I got a spiffy new bike at the beginning of the summer and have been riding it as often as possible.  Sometime it’s to run an errand, other times for a day at the beach, but mostly it’s to get to and from work.  This has meant that I often get caught at the office well past sundown and need something to light my way for the ride home.  Enter Knog, my new favorite bike lights. The Australian company has created some of the more stylish  and smartly designed bike accessories I’ve yet to come across from lights to locks to bags.

I first picked up the Frog Strobe, which are really small and light.   They did me well until I discovered the Boomer Rechargeable, which are waterproof, super bright and rechargeable via USB.   They literally plug right into my computer and I’ve only had to recharge them once in the last three weeks.  I like how small and compact the Frogs are but love how bright the Boomers are.
Check out Knog’s site to see their whole line.  Soon they are releasing a pretty sexy lock called the “Strongman” that is certainly going to give the Kryptonite a run for their money.

Stripes and I are having a moment.

Kinfolk Magazine just launched last week and it is GORGEOUS.  Their mission is to be “a guide for small gatherings.”  Given my love for uniting friends around dinner tables, most recently up at Lake Copake with a pan of seafood paella and bottles of Rosé, the concept of the magazine got me from the start.  Add in the photography and it was a done deal…this is my new favorite magazine.  I’ll let you discover and enjoy it for yourselves but in the mean time, I’ll leave you with their manifesto.

A few weeks ago, my friend Maia and I decided to meet for lunch at one of our favorite spots, Torrisi.  After devouring our turkey sandwiches, we strolled through Nolita and she took me to the shop of Erica Weiner. Inspired by a collection of curiosities from various treasure hunts, Erica creates this amazing vintage-inspired jewelry.  I picked up the Kyanite Spike Necklace.  I love the blue Kyanite with the single metal spike.  You can see more of her work here or visit her studio and store front at 173 Elizabeth Street, NYC.

You can see their list of stockists here.

I am in love with this jewelry from the design duo Silva/Bradshaw.

Artist/designers Matthew Bradshaw and Sergio Silva met while studying industrial design at Pratt.  They design some pretty gorgeous items and just last month they launched their jewelry line.  I love how their pieces are simple in form yet intricate and that the rings can also double as necklaces.  Either way, these are statement pieces.  I am also currently swooning over their Dyvel Table, which consists of two parallel glass surfaces held in tension by four wooden legs.  Spend some time on their site checking out their other amazing creations.

*via Co Design

Nearly a year ago, I wrote about my love for terrariums, these magical little contained environments.  This year for my birthday Dan gave me a certificate to go and build my very own terrarium at Sprout Home in Williamsburg.

There seem to be two main types of terrariums, one that is fern and moss based and one that is cacti based.  I went for the latter since they are supposedly a bit easier to care for and because I liked the variety of plants that Sprout had to choose from. Sprout carries a number of different vessels to house the terrariums.  I picked this one by a company called Roost which takes recycled glass and hand blows it without a mold. After layering some lava rocks for drainage, charcoal to prevent mold and a top layer of soil,  I picked out about six different types of cactus for mine.  I also brought some coral and a sea urchin shell that I collected from our various trips to add to the mix.  I am absolutely in love with it and think this might just be my favorite birthday present ever.  Big thanks to Leah, the terrarium expert at Sprout, for all the guidance in building this beauty!

Some of you may remember this post I did a while back with the amazing photos that The Selby took as part of the advertising campaign for Cole, Rodd and Haan. Well folks, he has gone and done it again.  This time, The Selby takes us on a beautiful tour of one of my all time favorite chocolate houses, Mast Brothers Chocolate.  Rick and Michael Mast are the handsome duo behind these delicious chocolates that are handmade in Brooklyn .   These boys are true artisans and are one of the few “bean-to-bar” chocolatiers, which means they own the entire process of making their chocolate from sourcing the cocoa beans from Venezuela, Ecuador and Madagascar to roasting, grinding, molding and eventually packaging it all up.  The Selby does a wonderful job of illustrating the whole process from start to finish, so please check out the whole series here.

Not only is this some seriously delicious chocolate (my favorite is the Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Sea Salt), but every bar comes beautifully packaged in Italian wrapping paper; it’s like unwrapping a gift each time.

You can find their chocolate at any of these amazing little shops:

A Little of What You Fancy 19 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, NY 11937
Bedford Cheese Shop 229 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Bierkraft 191 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Branford Green Grocer 1036 Main Street, Branford, CT 06405
Brooklyn Larder 228 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Dean & Deluca 560 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10012
France 44 4351 France Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55410
Grab 438 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Marlow & Sons 81 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Miette Confiserie 449 Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94102
Murray’s Cheese 254 Bleecker Street, Manhattan, NY 10014
Park Slope Food Coop 782 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Provisions 150 Beekman Street, Manhattan, NY 10038
Rubiner’s Cheesemongers    264 Main Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Spuyten Duyvil Grocery 218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Stinky Bklyn 261 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Stone Barns 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY 10591
Urban Rustic 236 North 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211