clarabellanyc.com

I’m full on in prep mode today, so I’ll make this one short… but sweet.

Wishing you all a VERY Happy New Year!! Thank you for a wonderful 2008 and my very best wishes to you all for many good times to come.

I’ll leave you with a few NYC New Year’s images.

Okay readers… I’m thinking about doing another sample sale in January. I’ve got some greats shoes and boots from the FW season and would like to do a big ol’ sale - you get it all for wholesale! I’m thinking January 23/24/25. A weekend extravaganza. Thoughts? I’ll host the wholesale deal on the website as well, so fear not, non-New Yorkers. More info coming soon, but I do think a big sale in order.

I just wanted to post a quick reminder about the holiday schedule. Clarabella WILL be open tomorrow - Monday. Not just that, we’ll be open from noon until 10pm for you desperate shoppers on both Monday and Tuesday. After that, we’ll be closed through the holiday, reopening on Jan. 2, 2009. Yes… even Clarabella need a vacation every now and again;). You can still browse the online shop while we’re closed, but please note that all orders placed between Dec. 24 and Jan. 1 will ship out on Friday, January 2.

To recap:

Monday, Dec. 22: open from noon - 10pm

Tuesday, Dec. 23: open from noon - 10pm

Wednesday, Dec. 24 - Thursday, Jan. 1 - CLOSED

This won’t be the last you hear from me before the holidays, however. Holiday wishes coming soon!! And for those who celebrate, Happy Hanukkah!!

This is it people… crunch time. I should know - I’m still not done with my holiday shopping! There are currently FOUR Clarabella shopping days left. We’re open until Tuesday, December 23rd and will accept online orders placed up until 3pm that day. Online orders placed between now and Monday should be shipped via FEDEX 2day and orders placed on Tuesday should be shipped via FEDEX overnight to ensure delivery by the 24th. So you see… there is still time.

In the spirit of easy shopping, I wanted to make sure to present you with a full range of holiday gift options. Last year I did a nifty little jpeg, but that was before Clarabella opened her online shop. This year, in addition to a few little nifty jpegs, there are actually links with instant purchasing opportunities. What in the world did we do before these crazy internets??

So, for your browsing pleasure, I now present you with

CLARABELLA’s ‘Down to the Wire’ Holiday Shopping Guide

Under $50:

MollyM Designs - Wood Circle Earrings ($30), Dot Earrings ($30), Pith Earrings ($45)

Jene DeSpain - Owl Charm Necklace ($40)

By Boe - Teardrops ($24), Red Drop Necklace ($35), Figure 8 Hoops ($24), Gold Square Earrings ($45), Circle Ice Earrings ($38)

Amy Tavern - Egg Earrings ($44)

$50 - $150

Rebecka Froberg - Silver Cloudberry Drop ($94), Silver Waterfall Earrings ($80), Tiny Dandelion Studs ($50), Hug Me Hoops ($84), Golden Cloudberry Circle Necklace ($84)

Leoworks - Lucky Horseshoe Necklace ($65), Ice Dangles Earrings ($120)

Tsuyumi - White Wool Hat ($110)

Jene DeSpain - Bird Charm Necklace ($68), Diamonds Earrings ($125)

Zoe Chicco - Double Circle Necklace ($140), Silver Disc Earrings ($110)

Samantha Mae - License to Date Earrings ($65)

Judith Haas - Amethyst Flower Necklace ($150)

Over $150

Page Sargisson - Sofie Hoops ($160)

Zoe Chicco - Black Horn + Diamond Necklace ($250), Black Tear Necklace ($175)

Rebecka Froberg - July Lily Necklace ($250)

Verre NY - Glass Cluster Necklace ($216)

Tracey Tanner - Casey Bag ($480)

Lesa Wallace - Prosperity Bag ($430)

That’s all for now:) Happy Shopping!!

As I arrived at the shop yesterday morning, I was greeted by Pauline, a super sweet gal who does window painting in the neighborhood. I’d met her a few weeks prior as she was working on the windows over at Piada. Every time I see her in the neighborhood, she greets me with a smile and a hello. Yesterday was a bit different, however, because Pauline chose to give Clarabella a Holiday gift! She’d been envisioning a shoe Clarabella’s door and was in a painting mood. She brought me a sketch, which looked fantastic, then set to work. She painted for about 2 hours and a gorgeous heel now sits atop a snow mountain in my window. I love it and would like to thank Pauline for her generosity and her kindness! If any of you business owners out there would like a little artwork of your own, give me a shout and I’ll connect you with Pauline. If you’d like to see her artwork up close, you can see it here, at Piada on Clinton St., or at Mama’s on 3rd street between A&B. (Great skull!!)

Pauline is a Brooklyn-based painter who hails from Berlin.

The work area

Pauline at work

Pauline

Shoe in progress

FINISHED!! Outdoor View:)

My view;)

THIS WEEKEND!! Don’t miss our Holiday shopping event… a little downtown… a little east.

East of Essex. AND… Clarabella will be offering 25% off STOREWIDE!!!
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Saturday, December 13th from 2 – 8pm

Join the shops in the new Lower East Side, or “East of Essex”, for a little holiday cheer! During the Holiday Shop hop, shops will offer sales, events, treats and more! Find the gifts you need for loved ones (and maybe even yourself). From the hottest shoes and coveted designer labels to up-and-coming jewelers and independent clothing designers, this neighborhood has it all! It truly offers a unique shopping experience that can be found nowhere else in the city.

All shops are located between E. Houston and Delancey and East of Essex Street.

Participating businesses include:

( Click Here For A Map)
20 Peacocks
20 Clinton Street

Casa de Rodriguez
156 Stanton Street

Clarabella
279 East Houston

Coat Of Arms
43 Clinton Street

Dangerous Mathematicians
176 Rivington Street

Dear 55
55 Clinton Street

Hillary Flowers Designer Collective
40 Clinton Street

Laura & Melinda
137 Rivington Street (Upstairs Boutique)

Le Sous Sol
137 Rivington Street (Downstairs Boutique)

Live Fast
57 Clinton Street

Lola Y Maria
175 Rivington Street

LouLoux
153 1/2 Stanton Street

Madame Killer
37- 39 Clinton Street

Maryam Nassir Zadeh
123 Norfolk Street

Spec.
62 Clinton Street

Szeki
16 Clinton Street

Haha. I’m such a dork. Where do these titles come from anyway? I found something today - something exciting. Well, exciting in my world anyway. We’ll see how you feel about it. As you well know, I’ve very connected with Wunderbloc. Well… now Wunderbloc is pleasantly connected with Time Out New York. Which means, of course, that Clarabella is also pleasantly connected with Time Out New York. How? See for yourself! Time Out now goes above and beyond the normal ‘listing’. They pull information from Wunderbloc to shows online shop items, blog postings, virtual tours and more. I love it. Looooove. So, get check it out. Tell all your friends. Let’s make New York Magazine jealous enough that they want something too!!

Happy Saturday!

Faithful Mo Supporters. It’s been a great month. Inspiring even. To watch these brave men take a chance with a Mo. It’s not an easy task, but these men were willing to put themselves out there in the name of charity… and a good laugh. With that said, let me introduce your favorite guest writer…. MS. ANNIE CHOOOOOOOOOI!!!

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So the day has finally come. This is it, people. We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. It is, in fact, the most important day of the year.

It’s the Final Mo!

Where did all the time go? They grow up so fast. Sniff, sniff. It just seemed like yesterday they were crawling around the living room floor in their Huggies Pull-Ups, whining for mashed peas. Then you blink and all of the sudden they are manly long-shore fishermen lighting their cigars with blowtorches, the sea breeze blowing through their shaggy beards. Time passes quickly, my friends.

So on to the final mos! Here’s Fuzzy again for the very last time:

No, no, it’s not your eyes playing a trick. It’s not your computer either. You are indeed seeing the correct image: This mo is identical to last week’s mo! To be honest, he stopped growing hair like three weeks ago. Ladies and gents, what you are seeing here is a MONTH of mo growth. Isn’t that insane? I’ve seen infants with bushier staches. But listen, he gets a blue ribbon, a gold star, and a commemorative plaque. He has gone as far as genetics can take him. In the end, the judges have decided that Fuzzy’s name is apropos. He’s no Hairy or Bushy or Shaggy or Beasty. He is and forever will be, Fuzzy. Now please, shave. Please.

Here’s Binx:

So Binx’s final mo was quite substantial, but he actually trimmed it down because it was getting warm under there. About five degrees warmer, no kidding. It’s like wearing a wool coat on your face, as you can imagine. Binx started hacking away at his stache and then thought, WAIT. I CAN MAKE IT JUST LIKE FUZZY’S MO. WE SHALL TAKE A STAND TOGETHER. I’m not sure what they are standing up against, but I have to praise Binx for his craftsmanship. Note the clean line splitting the two sections of stache on his upper lip. Very nice. That’s very difficult to do, about 7.25 on the Mo Difficulty Scale. I like the thin patch below, too. It’s very, uh . . .spicy? Good job, Binx. You’ve out-MANNED us all!

I have to say, I’m a little sad.  I’m going to miss the mo. I really am. What will I talk about? No idea, but I’m open to suggestions. I may just sit here and wait for next Movember. It’s gonna be tough. I’ve already bought my supplies and rations.
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So… I guess we won’t be seeing Annie for a while;). Unless I can coax her out for some other ridiculous display. I doubt anything will be as good or as exciting as Movember. Your last chance is here. Time to pony up and donate some funds for a little prostate cancer research. Haven’t done it yet? No worries, that just means you’re lazy. I mean come on… I’m running a small retail business in a recession and even I donated to the cause;). That’s dedication! The RB Moooooostachios raised over $5000! CONGRATS GUYS!!

Support Binx’s Mo.

Support Fuzzy’s Mo.

Check out the team standings here.
All the info… just in case links aren’t your friends today.

Movember: http://us.movember.com/

Cris’s registration #: 1391481

Yuma’s registration #: 1428161

If you’re not so keen on the online donation deal, you can send checks - Just make sure to include the name of the Mo and their registration #. Make the check payable to ‘Prostate Cancer Foundation’, referencing the Registration Number and mailing it to:

Prostate Cancer Foundation
Attn: Movember
1250 Fourth St
Santa Monica, CA, 90401

Thank you Charmingwall for the kind words about Clarabella today! SO excited to get those prints up on the wall tomorrow night. I’m going to be surrounded by artisitic beauty:).

Readers, check this out if you want to learn more about the upcoming show. Beauty indeed.

Today felt like a new music day. I haven’t done any exploring in a while, which is unlike me. I’ve been taking recommendations, but haven’t been seeking anything out. That’s not to say that any of the names you might see below will be new to you, but most of them are new to me. Now I just have to work on buying the records so I can stop using the dang myspace playlists:). So… I fell prey to the myspace surfing today. Start with a label you like (in this case, Subpop) and go from one band’s page to another. I found some good stuff. I’m excited. It made me smile. Maybe it’ll make you smile too…

This is what I found:

Daniel Martin Moore

Mellow-ish singer/songwriter with a rather lovely voice, lyrics that speak to me, and melodies that make me want to sing along, in a very mellow, I-might-try-to-harmonize-with-you kind of way. He’s Kentuckian, so I bet he’s super nice too. That’s a huge generalization, but really, everyone I’ve ever met from Kentucky is super nice. My favorite myspace streamable tune: That’ll Be The Plan.

Blitzen Trapper

Yeah yeah… I know. Where’ve I been anyway. Honestly, I’ve been hearing about these guys for a while and I’m not sure why I never checked them out until now. Their sound is so WAY up my alley, I think I’m in danger of overplaying once I get these tunes on my ipod. Furr is my favorite so far, but there is something really catchy about Silver Moon.

Love As Laughter

Yay Brooklyn! We all know there is no shortage of great music hailing from Brooklyn. So, I’m a little biased as I happen to live there. For that, I just consider myself lucky, and yes, a little biased. What’s great about NY based bands for us NY-ers? Greater chances of local shows… These guys play The Studio at Webster Hall on Friday the 12th. Maybe I’ll see you there? Check out Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz and Coconut Flakes.

This Frontier Needs Heroes

I found this band through the Love As Laughter page, and yes… they are also Brooklyn based. Pretty mellow, stirring lyrics, male/female duo. Listen to No More War.

Fleet Foxes

Okay… confession. I didn’t just find these guys today. Truth be told, I’ve been obsessed for quite a while. Every once in a while I’m turned on to a record that I just don’t tire of. Their songs are unique, their melodies keep my singing and their harmonies… oh my, their harmonies.  It’s like the perfect combination between My Morning Jacket (or Jim James) and Grizzly Bear. I looooove these guys and so wish I’d been able to catch their show here in NY back in October. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for another one soon.

And because I need a little bit of lady in this list… check out Sera Cahoone

Baker Lake reminds me a little of Suzy Suh meets Mazzy Star. She’s got a breathy voice, nice simple harmonies… not really anything that hasn’t been done before, but I do like her songs.

Anyway, I hope that my discoveries brought something new for you too! Happy Wednesday everyone;). See you soon.