Pre-Easter Christmas Picks!

Posted on March 30, 2012

What better way to prepare for the upcoming celebrations of the torturous death and alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ than to bring up his immaculate birth? Only here, at Mamma’s little corner on the web would we highlight some Christmas vintage wares right before Palm Sunday—and quite frankly, Mamma Biscuit wouldn’t have it any other way! Now you all may be knee-deep in neon-colored peeps, chocolate bunnies and bags upon bags of jelly beans but here at the pug palace, we’re sifting through and admiring some new Christmas finds and gifts from years gone by. Hey, if Mother Nature is giving us a second blast of Winter then so will we. So come along as we shove Christmas right back into the spotlight and right in your face—where it belongs! After all, Christmas is only 269 days away and it’s never too early to start planning!

Now my birthday just past on March 12th and our dear friends Matt and Julie (transplants from Wisconsin and who now live in the lovely borough of Queens) came over one night to celebrate and to visit with Mamma Biscuit. Ringing in my 35th year here on planet Earth couldn’t get any better than when I ripped open my gift from Matt and Julie—a box of vintage Christmas ornaments from a collector who sells on Etsy. It was kind of ridiculous just how excited I got when I saw what was in the box but after you see these ornaments for yourself, I’m sure you will understand why I couldn’t contain myself!


In the box were four ornaments, two in each set of the same styles. This is really great because I’m totally into multiples of the same ornament—especially if they are vintage! The first set is of these Santa balls. I have never seen plastic Santa heads with cotton beards adhered to satin balls throughout my entire collecting career. You can’t get any better than this. It’s like the best of the 1950’s meshed with the best of the 1970’s. I’m not sure if these ornaments were originally constructed this way or if they have been put together from found parts. Either way, these two Santa balls are perfect for any corner accent or to simply hang from a Christmas tree. I would kill to have forty or more of these ornaments to suspend with fishing wire from a ceiling of a small corridor. It would be like some frightening-Santa-fun-house-managerie that only I would/could pull off somewhere in the pug palace. Don’t put it past me people, If I’ve gone through great lengths to mention it here on the blog then most likely it will happen!


The second set of ornaments are these amazing flocked deer with paper bow and ear accents. I love anything flocked and these Bambi ornaments are perfectly made to stand upright or to simply hang from garland or a Christmas tree! I think I’m going to combine these ornaments with our vintage Russian pig ornaments but I haven’t worked out just how I’m going to do it yet! Aren’t they adorable though?


Julie and Matt really know who I am because this birthday gift was a damn home run in my opinion! For more holiday goodies from this seller, click here!

Want more? Well more you’ll get. The next few ornaments showcased below are some fantastic glass-beaded vintage ornaments from the 1930’s that we picked up from The Cambridge Antique Market during our visit out to Boston several weeks ago. I was immediately attracted to these delicate beauties because they looked so broken—like they had survived a tough life before they landed in my hands! I’m not going to lie, aside from the one ornament that is fashioned to look like a ladies purse, the rest have this Blair Witch Project feeling to them—and you all know how we love to mix suggestive inappropriateness with Christmas! For more holiday goodies from this seller (her name is Michelle) click here!



And for all of you Easter fanatics out there, don’t worry, Mamma has something extra special for you lined up for next week so stay tuned. From season to season, and all celebrations in between, Mamma Biscuit has got you covered!

Enjoy

Posted in Holiday, Vintage | 2 Comments

The Many Faces of Fort Tryon Park!

Posted on March 26, 2012

Mother Nature is anything but consistent when it comes time to transition from one season to the next. The unseasonably warm temperatures and sunny days of last week (ironically all during work hours) quickly faded into the cold and gloomy temps of this past weekend—all of which is a testament in itself of just how indecisive and annoying she can be around this time of year. I especially find the threat of rain for 48 hours under gray skies to be super annoying—especially since the sun always seems to come back out (like today, Monday morning) to shine over our concrete island the moment I have to drag my ass back to work!


Anyway, the good news is, Mamma and the Biscuits had an opportunity last week to prance and play in Fort Tryon Park during the early evening sunset and boy were we glad we took it. The sky was still open with incredibly intense sunlight and the temperatures were warm enough for us to leave the house without a jacket of any kind on, Mamma included. Lately, the Biscuit Lady has been enjoying the dog run for small breeds at the Sir William’s Dog Run located deep in Fort Tryon Park. At some point, I’m gonna have take some video of our little beast running around the rock formation situated in the middle of the dog run. She can chase after me for hours around those rocks, completely ignoring all the other dogs that take an interest in smelling her behind. Her indifference to other dogs is almost offensive but somehow, it’s all quickly forgiven by any dog owner the moment Mamma unleashes her dam python tongue!


So on our way to the dog run, we took a slow stroll through the Stan Michels Promenade to admire the head sculptures adorning the garden benches located in the seating alcoves that punctuate the promenade. I’ve done some light research online regarding the source of these clay head sculptures and have yielded little to no results. I’m assuming that these busts might be part of a Public Art Project, similar to The Andy Warhol Monument but since there is no paperwork on the bulletin board at the entrance of the park, I really have no idea. So if any of you readers out there in New York City have any answers to the who, what, where and why of these recently added sculptures to the park, please share with us any info you may have!


Aesthetically, I find these busts very interesting to look at and conceptually, they might symbolize the many faces taken from people in our neighborhood or possibly in our city—whether on the street or in the park itself. Some busts have plaques that have names of streets and a one word description of sorts. What I love most about them is that they visually describe the incredible diversity of New York City.



Positioning them on view next to park benches seems fitting as they depict pedestrian life as they are on display for pedestrian life! So as Mamma and Tommy waited by the flower trail in the gardens, I went around to photograph all these lovely head busts. By the time I got to the last one, I could see Mamma from a distance running around in circles next to Tommy—she practically looked like a jumping Mexican bean, that’s how tiny she was from my vantage point!


On our way back from the dog run, we walked down the many hills and paths to exit out of the park on Broadway (the valley where we live) and came across this perfect vignette of debris on a stone step. How fitting, a Whitney and Bobby Love Story article ripped and strewn on the concrete floor next to three empty dime bags and two cigarette butts.

There is art everywhere you look in this park—on display or in the trash—and that’s why I love New York City more than ever!

Enjoy

Posted in NYC Life, Outdoor Life | 14 Comments

The Yin-Yang of Sweet Semosh

Posted on March 22, 2012

The ancient Chinese concept and symbol of the Yin-Yang refers to complementary opposites such as light/dark, day/night, masculine/feminine and sun/moon. Now Mamma Biscuit is here to tell you all that the same concept can be applied to a freshly baked tray of Ebony & Ivory cookies from the Sweet Semosh oven. Who doesn’t love and appreciate a perfectly yummy balance of chocolate and vanilla icing on a cookie? I know I do and I’m sure you all would too if you could sink your teeth into one of these scrumptious beauties. Good news is, you all can. My better half, Tommy has finally launched a Sweet Semosh Facebook page and he is open for orders. So click here, click like, and keep abreast of our new and exciting vegan treats to come from Sweet Semosh.


Now whenever I get my hands on one of these treats I have to practically eat it in the closet—out of sight from Mamma Biscuit! Our little gremlin will seduce anyone with a Sweet Semosh treat in their hands. She will cleverly utilize her wet, wide, doughy, Bambi eyes to get you to give her a taste! I swear, sometimes she looks at me with so much seduction that I almost feel compelled to buy her a drink! Tommy and I always joke that we are such prisoners in our own home when it comes to eating yummy sweets in front of Mamma Biscuit—she could wake up in a deep sleep from just the crack of a tupperware lid in the kitchen!



Sweet Semosh believes in integration. That’s why they HAD to include Ebony & Ivory cookies on their menu. Since vegan powdered sugar is refined, it’s not nearly as white as processed sugars. When used as an icing, it appears off white in color. But make no mistake, these cookies are every bit as tasty as your favorite Black and White cookie. In fact they’re better. As in all of Sweet Semosh treats, there’s no egg or butter used, and the cake-like cookie under all that yummy chocolate and vanilla icing has lemon and orange zest, detectable with every chew. What more could you ever want in the morning with your coffee—or in the evening, with a cup of lemon zinger tea while watching an episode of the Golden Girls.



For all you New York City peeps, Sweet Semosh now sells at Westerly Natural Market on 8th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen and has been selling at Franks Gourmet Market on West 187th Street in Washington Heights and Uptown Juice Bar on East 125th Street in Harlem for a year! So stop in if you happen to be at any of these locations, try our treats and let us know what you think!

Enjoy

Posted in Sweet Semosh | 4 Comments

An Empire State of Mind!

Posted on March 15, 2012

In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York! Now I just know that Mamma Biscuit had that infectious chorus sung by Alicia Keys on heavy repeat in her head while I was taking these photos this past weekend. What else would this bitch be thinking of with the Empire State Building budding out from behind her? OK maybe she wasn’t thinking of that Jay Z song but rather those yummy peanut butter treats we had in our hands, either way, Mamma’s still got that New York swagger—even if she’s giving us major Upper-East-Side-Bitch with this snotty look of hers!


Thank goodness we Biscuits made it under the wire to photograph Mamma’s new winter coat before the unseasonably warm weather arrived. I had planned on photographing our little gremlin in Harvard Square while in Boston last weekend but the weather was horrendous—rain is just bad news for micro suede! Anyway, here is our Biscuit Lady giving New York what it needs and what it craves—an overload of pug cuteness for all the locals and tourists alike hanging out in front of the Empire State Building. There is nothing funnier than having people roll down their windows in their car so that they could scream from the hilariousness of it all—or to simply honk their horns to show us their love!



I think the crowd of onlookers surrounding us came to a frenzy when a pack of Japanese tourists stumbled upon us! Those Hello-Kitty girls could not contain themselves and their cameras in front of Mamma Biscuit. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if one of those girls took a photo of our pug and sent it over to Gwen Stefani in a text. Mamma’s giant pearl necklace (inspired by Joan Rivers) alone would make a homeless man on the street smile—or be offended!

Sunday was just perfect as we Biscuits strolled through Manhattan and basked in the early morning sunlight. We stopped over at the garage flea market in Chelsea where I picked up a fez style hat (don’t laugh) in black velour before walking westbound to pick up some lunch at Blossom Du Jour. On our way towards 9th avenue, we passed the famous Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street. Mamma stopped in mid-prance to pay her respects to the many talented artists and musicians of the past that have lived and played within this iconic New York City building. She also peed on the sidewalk right in front in an effort to keep the damn rent in the neighborhood down! Thatta girl! Mamma may look like a million bucks but we Biscuits are really part of the 99 percent!

After gathering our food from Blossom Du Jour, we made our way to the Meat Packing District—Gansevoort Street to be exact so that we can sit outside and eat lunch. Mamma Biscuit sure knows how to work her paws on a cobble stone street. She managed to create another crowd (a Sex in the City crowd spilling out of the Gansevoort Hotel) of onlookers who were quite amused by her style, grace and nerve. Now if you come across any photos of me laying on the cold ground snapping my camera in Mamma’s direction on the internet, you’ll know where it came from—that damn crowd!



All and all, the Biscuits had a fantastic weekend strolling through Manhattan with Mamma in tow. Our girl just loves to prance around in her fashionable digs but judging by this warm weather, it looks like her winter wardrobe will have to be put away. Make way for Spring, Mamma’s favorite season of them all!


Enjoy

Posted in Fashion, NYC Life | 10 Comments

Nudes, Series 1.

Posted on March 8, 2012

It’s high time we give our readers an up-and-close look at the real Mamma Biscuit! The unplugged, stripped-down, nude Mamma Biscuit that y’all have been craving to see! Usually, our Biscuit Lady showcases the hot canine styles and trends of the moment with poise and grace, however, the opportunity presented itself this past Monday morning in Boston to take these nude portraits. Tommy and I woke up to this beautiful, natural sunlight flowing in from the giant window in our friends apartment and I decided to stumble off the aero mattress to grab my camera to capture this fleeting moment!

Here she is, Mamma Biscuit, lounging on the canvas sofa with an arrogant, New England style. Her sexy legs crossed over as she basked in the warm sunlight streaming through the window! This Bitch really knows how to hide her candy while simultaneously showing you everything! I mean, just look at her in the first photo of this batch, she is giving us arctic-seal-waiting-for-a-piece-of-fish-realness, don’t you think?



Our little gremlin was so unaffected by my camera lens as I put it all up in her grill. The bitch practically fogged up the lens as I tried to capture these close-ups of her mug and that blip of a prosciutto tongue showing from her black lips! And how about those paws of hers? They’re like little ham hocks with perfectly manicured nails!



Portraits like these prove that the clothes don’t make the pug, it’s the pug that makes the pug! Mamma Biscuit is our beautiful pug—on the inside as well as on the outside and I intend on photographing her nude more often!


PS: Here was Mamma last year (the same time) at our friends apartment in Boston. Mamma’s natural fur coat suits her very well!

Enjoy

Posted in Portraits | 18 Comments