HALLOWEEN HAPPY HOUR: BLACK WIDOW

One of the creative elements of putting a party together is dreaming of what the signature drink will be. Having something to serve people as they walk in the door is a great way to kick off the night. If you are still searching for a fun cocktail for your haunted soiree this weekend, try the Black Widow.

via Savvy Housekeeping

BLACK WIDOW

INGREDIENTS:

Cream de Cassis


Vodka

Triple Sec

Fresh lemon juice


Pomegranate juice

Llicorice strings

PREPARATION

For two cocktails (or one cocktail shaker): 

2 parts cassis, 3 parts vodka, 1 part triple sec, 1 part lemon juice, 1 part pomegranate.

Really, the key here is using the black liquorish strings as a garnish.

BUON WEEKEND!

Whether you know what your costume will be this year, or are still contemplating...

via Wanderlust and Co. 

I hope that you get to experience the true magic of Halloween - the little ones that for a day get to dress up and be someone else.

via Happy Hour Mom

I didn't say that big kids don't want to be someone else for a day too (this was last years soiree, the theme was a medical lab so of course I had to be a mad scientist)

via Seattle Magazine

What are your plans for Halloween this weekend?

BLACK OUT

I figured since Halloween is this weekend, and I always chose to focus on Black for Halloween in lieu of Orange for some reason, that I would focus this afternoons post on some of my favorite things. My dining rooms is black for instance...

via Heidi Caldwell

I would love to have this black lacquer bed, there is something about the ornate detail that I am always drawn to, and in black lacquer I adore it.

via Liv-Chic

The lines of Mr. Di Lamp by Markus Hallstrand and Michael Carlsson are fabulous...

via Home Dosh

Maybe it is because it is rainy today, I want to curl up in the sunshine on this outdoor furniture collection from Kenneth Cobonpue. Or, maybe it is the intricacy of each piece.

via 3d News

As I have said in the past I love chandeliers. I have them in every room in my house. I happen to have five of these in my office loft that are for sale if anyone is interested!

via Style for Style

Of course, I am a sucker for anything tabletop related and these Baccarat glasses are to die for on any table.

via Apartment Therapy

This is a piece that I have admired frequently at my friend Leah's shop at Revival Home and Garden. By now, someone could have picked it up - if not you really should!

via Revival Home and Garden

Jumping to fashion for a moment, who doesn't need a classic black pantsuit in your wardrobe lineup?

via Definitely Golden

And, of course every chic woman should have the perfect little black dress in their closet. This one is vintage Dior - I dare say perfect!

via Joy Vintage

Oh, and my friend Manolo has come out with these Lattice Over the Knee Boots - they are some kind of hot.

via Neiman Marcus

Check back tomorrow for my signature drink for the Halloween weekend!

FALLING IN TO THE HOLIDAYS

If you are in the Pacific Northwest, come join me for my holiday series "Falling in to the Holidays." We have partnered with quite a few of our favorite people: Trophy Cupcakes, O Wines, Dry Soda, Gourmondo Catering, Metropolitan Market, Chocolopolis, World Market, Beauty Alert, and AA Party Rentals to name a few!

via Girl Meets Glamour

Thursday, November 4th: ;6-9:00 pm  - Thanksgiving table decor and wine pairings for your favorite holiday dishes.
Wednesday, November 17th: 6-9:00 pm - Hostess gift ideas and chocolate varieties and what wines to pair with them.
Thursday, December 2nd: 6 - 9:00 pm - Christmas table decor and home decorating ideas.
Wednesday, December 15th: 6 -9:00 pm - New Years Eve table decor and signature cocktail ideas for your New Years Eve soiree.

I'll be sharing a few holiday tabletops, and ideas for decorating your home from Thanksgiving through New Years. I have a few experts stopping by as well to talk about the right wines to pair with your favorite holiday dishes, and a few special guests will be stopping by to share their tips and spread holiday cheer.

Oh, did I even mention that there will be a swag bag too? All for $25 per person.

You can register here - and I hope to see you there!

RAMBLINGS: KATE MCDERMOTT

Along the road of my career and travels, I've been extremely fortunate to meet and work with an array of incredibly talented people. Ramblings is my way of picking their brain for more insight and juicy tidbits to share with you.

This weeks Ramblings feature is the very passionate Kate McDermott, a.k.a. The Art of Pie. Kate is the most passionate person I have met around baking. I had the good fortune to work with her on one of my columns for Seattle Magazine and she taught me how to make a pie with love and passion, yes crust and all. She calls it the craft of the crust, and it is a craft. Now, if any of you know me I don't cook. So, when my friends learned that I was going to bake a pie for one of my stories (I mean really bake a pie) they didn't believe it.  But, there is something about Kate. Her passion is contagious and she makes you believe you can do anything if you can make a pie. She taught me a few tricks...

And, actually made me do the work so I could do this on my own (and I did for the 4th of July!).

Kate has been baking since she was a little girl, and you should really take the time to ready her bio because it is inspiring hear her story and how she followed her path of doing what she loves. If you live in the Pacific Northwest you can take one of Kate's classes, although there is a waiting list for her classes through the holidays, or she can come to you and do a Pie Party for you and your friends - which is a great holiday activity. I highly recommend it! Or , if you are reading this from afar check out her video page or her blog. Meet Kate.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Long baths in my claw-foot bath tub; water scented with damask rose oil.

What career would you pursue if you weren’t doing what you do now?
I like working with my hands and have often said that in my next life I’m going to have tools and skills (neither of which I have this time around). So, maybe woodworking.

Which living person do you most admire?
Greg Mortensen, who has dedicated his life to promoting community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What three things can’t you live without?
A sense of humor, a peaceful place to come home to, and good friends.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate!

What is your favorite color combination?
Blue and white.

What is the favorite room in your house, and why?
My music studio. Music is my mother-tongue. I played before I spoke and read music before I read English. I performed, taught and coached for nearly four decades. This room is full of music, memories and love.

Outside of my house, I love my peaceful deck.

What is the most memorable event you’ve attended and why?
There are three. The death of my mom and the birth of my two children. To be present at each one of these passages has been life changing for me.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
I was a professional kite flyer for a short time in my hometown of Santa Barbara!

What is your biggest pet peeve?
When the waitstaff says, “How are you guys?” when it is obvious we are a party of women.

FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the reasons that I love Etsy is the amount of fine art photography, and art in general, that is offered at such affordable prices. It gives the masses a chance to own art. I am in search of a couple of pieces for our new office space, I haven't found exactly what I want yet but here are few that made me smile, laugh, or want to jump in to the shot.

Of course, who doesn't love Paris via hot air balloon!

via Etsy

I've been a little obsessed with yellow lately, and of course red is my favorite color.

via Etsy

And, with the new waterfront office that we are moving in to next week I can't keep swimming pools, boats, or pretty much anything with water off of my mind. It could also be the rain in Seattle today that makes these so attractive.

via Etsy

And this photo was actually featured in Sex in the City 2 in Big and Carrie's room - and there is the yellow again!

via Etsy

I also love vintage signs in the right space, but this just made me laugh.

via Etsy 

Have a great afternoon!

COMMITMENT PHOBIC?

A high quality rug is usually an investment, and for some reason it is hard for me to make a commitment to rugs that are bold and make a large impact. I usually love to make an impact, but I choose to do it with one signature piece that I can recover or a piece of art that I can move to another room easily. I am loving these rugs though, and would love to figure out a way to tell myself I won't get tired of the big bold print.

via Live Like You

via Casa Sugar

via Decorica 

via Decor Pad

via Decor 8

What do you think?

IT'S A PERFECT TIME FOR A SOUP TASTING

Another one of my favorite things about fall is soup. The smell of soup cooking in the kitchen, and it is the perfect thing to serve if you are throwing a fall soiree with a lot of people in attendance. I love using a great wool blanket on the table for a party like this, even if you are throwing it over a table linen as an overlay. Of course, my choice would be a luxury. Who wouldn't want a Missoni throw in fall colors on the table!

Since there will most likely be a larger number of guest and this is set up as a buffet (I need to find a different term for this, not a fan of the word, visions of Vegas dance through my head each time I hear it!), so display your flatware in this "Utensils Go Round Spinner." I love the wire mesh, and the vintage feel that it adds to the table.

I always love vintage silver, adding vintage soup spoons to the mix brings a sense of history to the table.

Homemade croutons are always a must, it is a great way to add that crusty bread because they are baked in butter. What is better than butter!

Add other toppings in bowls like cream fraiche, scallions, and a mix of grated cheese.

Serve your soup in vintage juice glasses, they are the perfect size for a soup tasting.

Place the juice glasses on a silver tray with samples of the various soups to serve.

Sending my guests home with something is always important to me. What could be better than miniature apple pies!

Well, if we could find an inexpensive way to send the home with vanilla ice cream too I guess that would be better. lol

FALLING INTO A DAYDREAM

This is truly the first weekend that I have felt like Fall has arrived. Blustery wind, rain, and beautiful leaves falling from the trees.

As I was laying in bed yesterday watching the leaves fall, I was daydreaming about having a cabin in the mountains someday. I know this is "so 2009" so you have probably seen this before, but I when I dream of a cabin in the mountains it looks like this...

I just want to crawl into this bed and watch the snow fall! Believe it or not the snow has just started to fall in the mountains here. Can't you just see it!

Of course, I would have this cabin to share with all of my friends which would mean many dinner parties.

I would love to sit on this porch wrapped in a blanket sipping a hot toddy.

all above photos via Habitually Chic

Maybe watching the horses , don't you think we need a white horse or two?

via JCM Ranch

Since I can't afford a cabin right now, maybe I should start planning a trip to France to the Le Lodge Park .

via Le Lodge Park

I love this contemporary take on a cabin with the black painted stone and the wood ceiling. In the meantime, I might settle for indulging in a cashmere blanket from Williams Sonoma Home...

via Williams Sonoma Home

These would make a lovely gift with your favorite book this holiday season. Headed back in to my daydream, but check back this afternoon to see what type of party I would throw in this space. It could be a good idea for Haloween this year too.

A REUNION AND HAVING FUN DOING WHAT WE LOVE

A little over a year ago I taped a pilot for HGTV, and although it didn't go to series I ended up with something much more important than a television show. I received a call from HGTV wanting to see if I would come down for a "Chemistry Test." I had never participated in a chemistry test, but as I always say, "all I can be is myself, I am not an actress I am a Lifestyle and Entertaining Expert." When I walked in to the building they were already taping. Kim Myles, winner of Design Star and Host of Myles of Style, was standing at a counter talking to a beautiful women (Keylee Sanders, San Fran based stylist who was on the red carpet for E! during this years Oscars) and they were chatting it up and laughing. I hadn't even been there five minutes and they threw me into the mix and within minutes I was chatting about how important Spanx are in my life.

We all hit it off, and after a flight back to Seattle I found out that we all got the job. The show was close to going to series, but the stars have to align in television and this time the show remained a pilot. What I did end up with are two girlfriends that understand me, and my passion, and we have a shared experience that will keep us together no matter where our paths take us individually.

So, now we are together in Seattle for the next few days. There will be taping, laughing, and I am certain a dinner party or two. Which means I will have to take a mini break from my blog. But I'll see you on Monday with many pictures to post and I am sure a story or two to tell. In the meantime, check out Kim's blog and Keylee's blog, they are just cool women to follow. They have also been featured in my Ramblings series, here and here!

See you on Monday and have a great weekend!

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN TIME STANDS STILL

Can you imagine walking in to a flat in Paris that had been behind lock and key for 70 years? That's just what happened in Paris. Mrs de Florian, a ‘demimondaine’ never returned to her Paris flat after the war and died at the age of 91 in 2010. That' right she lived in the south of France before the Second World War and never returned. When she died recently experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions and discovered the flat near the Trinité church in Paris between the Pigalle red light district and Opera.

Entering the untouched, cobweb-filled flat in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, one expert said it was like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time had stood still since 1900. Behind the door, under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects.

“There was a smell of old dust,” said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery. Walking under high wooden ceilings, past an old wood stove and stone sink in the kitchen, he spotted a stuffed ostrich and a Mickey Mouse toy dating from before the war, as well as an exquisite dressing table.

But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress.

The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist’s former muse and whose granddaughter it was who had left the flat uninhabited for more than half a century. The muse was Marthe de Florian, an actress with a long list of ardent admirers, whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises. Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini.

The expert had a hunch the painting was by Boldini, but could find no record of the painting. “No reference book dedicated to Boldini mentioned the tableau, which was never exhibited,” said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist he consulted about the work.

When Mr Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card with a scribbled love note from Boldini, he knew he had struck gold. “We had the link and I was sure at that moment that it was indeed a very fine Boldini”.

He finally found a reference to the work in a book by the artist’s widow, which said it was painted in 1898 when Miss de Florian was 24.

The starting price for the painting was €300,000 but it rocketed as ten bidders vyed for the historic work. Finally it went under the hammer for €2.1 million, a world record for the artist.

“It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion,” said Mr Ottavi.

*Images from Getty and story written by the Telegraph.co.uk