Thanksgiving Hosting Tips and Ideas!

Thanksgiving is upon us. 

How did that happen? I swear it was August like 2 minutes ago. Well, here we are, it's fall and Thanksgiving is coming up in less then 3 weeks. One more exciting twist, we decided to host this year. (I can't believe that either!) Is it bad that I'm more excited for my table setting and bar decor then the actual turkey and sides?? Maybe, maybe not. All decor aside, I think what I am most excited about it hosting our families in one place. On a personal note, we recently moved from downtown Seattle (ultra-urban apartment life) to the beautiful Seattle suburb of Kirkland. We have a gorgeous home and it is perfect for hosting, and that being said we have plenty of space to our host our friends and family for this feast-full holiday. Plus, we have to break in the new place, right?

I've been pinning like crazy, follow my Pinterest board here. Below are a couple of fun ideas and recipes I'll be incorporating into my game plan. 

Thanks to Woman's World, I found this cute idea for our table setting. Our house decor is pretty modern, so I'm trying to twist in some traditional pieces. I think it would be a fun idea to have these little menus at each table setting to give all guests a chance to express what they are thankful for.

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Idea inspiration from Woman's World.

I haven't fully decided on the menu and whether or not it will be buffet or family style. I'm leaning towards a buffet setting and found this sweet little setup from 100LayerCake. I really like the mix of fall decor, wood and gold ascents. On that note, I've found some really great table decor at Target - fun side note: gold is in!

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Inspriation from 100layercake and their Friendsgiving shoot with Crate & Barrel.

To kick of the day, I'm planning on serving this bubbly cocktail recipe from The Kitchn. I think it will be the perfect starter, nice and refreshing as well. It's a super easy recipe, which is always a perk! (it calls for cognac but I might do a whiskey instead)

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Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria Recipe from Kitchn

Also, another amazing recipe that I will be making this year is an Apple Sausage & Cranberry Stuffing. I found this recipe on Pinterest, view here.

Recipe By: Wicked Good Kitchen

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

xo, 

Kayla 

Halloween Decor Ideas

This might be the main reason I love Halloween, minus the dressing up part. There are SO many creative an inexpensive ways to decorate for Halloween. Below is a list of fun and easy ways to decorate for Halloween!

Gold Pumpkins

These are chic and can last you into Thanksgiving decorations!

Bats

I love this decor idea and it’s sooooo inexpensive!

Wine Bottle Centerpiece

This is simple and elegant way to dress up your table decor for a Halloween dinner party. Start collecting a good amount of clear wine bottles (you can do multi-colored too!), soak them to remove any labels and stick in some long white or black pillar candles! #done 

Spooky Wall Decor

This is also simple. You can find vintage frames at Value Village and just with a little spray paint you can whip these up in minutes. 

Spider Webbing 

Cheap and very decorative. 1 pack of webbing can stretch very far! But make sure to keep it out of reach of candles and open flames. 

Halloween Treats

Obviously you have to serve sweet treats at any Halloween party! Below are a few of my favorites. 

Candy Corn Jello Shots

The fabulous women at A Beautiful Mess created this fantastic recipe for candy corn inspired jello shots. And guess what? They are easy to make, hooray! View the the recipe, here. 

Blood Spattered Sugar Cookies

To die for, right? A little creepy, but delicious and also super easy! Follow a based sugar cookie recipe and spatter (using a paint brush) red frosting. Click out the step-by-step recipe, here.

Halloween Krispy Treat Pops

Another genius idea by Hott Mama In The City! There are almost too easy... All you need are: rice krispy treats (cut any shape you'd like, open to creativity!),  white chocolate chips, sticks or straws and sprinkles! Check out the full recipe, here. 

Halloween Cocktail Ideas

Call me crazy, but Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays for years. I love the idea of dressing up and bringing people together to drink spooky cocktails, indulge in sweets and play in the traditions of All Hallows Eve!

Halloween Inspired Cocktails 

This cocktail is delicious, classy and look how cool it is! My. Hyde's Potion is a combination of vodka, blackberry liqueur, lemon juice and lavender. Check out the full recipe from HGTV, here. 

More cocktail ideas below. 

The Black Widow Shot

Black Vodka and cranberry juice, simple! You can use either red or black sugar to rim the glass. 

How to Reupholster a Chair

So..... I've been working on redecorating my in-home office. I fell in love with a Jonathan Adler chair, of course. But couldn't pull the trigger or dent my wallet, so I thought I would get creative instead. I found this chair in the Goodwill drop in our building, I picked out a fabric and went for it. 

A couple tips:

1. Have enough time. This is not quick 10 minute project, this bad boy took me two days!. First, I had to remove the pad, which was pretty easy. Then I had to remove the staples from the pad. This is the hard part... 

2. Make sure to sand before you spray. This helps the paint stick to a clean surface.

3. Don't use too much fabric. You want to find a fabric that is tough and kind of stretchy; a yard will do. You want to fold in each corner, (almost like your wrapping a present) and staple. 

4. Be patience and don't rush. This tip is alwaaaays tough for me. Take your time, don't rush it, wait for the paint to dry.

Huh, could be a  good new motto. #justwaitforthepainttodry

And whalla! You have a brand new or vintage chair!

Beach Inspired Decor

We just took a trip to Camano Island, a small island north of Seattle. I feel in love with the drift wood, the long morning tide, soft sand and wild grass. Since summer is coming to an end (tear), I feel I am more drawn to outdoor inspired decor pieces. 

Vintage Book Shelve: This was a Value Village find! Can you believe it? Distressed and repainted, it looks like something right out of Restoration Hardware. It's a great balance of beach vintage, with some modern pieces to accent. 

Tones of Blue: Shades of blue are the prefect color for beach decor. Don't you just love the @GlassyBaby's? Great color scheme; soft and elegant. 

I hope my inspiration has inspired you! #beachdecor #interiordesign  

A wedding in the woods

I had the pleasure of coordinating this beautiful wedding last weekend at Beaver Lake in Sammamish, Washington. Stefanie (the bride) had an elegant vision of a wedding in the woods, candlelit of course. Every detail was simple, chic and unique.

Below are a few of my favorite décor pieces from the wedding, enjoy!

Congrats, Stefanie and Matt!

Hello Spring! It's here in Seattle

Spring has officially sprung in Seattle!

I'm celebrating with pink roses, why not? Flowers are probably my favorite decorative accessory, (if you haven't notice yet!). Fresh flowers make a great addition to any room and you don't need a special occasion!

Well, spring in Seattle in May, okay, let's celebrate!