Hostess with the Mostess®

This super-stylish bridal shower was designed/hosted by Alison Donahue and features the always-fabulous color palette of chocolate and blue, plus tons of pretty details like parasols, retro-chic coasters, paper-wrapped vases, and polka dots. Read on for tons of photos and a full recap, in Alison’s own words…

“I wanted to host a beautiful bridal shower for my dear friend Merritt.  Merritt is sassy and fun so no ordinary shower was going to do it for her. A lingerie themed shower was in order!

Since her wedding colors were blue and chocolate brown I decided to incorporate them into the shower. Read More »

Since it is Friday and all, thought I’d send you off in to the weekend with some pretty cocktails to enjoy… even if it’s just visually! Want to take the next step and actually try some of these out? It’s your lucky day - here are the recipe links:
Triple Shot Espresso Martini, Long-stemmed Rose, orange-flavored Bronx Cocktail, and Saketini with super-cool cucumber garnish!

And now for some highlights from here at HWTM and beyond…

• Baby Shower Inspiration: Check out a sneak peek of the decor and diaper cake from Alison Sweeney’s baby shower last weekend!
• Win it: $100 worth of fabulous personalized stationery from PosePrints!
• Guest Blog: Rebecca’s gorgeous Lilac & Gray Inspiration Board is party-perfect!
• Event Recap: Part 2 of our Dining by Design Recap features a table so pretty it deserved a post all to itself!
• Everyone Loves a Deal: lots of great discounts happening over at decor8!
• Little Black Dress: This time the wardrobe must-have is inspiring super-chic wedding themes over at Style Me Pretty!
• Modern Thanksgiving Inspiration: Host a stylish fall fete this year with ideas from our latest Real Party feature!

Have a great weekend, everyone… see you Monday!

Looking for a way to sweeten up your weekend? Here’s an idea…

Chocolate chips swimming in caramel atop a peanut-buttery cookie crust… These Nutty Peanut Butter Caramel Bars look like a mouthful of heaven! (Good one for the holiday baking file!)

{photography by desertculinary}

Does the phrase “Thanksgiving decor” bring visions of illustrated pilgrims, paper turkeys and country home dinnerware to mind? Well, think again! Tap into a bold autumn color palette of vibrant orange, rich chocolate, and earthy shades of green for a modern take on your Thanksgiving celebration this year.

Here are a few ideas:

Pictured at top: I’m loving this khaki Blowing Leaves invitation to set a stylish tone for any autumn get-together.

And on the table front: The always contemporary-and-affordable cb2 sets a gorgeous fall-friendly tablescape with comma plates ($0.95 - $1.95 ea) in orange, green, and bark (brown), giant monstera leaves, and trendy square Edge Dinnerware ($3.95-$5.95). Read More »

We have a fabulous new real party to share with you today… just in time for your upcoming Thanksgiving & fall celebrations! This one comes from Courtney Toney of Joyful Weddings & Events, and it’s a whopper of a post with TONS of pictures - so get ready! Here goes with the details, as told by Courtney:

“My husband and I decided to start the tradition of throwing a party on the first day of each new season. We love the change that the start of a new season brings: the freshness, the excitement, the inspiration! Although we do not really experience season changes much in Southern California, we still get excited for the things that each new season brings.

We kicked off our new tradition on September 21st: the first day of fall. My job was decor, favors & other fun touches; his job was the food, drinks and music.

My Cricut was my best friend for this party. Not only did I use it to cut out letters for my fall banner, it got more use than it ever has when it cut out hundreds of leaves! Read More »

Hi! I’m Rebecca Goering, author of Tastefully Entertaining, a blog providing ideas and inspiration for planning memorable events.  I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to guest post for HWTM today!

I’ve been extremely intrigued by the color gray lately.  It’s sophisticated, chic and compliments so many other colors - orange, green, white, blue, pink and lilac (just to name a few).  Today I’ve chosen a palette of gray and lilac for an elegant evening bridal shower.  Though bridal showers often occur in the afternoon why not host an nighttime gathering and take advantage of the glimmer of candlelight and the energy of evening.

Pictured above:
• Lovely table setting and room décor featuring gray linens, a chocolate table runner, square white plates, white candles and a lilac floral centerpiece
• This gray Adrianna Papell dress is perfect for the bride-to-be
• Mini cupcakes covered with white icing and flavored sugars for a unique sweet ending
• Lilac celery glasses are great for floral arrangements, candies or serving desserts

Pictured above:
• lavender satin heels by Glamour Original, accented with purple stone and pearl brooches. [via theknot.com - must be logged into their site to access the original page]
• Try this grape spritzer for a color-coordinated cocktail
• Letterpress invitation with a lilac antique lace design and grey text by Dauphine Press
• Lilac, purple and grey favors adorned with an intricate ribbon in a contrasting shade [via Elizabeth Anne Designs]
• Add some ambiance with votive candles in glass globes reminiscent of vintage candy canisters [via Elizabeth Anne Designs]

***

Thanks for the gorgeous inspiration, Rebecca! Be sure to check out Tastefully Entertaining for more great mood boards like this!

Since Huggies was one of the sponsors that donated to St. Jude for Alison’s baby shower (see previous post today), I was instructed to make a diaper cake for the shower…which made sense.

The only problem was that I’d never actually made a diaper cake myself before, and when I opened the Huggies packages the diapers had blue and green Winnie the Pooh characters all over them, which didn’t exactly match the pink/yellow/chocolate baby bird theme we had going…eek!!!! Read More »