Luna Lighting Collection at CORT Event Furnishings

Loving the Luna Lighting collection at CORT! While there's nothing new about lighted furniture, Cort's collection in a variety of colors, functions, and featuring brushed steel and acrylic tops looks more futuristic than dated. Why not break up the ho-hum holiday decor with something unexpected?  Check it out here.

Ann Taylor Shopping Event_TONIGHT!

Ann Taylor
600 Thirteenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
6 - 8 PM
*Offer valid only at stores participating in December 9, 2010 events and listed on eventsatann.com website. 30% discount will be applied towards full-price items only. Taxes, shipping and handling fees, purchases of gift cards, charges for gift boxes and payment of an Ann Taylor or LOVE LOFT Card account are excluded from the discount. Not valid at anntaylor.com, LOFT stores, LOFT.com, Ann Taylor Factory Stores, LOFT Outlet Stores, or in conjunction with any other offer or total store promotion. Reproductions of offer are not valid. No adjustments to prior purchases. Not valid for cash.

The New Holiday Collection at West Elm

I'm in love with West Elm's new holiday collection! It's so beautiful I honestly want to buy up the store.  Their fall/winter entertaining collection is truly something you could make work all year. The lines are clean and simple. The prints are playful and whimsical yet very very chic. I love how they use metallic in a way that still feels unfussy and earthy.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces that you can use now, throughout the holiday, and in many cases throughout the year:

I'm I the only one that finds birds kind of creepy? I thought these would be great year round but especially at a very grown up Halloween party.

Love the use of metallics here. Gold and white is just so versitile. These would look fabulous as for Thanksgiving or Christmas entertaining.

Obviously these are great winter plates, but they may also work for Halloween. I have this whole black and white with red accents Halloween party idea in my head just waiting to jump out. Who says you can't move away from the traditional orange and black and do something a little unexpected. Maybe that will be my next post!

More fun usage of metallics.....

Simple and lovely details...

A couple fun holiday themed serving trays....

A new look at the fall harvest table. These recylced spanish glass bottles do double duty as candle holders and bud vases.

Later,

Guru

A delicious twist on a classic fall treat at Debrand

The mere mention of caramel apples makes me flash back to breezy walk to the school bus, color coated New England landscapes, and crisp fall evenings. Debrand signature chocolate covered caramel apples are a decadent take on the apples of my childhood. All I need now is some warm apple cider, a scarf, and a hayride.

GO HERE TO ORDER! and to check out their other fall inspired chocolates!

Owners of Frosting Bakeshop Launch a Super Sweet Reality Book



Todd Bracken and Michelle Snow Bracken
Dani Leigh Photography



The only things sweeter than the cupcakes at Frosting are the shop’s owners, Michelle Snow Bracken and Todd Bracken. Their boy meets girl on Match.com love story is the stuff of novels, literally. Last Wednesday, the pair celebrated the release of “The Icing on the Cake” a novel based on their romance. By Allison Kent and True Vows Publishers, the book details their one year courtship, fairytale New Year’s Eve wedding, and shared dream of opening a boutique bakeshop.

The launch event, “A Cupid + Cupcakes Affair”, took place at the couple’s cupcakery and coffee shop, Frosting. Surrounded by cupcakes and sipping on champagne, a crowd of familiar DC faces gabbed about life, love, and their favorite flavors. Although the seating is limited, the shop is much more than just a grab and go establishment. Opened in April 2010, the space is fresh, light, and inviting. The powder blue walls are adorned with snowflakes, photographs, and shabby chic picture frames.


One of many delicious cupcakes sampled
 at The Icing on the Cake book launch
Dani Leigh Photography



Their cupcakes are baked from scratched daily and served up along side Illy Coffee and espresso. Featuring unique varieties, quality ingredients, and intense flavors, the smell alone is intoxicating. For those with a super sweet tooth, the ratio of frosting to cake should be right up your alley. Each mini cake is crowned with a dollop of frosting high enough to make a dentist weep. In a word...Decadent. In a sentence...Some of the best cupcakes in the metro area.

After only being open a few months, Frosting already has a growing list of loyal customers and received raves reviews from local cupcake enthusiasts. Located just steps from the Friendship Heights Metro Station and the very vibrant downtown Chevy Chase, this whimsical little shop is sure to be a sweet success.

Go here to learn more about Frosting and "The Icing on the Cake".

Aint No Party Like a Scranton Party: The Office Premiere Party Pack

The Office Season 7 premiere is coming up this Thursday, September 23rd. I'm a big fan of the show and stumbled upon this "Ain't No Party Like a Scranton Party: The Office Premiere Party Pack" at the NBC Universal Store.

The set includes:

Season 6 DVD
Office Trivia Game - The Sequel

Dunder Mifflin shotglasses
Dunder Mifflin Badge Holders

Dwight Bobblehead

What would you add? How about some tuna fish sandwiches? Pam's candy dish? I'm thinking a stapler or "World's Best Boss" mug in jello might be a nice addition.

Season 7 of The Office premiers Thursday at 9/8c

Special Offer on New Gourmet Cherry Cordials from DeBrand

Go here to order!

Georgetown DC Celebrates: Fashion's Night Out -September 10th

GO HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Gilt Groupe Love'n

Oh, Gilt Groupe. You beautiful website with all your fancy pants products at deep discounts. I am absolutely loving the collection of  Beauville Table Linens you have on sale until September 4th.

These are the kind of linens that instantly transform your space. They take you from Ikea worshiping college grad to classy world traveler in 30 seconds, or however long it takes you to dress a table. Beauvillé screen-prints cotton household linens feature vibrant floral, baroque and geometric designs based on over 200 years of French Tradition. This week Gilt is featuring their runners, napkins, table clothes, placemats, and tea towels.

Here's a peak at a few of my favorites:

Go to GILT GROUPE now to grab these and other fabulous linens before they're gone!

One Man's Clearance Rack....

A casual browse through Pier 1 earlier this week yielded some inspiration at major discounts. In a store known for it's worldly goods, their clearance rack can often be a random mix of interesting items. These three caught my eye. They were on clearance, but something about them made me think they were worth salvaging. 

I actually thought this little monkey holding a bowl was a bit scary at first. He definitely grew on me when I thought of him guarding the keys at a haunted house style Halloween Party or holding anything from mints to pocket change. It's a conversation piece for sure.

The faded paint and curved handles of this serving tray make it look extra special, like a piece that has been around for years. If you're into a more traditional Christmas decor, this would go great with holiday reds, gold, and green.

I really liked these initial mugs. The colors would go great for a casual fall or winter get together. I could totally see them full of hot apple cider or pumpkin spiced lattes on a brisk autumn evening. The font of the letters is like an old school typewriter. They could easily be worked into a theme for your next book club gathering or pop one into a care package for someone away at college.

If you like it, put a ring on it

Join Mervis Diamond Importers for their engagement ring and wedding band trunk show Saturday and Sunday, August 28 -29. This is a fantastic opportunity to save some money on your Verragio rings.

Mervis Diamond Importers
1900 Mervis Way
Tysons Corner, VA 22182
Click for Directions

Saturday 9-5pm   
Sunday 12-5pm

GO HERE TO RSVP

CORT Event Furnishings introduces the Endless Collection

Check out the beautiful new modular seating collection from Cort Event Furnishings. Designed with event professionals in mind, the Endless Collection allows you to mix and match ottomans in various shapes with high or low backs to create circular or serpentine sectionals.

I love how the image to the right captures how these crisp modern pieces can easily be used in a more classic setting. The backs almost have a tufted look to them.

The collection is now available nationwide, so head over to http://www.cortevents.com/!

New At Home Entertaining Collection from Pier 1

I was in Pier 1 Imports this weekend and fell head over heels for their new Tasting Party Collection. It features simple, chic pieces perfect for at home entertaining. The collection includes everything you need to make your next dinner party look like a catered affair.


Inspired by restaurants, the Tasting Party Collection's glasses, serving trays, cups, and platters are all miniature. Made of white porcelain or glass, and in classic shapes, each piece can easily mix and match with your existing dinnerware. The perfect thing to stock up on before the holidays!

Images from Pier1.com

Love it! I'll definitely be picking up a few items.
Go here and scroll down for inspiration and simple recipe ideas for your Tasting Party Collection!

Later,
Guru

Free Truffle Offer from DeBrand

CLICK HERE TO SHOP DEBRAND'S WEBSITE!

Creating your own unique textiles online

Image from KaramKraft.com

I recently stumbled upon the site KarmaKraft.com, a digital fabric printing company based out of Raleigh, North Carolina and Hangzhou (about 1.5 hours from Shanghai).  For all you would-be textile designers out their, Karma Kraft is just the site you've been waiting for. Design and print your own fabric! In minutes you can upload your very own design to their website, choose your repeat, choose your base fabric, and then decide how much fabric you would like to create...TA-DA....our very own custom designed fabric!

Karma Kraft also offers cut and sew services for items like pillows, pet beds, scarfs, tablecloths, or apparel. The prices are surprisingly reasonable from as low as $20 a yard. Just think of hanging curtains featuring your very own design or entertaining on your own custom created linens.

I also happened across another amazing site called Spoonflower.com. Create your own fabrics using a simple online tool.  The site hosts a weekly fabric design competition and you can even sell your fabrics or purchase fabrics created by other SpoonFlower members through the Spoonflower market place. Maybe you'll be the next Emilio Pucci!

Image from inmod.com

Interested in designing your own home decor but need a little help in the design department? Check out Inmod.com. It's a fun little site that offers a variety of trendy furniture, lighting, and decor products....lots of really amazing stuff. You can customize pillows and duvets by tweaking the colors and fabrics of their preloaded designs until you've created the prefect combination for your space. Pricing varies greatly depending on the fabric you use. I'm redecorating one of my most important venues...my very own bedroom and just might order one of the custom duvets. If so, I'll be sure to post a pic or two. The designs are lots of fun and so much more interesting then most of the stuff I'm seeing in the stores. 

Happy decorating!

Later,
Guru

Single Girl's Supper: At home Indian Food

In a diverse area like the district there's no shortage of fabulous Indian restaurants. I've heard about recipes being passed down from one generation to the next and slow cooked meals that could take hours if not days to prepare. So, when I stumbled upon this line of frozen Indian entrees at Whole Foods from Tandoor Chef, I was a tad sceptical. Just how good could a frozen dinner be? But, I'm a busy girl and the thought of a delicious Indian meal at home in my pjs in under 5 minutes was just too good to pass up. So I purchased the Paneer Tikka and a box of the Garlic Naan.

Eager to try it, I heated the items up for dinner that night. The entree cooks in the microwave and I popped the naan in my toaster oven for a minute and a half. I added my own instant rice and, long story short, I'm sold! The meal was actually pretty good. So much so that I ran out this weekend and got about 5 more to stick in my freezer. Besides the look I got from the checkout guy- sad little single girl and her frozen dinners- and that fact that these bad boys are (while low in calories) fairly high in fat and sodium, the only other negative was the smell of curry lingering in my apartment for around 2 days. These meals are so tasty and convenient, I'm more than happy to crank up my Glade plug-in and run an extra mile or two from time to time.

Tanoor Chef is available in the freezer section at Whole Foods. They're all natural and come in a variety of dishes. Check out their website HERE.

Later,

Guru

Free yogurt today at TangySweet!

That's right, FREE yogurt at TangySweet. Don't miss it.

TangySweet-Penn Quarter

675 E Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20004-2238
(202) 347-7893

TangySweet- Dupont Circle

2029 P St NW

(between N 21st St & N Hopkins St)
Washington, DC 20036

Later,
Guru

Mia Gemma Wedding and Commitment Jewelry Launch Event This Week in Penn Quarter

Inauguration Party Ideas

With over 4 million people predicted to descend upon DC in celebration of the Inauguration, it's no surprise that many locals are forgoing the mall for at home viewing parties. So, I've scoured the internet in search of products to make your Inauguration soiree just as memorable as any official gala.

Invites: Customizable backstage pass invites from Party 411 are unique and professional looking. They can be laminated and put on lanyards for guests to wear to the event. Evite has also created a variety of Inauguration theme templates , like the one to the left created by Steve Lu, and with their online RSVPs managing your responses has never been easier.

SWAG: There is no shortage of Obama related products. Depending on your budget, gift bags could include t-shirts, wrist bands, hats, or just about any patriotic item you can get your hands on. During the election I found these fantastic photo cookies from TastyPrints.com. They come in a boxed set or individually wrapped in clear bags. These would be great take away items or a tasty addition to your buffet.

What official political function would be complete without patriotic buttons? These from the PoliticalShop.com are excellent ways to mark the occasion and will become keepsakes for your guests. Even the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) has joined the merchandise bandwagon by opening up their own online store at InauguralCollectibles.com. The site boasts a variety of art, jewelry, clothing, and other collectibles.

Décor and Activities:

White House Theme-Transform your party space into the White House lawn by creating a White House backdrop like this one from Atlantic Special Events. Recreate by using a cardboard or fabric base. Stencil on columns and windows and decorate with light weight bunting. Another simple idea would be to rent a projector and cast an image of the White House onto the wall. Tie in the theme to other areas with White House cutouts from Paper Toys or this pop up version from Popular Kinetics.

Reuse your 4th of July Decor- Whip out those stars and stripes from last year's picnic. You can't go wrong with red, white, and blue.

Photo Ops- Create your own photo op with this life size (6ft1) Obama cutout from Amazon.com. With a digital camera, photo printer, and customizable event photo folders from Style Studio, guests can to take home their event images as a special memento.

Party Patrol- What official Inaugural event would be complete without the proper security? Follow these simple Secret Service Costume instructions and recruit a few good men to create your own well dressed agents.

Trivia- Test your guest's knowledge of the Presidency, the Inauguration, and the new first family.

Menu: Serve up a menu reflecting Obama's diverse background. Try Chicago style pizza, an Hawaiian salad, a traditional Kenyan dish of samosas, or whip up a big batch of Chili, a reported favorite of the incoming President. Since the swearing in ceremony begins at 11:30am, either a lunch or brunch menu would be appropriate.

For more event planning tips and inspiration, visit me on Examiner.com.

Guru