Tangerine Tango Crush

So Tangerine Tango has been decreed the color of the year by the Pantone Institute. "Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it," Pantone executive director Leatrice Eiseman said in a statement announcing the decision.

Well, the jury has decided and the gavel has been struck.

I have to admit that it does make me happy. It is uplifting and fun yet sophisticated. I don't know if I have been intrigued by a color more than this one. I usually favor black. So it's a huge leap. 

Eiseman described the color more fully,  "Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy." 

Well, say no more! One look at that color and I see myself shimmering and sun-kissed, sipping a Mai Tai cocktail in a bikini, as the sun goes down over the Caribbean sea.  No wonder this color is being swallowed by designers all over the world. More please.

Take a look and see if this gets you feeling like Spring is right around the corner.

Tangerine Draped Dress

D Frame Sunglasses

Large Kaya Bag

3/4 Sleeve Dress

Leica M7

Looking for more of your tangerine crush?

• Must try recipe for transporting Mai Tai cocktail.

• Grow your own indoor citrus tree

• Ever want to own a tangerine Vespa

• I love the mix of nautical style with global influences in this bedding.

See you on the sunny side!

The Greatest Show On Earth

In consideration of the yet-to-be-known success of our first year of parenthood, (we are all still breathing so that does equal some success) there was not a more perfect theme than the circus for our son's 1st birthday party.

Our family is a three-ring circus.

Our ringmaster is very demanding.
We walk a tightrope.
We must juggle. 

We jump through hoops.
Or rather rings of fire.
I am a human cannonball.
Popcorn or peanuts for dinner?

Quite often.

The invitations went out to all our guests. I love the circus theme with a modern red, white and blue color story. The style of the invites slightly channeled an iconic "MOM" tattoo and the well-loved Hatch style prints.

We included a fun insert to encourage our guests to be a part of the circus!

Our little ringmaster donned a white tuxedo shirt with a spiffy, black bow tie. Make them here or buy them here. He was ready to keep the show moving.

I became keen on personal portions when I was at lunch with a friend when she promptly scooped her portion of our shared appetizer on her plate and stated that the rest of the dish was mine. I was so happy because there was not going to be any uncomfortable questions about who ate more or the lonely last bite that no one eats just to be polite! Such a waste! I thought to offer the same idea at our party with personal portions of carrots and celery in cups filled with veggie dip. Double dipping is totally allowed! 

Our guests had plenty of photo props to take fun pictures to keep as a memory of this day.
We offered bow ties, spongy red clown noses and a variety of mustache shapes on old-fashioned paper straw sticks from Bake Me Happy.

Our little one's cake was topped with circus animals and balloons. We kept a circus theme menu by offering pizza, popcorn cotton candy and animal crackers. We added macaroni and cheese for a little homemade love. Beverages included Jones Sodas which offers a fun campaign that will add your photo to their bottles if they like what you submit.  And for the faint of heart,  the very rare "Anti-Aging Elixir" was offered (aka water)! Our candy vases were filled with red and white chocolate sixlets and one of my favorite candies Goetz's bulleyes. Yum!

Floating above our heads were airy tissue poms in turquoise blue and white.

I made the tissue poms but you can buy them right here from Pom+Love in any colors you choose.
For our birthday boy my husband and I updated this mini slip-covered bean bag chair. Which may look familiar to you?

We really are a three-ring circus but
I wouldn't change it for anything.

It really is the Greatest Show on Earth.

Other really great ideas if you love the circus theme idea:

-animal silhouette cookies in the shapes of elephants or seals

-amazing Retro Circus idea for a boy or girl

-ridiculous candy table fit for your prince or princess

-popcorn cupcakes anyone?

-just in case your eyes are not popping, this circus idea site will make you go blind

-and one for all you perfectionists!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year's Eve! Thank you for all your support. I am looking forward to all that 2012 will unfold.

Best to you and all your loved ones!

Holiday Romance

I am a romantic. No other time during the year offers up as many romantic opportunities as the holiday season.  I hear Bing Crosby croon The Christmas Waltz on the radio. I love the line,  "It's the time of year, when the world falls in love."

Sends shivers down my back. I just want to grab someone and kiss 'em. But I don't for fear that I may get labeled a lunatic. For my own safety, I choose to get a Soy Chai Latte from Starbucks which kind of gives me the same joyous feeling.

I do look forward to the moments during the holiday season when everything just seems to line up so perfectly. Moments you couldn't create unless you really tried.

You find yourself in a the midst of a snowfall with your loved one.
You happen upon a cute, little cafe in a town you have never been.
Watching your child and dog playing as if they were the only ones in the world.
You lock eyes with someone and share an acknowledgement that doesn't need words.
When you put the first footprint in new fallen snow.

Feeling exhaustedly alive and beautiful after a snowball fight. 

It seems the most memorable moments (phew, lot of m's!) just creep up on you when you least expect them. The possibilities seem to unfold this time of year or are they always there?

Happy Holidays!

 

via Tumblr

via Tumblr 

Enjoy your loved ones!

Evolution of a Mommy (Tears & Joy)

It was nearly a year ago that I sat with a very round belly stretched to the max while I watched tiny stretch marks start to appear. I bellied up to my desk everyday awaiting the arrival of my first baby. We continued work on his nursery and just returned from our babymoon. I wondered what he would look like, how he would arrive and what our story would be. I looked at his room and imagined his tiny hands investigating everything. He didn't even have a name yet.

As I plan his 1st birthday, I swell up with tears in memory of how fleeting, formative and precious this year has been. The first few months of his life were probably the most painful for me. Aside from the obvious physical pains there are growth pains in becoming a mommy. Those first two months are hell. You must sacrifice all of yourself. Every ounce and every breath.

Wish You Were Here Photography

I had no idea the growth that I was going to experience in one year. I knew our family was growing but I had no idea that I was going to grow as well. 

Change is hard and growth hurts. 

No one tells you about. But you wouldn't believe them anyway.  

Wish You Were Here Photography

You think you know how hard it is to raise a baby: lack of sleep, lack of communication and a messy house. But you really have no idea until you are knee-deep in dirty diapers. It is so intense that you cannot imagine it because no sane person would happily jump into parenthood otherwise!

The creation of a parent is a beautiful process and when you come out on the other side you are a better person (and parent) for it.

Wish You Were Here Photography

At the time, I thought I ruined my life! But what I now know is that those first few months do not last long. You will turn around to see your little baby waddling away with a little strut to his step and waving a crooked good-bye . So hang on to everything. Love all the moments, even the bad ones because nothing lasts forever. I now find myself missing that tender little bundle as I stare at a very independent toddler.

Daddy and Son

May you never step on a Lego and to quote the Huggies commercial, "Enjoy The Ride."

DIY Slipcover For Juniors' Chair

I really wanted a childrens' chair for my little guy. Uhm, I mean he really wants one. It only took me about 5 hours of internet searching before I decided that there is not one thing that fit my our specifications. I felt like those poor bears from Goldilocks. This one is too big, this one is too small, too hard, too soft, and so ugly that I wouldn't hit a stick with it!

I was deflated after all my searching. I get deflated a lot. I have very particular desires. It's tough being particular. 

Now I am going to say this very, very quietly and only once. I went into Walmart and found a childrens' chair for $19. It was the exact shape I so desired and it was also a bean bag chair. This is a borderline genius product albeit the Disney Pixar Cars print was not to my liking. The movie is darling but that does not mean I want their happy little faces staring at me while I relax in my living room. 

I wondered why Walmarts' arch nemesis Target was not taking off with this product in a more stylish way.

Google, Google...nope they were not. Damn! 

I puffed and I pondered and I propped my little man up on the chair. I have sacrificed so much of my house already to vehicles with horns, sharp building blocks and puffy alphabet letters that I was drawing the line with this printed chair. But immediately, my little guys' legs splayed out and his head tipped back. He went lax with happiness!  

I took a deep breath and committed myself to buying it with the caveat that it must don a slipcover.  

So after minor deliberation, I decided on using a John Robshaw print for his chair slipcover. 

I began measuring and measuring again. I had to drape some of the pattern pieces to get the exact shape. It was a match made in heaven for both mommy and son!

Here's the How To:

I started by draping cotton muslin over the chair in the shaped areas. Then I pinned the muslin in place so that I could take a pencil and "trace" the outline of the seams. Once I had the entire outline indicated, I could then remove the muslin from the original chair. Laying the muslin flat on dotted pattern paper,  I began connecting the lines to create my pattern piece. Then I added a generous 1/2" seam allowance on the pattern to allow for possible changes or miscalculations. 

For the straight pattern pieces such as the skirt, I was able to measure the original chair without draping those areas. I worked in sections so that I could make adjustments along the way. I also chose to keep the whipstitch detail of the John Robshaw tablecloth fabric that I was using for the hem of the slipcover. 

It took me about 4 hours from start to finish. But it was worth it. I cannot wait to see my little guys' eyes when he gets this for his birthday gift. I am thinking he needs a matching toss pillow now!

Okay, okay there were some other chairs options out there.

• The Yolk Chair, Little Nest, $585
• Le Club, Little Nest, $425
• Ava Chair, Jennifer Delonge, $299-399
• Pink Wingback, Target.com, $55.99
• Throwing Stones, Iglooplay