Happy February.

Three things I'm looking forward to this month: starting ballet class (my friend, Jamie, and I signed up for a six-week workshop and I'm beside myself with excitement),

embarking on more outer-borough dining adventures such as this one,

and getting one month closer to becoming an aunt for the second time. (My brother and sister-in-law, Margaux, are expecting a baby boy in March.) Speaking of which, we have a question for you...

...though the baby's arrival date is just weeks away, he's still without a name. While we've all thought of dozens of girls names we love, the perfect boy's name has proven much harder to come by. What are some of your favorites? They need help, and the clock's ticking...

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  

Photos of Margaux via Max's Instagram. You can find me on Instagram at @my_shokoko.

Flowers In Her Hair.

In the spirit of spring (hey, we're getting there), I thought I'd post these spectacular floral creations by Japanese artist Takaya Hanayuishi. 

I'll take one electric-purple bougainvillea cloche, please. (Bonus if it comes with that awesome tattoo!)

Visit Takaya's website, here. Thanks to Catbird and Flowerona for the introduction!

Lost & Found.

This week on the Equals Record: getting lost, and finding home.

A bit from the new post: "When I first moved to New York City five years ago, I lived in a tiny apartment in Morningside Heights, in a bedroom with a single window that looked out onto a brick wall. Because I craved sunlight (a luxury I’d always taken for granted), and because my work-from-home schedule allowed me a certain degree of freedom, I spent most of my days and nights with my then-boyfriend, Ben, at his Columbia University apartment three blocks away. Ben was an exemplary tour guide. We went to jazz clubs in Harlem, used bookstores in the East Village, hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Queens. We spent long afternoons at MoMa, at ICP, in Central Park. A newcomer to the city, I was happy to let him lead the way. Literally. At six-foot-five, Ben was an imposing figure. More than that, he was excellent company. And he seemed to know the city inside and out. All I had to do was follow."

Read the rest, here. You can find the archive for my weekly column, Looking Forward (about the ups and downs of "growing up" in my twenties), here. Thank you, as always, for your kind words and support.

Bottom artwork by Heather Gonsior. 

Chosen Words.

Brooke Schmidt writes poems using words she cuts from the pages of books. She also makes tiny ladders, miniature chairs, and paper mache thunderstorms.

She made this, too - a poem written on the pearly underside of a seashell. Beautiful.

Brooke's art is available for purchase at her Etsy shop, here. (Her Polaroid postcards are lovely, too!)

Guthrie's Goals.

I love artist Mat Pringle's illustrated representations of Woody Guthrie's 1942 "New Year's Rulin's." I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year, but I'm inspired to do so belatedly after finding this. I think I'll borrow #15 (see below) and #19, too. I'd also add one about spending more time outdoors, and another about finally visiting the Met. (Oh, and on a much more frivolous note, I think this would make an excellent addition, too.)

See more on Mat Pringle's blog, here (he's been posting new "rulin's" daily),  and on his official website, here. Now get out there, have a wonderful day, and learn people better! 

Via The Fox Is Black.