My Favorite & Frightful Halloween Decorating Ideas from Blogland…

With Halloween just a few days away, I’ve been surfing blogland for some last minute décor ideas. Wow. There are so many amazingly creative and down right creepy ideas for decorating your home and  entertaining your guests this All Hallow’s Eve. Here are some of my favorites I had to share with you. Enjoy!

Favorite Halloween Party Invitations:

Start the party off right with Skeleton Halloween invitations by Martha Stewart. Not too scary to make yourself – just download & assemble! Visit Martha’s for the how to.

Stylish, colorful and paperless Halloween invites by Amy Altas for CocoDot. I used the “Boo!” invite in the bottom right corner for our little party coming up!

Favorite Halloween Décor – Outside:

For three years, this home in Brooklyn has been frightening trick-or-treaters. This year, it’s a “freak show” at A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress. Wow.

Favorite Halloween Décor – Inside:

Loving this Dr. Jekyll’s Laboratory décor theme from Three Pixie Lane. The vintage photos with googol eyes are the best.

The Graphics Fairy {love} has a ton of great vintage Halloween clipart for all your spooky projects. Here are those eyes just mentioned.

The stylish DIYer, Kate at Centsational Girl, created the best mantel this season. Love the black & white color palette. Aren’t the chains great?

Love these little mice {Martha Stewart} creeping and crawling all over the stairs at Thrifty Décor Chick.

Favorite Halloween Treats:

These ominous cupcakes by Lily Vanilli via Cupcake Loves Evil are perfectly frightful for any Halloween party.

And how about these eerie candied apples by Matt Bites? Love the twigs.

For something a little more inviting {especially for kids}, this simple Halloween candy station by Martha Stewart  is a great option. The jar label’s can be downloaded here.

Favorite Halloween Drinks:

These ghoulish beverage labels by Centsational Girl are my favorite. You will need to drop by her blog; She has downloads for these witches brews and many others including one for kids’ juice boxes! Go here.

Here’s yet another way by Real Simple to add an eeire touch to drinks by labeling each guest’s stemware. Make everyone’s different so to not get drinks mixed up!

Favorite Halloween Pumpkins:

I picked up a bag of little rubber rats at Michael’s the other day having no clue what I was going to do with them. Now I know. Thanks Martha Stewart!

Love these painted pumpkins too by Stylist Liz Demos via Country Living.

This assortment of painted and carved pumpkins is also a favorite. Does anyone know the original source? I found it on a blog that did not give it proper credit.

Need some more spooky decor inspiration? Here are some more Halloween decorating ideas I think you'll love.

Sweet, Modern Pink & Orange Nursery Room for Baby Girl

{poster by Jeff Canham & available at Serena & Lily}

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a mommy-to-be designing the nursery room for her first child. As a starting point, she received a simple white spindle crib {similar to the one pictured below} that needed to be incorporated in the overall design. Expecting a baby girl, the client wanted a palette that was girly, yet modern. She also loves birds and wanted to include them somehow.

The result  was a fresh, modern nursery with touches of whimsy. The inspiration for the room, “Fleur Pink & Orange Nursery” was Annette Tatum’s Little House Fleur Pink Bedding. Finding the vintage feeling birdcage lighting was icing on the cake! Here are the resources for the inspiration board above:

1. Perrin Dresser - Petitnest
2. Pink Animals Alphabet Poster – Rosenberry Rooms
3. Pink Dance Floor Small Needlepoint Pillow – Rosenberry Rooms
4. Meadow Friends - Canvas Art with Clock – oopsy daisy
5. Musette Bird Rattle – blabla
6. Sherwin-Williams White Dogwood SW6315 for the walls
7. Birdcage Chandelier – Rosenberry Rooms
8. Ava Child Chair and Ava Child Ottoman – Jennifer DeLonge
9. Fleur Pink Crib Bedding – Little House by Annette Tatum

Looking for baby boy nursery inspiration? Here’s a darling bird themed nursery for a little guy. Keeping the baby’s gender a surprise? Here’s another bird nursery room perfect for boy or girl.

What do you like best in this nursery room design?

PS - Need some help designing your nursery room? Please feel free to contact me at simplifiedbee@yahoo.com for more information about my virtual designing services.

Culinarium 2010 Highlights: Christopher Peacock Kitchen Design, Chic Hors D’oeuvres & Color

Last week the San Francisco Design Center {SFDC} hosted Culinarium 2010 which celebrated the center of every home, the kitchen . Over the course of three days there were kitchen design keynotes and seminars by renowned designers along with cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs. The event kicked off with a panel discussion that celebrated Design, Food & Fashion and included San Francisco Magazine's style director Elizabeth Varnell, Food and Wine editor Jan Newberry and contributing design editor Diane Doran Saeks.

In the SFDC’s Galleria atrium, Christopher Peacock Home built out a spectacular fully functioning kitchen featuring Silestone quartz countertops, Ann Sacks tile backsplash, Miele appliances and Toshiba high-tech flat screens. The entire kitchen was assembled in two days! This isn’t the first time Christopher Peacock Home has built display kitchens like this; In partnership with House Beautiful, he built the 2008 Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Plaza and built the kitchen for Oprah's television stage set in 2009.

House Beautiful Editor-in-Chief, Newell Turner {far left} lead the panel discussion “The Kitchen: The New American Living Room.” Turner started the discussion explaining that kitchens are no longer detached from the design story. From family meals, to kids’ homework, to entertaining. The kitchen is the hub and the “new” living room. He also added that today’s kitchen is made to be more personal, comfortable and technologically advanced. The panel included Christopher Peacock, Founder & Designer of Christopher Peacock Home {middle left}, Michael Merritt, Director of Merchandising Ann Sacks {middle right} and David Karigaca, Sales & Builder Division Manager, Miele {far right}.

Christopher Peacock had the cabinets built in walnut stained in a dark brown. The cabinet doors are recessed and kept simple. The cabinetry is dressed up with hardware by Christopher Peacock Home. The oversized pulls in nickel are especially beautiful. The gorgeous backsplash, eastern star by Ann Sacks is “artwork” in the space and the starting point for the kitchen’s design. The Turkish inspired pattern features stainless steel and rich chocolate tiles. The geometric pattern was originally smaller, but Ann Sacks custom adjusted the size to meet Peacock’s vision.

The large kitchen island topped with Silestone quartz showcases Miele appliances and a thick striped wooden cutting board.

Speaking of appliances, David Karigaca of Miele said that their steam ovens are in demand. I want one! He explained that Miele appliances are made with “clean touch steel” and that they wipe clean with a simple rag {no harsh stainless steel cleaners needed}.

One of the most talked about features in the kitchen was the refrigerator and wine refrigerator combo by Miele. Each a separate unit, it was Peacock’s vision to combine the two in this San Francisco kitchen so near to the famous wine country.

Inside the wine refrigerator, the folks at Miele has shelves made in walnut to coordinate with the rest of the kitchen. The lighting inside both the refrigerators excited Newell Turner. It is indeed elegant and innovative {helps keep the temp in the units constant}. In addition, the cutting-edge Miele appliances are self-diagnosing and will send a homeowner an email if their is a problem, repair, or maintenance needed. Truly amazing.

Renaissance woman and chef, Lea McIntosh of Nesting Newbies lead a cooking demonstration on how to create upscale hors d’oeuvres for entertaining. She taught her no-fail techniques to blogger Jeanine Hays of AphroChic {pictured right}. Together the two created three simple, delicious and sure fire winning hors d’oeuvres: Pear Muscat Marmalade {recipe here}, Medjool Dates Stuffed With Goat Cheese {seriously easy} and Truffle Honey Holiday Baked Brie. Yum.

Here is the recipe for the Truffle Honey Holiday Baked Brie:

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry

1 tbsp salted butter {melted"}

2 tbsp pecan pieces

1 tbsp white truffle oil

2 tbsp honey

1 eight oz. wheel brie

1 whole egg {beaten}

1 piece kitchen twine

Method:

1. Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 minutes and unfold onto a baking sheet covered with parchment.

2. Ina small bowl, combine butter, pecan pieces, white truffle oil and honey; set aside.

3. Place brie in middle of pastry; pull flaps of dough up around edges to top of cheese, pressing dough against side of brie and gathering together at the top.

4. Before sealing dough flaps, pour honey mixture over brie right before squeezing together excess dough and tie with a piece of kitchen twine.

5. Brush beaten egg over top and side of pastry.

6. Bake in 375 degree oven about 20 minutes until pastry is golden. Serve warm with French baguette slices.  

{image via Living in Color with Sonu & Tyler Florence}

Speaking of food, Bob Chin and Sonu Mathew of Benjamin Moore talked about the “Social Palette – how trends, social media and palates influence color.” it was a beautifully rich presentation tying our passions for food and color. The mouth-watering photo of a chocolate tart is from Chef Tyler Florence's new book, “Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bringing People Together Never Tasted Better.” It was so fun getting to meet Sonu too. Her blog, Living in Color with Sonu has been a favorite design blog of mine. Be sure to drop by for some serious color inspiration.

Culinarium 2010 ended on a spirited note with “The Art of the Cocktail” featuring Perry’s bartenders and the San Francisco 40-year institution’s signature cocktails. All proceeds of the event will benefit the Design Trade Resources Association.

I can’t wait to see what is in store for Culinarium 2011!

*all images property of Simplified Bee unless stated

Friday Find: PetitNest - Infant & Children's Room Furnishings

It was all the buzz at the recent ABC Kids Show in Las Vegas: PetitNest. The modern classic collection of infant & children’s room furnishings offers fresh decor solutions for young families. PetitNest is the product of Hollywood style-savvy moms: actress Tiffani Thiessen {currently starring in the hit USA Network television series "White Collar"} and  interior designer Lonni Paul {finalist from HGTV’s "Design Star"}.

Offering bedding that is nontraditional {no more boy = blue or girl = pink}, PetitNest 's color palettes are perfect for a gender neutral nursery design and couple's  waiting until birth to learn the sex of their baby. In addition, the patterns and colors allow families to uphold the same high standards of style and design throughout their home in their children’s rooms.

The giant tree pictured above will soon be available in a flat form to hang on nursery room walls. White bird decals currently available at PetitNest can be used in combination with the tree or you could add your own monkey, squirrel or owl to coordinate with your room's theme.

Beautiful form meets high function - love it! PetitNest creates multi-use furnishings such as the Sophie Dresser above {available in beech, walnut and white}. By adding a simple changing table, the dresser is ready for all those diaper changes. When its time the changing table is removed and the dresser may either stay in the toddler's room, be placed in an entry or serve as a small buffet in a dining room. It's not inexpensive at $1,650, but a solid investment that will last long beyond baby’s first years. PetitNest collection will also be eco-friendly and certified by the Sustainable Furnishings Council. 

For more on this up-incoming company, be sure to visit their website at PetitNest or see a video interview on Project Nursery.

Do you like the look?

*images via Project Nursery & PetitNest

Interior Design Tips by BluLabel Bungalow: Small Spaces and The Luxury of Less

Today I am thrilled to have Erika Ward of Atlanta-based, Erika Ward Interiors as a guest blogger.  Erika is passionate about interior design and it shows on her lovely blog, BluLabel Bungalow. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Erika while in New York to watch The Nate Show. She is delightful! I also think you will love this post... tip #2 is my favorite :-)

In the House Beautiful July/August 2010 issue, they pose the question, "Is Small the New Big?" Initially, I was irritated by the question simply because it sounded like yet another trend. In 7-10 years will we once again be in love with sprawling estates?

Naturally, small is the new big when so many are downsizing due to current economic conditions. While everyone is not in financial straits some have chosen to reduce their living space in order to be more ecologically responsible. The article examines three homes, the largest a mere 650 square feet, and concludes that living large is all about quality and not quantity.

When visiting potential clients, I find they have enough furniture and accessories to furnish two homes. In fact, most of us have more than we really need. My first inclination is to grab a box and begin removing excess from the walls and mantels, but I know better than that. We are sensitive about our stuff, aren't we? Instead I offer the following suggestions, applicable to both large and small homes, when practicing "The Luxury of Less" principle:

 
via oly studio

Edit Your Space

Perform a "healthy purge" and keep only what you love. If you can't bear to part with your knick-knacks, consider a wall display or arranging them together in a curio cabinet. This works best when you have a collection of one or two items.

via canadian house and home

Seek Help With Organization

Living with what you need requires you to know what you need. Perform an assessment of each space noting the function of each room. If an item in the room does not serve a relevant need, then remove it. Be sure that each remaining item "has a home" or an assigned place when not in use.

via Lee Industries

Choose Dual Purpose Furniture

Shop smarter. Choose furnishing that serve two purposes, i.e. a ottoman that serves as additional seating as well as a coffee table.

via canadian house and home

Seek Help With Space Planning

The wrong furniture arrangement can kill a space.  Employ designer tricks to find optimal seating arrangements and traffic flow in the room.  The House Beautiful article lends two pieces of advice:

1. Keep the seating arrangments pulled away from the walls. Creating spaces beyond the furniture adds volume to the room.
2. Use furniture with exposed legs. This creates air space and a feeling of openness you cannot achieve with upholstery that goes to the floor.

via Summer Thornton

Buy the Highest Quality You Can Afford, Fake the Rest

Your budget is small, but you splurge on your dream wallpaper. You don't have money left for a custom bed so make one. There are countless tutorials on the web that guide you through the steps of making an upholstered headboard. Give your headboard an expensive look with tufting and/or framing.

 

via BeeLine Home 

Inject Interest with Color and Patterns

Using colors and patterns provides eye candy and really draws you into a space. Painted floors, playful wallpapers, artwork, and soft fabrics help to bring the room to life and establish the personality of its owner.

Do you find satisfaction in living with less? 

How have your made your life simpler this year?

Thanksgiving Table Decorating Ideas – With or Without Kids!

{image via Country Living}

With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us are already thinking about how we will set the table to celebrate. Formal or casual, with kids or without, there are many options when it comes to decorating your Thanksgiving table. It is always good to start with the basics. I included this in last year’s article on Thanksgiving Table Setting and Decorating Ideas, but it is always good to review how to set a table. If your dinner will be on the fancy side, here is how to set a formal table:

{image courtesy of Classy & Fabulous}

If your turkey day dinner will be more casual, here is how to set an informal table:

{image courtesy of Classy & Fabulous}

Speaking of knives, if your silver is in need of a good cleaning, here's a non-toxic DIY way to clean silver.

And now onto the fun stuff… decorating the table! My hands down favorite tablescape this Thanksgiving is by Eddie Ross, recently featured in Lonny. 

{images via Lonny & design by Eddie Ross}

Eddie and his partner, Jaithan Kochar created a vintage meets modern Thanksgiving table that is high on glamour, yet easy on the pocket book. They start with a modern table linen from Quadrille and lay it with vintage flatware and an antique Imari porcelain plate.   

For a touch of low-cost opulence, Eddie spray painted small pumpkins gold and added watercolored craft paper with guests’ initials as place cards. The pheasants were inexpensive finds and also painted gold for a more luxurious look.

Images of birds of the season are also fun on dinnerware. This dinner plate from Pottery Barn is part of a set of four – each features a unique turkey design. The place setting includes a scroll thank you note individualized for each guest. What a lovely personal touch.

 

Don’t be afraid the go with a non-traditional color palette. This beautiful place setting by Martha Stewart features both cool and warm hues of blue and gold. Contemporary elements such as the dishware is mixed with contemporary flatware, while a solid linen table cloth is paired with a block-printed napkin. Martha paints a collection of mini pumpkins gold for a simple centerpiece and a place card holder.

{Photo courtesy of Bobbi Fabian via HGTV}

This contemporary Thanksgiving table setting via HGTV showcases a white pumpkin, chunky pillar candles and a mixture of metallic-painted gourds. So simple and elegant.

{image via Design Public}

If you can’t find white pumpkins, you can always paint them as in the case with this table setting above. This monochromatic table was created by DwellStudio’s Christiane Lemieux. She created a simple, backdrop using DwellStudio linens. The subtle, graphic black and white palette are a great way to keep the focus on the main attraction – dinner. For a similar look, try Gate Java Napkins available now by DwellStudio.

{image via Martha Stewart}

Thanksgiving with kids? Setting a table inviting for kids is a good idea if they will not be seated at the “adult” table. What kid wouldn’t want to sit with these darling felt & pom pom turkeys by Martha Stewart? Here’s the how to.

{image via Country Living}

Weather permitting, I love this outdoors table setting via Country Living. A wool blanket is brilliantly used as a rug. The “giving tree” centerpiece is my favorite. Kids are asked to write down what they're thankful for on decorative tags and then tie to the branches of fall foliage. This little covered stools with rustic log legs are sweet too.

 

{image courtesy of Country Living via CasaSugar}

Offering the children activities to keep boredom and squabbles at bay is also a good idea. Here kids are given cups of crayons and are free to draw right on the butcher paper tablecloth. The drawn placemats are such a cute idea too! So simple and budget-friendly.

These personalized modern dots placemats by Name Your Design are another great option for a Thanksgiving kids’ table. They are not only cute, but functional, fun and educational. On one side kids have a diagram on how to set the table. On the other kids can write & draw about their day with simple dry erase makers. They are laminated, study and easy to wipe clean. The colorways can also be customized to coordinate with your holiday color palette.

{image via Martha Stewart}

Love this idea from Martha Stewart too. What kid wouldn’t love this darling felt finger puppets placed atop candy sticks. Arranged in simple white containers, they make a centerpiece that will keep kids entertained for hours. Here’s the how to.

Do you need more turkey day inspiration? Here’s additional Thanksgiving Table Setting and Decorating Ideas…