all aglow

i love the incredibly simple idea of lining a walkway or staircase with candles when having people over in the evening. it's perfect for a holiday soiree or even just a casual dinner with loved ones. i've thought about the homes of several people i know -- from big suburban houses to tiny city apartments -- and there isn't one of them that i don't think could execute this in a clean, hauntingly beautiful way. you could do in outside as your guests enter the home, or you could line an indoor hallway or set of stairs. or both.

i always know i really love an idea when i continually rediscover it in different iterations and seasons...when i was looking for beautiful images of this idea, i stumbled upon my own post from early spring about this same notion, but with a decidedly springy, summery feel.

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fiesta flowers

i couldn't be a bigger fan of flowers for centerpieces, nighttable accents, really any old thing. but sometimes flowers just aren't the thing - whether it's a budget restriction or just not the mood of the gathering, i like to have some other ideas at the ready and i really love this mexican paper flower idea. 

dare i say it, but i actually feel like i could create something that looks somewhat like this with no instructions (famous last words...) , but i might end up needing a tutorial. or a xanax. or both! and if craftyness fails me, they're also available to buy pretty inexpensively here. 

i think they look really pretty in a multi-color bunch like above, but i'd also love them in a two-tone bundle...like light and dark blue or lime green and a grapey purple. thoughts?

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in tiny bloom

 i love little floral arrangements like this, if you could even really call them that. they're simple, inexpensive and surprisingly impactful in settings ranging from your desk at work to your dinner table at home to even a wedding.

i always think that a single bloom in a simple vase or even a drinking glass looks so charming and understated at restaurants, and really there's no reason we can't do that on our own, all the time. you can get a bouquet at the grocery store for around $5 and create a few single-bloom vases like these, or you could go into a florist and treat yourself to s single gorgeous specimen and put it in your prettiest glass.

i think a lot of times people shy away from doing things like this, especially for weddings and big events, because they don't want to look cheap, but really, if you do them tastefully and with confidence, i think they make a strong, classy statement. in some ways, their stark and subtle appearance speaks volumes. 

if i were doing this for a party, i'd probably go with mono-chromatic blooms (like i did here) and perhaps mix and match simple glass vases or glasses. for a wedding, the go-to would be white, but for a christmas dinner i'd use red, and for a spring brunch, definitely pink....i would split up the single blooms in these pictures and place them in a row down a long table or stagger three of them in the center of a round one.


playing with flowers is so cathartic and lovely feeling, isn't it? my favorite flower moment so far was when i got home from the hospital after my surgery, i reworked all the beautiful flowers that had been sent to me so i could have them all over and enjoy them for the weeks to come while i was home. they are a true moodlifter.


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follow the glow

i'm still quite taken with the look of a luminary-lined walkway for any sort of gathering. of course a wedding for sure, but even a casual summer barbecue. what a treat for guests to follow the glowy lights to where the action is. it reminds me of being a kid and following the balloons to the backyard. it's like a visual version of following your nose to where the delicious smells are coming from or your ears to where the music and dancing are. and if it were all of the above? well would be some party!

and as an extension on the idea, i love the thought of using luminaries as placecards...each guest would pick theirs up (the paper bag variety is best since they don't get hot like jars) and would walk to their with it, so there would be a glowing, ethereal sense of motion in the room for just a few precious moments. then they could set them down at their table (hello, incidental centerpiece!) and the tables would each be glowy beacons.

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come fly with me

i've been waiting to share the pictures from my sister's engagement party with you and i think these cold, dark days of winter could use a shot of color, so here we go...

when we started planning the party to be held at my parents' house, we decided on a black, white and yellow color story with a 60's mod vibe. with black linens, white serveware and yellow accents, it was a really fun look. we had my favorite cocktail napkins for pre-wedding celebrations...i've used them for showers too and they always get smiles -- they capture that OHMYGOD feeling when a wedding is coming up, but they seem to be unavailable now! these are a cute alternative.



we played standards and lots of cocktail music by gilberto and getz inside and outside, which set the perfect mood. you know that moment when a party becomes a party? it was this song that did it, along with the setting sun and twinkling lights we strung all through the backyard. the yellow lava lamps (sadly not pictured) helped too.

in addition to the standard bar, we served the love potion, a tangy citrus tequila cocktail (otherwise known as a margarita) because we wanted peoples' glasses to act as moving points of color throughout the party. it worked! and of course, we had the servers circulating with fresh-poured glasses throughout the night.

we served classic fare reminiscent of a 60's cocktail party, some passed, some tabled - pigs in a blanket, cocktail meatballs, cheese and crackers, italian meats and deviled eggs which my dad expertly whipped up that afternoon. then we added in my family's favorite wings and a mashed potato bar, replete with crumbled bacon, sour cream, cheese, scallions, gravy, crispy fried onions, jalapenos and some other goodies.



the piece de resistance was definitely the cake and cupcakes, made by the amazingly talented christina barry. people were DYING over them, and with good reason. the adorable cupcake wrappers from etsy sealed the deal and the fact that it was all right in front of a hanging trio of big black and white photos of the happy couple made it even sweeter.


it was almost a shame to cut into the beautiful cake. almost.

even though we had meticulously planned every detail of the party, there were a few things we didn't plan that made the whole thing feel meant to be. look how the wrapped gifts, one partyer's colorful top and some fancy footwear pulled it all together!




love when things like that happen!

most photos courtesy of danielle barbieri

shower the people you love with love

isn't this a sweet idea for tables at a bridal or baby shower? i love the thought of threading the "showering with love" theme throughout, starting with an invitation like this one...then you could accessorize all the drinks with cocktail umbrellas (i love the retro charm of these), and give out seed packets like these with a note that says "shower these with water (and love!) and they will grow into beautiful flowers" (or something like that).

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