Restoration Redo

If you live in Dallas you know that starting on Friday it is Partners Card Week! (woohoo!!!) This morning I was researching some stores that I know we will want to go into to do our Christmas Shopping with a discount. I am very impressed with the new direction that Restoration Hardware has taken- the silver sage look was VERY played out and their new look has brought them into 2010. I especially loved these leather accessories that they are offering for Christmas- hello man gift! I love the ipad case- for the most part I have only seen the generic black ones offered for men. I also love the kindle case for the same reason! Even better, these gifts are all reasonably priced! I'll let you know what else I find with my Partner's Card this weekend!

Patch NYC

{Patch NYC from Design*Sponge}

{Photos from the Patch NYC for West Elm}

If you aren't familiar with Patch NYC, become familiar. I first saw this line in January with Dan at NYIGF and it was love at first sight. To say it stands out would be the understatement of the century. The ornigal art work by co-founder, Don Carney, is bold without being obnoxious. I love the creativity and whimsey of the use of bugs, animals, skulls and pipes. The fact that it is also on candles, plates, and that they did a line in the spring for West Elm makes it that much better! Check this line out!

A rant: Queen Elizabeth Cancels her Christmas Party

Ok, I am reading the headline this morning from CNN.com and I see this headline "Queen Elizabeth cancels palace Christmas Party" The articles says that due to tough economic times they are canceling the party at the palace... news flash: THAT IS NOT HELPING THINGS. First off the Queen has more money than she knows what to do with and she spent her own money on that party- not the tax payers. The article says that the party costs approximately $80,000 and 600 people attend. That party creates jobs for florists, caterers, stationers, maids, valet, etc... Does she think that she is going to offend people by spending her money? I get it- it is a sensitive issue- but not spending money does not help our economy it hurts it. A lot of people out there depend on Holiday Business and having Holiday gatherings are important because it brings people together- in good times and in bad! Ok, that is my ONLY Christmas rant you will hear from me. I have plead my case.

Boo'd

I first heard about the neighborhood practice of "Booing" a couple of years ago when I worked at Paper Affair and apparently this fun neighborhood activity is catching on! This morning when I was drinking my coffee and reading my blog circuit I came across these tasty treats on Baked Perfection and I thoughts what a wonderful thing to make for someone's basket if you are a part of a neighborhood boo group. Chocolate covers pretzels are pretty easy for any level of baker and they are an inexpensive treat if you need to make lots! Risa, of Baked Perfection, did them in the cute candy corn colors, put them in a cello bag, and tied it off with festive ribbon! I think if you put these in a Halloween Macbeth Bucket with a Razzle Dazzle chocolate bar with some Vampire Wine you will be set and get the best boo'd bucket on the street! Happy Booing!

The Ghost Chair

{Philippe Starck Ghost Chair; Image from www.roomandboard.com}

Since we are in October, and Halloween is getting closer (and I'm cheesy), I want to talk about the mild obsession that I currently have with the Louis XV Style Ghost Chair designed By Philippe Starck. I think that this chair could be one of my favorite chairs of all times. I like The Ghost Chair because it takes a very traditional style of chair but brings it the modern and edgy side by being acrylic. The Ghost chair could pretty much work in any room for anything- great for your dining chairs or perfect in a corner with a throw pillow but could work just as well in a living room to replace your club chairs. If you live in Dallas, The Nest has a great selection of Ghost Chairs- The owner of The Nest, Heather Wiese-Alexander, had her home featured in the September Issue of D Magazine Home and she had an incredible outdoor table setting under a green house using Ghost Chairs- Everything about the look is perfect to me! I have also noticed that The Ghost Chair has become popular for use in weddings to replace the traditional Chiavari chair. It is an easy transition from a very traditional look to an edgy look with a traditional design structure. I can't wait to see where The Ghost Chair pops up next (hopefully in my house!)

Trick-Or-Treat

For many of you out there this Halloween will consist of you (and your kids) out and about trick-or-treating. The costume is probably where the most thought goes into for the night but no costume is complete without a great trick-or-treat bucket! I love love love The Macbeth Collection Trick-Or-Treat buckets- they are incredibly cute and hold plenty of candy! The come in great stripes, candy corn swirl, or with cobwebs (fake of course!) Keep it simple with "treats" or personalize it with your trick-or-treaters name- perfect either way! Find these buckets on RSHcatalog.com or order through your local Monoglam program!

Snickerdoodle doo

Happy October 1st everyone! Is everyone ins Dallas ready for the insane traffic that the TX vs. OU weekend is going to bring?! I thought I would wrap up this week with sharing a great recipe that I love to make and bring for people, it is a Snickerdoodle Cake. I found the recipe on My Baking Addiction blog and it has been a hit every time I make it. Sometimes food really is the best thing that you can bring someone and is such a well received gift. I think it goes along way with people to know that you took enough time to bake something instead of just going to pick up a candle or what not. What I love about this Snickerdoodle cake is that is great a dessert after a heavy dinner, but it is equally as good the next morning with a cup of coffee! Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Cake

Ingredients 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup white sugar 1 cup light brown sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

Method In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together really well and Preheat oven to 325F. Here’s the exact way Julie made the crust: Using a spray product like Pam with Flour, generously spray a 9 inch Bundt pan, being careful to cover all the nooks and crannies, as well as the center tube. (Note: If you don’t want to use Pam with Flour, you can just grease the pan with shortening.) Gently dust the entire inside of the pan with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You should only need about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, but you want to try and evenly coat the inside surface of the pan, including the tube. Save the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture and set everything aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat just the butter on medium speed for one full minute. Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and blade and add the brown sugar.

Mix for 2 minutes until the mixture looks light brown and uniform in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each for 1 full minute. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat well.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture over top the cake. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. (If you run out of cinnamon sugar, you can mix just 1/4 cup of sugar + 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon together for the top of the cake. It should be more than enough.)

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. aside.

Notes: This recipe is from http://dozenflours.com/2009/03/snickerdoodle-bundt-cake.html