03/05/2019

Living with Flowers, It’s a Necessity

March is that in between month that’s as transitional as a teen. Just because you’re ready for spring doesn’t mean winter is about to relinquish her season. This is why Margot Shaw’s new book, Living Floral, Entertaining and Decorating with Flowers, is the ideal salve for those who crave the nuances of nurturing weather. Create your own uplifting environment with flowers. And what better way than to cull ideas from tables and settings of such tastemakers as Charlotte Moss, Cornelia Guest, Susanne Rheinstein and event designer Tara Guérard among others. The range in seasonal styles is sure to inspire. In fact, no setting is complete without flowers, an edict to live by.

Lily Pulitzer table cloth with floral runner. Photograph by Julia Lynn.

 

From Charlotte Moss’ personalized foreward to tastemakers who share their floral schemes, the underlying message is personalization. Such an approach will allow guests to know your true self. Says Cornelia Guest, “Don’t redecorate a room or put your pets elsewhere–your guests are coming to your house, and it’s where you live. Sharing a glimpse into your life is a part of entertaining and is as important as all the other aspects of your party.”

Pink table runner embellished with flowers en plein air. Photograh by Becky Luigart – Stayner

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Posted By
02/22/2019

No Recipe Healthy Banana Muffins – Yes, No Recipe!

Time to retire the measuring cups. When you have a home of baked goods enthusiasts, you can wing a recipe the way you do pasta and scrambled eggs. Banana muffins are always guaranteed to go straight from the pan to the tummy, so when you make them as much as we do you tend to improvise based on the number of people around while tweaking with more nutritional-dense ingredients like egg whites, low-fat milk, whole wheat flour and oats over white flour and maple syrup and apple sauce as a substitute for sugar.

Using all-natural ingredients that are kitchen staples, blend to your favorite consistency. By preparing without a set recipe, you are likely to bake more, which guarantees the fresh factor.

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02/08/2019

Say Sexy with Subtlety

If readers were provided a background check on stories written by influencers perhaps they would be more informed of the agenda. College transcripts and voting records are a good start. Until then, on this piece identifying what is sexy, the writer is a woman who does not get gooey when a tatted pop star takes off his shirt during a lackluster performance to garner squeals.

Getting out of bed all mussy is sexy, and we can assume it wasn’t after a night catching up on beauty sleep. Photo credit and Parfum by Lab on Fire.

 

What is sexy? Intelligence, charisma, self-reliance. Someone with style who does not need to gratuitously reveal to get attention. This applies to men and women. Specific to women, sexy is classic styles, independence, humor and selectiveness. You won’t see her in a dress made out of spandex to allure. Catherine Deneuve and Princess Charlotte of Monaco come to mind, women who happen to be French but we will continue that in another story.

For Valentine’s Day there is no need to go the tawdry route with complex lingerie that comes with a manual. Seduce with charm and confidence, thus securing the right kind of attention, which is significantly sexier.

Here’s a list for the confident sexy woman in your life:
  1. Bluebella black bra 2. Hank Panky hipsters 3. Bluebella lilac bra 4. Eileen West nightgown 5. Crystalline bikini 6. Mary Green lingerie
Resources:

Messy Sexy Just Rolled Out of Bed Perfum: A Lab on Fire

 

 

Posted By
01/15/2019

The Ultimate Mrs. Maisel Style Guide

They ate casseroles. Do people still bake these? Dishes prepared with the help of Betty Crocker and pulled from the oven in cocktail attire, protected by a cute apron. A young married woman could fit into her wedding dress despite childbirth thanks to the right under garments and exercises still used in retirement rec centers. For Midge Maisel, she upheld her role chirpily until her weak husband propelled their technicolor life into a film noir. Midge’s style, with its color and classicism, takes us back to the elegance of a mannered period.

When setting the table showed your skills as a homemaker.

Daily routines were an occasion to dress for, not harried errands performed in workout wear. Quality pieces decorated the home. Accessorizing carried into all facets of living. Midge Maisel is a gifted style influencer and her look still holds.

Midge’s Shopping List:
  1. Long Line Satin Underbust Corset 2. Colefax Seraphina Wallpaper 3. Macarons 4. Foam Hair Curlers 5. Vince Camuto Pants 6. Gucci Roses Silk Neck Bow 7. Handcrafted Pram 8. Black and White Cookies 9. Capezio Leotard 10. Celine Cat Eye Sunglasses 11. The Rug Company Pink Traditional 12. Eugenia Kim Annabelle Hat 13. Peignoir Set 14. Cuvée Rosé Champagne 15. Jennifer Rouellette Leopard Garbo Hat 16. Besame Portrait Pink Lipstick 17. Gooseberry Pink Pyrex 18. Portolano Mid-length Gloves 19. Slip Silk Pillowcase 20. Smythson Notebook 21. Theory Shift Dress 22. J. Crew Coat 23. Waring Bar Blender 24. Mod Cloth Dress
Resources:

Macarons is the staple hostess helper for their taste and appearance.

 

Macarons: Pastreez

Carousel Collection Green Tea Gift Set: Newby Teas

Pink pedestal plate: Rosanna Inc.

 

Posted By
12/26/2018

Didn’t get What You Want for the Holidays? Make Wooden Letters

Forgot about the written word, how about the physical word? As we enter the season of nesting, creating handmade wooden letters is a great way to engage in mindful projects as gifts or for the home. Everything you need to know about this satisfying endeavor can be found in Krista Aasen’s book Creative Wood Letters. Here, Aasen provides easy to follow instructions on how to create your own wooden faux succulents.

Faux Succulents

Faux succulent wooden letters add a natural statement to any space.


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12/18/2018

In a Christmas Decorating Slump? Look to the French!

In the bustle of holiday hoopla, let’s consider Charlie Brown and his timeless message, has Christmas become too commercial? Of course it has, this is why we need the French. Marketing the holiday commits a few offenses: It shrouds its intended biblical origin, ruffles environmentalists by cutting down trees while the fake ones inevitably retire in landfills, and consumptive behaviors escalate. Similar to those popular books on lessons learned from the French, like how to keep fit and avoid cosmetic surgery, France is also a model on how to celebrate the season. Noel is a time for family to come together. Meals are collectively prepared with an emphasis on traditional and natural recipes. Decor is understated and festive. By simplifying the season there is more time to enjoy its activities with family and friends.

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12/07/2018

Need an Idea for a Fun Friday Night Dinner? Go for a Peppermint Shake!

Shakes as a meal may rattle a nutritionist as a substantive choice unless made with a bushel of kale and chia but, after a challenging week, sometimes dessert for dinner is the best solution. Besides, it’s better than infusing yourself with your happy hour favorite.

Our holiday Fun Friday go-to is a peppermint milk shake, which has the right combo of creamy and mint that tastes like drinking a frozen candy cane.

Recipe:

Peppermint Milk Shake

Serves:

2

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 scoop peppermint ice cream (if not available, alternate with vanilla ice cream and a teaspoon of peppermint extract).
  • Whipped cream
  • Crushed candy cane
Directions:

Add all ingredients in a blender and mix until in liquid form. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.

Resources:

Peppermint extract: McCormick

Striped straw: Strawtopia

Pink paper background: Midori Paper

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Posted By
11/30/2018

Say No to Christmas Consumption with Reusable Gift Wrap

This season celebrate a green Christmas, and we’re not talking about spruce trees or a holiday in Florida. As the holidays are about giving, being eco-aware is the natural thing to do. 

Cloth and ribbon gift wrapping is prettier than paper, simple, and without the mess. How’s that for a holiday de-stress?

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Posted By
11/23/2018

Start Decorating! Personalized Christmas with Collectibles

If you shop for Christmas in July, get a rush when sifting through thrift store merchandise, chances are you have a vintage Christmas home. Those who find excitement in beautiful things get emotional when discovering a distinguished piece, perhaps in an obscure color or size, which must be acquired. The home becomes a showcase for these finds, where a constant rotation of personal pieces is tantamount unless you want to battle an avalanche of keepsakes when tapping into storage. Christmas is the ideal time to display prized possessions and, perhaps, add some new collections.

Christmas decorating takes a personalized approach with a mix of personal vintage items and a unique color palette.

Color Theme

Decorating a festive home does not have to follow Christmas’s primary colors and themes. Simply arrange your favorite pieces, add some seasonal elements, and you will have a holiday home like no other.

Chocolate boxes that share our color palette add to the design.

Interesting Collections

Lynn Goldfinger of Paris Hotel Boutique has been hitting the casino lately but we don’t mean the slot machine kind. She came across antique casino chips from France and was immediately smitten. “I’m obsessed with them because in all of my years, I have never seen the color-dyed ones,” says Goldfinger. 

A holiday theme like no other is guaranteed with a personal collectible. Here, these vintage casino chips and French francs compliment the overall style.

 

For a purveyor of rare collectibles, Goldfinger’s coronation of the casino chip assures its covet factor. “These were used as gaming chips in France circa the 1870s,” she says. “They are extremely rare and hard to come by.” The chips have the ability to transport to an illustrious, more elegant time when gamblers dressed in their fanciest garb over the flip flop crowd currently taking over gambling arenas. The variety of geometric shapes have a mother of pearl shimmer, while the addition of hot colors delight the eye. “Mother of pearl casino chips are small works of art. I may place them in an apothecary jar, or on a fancy silver platter, and decorate with holly berries and pine to create a holiday feeling,” says Goldfinger.

Something edible and sweet always hits the right holiday notes.

Corresponding Accessories

Playing with casino chips for the holiday is an assured bet, especially when grouped with corresponding accessories. Ideal pairings are vintage Christmas tree ornaments, which create an attractive interplay of color and texture. For our dessert table, they add the right spot of color and intrigue to personalize the setting, allowing guests to spark conversation. Pull in some vintage French money, holiday greenery, and delicacies along with beautifully colored chocolate boxes that support the theme and you will have a table like no other.

Resources

Vintage casino chips and French francs: Paris Hotel Boutique

Chocolate boxes: Louis Sherry

Posted By
11/15/2018

The Importance of Lighting a Home: Experts Weigh In

Once we flipped a switch to light a room, a non-nondescript fixture that looked like an upside down crystal ball. Now lighting has evolved into artful objects that do everything from change colors, adjust remotely, and can uplift a grouchy mood. It’s no wonder that Sotheby’s has cast light on the category. The fine auctioneer known for selling the world’s most sought after luxury items by prodding the highest bid until the gavel strikes recently acquired Viyet. Their direction seals lighting’s importance as a lifestyle necessity while upholding quality and provenance.

An art filled living room is given the right jolt of color and design by the inclusion of the Francois seagrass chandelier by Au Courant Interiors.

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