Paw-sitively Fabulous: Barkfest At Sniffany's Photo Session

I'm so excited to finally share our fabulous photos from our portrait session with Seriously Sabrina Photography. Sabrina was so wonderful to work with, and really took the concept and ran with it! I told her while we were strolling thorough the Park that seeing engagement photos on Facebook inspired me to photograph the most significant relationship in my life, and I truly feel like she was able to capture that through these images. Enjoy!

Until Next Time, Darlings!

A Holly Jolly Christmas!

Christmas is nearly here, and the past month has gone by in a blur of buying and wrapping and trekking to Fifth Ave more times than perhaps was strictly necessary, but I feel like I can say confidently that Holly and I have fully soaked up the holiday cheer and are ready to take our annual Christmas trip to Colorado to see my family.

We have been delighted to receive some ah-mazing presents (and to give some ourselves, we hope!), but I couldn't sign off for the season without sharing the couple of things I decided to gift myself this year.

Today we stopped for what I hope is our final last minute gift-buying adventure to Henri Bendel. Holly was so excited about the 70+ degree weather and our upcoming vacation that she took it upon herself to spread holiday love in the form of muddy paw prints on the pant legs of nearly every person we met! Luckily the staff and folks shopping at Bendel's were feeling the spirit of the season and took it in stride.

While at Bendel's I decided to gift myself with something from their Heritage Collection, which is currently on sale for 30% off. These are items designed exclusively for Henri Bendel and featured mainly on their second floor, including those featuring the illustrations of Izak, many of which feature a Henri Bendel "It Girl" and her little brown pup, which bear a striking resemblance to a certain blogger and her shopping bestie if I do say so myself ;)

This Izak holiday design mirrors my many adventures with Holly this holiday season!

 I have been coveting the Henri Bendel phone cases for some time now, and with 30% off and a likeness to Holly to boot, it was impossible to say no. The selection for my older iPhone 4s was not huge, but I did manage to snag one with plenty of girls and their pups to match our every mood!

This "It Girls" phone case was impossible to resist!

Pleased with the last of our holiday purchases, Holly and I came home to pack for our trip home. Of course, packing can be exhausting, especially with so many mommy & me outfits to coordinate (and this funky warm weather that makes the festive sweaters obsolete), so we took a break to do some online shopping.

I clicked onto Piperlime, which is one of my most frequented sites, especially now with all of the holiday sales, and gasped when I saw the Marc By Marc Jacobs Friends Of Mine Puppy Slippers on sale for over 50%, and in my size! I have been eyeing these flats for a while--sure, the Boston Terrier may not look much like Holly (a typical prerequisite for any pup themed items), but they are so happy and cute, and I know Marc By Marc Jacobs flats fit me perfectly. These babies are so pup-ular on Piperlime they are backordered until March, but a few months wait seems worth it to have them in my closet at this price.

I couldn't believe it when I saw these adorable flats on major sale!

Of course, it wouldn't be the holidays without some quality time with friends & family, so we will be taking a blogging hiatus while we eat too many sweets and share laughter and fun with our loved ones both here and Colorado. We will see you in the New Year--I can't wait to see what adventures it brings!

Until Next Year, Darlings!

Miracle on Fifth Ave (part two): Must Be Santa

A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing Twitter when I spotted a Tweet from Manhattan luxury department store, Bergdorf Goodman, that read "visit Santa and we'll give you cake."

Being both a fan of Santa and free cake, I clicked on the embedded link and discovered a charming article on the store's blog about why one should visit Santa. The icing on the not-so-proverbial cake (did I mention there was cake?) was the main photo, which featured Santa holding a puppy. I tweeted that we were so there, and was super excited when Bergdorf's tweeted back!! My first maje retailer reply tweet--this was totally Santa's magic at work!

Like many things at Bergdorf's, Santa was quite exclusive. I e-mailed the address at the bottom of the article requesting an audience with him during his Sunday 12-6 hours, and soon heard back from an elf that we were booked for 12:45 the following week. Holly and I worried all week what to wear and what to ask for (if you need an appointment, that definitely makes this the real Santa, right?), and ultimately decided to go with a black sweater with faux fur accent look, and to ask for a great apartment I had seen the day before. If anyone can sway the tricky Manhattan real estate market, it's Santa Claus!

Upon our arrival on Bergdorf's 7th floor, we were greeted by two employees who immediately knew our names. "We have the 12:45 with Santa?" "Oh, of course, Mary and Holly, right this way." Holly, my friend and I were whisked back to where Santa was waiting, ushered in by an elf, and posed for our session with the man in red. He tried to take Holly in his lap (apparently just the last week he had SEVEN dogs at the same time!), but she was not having it and stayed in mine. The photographer on the scene was incredibly patient when Holly decided mid photo shoot to go in for a kiss from my friend! Even though he and the elves tried their best to perk her ears forward, she kept them straight back and looked a bit annoyed every time the camera flashed, but the free polaroid we were provided with still turned out very cute!

Holly was not much of a fan of this Santa either. Oh well, there's always next year!

We had a quick chat with Santa about our year's wishes, gathered our fun red and green cake pops, and went on our way. Our polaroid is now perched on our Christmas tree, reminding us that here in New York City, holiday magic exists right outside our door.

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Weekend Wander: Miracle on Fifth Avenue

One of my best friends from college and I have a tradition where every year we take in the Christmas joy on Fifth Avenue, red Starbucks cups in hand, starting at the Rockefeller Center tree and winding up through the holiday windows until we reach Bergdorf Goodman on 58th & 5th. Bergdorf's is renowned for their high end holiday windows, and their 7th floor boasts an over the top holiday room where my friend and I select one ornament per year that we gift to one another to have matching on our trees. This year, we decided to bring Holly along for the fun.

I will admit, neither myself, my friend, or Holly is really a big fan of the ridiculous crowds of tourists that gather on Fifth during the holidays, and somehow either from the magic of New York at the holidays or from blocking the bad memories from our brains, we seem to forget every year just how horrible it is. My friend and I met in front of the tree, me with a shivering Holly in my arms, and immediately agreed to get out of dodge, crossing to the slightly less congested side of the street to our next stop, Trump Tower.

There is a Starbucks on the second floor of Trump Tower where we usually get our holiday drinks. The plan was for my friend to go get them and for Holly & I to wait a distance away, since she is usually not allowed in places where food is served. However, we found ourselves passing several employees (both Trump and Starbucks), pup in tow, and not being turned away! It was truly a Christmas miracle--we finally found a Starbucks where Holly can come along!

Energized by our pup-friendly discovery and Carmel Brulee Lattes, we next popped into Henri Bendel to check out the holiday gift display recently set up on the third floor. I was shocked how much space is up there (in the past only a small landing has been open to act as a last minute gifting and wrapping center), and my friend was shocked by how much extra time we needed to move through the crowds when people were stopping to comment on Holly's sweater :) . I always love how friendly the people at Bendel's are to her, especially in the Heritage Room where the puppy gifts are located!

Next up was our final and most important destination, Bergdorf's. We jumped on to the elevator and arrived on the 7th floor, where on the way to the Christmas decorations we were distracted by a collection of jewelry by Monica Rich Kosann. I was immediately drawn to the "Forever Loyal" charm in sterling silver, which features a paw print with white sapphires and a plain back that can be engraved with your puppy's name.

The charm also comes in yellow gold with diamond accents.

While we were ogling the pretty jewelry, Holly took it upon herself to make a new friend. There was a distinguished older man sitting at a table in the middle of the room who we couldn't help but notice when we had come in. He was signing large coffee table books and had two assistants directing the gathered crowd, who were excitedly posing for pictures with him and gushing over his presence. He and Holly noticed each other and he called her over, and after a nervous morning my little pup ran right over, tail wagging, and started licking him excitedly on the hand!

It turns out this man was famed photographer Ormond Gigli, and he was signing a coffee table book ("Girls In The Windows: And Other Stories") that explores the incredible backstory of his most famous photograph, Girls in the Windows, which was snapped from a fire escape in 1960 one day before the brownstones featured were demolished, and featured 47 models, friends, and wives of employees all dressed in their own wardrobes. 

Ormond Gigli's "Girls In The Windows."

Mr. Gigli was very sweet to Holly, and when I remarked on how comfortable she seemed around him, he said he feels like dogs recognize people who know and love dogs, which I absolutely agree with!

After this wonderful and surprising bit of New York magic, we whisked Holly to the holiday room, where she helped in selecting this year's holiday ornament (mostly by licking glitter off the ground and nearly knocking over several $500 nutcrackers on display). We settled on a jolly snowman that has a similar motif to the sweater Holly wore to meet Santa last week. 

Our friendly snowman--I named mine "Rolph." 

Bergdorf's also has a pup-friendly Santa who visits the seventh floor on Sundays from 12-6 and can be visited by appointment only, so Holly and I are planning on making a special trip back next week! Perhaps this time she won't growl at the poor man!

Holly growled at the Santa at Bloomingdale's, so we hope Bergdorf's will  put her back on the "nice" list!

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Happy Holly-Days (Part One): Pictures With Santa

Last year, a dear friend of mine came in to town in mid December from LA, and we decided to take Holly to Bloomingdale's to tell Santa what a good pup she had been. While we were waiting in line, we noticed a few other pooches waiting to do the same, and learned that Bloomingdale's (59th Street) is the only major New York City department store that allows dogs to pose with Santa.

Santa and the photographer were a delight, and I knew I had to make the trip an annual tradition. Holly and I have been looking forward to going since the 1st of November, especially since her grandpa (my dad), will be in town for Thanksgiving and get to join in on the fun!

Since this year will be a multigenerational family affair, I wanted to make sure we had coordinated outfits so we would have a cohesive theme (my dad was thrilled when he was given these marching orders...hehe). I started browsing wag.com for options and stumbled across an adorable dress from famous designer Isaac Mizrahi, but unfortunately they were sold out of Holly's size :( . Isaac Mizrahi's pooch line is super cute and well priced (the dress was under $20!), though, so I know I will return to it when Holly needs an outfit for future events.

This Isaac Mizrahi dress was super cute and festive, but sold out in Holly's size.

I decided our holiday photo wardrobe crisis was the perfect opportunity to add another Fab Dog sweater to Holly's collection. After some browsing of the holiday selection available, I decided on this cute snowman style. I'm a little worried that the light blue color will make people think she's a boy, but it was so cute I decided it was worth correcting a few people!

This snowman sweater was too funny to pass up!

Inspired by Holly's cute snowman sweater, my dad and I will both don blue sweaters as well. I will share pictures right after we take them--I'm sure they will be paw-sitively fabulous!

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Paw-sitively Fabulous: Holly's Adopt-A-Versary!

One year ago today, I brought home my best friend, partner in crime, and confidante from The Humane Society of New York. In order to have a celebration worthy of the occasion, I took the day off from work so Holly and I could spend our anniversary partaking in some of our most favorite Upper East Side activities!

We started the day off with a trip to Central Park, which was cut a little short by the unseasonably cool weather. Holly still managed to make the most of the time we were there, though; she had a blast rolling in the fall foliage and picking up sticks to play with!

Total goofball rolling in the fall leaves!

Next up we donned our matching anniversary outfits for a day out on the town. Holly wore her new Smoochie Pooch sweater with leopard collar, and I had a black sweater and leopard scarf to match. For extra fun, I sported my "I Love My Chihuahua" socks (you can find them here).

She may not be 100% Chihuahua, but she is 100% a fan of the socks!

Matching outfits on Madison Ave.

Our first stop was Ralph Lauren, where we wanted to check out the offerings from the newest "Dog Walk" campaign, which presented the latest accessories and pup line for the brand using rescue pups as models. We were already RL fans, but the super cute video for the campaign sold us even more!

I have my eye on the Striped Reversible Dog Vest for Holly now that it is getting chilly again, and I also fell in love with a Getty Images print featuring Audrey Hepburn holding a little Yorkie on the set of Funny Face, but we had to leave them both in the home department because we had more shopping to do!

Next up was a trip to our favorite store, Henri Bendel. They feature a dog on many of their products that looks exactly like Holly, and their offerings for pups are so glam and frequently come studded in Swarovski crystals. As usual, the store did not disappoint, and we will absolutely be returning come the holidays for the Heart Shaped puppy bowl, Crystal Rivet dog collar, and Scene Stealer 2014 Desk Diary. Somehow I managed to leave with just a notepad featuring the girl and her pup and the phrase "More Is More," but I don't know if my willpower will be so strong on our next visit.

My anniversary gifts to myself were this Henri Bendel "More Is More" notepad and an adorable "Dog Worries" Guatemalan Worry Doll from local boutique Alex & Lorenzo Home.

Since we were in the area and it was our special day, I decided it was the perfect time to take Holly on her first trip to Tiffany & Co. The sales people were so excited that her name was Holly Golightly, but unfortunately Holly was a bit less than thrilled with that leg of the adventure, likely because breakfast was not actually provided.

Holly is annoyed "Breakfast At Tiffany's" isn't something that really happens.

Finally we swung by Bloomingdale's to check on their latest pet offerings. When we reached the home floor, Holly and I were thrilled to see Christmas has come early! Our friend at Bendel's explained that a lot of the stores are "pushing the season" since Hanukkah begins on Thanksgiving day this year, so people are gift buying a bit earlier. Whatever the reasoning, we loved checking out all the decorations and dancing around to "All I Want For Christmas Is You," while taking in the offerings in the pet section.

These Bloomingdale's themed "Little Dog Treats" (a riff on the "Little Brown Bag") are definitely on Holly's
Christmas wishlist!

Checking out the ornament selection at Bloomingdale's. The conclusion? Fabulous, but not enough dogs.

Finally we came home for treats and gifts. In addition to her adorable leopard trim sweater, Holly got a new Multipet Lamb Chop toy, a Kong Beaver (with removable squeaker for safety), and a Haute Diggity Dog "Arfie Woofhall" Lithograph toy. She also got a special puppy cake pop from our local Petco (because anniversary calories don't count!).

Holly's anniversary gifts!

It was so special getting to spend the day celebrating having Holly in my life for the past year. Even after witnessing it every day for the past 365 days, it is amazing to me how she has the ability to put a smile on the face of every person she meets, be they a good friend or just a stranger passing on the street. She has been the best part of my day every day for the past year, and I can't wait for our many more adventures and antics and fun in the years to come!

Until Next Time, Darlings!