you once the giveaway ends. If your blog doesn't have an email link please leave it along with your comment. **

The winner will be chosen January 1st, 2009! The winner has 4 days to claim their prize before a new winner will be chosen! Have fun and let me hear it!

Pssst! several items are on sale on my website too!
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Holiday yumminess....

Diposting oleh fawaid on Minggu, 14 Desember 2008

I always appreciate getting a new recipe to spice up the hum drum of what I make day to day - year to year. But even better is when the recipe has been tried out and I know it's a good one. So, I'm passing this one along to you. My sister law wowed us at Thanksgiving with this appetizer and it was a hit last night at a Christmas Party that I took this dish to.
(photo is not mine - courtesy of whatscookingamerica.net)


Cranberry Salsa
1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries
4 small green onions, finely chopped
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped - I put this in the food processor to chop it tiny
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese
1 box Wheat Thins


Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries, discarding all that are bad or bruised. Place them in the food processor and pulse them until finely chopped but not mushy.

In a large bowl, mix in green onions, sugar, cilantro, ginger, lemon juice.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 or so hours.

Serve over the cream cheese block and eat with Wheat thins
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Christmas cards

Diposting oleh fawaid on Sabtu, 13 Desember 2008

After seeing my mom's cute hand painted Christmas card I caught the bug to make some myself.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite inherit her painterly skills. I did, however, inherit her gusto when it comes to projects, so I gathered whatever supplies I already had; watercolor paper, black ink, and a few brushes.

After seeing her cute painted family cats, I decided to do some quick little portrait postcards of my new kitty wishing my friends a Merry Christmas. Random, maybe. Dorky, definitely. Not super "christmasy" either, which is fine by me this year.


I cranked up the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack and spent about 30 seconds on each postcard. I'm no painter, but it was so much fun to see how childlike they were coming out and how some of them actually captured her girlish shyness.

Minnie even thought up poses and modeled for me the whole time (this is a big step, she normally just hides under my bed). I guess I'm not the only one here who's getting caught up in the christmas spirit!
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Family Portrait cards

Diposting oleh fawaid on Jumat, 12 Desember 2008

My mom painted this charming beyond belief family Christmas card as a teenager.

She has the best illustration style of anyone I know, it's never over thought or over worked, just sweet, childlike and goofy.

That's her on the left, singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". I love the inclusion of the family cats, too.

Finding a copy of this little card has gotten some Christmas magic brewing in my brain, especially this year when I can hardly fathom shelling out $5 a card for all of my lovies. Not that they aren't worth it, mind you.

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Dynadock is Universal, Easy to Support

Diposting oleh fawaid

DisplayLink today received another customer testimonial, this time highlighting the benefits of the Toshiba Dynadock universal docking station. We just had to share:

The University buys the computers and peripherals indirectly from Toshiba. We have different notebook models ranging from high to low end. When docking or port replication was a requirement the Dynadock was the best choice for us, due to two reasons: the Dynadock works with every single notebook as they connect via USB, and therefore, very convenient, as well as they are much more affordable than a proprietary docking station.

The Dynadock is very easy to use, USB plug-and-play. We rolled-out 50 units, and IT support required less than five minutes per unit and desk to deploy.”

Stephen Batie, Computer Equipment Support, The Open University
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Gift ideas

Diposting oleh fawaid



I think most everyone is being a bit more "frugal" with their gift buying this year. It's a great year to stretch the Holiday Budget and create something handcrafted!

The You Can Make This site, which sells my ebooks, also has a blog. They have listed a few GREAT gift ideas that are easy and affordable too! and great for tweens! Which can be the hardest to shop for - next to your spouse! I've linked to one of their ideas and the rest are listed at the bottom of that post.
Happy Crafting! Have a great weekend!
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Happy Customer Cites Easy Set Up

Diposting oleh fawaid on Kamis, 11 Desember 2008

“DisplayLink technology has not only solved my immediate issues but is shaping my new business, too! Our newly-hired head of finance requested to have at least two monitors plugged into his laptop computer. He had previously worked on multiple monitors, but needed the mobility of a notebook. A quick search on the Internet brought me to DisplayLink and from its online shop, we bought two USB monitors from ASUS.

Compared to conventional VGA/DVI monitors, the product is so easy to use. You just need to download the drivers and the screens are on! No worry about graphics cards, etc. Indeed USB plug-and-display. I was aware of the benefits of multiple-monitors, but not of how easy they could be to set up. Thanks to DisplayLink I am now planning to include this technology in other areas of the business, such as security. Multiple monitors are a wonderful tool to increase employee efficiency by spreading out tasks onto different monitors or by displaying applications which need to permanently run. Thank you DisplayLink!”


Tricia Sabatini, VP Administration, Staten Island Terminal LLC, NY
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A Holiday Read

Diposting oleh fawaid


The book for Book Club this month was Christmas Jars and I just have to say it's a must read for the Holiday Season! It's a short, fast, entertaining, feel good book that can easily be finished in an afternoon.


You'll want to share it with your kids and spouse once you've finished it! Or at least I did! If you don't have time to read it before Christmas Day, take some time to read it before the new year. You may catch the spirit and want to start a "jar" of your own.

We will be. I know it may be late in the year to start one but the plan is to share the story with my kids and give away a jar THIS Christmas Eve. - fingers crossed - !!!
Have you read it or given a jar away?
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O Tannenbaum

Diposting oleh fawaid

The tree is up, the lights are on. I kid you not, I slept on the living room floor the very first night it was up.*

*Full disclosure- Yes, my parents were in town and thus in my bed, but regardless, I was very excited about the tree!

I'm still a spellbound kid when it comes to Christmas trees, except this year I can't seem to put any ornaments on it. It just looks so pretty as is, I feel like I'd be doing the tree a disservice to junk it up with stuff.

I did put a little tree topper on, just for good measure, however.

And a real birds nest and pheasant, both from my mom. But that's it. No vintage balls, no tinsel, no garlands, no nothing.

This is a big step for me, not cluttering when the opportunity presents it's self. I wonder if it'll last.
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