December 14th, 2012 No Comments

eco expert danny seo’s favorite gift picks

Eco expert Danny Seo loves this Pine Cone Diffuser in his home line! A perfect gift for anyone on your list and a unique hostess gift too for all those holiday parties we attend. It’s a metal pine cone with natural reeds and pine scented oil to make your home smell perfectly woodland! It’s only $9.99 at Home Goods. Another favorite of his are the Nesting Measuring Cups made from a sustainable and biodegradable bamboo resin in fun candy colors. These cups are only $7.99 at Home Goods and TJ Maxx stores. Pair them with a favorite recipe for … Read more

December 13th, 2012 No Comments

chocolate obsessed? meet Charley and Jessica Wheelock, the husband and wife team behind Woodblock Chocolate Manufactory

Portand, Oregon’s Woodblock Chocolate Manufactory is the creation of  husband and wife team, Charley and Jessica Wheelock. Jessica and I met while working together at Martha Stewart. So many creative people have worked or work at MSLO and Jessica is certainly one of them! They wanted to start a sustainable business so they decided on manufacturing chocolate. Charley, who has a background in industrial design, took classes, they both read books, researched beans and processes. They started the business in their home kitchen; they experimented and tweaked their chocolate process much like a wine maker would. Becoming experts in their … Read more

December 12th, 2012 No Comments

weddings with matthew robbins: a chic neutral woodland inspired color palette will lead to a beautiful and elegant wedding

I love all things inspired by natural environments. During my last trip to Ireland I obsessed over the abundance of ferns growing everywhere. I also love the woodland environments of Northern California filled with lush greens and towering trees. All of those places and things inspired the color palette and the treatment of the following arrangements and vignettes. Keep in mind you can have a chic, elegant bouquet, centerpiece and party even if you want the decor to be inspired by all things wild and lush. I know many times this type of inspiration can lead to feeling like everything … Read more

December 11th, 2012 No Comments

this week’s woodland palette inspires our table settings

To make your holiday table setting a bit more playful, try using woodland ornaments and bottle brush trees. Place an ornament at each place setting and your guests go home with a wonderful favor. These deer ornaments I found at a garden center but West Elm, Crate and Barrel, Amazon all have many woodland ornaments this year. Want a more classic holiday table setting? Use simple pine cones at each place setting with a place card. Take garland and dress with pinecones, ornaments and spray with faux snow to give it that ‘just snowed’ look. Place it … Read more

December 10th, 2012 No Comments

this week’s color palette, woodland neutrals & chocolate browns: meringue mushrooms…oh wendy kromer we love them!

I’ve been so inspired this month by the color palettes of natural birch, pinecones and even mushrooms. A gift of fruitcake…hmmm maybe not, but fruitcake cupcakes with meringue mushrooms? Yes, please! I’ve always loved cupcakes but for some reason I’ve been obsessed of late. These kind of details might be left to more advanced bakers but we’re in luck! We can order them straight from the best. Call on the cake expert (co-author of Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes and long time contributor to Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine), Wendy Kromer, who can whip up the most beautiful cake or small … Read more

December 8th, 2012 No Comments

it’s a kid’s holiday: trees, candy & oscar oh my!

I’m so glad I’ve saved several of the Martha Stewart Kids issues that I used to work on because this Candy Tree (photographed by Anna Williams) is so pretty I wanted to share it with you. Art Director, Deb Bishop did such an amazing job on these specials. I love the candy sticks around the bottom and the jelly candy as ornaments. Now that I have toddlers running around I realize you can’t put those ornaments from Bergdorf anywhere near the bottom of the tree – if at all!  Here are some online candy shops to help you recreate this look: … Read more

December 7th, 2012 No Comments

shopping for red and white christmas candy

I love shopping for candy for each holiday. I usually put the candy (in a color palette fitting the holiday of course) in big glass jars in the kitchen. But for Christmas this year I’ve been filling up vintage mason jars. Here are a few of my red and white Christmas candy picks from candywarehouse.com: Smiling Santa’s Milk Chocolate Mix (with peanut butter, caramel & double fudge fillings), $8.75 for 35 pc. bag, Red & White Peppermint Taffy, $9.90 for a 3 pound bag, Andes Peppermint Crunch Candy, $5 for 25 pc. bag, Red & … Read more

December 6th, 2012 No Comments

books: carolyne roehm’s “flowers”

I’m a collector of Carolyne Roehm’s books and I hope that her latest book “Flowers” will show up under my Christmas tree! Here’s a gorgeous example of a floral arrangement using reds, but with the accent colors of corals, pinks and burgundy (deep red) that I suggested in this weeks’ color palette (featured on monday). What a great hostess gift or for the gardener on your list. This book includes glossaries of flowers, so it’s a resource book as well.

December 5th, 2012 No Comments

weddings with matthew robbins: bring a welcoming, friendlier edge to vibrant red by pairing it with light tones & accents

“Red is often a color we all shy away from or we completely embrace. There isn’t much compromise when it comes to this vibrant color. I love red tones but don’t always enjoy going the typical route of pairing red with other jewel tones. A great way to bring a welcoming, friendlier edge to this intense color is to pair it with softer, lighter tones and accents as I did here. Instead of a deep, rich table linen I chose a textured, golden wheat tone. The dinner napkins were also an elegant golden yellow tone and even the votive candles … Read more

December 5th, 2012 No Comments

A Month of Weddings on Wednesdays with floral and event expert Matthew Robbins!

I have a very special contributor for weddings that I post every Wednesday. Matthew Robbins, owner of Matthew Robbins Design and author of “Inspired Weddings”: Designing Your Big Day with Favorite Objects & Family Treasures, will be sharing his expertise with us every Wednesday in December.  You may know Matthew from his contributions to Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, blog, radio and television show, The Huffington Post and the StyleList.com just to name a few.  If you aren’t familiar with Matthew’s work you are in for a treat! His book is beautiful and a perfect gift for every bride planning … Read more