An Ordinary Day...

Wednesday, April 12th started off as an ordinary day. The alarm sounded off at 6:00 a.m. like it always did. Reggie did his work day morning ritual, showering, grooming, selecting a suit and accessorizing with the perfect accents for Read more

Why are some people mean?

Why are some people mean? I'm not talking about a little mean, but bazaar, go out of their way to be mean. Recently I've encountered a few mean people, I remind myself that these situations will make me a stronger Read more

Maldives

Our last trip of 2016 was to the Maldives. Last year was one full of excursions, We traveled to Cameroon, Paris, Bali, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Lake Tahoe, Atlanta, Napa, San Francisco, Dubai, and I must say Read more

Quote

It's okay to venture out of your comfort zone... Lately I've been doing it quite often. This weekend is going to be one of renewal, my personal Super Bowl. What are your plans? I will be working today and tomorrow. Happy Read more

Do you enjoy yourself?

Both of my kids are in New York, my son is in school in the Hudson Valley and my daughter is living in Brooklyn and working. So we are officially empty nesters, and have been so for a while Read more

Art

Muse Costume Ball at LACMA Stanley Kubrick Exhibit

Posted on by Gigi in Art, Dining, Party 5 Comments

Gigi

What an incredible evening! This was our first adult Halloween party since our “dating period” and that my friends was a looooong time ago. Our Halloween was always spent trick or treating in the neighborhood and or giving out treats. This year however we were treated to tickets to the 9th annual Muse Costume Ball at LACMA  which included a sneak peek at the upcoming Stanley Kubrick exhibition. We started our evening with dinner at Ray’s, which was featuring a wicked halloween menu. This was my second time dining there and I love that the menu has a nice selection of farm-to table seasonal fare.

Servers at Ray’s

These two were our servers, dressed as the twins from The Shining.

Gigi & Her Pet Hubby

With only hours to come up with a costume for the ball I decided on my version of a “dominatrix Goddess”. I borrowed a long black cape from my friend Denise, used my black lace full body suit for my base, got a pair of black sequined shorts from TJ Maxx, black corset from my “pole dancing class”, black lace gloves, over the knees black platform boots, a sassy “Rihanna” red wig, and my black fascinator completed the look.

Silverware compartment

Love this. The tables have silverware storage compartment drawers.

Pumpkin Soup

Wickedly delicious apple pumpkin soup.

Ray’s At LACMA

Ray’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

Gigi

Everyone was in costume. I was amazed with the things people came up with. These are just a few.

Sluttest Toddler

 

Monkey Girl

Orange Lady

Read more


50 Shades of Green…

Posted on by Gigi in Art, Fashion 4 Comments

I am really loving Green…

Charlotte Olympia Leaf shoe

Fuji Apple

Fuji Apple

GIgi's Green Juice
Gigi’s Green Juice

Kale

Kale

Beautiful

 

Mojito

Green Sparkle

Valentino Resort 13′

Pretty

Succulents

Green Roses

Green chair accents

Green Cupcakes

Love this

cute

I like

interesting

yes

Love This

Nice

Perfect

Read more


“Mickalene Thomas”: Origin of the Universe” Brooklyn Museum

Posted on by Gigi in Art, Travel 5 Comments

Amani and I went to the Brooklyn Museum to see the “Mickalene Thomas” : Origin of the Universe” exhibit. What a treat! Our day started with a taxi to Brooklyn to Amani’s “10 day” roommate Amie’s restaurant, Sun in Bloom Cafe, where we had a light vegan lunch, followed by a delicious apple spice vegan cupcake.

Sun-in-Bloom 460 Bergen Street, Brooklyn 718 622 4303

Sun-in-Bloom 460 Bergen Street, Brooklyn 718 622 4303

We walked to the museum taking in a little Brooklyn scenery along the way. The weather was warm and perfect for a stroll.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn via my i phone

When we entered the exhibit we both were both overwhelmed with the large, vibrant, decorated, blingy, rhinstoned accented, masterpieces featuring African-American women. Mickalene intertwines classic depictions of women combined with images that remind me of blaxploitation characters from the 70’s, with references to Courbet, Monet, Manet and Duchamp. The show also features photography, film and interior vignettes that take the viewer thru her process of how the paintings come together and what her creative process entails. My little point and shoot camera do not do these pieces justice, which means that you need to check your calendar and check out this show. New York Times review.

Din, Une Tres Belle Negresse

Qusuquzah, Une Tres Belle Negresse #2 2012

Mickalene Thomas Painting

Mickalene Thomas Painting

Gigi & Amani

One more thing-Amani took this picture of me in front of the museum, and my friend thought it was very “Off the Wall”, I must say I see what she means…

Off The Wall

 

michael-jackson-off-the-wall-original-cover

Enhanced by Zemanta

My St.Lucia Memory, via Jonathan Guy Gladding

Posted on by Gigi in Art, Travel 8 Comments
Jonathan Guy Gladding

Jonathan Guy Gladding

I love everything about traveling; discovering new places, taking pictures, tasting new delights and finding the perfect keepsake to preserve the memory. A great souvenir can remind you of a special moment, an object that will represent your journey, and can be the prompt for a story. I’m not referring to a t-shirt, mug, or a key chain, but something tangible that will become a part of your family history.

Jonathan Guy Gladding

Jonathan Guy Gladding

This past January Reggie and I traveled to St. Lucia with friends to celebrate his birthday. We stayed at Cap Maison a fabulous resort on the island’s north west caribbean coast.

Cap Maison

Cap Maison

 

Cap Maison

Cap Maison

The moment we arrived we were welcomed by Ross, the general manager with a glass of champagne. Kristal arranged all of our excursions and no detail was left undone. The hospitality continued throughout our stay. I could not help but to notice the art collection, which featured the work of many of the local artists. I asked Ross about the art and he graciouly arranged for us to go to a gallery in town. As soon as I walked in I fell in love with Jonathan’s work, so many stunning pieces, each one capturing the spirit of St. Lucia. I knew I wanted a painting to bring home for my memory.

Jonathan

Jonathan Guy  Gladding

The only problem would be which one and will they accept a credit card? I loved the vibrant colors and the way the lighting was captured in the paintings. The expressions of the children mesmerized me, I kept staring at the entire collection trying to narrow it down to one painting, that I knew we could take with us on the plane.

Jonathan

Jonathan Guy Gladding

A little about Jonathan Guy Gladding, he arrived in St. Lucia via New York, July of 1999. He was a peace corp volunteer doing a two year stint in St, Lucia that never ended. Jonathan was inspired by the rich subject matter of the school children. “I had found in St. Lucia what artists have traveled far and near to find-true inspiration”. Check out his online gallery here.

Jonathan

Jonathan Guy Gladding

So this is the one we selected. I loved the rendering of the chalkboard and how if you look closely you can see St.Lucia written in chalk. There are so many details in this piece, my little camera does not do it justice.

My Painting

My Painting

In addition to searching for art when I travel, I also collect holiday ornaments, preferably handcrafted. When we decorate our tree we always reminisce about where a particular ornament came from. Some of the ornaments are funny little knickknacks that my kids picked out, but all of them share a story.

What do you collect when you travel? Why do these souvenirs mean so much to us?

xoxo,

Gigi


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers:




Designed by: Kgrafix Creative Design