Teaching HIM to cook for HER

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to announce the new cooking classes my husband Mat, is teaching here in New York City! 

THE INFO:

As some of you may know, my husband & I will be embarking on an adoption journey.  Adoption is quite expensive & an emotionally draining process from what we've heard, but the end result (bringing a baby home) should be well worth it!  This is something I've never been sure about sharing on my blog before, but I felt this was the right time.

With that said, we also have our own donation page where you can read more about our story, as well as the cooking class that my husband is starting this month in order to raise money for our adoption.  His site is called, Pot Pan Knife, a NYC-based culinary workshop to teach men 'how to cook for HER'.   Ladies, I don't know about you, but I love when my husband makes breakfast for me - it's so special & I appreciate him even more. Showing LOVE through little gestures like cooking can mean a lot to someone.

So, feel free to tell the men in your life......

WHEN:

If you're a man in NYC - and would like to attend the first class on March 13th called - "Make Her Breakfast" - you can get your ticket here.  The class is about 2 hours & should be a lot of fun! Only 8 slots available.  The 'Make Her a Dumpling Dinner' class will be coming up the week after - stay tuned!

You can sign up for his mailing list here to get info on upcoming classes. Again, THANK YOU all from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support on our adoption journey & the classes!

"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me".  - Matthew 18:5

West Elm DIY Event

Last week was the West Elm event I hosted & so many wonderful ladies showed up! It was such a blast to show the girls "how-to-create" the DIY painted mugs! It's simple, yet fun.

Firs,t we kicked off the event with some delicious mini-cakes by Sherry's Shortcakes - these are delicious Vegan mini-bites made up of organic ingredients. Then we served up some hot Chocolate - which was perfect for the chilly weather that evening! I then explained to the girls how to create their own painted mug & everyone loved it! So much talent - & perhaps even future artists?? I MINGLED with the girls & then we gave away 2 (framed) Cocoa & Hearts paintings, 20% off MADE BY GIRL + this gorgeous agate jewelry box!  I'm so grateful to have been able to collaborate with Wes Elm here in New York City - & super grateful to all the girls who came out to be part of this workshop!

The images were shot by photographer, Christine Han - all the way from Brooklyn. This girl was everywhere & shot all these amazing moments for us! She also has a cool food blog called 'Pantry Confidential' - which I think you food lovers will enjoy!

All in all, it was a packed house - (good news!) so hopefully I'll get to host something there again soon! If you see a pic you want to instagram - feel free to TAG it: #madebygirl & #westelm.

Where's Waldo?

Champagne time - thanks to my friends!

Images above by Christine Han

This last image is a quick shot my husband took of me & my friends who came out to share this moment with me! Love you all!

Don't forget to keep an eye out for NEW paintings being added to the Cocoa & Hearts gallery this month!!!

Did you attend the event? How did you like it?

Isabel Marant Rocks it @H&M

We've all been waiting to see the Isabel Marant for H&M collection & the day is finally here. Unfortunately it's the same day I'm at West Elm - so I may have to shop online! But for those of you who can make it early to H&M - Its all available now! The collection is definitely more affordable compared to the stuff we're used to seeing at the Isabel Marant shop. My favorite pieces for both women & men are below.

How about you? Have you see it all yet? which are your faves?

These boots! I think they'd look great on my husband.....hmmm

FLAIR NYC

Hey everyone - I hope you like the new "less cluttered, more fashion-forward" MBG blog! It's been a long time coming & we finally got around to it. I wanted a more editorial-sophisticated look with much bigger pictures, I think you will enjoy what's to come!

On another note, I walked into FLAIR not long ago & wanted to write about it, BUT totally forgot the name of the store. A few months later, I came across it online & was so excited!!  Not going to lie, it's pricey, but if you're the type (like me) that likes to invest in 2-3 key decor items, it's def the place to shop. The store offers unique home furnishings, decoration and gifts.  Mostly European and American vintage furnishings and accessories mixed with their own exclusive designs. You're going to die - but.....as a gift for my mid-August BIRTHDAY,  I got myself this cross-studded vase - see below. What a beauty no??!!?!?! Picking it up today. Woooo hoooo!!


FLAIR is also in Florence, Milan & Rome - so Europeans visiting my blog, now have a chic spot to visit.

 -images via FLAIR

Mackage

This past Christmas I bought myself a nice jacket.  I had originally wanted this one by Helmet Lang, but after trying it on, I knew it WASN'T FOR ME. It was gorgeous, but somehow I felt ODD walking around with HAIR ON MY BACK. Well, on the back of the coat that is...

So, after returning it - I decided to walk over to Mackage in Soho after church & BAM!!! There it was, the perfect jacket. If you scroll down, you'll see it in black, but I'm actually wearing the camel- colored style in the picture. The fit is awesome - and although it won't be warm enough for the freezing cold winter weather, it will be perfect for fall. Also, I saved a ton of money.


Mackage is currently one of my favorite go to brands for coats. It's a luxury brand offering trenches, coats & downs for both women & men. If you're visiting NYC or you live here - you have to hit the store, it's a gorgeous minimalist looking boutique situated in SOHO.

So, what do you think? Is Mackage a brand you could easily get into??

See you Monday!

Jordan Carlyle's Apartment Tour

Back in July I wrote about Interior designer Jordan Carlyle - here & his NYC apartment. He recently moved to a bigger apartment & wanted to share it with my readers. It's all designed by him & it's double the size of his previous place....in NYC, that is TRULY a blessing.

It seems this time around he's incorporated more grays throughout, don't you think? 

My favorite room in his place is the office -it's just an extra room in his apartment, but feels & looks like a REAL office space. That's what I hope to achieve with my own home office. I also love the way he used the space by the window & made it a window seating area - so gorgeous & great use of space!

So bright, yet still serene - LOVE!

 

See more of Jordan's work here.

-images by Marcos Fecchino

bits of my week

-images by jen ramos