Halloween anyone???

Okay, I LOVE Halloween.  I always have.  When I was in preschool my grandmother made me a "Glinda" costume (from the Wizard of Oz)...  It was shiny pink with star sequins glued onto it.  I felt so pretty and special and wore it waaaaaay too often after that.  (Walk in the woods anyone?  Let's put on the Glinda costume!)

I've dressed up almost every year of my life (even in high school when it wasn't cool anymore...  knock Knock...  "Trick-or-treat!"   "Um, aren't you a little old??")  Yeah, so...  I get so excited planning costumes & parties and making sure everyone's got their costume covered.  (I've been known to make housecalls for those in desperate need of costume help.)  When I had Christian (at 25) it was a little harder to get into it but we stayed strong with a warrior party at our house...

{Just the girls}

And the following year we did superheroes...

Last year I was pregnant and we did a small "kids" party.  We didn't dress up ourselves, and it just wasn't as much fun.  It was definitely great to see the kids partying and Christian loved it, but I really missed dressing up.  (And to me, a night is only a perfect "10" if it ends in dancing.)

We usually start out at our house with a small pre-party & then get a limo into the city where we meet up with all of the other ridiculous people.

SO...  this brings to me to where we're at now.  We really debated and wishy-washed about doing something fun for Halloween this year.  It's so sad but we sort of didn't want to.  My best friends live far away and can't make it...  It's a lot of effort.  I barely got pumpkins outside this year.  It just feels like time is racing by and I'm seriously flying by the seat of my pants.  I read all of these beautiful blogs with creative ways to get your house ready for Halloween & table settings & on & on and I love them and plan on trying out the ideas myself but before I can get my act together, the event's upon me.  As we were driving to High Point & throwing the idea of a party around -pretty much thinking 'no'- we put on some music and before I knew it, my hands were in the air and I was dancing in my seat.  (Taio Cruz's Dynamite is really one of the best songs EVER and I fully blame it for the evite I subsequently sent out.)

I have no costumes... only a theme...  Cheesy Teen Horror/ Comedy Movies.  Dave's going as this guy:

{Best movie ever}

... and we're still loolking for a Keiffer.   And a nice curly brown mullet wig and some fangs...

I'm going as my childhood idol:

{hahahaha what does that say about me?}

Yeah, when I was 10 I taught myself the entire dance in the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and used to do cartwheels and sommersaults on the street while holding a stake.  (Issues much??)

So... we mustered it up for another year.  We were so close to not doing it but we just felt like that would be giving up and we're not ready for that.  I know it'll be fun, it's just the process of getting there that has me a bit exhausted.  It's also harder to convince friends and a few former troopers are done dressing it up now that they have kids which makes me so sad.   

Costumes for the whole family are on the agenda for tonight and we'll be breaking out the sewing machine.  I really am torn here.  It's hard to get into Halloween when you have kids.  Maybe we're not supposed to?? hahah  Is anyone else feeling this?  I envision getting crazier & crazier each year with a haunted house and over the top decor.. maybe murder mystery party...??  Is it too much.  What do you do?

And, if you want to get excited, go here and listen.  Anyone in the DC are going out Friday night?  We usually head out somewhere and are debating where.

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Family Halloween Bash

Jess of Party Box Design sent over some photos of her Halloween party done on a budget.  Her parties are always full of great ideas to emulate and this one is no different. 

I like how family-friendly this party is but also has a cocktail bar for the adults, made from a $60 thrift store find!

Jess used sticks from the yard to top candy apples, and designed lovely floral arrangements with a rustic feel.  There were activities for the kids and of course a costume contest - see the adorable winner above.  You can see lots more on Jess' blog.

Party paper designs - Party Box Design

Photographer - Ashley Hay Photography

Cookies - The Cookie Jar

Shabby Chic For A Boy

I love how Suzanna of Mon Tresor designed this shabby chic ice cream parlor style party for her son.  The ribbon backdrop and the blue with brown color scheme make this a real eye-catcher.  See lots of details below or read more on her blog.

Shabby Chic Birthday Party

When Ivona of Sugarsticks Parties sent over these pics from a recent photo shoot she styled, I was immediately smitten!  The scene is elegant yet relaxed and includes many lovely details.  The shabby chic/vintage style was inspired by the product being highlighted, Swanky Baby Vintage children's clothing boutique.  Could those outfits be any cuter?!

Here's what Ivona had to say about the design:

"The theme of the party was vintage with a sprinkle of Southern charm. The main colors of the line and tablescape were olive green and turquoise - to mellow out the tablescape I added ivory and pops of pink in the details.  Pops of pink came from the Swanky Baby Vintage fabrics adding for a shabby chic flair as well. As the title of the line was "Swanky Swirls & Vintage Pearls" Holli and I agreed there should be plenty of sparkle, as shown on cupcakes, cookies and marshmallows.

The site of the party/ photoshoot was an old pecan orchard adding to the vintage feel of this relaxed party set up.

The perfect party favors for the little models were the line logo cookies from Allyson Jane Designer Desserts."

Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful photo shoot and inspiration with us Ivona!

Styling & Paper Goods - Sugarsticks Parties
Clothes & Hair Accessories - Swanky Baby Vintage
Cookies - Allyson Jane
Photography - The Picture Ladies

Dia Noche

One of my best friends from high school has recently started a company with her husband called dia Noche, and a blog to go with it.  Her name is Veronica and the brand, diaNoche, is all about her versatile peices that you can wear both day & night. She's American {half-Italian (from her dad's side, like me!) and half Columbian from her mom's side} and since I can remember has dreamed of creating her own line of clothing that straddled all of her roots.  An artist, she graduated from FIT in New York and has gone after her dream. 

{Veronica El-Showk}

Here's a quick excerpt from a press release:

"DiaNoche is a lifestyle brand that embodies the love of travel and art.  While living in New York, owners Veronica and Hedeer El-Showk traveled often for both business and pleasure to Morocco, Europe and Colombia. Inspired, Veronica started designing a collection of shirts with the vision of importing goods from overseas in the future. DiaNoche's designs have a strong arabesque influence and are also inspired by the designer's Colombian heritage. The company's themes include everything from the ancient mosaics in Cyprus, to the salt mines in Bogotá and the intricate patterns of tribal North Africa."

{Veronica in a photo taken by her sweet husband, Hedeer}

Her passion for life & all things beautiful literally jumps off of the page at you from her new blog and I am so freaking excited for her & Hedeer!!!! DiaNoche's Fall & Winter line of designer t-shirts is debuting in a couple of weeks. 

{The beautiful logo she created}

Yesterday she came over to our place & I helped her out with a photo shoot.  Here's a picture I took of a little jewely tray we created for the background of one of the shots: 

{Those garden weeds come in handy!}

We shot all day to get her day/ night looks.  (Around 700 images...  and- you know how it goes- only a minute number of usables- especially with me as her model- but she got what she came for.)   She's an amazing photographer & we wanted some soft fresh day looks and some dark, edgy ones for night.  

{me, taking off the shoes...  oh how I love them, oh how I have no idea how she walks in them...}

 

We tried out some crazy stuff- including laying on my outdoor harvest table, (definitely not a use I'd ever envisioned for it) the concrete patio (brrrrr) and nighttime shots in my bedroom which definitely gave it a whole new look.  She 's now working on getting the images loaded & the website finished up and as soon as she does, she's promised me a giveaway for Pure Style Home.  I literally wanted EVERYTHING I wore yesterday.  The designs she's created are super-flattering and just honestly make you look good.  I was really skeptical when she asked me to be her model but truly, the clothes did all the work.    

{image by Veronica...  her friends' boots in Italy- how beautiful??}

At one point yesterday (well, at lots of points) we just started cracking up...  I think I was hanging out on a hide rug pouring tea from a beautiful tea pot with a pile of vintage quilts next to me...  really???  You definitely have to play a lot and take risks and feel stupid to get to where you're trying to go. 

But it was so much fun. 

At one point Christian came up to us, "What game are you playing?"

Veronica: "Photo shoot."

Christian:  "Can I play?

...So, although theres not yet a diaNoche kids' line, Veronica made sure to get a few good shots of Christian.  ...Who made sure to let me know that he loved my hair the way she'd done it (curls) but didn't like the "gray stuff" on my eyes and helped me wash off the eyeshadow when we were finished. {What a picky little man!}

So, as soon as she lets me and her site is set up for online purchases, I'll post some photos of Veonica's new line & we'll be doing a giveaway.  If you have some time, stop over to visit Veonica at diaNoche and say hi.  She's a brand new blogger & I know she'd love to hear from you. 

I'm so excited & happy for her and I know we're all going to be hearing a lot about her soon.

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Halloween Harvest Treats Table

I'm so excited that Nina of Nina Designs sent over this party, for a couple of reasons.  First of all it brings in more of a 'Fall Harvest' style to the Halloween table, which hasn't been seen much this season.  Secondly, she incorporated many festive details that you could certainly do yourself between now and this Halloween weekend.  The table is modern and sleek and would certainly work for Thanksgiving if you serve mini pumpkin pie and caramel apples instead of witch cupcakes and ghost cookies. 

Some of my favorite details:

• The Fabulous backdrop wall combining wall transfers, banner, and hanging lanterns.
• Incorporating a 'Woodland' element to the decor with owls and mushrooms.
• Wrapped 'mummy' bottles (love!).
• 'Pumpkin' and 'broom' treat bags.
• Waffle cone bowl. 

You can see even more great pics of this sweet table on Nina's blog.

Handmade Halloween Contest

Have you made something cool for Halloween?  Would you like to share it and enter for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to one of 3 fabulous online shops?  Head over to Entertain Exchange to link up your project.  The categories are: Parties, Decor, Costumes 0-10, 11-18, and adult.  Of course the projects must be Halloween themed and have Handmade elements.  The contest is open now through November 2, so check out all the details and link up!  Good Luck!