Snail Mail!

FINAL-HEADER

I must be the only person on the planet that still buys stamps! I’m probably the only person who still pays utility bills by snail mail too. I know, I’m fucking crazy but I can’t help it. I love a great stamp design (no, I’m not 75 years old and retired) and although I am not a collector, I enjoy looking at old stamps, browsing through newly released stamps and actually buying and using them! I’m surprised that I haven’t put Mamma Biscuit’s adorable mug on a stamp yet—and you all know they have services out there in which to make that a reality. In fact, the last book of stamps I painstakingly selected at the post office (while the annoyed teller was filing her acrylic nails) came from the Muscle Car Forever collection. These stamps are great! I haven’t been this excited about newly released stamps since I purchased two sheets of Andy Warhol stamps in 2002 and framed them . . . because seeing Andy Warhol’s mug in multiples on my wall is so appropriate to his work. But back to the Muscle Car Forever collection, they commemorate five iconic automobiles of the past that I love: the 1966 Pontiac GTO, the 1967 Shelby GT-500, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, and the 1970 Chevelle SS. If you haven’t seen them around, click here and pretend to be excited! At any rate, I may still pay a few utility bills by mail but Tommy actually sends hand written cards and notes out to family and friends by mail. I know, who still does that? And how about post cards? Does anyone actually send post cards out anymore? I highly doubt it! In the early 1900’s, people used to send out holiday post cards instead of greeting cards if you can imagine that—and for a while now, Tommy and I have been picking up a few vintage post cards here and there from flea markets and antique shops but several weeks ago, we ran into a whole archive of them at a street sale that I just have to share with you all!

So a couple of years ago, Tommy and I stumbled upon an annual street sale in Hell’s Kitchen where people who actually live on the block set up shop on the sidewalk to sell whatever clutter or crap they could drag out from their rent stabilized apartments! Isn’t it amazing, only in NYC could one sell a box of bed bugs on the street for a buck. We totally scored back then with a bunch of vintage sunglasses and cool clothing—and we vowed to return every year. Well, that never happened—not until a couple of weeks ago when (while walking through the neighborhood) Tommy spotted an advertisement flyer stuck to a traffic light pole for the annual street sale! We marked our calendars with excitement and returned to the sale the following week ready to uncover some treasure on a street full of trash! That treasure came to us in a faded binder filled with amazing holiday post cards that were mailed out from 1909 to 1916.

Batch1

The woman selling them was probably in her mid 70’s, wore a stained house dress and called herself Mrs. Clause! While I was leafing through the binder and making my selections, she said, with a straight face, “you know what the problem is with Santa Clause? He only cums once a year.” to which I responded with uncontrollable laughter! I really loved her moxie and if I could, I would have offered her a price to take her home with us—and no, not for sex so get your mind out of the gutter please!

Batch2

Anyway, she had a friend who gave her this collection over the years and therefore had no special bond to them. The price she offered was pretty phenomenal—a-buck-a-piece! I’ve seen holiday cards like these go for $30 to $50 dollars a piece—and if you can find Halloween post cards, or Halloween anything from this time period, they’re worth even more. In the end, I selected 12 cards in total and talked her down to $8 for all of them!

BatchStandAlone

The typography, illustrations, foil printing and multi-level embossing effects on these cards are incredible! I love reading the notes written on the back of them too. Greetings from Myrtle, Tillie & Edna, aunt Leona, and Irvin & Violet made to a man or woman named Clarence who lived in Detroit, Michigan, circa early 1900’s.

Back

I thought it would be a great idea to repurpose these post cards as holiday ornaments for Mamma Biscuit’s pug palace. We’ve got a lot of paper ornaments in our collections but I’m envisioning a table-top tree adorned entirely with these types of vintage post cards!

Batch4

My holiday-decorating-juices are flowing after acquiring these post cards and I can’t wait to kick off Christmas in July right here on Mamma’s little corner on the web. Boy do we have some great vintage decor to share with you all to get you prepared for the upcoming season. It’s never too early to prepare for Christmas, Mamma Biscuit has the holiday spirit in her little puggy heart all year long!

Batch3

Enjoy and remember, Christmas is only 194 days away—no pressure!

Posted in NYC Life, Vintage | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday #3

throwback3a

Throwback Thursday coming at you hard this week to kick off the Summer season with Mamma Biscuit on her float-boat making her way from one side of the pool to the other! The Summer heat has finally arrived and if Mamma Biscuit is not lounging like a dead horse right in front of the air conditioner on full blast, she’s making a splash at the swimming pool out on Long Island. I know, it’s not as glamorous as being poolside in the south of France but it’s still just as refreshing! I wish had a camera that could take photographs underwater because the sight of Mamma’s chicken legs wiggling and paddling in a clumsy rotation as she tried to propel her float-boat forward was truly priceless! Our little gremlin may not enjoy getting into the water but in these photos, she could quite possibly be the new face of Sandals all-inclusive Caribbean resorts! The only thing missing from Mamma’s float-boat was a martini glass holder with a drink in it
and a big sun hat on her head!

throwback3b
throwback3c

Now remember, the Summer season is all about sunscreen, bug spray and keeping your pets well-hydrated and having them hang out in cool environments. Play safe and let the Summer games begin!

Happy Thursday!

Posted in Throwback Thursday | 8 Comments

Mamma’s Got Flare in Herald Square!

Macys1

We’ve all been waiting for Spring (and now Summer) to arrive for quite sometime here in the tri-state area—and I have to say, it’s annoying as all hell. I know it may seem trivial to those who have endured river flooding, record rainfall, snowfall and record-breaking tornadoes all across the U.S. in the past few weeks (and to a major degree, it totally is trivial) but this on-again-off-again game that I have been playing with my Winter coat along with feeling absolutely miserable from my allergies has got to STOP! I feel like screaming “stop the insanity” alla Susan Powter because I can no longer breath through my nose, have lost my voice and now sound like a drag queen named Smoky LaRue when I attempt to speak (thanks Anna at Doorsixteen for coming up with that name for me) and poor Mamma Biscuit has some tear-staining going on under her left eye and sneezes more often than not! When pollen drifts across the sky for months on end like snow on a Winters’ day, you know you’re in for a long, miserable season! Despite the fact that Mother Nature has been a flip-flop in the temperature department, I have been on a personal quest to find an alternative to my flip-flops so that when the steamy heat does finally arrive, I’ll be prepared to showcase my bunions like the rest of us in this city! So over the Memorial Day weekend, we had two days that were actually sunny and quasi pleasant and I took the opportunity to go hunt for some sandals around town. The plan was to meet at Herald Square, across from Macy’s after Tommy finished up with his Yoga practice on Sunday to start my exhaustive search for Summer footwear—and I didn’t let the 50-degree temperatures and the fact that I was wearing a heavy coat dampen my spirit!

Before heading into The World’s Largest Store, we decided to relax in the small seating area across the street in Herald Square. People watching is one of my favorite past time activities, especially while holding Mamma Biscuit in my arms like a baby. The tourists around this city just can’t get enough of her! At any rate, we decided to snap a few portraits of our little gremlin lady in her smart and chic outfit in front of the James Gordon Bennett Memorial—and boy did we draw a crowd of pedestrians around us!

Macys3

Firstly, you know something is wrong with the weather when a pug can wear a wool sports jacket at the end of May and feel totally comfortable and warm in it against the wind chill in the air! Seriously, it may have been sunny out that day but it was fucking cold! But enough about the damn weather and onto Mamma’s smart outfit. Honestly, I cannot contain how chic she looks here in these photographs! Martha Stewart’s team sure knows how to make adorable clothing for dogs because this sports jacket is off the hook. It’s a cream and maroon herringbone tailored jacket with tan detailing along the lapels, hem and back pockets. I paired it with a matching maroon silk scarf with pug illustrations to complete this sharp look.

Macys2

I got this silk handkerchief/scarf for Tommy many years ago in Provincetown so to be able to incorporate it in a quintessential Mamma Biscuit look was satisfying on so many levels!

All of this pug fashion sitting right in a square that is so steeped in history is about as New York as I think anything could ever be! Herald Square proper is the north end of the square between West 34th Street and West 35th Street. The old New York Herald Building was located on the square. The square contains a huge mechanical clock whose mechanical structures were constructed in 1895 by the sculptor Antonin Jean Carles.The monument, known as the James Gordon Monument consists of the Goddess of Wisdom, Minerva with her owls in front of a bell, flanked by two bell ringers mounted on a Milford pink granite pedestal. The monument’s bell was designed to chime on the hour. The two seven-foot-tall bronze laborers, nicknamed Stuff and Guff give the appearance of ringing the bell with their mallets, while in actuality is rung by mallets located behind the bell. The figures and the clock were originally part of the 1894 New York Herald Building that was located at the square.

Macys5
Macys6
Macys7

Prior to the demolition of the building in 1921, the monument and the owls were removed and reinstalled in the Square in 1940 . . . and right across the street stands The World’s Largest Store, Macy’s, where I did not find a pair of sandals for the Summer season! I actually found a cool pair of canvas kicks at Aldo later on in the day. Speaking of finding things, check out this amazing photo of Macy’s in 1907 that I found online while researching the monument and the square.

Macy's1907

Don’t you think Mamma Biscuit would have fit right in with the people of New York City in 1907 wearing her chic sports jacket and silk scarf outfit? Now compare it to what the facade of the store looks like now.

Macys8

There’s a big difference, don’t you think?

So here’s to Mamma Biscuit giving us all a timeless New York fashion moment. If the cold temperatures are here to stay a while longer, I can at least have fun dressing up our little gremlin and going out for stroll in our big, beautiful city—even if I have to break every so often to try on some Summer sandals that I may never get to wear!

Macys4

Enjoy and Happy Thursday!

Posted in Fashion, NYC Life, Portraits | 12 Comments

Flashback Friday at Milk & Honey!

M&HHeader1

I would be lying if I said that the only way to get to Mamma Biscuit’s heart is through her belly by way of a bag of peanut butter treats but the truth is, when our little gremlin smells a party in the air that revolves around the sale of vintage clothing and accessories, she practically purrs like a kitten! Are you surprised? Second to food, our Biscuit Lady is wild for a sparkly vintage brooch and a silk scarf or two. In fact, Mamma’s brooch collection is so extensive that she could very well be heading down the Imelda Marcos path if she doesn’t keep it in check! But enough about restraining when it comes to acquiring a fabulous wardrobe and amazing accessories because our good friends at Milk & Honey basically make all of that impossible!

So last Friday evening, our great friend Christina Essabba (store owner of Milk & Honey) and manager Krissy Harper launched their line of vintage clothing, accessories and housewares with an event entitled Flashback Friday—and boy did we have a blast! Christina is one of the most inspiring and talented people I know. She’s a fashion connoisseur, a photographer, a surfer, a tattoo enthusiast, a dog lover and an all around beautiful person! She has been friends with Tommy since grammar school (can you even believe that?) and I still remember our first encounter nearly 11 years ago as if it were yesterday. We were in a cab heading down to The Slipper Room on the Lower East Side and for some reason, I was chewing her ear off about my undying love for Nutella (cut me some slack, we were coming from dinner and I was drunk) and she screamed with delight right back at me, also unleashing her love for Nutella—and from that moment on, I knew we would be life-long friends! But enough about my flashback and back to Milk & Honey. Christina opened her shop in Rockville Centre out on Long Island in 2008 and the response to the boutique’s opening was so outstanding that plans were underway to open a second location. After a couple years of gents asking for a men’s selection at the shop, store number two opened in Huntington, Long Island offering both women’s and men’s clothing. Oh, and before I forget, there is this amazing chandelier made of drift wood suspended around a bunch of old Edison light bulbs hanging in the center of the store at the Huttington location that was created by yours truly. It’s very similar to the one that I created for our living room at the Pug Palace many years ago. Anyway, Store manager, Krissy Harper (formerly known as a Roller Derby Girl named Etta Jams) and Christina Essabba decided to collaborate on a vintage collection after realizing that the vintage decor of their boutiques were gaining recognition and interest from their customers. Krissy hand selects the collection of vintage housewares and clothing because she already runs an Etsy shop entitled Leading Articles Vintage and the M&H staff prepares the merchandise for the floor and photographs each item for the web. It’s a fun, collaborative effort all around and their customers seem as excited as they are about it! More importantly, these two women love Mamma Biscuit and they roll the red carpet out with a step-and-repeat for our four-legged gremlin whenever she visits! Here are Mamma Biscuit’s back up broads!

Babba&-KrissyFinal

Mamma Biscuit arrived at the Flashback Friday event channeling her best Lucille Ball by wearing her vintage pearl collar from Wild Palm Vintage Jewels and her giraffe print Martha Stewart spring gown in pale pink! What I love most about bringing Mamma to these events is passing her along like a hot potato from one patron to the next as they look on in absolute awe of her impeccable style, grace and panache!

M&HHeader2

A pug as old as Mamma Biscuit fits just right in with an event celebrating all things vintage. If you ever find yourself out on the island, visit Milk & Honey in both their locations—you will thank us for years to come when you leave their boutiques with several shopping bags full of fantastic clothing and accessories!

Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Posted in Fashion, Vintage | 5 Comments

Mamma’s big feature in Moomah the Magazine!

MammaHeaderMoomahTheMagazine

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Today, Mamma Biscuit makes her big debut in Moomah the Magazine with a fantastic feature article entitled A Day in New York with Mamma Biscuit—and we here at the Pug Palace can barely contain ourselves with excitement! A few weeks ago, we haphazardly stumbled upon a bake sale to fund no-kill shelter Animal Haven down in SOHO here in NYC where we met Jon Stewart, his wife Tracey and their lovely children. Within that short meet and greet, Mamma Biscuit stole their hearts with her epic tongue and chic wardrobe! Days later, Tracey and her children quickly looked us up online and became instantly smitten with our little gremlin and her little corner on the web! As the Editor-in-Chief of Moomah the Magazine, Tracey and her staff introduced me to their work online and had the brilliant idea of creating a feature for Mamma Biscuit—the rest is herstory!

Now for those of you who don’t know, Moomah the Magazine is an online outlet bringing beauty, humor and advice to parents who do their best to live inspired lives on very little sleep. Moomah the Magazine started as Moomah Cafe, a neighborhood spot with the goal of creating a community of enthusiastic parents who want to spend quality time with their kids, while enjoying stimulating conversation, relaxation, inspiration, a craft project or two and terrific coffee in their home away from home. While that joy of providing such a place for their community was thrilling, they yearned for an even bigger community and a way to make more of an impact. And so Moomah the Magazine was born! Moomah online brings a broader audience an array of realistic activities that are as doable as they are enjoyable along with parenting advice from experts and those who are in the trenches, an archive of art projects & crafts and stories from contributors near and far!

A Day in New York with Mamma Biscuit is a guide to her top-five favorite dog-friendly spots in NYC and how she visits them in style. Mamma also reveals all of her top-secret canine styling tips for all of you dog owners out there who want to infuse a little style and panache in your dog’s life! Our little gremlin has become the Rachel Zoe of canine style and she obviously has the credentials to back it up! Earlier this year, Mamma was coined the most stylish pug on earth according to Company Magazine across the pond in the U. K., the most stylish pug in America according to Buzz Feed, the most fashionable pug ever according to Dallas News Whatever Blog and two years ago, she received a small spotlight in the New York Times Sunday Style section photographed by Bill Cunningham entitled Off the Leash. That’s pretty damn good for a toothless, puppy mill rescue dog who normally nods off during the middle of any given day!

We here at the Pug Palace would like to give a huge thank you to Tracey Stewart (Mamma’s new BFF) along with Rachel Filler (Managing Editor) and Lisel Ashlock (Creative Director) for this wonderful feature! Thank you all for enduring my long, exhaustive emails and for loving Mamma Biscuit as much as we do!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL FEATURE!

Posted in Media | 8 Comments