Hostess with the Mostess™

{pictured above} {pictured above} Blue Cheese Ricotta Dip and Mummy Dogs from bhg.com, and Pumpkin French 75 and Blackberry Widow cocktails from cocktailtimes.com

I’m so excited to tell you about this special deal for HWTM readers - because it comes from one of my very favorite magazines - Blueprint - and if you like the style of products & ideas we showcase here, then I can pretty much guarantee this magazine will be right up your alley too!

Blueprint is the newest publication from Martha Stewart Living (only about a year old) and it has a fresh, modern style geared towards the early 20 to late 40’s crowd. You’ll find everything from fashion & beauty tips to home decorating ideas and - of course - tons of cool entertaining tips And by clicking here or on any of the images in this post, you’ll be taken to a special page HWTM page where you can sign up for a subscription for only $10/year - which is 52% off the newstand price! {side note: Blueprint is a bi-monthly magazine, so that comes out to roughly $1.65/issue…not too shabby!}

To give you a more detailed glimpse of what the magazine’s all about, the following are some of my favorite highlights from the current November/December issue…(you might notice the main headline on the cover is MODERN Holidays…hooray!)

holiday recipes & gift guides for everyone from best friends to husbands to tots …

super creative gift wrapping ideas…

Chic Thanksgiving tablescapes and recipes…
{bonus: click here to download the printable template for the pretty place-cards pictured below!}


“Glow and Behold” - a whimisical, modern take on holiday decorating (which can easily be recreated with any color scheme…silver, blue & lime green would be gorgeous too!

And, of course - party fashion & beauty tips…because decorating yourself for those holiday parties is important too!

Another thing I love about Blueprint is that every issue has a special little pull-out “Handbook” featuring one particular shopping, decorating, or entertaining theme. This month’s handbook is a “Guide to Setting the Table” - and one of my very favorites from past issues was “The Essential Home Bar Guide” {pictured left}.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this special peek into the magazine…happy reading!

A big congrats to Joy of Oh Joy! on the official launch of her website featuring her gorgeous new stationery line: nantanka joy. Beautiful work!

If you’ve been here before, you might notice that the blog has undergone a mini-makeover today! In addition to a roomier layout and an updated header, here are a few totally NEW things you’ll now find at Fabulous Finds & Inspiration:

• Categories {right side-bar, top}
At long last…all of the posts have been labeled and categorized by subject matter to make it easier for you to find exactly what you’re looking for!
• Fabulous Reads {right side-bar, below archives}
Find great entertaining-related posts and articles from around the web. Updated weekly!
• On the Menu {left side-bar, under wishlist}
We’ll feature yummy recipes here for everything from drinks and appetizers to main courses and desserts. Updated weekly!

We really want the HWTM blog & website to be a great resource for you - so please let us know what your feedback is and what else we can do to continue to improve. Thank you!

I fell in love with this bright & funky tiered server the second I saw it over at decor8. By Swedish design team Bengt & Lotta, featuring a pattern appropriately called “candy”.

{find it at UK-based Funktion Alley. US delivery available!}

These ceramic graphic bowls from Urban Outfitters are pretty sweet. Available in 4 different patterns for only $6 each or 4/$15!

The October 07 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray has a fantastic article by cooking/entertaining author Erika Lenkert on how to throw a "Heaven & Hell" party (and a very chic one, I might add!). This theme is of course appropriate for Halloween, but definitely not limited to this one occasion - it’s a fun excuse to party at any time of the year!
Read more →

Designer Fiona Richards recently introduced me to Cartolina - her fantastic line of stationery that blends ancient & exotic patterns with contemporary colors, 20th century lead type, and chunky wood block prints. The result is curiously unique collection of greeting cards featuring multicultural collages with a fresh, modern twist.

Cartolina is available at several retail locations throughout the US and Canada, and also online at tansustyle.com. To learn more about Fiona and the inspiration behind her designs, visit her website at www.fionarichards.com.

As a resident of San Diego, the recent fires have obviously hit close to home for me, but I’ve also been pleasantly surprised at how many emails have been sent in from readers all over the country asking if there’s any way that they can help too…which is so amazing…thank you!

The volunteer efforts in San Diego county thus far have been pretty incredible - at several of the evacuation centers there were at times as many volunteers as evacuees - which is saying a lot considering how many people were displaced! However, as the immediate/emergency relief efforts wind down, the road to recovery for hundreds of families is going to be very long, and financial donations are honestly probably the best thing we can do right now in order to help rebuild the lives of the fire victims - several of whom were uninsured and lost everything.

If you’d like to make a donation, The San Diego Foundation’s After the Fires Fund 2007 is a great effort to support. Other great choices include the San Diego chapters of The Red Cross and The Salvation Army, and the San Diego Human Society. You can also donate to the entire California Wildfires relief effort via Red Cross.

And if you’d like to check out a truly AMAZING story - click here to read about how one San Diego couple survived the fire that engulfed their house by huddling in their pool as they actually watched their home burn down around them. A power line near them fell and started a fire that surrounded their house within 5 minutes, so they didn’t have any notice to evacuate. This is a truly incredible story!

Martha Stewart has a special Holiday Halloween magazine out right now that has tons of fantastic ideas if you’re looking for some last-minute Halloween inspiration. (The ideas would work just as well next year, so it’s worth picking up and saving for later too!) Added bonus - see Martha decked out as both a “glampire” and a “goddess” on this double-cover “150 bad things” and “150 good things” issue, with details on how to recreate both costumes inside! A few of my favorite entertaining-related snippets from both sides are below…

{pictured above} A creepy bug made from a pitted Kalamata olive, rosemary needles (for legs) and snipped chives (for antennas) crawls along the edge of some “eye-popping soup“. And frozen blueberries in boiling water help turn carefully cracked hardboiled eggs into “spiderweb eggs“. (see magazine for full recipes & detailed instructions)

{pictured above} I LOVE this pumpkin cooler idea for a {pictured above} I LOVE this pumpkin cooler idea for a Halloween or harvest party idea!

{pictured above} “Mashed Boo-Tatoes” and “Sweet Potatoes Pumpkins” (Potatoes and yams never looked so cute!)