Brrrrr… cozy winter entertaining essentials

It is seriously chilly out there, even here in California!  We always expect a bit of nip in the air here in San Francisco, but even down south in Los Angeles the low temperatures are setting records.  As I said, “Brrrrrr!”

But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun!  While summer parties are all about fizzy cocktails, Bocce ball and cafe lights strung across a patio, winter parties are about warmth – from good friends, good drinks and a cozy fire.

Browsing around One Kings Lane tonight, I was totally inspired.  {Have you heard of One Kings Lane?  I am obsessed!  Their sales are the most interesting I have seen, I love almost everything!  And the prices are insane!  If you see it and you love it, no worries, you’ll probably be able to afford it!  If you aren’t a member, you HAVE to join!} Anyway, I was checking out their Apres Ski sale – so much cute stuff!  The sale isn’t over!  It ends Wednesday the 16th!  So I thought I would throw together a little inspiration board for you all!  Enjoy!

Winter Entertaining inspiration board

All products from One Kings Lane!

1.) Vail, where I grew up skiing.  Gotta love this print! {click to purchase}

2.) How snuggly is this cable knit pillow?  And the color?  Perfect! {click to purchase}

3.) Moscow Mules are most delicious when sipped from copper mugs! {click to purchase}

4.) If you can easily ski a Double Black Diamond – brag about it! {click to purchase}

5.) A cozy warm blanket is much needed after a day of skiing and snowman building. {click to purchase}

6 and 7.) How cute are these tiny silver mounted deers?  Probably the most chic “taxidermy” you can find! {purchase here and     here}

8.) Fondue!?  It is never a “Fon-Don’t!” And this pot is so gorgeous! {click to purchase}

9.) Rewind Champagne candle – I snagged one of these for myself! Kind of wishing I grabbed the Pinot Noir too. {click to purchase}

10.) This leather serving tray is perfect for a ski lodge, masculine but beautiful. {click to purchase}

11.) I love the idea of a fire place on a snowy terrace.  Gorgeous! {click to purchase}

12.) These tumblers are a super cute way for guests to be able to differentiate their wine from someone else’s. {click to purchase}

13.) Nothing is more warming than Coq au Vin and this is the most amazing pot I have seen to cook that delicious meal. {click to purchase}

So grab some friends, light a fire, mull some wine (here is my recipe) and don your cutest cashmere!

Pantone 2013 Color of the Year: Emerald

I love when Pantone announces their color of the year!  Makes me start searching for all sorts of things I wouldn’t normally search for in an unusual color.  Last year, not so much (because one of my wedding colors was Tangerine… way ahead of you Pantone!), but this year – totally inspired!  Green is just not a color I usually choose!  More of a blue-girl myself.  And Emerald… well, I thought that was more reserved for Dorothy and the Wizard (I am sure I am the 74,823,000 to make THAT joke).  ”Give me Forest green any day, but Emerald – meh” I thought.  I think I have only ever really owned one piece of Emerald attire: this Boston Red Sox hat:

I know, how very thug-life with the sticker and flat brim and all.

I know, how very thug-life with the sticker and flat brim and all.  I wrap those brims around soda-cans the minute I get them home!

I was SO wrong!  Emerald is gorgeous!  I am slowly becoming obsessed!  And to share this new obsession with you, here are a few of my most recently “Emerald-y” favorites:

Emerald inspiration board

1. Dress | 2. Michael Kors Earrings | 3. Michael Kors Watch

4. Swarovski cocktail ring | 5. Nars Eye Shadow in Night Porter

6. Green Room by Laura Britt Design | Coach Madison Leather Juliette purse | Crystal by Baccarat

For the paint, I am not sure exactly which color was used in the inspiration board above, but Benjamine Moore has a fantastic shade called Emerald Isle (find it here) and many other great greens as well!

For more Green-spiration, visit my Emerald Pinboard!

Painting our world

So, it seems like our Condo purchase is ACTUALLY going to happen. Buying property in San Francisco is a very rough process, so every second I have been sure something is going to fall though. Tomorrow everything is being signed (fingers crossed, breath held), so it feels okay to start planning.

The condo currently has a BIG red accent wall. I like red accent walls, I have had them before. But… this is a one bedroom condo in San Francisco and that means a red wall is “A LOT”. Also, our current taste in colors runs towards the cool end of the spectrum.

We both started out thinking that we wanted cream walls with a nice gray accent wall. Turns out, cream runs warms or looks like white. And I have been a renter for SO long that I am over white.

Then we began researching gray. Gray is a tough color. Apparently it always has an undertone: purple, blue, or green. And while you might see a tinge of the undertone in the paint card, when the paint is covering an entire wall, the undertone goes from a tinge to a ton…

So, I spent forever reading reviews and looking at colors and trying to generally understand the direction we wanted to go. And finally, we have decided (hopefully, I am demanding that we buy a sample and give it a try, so everything could change).

In our living room, our main color is going to be Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray and an accent wall of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy. A navy accent wall was never something I had considered, but it seems traditional and modern at the same time, and has a great blend of masculine and feminine elements. Plus, it is so crisp. I put together a little photo collection of the two colors below.

Hale Navy Bedroom via pinterest

Hale Navy wall via pinterest

Coventry Gray living room via pinterest

Jenna Lyons house with Coventry Gray via pinterest

Shop the magazine – CB2

I love CB2 – it lets me indulge my love of white furniture without killing my budget (well, it kind of kills my budget, but I can usually justify it). I thought I would start a new feature where I “shop a magazine” and pick all the stuff I would buy if I could!

Let’s start this series off with CB2:

CB2 - shop the catalogue

CB2 – club chair steel
$799 - cb2.com

CB2 – pony chair
$119 - cb2.com

CB2 – swig mini bar
$399 - cb2.com

CB2 – vanity
$399 - cb2.com

Today I needed… a hammock

Sigh. Today was long. And kind of annoying. When I was younger, my ultimate escape was a hammock. The best one I ever encountered was at a cabin in rural Maine, next to a lake, by a house built in the 1930s. True relaxation!

This is what I need today:

from casasugar.com

From trendytraveler.tumblr.com

A little relaxation for all!

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