November 27th, 2013 No Comments

black & white celebrations, inspiration for your wedding, birthday or holiday party

Whether you are planning a wedding, birthday party or holiday party, black and white is certainly a classic color choice and no matter what other color you might want to add almost every color will go with black and white. Here are some inspirational photos to spark your imagination for your next celebration. Placecards by Inkybug on Etsy.com A striped tent, pillows or even dance floor can give that wow factor. Unusual containers or vases like this elephant vase can add a touch of whimsy or infuse your interests and personality into your event. Balloons are a fun way … Read more

November 26th, 2013 No Comments

personalize your gifts with monogramed wrapping paper for the holidays

What a wonderful idea! Gail Brill of Gail Brill Design can create a gorgeous monogram for you and turn it into small sheets of 11 x 17 wrapping paper. Black and white or color can be printed. It’s a $35 set up fee and $2 per sheet for black and white and $3 per sheet for color. Have your own initial or Gail did my husband and my initials together for this gorgeous paper you see above. Gail has many fonts but her most popular is her “Brill Script” which I’ve included below so you can see each letter. The … Read more

November 25th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: classic black and white with neutrals

This week we’ll revisit black and white with neutrals like brown (maybe in a dark brown floor for example). Above are feathers from the local flower store. These are a great quick decorating detail for Thanksgiving. Pop a few clusters in a small bowl or glass vase and tuck in between your pumpkins and gourds or just alone on your bar or desk for a fall accent.

November 22nd, 2013 No Comments

miniature bites by peter callahan, perfect for entertaining over the holidays

You know I’m a big fan of my friend, Peter Callahan’s food and no better time of the year to either give his book “Bite by Bite” as a gift or to make the recipes yourself for any holiday gathering. He’s known for is miniature creations of small bite sized foods. This deviled quail egg above is a perfect hors d’oeuvre for holiday parties. But his book is packed full of creative ideas and recipes. Hands down it’s one of my favorite books to both have and to give.

November 21st, 2013 No Comments

we’re loving this bay leaf wreath as our first decoration for the holidays

A bit too early to decorate for Christmas but I think everyone is feeling really excited for the coming holidays and all the events that surround them. As one of your first decorations a wreath is a perfect prelude and is very welcoming, whether it be on your door or windows. We are really loving this bay leaf wreath this year from Mcfadden Farms for only $27.50.

November 20th, 2013 No Comments

weddings: food & cocktails can be part of your color palette too

When planning a wedding or any celebration, as you know I have always recommended deciding on your location and then selecting a color palette. I say start with your location because there might be some specific colors at your location that can’t be changed and you want to consider your surroundings. Once you select a color palette it will make planning easier as the choices are narrowed down for you AND your celebration will look cohesive and thoughtful. Your color palette is not only your table linens and flowers though. When you consider all your details of your party don’t … Read more

November 19th, 2013 No Comments

update how you serve punch for the holidays with these simple ideas & recipes

You can update the look of a traditional punch bowl just by using these other glasses and vessels. At the Philly Fish House in Philadelphia they take old wine bottles and recycle them by filling with their Philly Fish House Punch recipe and letting guests serve themselves from the bottles. Love those tumblers they show? We have them available on our shop. Here’s the link. (above photo by Tina Rupp) Consider using martini glasses to serve your punch to your guests instead of a tumbler or glass cup.  This Pineapple Punch from Cosmopolitan looks great in a martini glass. Try … Read more

November 18th, 2013 No Comments

this week’s color palette: golden yellows & green -perfect for thanksgiving

As the leaves fall and everyone is preparing for Thanksgiving there’s a transition in color palettes going on for the holidays. Most think of rust colors and oranges for October and Halloween. So a great transitional color palette for these weeks leading up to thanksgiving is a golden yellow and green. Fresh greens, herbs, wreaths can all adorn your home for Thanksgiving without looking like Christmas yet. Small punches of yellow or gold, with your glassware, a velvet ribbon tied around napkins etc. can elegantly adorn a November table setting or decor. The gold glasses I carry at the … Read more

November 15th, 2013 No Comments

inspiration for your holiday table: mckenzie powell’s enchanting florals

Mckenzie Powell, floral and event designer based in Seattle, has such romantic and organically beautiful florals. Mckenzie trained as a graphic designer which clearly has an impact on both her floral and event design. Her blog is charming. It features so many of her elegant celebrations and snippets of her personality and travels. When I asked her what advice she had for creating holiday centerpieces Mckenzie told me, “While I obviously love a lush floral centerpiece, something on the simpler side can still be really lovely. One of my go-to’s is using a collection of small potted plants, a … Read more

November 14th, 2013 1 Comment

Yippee Ki Yay, Rocketbuster Boots!

One of the best things about working in the design industry is meeting such creative people, like Nevena Christi of Rocketbuster Boots. Nevena and I worked at Nicole Miller together for a short time and Nevena certainly made an impression on me. I remember one of my first days on the job, Nevena had decorated Nicole’s office for her birthday with about 100 potato chip bags hanging from the ceiling and the design team would just reach up and grab a bag as they worked into the wee hours on a new collection.  Margaritas sent in from Virgil’s and … Read more