Spring is finally here! My brain is a veritable explosion of boozy brunches and cherry blossoms! Also? I’ve officially put away my winter wardrobe.

It was a relatively mild winter in terms of snow storms and such, but it felt so, so long, and there’s just nothing as amazing as seeing the flowers and leaves pop into view after months of grey.

It’s been a long time since I did an outfit post, too, so I thought the onset of this delightful season would be the perfect time to share a few of my favorite recent finds.

Here’s what I wore over the weekend when I was traipsing around my nabe and stopped for an iced chai at Brooklyn Kolache.

Just a few postcards from New York Cit-ay!

This week I did some sketching, got glittery nails, toasted the end of winter with some bubbly rosé, wore my new cat-eye sunnies everywhere, and soaked in the sights and sounds of this crazy place I call home.

I also got a new necklace, which I fell in love with and then promptly broke. Story of my life.

What are YOU up to this week?

After every 3,000 words we write, Krystal and I have a cocktail. It’s called motivation!

“There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time.” — Coco Chanel

Guys, I have a not-so-secret confession to make. I seriously love really cute cafés.

I love sitting in pastry-populated rooms with music playing, pink accents popping and other latte lovers parked on laptops rattling away at whatever they’re working on.

It’s like therapy. It IS therapy, for me! ;}

Artistic giraffe sculptures and adorably wrapped pastries? Take my money!

I found myself opening up Google Maps the other day and trying to run a search for “cute cafés” in Brooklyn. The results made me realize that search algorithms don’t really favor those with “cute” in their prerequisites for choosing a destination.

So, I decided to spend some time this spring and summer chronicling the cutest cafés in NYC as I find ’em.

I’m kicking it off with MacarOn Café in Tribeca…

Stop me if you’re totally relaxed, but I get a sense that all of us could use a little reminder to wind down this week. I’ve been living way too much inside my own head and too little in the world around me lately, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Writing projects, botched travel plans, daily obligations… even cool creative collaborations have me pulling out my hair!

Fresh off a five day retreat to the beautiful Hudson Valley to spend time with the fam recently, I rolled into Grand Central on the Metro North train, only to see my stress was waiting for me on the platform. It was tangible. I wanted to buy another ticket and flee the city for another week.

And you know what? When life feels like that, even though you’re #BlessedAF, it’s time to wind it back.

Here are some of my favorite ways to do exactly that. The best part? All of them can be done from the comfort of home.

Warning: #FirstWorldProblems ahead!

Do you daydream about traveling the world and working online? Are you visited by visions of waking up in paradise with your laptop, some strong coffee & great clients waiting for you? How about the feeling of finishing work at 11AM and spending your afternoon prancing along beaches and drinking from coconuts?

#LifeGoals, am I right?

Well, that life WAS my goal not long ago… *cue cheesy flashback sequence* 

Don’t worry. I’m not going to sell you the 10 Steps to Becoming the Coconut Queen of the Digital Nomads eBook. On the contrary, I’m going to get real for a second about this whole working-in-paradise thing.

I’ve learned a thing or two about how to be productive while you’re earning your income under swaying palm trees, sans-boss, sans-office, sans-predetermined schedule.

Check out my insight below.

Well, babes, it’s officially 2017, and I’m fully submerged in the shimmering newness of it all. I have high hopes for the next twelve months… But here’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way: without an action plan, hopes don’t evolve into results.

What about you? Aren’t you tired of hoarding dreams and ideas because you can’t figure out how to make them real? Aren’t you tired of procrastinating on passion projects and doing what you love?

Well, enough is enough.

I want you to have an amazing year, so I dug into my mental inventory of life lessons and 2016 epiphanies. The result was this post. It’s full of actionable, realistic tips for making 2017 a seriously stellar year.

Before you jump in, you should know something about me: I COMPLETELY embrace resolution making.

I think it’s ludicrous to discourage people from embracing a fresh start, even if failure to follow through is typical. Change can take a few times around the block to stick, and there are so many factors to achieving your goals.

But to not even try…?

You should never give up on reaching higher. Having hopes, dreams and goals not only gives life a lot more spice, it can even help you live longer. Not surprising, but kind of amazing.

So, seriously. Get on the bandwagon—and I’ll get off my soapbox, promise!

Here are 5 ways to make 2017 your best year yet… for real.

Confession time! Sometimes I shop for wine based on the label. I have my favorites, of course, but when I’m picking out something new, I definitely let my aesthetic inclinations get the better of me.

That’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite rosés!

Anyway, because of this little wine-shopping quirk that would cause my wine-connoisseur friends to experience mild seizures of frustration, I usually have some pretty cute empty bottles perched on my windowsill.

I’ll drop in a single flower or just let the light catch them until I cycle them out for the next round (hellooo, Minibar).

Earlier this month when I was cleaning out my apartment, I decided to put some of my prettiest bottles to use. I’d been wanting to make a luminous holiday centerpiece using LED lights forever… and this seemed like the perfect chance.

I’m kind of in love with the results. Want one for your apartment? A step by step video is below, clocking in at a whopping 36 seconds! Click through and check it out.

New York is pretty amazing all year round, but there’s one time in particular that you have to experience at least once: the winter holiday season.

Whatever you celebrate, if you’re into spectacular lights, cinnamon cocktails and DIY decor, you’ll find something to do in this veritable smorgasbord of metropolitan festivity.

There’s a lot going on though, from champagne toasting at Brooklyn boutiques to getting lost in holiday windows and watching acrobats in Santa hats. It’s hard to decide which events to pencil into your soiree schedule. That’s why I’m here!

Click through below for an evolving list of my favorite holiday 2016 to-do’s.

You better not shout, you better not cry…

We all know the lyrics to this uber-famous Christmas song… but the reality of the holidays for SO many of us is indeed of the cry-and-shout variety.

Between family drama, the pressure of #giftinggoals and stuffed schedules peppered with awkward office parties, it’s enough to drive anyone (except Martha Stewart) insane. With December 24th just a few weeks away, you might be wondering if this’ll be another year of not-so-magical chaos.

But wait—what if this year could be different?

What if you could get ahead of the madness, avoid the ho-ho-hangovers and swear off the vapid cocktail party convos for long enough to enjoy a holiday that’s actually jolly?

Don’t you want to be jolly, woman?!

Of course you do. So keep reading for 5 solid tips you can put to work this season to avoid having a Hallmark movie-sized meltdown. Also, there’s a present for you…

Aaand we’re back!

2016 has been an epic year. Between 3 apartments, 2 wild trips to Central America and Mexico, the 1 year anniversary of my website dedicated online writing and a busy client roster, I’ve been juggling a lot for the past 10 months.

But those of you who read the old Hey Mishka know I can’t just let the year end without trying to make it as epic as possible, so here’s my big news:

I’m relaunching Hey Mishka!

And oh-em-gee, I’m ecstatic about it. I had some serious back-and-forth about adding another project to my list, but the truth is, blogging adds a layer of joy to my day that I haven’t found anywhere else.

I’ve felt incomplete without Hey Mishka for nearly two years. I miss doing photoshoots, curating outfits and itineraries, and documenting life in this crazy city. Most of all, I miss sharing it with you!

When I reminded myself of this, the choice was obvious.

To celebrate the relaunch, I’m doing an Instagram challenge until the end of November. It’s called Self-Care November, and it’s all about taking amazing care of yourself!

Keep reading to learn all about #SelfCareNovember & the relaunch of Hey Mishka!