Painted Pumpkin Bottle

I decided to do a little Halloween crafting with a pumpkin as my inspiration. I started with a Martinelli's bottle since it already has that leaf texture built in, so I drank my apple juice, washed the bottle and got to work. 

I used Martha Stewart craft paint which works on glassware. Just pour some paint directly into the bottle. The consistency wasn't thin enough to swirl it around, so I added a little bit of water, about half a teaspoon, to get it moving. You can always add more paint or more water to achieve the right consistency, so start small. Then, roll the bottle around, upside down and side to side until the inside is covered completely with paint. 

Set the bottle upside down on a plate lined with tin foil to let it dry, picking up the bottle and wiping the top off occasionally. Mine took several days to dry. I love the glossy look you get from the paint behind the glass. I added a little copper paint to the outside to highlight the leaves, and there you have it, a happy, little pumpkin bottle. I haven't tested if it can hold water yet, so I just stuck a few flowers in without it. 

Here are some more tips on painting glass. It's a fun and easy project! Happy Halloween!

Weathering the Storm

What a beast of a storm! We were incredibly fortunate, just some shockingly loud wind, flickering lights and street flooding that has already receded. I hope all you East Coasters are safe and dry!

[photo courtesy of: Humans of New York]

Weekend in Photos

It was a good weekend until Hurricane Sandy decided to ruin the fun. On Saturday, we headed up to Harlem for a yummy soul food brunch at Red Rooster. Fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, corn bread, the works! Then we ventured just a little farther north to see the house from The Royal Tenenbaums on 144th Street and Convent Avenue and talked about how great Richie and Margot Tenenbaum Halloween costumes are. On Sunday, the hurricane preparations began with a trip to the grocery store/madhouse and some news-watching with hot cranberry cider and cinnamon-sugar muffins. We're hunkering down for the storm now. Stay safe, friends!

Exploring Versailles

Would you believe I'm still going through my vacation photos? So. Many. Pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from our afternoon at Versailles. It's one of those have-to-see-it-once places, but it was really spectacular, and I love me a garden with giant hedges. I took that last one in a mirror, and I think it's how our faces looked for pretty much the entirety of the trip. Happy Friday!

Turn a New Leaf

I love this leaf jewelry from Etsy shop Silent Roses. It's the sweetest touch of fall to go along with all the sweaters and plaid.

[photos courtesy of Silent Roses]

Polka Dot Pumpkin

When it comes to crafts, I'll all about low effort. Last year's washi tape pumpkin is about as easy as it gets, and this polka dot pumpkin is just the teensiest bit more involved. I found glittery adhesive cut-outs in various shapes at the craft store, and I bought a circle punch. That's all you need. Any sort of adhesive paper will do, or you could use decorative paper and a glue stick to get the same results. For the tiny pumpkins, I just used a regular hole punch. Minimal effort for a glam, little Halloween pumpkin.

A Fall Party All About Food

I'm not gonna lie, the reason I wanted to have a birthday party this year was selfish. I wanted to eat all of my favorite fall foods in the same night, and I figured a party was a good excuse. The decorations included a gorgeous garland from EverlyLane, a couple autumn-inspired bouquets from the local flower shop, candles and mini pumpkins scattered around. I poured together Prosecco, cranberry juice and ginger ale for a sparkly, little cocktail.

As for the menu, there were butternut squash soup shooters with creme fraiche, bruschetta with goat cheese and pear-cranberry chutney, pulled pork sliders, mini vegetable pot pies, chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake bars and instead of a birthday cake, a stack of apple cider doughnuts. I made some extra doughnut holes and sent everyone home with a little bagful as a party favor. It was such a fun night with friends and my appetite for fall was definitely satisfied.

Thanks to my friend Jin for letting me use some of her Instagrams. I struggled with balancing the roles of hostess, photographer and birthday girl.

Weekend in Photos: Birthday Edition

Today is my birthday, so the weekend was filled with all kinds of fun. We threw a party on Saturday night, so all day was spent in the kitchen, busily but happily. You can expect the full party rundown tomorrow! There was also brunch with a friend I've known since kindergarten, some of my favorite bakery treats, sweet cards and gifts from friends and family, a little shopping, four loads of post-party dishes and some time spent with my new Ryan Gosling coloring book. What more could a girl want? All in all, a pretty wonderful, silly, delicious birthday weekend. My 29th year is off to a good start! I'll be quoting Schmidt from New Girl for the rest of the day in celebration.