Categories Archive
I’m on an 18 day dream trip with my daughter who just graduated from college. We’ve seen more amazing things in the last couple of days than I’ve seen in California in years. California is a beautiful but young (like me) state compared to the rest of the civilized world. I’ve already decided there’s a new fabric collection coming called “Santa Margherita.” Maybe I’ll design another called Venice, and then one called Florence. I’ll let you know if those stops inspire me as much as our adventure on the beautiful Almalfi coast has. This is a beautiful place in every way. Except for some old restrooms in train stations where you have to stand up and pee over a hole, there’s nothing inspirational about that. I guess it’s all part of the adventure....
This year my Christmas decor is all about glittery, vintage-y, sparkly stuff. It started in October when I saw this sparkly silver reindeer that’s the size of my dog on display at Z Gallerie. While my judgmental self was thinking it’s way too early for Christmas displays, my holiday-loving self was like “I gotta have this.” I bought it and hid it from my hubby cuz he already thinks I’m nuts, I don’t need to fuel that fire. My living room is also decorated with, surprise!, reindeer and sparkly stuff. But I also have a feather-y thing going on just to make sure it looks completely fabulous. If I didn’t know better I’d think a Drag Queen decorated my house this year… And my new favorite decoration is on a table in the entry way. It’s a random collection of a bird cage, a wreath, a candles and plumes. I think holiday decor should be whatever makes you feel festive and smiley. It doesn’t have to have a theme or matching colors. For years I’ve been collecting Bumbles (the abominable snowman from the Rudolph movie). I put them in odd places all over the house and the friends and fam that come every year during the holidays love to try to find them all. I still have work to do, gotta get the stockings hung by the chimney with care and get out some of our traditional ornaments. And then there’s the tree… oh how I love the chaos of Christmas. And no, I have not started shopping yet. Whatever. ...
We’re doing a swim party at my house for Independence Day and here’s what’s going down: I’m making white chocolate dipped strawberries with blue sugar, it’s super easy! I found an easy recipe at barbarabakes.com. Barbara likes edible glitter but I’m using blue sugar from my local grocery store because I’m too lazy to make a trip to the baking supply store. My guests will think I’m so awesome and culinarily gifted… I’m also doing a pound cake with home made whipped cream with a dash of vanilla, strawberries and blue berries because there is no such thing as red-white-and-blue overkill on the 4th of July at my house. I’m serving Sam Adams beer because it’s more patriotic than Bud Light and little weenies in bbq sauce because we’re sort of white trash. The ultimate goal is to make it look like I went to a lot of effort without actually going to a lot of effort… The playlist will be Toby Keith’s most patriotic songs with some all american classic rock. The finishing touch will be white daisies in mason jars with red and blue ribbons tied around them. This is one of those details that makes a hostess look great without breaking the bank. And to help keep little kids busy, here’s a link to a free download of a personalized coloring page: frecklebox.com. There are a bunch to choose from, you can put in the kids’ names and print them at home, makes a great party...
But he turned out okay. I love photo announcements with baby/senior pics… Whether you have a middle schooler graduating and you’re just having the fam over for a small celebration or you’re hosting a college grad party with a big crowd, there are easy ways to make it a memorable occasion. I have a high school senior and I’m teaming up with two other moms to host a grad party so my little brain is overflowing with ideas for a kickass party that my son surely will not appreciate. Here are some of my ideas: • Photo invitation instead of the classic school announcement, this way the faraway relatives get a senior portrait and all of the pertinent info in one card • Photo cake with baby picture/senior portrait • Slide show or collage showing my son starting out cute and morphing into a horrible teenager • School colors for linens and decor (duh) • Yellow & white flowers with a navy ribbon around a vase for centerpieces • Easy food, i.e., taco stand or heavy appetizers so it doesn’t matter what time guests arrive (this is important- guest might be party hopping) • If you have a large party, hire someone to work the party – refilling drinks, emptying trash cans, picking up used napkins, etc. so you won’t have a huge mess to clean up after the party. I use college kids, they need the money and can stay up late • Throw back a shot of the good stuff 15 minutes before the party starts so you can relax,...
I haven’t even finished my super sassy pink home office project (it’s 90% done, stay tuned!) and I started another really awesome/shitty home improvement project. It’s awesome because when it’s done I will have new floors throughout my house. It’s shitty because my house looks like this right now. We have been wanting to replace the floors for years but you practically have to move out and we’re doing a large area – all of the living areas, hallways and a bedroom – so my dining room is in my living room right now and there is a bed on top of the pool table. The guestroom is full of the bookcases that used to be in the landing at the top of the stairs. Did I mention there are nails/staples/dust everywhere? Ack. The project officially started when I asked my husband, ” When would be a good time to tear up our house and spend a buttload of money?” and he replied, “How about when I’m out of town and don’t have to live in it?” I thought that was a brilliant idea so I called the contractor and said that if they could start the following week about 1 hour after I got on a plane for a business trip then they got the job 🙂...
I was inspired to have a Country Western themed party for my husband’s birthday because he loves country music and I would able to sport blue jeans and boots instead of a dress (ack) and high heels. Of course my husband wondered if I would be inviting hoes to the Hoe Down. To his disappoint, the answer was “NO. YOU’RE A PIG.” Naturally I had to have a color scheme (red, brown and denim), cowboy food (ribs, chili, jalapeno corn bread, slaw, etc.) and barnyard decor. I gotta say, this is one of less expensive party themes I have taken on. I got daisies and sunflowers from the farmer’s market and used canning jars for vases so my centerpieces were dirt cheap. And haybales for extra seating looked super cute and I didn’t have to rent as many chairs. I always make and decorate my own cakes, it’s really fun and I like for my family to know that I care enough about their birthdays to make it a priority. So I got up at the crack of dawn to decorate this spice cake with cream cheese frosting. A DJ, a keg, a dance floor and a mechanical bull were the final necessities for a kickass Hoe Down. Most of our guests were excited to sport cowboy hats and flannel shirts. They were also very flexible with their drinking habits, I saw more team moms taking tequila shots than I ever could have imagined. Their flexibility was really tested with the mechanical bull though, those of us who were ballsy enough to ride it are covered in bruises and...
I feel like summer just finally arrived and my kids are already back in school. I’m just not ready to hang up the beach towels and frosty drinks and pull out my winter boots yet, in fact the idea just totally pisses me off. I’m going to be dragged into Fall kicking and screaming, here are some of the ways that I’m telling Mother Nature and the School District to Bite Me: Popsicles are a great summery dessert, not too sinful and now they are a fun project too. This popsicle mold is from PB Kids, but you can get them from lots of stores. Put your favorite juice in them on Thursday night and they’ll be ready when the kids get home from school on Friday. Another great summer tradition is water balloon fights. Or in my case, water balloon ambushes. I will spend over an hour filling up water balloons and as the kids walk up to the house (or get out of the carpool minivan), I launch an attack designed for total shock and awe. It usually takes them about a minute to recover and grab the garden hose and then, of course, I’m toast. We’ve been enjoying dinner outside every night because before long it will be too dark and too cold by 5:00pm and I will be wishing I could have a warm summer evening. We have a little fire pit in the backyard so my pantry ALWAYS has s’mores supplies handy. This is fun even when it’s cold out. And you don’t need a firepit, a bbq works and my super resourceful yet...
While enjoying lunch at an outdoor cafe today, I began to feel nauseous. At first I thought it must be my sandwich, then I realized that it was the couple behind me talking baby talk. But there was no baby, it was a dog. You have probably seen my references to my Effin’ Dog, so you know that I’m not ever going to be the person who carries a dog in a purse or (barf) a stroller. I like my dog because she’s a dog, I don’t need her to be a furry person. I woulda got a Sasquatch if that’s what I wanted from a pet. Here are some of the ridiculous designer dog products that are making this a billion dollar industry… Now that I’ve let the cat out of the bag and admitted that I think certain dog lovers have totally lost their minds (you know who you are) and seeing a dog in a tutu makes me feel violent (not sure if I want to kick the pansy dog, or it’s pansy owner) I’m just sure I will have an opportunity to design a doggie fanny pack or a fab pooper...
I am so exited to have found a lovely network of websites that is made for anyone who loves food, weddings, and decorating (ME!). It’s comprised of inspirational, user-submitted photo gallery sites: foodgawker, craftgawker, weddinggawker, dwellinggawker. I like to think of it as a bunch of friends to turn to for advise and expertise on just about anything. I have stumbled across the gawkerverse network at various times before but never delved in until recently while “gawking” at this awesome idea for a Brown Paper Wedding. The premise itself was so contradictory I had to check it out. I love finding refreshing new ideas. How cute are these wedding favors? This is a bouquet made of vintage brooches! Sooo cool! Found on foodgawker: What IS this pie? Made with my favorite things ever? Seriously, I am dying…. This drink looks so yummy. I can use the mint from my garden. (Truth be told, mint has taken over my backyard and is growing everywhere. We’ll just call it my “garden”) DIY kids rooms on dwellinggawker. This one is a cute outdoors theme that is easy to do. Hey kids, this is how mommy likes to camp… And…there is even a rad iPhone App for your...
Last night I went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie with my kids. It is a cute story but very short, perfect for youngsters. My girls are 10 and 12 so it is a little young for them but they have such fond memories of Winnie the Pooh that they could not wait to go. We did not stay until the end of the credits but I have since learned that there is a cute little ending, so stay put! We will have to rent it when it comes out. The stories by A.A. Milne are so sweet and the film adaption is great. The characters are cute and quirky just like your extended family. There’s Uncle Bob always asking about food, and the control freak Aunt Betty, the spastic cousin John, the know it all Uncle Sam, the mother hen and her spoiled brat, Mitsy and Kaily, the shy introverted cousin Mikey and the grumpy grandpa Dave. Just kidding these are not my real family names I changed them to protect them. 🙂 But the real treat of the film is how the story literally comes to life. The film is every graphic designers dream. I loved how they incorporated the words into the film and even used the letters as props. So creative! Winnie the Pooh has always been one of my childhood favorites. I even designed my son’s nursery in Winnie the Pooh. Now as an adult and as a designer I can see why I loved it so much as a child, it was my inner design diva shining through!...
I get obsessed with an item and then go on a mission until I find the perfect one. I have done this with shoes, purses, mascara….you name it. My current fixation is finding the perfect summer maxi dress. I love this trend for many reasons but the most important is that it is the most comfortable way to dress in the summer. I have big plans of wearing this dress on a mexican food night (my fave) because I can eat as much as I want. Don’t worry, I am paying close attention to the rules of wearing the maxi dress. Although it will camouflage big butts and stomachs, being swamped by a maxi dress will give the impression of being larger. The maxi dress is not a mumu or a food storage overwrap. The dress should skim curves rather than cling, and it should not be too tight. Look for me this weekend chillin in my new dress sipping on a frozen margarita (with the good tequilla). With that thought in mind, I am off to go shopping…...
At the risk of revealing my age, “feathered” hair had a totally different meaning when I was a youngster. Now, the current trend of adding real feathers to your hair has taken flight (pun intended). Celebrities such as Steven Tyler and Jennifer Love Hewitt are sporting the trend. In fact, feather extensions so popular that fly fishermen are having to deal with bumped-up prices and diminishing supplies for feathers needed for the sport. Who knew? There are even boutiques offering animal friendly feathers: According to Wendy Nichol Studio in New York, “the feathers are sourced responsibly, the colors are all-natural, and come from farm-raised happy birds.” Alrighty. These are seen everywhere from runways to bus stops. You can get as crazy with the style as you want. You can go bohemian, glam rockstar or chic. The feathers are usually applied using small metal clasps and can be washed and styled like regular hair. They last four to 12 weeks, after which they break or fall off. Stylists are offering this to clients anywhere from $10 $300. In case you can’t find a stylist to do them, Etsy has plenty of choices for clip-ons and DIYs for the adventurous types. What do you think? Will the feather trend continue to fly or fall flat? Would you try them? Like all trends, there is a fine line between being adventurous and going a bit...
Can appliances make you happy? If they last longer than a year, then the answer is yes (I will post about my dead vacuum cleaner later when I feel ranty). But they can also make you happy if they can be a fun pop of color in your kitchen. I personally am in love with this red KitchenAid mixer. And it’s not just because making cookie dough is my favorite thing. When not in use, some appliances either have to hang out on the kitchen counter or get hidden in the pantry or garage. If you have storage issues like me then there is not a lot of room to hide these things. If the mixer needs to stay out on the counter then it might as well be a fun color like red, green, or boysenberry right? Pick an accent color in your kitchen and get a cool toaster or mixer in that color. Please don’t buy that ceramic kitchen chicken wearing a sweater in that color (it’s not functional and I’m guessing really tacky). Retro kitchens are really popular and the style allows you to get really bold with the appliances. Instead of the stainless steel refrigerator, go for the bright orange or baby blue colors. How about a pink toaster? This one will totally get my daughter to help me make breakfast. I want this baby blue Big Chill refrigerator so bad, but it will cause me to remodel my entire house around the style. It even has a matching diswasher! I will keep these in mind if I ever get a beach...
In case you have been living off the grid for the past year, you should know there has been a Royal Wedding Dress Unveiling! (Oh, and a wedding too: Prince William and Catherine Middleton have been hitched.) Congratulations on the excellent choice of dress Cate! And in case you happen to be in London, Gweneth Paltrow has compiled this great list of things to do, see, and places to eat. Her website GOOP, has been fun to go through as well. Needless to say, I couldn’t make it to London for the wedding and wear my giant hat made of a floats worth of flowers. I have never been there, but I have compiled a list of my own: My Favorite Royals: Royal Blue – with white for the spring Royal Icing – with a spoon while no one is looking Royal Pain – -this high honor goes to the manufacturers of jeans that never are the right length Queen for the Day – mother’s day, I can’t wait! Princess and the pea – apparently I need a new mattress girlfriend King Shit – my father in law, who may never read this, announced this self proclamation: “I am King Shit and you all are a bunch of turds”. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON…. This photo begs for a caption doesn’t it? Please comment below with your ideas. ...
Having a Girl Scout means lots of cookies around our house in February. I was excited about Girl Scout cookie season until we became buried under a leaning tower of leftover boxes of cookies. And…drumroll…I was getting sick of them! Impossible. After one last plea to my weary Facebook crowd to please take them away from me, (there has to be someone that has not OD’d yet) I decided maybe it’s time to try a recipe that calls for a few (hundred). I could do this with my daughter who loves to be the little helper and sometimes sous chef when we get crazy making something in the kitchen. My favorite cookies are the Thin Mints (duh) and Tagalongs (peanut butter baby!) Here are some yummy sounding recipes for both. Side note: something I never knew was that Girl Scout troops used to bake the cookies that they sold. They offer the original recipe here. Vintage Girl Scouts, who knew? Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (you can keep your Facebook friends) Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes Ingredients: • 1-1/3 cups Tagalongs®/ Peanut Butter Patties®, crushed • 5 tablespoons butter, melted • 1 package (3-1/2 ounce) vanilla pudding • 1-1/2 cups milk • 1/3 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy Preparation: Early in the day combine crumbs and butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Combine pudding and milk. Stir in peanut butter. Pour into pie shell. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Grasshopper Pie (because I like pie) Prep Time: 8 minutes + freezing Ingredients: • 2 packages...
I have kind of an unhealthy addiction to type. Typefaces are like crack to me (without all the obvious wrong). I love the shapes, curves, and corners. I love the negative space around letters and numbers. I think there are some of you typophiles out there that agree with me. I also love type that is just for fun. Because all work and no play can make type suck really bad. I can sum it up here: “There are essentially two kinds of typography: The familiar kind for reading, and the other, simply for viewing, like a painting. Some say that readability is most important. There are really two important things about typography: readability and beauty; both are equally important.” -Paul Rand We have been inspired by the beauty of the fonts at Letterhead Fonts. These fonts don’t just include type in the traditional sense. Some collections include nostalgic themes, banners and borders. Combine them with bright colors and you have a fresh new take on the classic. Just for...
Being a semi-shy person growing up, I always tried to avoid making dramatic entrances and would rather scope out the situation first and kinda sneak in. Much to my dismay, as an adult I have not been so successful. My dramatic entrances involve these situtations: “OMG-shit I am late! again!”, or the embarrassing “sorry coffee patrons I have to pee really bad so I am going to drag my kid and his meltdown all the way through the store to the bathroom”, or the dreaded late walk of shame up the long stairs into the lecture room, during a test, whilst dropping and shattering my phone into a million pieces. Oh the drama! If anyone has a portable hole I can crawl in as necessary I will take it! So, as part of my midlife crisis I decided to embrace my inevitable attention getting drama and apply it to my surroundings. I recently bought a new house and I wanted to spruce up the boring entryway. It needed some, “drama” so to speak. Hello dramatic entrances! (without the added mortification). Adding bright wall color to an otherwise dull entryway was really daunting. I usually go for muted and neutral colors for rooms. My inspiration was to do something no one would expect of me. There were all these wonderful fun color choices, but what is more dramatic than red? I chose a dark terra cotta red to compliment the room next to it which is painted a light olive green color. If remodeling is out of the question, painting is the easiest, quickest way to make dull space feel new....
The PANTONE color of the year is Honeysuckle and I can’t be happier. Aside from being a happy color, it is saving me from having to re-paint my daughters room. I told her that her pink walls at least had to stay all the way through 2011 being the color of the year and all. PANTONE describes it as “Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year.” (Yeah, lets not get too carried away description people.) Bring on the pink! Look for Honeysuckle pink popping up everywhere in weddings, home decor, fashion, and cosmetics. This color flatters every skin tone when worn by both men and women. If you are planning a wedding, it could not be a better time to try this super excellent tool for color matching. I wish there was one of these when I was searching for the perfect color for my bridesmaids dresses back in the day. Now excuse me while I go buy some pink frosting to go with my pink cupcakes. What… I’m...
Let’s face it, the kids and the effin’ dog own the house. We pay the bills, but they run the place. Evidence of their existence follows them from room to room. It’s time for moms who appreciate a well-appointed room (free of toys, stale snacks and fur) to revolt and reclaim some square footage. Your own bedroom is the perfect place to create a spa-like haven, where you can read a book or rekindle your romance. Adding a chair with an ottoman, a sweet little bench or a loveseat transforms your room from the place you sleep, change and hopefully get jiggy to a place where you can escape from the chaos of parenthood with a nice beverage and have a time out. It also provides another place to do the wild thing 🙂 Because I’m in my forties and it takes a WHOLE LOT OF EFFORT to be smokin’ hot, and because I’m a hard core multi-tasker, I decided that I needed a place to work my magic while listening to the news and sucking down my required 40 ounces of coffee in the morning. So I found a super cute little dressing table at a consignment store, painted it white and set up camp. Getting ready for work has changed from a big rush to a nice time to pamper myself. Don’t forget that the ceiling can be an opportunity to decorate, I hung these beautiful glass angel trumpets in my “workstation” instead of a chandelier. And making a space into your nirvana requires a collection of things you love. The beauty is in the details so...
Ahhh, Starbucks. My friend. I always look for you, practically every day. You are easy to find while driving in an unfamiliar strip mall parking lot. You are easy to spot in a busy shopping mall. You are a street corner beacon of hope for the afternoon yawns. Your green and black round logo says “trustworthy”, “stamped with approval”, “high quality”, “special treat”, “friendly”, and “knowledgeable about coffee”. Until now. Behold the new Starbucks logo: Although it has not been released yet, the new Starbucks logo is causing a stir. And not the sweet, pour some sugar in your coffee kind of stir. More of a circling the drain type of stir. My question is, when did Starbucks decide to become a seafood restaurant? Or when did they decide to sell environmentally friendly cleaning supplies made from fresh sea water by a mermaid in Finland? Really, Starbucks? Not so warm and fuzzy here. Sometimes more is more and that is okay. You see, I usually love the minimalist logo. There are plenty of examples of logos that are able to stand on their own sans type without loosing integrity and the companies actually benefited from it such as the Nike swoosh, and McDonald’s famous golden arches M. The Starbucks logo without type feels like something is missing. I feel like I have lost a dear friend. Or I feel like my best friend in second grade moved away to Ohio with no forwarding address. Sorry Starbucks, I am now BFFs with my trusted peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If Starbucks is in fact planning to expand to exotic food...
I’m feeling pretty nostalgic these days. Holidays always do that to me. After I had kids, nostalgia took on a whole new meaning and I started remembering my childhood years and the things I looked forward to: leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, trying to stay up as late as I can. To this day, this guy still brings a smile to my face: I love the Heat Miser. If you don’t know who he is then you had a deprived childhood and must rent this movie or see this video immediately. Speaking of warmth, I also love a classic vintage feel for the holidays. It brings you that warm fuzzy feeling and takes you back in time. Red, brown, and shades of taupe create a warm color palette for a cozy vintage Christmas dinner or get together. If you haven’t yet finished your holiday card project, the Simon+Kabuki Vintage Christmas photo card is a great place to start. Pictured: Christmas Floral Display, Christmas Tree Cupcakes, Linzer Sandwiches, Cranberry Flower...
Don’t you just love that color? Pomegranate makes me think of festive holiday parties where the hostess finally gets a chance to put her feet up and enjoy the wonder that is a pomegranate martini. (Maybe it is because the hostess-me-is still recovering from the Halloween and World Series festivities. Not to mention I was very impressed that our Giants won the title wearing the appropriate seasonal colors of orange and black.) There is also something about this color that says “fall is here-let the parties begin!”. I noticed that pomegranate trees are naturally festive, decorated in their delicious fruit. According to some ancient cultures, pomegranates symbolize abundance, fertility and good luck. According to busy working moms, the pomegranate martini symbolizes diversion, amusement, and slacking. Sign me up! After field testing a few recipes, the winner is the tried and true recipe from Oprah: Oprah’s Pomegranate Martini 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 2 ounces Absolute Citron vodka or white tequila 1 ounce Cointreau liquor Cup of ice Splash of sparkling water (optional) Squeeze of lemon (optional) Directions: Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as...
Before I go crazy about Summer (which I LOVE), I have to give a shout out to the organizers of the HOW Design Conference and all the kickass women who attended my session called “Women on Top.” I know you’re thinking “Seriously? They let her talk about sex at a design conference? So does that make it Designer Sex?” The conference was inspiring as usual, with the coolest attendees ever (as opposed to attendees at an accounting conference). I had a great time and met some great women, so big round of applause to all the peeps who put on the show. So, what’s not to love about Summer? There’s beach days, no school, dinner out on the patio and enjoying the garden. There’s also that little bit of a tan that makes me feel 5 years younger and 5 pounds lighter and the long walks after dinner. I haven’t actually gone on a long walk after dinner yet, but it’s on my list. For us creative types, Summer means new colors and a sunnier outlook on design. I’ve been really feeling the yellow tones lately (wonder why) and I’m loving all of the turquoise I’m seeing. But if I could assign one color to the summer season, it would have to be orange. It’s bright and juicy and totally happy. I was shopping for plants and flowers for my ongoing landscape design project and I kept going back to the orange options, and I’ve also been buying orange juice (which is only interesting because my kids don’t like it and I don’t buy it the rest of the...
Hosting a party is loads of fun and it can be a lot of work, if you’re like me. Because I am a Type-A OverAchiever, I like to go the extra mile when I’m having a shindig. Every hostess has her strengths and weaknesses, some are great cooks while others are the life of the party. For example, I make a party beautiful to look at, but my cooking is not awesome. Seriously, I pretty much suck at cooking. So I keep the food simple, but I present it like it’s a gift from Tiffany’s. I hosted a little dinner for 50 recently for my daughter’s college water polo team. I’m a theme party kind of girl, so I started with team colors: Red, White and Black. I found paper ware at Target (cuz I have no intention of ever washing 50 real plates or cloth napkins), created goodie bags for the girls and even baked home made Red Velvet Cupcakes (they didn’t suck). I always put fresh flowers out at a party, mostly because I just love fresh flowers, but also because they make a fabulous decoration and I can usually find flowers that fit my theme (and you have no idea how unnaturally happy it makes me when my flowers match my theme). So maybe if you’re a great cook, you don’t have to create a color scheme but imagine how fantastic your par-tay would be with great food AND sassy...
