skulls: they're not just for halloween anymore!
It’s not the Halloween decorations in the stores that have me thinking about skulls. It actually started back in June, when I saw House & Garden’s photo of shoe designer Bruno Frisoni with his feet up on “Tête de Mort” by Xavier Veilhan. I couldn’t find that particularly piece of ottoman art for sale — not that I could afford it anyway — but here’s a roundup of a few fun items found online to guarantee a little morbidity, anytime.
If you must kick back on a skull, try this spare and stylish digitally printed skull ottoman designed by Lavinia Branca Snyder.
Have some guests over for treats, and serve them on these Memento Mori porcelain plates found at Unica Home. (These would look great as wall decor, too.)
Too dark? Try a cute pink skull-and-crossbones throw rug or lighten things up (Get it? Get it?) with a bronze skull lamp from Blackman Cruz (even if Pimp Lighting feels it’s a bit overpriced).
You can also go for the high-design creepy with the Heavy Metal Vase from Phil Cuttance.
Don’t want to look at skulls at all? Well, thanks to Modern Alchemy’s Dia De Los Muertos candles, your home can at least smell like the dead. Okay, probably quite a bit better. – Mary T.
UPDATE: Be sure to check out new contributor Meg D.’s related post at her site Style Saves the World! Great minds and all that…
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skulls: they’re not just for halloween anymore!
It’s not the Halloween decorations in the stores that have me thinking about skulls. It actually started back in June, when I saw House & Garden’s photo of shoe designer Bruno Frisoni with his feet up on “Tête de Mort” by Xavier Veilhan. I couldn’t find that particularly piece of ottoman art for sale — not that I could afford it anyway — but here’s a roundup of a few fun items found online to guarantee a little morbidity, anytime.
If you must kick back on a skull, try this spare and stylish digitally printed skull ottoman designed by Lavinia Branca Snyder.
Have some guests over for treats, and serve them on these Memento Mori porcelain plates found at Unica Home. (These would look great as wall decor, too.)
Too dark? Try a cute pink skull-and-crossbones throw rug or lighten things up (Get it? Get it?) with a bronze skull lamp from Blackman Cruz (even if Pimp Lighting feels it’s a bit overpriced).
You can also go for the high-design creepy with the Heavy Metal Vase from Phil Cuttance.
Don’t want to look at skulls at all? Well, thanks to Modern Alchemy’s Dia De Los Muertos candles, your home can at least smell like the dead. Okay, probably quite a bit better. – Mary T.
UPDATE: Be sure to check out new contributor Meg D.’s related post at her site Style Saves the World! Great minds and all that…
a chic way to decorate pumpkins
Starting around September 5th, stores and magazines start bombarding us with Halloweeny gear. It always feels too early, and too cliché. (Just walk through any craft store right now and you’ll see what we mean). But this slide show over at Cottage Living offers a few new ideas, like using them to display your house numbers. The ones above still have a ghostly vibe with hues of ivory and grey pumpkins. Decorative, off-the-shelf nails are pushed in to create simple patterns. To find decorative nails, check out DIY Upholstery Supply, and click over to cottageliving.com for further directions and a few easy-to-follow templates.
blooming teas for mom (or you)
A week or so ago I wrote about blossoming teas, something I had seen in a movie but had never tried in real life. A bunch of you left great suggestions on how to find them, and now I am happy to report that I have! I brewed a few cups from fullbloomtea.com and think they’d be a wonderful Mother’s Day present. Why send ordinary flowers? With names like “happiness,” “pot of gold” and “sunset” each one is a an aromatic surprise. The blooms are a bit pricey, $3 each, but each makes about six cups or two small pots of tea. They all tasted amazing, especially with a drop of honey added, and would be great iced. You can order a Greeting Bloom for $6 and the company will inculde a printed message card for you. For mom, I’d recommend the half dozen sampler, $22, which comes with a clear glass mug (above) which will allow her to watch the magic happen.
A few other places that also sell blooming teas: dragonwater.com sells them by the pound (1/4 lb is $37). adagio.com has the best price — ten for $10, and their packaging is lovely, too. teaposy.com sells a half dozen for $18. — Angela M.
blogwatch: margaritas and juleps
Man-oh-man there’s a lot going on this weekend. Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, the De La Hoya vs Mayweather fight! We’re not sure what we’re gonna do, though a night in with HBO may win. Here are a few links to help you stir up some fun of your own.
Martha Stewart is offering up her favorite margaritas on her site, which includes this basil watermelon one. It sounds yummy, but it’s a bit early for watermelons in our hood. We’d rather go with the ginger mint one in her May issue: You crush ginger, mint, tequila, Grand Marnier and lime juice in glass with a wooden spoon. Add ice, and then pour in ginger beer.
Every party needs some chips and dip Here’s an ethnic twist on a classic quac recipe. At 101cookbooks.com, there’s an Indian flavored guacamole: avacados with white onions, garlic, lime, salt and then some cumin and curry powder dashed in. Serve with naan bread.
If you’re thinking of having a Derby party, consider this recipe from Sprig, the new eco site from the MSN-Newsweek group. Chicken wings and hot chili corn pudding bread. If you serve that at your house, we guarantee your guests will show up with bells on.
For drinks, a classic julep is always lovely, but why not mix it up and try this gin version that we found on Variety’s Stylephile blog. Or, here’s something even more tempting: At Serious Eats, we found a post about a Bourbon Ball Milkshake. Just the other day, our friend Anthony was telling us about the wonders of Bourbon Balls, a Southern Xmas treat. But this frosty version sounds perfect for right now! You game?
(P.S. Our money’s on De La Hoya!)
