from the west village

chinatown means mom's in town

2012-01-25T21:33:00.001-05:00

more london

2012-01-20T14:56:00.002-05:00

highlights

2012-01-19T19:57:00.001-05:00

London Calling

2012-01-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

Art

2012-01-15T10:04:00.000-05:00

all about lines

2012-01-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

happy new year!

2012-01-02T20:48:00.000-05:00

uptown, downtown, gaga-town

2011-12-23T08:31:00.000-05:00

these are a few of my favorite things

2011-12-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

vintage nyc

2011-12-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

it was a foggy morning in nyc

2011-12-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

my day so far

2011-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Project Nursery Article

2011-11-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

BEST CHRISTMAS EVER: OLD FAVORITES

by Johanna

November 28th, 2011 - 1 Comment

Holiday giving is in the air, and while I was pondering my list for my kidlets, I had a childhood flashback—my little brother, probably the age of two, going wild for “woof woof” his favorite toy. Woof Woof was a 1968 Fisher Price Beagle pull-along wooden dog that was placed under the tree. He loved this timeless dog, and we had it for years. My daughter, like her uncle, is completely dog crazy. When she was about six months old, I bought her a Follow Me Domino toy dog that barks and plays musical tunes when moving around the floor. She still screams with delight when this little pooch is in motion. Needless to say, this toy remains a huge hit and makes one terrific present for kids 6-24 months.

The Sing Along CD Player is a popular item in my household when we host playdates. It’s karaoke for toddlers—gotta love that!

All three of my kids adore musical instruments—they make great gift choices, and I have a soft spot for giving them. My three-year-old just received this guitar.

Never out of style and always a crowd-pleaser, you really can’t go wrong with an activity cube. Toddlers love them.

What toys do your kids go bonkers for? I’d love to hear them.

Parrot Cay

2011-11-15T09:36:00.000-05:00

Last week I celebrated my 10-year anniversary with my husband at Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos and it was pure bliss. Here are a few snapshots of paradise. I highly recommend this resort.

a blast from my past

2011-11-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

A little bit of Paris

2011-10-27T14:12:00.000-04:00

Project Nursery Article

2011-10-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

I wrote this article for Project Nursery. The girls over there have a fantastic site. Please check it out.

Traveling with Children: How to Stay Sane

Temper tantrums at customs. A baby that screams for six hours straight. A toddler that won’t stop kicking the seat of the passenger in front of them. Strangers giving you the stink eye. Becoming a casualty of projectile vomit from your sick child. These are a few of my travel experiences that I hold near and dear to my heart. Let’s face it, traveling with children has its moments and can be tough on parents and children, but it hasn’t stopped my husband and our three young children from our globetrotting adventures. Here are some of my top tips to help you stay sane the next time you fly. Bon voyage!

For long flights, I always choose a red-eye. My kids (fingers crossed) always seem to fall asleep immediately once we take off—gotta love the white noise. When we fly to France, I make sure that Maeve, my 17-month-old, and Graham, my 3-year-old, skip their afternoon naps. I always pick flights with few connections—nonstop work best with my family. Do yourself a favor and dress for comfort on travel days for both you and the children. Pack an extra set of clothes for your baby in your carry-on. Wet clothes are no fun! Airplanes tend to be cold, so bring an extra sweater for the kids. Car seats may seem like a bulky carry-on and just one more item to add to the pile, but a car seat is much more comfortable for your tot than a seat designed for an adult.
A light umbrella stroller is a must! I’m still using my Maclaren Quest for Maeve—the same one my eldest son Liam used six years ago. It’s clocked some serious mileage and is still going strong.

I always throw my ERGObaby carrier into my suitcase for Maeve. It allows me the option of wearing her while keeping my hands free—perfect for subway rides.

Keep your children entertained with a bevy of options: portable DVD player, iPod or iPad, Nintendo DS (Liam’s favorite), books, stickers, crayons and coloring books. My clan enjoy the oversize headsets, plus they just look cool.

Be sure you’ve packed the “must haves” for your carry-on bag: a hearty supply of snacks that aren’t super messy, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, diapers, rash cream, ziplock bags, sippy cups, formula, extra bottles, pacifiers (a favorite in our home), Tylenol/Motrin and any special medications your child may need.
Do you have any travel tips to share with our readers? If you do, I’d love to hear them.

A beautiful day in NYC

2011-10-05T15:28:00.000-04:00

toronto bound

2011-09-29T22:37:00.000-04:00

nyc oldies

2011-09-29T22:25:00.000-04:00

i heart this

2011-09-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

Out and About

2011-09-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

Exciting News!

2011-09-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

I'm so pleased to announce that I'll be writing two articles a month for the girls over at Project Nursery. Project Nursery is all about showing real parents how to take charge of their own design and decorating projects. The site offers readers a rich photo gallery of design projects submitted by parents and designers, hip finds for the family home, do-it-yourself projects, clever party ideas, expert design tips and fabulous weekly giveaways. Please check out the rest of the design team.

This is my Project Nursery bio and a few of my favorite things - I hope you like them.

Design Expert: Johanna Lindsay

I’m a New York-based photographer who lives in the West Village with my husband, three children and a Westie. I started my career as the Associate Producer for The Second City Toronto where I originally hail from. Eleven years ago, I moved to New York City to work in public relations for various Broadway shows before becoming a full-time mother to Liam, Graham and Maeve. I have traveled around the globe and have three special countries that I hold close to my heart: France, India and Vietnam. My design aesthetic pulls from my love of travel and these places. I have collected furniture, art and rugs from my various adventures and showcase them proudly throughout my home. The style of my apartment can be summed up as traditional with a mix of South East Asia.
As a mother of three living in a New York City apartment, I’m always trying to find ways to maximize space and keep things organized. I like clean lines, no clutter and enjoy eating cake.

- Johanna

From the West Village

Johanna Loves…

1. I adore everything that Serena and Lily has to offer. I especially love that the bedding for a little girl’s room is exotic, happy and fun. 2. Core Fusion is the hardest workout I have ever done, and I can’t get enough. Using your own body weight as resistance, small hand weights and a ton of planks, this workout has my thighs screaming for more. 3. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a nighttime serum designed to help repair your skin as you sleep—the best part is it smells like lavender. Bliss! 4. The easy breezy clothes from Calypso St. Barth are beautifully made with unique designs. I have so many outfits that never seem to get old. 5. As a photographer, the Canon EOS 7D is hands down my favorite. I love the quality and the sharp images this camera produces. 6. Chic and timeless. I’ve been wearing these lightweight Ray-Ban Aviators for years and won’t stop. 7. These Paumes lifestyle design books from Japan are fantastic. I especially love the Children’s Rooms series. The pictures in these books are eye candy. 8. If I weren’t living in NYC, I would be living in Paris. I love everything about this city—the architecture, the food, the wine, the outdoor markets. I could go on.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T09:20:00.000-04:00

Messages along 5th Ave

2011-09-09T19:42:00.000-04:00

I left mine at the 105th floor.

Fall is in the air

2011-09-06T13:34:00.000-04:00

Rainy and cold in NYC today. Summer seems so far gone.

enjoy your weekend

2011-09-02T19:27:00.003-04:00

I'm back

2011-08-31T20:22:00.000-04:00

We had an incredible time in the Outer Banks. Unfortunately due to Hurricane Irene, we had to evacuate two days earlier than our scheduled departure date, only to head north to NYC for 12 hours to tape up our windows and head to the mountains for our second evacuation.

I have so many pictures to post. This is just a sample.

And we're off....

2011-08-13T03:25:00.000-04:00

Heading to the beach for two whole weeks. See you back here at the end of the month.

love a good fruit stand

2011-08-11T19:59:00.000-04:00

I've lost count of the days....

2011-08-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

Not on my game for The August Break project.

Day Four

2011-08-04T08:32:00.002-04:00

Day Three

2011-08-03T13:20:00.000-04:00

Day Two

2011-08-02T20:02:00.000-04:00

Happy August Break

2011-08-01T14:25:00.000-04:00

sweet moments from the week

2011-07-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

salt water sandals

2011-07-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

I love these sandals. Boys. Girls. It doesn't matter. These sandals really are the best.

Amagansett

2011-07-24T20:25:00.000-04:00

The August Break

2011-07-22T20:26:00.000-04:00

I'll be participating (for the second year) in Susannah Conway's awesome summer project. I'll be going on daily photography safaris. These are the rules:

The plan is: you simply share one photo (or more!) per day on your blog – Monday to Friday, or every day. Or whenever you feel moved to share. Using any camera – DSLR, compact, Polaroid, Holga, iPhone (my choice), Instax, film or digital – with or without words – anything goes! – for the whole of August. No pressure – just looking at August through your camera lens as a way to be more present this summer. And to have a little break from the pressures and expectations of regular (wordy) blogging.

There are NO RULES, people! Just sunshine (hopefully) and a bit of fun. And lots of lovely photos to look at.

Come join me.

hot in the city

2011-07-21T14:04:00.000-04:00

New York City is just unbearable with the heat. I'm digging the postcard picture on the right (spied it at Chelsea Market). That gal has some moxy!

Sagaponack

2011-07-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

uptown downtown chinatown

2011-07-13T11:15:00.001-04:00

heading to the beach

2011-07-08T14:03:00.000-04:00

scene from a roof top party

2011-07-06T21:32:00.001-04:00

i want candy

2011-06-28T07:35:00.000-04:00

monday's walk

2011-06-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

pastis with friends and missing paris

2011-06-24T12:47:00.000-04:00

hudson street farmers market

2011-06-23T21:56:00.003-04:00

pictures of pictures

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

How cool are these pictures of some well known NYC store fronts? Cool idea right?

this was friday

2011-06-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

a fine read.....

2011-06-16T14:22:00.001-04:00

The girls over at Project Nursery had me write a few tips for capturing a busy toddler on the go. Thank you Pam and Melissa, I had such fun writing this.

Enjoy the read from Project Nursery!

Photographer’s How-To: Capture Your Active Toddler With Ease + Giveaway
June 16, 2011

Share9

This post on toddler photography tips is brought to you by your fellow photo lovers at Shutterfly. They encourage you to capture your memories and share your amazing pictures the way you want with their New Custom Path photo books.

Toddlers are really fast movers and have endless amounts of energy which makes snapping that perfectly posed photo near impossible. My toddler son is notorious for giving me either a silly face, tongue out or forced oversized grin. Thank heavens for the digital camera right? I snap away without commitment and I know I’ll get a few shots with a natural smile and adorable face. When it comes to capturing your toddler in action, New York based photographer and mom of three Johanna Lindsay has it down pat. You are likely to find her out and about in downtown Manhattan with camera in tow, ready to capture those priceless toddler moments. Johanna has been kind enough to share some of her top tips for capturing the energy, joy and excitement of the toddler.

Photographer Tips on Capturing Your Toddler In Action

1. Choose the right lighting. Lighting is key and the best lighting is natural sunlight. I love it. Soft and lovely. If it’s too bright, you will get an end result of shadows and a toddler with squinty eyes. Shoot in open shade and avoid direct sun. If you take photographs inside, try to do it near a large window that doesn’t have direct light and turn the flash off. If you do use a flash make sure it’s a good one, so the pictures aren’t dark. Also, set your camera to the red eye reduction mode – you can always remove the red eye later with photo editing.

2. Get down on your knees. You need to get down to their level. You don’t want to have all your toddler pictures of him/her looking up - although sometimes that effect is quite good. My favorite lens at the moment is a 50mm. It allows you to get up close and personal. The results are incredible.

3. Shoot lots. Having your toddler sit still and pose for the camera is no easy feat. Toddlers are on the move and move fast. Take a ton of pictures, you may only get one or two amazing shots. Don’t worry about being snap happy, if you have a digital camera you can review your shots and press the delete button. Presto, they’re gone.

4. Simplify your background. Avoid shooting backgrounds that are distracting, you want to focus on capturing your toddler. Carry your camera at all times I always carry my camera in my bag. You just never know. Those spontaneous shots are often the best in the bunch.

5. Have fun and go with the flow. Do whatever it takes to make your child smile (use props/toys/food) and put that twinkle in their eye – you may look ridiculous in the process of doing so, but you may end up with a fantastic shot. Not all pictures have to have your toddler smiling. Remember great photographs come from real moments and those are the keepers.

6. Don’t be afraid of a little bribery. When all else fails……

feeling very girl power

2011-06-15T08:26:00.000-04:00

Having Fun

2011-06-13T14:41:00.009-04:00

Playing Tourist In The City

2011-06-05T20:05:00.008-04:00

Scene from 38th Street

2011-06-03T19:55:00.005-04:00

Poolside

2011-06-02T21:28:00.004-04:00

Playing hooky poolside with girlfriends today = best day ever!

My Day

2011-05-16T17:18:00.005-04:00

green and white and oh so pretty!

2011-05-05T19:38:00.003-04:00

This collection is an oldie. I just came across it and think it's just perfect for this time of year.

May Flowers

2011-05-01T08:29:00.003-04:00

Royal Frenzy

2011-04-29T12:51:00.014-04:00

I've got the fever - the wedding fever and apparently so does the West Village. My friend Heather hosted a wedding viewing complete with British treats. Enjoy the weekend.

the year of the bow

2011-04-26T21:12:00.004-04:00

Wedding Fever

2011-04-25T19:04:00.002-04:00

Graham and Maggie

2011-04-13T19:57:00.002-04:00

This is my son with his best friend. Such a sweet moment.

Sweets and Sweden

2011-03-26T08:28:00.013-04:00

Attention Swedish Fish fans. Sockerbit Sweet & Swedish is a new candy shop that opened this week in the West Village, NYC.

Bedtime Bus Roll

2011-03-23T22:10:00.001-04:00

Hipstamatic love

2011-03-22T22:13:00.004-04:00

Monday

2011-03-14T22:29:00.001-04:00

It's a girl thing

2011-03-09T20:59:00.006-05:00

Silence

2011-03-06T14:07:00.004-05:00

I've got two sleeping children and about an hour to myself. The air is heavy and rain is just about to take over the city. As I look out of my living room window the Hudson river is so still and calm. Silence. I'm having a perfect moment.

West Palm Beach

2011-03-03T19:51:00.006-05:00

Maeve's Room

2011-02-14T18:39:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T21:08:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday

2011-01-28T08:18:00.003-05:00

Snow Day

2011-01-27T19:48:00.005-05:00

Tuesday

2011-01-25T20:38:00.006-05:00

Instagram Fun

2011-01-18T08:25:00.003-05:00

I'm having fun with the Instagram app on my iphone.

Scenes from the High Line

2011-01-09T21:17:00.007-05:00

Snow Day

2010-12-27T18:47:00.006-05:00

The snow storm here in NYC kept us from flying to Canada this morning. We're scheduled for take off tomorrow morning. Today we played in the snow, made snow angels and went sledding. Happy New Year to all.

NYC street art

2010-12-23T22:41:00.005-05:00

Sidewalk Shadows

2010-12-22T14:01:00.001-05:00

West Village Holiday Spirit

2010-12-21T20:34:00.008-05:00

Took my camera out today while running around the hood and this is what I saw.

this is my paris

2010-12-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

this is my paris by Johanna Lindsay | Make Your Own Book

Seasons of Love

2010-12-11T13:42:00.001-05:00

My Posse

2010-12-03T08:27:00.003-05:00

I've been so busy this week. I feel my head is spinning, hence the lack of pictures and postings. Spied this very cute car decal outside my apartment. If I was ever going to get a decal this would be the one - this is my crew - in gender order. However, it is missing a Westie. Happy weekend friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:58:00.003-05:00

My mission today

2010-11-22T19:52:00.010-05:00

I decided that I would try to find as much "red" as I could on my walk today. These are my top picks.

Letterpress Love

2010-11-18T19:55:00.014-05:00

Greenwich Letterpress is a gem of a store in NYC's West Village that specializes in stationary and cool gifts. Check out the wrapping paper. So unusual - really a piece of art that demands to be framed. My favorite is the British one. Enjoy the tour friends.

Love Letters

2010-11-16T19:11:00.003-05:00

Love letters from friends are the best, especially when they come in the mail. This one made my day. Thanks H.

I've been busy.

2010-11-13T07:13:00.009-05:00

This is a peek into my week's activities. I'm hoping next week i'll have more time for blogging. Happy weekend friends.

Hello!

2010-11-05T08:26:00.004-04:00

Isn't this Hello print cute? I found it on Esty and just love it. Have a great weekend.

Cool Wallpaper

2010-11-02T14:25:00.007-04:00

Anthropologie has the best wallpaper. I just adore the library print. My friend Heather has similar wallpaper in her bathroom and it looks fantastic. The bottom picture is dedicated to my three favorite little people.

Trick or Treat

2010-10-30T20:02:00.008-04:00

Eataly is good

2010-10-24T19:57:00.014-04:00

Some photos of Mario Batali's Eataly - a fancy Italian grocery store/market/restaurant on 23rd Street.

A peek at the week

2010-10-22T21:24:00.012-04:00

Bits from the week. Have a great weekend.

Happy 6-months

2010-10-19T20:53:00.005-04:00

Maeve is half a year old. Where is the time going? I'm gulping it down, taking it all in and watching it fly by so fast. Slowwww down world!

My Saturday

2010-10-18T22:03:00.003-04:00

Highlights from Saturday afternoon.

Happy Friday...

2010-10-08T22:51:00.006-04:00

and happy Thanksgiving Canada! I hope you all have a restful weekend. See you next week.

iphone love

2010-10-07T21:51:00.004-04:00

I spied a whole lotta love this week with my iphone.

Pearl River Market

2010-10-02T21:18:00.015-04:00

My mom is visiting and we always have so much fun poking around Pearl River Market in Soho. Tea tins make excellent vases for flowers - I always walk out with a few. I hope you enjoy our latest trip.

Coffee Break

2010-10-01T13:17:00.004-04:00

Coffee with mom.