the joy of : autumn leaves

It's that time of year. 

parties&entertaining : cookie toppers!

What better way to bring in the autumn season than this?

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Check out page 77 of Styled magazine!

design : surrounded by inspiration

After a recent article about flairs of influence in Rachel Roy's office, I looked around the places I work. 

What inspires me at home, at work, in the kitchen? What keeps you motivated?

[1] Photographs of places, family and friends. It bring warmth and comfort to a potential high stress zone. Looking at a photo that depicts a memory helps ease tension.

[2] Chic organization. Working in a messy, crowded space scatters your mind and strains your focus. Use neutral colors for storage and stick to earthy material.

[3] Fresh flowers and plants. Nature is definitely therapeutic. My mom likes to keep bamboo in the house because it brings calmness to the home. For me, the colors from fresh flowers is just an extra element of inspiration!

[4] Pages of inspiration. I like to go back to cookbooks, design books and even history books and literary classics for some encouragement. You never know what doors an ingredient, pattern or color can open up for you.

[5] Trinkets. Do you ever go to an office store and get lost in the pens and notebooks aisle? So many designs and colors. Keep just a few unique office supplies/pieces on your desk. It will prevent your space from being mundane.

[6] Power at your fingertips. The internet is by far one of the greatest inventions to help spread ideas. I love to check out Pinterest and my daily blog reads for added inspiration!

design : materials & patterns

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Mixing and matching patterns, soft against hard textures, unique pieces. Massucco Warner Miller does an extraordinary job combining elements of nature and Parisian beauty. 

happy 1 month birthday!

Now, I'm not one to celebrate months, but I believe the survival of one month is pretty remarkable. So take out the bubbly for this post, friends! A blog matures so much in one month. You attract a specific group of readers, find a niche in the virtual world, set a pace and perfect a format. 

But lets toast to...

Participating in a virtual blog brunch with some of the most creative people I know.

Taking up a new hobby.

Overcoming a new challenge [that is a bit outside my comfort zone].

Making new friends ♥ here, here and here.

...and most of all, having the love and support from all of you! 

I wonder what one year has in store for c&é?

vogue : tribal chic

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Prints with warm, earthy colors alongside neutrals exudes class and glamour.

bit of life : inspired by sushi

Yes, you read it right. The colors of our favorite Japanese viand are vibrant, fresh and bold.

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Don't you agree, or am I hallucinating? 

bit of life : LBD

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As I was cleaning and organizing my closet yesterday, I noticed I had an unhealthy amount of little black dresses. 22 LBDs, people. But they're glam and wonderful little jewels in my closet. 

Do you have many?

parties&entertaining : great gatsby

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In honor of one of the greatest authors of literary classics, throw an appropriate themed party! My favorite F. Scott Fitzgerald novel was The Great Gatsby, and throwing a party like Gatsby would definitely be a treat and lots of fun. Here are a few tips for your speakeasy. 

drinks. The 1920s and 30s were all about the cocktails. Pick a cocktail that is appropriate for the theme. The mint julep is perfect for the occasion, and can be made ahead of time. Try to keep the signature drinks to a minimum (1 or 2) since you don't want to spread yourself out too thin. Fill a decanter with the signature cocktail and just keep out glasses and such for your guests to mix their own drinks. 

decor. The lighting should be warm and subdued. Lots of candles and flowers with lots of elegant, lavish touches of velvets and crystals. 

music. Stick to jazz and bossa nova. One of my favorites of the time is Duke Ellington. Remember to keep it sexy and subversive. If you plan on having a fun, dance-worthy soiree-just change up the tunes after dinner. 

food. Lots of finger foods and your fondue set works great here! Set up 3 small tables in different areas of the room or your outdoor setting. This will force people to move around and mingle instead of sticking in one place [close to the food].

vogue : '70s chic

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the joy of : bookcases

I thought I'd share my weekly finds of beautiful bookcases and let you know what I'm reading.

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bit of life : my new buddy

Isn't he so awesome? My dad bought this buddy even before I was born, and I've recently inherited it. I thought I'd start a new feature where I post pictures from this film feeding, vintage gem. 

Look out for a feature called: Oh, snap! 

recipe : homemade salsa

Do you ever get a craving for some chips, salsa and margaritas? I'm not trying to start some awkward blog small talk, but I honestly do. This time, instead of hitting up my local margarita joint, 

I satisfied my craving at home. 

vogue : pop of color

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Pair a neutral colored outfit with a pop of color. 

design : décor daydreams

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vogue : rustic

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boots & plaid 

live to create : fall boot tray

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As we bring in the autumn rains, we despise the mud prints that take over our polished floors. Get a tray and fill it with stones, which can be found at a garden center. It will catch the ice, snow, and rain and trickle through the rocks. The moisture will evaporate, but be sure to clean out the tray regularly.

live to create : cooking party

I thought I'd have a few of my girlfriend's over for some cooking lessons! It was a real treat, but the ultimate treat was the little favor I made for them.

A rubber spatula, dish towel, and print outs of some of my recipes.  

Just fold the towel, like this and fill the pocket with the recipe cards. 

vogue : Ulyana Sergeenko

I had to share this with you. Ulyana Sergeenko's latest line is the perfect marriage of colors, patterns and materials. You will fall in love, trust me. If you don't, I owe you a dollar. Here are a few of my favorite looks, Vogue Moscow is where you can find the entire line. Let me know which one is your fav!

the joy of : tea parties

Would you come over if I had tea party like this?

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recipe : chocolate + red wine = cake

Funny story behind this one. I was missing an acidic ingredient, that I usually use for my chocolate cakes. Oh no problem, just use a tad bit of orange juice! Fail. I had zero orange juice. This is when you frantically look around your kitchen and spot an opened bottle of wine. Done.

bit of life ♥ making new friends

Since I started blogging on c&é, I've had overwhelming support from the blogging community, friends and family! Aside from getting another 60 twitter followers, I've had a massive amounts of emails from other bloggers that share the same passion as me! The emails are words of encouragement, and it keeps me going.

If you haven't had this experience, it's definitely one-of-a-kind. You know when you were younger, the feeling the night before your birthday? You end up tossing and turning the entire night, and the moment the clock hits 12:00, you throw on the biggest grin of the whole year. Try feeling that every single night right before you go to bed. I am a source of inspiration for people, and there is nothing that makes you feel better.

As I was reading through my blog roll on bloglovin, I noticed a few posts telling me I was invited to a party! I can't pass up a virtual party. I ended up at The Pink & Blue Blog and The Fresh Exchange. Two that I follow closely, and am always inspired by. Both, Katie and Megan, became close friends from blogging. Each from their corner of the US, they realized that they had so much in common, yet so much to learn from one another. After much collaboration, they realized that they wanted to share this friendship with everyone else. A way to connect people with all kinds of ideas, tips and secrets. Thus, they started Blog Brunch! A sweet virtual brunch with everyone who has something to share and/or eager to learn more!

Once a month on Saturday mornings, I will be accompanying my new blogger friends for a blog brunch to share tips and tricks to help each other out! This will be done through twitter, hash tagged with #blogbrunch! Who knows, maybe in the near future we can have a little rendezvous without the computers and with pitchers of mimosas!

So two things you should get from this: Katie and Megan are amazing and you can pencil in the first blog brunch for October 1st!

design : Lonny dreams

The September/October 2011 Lonny magazine is out! It has me salivating.

Here are just a few of my favorite spreads, let me know which spreads are your fav!

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