Bedding

How cozy does this look?  Perfect blanket for a cold Winter's day.

{photo via Pinterest}

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone has a safe & fun Halloween!

{photo courtesy of DCP}

Happy Weekend

Photo by MarthaStewart.com via Pinterest

 
It's Halloween weekend, so it's going to be nuts these next few days.  My boyfriend and I have a birthday party tonight, a Halloween Housewarming Party tomorrow, I have to interview a local bakery owner for class on their laminated dough production, and then squeeze in some time for my honey & I to cuddle since a wave of cold air has come through Texas.  I seriously can not believe we are heading into November next week which means Thanksgiving & Christmas are just around the corner.  Soon there will be marshmallows roasting and carolers knocking...

I sincerely wish all of you a beautiful & fun-filled weekend!  Here are a few posts from around the web.

Oops, Netflix's Halloween nightmare

Little Edward Scissorhands

A truly romantic wedding proposal (mad props to the photographer!)

Love this dining room

Dark red nail polish, Yes please!

kinda crazy about this haircut

Did you watch Project Runway's finale last night?!

Halloween Games

This hallow's eve, there will be plenty of candy to eat, tricks to perform, and scary movies to watch but just in case that still isn't enough, here are 4 games to keep those pesky goblins entertained.  They include Bean Bag Toss, Pop Goes the Pumpkin, Bobbing for Apples, and a Pumpkin Carving Contest.  What will you be doing this Halloween weekend?

{Photo Credits L to R: Country Living, Tip Junkie, Ganz World and eHow}

Horror Movies for Halloween Night

There's no better way to set the mood for a frightening & eery night, than to watch a scary movie.  I used to love watching them as a kid, biting my nails during the movie and then staring at the door all night as I tried to sleep afterwards.  To make matters worse, the house I grew up in had a really long hallway and as I'd walk down it my anxiety would build up to a point where I found myself running to the very end of it and frantically knocking on my parent's door.

Here are a few of the scariest movies ever, with notes from IGN on the scariest scenes.

Scene to watch with the lights on: All of it. No no no, trust us. Watch it at mid-day, with the blinds open and the lights on. And then get used to the fact that you may never, ever sleep again.

Scene to watch with the lights on: Laurie Strode is trying to hide from Michael Myers, and crouches down inside a closet. She manages to tie the door shut, but that's not going to stop Michael, who begins smashing the door in, causing light to shine in and for Michael's spooky mask to come into plain view of the understandably terrified Laurie. 

Scene to watch with the lights on: When Freddy gets a hold of Tina in her dream, we suddenly realize just how big the stakes are, as her sleeping body is suddenly pulled up into the air, and four fatal cuts rip into her. The fact that she's dragged along the ceiling, screaming, before she dies, as her boyfriend looks on in horror, only adds to the shock of the scene. 

 Scene to watch with the lights on: "The blood usually gets off on the third floor." When both Jack and his psychically attuned son begin communing with the many spirits haunting the Overlook, things quickly take a turn for the worse. Deadly hedge mazes, elevators full of blood and the terrifying Room 237 are only some of the horrors that await viewers.

Scene to watch with the lights on: Man. Just pick anything. How about the guy who tears his own face apart or the malicious clown doll that loves to strangle or the vengeful zombies coming out of the swimming pool. This movie will hit you from every direction and leave you cowering in the corner. 

Scene to watch with the lights on: What scene could we pick but the quintessential shower slaying? Coupled with the iconic music cue, this scene remains a horror classic 50 years later.

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{photo credits for movie posters N to S: Exorcist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Shining, Poltergeist, Psycho}

Frighteningly Delicious Halloween Recipes

Since it's Halloween, food can be fun this time of year.  We can add olives to dishes as eyeballs, or serve spaghetti noodles as brains.  It's definitely a chance to be creative with food and mix different flavor profiles to find out what works best together.  Add a couple of spooky labels to the food with descriptions like "Frankenstein's Last Victim's Intestines" and "Spicy Maggots", and you've got yourself a Halloween buffet table worth sharing with your fellow ghouls & goblins.  Here are a few delicious recipes easy to impress your blood-sucking friends.

Halloween-Themed Blue Cheese Crackers

 Blood-Red Hot Chocolate & Sweet Bones

 Ooey-Gooey Eyeballs

 Cute Jack-o-lantern Quesadillas

 Orange & Black Salmon Rolls

Squash Soup served in Mini Pumpkins

Vampire Blood Tomato Soup & 

Muenster Sammies

To prepare for your Halloween party, here is a checklist from Real Simple to ensure you have a spectacularly spooky night.

Fashion Spotlight: Amazing Fall Outfits from Ruche

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How amazing are these three looks from Ruche?  So romantic & easy, that I feel one step closer to a picnic in the park amongst the changing trees with my love.  Bottle of red wine and hot food truck fare?  Yes, please.

Mess-Free Halloween Pumpkins

I absolutely love carving pumpkins, but will be the first one to admit that gutting them is really gross.  So, a couple of years ago my boyfriend and I started painting pumpkins instead and made them into witches, black cats, bats & spiders.  It's a great way to be creative without the mess.  Here are a few ideas in case you're interested.

{photo courtesy of The Finer Things}

Creepy Crawly How-To:

Paint black, super glue two googly eyes,

and then cut 4 black pipe cleaners in half jamming each set of 4 on

each side of the pumpkin for legs.  And oula!

Black Cat How-To:

Paint a small pumpkin and medium sized pumpkin black. (Avoid using paint with water because then you'll end up with cracks like me).  Remove the stem from the larger pumpkin and fill the area with lots of hot glue.  Then, attache the smaller pumpkin and let dry.

Using hot glue, attach 2 googly eyes and a button for a nose to the head.  The whiskers are actually 6 sewing pins pushed into the pumpkin.  For the ears, cut a black  pipe cleaner in two and jam them into the pumpkin.  You can stabilize them with a little bit of super glue or hot glue.  For the tail, take two pipe cleaners and twist together one end while curling the other end.  Stick the twisted end into the pumpkin. 

To make the tie, simply use a pipe cleaner and tie it around the cat's neck like a necklace. Then, cut a tie shape out of felt and glue to the pipe cleaner.  For added flair, you can decorate the tie with stripes or polka dots.

7 Fall Beauty Buys

It's Fall, which means beauty shades get a little more dramatic and experimental.  Forget the sun-kissed look, and pick out a few warm colors to paint your pretty face and highlight your best features.  To prepare, I've included here 7 Fall beauty finds that are sure to impress at the water cooler or dinner party.


1. Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Wet Violet

2. Caramel Apple & Marshmallow Bars Shampoo/Body Wash by Philosophy

3. Sonia Kashuk Eyeshadow Quads

4. Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick (Cherry Passion is Fall's most popular)

5. Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadows

6. Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil Set

7. Essie 2011 Fall Nail Collection

Etsy Tuesday: Halloween Costumes for Kids

Six frightening days til Halloween!  I finally ordered my costume - thank goodness for Amazon's 2-day prime shipping - and a grocery list is already made to begin baking some delicious treats.  How are your plans coming for Halloween weekend?  Just in case your little ones are still indecisive about what they want to be, here are a few great costumes from Etsy.  Aren't they darling?

Happy Tuesday!

Adorable Max Costume

Upcycled Roxy the Fox costume

Seriously Wise Owl

Gnomes! Happy as can be.

Wickedly Fun Ghost

Ponderous Sea Monster

Argh! A Pirate with flair

Cute as a Ladybug

Slime-free Frog Prince

Enchanted Little Red Riding Hood

Elmo & Cookie Monster

a darling little Bumblebee

Butterfly

Super Sweet Dragon

Creepy Crawly Spider Headband

Halloween Desserts

Halloween is exactly one week away, so it's crunch time here - need candy for the trick-or-treaters, finishing touches for my costume, materials for desserts, and need to rent those classic scary movies for one frightfully fun night.  How are things progressing at your home?  If you're like me, you scour the web looking at pictures for inspiration.

To make your week easier, I will be doing at least one post a day dedicated to all things Halloween.  As a result, today's first post is dedicated to those yummy desserts we so crave.  Hopefully these pictures inspire you to create your own delicious treats.

Orange & Black Layered Cake

Wickedly Cool Orange, Blue & White Cookies

A Mean Monster Mash Cupcake

Nevermore, Nevermore Raven Cookies

 Pumpkin Tarts

Skulls of Plenty Madeleines 

Black Webbed Cupcakes

Creepy Crawly Cakes

Not-So-Scary Witch's Hat

 Delightful Pumpkins

A Spider Spins His Tale

One, Two, Three Chocolate Headstones

The last three are quick desserts I came up with for a Halloween Party at work.  They are very easy to make if you get in a time crunch.  For the Pumpkin Cupcake Toppers, I bought orange candy melts from Michael's (or was it Hobby Lobby?) and a chocolate mold.  You simply follow the directions on the package and let them harden overnight before placing on top.  Then using green buttercream icing, you can pipe a few leaves or even use a grass tip for the topping. 

The Spiderweb Cupcake Toppers were also made using candy melts, except I piped a spiderweb on a parchment paper and then let it dry overnight.  The next day, simply place them on top of your cupcake with a spider.

The Headstone Cake Toppers in the last picture were done the exact same way as the Pumpkin Toppers, just using regular melting chocolate and a chocolate mold I found at my local craft store.  Then place some spiders around the headstones in various sizes and you have a Halloween themed cake!  All three were incredibly easy to make.  So if you get in a bind, don't stress.  Just head to your local craft store and make a couple of toppers.  No one has to know how much work you did or didn't do. ;)

Happy Weekend

I am so excited for today, because of the Gypsy Picnic!  Austin being the  rad & young city that it is, is having a food truck festival downtown with a cook-off, live music, beer tastings, and even a dog fortune teller.  So, I am actually headed there soon, but wanted to stop by and wish everyone a wonderful weekend.  Hope it's fantastic and filled with laughs.  In the meantime, here are a few posts from around the web...

absolutely love Eat, Drink, Chic's Mixed Bags.

25 unique Halloween costumes by New Yorkers.

"Best of Austin 2011" by the Austin Chronicle, just in case you want to visit.

a really sweet & sad story my boyfriend emailed me.  love is powerful.

the unfortunate loss of such an amazing photographer.  a few of his pics are posted here.

"Flick Chicks", an article in the New Yorker by Mindy Kaling of the The Office = hilariousness.

sincerely adore J.Crew's looks.

the perfect Fall coat.

Etsy Tuesday: Halloween Party Supplies

There's 13 haunting days til Halloween, which means it's time to fill up your shopping carts (virtual or real) with party supplies for the perfect, frighteningly fun Halloween party.  As a result, today's Etsy finds are geared towards throwing a party filled with ghouls & goblins.  Click on the links and start shopping because time is running out....!

Vintage Inspired Halloween Tags - these are perfect for attaching to party favor bags, using as place cards, or tying to water bottles.

Orange & Black Polka Dot Favor Boxes - fill these with M&Ms, candy corn or your favorite homemade treats.
 
Trick-or-Treaters Halloween Card - these darling cards are great for scribbling sweet messages inside to send to your favorite nieces and nephews

Black Raven Place Cards - even Halloween parties can be elevated with little touches like these.

"Vampire Bites" Card Stock Tags - these are a great idea as is, fill a jar with candies for your co-workers or children's classmates and wrap these cute tags around.

Orange Polka Dot Straws - for a pop of color on your food & beverage table, straws are a cheap and fun addition (and using them keeps your teeth from rotting out....something has to!).

"Spooky" Banner - hang them on your doors, fireplaces, buffets or bar to add that extra something special.

Crazy Bats Garland - I would totally hang these from the ceiling along with Martha Stewart's Pom Poms in orange & black.

"Trick or Treat" Banner - yet another banner for the mantle.

Vintage Paper Plates - these plates are so much fun that I wish they had more!

Plastic Halloween Favor Bags - perfect for caramel popcorn balls or brownie bites.

Black Raven Centerpiece - an eery raven that would make even Edgar Allan Poe proud.

Three Spooky Birds Mini Treat Sacks - make handing out candy to trick or treaters easy by using these to fill with a few pieces of candy AND a toothbrush.

DIY Printable Cupcake Picks - because cupcakes are so much more fun when dressed up.

Orange & Black Paper Garland - just one more garland.

Halloween Party Invitations - set the mood for your costume party with these classic invitations.

Chic Halloween Costumes for Women

 available here

  available here

 available here

available here

Not only are these chic costumes, but they are 4 reasons why I love Ruche.  If you haven't shopped there, you should definitely visit the link now and start.  The owner has impeccable taste and always chooses just the right items to sale on her website.

Ruche aside, I really love these costumes, especially the Wise Detective.  They are a huge departure from the normal costumes you see for women during Halloween - the sailor, maid, pirate, fairy-tale princess which always include a skirt just below the tush.  These costumes remind others that Halloween isn't just another reason to look like a Playboy bunny, but that you actually enjoy Halloween....and have a brain.

Halloween Themed Entryways

via Martha Stewart

 via Martha Stewart

 via Martha Stewart

 via Pottery Barn

 via Pottery Barn

vintage Pottery Barn

Before the trick or the treat, get your entryway ready for the spookiest night of the year.  Carved, painted or made of twigs, pumpkins are the easiest thing to add to any entryway and the most cost efficient decorations.  Once the steps are lined with pumpkins, you can never go wrong with adding some fall garlands and wreaths, luminaries, crows, or homemade cardboard cutouts of bats and owls.  For more ideas, click on the links above.

Happy Monday!