The time has come! I'm packing my bags and heading back to the mothership on Saturday - the U.S.A., baby! I can't wait to be in both New York City and Los Angeles for 17 days. I'm working or at meetings for most of them, but that's okay because I still have my evenings free to chill, meet friends, roam around with my camera, do a little flea market hoppin' and hit some of my favorite stores. Like Purl Soho who just moved to a pretty posh space...

It will be nice to watch the fireworks in NYC on the 4th and to celebrate my wedding anniversary in LA with my #1 man as he is flying over with me and we can spend a work-free weekend together before flying back to Germany. I have a mini must-see list for New York and LA, but I want to surprise Debi and take her to some great spots for eats and drinks and also for shopping so if you are in New York or LA and have some great suggestions for meals and shops, please let me know! Debi hasn't been to LA yet and I really have no clue where to go there for dinner so any suggestions would be just lovely. Also, I'd love a great spot for a romantic dinner with my husband for one night. xo

Now back to Purl Soho. I love this recent entry on their fabulous blog about Hawaiian prints and how totally modern they can look when done right. "Hawaiian quilts are one of those amazing traditional arts that look totally modern. They are usually made by folding a solid fabric from the center and cutting it the way you would cut a paper snowflake, but into a beautiful and wild looking tropical shape. Many of the traditional patterns look like pineapples, plumeria or palm fronds." Check out these fab pillows and great how-to. Inspiring!

I can't wait to fly over to the states -- I'm sooo excited and a really big bonus is that I've booked some fantastic spaces for Decorate and so I can't wait to meet the homeowners and see these beautiful properties up close and personal. This trip will definitely be a highlight for me someday when I look back on my life, I can't believe how fortunate I am -- I feel completely honored and a little bit nervous but excited still!

So... any NYC/LA tips for us? Oh, please! You guys are so well-connected, I'd love to know what you know! I'd love to know of some shops in NYC/Brooklyn that sell Japanese books/stationery, please tell me where to go for bubble tea, a great cupcake bakery, good restaurants & food carts in the city, cheap eats, flea markets to hit, semi-fancy eats, great parks, lovely flower shops, design-y shops that must be seen, stuff like that. I haven't been to these cities for a few years (2008 for NY and 2005 for LA)... so I'm rusty!

(images: purl bee soho. psst: the lovely illustrated map is by wonderful lena corwin.)