Keen On Halloween

I was so excited to use my monster lanterns!

We passed out treat bags, ate birthday cake AND cupcakes, watched non-scary 'scary' movies, chatted, laughed, had fun in all the ways that Halloween and my birthday should be. I even got a big surprise when my Honey came home two hours early from work!! Very hyggelig indeed...

Convection And Cupcakes

I know I did a cheesy lazy job of it but it's a miracle I even made these with all the renovations going on over here.

My husband bought me a super fancy stove with convection baking on the condition that "I better bake a lot of awesome stuff this holiday season". Of course I agreed, I love to bake!

Does convection really make a difference? You bet it does! There is a fan at the back of the oven that rotates the air to make sure the heat is even all through baking. It even has different settings for pizza or cookies, or roasting, etc. Today was my first time trying out the baking setting. The end result was beautiful evenly browned, golden yellow cupcakes. I'm super excited to bake the Thanksgiving turkey in there this year! Convection!!

If you have convection I suggest you use it (Heather)! You might end up with lovelies like these...

My thumb is still numb from using that frosting that comes in a can like cheese wiz.  Lazy. I know! 

It was almost a shame to cover up those beautiful golden tops with frosting but it had to be done. They are destined for a Halloween party this witch (my costume) is going to! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN BAKING!

They Smell Like Pumpkin

After dreaming about next summer all week long I suppose it might be time to come back to the here and now with a little fall craftiness. As this is the first year in our new house we are planning on hosting the family thanksgiving dinner this year. I'm having grand ideas for the table scape and all the other decorations that go with this holiday. Here is part of the fun I plan on incorporating...

Pressing these leaves between wax paper to preserve them! I took a walk yesterday and they were piled up everywhere so I collected a handful to try this out on.

Leaves before pressing 

After pressing

Comfy Chic

Alright, alright I hear you. You just feel your most hyggelig in your comfy's. Well, then lets take a little review of proper comfy's for going out into public.

Jeans you say? You must be able to wear your favorite beat up old jeans from five years ago?? Comfy chic secret: a smart trench or any chic topper (like the crisp button down under this trench) for that matter will always dress up any look. To keep this from looking frumpy please no flip flops. A solid shoe is essential.

Dsquared

If we can wear beat up old jeans then what about sweatpants? Well, gasp!! Yes, it can be done but with a few things kept in mind. Sweatpants should NEVR have holes in them like the jeans above. And they should never be the Hanes type of sweatpants. Make sure they have some interesting detail that dresses them up. Like fancy pockets or even a zipper. It makes all the difference! You'll be just as comfy but chic as well! Win win!

Then back to the chic comfy secret: always wear with a great topper and something on your feet dressier than running shoes or flip flops. You don't have to wear high heels like the Gap style below cause I certainly wouldn't either. Just put on some cute flats or some oxfords. You don't want to wear any sort of shoe that is gonna hint at the gym.

Gap

Rebecca Taylor (clogs are super fabulous with sweats and comfy too!)

Celine (sandals with sweats? YES!)

One Right So Far...

Alright, not to toot my own horn but this happens to me ALL THE TIME. I  look through every single fashion show that comes down the runway and save the looks I like. Then I predict what I think is gonna be the trends for the next year (fashion shows for the next season come out almost a year before). Always without fail when the magazines finally start printing stuff for the next season there are the looks I pulled for myself and the same trends too!!

So, the first one arrived yesterday in my mailbox in the form of Bazaar magazine. Remember the lacey Stella McCartney look from my October 18th post? This one..

Well, here it is in Bazaar...

Two More Fashion Predictions For Spring / Summer 2011

Alright, I know I've been a bit neglectful the past few days. It's just that I've been hoping to show you before and afters of our stairway that we've been working on. It's just taking lots longer than planned. So here is something to chew on while the paint dries.

Two more of my delightful and delicious trend predictions for spring / summer 2011 that I'm dying to wear right now!

So, to add to trend # 1 leather shorts and trend # 2 lace...
Trend #  3  wide legged pants done in any way you want, cropped, jumper, long, high waisted,  pleated, whatever!

Malandrino

Francesco Scognamiglio

Thakoon

Rachel Roy

Mulberry

Roland mouret

Oscar de la renta

Behnaz Sarafpour     

Trend # 4 knee length skirts and I think it's about time this finally came back. I love how it's so flattering on just about anybody. If you don't like your knee's just go slightly under them with the hem line. 

marc by marc Jacobs (another one that reminds me of  my german 80's youth, LOVE it!)

Steven Alan

Junya Watanabe

Jill Stuart

Organic by John Patrick

3.1 Phillip Lim

Erdem

Crafty Monsters

Sometimes a lazy day (recovering from crazy girls night out) is just the perfect time for a nice long chat with your big sis. In fact it's perfect when you are wondering what in the heck to do to your porch that will have minimal cost and big impact for All Hallows Eve.

Of course she reminds me that I have all those canning jars turned votives from our housewarming party to put out. Her idea by the way. Then I think "Oh, I could wrap them in crape paper!" and then being brilliant like she is, she tops me with "No, vellum!". Too bad I couldn't find any colored vellum at the craft store. Black poster board and tissue paper will have to do this time.

Try not to be too perfect or symmetrical with the faces. The imperfectness of  it is what adds to the monster feel.

Oh boy! This is fun! Only I wish she was over to help make them but I'll just have to be satisfied with her reaction when she sees them on All Hallows Eve to celebrate my birthday. 

supplies

- black poster board cut into strips to fit around a canning jar or vase with 1 inch overlap

- colored tissue paper 

- glue stick

- exacto knife

- cutting board or cardboard

- canning jar or vase

- sticky velcro circles

- pencil

Draw your monster faces or any Hallows Eve shape onto your poster board.

Cut out your face with an exacto knife.

Spread glue around cutout openings and smooth a piece of tissue paper over glue.

Wrap around canning jar and and adhere velcro to hold together.

Remove from canning jar and place monster over a lit votive.

Make sure your flame is well protected from the poster board or place your candle inside the canning jar for extra protection.

It was such fun thinking up scary monster faces and great practice for pumpkin carving this year!

A little Fashion Treat

To say I'm into fashion is kinda an understatement. I've been reading vogue since I was 15. Even as young as 4 years old I was fashioning clothing for my dolls. The whole point of barbies through my childhood was to make complete chic outfits for them.

 If I'm ever stuck with nothing to do I don't sit there blank minded bored as a bag of hammers. No, my mind is constantly and delightedly thinking up even the most mundane occasion and to what the perfect outfit would be to wear on such occasion. I've done this for as long as I can remember way back to little girlhood. If I've run out of occasions for myself I might even start thinking up chic ensembles for you!

 In middle school I idolized those cool german girls that wore wide legged pants and tied scarfs around their heads. They were completely modern, against the grain of pegged legs and neon, they were fresh and uber cool. Of course I lived through the nineties too so there is a bit of that influence in me. But the true source of almost every single fashion decision comes from my very first and early love of the modern 80's german girl.

So for a little fashion treat here are a couple of my trend predictions and my favorite looks for spring / summer 2011. A little something to occupy your mind while you are sitting in the dentists office...




trend # 1 Leather shorts - how I would wear this: flowy, feminine, slightly sheer top, flat edgy sandals

Hermes

                                                                                             

Christian Siriano

Hermes

Cushnie et Ochs 

trend # 2 lace - always to be worn with nude bra / undies, nude camisole, or lined in nude fabric. Take inspiration from the runway in the form of lace and put it into your favorite lace piece. A top, skirt, shorts, even a whole dress. As long as you keep the lace and cut of the piece modern and fresh you should be able to avoid looking granny.

Anna Sui

Brioni

Milly

Organic by John Patrick

Stella McCartney 

Thakoon (this one is my fav, very german 80's)

Trick Or Treats

Pumpkins & skulls

A hyggelig Halloween

My Honey and I bought our first home five months ago. This is after many travels and adventurous moves. We chose to settle in a little chic town that reminds me of my youth in Germany, town bells and all. We can walk right into town and buy a brotchen (german bread rolls) or the best cup of cocoa you might ever have the pleasure of sipping.

I always dreamt about a home so modern that it was organic in feel and touch, solar powered, self sustaining, clean, fresh, and alone on a bleached grass hill. These dreams rarely come true (as in we bought a 1901 craftsman style home). So whats a german / euro obsessed girl to do? Well, she indulges in her other love and creates a little euro cottage to feel all hyggelig in.

This room still has some transforming to do. Like a cushion for the window seat, new blinds, new windows, a refinished wood floor, and a proper mirror over the buffet. Although, for now I think it's feeling quite hyggelig enough to tackle another room for the time being.

Incase you were curious what the room looked like before the hyggelig transformation here are a few pics of the home before we bought it. Luckily I saw beyond all the cloudy day colors, tiny mismatched light fixtures, and missing outlet covers. One thing this little house has is potential!