HOUZZ: Essentials for a New Year's Eve Home Bash!

I'm over at Houzz today sharing essentials for throwing a NYE bash in your home. A collection of sparkle, shine and shimmer to impress your guests on New Year's Eve! Entertain and spoil your friends with these fancy finds. It's not about what you serve, but HOW you serve it. Every hip host knows that it's all in the details! Generous Host + Good Friends = Great Party! These are a few of the things on my list:

1. Collapsible Cocktail Tray Table 2. Champagne New Year’s Eve Party Invitations 3. Penguin Ice Bucket 4. Watch Bottle Stopper

To read the full article and see all festive ways to throw a NYE bash, click here.

Smile…it’s a (holiday) kind of weekend!

Hey there! It’s Friday!

 

 

And we only have one more week until Christmas! It’s going to be a weekend full of last minute Christmas shopping, snuggling up with loved ones during this chilly weather, celebrating with friends at Holiday parties and finishing up finals details on the Christmas décor around the house.

I wish you all a happy weekend!

*click on photo for link

Chroma Bash: Holiday Red and Greens

Holiday Red and Greens to get you going and put you in the Holiday Spirit! An emerald green dress, crimson clutch and a fancy ruby cocktail shaker to shake things up is all you need this season to get your celebrating done in style!

Geneva Sound System Small :: 111 Navy Chair :: LANVIN Asymmetric silk-satin dress :: Puccini Shaker :: Crystal Napkin Ring :: Karolina Pump :: I NEED A VACATION SKI HAT :: suede REVA BALLET FLAT :: SPREADING GOOD CHEER FOLDOVER HOLIDAY CARDS :: amanda MESSENGER BAG :: RIGBY & PELLER bra + thong :: DIANE VON FURSTENBERG Saffiano printed iPhone 4 case :: ANYA HINDMARCH Valorie glitter-finish leather clutch :: YVES SAINT LAURENT Tribtoo suede pumps

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up: Cuppa Good Cheer Recipe

Snuggle up with your loved ones this holiday season while sipping on this. Goodness in a glass is what this little concoction is! Cherry + chocolate and top it off with a bit of whip cream? Are you kidding me?! This is a perfect holiday treat to keep you warm on Christmas Eve and throughout the rest of December!

Cuppa Good Cheer

Ingredients you need

• 1.5 oz.SKYY Infusions Cherry
• 0.5 oz.white creme de cacao
• 4 oz.Hot Cocoa
• 1 oz.Half 'n Half
• Whipped Cream
• Maraschino Cherry

How to make a Cuppa Good Cheer

Combine all ingredients into a holiday mug and top with whipped cream, red sprinkles and a Maraschino Cherry.

*cuppa goodness found here

Tuesday Thoughts {a quote + a moody bedroom}

 

How simple. You get a lot more with sugar than you do with salt! Don’t you just love that saying? So I’m basically dying over this bedroom. The two shades of teal paired against each other creates a subtle contrast with high impact. Look at the raw, natural wood floors – delish. And the fur + crisp white sheets = absolute comfort! Loving that Louis in natural silk, complimenting the classic tufting on the headboard. Not sure who designed this space, but job well done! Happy Tuesday!

*click on image for link

Me Monday: Sara Bareilles + the Holidays

Hello Monday! How was your weekend? I had a great weekend filled with friends, fun and holiday decorating!

My girlfriend, Annalisa and I went to the Sara Bareilles concert Friday night at the Hollywood Palladium. The place was packed with hipsters. Sara played a good show. I wish the Palladium had seating though, especially for that kind of concert (kind of mellow/folky) where you don’t really feel like dancing the whole time. So wear your comfortable shoes if you ever see a show there.

Also, be sure to not leave anything valuable in your car! Annalisa’s car got broken into while we were at the concert. We put our valuables in the trunk, but didn’t lock it separately. After the concert we found that my wallet had been rifled through and her laptop was stolen. Lock your trunk separately!

 

 

Nick and I finally decorated for Christmas! I don’t know why I waited so long. I really enjoy the process once all the decorations are down from the garage rafters. The worst is putting them all away after the holidays! The house feels so much warmer and cozier! Minx has taken a liking to a spot under the tree.

I hope you’re all off to a great week! Happy Monday!

Smile…it’s a (Sara Bareilles) kind of weekend!

Hey there! It’s Friday! And I’m totally excited to go to the Sara Bareilles concert tonight at the Hollywood Palladium with my girlfriend Annalisa! I haven’t been to a concert in so long, and I just love them. The sight of fans and what they are wearing and the buzz throughout the crowd is like nothing else! Have any of you ever seen Sara?

 

I think we’re going to finally start decorating for Christmas this weekend as well. Terrible, I know. I’m a decorator/designer and I don’t have my holiday décor up yet! That’s because I’ve been busy helping everyone put theirs up!

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you here next week!

*click on image for source

A Love Affair: PANTONE’s Color of the Year 2012 Tangerine Tango

Whether it’s a splash of tangerine, an entire room filled with the color, a spray of flowers, a pop of color on a table setting, tangerine knows how to tango and it will be dancing the rhumba all year long as Pantone’s Color of the Year 2012: PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango. 

 

Thursday’s This + That: Leith Bolero & Z Gallerie Throw

Fur baby…

Drape this technicolor Leith Cropped Genuine Lamb Fur Bolero from Nordstrom while curling up in that Peacock Lazo Throw from Z Gallerie.

*as always, "Thursday's This & That", inspired by the creative Bekka from Oh Joy!

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up: Cranberry Mojito Recipe

It’s hump day! We’re half way there people! To put a little pep in your step and to get you looking forward to your weekend, here’s a delicious Christmas treat to get your holidays spirits up! Serve this at your next holiday get-together or enjoy by your lonesome…either way, it’s delish!

 

Cranberry Mojitos (makes 2):

• 8 oz. fresh cranberries
• 1 C sugar
• 1 C water
• 20 mint leaves
• 2 T lime juice
• Ice
• 4 oz. rum
• 4-6 oz. soda water

Put cranberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then lower the heat a bit to medium-low and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, before your berries start bursting. Remove from heat. Once the berry mixture has cooled, you can strain them. Put about 10 leaves of mint and a T of lime juice in each glass. With the back of a wooden spoon or a muddler mash the mint up. Now put ice in each glass and pour 2 oz. of the cranberry syrup and 2 oz. rum into each glass. Top off each glass with soda water. And sprinkle some fresh cranberries in for garnish.

*cranberry goodness found here

Tuesday Thoughts {a quote + a pretty Christmas vignette}

 

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! This past weekend was spent with my dear family in Minnesota! We had such a fun holiday weekend together filled with cooking, decorating for Christmas, playing charades, bowling and plenty of cocktailing! It was hard to come back to California after such a nice time, but we had to get back to real life at some point. How fun and fresh is this little pink and green Christmas vignette? Red and green will always be my favorite Christmas palette, but every year I wish I were brave enough to decorate outside the red and green box! I help plenty of my clients decorate their trees with unconventional colors, so I do get my fix!

*buy the print here, image from bhg

Smile…it’s a (Minnesota) kind of weekend!

Greetings from chilly Minnesota! As I told you all earlier this week, we flew to Fargo (yes, Fargo!) to visit my parents and sisters. It’s short weekend trip to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It’s a weekend full of food, treats (too many, I’m sure), seats next the fire, decorating the tree, baking Christmas cookies, hot drinks, presents, card games and catching up with the family!

I know that the majority of the weekend will be spent indoors, since the temperatures outdoors will be less than inviting.

A chilly, brisk walk through the woods is always in need. My parents live on 27 wooded acres and it’s so refreshing to meander the deer paths.

I hope you all will enjoy your first December weekend. Get those Christmas trees up!

*images found at Fashion Gone Rogue

Thursday’s This + That:

Glittery, gorgeous gold!

Add some pizazz to your sofa with this #LIVESPARKLY GOLD PILLOW from Social Society while jazzing up your iPhone with that Glitter iPhone case from J Crew.

*as always, "Thursday's This & That", inspired by the creative Bekka from Oh Joy!