Grey Likes Nesting

I may or may not have mentioned this, but I have a love affair with Halloween. It’s mostly nostalgic. As a child my grandmother would dress up as a witch every year (green face paint and all!) and make a huge pot of beef stew in a cauldron-like pot. Each grandchild would get a cube of beef bouillon to add to the stew–she told us they were the last ingredient to her secret potion! Such fun memories.

If you’re not prepared for Halloween, it’s not too late. Gather a few friends, turn on Monster Mash, and throw a last-minute SPOOKY SOIREE!

1. Spooky decor is super simple and quick. Grab a bag of spanish moss and gather up all of the old bottles, trays, candlesticks, and vintage silver you have in your house. Scour your cabinets for anything black or old looking. Extra points if you have a few bell jars and some old books. Create a simple table setting with things you already have. Move on to #2 to add the final decorating touches!

#2. Printing a few simple Halloween images is quick, free, and can add a little dose of spooky if you don’t have any Halloween decor. If you have some old frames, and book paper, you can make it extra eerie! CLICK HERE for a great compilation of printables perfect for the occasion.

#3. Witches stew, of course! We love this recipe from Martha Stewart because of its positively frightful color. If you opt for a more traditional stew, don’t forget to let guests add a secret ingredient. These individually wrapped bouillon cubes are easy to find at the supermarket.

#4. No costume? No problem. This has to be the easiest little get up to throw together with things you already have in your closet! A black trench, some striped socks (check Target, they have a great selection for $2.50 a pair), and a broom–voila!

For more last minute costumes, see this great post by What I Wore. 

Images: Mantle via Martha Stewart; Book display via Design Love; Skeleton display via Urban Comfort; Witches Stew via Martha Stewart; Bouillon via Mid Eats;  DIY Witch Costume via What I Wore.

If you are like me and you would jump at any excuse to drink champagne and wear sparkles, then this shoot is going to make you very, very happy my loves. Mix plenty of bubbly, a few sequin gowns, a group of amazingly gorgeous friends, a beautiful table setting, and one very glamorous rooftop and you get this killer party. It’s a perfect soiree to celebrate an engagement or fantastic inspiration for a New Year’s Eve party you won’t forget.

These flowers are amazing. LOVE.

The industrial lighting makes me so happy.

STOP IT. How gorgeous is she?

The lounge furniture is a great touch. How much do you wish you were here having fun with them?

And, as if that wasn’t enough glam for your day, you have to see this video from the party!

HIGHRISE from christopher robert on Vimeo.

VENDORS:

Photography: Chantel Marie 

Video: Christopher Robert

Makeup: Jessica Marie Makeup (and here)

Hair: Destry Van Wagoner (and here)

Dresses: Ypsilon

Models: Nikki Harward, Jake Butler, Meg Welch, Mike Fogt, Hilary Bingham, Sean Welch

Flowers: Floral Design By Alaide

Table Design: Hilary Bingham

Cupcakes:Le Petite Bakery

Cake: CMH Cakes

Invites: Ruffled Ink

Rentals: Alpine Event Rentals http://alpineeventrentals.com/index.aspx

Today we are celebrating the launch of the latest issue of The Knot magazine with the cover shot by our dear friend Elizabeth Messina. We thought we’d spread the love, so we’re featuring a little bit more of Elizabeth Messina over here on the blog today! We adored her launch party of her newest book, The Luminous Portrait, which if I do say so myself, is a spectacular coffee table book. Elizabeth’s artwork is absolutely breathtaking so getting the chance to have a little piece of it in your home is a total delight.

In addition to Elizabeth, the floral designer whose work is on the cover of The Knot magazine also took part in making this launch party gorgeous! Isn’t it lovely how everything connects? We hope you enjoy all of these images shot by Kirsten Ellis.

To see more of today’s features, be sure to check out Grey Likes Weddings and Grey Likes Baby!

Hosted by: Mindy Weiss // Photography: Kirsten Ellis // Desserts: Cupcakes Couture of Manhattan Beach // Flowers: Dolce Designs Studio // DJ: DJ Shakee of Scratch Weddings // Wine: One Hope Weddings // Photo Booth: Mobile Photo Booth // Venue: The Mark for Events // Furniture: Found Rentals // Ice Cream: Sweet Lucie’s // Tote bag favors: The Wedding Chicks Shop // Wall Prints: The Image Source // Special Thanks: Be Inspired PR

Once upon a time I taught myself to knit. I knit half a scarf using mostly one needle and my fingers to pull the string around because I’m used to the idea of crocheting with one hook  and this two needle deal was stressful. It was not a success, clearly. I retired my needles and resigned to homemade looking yarn things. Look, nothing against crochet because its all fine and whatever, but crochet is not knit. Knit is all pretty and classy like, whereas crochet screams, “This is a homemade afghan!” For the record, I’ve never crocheted a whole afghan.

Over the weekend, in a moment of perfect clarity, I stumbled upon this really adorable Etsy shop – BiscuitScout. Everything is cable knit by hand. Best part: not MY hands!

Head over to BiscuitScout to see all of the goods. If you have the coordination to use two needles, the shop owner will even sell you a pattern to do it yourself. Good luck with that.

When I saw this sweet little shop tour I knew I needed to visit. Then I found out this gorgeous place is in Cape Town, South Africa. Now I definitely MUST go! Do you want to come, too? The more the merrier.

I found this tour on The Pretty Blog. You can see lots more images of the Smitten Shop here, but this is a little sneak peek:

I absolutely love this ribbon chandelier. Don’t you think it kind of looks DIY-able? We’ll get back to you on that. And oh, the little rack of lingerie. Love.

The dusty pink paint color has me drooling over here.

Images via The Pretty Blog, shot by Claudia de Nobrega.