Collectibles: Ball Jars.

Hi there! I usually don't post over the weekend, but I really wanted to share this photo I took yesterday afternoon.

The hydrangea stem was left over from a bouquet of flowers I received two weeks ago! They're still going strong so I decided to plop them in my favorite blue Ball jar. I love that jar, I found it on eBay and use it all the time. I've started a collection because they are inexpensive, useful and just look so good.

Speaking of Ball jars, in honor of its 125th anniversary, the morning show hosts on Martha Stewart Radio were trying to come up with 101 unique ways to use a Ball jar. Here's a link to their list.

Their listeners came up with some great ideas...here are five of my favorites:

1. Store ribbons in it (or buttons or other craft supplies).
2. Martini shaker! Hilarious.
3. Make Sun Tea with it. Nice for summer.
4. Use it as a bank for all of your change.
5. Make it a game jar. Store jacks, domino, dice, UNO cards!

How about you? Do you love Ball jars too, what do you use them for?

Monogram Chic

Photo via impressrubberstamps.com

When crafting, I love using initials, especially when making gift wrapping or gift tags. I usually dress-up plain paper gift bags using fun letter stickers or rubber stamps.

That's why I flipped for this cute monogram card idea from Impress Rubber Stamps. They used a script initial stamp inside a flourishy-frame to dress up a plain notecard that had been stamped with a very cool woodgrain pattern.

I really loved how this card turned out, so chic! I may have to add the Script Initials Rubber Stamp set from Impress Rubber Stamps Set to my collection. It is pricey at $75, BUT you get 26 stamps, that normally cost $5 each.

How about you? Do you like to rubber stamp? How do you dress up plain cards and tags?

Purple, Please!

Searching for inspiration this afternoon, I stopped in my tracks when I came to the Canadian House & Home website (this magazine is a must for design-lovers). Right there on the home page was this gorgeous gallery of purple rooms. Now, I've been known to love red, even turquoise, but when it comes to decorating, purple has my heart.

The collection of photos are so inspiring, a true reflection of what is happening with decorating today. Here, I walk you through my favorite photos and why:


Photo #1: So many great ideas here, where to begin?! I love the use of the soft lilac and grey in the furniture and on the walls. That combo is cool, sophisticated and modern. A perfect complement to the richer purple tone of the sitting chair and all of those amazing pillows! I love each and every one of them, they are a great example of fearless decorating--yes, you can mix-and-match patterns successfully! The trick? Stick with one color family.


Photo #2: I love the bright purple wall in this dining room. A great example of how just one wall painted a bold color can take a room to the next level. It really makes the rest of the room pop. If you took away that color, those fantastic chairs with the golden yellow cushions would not make the same statement. Somehow having that funky purple wall makes them feel like they belong there.

Photo #3: I love this bedroom, it's all about being playful with design. Again, grey (charcoal in this case) is the perfect backdrop when using colorful accessories. Please think about using this color for your next project. Think of it as a "modern neutral." In this room, the charcoal wall makes a statement yet quietly falls in line when its time for the vivid plum bedding and that sunny yellow nightstand to shine.

Thank you Canadian House & Home for sharing these photos! To check out the entire gallery, click here.

All photos from Canadian House&Home.com

Party Plan: Memorial Day Chill-Out

After a super-busy week (sorry about the lack of posting) I am finally ready to embrace this long 3-day weekend!

Sure, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to summer. But this year, rather than a big blow-out bash, I'd prefer a relaxed weekend full of quiet, delicious moments. Here is my Party Plan for a Memorial Day Chill-Out:

1. Drink: Sangria. Not just any sangria, Cava Sangria. A little fancy but this recipe from Bobby Flay piqued my interest. We drank Cava (a Spanish champagne) with friends on New Year's Eve this year and it was amazing!

Photo from FoodNetwork.com

2. Menu: Burgers. If you're hoping to not overindulge too much, try sliders instead. Make your burgers to the size of a meatball, flatten and throw them on the grill. Top them off with a bit of cheese, a pickle and place inside a dinner roll. Delicious.

3. Dessert: Whoopie Pies. Bake off a batch of devils food cake mix in the size of large cookies, then sandwich a generous helping of whipped topping in between two of them and chill for 15 minutes. Yum.

Photo from NYTimes.com

4. Decor: Keep it simple. Pick up packs of stars-and-stripes plates or buy solid paper goods in red, white and blue! Bonus: you can use any leftovers for Fourth of July!

Modern Stars and Stripes dinner plates, $5.50 for 8, from plumparty.com

5. Music: So glad you asked...I just created a "Summer Songs Playlist" over at Celebrations.com. I had a blast mixing tunes from Dave Matthews, Madonna, The Go-Go's and Lady Gaga. Let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous three-day weekend everyone!!

Happy Birthday (to me!)

Photo from istockphoto.com

Yesterday (Sunday) was my birthday!

Five Things I Loved About My Birthday Weekend:

1. My brother's law school graduation was yesterday. I am so, so proud of him!!

2. My family. Everyone rallied, partying at my brother's graduation party on Saturday and then Sunday they were back for a very long day of awards and ceremonies and picture-taking yesterday.

3. Business cards! A fabulous gift from a fabulous lady...I was so surprised to open up these adorable cards. Thanks, D!

4. Spa Day...the hubby is treating me to a spa day of my choice. I'm thinking of a spa/yoga package here.

5. Birthday cake. I love that after the marathon weekend we had, when we finally got home my husband surprised me with a yummy cake at 11:30 last night.

:)

Gotta Have It: Cupcake Stands

Photo via Farmhouse Wares

As soon as I read about these adorable cupcake stands over at Dachsies and Design (thanks, lady), I knew I had to have them! They are from Farmhouse Wares. My order is placed and I will be receiving six of these shortly!

Is a stand just for a cupcake too much? I think not. Cakes have their own fancy stands, why not cupcakes? Plus, I can think of a million other uses for these...they will be great for holding candles and summer seashells now and then when the weather changes, they will be PERFECT for displaying those tiny Jack-be-little pumpkins I love.

I can't wait to play with them when they arrive. Of course, the first thing I will have to do is buy half a dozen red velvet cupcakes (my favorite) to test them out!

Happy Housewives

I have many guilty pleasures and The Real Housewives of...series on Bravo is certainly one of them! I love getting a glimpse into how other ladies live around the country (well, I wasn't a fan of Atlanta, sorry ladies!)

Tonight, I will be glued to BRAVO...First up, my favorite: The Real Housewives of NYC Reunion: Part I. Apparently, there was so much drama, they needed 2 shows. That's my girls...I'm on Team Bethenny and Team Jill (I'm just saying.)

Then, I can't wait to catch the premiere of the The Real Housewives of New Jersey. From the preview special, I could tell already that these ladies have issues! The only redeeming quality will be catching a glimpse at all of their homes...there are some fabulous houses where this is filmed in Jersey. (Maybe not fabulously decorated but the real estate there is crazy!)
If you tune in, let me know what you think!

Perky Pillow

Monstera pillow from Pier1.com

This afternoon, I picked up four Monstera pillows at Pier 1. I bought them for our outdoor table set. I love the bold green and white color combo, the oversized palm leaves and the price....$16 a pop (plus a discount) not bad at all. They just scream summer! Once the weather's warm, our deck is one of our favorite places to hang out.

Speaking of outdoor living…if you’re looking for outdoor summer entertaining and decorating ideas, check out this article I recently posted at Celebrations.com.

Its a little chilly out but I'm off to clean my table, plop my pillows on the chairs and sit with a much-needed glass of wine. Cheers!

Say Goodnight, Domino...

Photo from NYTimes.com

So many of us were devasted when the beloved Domino magazine folded back in January. I can't recall how many times I referred to it for advice and inspiration in both my professional and personal life. My mantra sort of became..."What would Domino do?

When I read (in the NY Times and on Elements of Style) about the "tag sale" a few of the former staffers will be having this weekend in NYC, I was sad once again. Not only as a reminder that the magazine is gone, but it also took me back to when the last publication I worked for folded.

We were left not only with devastation, fear and grief but also a lot of STUFF! Books, magazines, furniture, props, office supplies, you name it--we had it! Dara Caponigro (Domino's former Style Director) put it best: “When you are doing shoots, you accumulate a lot of stuff.” Um, yes...when we left our offices last July, my home looked like the remains of all the photo shoots I had ever done.

If you happen to live in or near NYC or are visiting for the weekend...go check out their sale!

May Flowers?

I thought I'd bring a little happy sunshine to yet another gloomy, dreary, rainy day here on the East Coast. I took this photo outside, on my deck, almost a year ago to the day! Here's hoping the sunshine comes back soon!

And speaking of flowers...if you're looking for gorgeous arrangements to drool over...check out three of my favorite sites:

Belle Fleur

Jane Packer

Rebecca Cole Design

Speaking of Rebecca Cole, last year I interviewed her for this helpful story about how to keep your store-bought bouquets fresh. Check it out!

Everything in Its Place.

My home office/craft room/creative haven finally has some order thanks to this amazing metal shelving unit I recently scored at HomeGoods. I love how well this outdoor piece works indoors, especially against my grass-green walls. Oh, and I love how it keeps my reference books and go-to craft supplies so tidy!

I like to think of this as "display storage," a rotation of my current favorites....my other gazillion supplies are tucked away in a pretty yellow dresser. I'll take some more photos later on of the entire room so you can see this true work-in-progress!

In the meantime, what's your favorite way to store your craft supplies?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Photo from Celebrations.com

For me, there really never has to be an excuse to celebrate. So in honor of this festive day, here is today's Party Plan:

1. Cocktail: SkinnyGirl Margarita
Bethenny Frankel, celebrity natural food chef, author, entrepreneur and star of Bravo TV's "The Real Houswives of NYC." created this delicious cocktail. I was lucky enough to meet Bethenny at an event in NYC last spring and she is, in a word--amazing.

2. Main Menu: Taco Bar with Fresh Salsa
How fun is it to build your own taco? And please, whatever you do, make sure the salsa is FRESH! Nothing beats it. I suggest making it yourself or if you must buy it pre-made, the Trader Joe's brand really is delicious.

3. Dessert: I adore the Mexican Chocolate Pudding at my favorite restaurant in town, Besito. So decadent and delicious and so easy to re-create. Simply mix-in a generous amount of cinnamon to your favorite chocolate pudding (I suggest dark chocolate!)

4. Decorations: Tissue Paper Flowers
Yep, just like the kind you made in kindergarten. For an easy how-to, click here. Then, hang them up all around the house, tie them to the back of your dining chairs or plop a whole bunch into a vase.

5. Music: Set the mood with a festive playlist. I love this one from Celebrations.com.

How are you planning to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

New Beginnings...

I recently gave my living room a mini makeover for spring. Flowers are my favorite way to welcome in a new season.

I've officially launched this blog live! Thanks to a fantastic e-blogging class I took last month with Decor8 (thanks, Holly!) I finally have the courage to go live.

As I mentioned in my first introduction post, I am a former magazine editor, who is now freelance writing and crafting and loving it.

My style is a little crafty, a little trendy and definitely cozy. "Country Modern" is one way some old pals used to describe my style and I like that a lot.

I plan to bring you decorating and craft ideas, inspiration, projects and lots more.

Welcome to Design Candy!