Party Time

Happy New Year Everyone!

Kate Spade

2010 has been quite a year. Lots happened: I retired and restarted my blog, I switched jobs from working in a showroom to working for an architect, my business has grown, I discovered yoga after I hurt my knees, and I got engaged!

Homes and Gardens

Being the positive person that I love to be, I have lots to look forward to in 2011. I don't LOVE New Years resolutions but I do love goals and thinking about the future. My main goals are to work on expanding my business, planning our wedding, and working on fixing my knees (I heart yoga).

Eddie Ross

2011 will be a wonderful year full of amazing design. Honeysuckle Pink is the Pantone color for this year and it's fun, festive, and pretty. These two pink tablescapes make me think of fun and celebration...like tonight!


Have an amazing night celebrating the year that is now over and looking forward to the fabulous year that we have ahead of us! BTW, does anybody want to buy me those shoes from above? Thanks! Be safe and drink champagne.

Alicia B.

New Year's Eve Partay Wrap Up

I hope you all had fabulous New Year's Eves whether you were cuddled up at home watching a movie or out on the town dancing up a storm. I had a mini party in my apartment with a few old and new friends! I had the most fun time decorating and baking for this party. Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to use the color green throughout to keep the holiday spirit up but now have it look like Christmas. I used blues and greens mostly and I think it looked festive and fun.

On my tiny nautical hors d'oeuvres tray, I set up some glasses for Champagne. Each one was tied with a little knot of the blue ribbon. I think it adds a little something extra.

I made and decorated these cookies, you'll see close ups later. In one of my gorgeous Juliska bowls that my sister gave me as a gift, I put some of my new green ornaments that I bought 50% off after Christmas. It was a genius time to buy Christmas stuff because it's all on sale. I also made bruschetta which is maybe my fave thing to eat at a party.

I bought these gorgeous green and white flowers and spread them throughout the apartment. Instead of confetti, which is a drag to clean up, I got wrapping ribbon and curled it and made little ribbon curlies. They looked tres festive, no?

I made good use of the otherwise useless filler from the flowers I bought and spread the green around the room in random vases that I have. And yes, I bought munchkins. YUM.

Here is a close up on my ornament bowl.

It never hurts to have fresh fruit like these wintry clementines there. They look so orange in the blue bowl.

In my efforts to phase out the Christmas decorating and move towards New Years, I just switched the ribbon on my little tree that was wrapped in this gorgeous Lee Jofa plaid fabric. I got this little blue gros grain ribbon at Kate's Paperie, I believe.

Here are the cookies that I mentioned earlier. I received a cookie decorating book for Christmas, Cookie Craft Christmas, and it was very inspiring. I made wreathes, snowflakes, birds, and hearts.

Glamour shot of a snowflake.

The recipes and the ideas were so much fun. I can't wait to zip out and get some more cookie cutters and adapt some of these ideas to other seasons!

All in all, I had a fantastic New Years. Not only was I pleased with my little soiree, but I was surrounded by great friends and loved ones which is really the best way to start a new year. Happy New Year's everyone. Let's make 2010 a great year!


Alicia B.

Happy New Year!

Here is just a sneak peak at some of the decorating and cooking and baking I did for my mini New Year's Eve party. I've had an immense amount of fun getting ready for this party so I hope everyone has a good time.



I have a sneaking suspicion that 2010 is going to be a great year. Just a hunch. Have an amazing New Year's Eve everybody! Be safe, be good to yourself, and drink lots of Champagne!


Alicia B.

First Snow of 2009

Well, It's back to the grind. No more holiday or New Year's Eve parties, Christmas cookies, or Yule Log from the fridge at midnight. It wasn't me, I swear! If you were in the Northeast of the U.S. though over New Years, you experienced an amazing and beautiful snowstorm! It made for some rough driving for me as I went up to Saratoga to spend New Year's with my dear friend from my semester abroad in college. On the upside, I got to take some really pretty pictures! I hope you enjoy them...shameless plug to myself.

Amazing faded yellow barn on the side of a country road upstate in New York. I love how patriotic they are.

Some little red berries poking through the intense and VERY cold snow. I think I still have frostbite from going out in the snow.

I was amazed at the silhouetted silo of this classic barn. Also amazed at my timing!

This is a near white out. Normally you can see the Berkshires from this spot where I took the picture.

Then, I enjoyed some (maybe too much) Champagne to ring in the new year! 2009 is going to be great. If not, at least my attitude is!

Alicia B.

Happy New Year! 2009: The Year of Happy

From Eddie Ross. Yum!

I don't really believe in New Year's Resolutions. I think they're needless--don't we have enough to worry about to begin with? The usual, lose weight, go to the gym, stop smoking etc are too cliche for words and just make you feel bad and guilty if you do them (or don't depending on which one you chose). This year I'm choosing more positive resolutions--using my power for good instead of evil.

Laughing girl from Veer.

I'd like to be nicer to people, and in turn, maybe people will be nice to me and others (it's contagious, I hear). It's something I deal with in New York and it's starting to get me down. Sort of like Pay it Forward without the alcoholism and death. I was in the suburbs yesterday at the mall (I know, it sounds so 90's) but all these random people were smiling at me. Being the hardened pseudo New Yorker that I am, I was surprised but also, I smiled back.
It was a nice feeling.

Organized closet from Martha.

Another one is to cut out the clutter. You know, keep it cleaner. As Emily at Square One Organization says, it takes the same amount of time to put something in the wrong place as it takes to put it in the right place. Organizing for me is really fun, especially when I have the time. I love receiving Martha Stewart's Organizational Tip of the Day, too.

Attractive bookworm from Domino Mag.

My older sister says that she'd like to read more. That's another good one and I wholly approve of improving one's mind as a New Years Ressie. Reading is also a good way to relax. It's much easier and more mindless to just sit down with the remote and flip the channels, but I always feel better after I've read. It doesn't necessarily need to be a book, could be the newspaper too. Thanks, you passed the test.Figueres Mansion take by ME. Is this where I'll be living? Perhaps.

Design-wise, I will be moving at the end of February into my own apartment, so one of mine will be to design my own space as best I can. I think it will be a fun fun project and THOUGH I'll be missing my roommate like crazy, it will be a new experience that I'm looking forward to. Picking out my color scheme (I've already thought about it), possible new furniture, fun decorative accents, and space planning will be some of the challenges as I'm sure I'll be moving into a shoebox with a side of kitchen and a dash of bathroom.

ME again. Drink up!

Well, it looks like I've got my work cut out for me for 2009, but I remain upbeat about it! I think 2009 should be the year of getting back to basics, cut out the greed, the meanness, and just be happy and nice. Am I living in a dream world? I don't care. What are your resolutions?

Happy New Year!


Alicia B.

Please

From House Beautiful Kitchen of the Month

Please forgive me for my self imposed break from blogging. I've been spending quality time with my sisters and parents and catching up with my old friends from high school. Really, it's been wonderful. Lots of time to relax, read, clean, and generally be me! I'll pretty much be back until New Years so I apologize for that in advance.

Isn't this breakfast room above so lovely looking? The gorgeous hardwood floors, the beautiful antique furniture and the fresh drapery in the windows. This breakfast room is in California and was designed by a fave of mine, Michael Smith. I especially love that this room is octagonal. Perfect symmetry is somewhat off-putting in a room, but this really works. Thoughts? Do I smell inspiration for a blog? I THINK SO!


Alicia B.