It might be a stretch to call The Palm Court at The Plaza Hotel a “café”, but my visit for Christmas tea this week more than earned it a place on my list of aesthetically pleasing hideaways.

I felt halfway between Gossip Girl and Downton Abbey as mom and I sipped bubbly and snacked on decadent bites in the midst of towering palms and a stunning interior. The prefix is pricey, but you know what? The experience was worth it.

The one word I’d use to describe Christmas Tea at The Plaza Hotel? Exquisite. Read on for stunning photos and a few insider tips that may be helpful if you’re planning your own visit.

We’re only just getting into the thick of December, but I’m already deep in the holiday madness. Freelance writing gigs and planning the Sugar x Spice Holiday Makers Market (next weekend in Brooklyn! RSVP there) have been taking time and energy, but you know me… I must make space for frivolity.

It’s non-negotiable. 😉

Since I didn’t have time to plan a full-blown Rose Gold Dinner Club gathering, I hosted an informal hang involving festive drinks, gingerbread houses, and antlers. Because of course I did.

As we constructed little houses and got royal icing all over the place, I realized a whimsical party was just what I needed to start the season on a jolly note. I mean, when was the last time you genuinely felt jolly?

As we laughed hysterically, belted out x-mas karaoke songs, and reenacted childhood Christmas traditions, I realized “jolly” was the only word for it. 

My favorite snaps from the gathering, as well as tips for putting one together, are below.

Introducing… the project I’ve been going nuts over for the past couple of weeks! The Hey Mishka Vintage shop is officially open for holiday 2018.

I’ve been hunting high and low, online, offline, upstate, and all over NYC for magical vintage pieces that you can rock during the holidays. I’ll be adding additional styles to the shop all week and into the new year.

We did an exciting shoot in my apartment at the end of November to kick off the launch. It was a day of pastries, xmas lights, and standing on a step ladder to capture big smiles and candy cane-garnished toasts. So fun!

I hope it gets you in the holiday spirit and gives you a few outfit ideas, too.

Some of you may remember the vintage shops I’ve had connected to this blog in the past—and the fact that shooting DIY lookbooks in my various apartments has been a long-standing passion of mine.

Treasure hunting for special pieces and sharing them on my blog has also been a passion for the past decade! This time, the shop is bigger, better, and more festive than ever.

See the full lookbook below—and shop Hey Mishka Vintage holiday 2018! You can also get on the mailing list to receive updates on new arrivals and sales.

Is it just me, or is it kind of perfect when Halloween falls on a random weekday? That gives you actual Halloween and a weekend before—or after—for extended costume & candy festivities!

Am I actually just an overgrown child? Yes, when it comes to holidays, I am.  And nothing brings out my inner dork like Halloween.

This year I decided to host a chill pregame get-together for Halloweekend, gathering some friends up for drinks and costumed foolishness before we headed to the Queens Brewery for additional foolishness.

With just a few touches, I created a spooky spread for snacks, drinks, and creeping it real (sorry not sorry). Here’s a closer look! 

Halloween might be Wednesday, but we’re officially landing in Halloween weekend this evening! 🎃 Eeek!

Don’t know what you’re wearing? No problem. I tore through my closet and put together five fun costumes using things I already had laying around.

Now, some of these definitely did involve costume pieces from years past, but I’m willing to bet if you read my blog you’ve got a few random wigs, masks, and other fun things in your room, too.

We’re just those kinds of gals, amirite?!

I’ve noted below where I purchased things to add to the costume, along with the price, so you can see just how cheaply I put these together.

And while you might not be able to copy my costumes verbatim, I hope these will serve as inspiration for you to create your own!

Ready to dive in and trick-or-treat yourself to some no-fuss costumes?

Let’s go!

Geeze! It’s been a minute. How are you, babes?

When life is so rich with people, places, and moments that you don’t have time to blog… that’s not really a bad thing, is it? But yes, I miss writing for Hey Mishka. 💗 This blog of mine is always on my mind.

I thought I would pop in and give you a little preview of what’s in store here—as well as what I’ve been up to.

Life tends to get away from me in the summer months, especially this time around. I was moving, working with two incredible companies on freelance projects, and buried in the many initiatives we have going on as we prepare to launch Day Job Optional.

We also had our annual family camping trip to the beach, which was dreamy, and I went through some big changes in my personal life that definitely reshaped my world.

So yeah, a lot has gone down!

As soon as Libra season hit though, I felt back at home in the universe: creative, aligned, and full of good vibes.

Of course, that also means my social side comes out, even more so than the summer, and I tend to fill my calendar with fun stuff.

Exhibit A: fun stuff

Fall brings a creative whirlwind that sucks me right in. All I want to do is make things. This delicious urge keeps me scribbling and sketching during every moment of downtime.

I’m in a pretty demanding freelance role at the minute, so time is precious, but whenever possible I’ve been planning holiday content to brighten your world this season—and I’m beyond excited to share it and breathe some life back into this blog!

Get ready for epic festivity, joy-inducing content, and cool DIY projects.

I’ll even be collaborating with some inspiring women in the city who have amazing talents and energy to share.

Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter and follow me on social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) so you don’t miss out on anything.

I’ll see you back here soon!

Have you ever hit a breaking point in your overwhelm where your brain just forces you into a mandatory summer chill session?

Maybe it’s a summer thing…

I hit that point last week. I won’t even try to make it sound cute: I was a stressed out mess over everything from work to personal stuff, and no amount of list-making or staring at the computer screen was helping.

I thought I could hustle through it, but no. My brain was like, “That’s it, Mishka. Slow the eff down.”

I fully admit that I may have too many projects going on right now. As basic as it sounds, I love doing stuff! Making things, going places, collaborating…

I mean, you guys know me.

But sometimes, a girl’s gotta grab a bottle of brut rosé—this one, in particular, is perfection, and I grabbed it while leaving Grand Central—and just recline in the grass.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I ended up taking an entire day mid-week to slow down and defrag my brain.

(Remember manually defragging your PC? I used to love watching those little cubes get organized!)

I popped that bottle, sprawled out on the lawn and attempted to reach a place of relative zen. I still thought about projects (and I still took these photos—guilty), but once the tripod was shoved aside, I was able to chill out and just enjoy the day.

Aaah, what a feeling! Summer in the Hudson Valley has been amazing. Knowing that I’m returning to the city in August has helped me to appreciate it even more.

Summer is here, and it’s not messing around! New York has been pummelled by heat and humidity for the past few days, making it a good time to sit on the porch (or in front of a fan) with a good book.

It’s been a long time since I lined up books to read. I’ve spent the bulk of the past 5 years reading personal development and business books—and basically spending all of my free time working on blogs and websites or other projects.

To be honest, I have raised my eyebrows more than once at those who seem to blow through books each month. I don’t have the patience for stories, I sometimes mumble to myself. I have stuff to do!

Sadly, that’s been my mindset for a while, which is why I’ve fallen behind with my own blogging (which is, essentially, storytelling), here on Hey Mishka.

The good news is, I am slowly edging back into fiction.

Last year I went on the annual family beach camping trip and picked up a cheesy beach read on my way. I chose it for its bright pink cover and amusing synopsis. It was a story about a blogger who goes through a major life transformation after her picturesque world falls apart.

Timely, right?

Anyway, I didn’t finish that book, but it was pretty fun to read, and reading fiction made me realize how my own writing has dulled over the years.

They say reading is one of the best ways to become a better writer, and I could immediately see that I was grossly lacking in storytelling techniques, unique character development, and the ability to weave an engaging narrative of any kind.

Yikes.

(You guys may or may not know this, but I am attempting to write fiction on the side.)

Long story short, I’m back into fiction again, re-reading some of my favorites, and checking out some new books as well. My genres are all over the place, much like my brain.

Below you’ll find my reading list and (non-affiliate) links to the books on Amazon.

Spring is feeling rather summery here in the Hudson Valley, but I’m definitely not complaining. Am I the only one who doesn’t realize just how gloomy winter gets until it’s over? Each spring I feel like I’ve been reborn into a brand new human. New goals, new projects, new inspiration…

I know that’s considered the whole point of spring, but it really is a powerful effect. I was basically a stressed out basket case all winter long, and now I’m easing into the warm weather vibe like winter never happened. Actually, can we pretend that?

Anyway, now that the woods are turning green and the temperature is a nice, even 70 °F for most of the day, I’m spending as much of mine outside as possible. And trust me, it just wouldn’t be a chill day outside without a sweet little glass of pink moscato.

Thumbs Up sent me these crazy cute diamond-shaped whiskey glasses to try, but since I don’t do much hard whiskey drinking these days, I decided to test them out with a bottle of summery pink moscato instead. Yes, the ultimate girl drink is my favorite thing to indulge in when I’ve finished hours (and hours) of writing and I just want to unwind.

These little glasses held up to the task, but are they really worth the money? Check out my review below.

I often lament about missing my “creative past”—an era between 1995 and 2009 where I was a veritable powerhouse of creativity. I was writing fiction, molding miniatures out of clay, designing clothes, sketching up characters and even drawing DIY comics…

A lot changed in my life after graduating from fashion school, which isn’t surprising. What I didn’t realize was that the free-wheeling creativity is what I would miss the most from my younger days.

Once upon a time, I would spend day and night on creative projects. It was as natural as breathing. These days, I have an instant pang of “isn’t there something you should actually be doing?” when I attempt to engage in something whimsical.

Growing up also comes with a fat dose of reality, and that distracts us from the all-important sense of joy and discovery that embarking on a random creative adventure can be. That’s why I was so excited to see #The100DayProject pop up on my Insta-feed this April. It’s a 100-day long challenge where participants simply do one creative thing each day.

Some people are doing visual and performing arts, others are writing or making music. When I found it, I decided to try and revive my love of sketching, and I created a separate Instagram account to post my creations each day.

The odds that I’ll actually do this every day for 100 days is pretty slim, but I am welcoming the excuse to take time out of my day and just draw. It turns out that this is excellent therapy—almost meditative.

My drawings are nothing groundbreaking our amazing. I have a recurring theme of pastries and pretty girls in romantic, melancholy moments. I’ve been photoshopping some of the sketches into backgrounds to create a little world.

My long-term idea for this project is to develop it into a series of characters who live in a little imaginary world called Pink Moon Cafe, but I’m not really worrying about how/if I get that far with it.

Another idea behind the separate account is to encourage a message of solidarity through creativity. Drawing and writing have gotten me through some tough times in my life. My creativity is something I know I can always take refuge in when the shit hits the fan. We don’t always remember how powerful a tool self-expression can be, in all forms.

For now, I’m having fun, and I wanted to post this to remind you guys to have some fun too.

So, tell me! What did you enjoy when you were younger? What if you could pick up the habit again? If you need permission to do so, I’m giving it to you now. Creative expression of all kinds can be a form of therapy and a way to rebalance our minds.

Making things feels good. If you want to see more of my drawings, check out Pink Moon Cafe here and follow the account! And be sure to follow my main Insta, Hey Mishka, if you’re not already.

Let me know what you end up doing, and drop me a link to your account if you’re doing the challenge, too!