Mamma’s Teal Cat!

Posted on May 16, 2012

Guess what came in the mail recently that has gotten everyone excited at the pug palace? A one of a kind teal cat tchotchke from The Teal Cat Project: a fundraiser run by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of vegan cook book Appetite for Reduction, Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Also, alongside Isa is our good friend Anna Dorfman at Doorsixteen who designed the site and logo for the project and Leigh Ellis who runs the spray-painting process of every kitty litter of ceramic cats that come into the group. Now these girls mean business when it comes to saving feral cats everywhere and they do a great job at raising a ton of money through this unique project in which all of the proceeds are donated to affiliated kitty cat rescue programs such as San Francisco SPCA, Alley Cat Allies and NYC Feral Cat Initiatives.


Here’s how it works: The Teal Cat Project is a campaign in which ceramic cats are acquired through scouring thrift stores, eBay and from donations from cat lovers all over the world to create a kitty litter of cats that the group spray paints teal (I know, they look so damn cool in that color.) The cats are then collared and numbered with the Teal Cat Project logo and shipped out. Twenty-five dollars gets you a small cat as you see here in Mamma’s photos and thirty-five dollars gets you a larger size—and again, all of the money is donated to kitty cat rescue groups listed above that trap and neuter feral cats in a colony and return them to their territory where caretakers provide them with regular food and shelter. The teal cats are only available a few times a year and each campaign lasts until they run out of cats. Our teal cat is part of Isa’s fourth campaign and let me tell you, these cats sell out faster than a Madonna concert at Madison Square Garden—and if you miss out, it takes a few months for the next new litter of donated tchotchke cats to replenish. If you want to get involved with the donation aspect of this project, click here otherwise, check back often on their web site and get yourself a cool teal cat—they could easily fit into any Jonathan Adler trimmed home and quite frankly, they look cooler and more vintage-chic in my opinion!


So here is Mamma’s new decorative tchotchke cat with a lovely signed note from Isa Chandra Moskowitz! We hear she is a big fan of Mamma Biscuit (who isn’t?) and well, we love her and all the work that she does for cats in need too! Mamma Biscuit and family are all about being compassionate to animals and we like to donate to such causes when we can. The great thing about The Teal Cat Project is you can show your support and beautify your home at the same time—and that’s a win-win situation in our book!

Meow, Meow
Enjoy

Posted in Animal Welfare, Vintage | 6 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day, Mamma & Mom!

Posted on May 12, 2012

Mother’s Day is a special day to honor all of the mothers around the world who have given life and have nurtured their young to be who they are today! The tremendous sacrifices every mother makes is beyond selflessness and the abundance of unconditional love they give to the world and their children (biological or adopted) is the very core of our existence. There is nothing quite like a mother’s love and support and it should never be taken for granted and should always be appreciated, highlighted and celebrated—not just for one day but every day of the year! With that said, I want to take this opportunity to dedicate this entire post to the two most important ladies in my life, Mamma Biscuit and my very own mother.

My mother, pictured here embracing Mamma Biscuit, is one of the most inspiring women I know. She is loving, caring, expressive, compassionate, creative, religious and smart. Born and raised in a small town called Carolei in the region of Calabria, Italy (in case you were wondering, it’s the toe part of the boot of Italy) she emigrated to this country with my father without any family members and not knowing how to speak any English at all. Upon arrival, they both settled into the South Bronx (that’s right, the boogie-down Bronx) and she quickly immersed herself into the American way of life! Learning English and taking classes to further her education only fueled her interest in reading, drawing and painting—and these interests only served to encourage and inspire my natural inclinations towards creativity and the fine arts as I was growing up. I have vivid memories of my mom drawing giant Renaissance figures of the mythical and religious variety on the walls with graphite going up the staircase in the house that I grew up in. By the time I was born, my parents moved from the Bronx to a home in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City with both my sister and brother. I always thought that my mom was so talented and bold to draw and redraw on the walls. It’s not like my father minded at all considering he too enjoyed painting landscapes when he was younger on canvas with oil paints and understood the beauty of creating art of any kind—and he placed more importance on art rather than sports which made him cool in my eyes. My mother as well as my father both supported me fully when I decided to attend an art college to pursue studies in a creative field. Unlike most parents, they never brought up any issues of making a living or money. What was important for them was that I had an interest in pursuing a higher education and that I was happy doing what I wanted to do. My mother’s support was and still is boundless! Her capacity to not only love me unconditionally as her gay son but to view and respect me as a free-thinking adult really defines who she is—not just as a mother but as a human being!


So today, I want to thank my mom for being this amazing woman who continues to see the potential in me as well as within herself despite all of the crazy struggles, obstacles and distractions that life throws our way. I want to thank her for being so open to new ideas, new thoughts, new viewpoints and new agreements as well as disagreements we may arrive to with every intense conversation we engage in together. For a woman who was born into a culture full of sexism, homophobia and religion, my mom epitomizes the freedom and joys that come from the curiosity of asking questions and viewing everything in life with an open mind! Most of all, I want to thank her for loving Mamma Biscuit as much as Tommy and I do. Mamma Biscuit has found her most comfort within the arms of my mother. There is something about my mother’s voice and the grip of her embrace that has captured Mamma Biscuit’s spirit and that speaks volumes to me of how special my mom really is!

From Mamma Biscuit and the Biscuit household, we wish you all a very Happy Mother’s Day!

Enjoy!

Posted in Holiday, Portraits | 4 Comments

Sweet Semosh Makes a Good Filling!

Posted on May 8, 2012

Sweet Semosh has gone and done the unthinkable here by taking the iconic American chocolate chip cookie and making sandwich treats out of them with chocolate frosting in the middle—and quite frankly, this is the best baked treat to have ever come out of Tommy’s oven in my opinion! I know I can be a bit of a chocolate-overload junkie at times but I can honestly say that these treats are beyond amazing and totally perfect for any occasion or holiday.


Now Mamma Biscuit may not be able to sample chocolate treats of any kind, but her nose was working over time while we were assembling a tray of these chocolate chip treats for a friends naturalization party two weeks ago. I’m not surprised though, her nose has an impeccable palette and it’s only fitting that she share with you all the very best in vegan baked goods that Sweet Semosh has to offer!


The idea of taking two soft-chew chocolate chip cookies and joining them together with the most decadent, buttery chocolate frosting you’ve ever tasted is really part of the Sweet Semosh genius! There really is no better sweet treat to share with our newly naturalized buddy than this incredibly yummy sandwich cookie and Ruth Wakefield would be so proud!

Now even though one of these sandwich goodies packs enough chocolate to satisfy the most insatiable of sweet tooths, some of you fellow Cookie Monsters out there (like us) will crave more. Our advice would be to not fight it. Go on and have another cookie—after all, they are vegan and totally cruelty-free which makes them guilt-free too!

Have one with a cup of coffee, tea, or a tall glass of non-dairy milk. Either way, enjoy. Just please remember to sugar responsibly!

Enjoy

Posted in Sweet Semosh | 4 Comments

M. B. Loves Givenchy!

Posted on May 2, 2012

You don’t need to be a fashionista (or even a Maxxinasta) to realize that bright, bold colors are currently on trend for this Spring season here in New York City. Everywhere you look, guys, girls and even pugs are wearing super bright colors—and some are even brave enough to venture into the neon palette in their unyielding endeavors to stand out. Now Mamma Biscuit is no stranger to making bold statements regarding her fashion choices. No, our Biscuit Lady had been locked up in a puppy mill for the first eight years of her life so she’s not about to wear neutrals now that she’s living a free life in one of the most fashionable cities in the world. In fact, bright colors and designer cuts are really at the core of Mamma’s fashionable tastes and despite what the trends may be currently or what the fashion forecast calls for, our Bitch will always have a special place in her little puggie heart for colour—yes, I spelled it that way because I think it’s more romantic, so deal with it! Now the warmer weather calls for a light-weight garment for our pug to wear so we’ve put together a neckerchief look that incorporates those bright colors that are on trend right now with a touch of Nan Kempner whimsy and a love for the vintage!


Around June of last summer, the Biscuits took a walk up to Indian Hill Road and 218th Street in Inwood to check out Scavengers, a tiny, closet-sized vintage shop that carries anything you could possibly dream of from yesteryear. While Tommy was outside systematically leafing through every milk crate full of records that he could find (what else is new?) I was inside holding Mamma Biscuit in one hand while rummaging through a pile of vintage scarves for ladies with the other hand. Within minutes, I came across this original Givenchy scarf/neckerchief and I nearly passed out when the asking price on the sale tag for this gem was only ten bucks. TEN BUCKS FOR GIVENCHY? Now you know I snatched this baby up with the quickness while looking over my shoulders, worried that I was going to get called out by another shopper (not that there was anyone else in the store with me) for getting such a bargain! I immediately envisioned Mamma Biscuit wearing this for the following Spring as I left the vintage shop and so here we are, Spring 2012—and here she is, in all of her fashionable Springtime glory!




Now most of you longtime readers here already know that Mamma Biscuit is no stranger to a vintage collar or neckerchief. Last year, we picked up a couple of handmade bobbin lace and trim collars from the 1920’s to the late 1950’s from the St. Lawrence Antique Market in Toronto however, this Givenchy scarf is way more modern with it’s 60′s inspired four panels of warm complimentary colors of pinks and oranges. The repetitive letters spelling out the name of the designer label in white matches the contemporary, logo-clad designer aesthetics of todays luxury garments. Pairing this scarf with a diamond wreath brooch from Mamma’s private collection really finished off this chic look—and I have no doubt that the French would be so proud!


Now Mamma Biscuit would like to end this post with some advice for all of you gals and gents out there who fear bringing color into your wardrobe: try to use color as an accent to your entire outfit—a hot pink necktie on a gentleman wearing a crisp, modern black suit or a woman wearing lime heels with a chic black dress can make any man or woman look editorial-ready without looking ridiculous. If you want to go full throttle with color and patterns, make sure there is a sense of control and consideration to detail within the overall chaos of your look—the last thing you want is to evoke an infantile, preteen mall rat with tons of sparkle and bling (ughh, that word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.) Also, always remember that a colorful scarf, tie, hat, belt or shoe can replace any piece of jewelry on almost any type of outfit and that color blocking is a totally modern and bold way to infuse bright colors into your shoes or wardrobe without looking messy or insane! Have fun with it, and when in doubt, use neutral colors to draw looks back together with your color selection.


Happy Spring and good luck!

Enjoy

Posted in Editor's Note, Fashion, NYC Life, Vintage | 4 Comments

A Moment of Clarity!

Posted on April 25, 2012

Walking Mamma Biscuit every day affords me the opportunity to decompress from my fast-paced New York City life. I love taking our little gremlin outdoors—surrounded by nature within a park or the city at large while observing everyone’s reaction to her unbearable cuteness. Every walk we take or excursion we embark on seems to turn into a mini adventure full of surprises that add to the fabric of our city life! So it really came as no surprise when Mamma and I stumbled upon this spray-painted sentiment on the sidewalk on Broadway alongside Fort Tryon Park during her walk the other day. Now I don’t usually approve of vandalism (even though the color cyan makes me happy) but once I noticed this at my feet, all I could do was smile in agreement and fumble for my camera! I can’t help but wonder: if I were as obsessed with a mobile device, would I have even noticed this—or for that matter, the beautiful sky above?

Now before I even go on with this post, there is something you all should know about me: I have the oldest cell phone on the planet. It’s a flip-top phone that’s big and bulky and the battery is constantly running dry. It may even be six years old at this point yet I refuse to consider getting a new phone. New devices are so complicated looking and scare the living daylights out of me. Anyway, I can text and I can take crappy photographs with my cell phone but the sheer functionality of those features along with the overall look of the device is beyond archaic. In short, my phone is a direct reflection of how I view and consume mobile media. It’s not that I’m against devices that help us communicate on the go but what bothers me the most is how engrossed and obsessed people can get with their digital life—so much to the point that they neglect full, enjoyable experiences within their real life by default. The compulsion to text or tweet just for the sake of saying something while in a social setting or simply while walking down the street is a bit absurd (depending on the subject matter and how frequent) and can lead to anti social behavior in my opinion, yet everyone around me seems to do it all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an avid Facebook user and I blog here on Mamma’s little corner on the web so I’m no stranger to contributing to the big digital landfill of data up in the sky (you know, the big, beautiful sky) however, I engage in both these mediums at a desk while sitting down, not while walking on the street—and certainly not while eating in a restaurant or worse, on a dance floor at a nightclub. I guess Mamma and I are old-fashioned but wouldn’t it be better if we all allowed ourselves more of a life of full, undistracted experiences in real-time before reporting back and commenting on those experiences digitally? Wouldn’t racing to text or tweet something as an event unfolds cause us to actually miss out on the experience? Just a thought.

Now the last thing Mamma Biscuit and I want to do is find a cliche inspiration in some kind of “stop and smell the roses” idea but this sidewalk quote seems to be serviceable. So let’s put down our damn phones and start experiencing more in real-time. We may find that once we stop glaring at the blue of our mobile digital screens, we’ll stumble across something amazing that we would have missed had we buried our heads in our phones—like a cute pug with an unnaturally long tongue on the sidewalk! Now if you can’t do it for Mamma, then do it for Elmo! Had I been pecking away at a mobile keyboard, I would have missed Elmo smiling and waving at me as I passed him by—and that would have been a damm shame!

Here’s hoping none of you will accidentally walk into a brick wall while viewing this post on your mobile device!

Enjoy

Posted in Editor's Note, NYC Life | 12 Comments