 | | |
Archive for: December, 2009
14 comments
December 31, 2009
Reflection – A Good Year and More to Come
Image courtesy of Martha Stewart. Time rarely stands still for me. Between running a business in fast-paced Manhattan, daily blogging, and taking care of my family, it is easy to get swallowed up in the moment and not take the time to reflect. I love this time of year because the clean break in the year provides me (sometimes forces me) with the much needed opportunity to reflect about the last year. 2009 has been…
December 31, 2009
Black-Eyed Pea Decor for New Year’s Eve
Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. In the United States, many believe that ringing in the New Year with black-eyed pea dishes will bring prosperity for the year ahead. There are so many simple and inexpensive ways to incorporate black-eyed peas into your New Year’s Eve decor. Here are a few ideas that we thought up for you to tie in black-eyed peas into your New Year’s party:…
December 28, 2009
Countdown Decor
We’re loving this countdown decor from Martha Stewart. Simply gather some vintage clocks and place throughout your New Year’s decor with candles and a garland. How are you decorating your New Year’s party? We’d love to hear!…
December 24, 2009
Holiday Cookie Ideas
In case you are still baking for Christmas, here are some fun holiday cookie ideas from Readers Digest via the Decorated Cookie. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!…
December 24, 2009
Holiday Desserts from Cannelle et Vanille
I’m loving the chestnut holiday desserts that Aran of Cannelle et Vanilleis baking in her kitchen for the holidays. Aran and I quickly bonded when we worked on this event together. She is a gifted baker, amazing photographer and stylist, and she happens to be as sweet as sugar. Lucky me, I am in Aran’s area for the holidays and I get to see her again during the holiday break. Here are some of the…
December 23, 2009
Cake Box Party Favors
I just received an email from Party Starters about their adorable custom cake box party favors. Not only can these party favors be a cute centerpiece on a table, but they are also a sweet (and mess-free) way to bring home some cake after a party to a loved one. They even have seasonal cake boxes like Christmas cake boxes and gingerbread cake boxes. Check out their full line on their site here or their…
December 18, 2009
Better Homes and Gardens Shoot
I have to apologize for not blogging yesterday while at the Better Homes and Gardens shoot and O Magazine party. The events were back-to-back and both were extremely exciting and intense so we just couldn’t blog while things were happening. But I am here now to give you the behind the scenes of the first event yesterday morning. It was a special shoot with Better Homes and Gardens for their May 2010 issue. I can’t…
December 16, 2009
Desert-Bound Bachelorette Party
Okay, if you are a regular on the blog scene, I am sure that you have seen this innovative desert-bound bachelorette party styled for Utterly Engaged by my fellow blogger, tweeter and friend Paige Appel of Bash Eco Events and her frequent collaborator Kelly of Yes, Please (who I just discovered!) But since some of you may not surf the net frequently, I couldn’t let you miss the opportunity to see this. Besides, those who…
December 15, 2009
Amazing Arrangements from Rountree Flowers
I’ve been speaking with Jessie Weidinger of Rountree Flowers about a special project we are working on. You may remember Jessie’s amazing work from our Moroccan table with Sunday Suppers. Jessie pairs the beauty of classic, lush flowers with unexpected – but subtle – natural elements. Her arrangements are unique, alluring and inspiring. Check out Rountree’s portfolio here. There are so many beautiful arrangements on her site so be prepared for loads of inspiration!…
December 14, 2009
Eggnog Cannolis from Stuffed Artisan
I don’t know how time is flying by so fast, but Christmas is just around the corner and it is time to start prepping your menus for the holiday. If you are looking for something special to serve for dessert, try out these eggnog cannolis from Stuffed Artisan Cannolis. Owners Anthony and Brielle have mixed American culinary concepts with the authentic Italian pastry filling and have mastered the twist on this traditional Southern Italian dessert.…
December 12, 2009
Happy Hanukkah!
Hanukkah spirit is in our house today. Our house smells of sweet potato latkes, jelly doughnuts, and the cookies below. Our kids are singing hanukkah tunes, spinning dreidels and admiring the cookie menorah that we posted earlier in the week. Happy Hanukkah from our house to yours! Photography by Allan Zepeda for Mel Barlow Photography.…
December 10, 2009
Feature Dessert Table from a Flight Attendant
We’re working on an event today with Preston Bailey today (I can’t wait to see what he does!) and are a bit swamped at the moment to share what we’re doing, so I thought I would share an interesting email that I received from one of my readers. I get A LOT of emails from people who are trying to create their own dessert tables. Often, they share pictures of their own dessert bars. I…
December 09, 2009
Martha Craft Sale Part II
We are swamped getting ready for parties and photo shoots with O Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Preston Bailey, so I apologize for the delay in showing you some of the other goodies that I found at the Martha Stewart craft sale on Friday. Alas, here they are! Adorable hairpins from Wren handmade. These would be so cute on a flower girl. Mini notes from Love Teenie. These would be perfect thank you notes…
December 08, 2009
Hanukkah Cookie Bags
With Hanukkah quickly approaching, we wanted to give you one more fun baking and crafting project. We created little cookie bags, which we made look like mini shoe dust bags, by simply sewing paper that we found from Kate’s Paperie. With these cookie cutters, we baked off a basic sugar dough , and then decorated the cookies with royal icing from here. We then filled our little cookie bags with the Hanukkah cookies! We hope…
December 07, 2009
Hanukkah Cookie Menorah
Hanukkah starts this Friday at sundown and I thought you would enjoy this cookie candle menorah that we worked on for Hanukkah. This fun dessert and craft project makes a great centerpiece on the Hanukkah table. It is also a fun project that your kids can help out with because you can enlist them to decorate the cookies! Simply pick up these cookie cutters from Sur La Table, bake off a basic sugar cookie recipe…
December 05, 2009
Martha Craft Sale – Sneak Peek
I’m just back from the Martha Stewart private craft sale and it was fantastic! Tomorrow, Martha will open the craft sale to the public for the first time ever! There were several talented crafters from the Martha family selling their holiday crafts. You can view the details about the event here. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of the event! I had a chance to meet with Kids Editorial Director & Designer for…
December 03, 2009
Holiday Shopping with Time Out NY Magazine
I recently went on a holiday shopping tour with Time Out New York Magazine to show their readers some great purchases for holiday entertaining. We visited some of my FAVORITE stores in New York and found some great pieces for the holidays. View the article here to see some of the shops I love and be sure to click on the slideshow to see all of the great items that we found. You can also…
December 01, 2009
Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale
I am really excited about this! On Saturday, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is having its first Holiday Craft Sale. Several artisans and crafters, many from within the Martha Stewart family, will be selling their handmade holiday projects and crafts. They will even be selling crafts that will be seen in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. If you ever wanted to have Martha crafts in your home for the holiday season, then this is…
-
Halloween Luminarias October 30, 2009
Looking for a cute way to set your house apart from others for Halloween? I saw these spook-tacular Halloween luminarias from Lumabase and thought these would be perfect for lighting up the entrance for visiting trick-or-treaters. These luminarias come in a few varieties such as a green witch, white ghost, orange pumpkins, and purple spiders. { Read More } -
Rainbow Guest Dessert Feature February 16, 2011
We've seen a lot of rainbows this year in posts (rainbow cakes, rainbow sorbet, you name it), but this rainbow guest dessert feature by Janelle and Samone of Cake Ink really caught our eye. It has a colorful, happy feel that just makes me smile. I love how they mixed in some vintage vessels like the biscuit box and wooden vessels with the bright colored rainbow design. { Read More } 