Which Witch is Which?

Last Friday I celebrated Halloween with a bunch of witches. I hosted a dinner party based around a mystery theme of "Which Witch is Which?"  All of my old-crew-mates came dressed up as a witch, and each guest was supplied with a witchy character role they had to personify.  One guest was secretly selected to be the true witch. Throughout the dinner many spells were cast, stakes were burned, and laughing ensued.  If you've ever heard of the party game Mafia, I adapted the game to resemble the historic event of the Salem Witch Trials. It was a lot of fun, and I felt so lucky to be around so many funny and creative friends.

(Left to Right: Lauren, Sarah, Laura, Kathy, Amber, Karen, Sciarrino, Me, Tex)

(Left to Right: Sciarrino, Amber)

Note to self, invest in a card table. Dinner was a little... cozy.

Dream Spree: Halloween

Usually on Halloween I'm in the mood to dress up as something spooky. This Halloween, however, I'm channeling more of a flora-fauna feel. Something more light and ethereal. Happy Haunting.

Hot Stuff

The other night Erik and I met up with some friends for some wings at an awesome local restaurant called Fire on the Mountain. Famous for their hot wings, Erik figured it would be a great night to take on the challenge of eating a plate of 6 "El Jefe" wings, the hottest wings EVER.  They're HOT, HOT, HOT!!!  So hot they singed my nostrils upon arriving at our table. Join Erik on his suicidal attempt to consume 6 crazy hot wings. By the way, he made it through 4 of them. 

Feeling the burn. Reconsidering.

Eyes watering, beads of sweat on his forehead, the El Jefe wings were true to their legend. 

I Heart...

I am loving portraits by Valerie Galloway

BOO-ti-ful Jewlery

It's scary how much I love these pieces, perfect for the season! Hopefully you'll enjoy them as much as I do.

The Door Step Surprise

Yesterday I was shocked to find a parcel sitting at my doorstep. Turns out my dearest, Kristin, surprised me with a Halloween gift! It's so exciting to receive unexpected mail, isn't it? I would have to say that Halloween just isn't the same without her being around. For years the two of us would deck out the house inside and out baiting trick-or-treaters. And I can always count on her for the best costume ideas. There isn't a single Halloween that I don't miss her. Thanks lady, I absolutely love the pumpkin mask it's beautiful and it made my week.

Movie Night with the Fro-workers

The other week a bunch of work buds came over and we celebrated the month of October with a dinner and a movie. On the menu, two different types of chili, corn bread, salad and of course spiked cider. The flicks of choice, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and Halloween.

Left to Right (Toria, Victoria, Jillian, Teri, Kate, Jody, Shannon, Jill)

I just love having a house full of people laughing and enjoying each other's company. It's what truly makes a house a home.

Left to Right (Teri and Jillian)

Not to Brag or Anything

Get this, Portland ranked 3rd best US city for Halloween Trick-or-treating!  Now that's an accomplishment!

Image by Zillow 

Eerie-sistible Etsy Finds

Well, here we are at the start of another week.  But not just any week...it's the week of Halloween!  Though some may find the torrential downpours we've had lately to be deterring, I find them to be comforting. I love stormy days with hot apple cider and my latest sewing project.  But come this Sunday I have my fingers crossed we'll be spared from the rain because I want lots and lots and lots of trick-or-treaters! Inspired by the eerie calm on All Hallows' Eve, I thought I'd post some spook-tacular art I found on Etsy.  Will you be wearing a mask this 31st?

Also, stay tuned because I've heard some great suggestions as to how to make the blog more interesting and user friendly... changes are coming soon!

Dream Spree: Mad About Mad Men

Maybe it's the new typewriter, or the fact that I'm in the midst of season 4 Mad Men, but I AM CRAZY MAD for Mad Men!  There really isn't a thing to let you down, the show is packed with amazing characters, great storylines and most of all (well for me) the fashion is intoxicating! So, I thought I'd create my version of a Mad Men ensemble.  Enjoy and have a fun, safe, and relaxing weekend.

Office Monsters

A little time waste management with our new office monsters!

A Coat Named Sheila

This past weekend I met up with my good, good, good friend Tex.  The mission for the meet up... find and purchase the perfect vintage fur coat.  I'm pleased to say the mission was executed and accomplished.  

We checked out this fabulous vintage store called Keep'em Flying on NW 21st.  Don't let its tiny size fool you, it is packed to the brim with amazing male and female vintage finds. 

Did I mention that I have a love affair with vintage hats?  Lets just say I had my fill in this store and went home with a fantastic tulle beehive. 

Pure torture. Too bad I've been blessed with clod-hopper sized feet, because I would majorly sport a few of these slippers.

I did not leave empty handed. I walked out of the store with a classic Olympia typewriter for $35.  Swoon!  And I just about lost it the other night when watching Mad Men Season 4 I witnessed Donald Draper punch out a personal letter on his very own Olympia typewriter. Obsessed? I think so!

All in all, it was a very successful shopping trip.  Tex found the coat of her dreams, and named it Sheila (kicking myself for not taking a picture to share).  And I happily left with a funny hat and fun typewriter.  I love you Tex.

The Cutest Cup Cozy Ever!

I stumbled upon these adorable Cup Cozies at Knit Storm while doing my daily tour of Etsy. Super cute and a steal at $16 each. The perfect Christmas gift idea... 

I Heart...

I am loving these cross stitch items by The Time is Now

Pumpkins, Corn and Apples... Oh My!

What an amazing weekend we had!  Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful sunny days filled with friends and family. I love October when it's still warm and full of fall colors.  I'm pretty sure it's safe to say the fall season has by far the best eating.  Yes, that's correct, Erik and I occupied ourselves this Sunday with mass amounts of fall traditions and food!  I am still full! Check out more pictures on Picasa.

 

To kick off the perfect pumpkin search we fuel up with fresh picked corn on the cob, drizzled with locally churned butter.  Yep, pretty much the best fall food ever!

The Pumpkin Patch is crazy busy this time of year.  Corn mazes, market, hay-stack mountains, pumpkin patches, animal barn, and hay-bale rides are just some of the activities available. 

This is it...The Perfect 2010 Pumpkin.  I have to admit I'm usually partial to the lengthy ones.

I always bring the muscle. 

Following the trip to the Pumpkin Patch Erik and I ventured over to the Portland Nursery, where every October they host an annual apple tasting event.  

Crazy array of apple varieties including Cameo, Ambrosia, and Spartan. 

But best of all, the Apple Strudel.  I Love Fall!

Dream Spree: The Weekend.

It looks like this weekend is shaping up to be a fabulous fall affair.  It's going to be filled with haunted corn mazes, vintage/antique shopping, photography classes, pumpkin patches, dinner get-togethers, and best of all some R&R with the hubby.  I figured I would create a dream spree ensemble suitable for all the dashing around I will be doing. Hope you have a great fall weekend.

The Results From Shipwreck Beads

Remember the trip my friends and I took to Shipwreck beads?  Well, here's what I've done with the beads. Fun times.

Anthropologie's Outfit Tour

I'm super excited to see Anthropologie's newest online look-book featuring very cute clothing all while sporting a bike around town. Check it out on the Anthropologie website.

Dexter Inspired Poster- by Ty Mattson

I HEART DEXTER! It's Erik and I's favorite, favorite, FAAAVVVORITE television show. So much so that we even packed season 3 in our honeymoon bags last year. Not sure if I should be sharing that...the plane ride was long! I'm still coming off my final stage of withdrawal after finishing season 4 of Dexter, whoa... talk about an ending! I stumbled upon this post on Ty Mattson's blog. I freaked! Each poster was designed featuring all the great and quirky moments for each season of Dexter.

Images by Ty Mattson

The Orange Buckets Are Out

It's officially autumn. I watched my first leaf fall straight from a tree to the ground. I smell burning firewood in the evenings and I have pulled out the orange and black buckets from storage. Check out our home transformation from summer to fall.

Don't be fooled there are 6 more boxes downstairs...

Well, it's a start.