And the wrap bracelet winner is...

My dear faithful friend, Joanna from Rhode Island. She was a great Pfizer colleague who always made me laugh amongst our business travels! A big congrats and thanks for officially signing up for the "follow me" option on my blog! Joanna, email me your home address so you'll have it for the holidays!

Get your ingredients to make some pre-trick or treating soup!

Fill your family's bellies before trick or treating! This is filling and carries the theme of Halloween!

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

• 1 small sugar pumpkin, halved, seeds and stringy fibers removed and reserved
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 small parsnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small turnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 small shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon packed light-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin halves, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Scoop out flesh, and puree in a food processor (you should have 2 cups).
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved seeds and fibers from pumpkin, and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock, water, and thyme, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin puree, parsnip, potato, and turnip, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shallots, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add wine, and cook until liquid has reduced by half.
4. Strain pumpkin-seed mixture, reserving broth and discarding solids. Add broth to pumpkin-wine mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook 20 minutes. Let cool.
5. Pass soup through a food mill into a clean saucepan, or puree in a food processor in small batches until smooth. (If soup does not reach desired consistency using a food processor, press it through a fine sieve to remove any remaining lumps.) Heat soup in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in cream, sugar, salt, and pepper, and serve. Read more at Marthastewart.com: Harvest Pumpkin Soup - Martha Stewart Recipes 

So, while I was thinking about what to feed my toddler before she is handed 5 pounds of sugar late at night, I read about this fabulous idea! My facebook friend, who is married to a dentist put out the fabulous idea of the "candy fairy" or "candy banshee". So, I did some thinking!

Surely, you've heard of the Candy Banshee, right? She runs in the same circles as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, and her job is to help kids avoid eating too much Halloween candy after a long night of trick or treating through the neighborhood. 

Mamastarfish recently wrote about the Candy Banshee in the All Things Autumn... group. She started this tradition with her daughters in which they would give the Candy Banshee their Halloween candy in exchange for toys. And so far, it's worked!

"The Candy Banshee is a fairy who needs to stock up on candy and live off of it for the whole year. She has special teeth and does not get cavities like us humans.

Children save only a small pile of their favorite candy and put the rest (the bulk of it) on the dining room table (or common area table) on the night of Halloween. Then the children call for the Candy Banshee to come and take her candy and leave a toy in its place.

Other ideas to filter out the candy overload:

Use the extra candy as a sharing lesson and donate the gift of candy to their doctor, elderly neighbors, or troops oversees.

Freeze candy and ration it out over the year for bribery! I am famous for always having a lollipop in my purse for dire toddler situations. I know, not proper parenting, but sometimes you have to do what works!

Loving the double wrap bracelets!

Noticing the funky trend of these double leather wrap bracelets in Bloomingdales, Madewell and at Grace in Niantic (they have the Linea Pelle). They look so cute paired with a large faced watch. They are the perfect accessory to add a bit of edge to a flirty and feminine look, and you can dress up or dress down any outfit with the right color and texture bracelet.  Chan Luu has been designing beautiful beaded leather wrap bracelets for a few years now. While pricey ($150 – $300), they are super cute!  My favorites are the Graduated Mixed Wrap with gold, silver and gunmetal beads ($295) and the Multi Stone Wrap ($170), both available at Chanluu.com.

Meghan Fox 

For a more casual look, Linea Pelle has an assortment of studded cuffs and sliced leather bracelets in bright colors as well as neutral hues, ranging from $25 to $100, available at lpcollection.com. Luckily, for my local girls, Grace has them!   There’s also Rebecca Minkoff’s line of accessories, featuring studded, charmed, and zipperd cuffs (starting at about $30) in a collection of neutral as well as neon colors.  You can tap into your inner rocker girl at RebeccaMinkoff.com. Find yours here:

http://www.polyvore.com/linea_pelle_bracelets/shop?brand=Linea+Pelle&category_id=106

Enter to win a wrap bracelet from Grace by following my blog and leaving a comment!

How Sweet is This?!?

At dinner tonight, with great friends, we were talking. Why are the pumpkins in the Candy Corn so much better than the regular corns? Leave a comment with your theory?!?

It probably doesn't help when I have an old fashioned candy machine on my kitchen island filled with Candy Corn. "Just one more handful" has been my personal motto over the past week. 


I thought I would share the cutest Halloween craft idea before it is too late! The goal is more CRAFTING and less EATING candy. Featured on Regis and Kelly yesterday when we visited the studio was an inspiration from Women's Day:


How Sweet is this? This involves a Glue Gun, and Regis was totally overwhelmed by this thought!

• 

• Sweet Wreath!

  When weaved together, candy corn makes a vivid textile pattern, which you can use to create this chic door adornment. All you need is a Styrofoam wreath, black duct tape, a hot glue gun, candy corn, and, most important, a wide black ribbon to conceal any unavoidable gaps.
  
  

Everyone's favorite Halloween sweet is no longer limited to the candy dish! This easy-to-makewreath utilizes the colorful candy for a fun homemade decoration.

1. You’ll need a Styrofoam wreath (ours is 16 in.), black duct tape, a hot-glue gun, a wide ribbon and candy corn (we used Brach’s).

2. Cover the wreath in tape.

3. To get a sense of how the corns will fit, lay them around the wreath in single rows, with one row pointing left and the next pointing right, but don’t glue down. (It won’t take long and your final product will be more polished.) Remove the corn from the wreath and hot-glue the pieces in the pattern one at a time, starting from the outer edge of the wreath inward, until you’ve covered the entire top and side.

4. Repeat the process in the center, starting at the same point as you did for the top so that you can cover any corn-free space with the ribbon when you’re finished.

5. Wrap ribbon through the wreath at the candy corn seam, tie into a bow and hang on a sturdy nail.

Leave some comments!

Something to admire...

I Spent the morning at The Lyme Art Association and was totally inspired! The interior decorators are beyond talented.

The designer vignettes at the Lyme Art Association are highly imaginative and packed with take-home ideas -- for decorating a home that expresses who you are, how we live and how we enjoy life.

Interior designer Paula Perlini of New York and Old Lyme set the tone right off the bat -- hers is the first designer vignette you see when you walk into the Lyme Art Association, and it's a gorgeous tapestry of color and fun.

A "dog's study," as she calls it (above), the space has walls of Venetian plaster in a rosy raspberry, that gleam and play off the quiet sheen of gorgeous Scalamandre curtains in raspberry-colored silk, edged in plaid. Paula continues the plaid in the tightly pleated shades atop a pair of lamps made from 17th century brass candlesticks from Sweden. A Portugese needlepoint rug picks up the color as well.

"I love color," says Paula, honorary co-chair of the event with Alexa Hampton, who is her niece. And, says Paula, dogs are one of the passions of her life.

A painting of two of Paula's English setters almost pops from the richly colored walls, and the inviting space continues to intrigue with a collection of numerous other dogs. 

All day designers kept talking about "the mix," the growing freedom and fearlessness in home design to be a bit eclectic. Greenwich designer Victoria Vandamm's dining room vignette embodied the mood.

Against a wall plastered in a a subtle scroll design with an Old World patina by Julie Hardridge of Architexture Studios, corner columns and sumptuous pillows in Osborne & Little fabric, Victoria juxtaposed a lucite table, orange dahlias in a row of minimalist vases ("They were in my garden yesterday, and they said, 'We want to come!' "), and the sharply architectural look of black and white photographs of sailboats -- by her husband, Kevin Dailey.

"I really try to do the push and pull between the modern and antiquity," she says.

My FAVORITE! I worked as a helper at this designers room, Larry Hamre. This is a French inspired Garden room on a grey-on-grey palate. 

The point of departure for a garden room created by Larry Hamre of Lawrence Hamre Designs in Essex was an etching by Rococo artist Jean-Antoine Watteau.

Larry had a portion of "Summer" from the artist's "Four Seasons" series enlarged to huge proportions. The effect is lovely and light -- somehow sheer as a porch screen or a delicate fabric.  

With a pagoda-like white trellis roof overhead created by Christian Winkley of Oxford Builders, and a floor of large black and white marble tiles, Larry then rigorously stuck to his grey-on-grey palette, choosing a very warm shade of grey.

A wirework table, heavy lead Warwick urns on pedestals and a stone garden stool -- all from antiques dealer John Roselli's famed Treillage store in New York -- and a pair of Italian chairs continue the romance in grey. Against this restrained and calming mood the gold leaf of the French mirror comes as an energetic jolt.

So does that sassy pair of red stiletto heels!! Yes, they were for sale and yes...they were my size!

"A little trash goes a long way," says Larry, pointing to the red lipstick on the champagne flute. "It tells a story. You wonder what happened here."

Other designers at the Interior Inspirations show are Melissa Lindsay of Pimlico in New Canaan, who created a glorgeous little jewelry box of a woman's dressing room (detail at right); Richard Ott of Richard Ott Interior Spaces and DesignSourceCT in Hartford, who created an intimate foyer niche; Hannah Childs of Hannah Childs Interior Design in Old Lyme, whose adventurous sitting room (below) is filled with happy color and lively patterns; Melissa Barbieri of Melissa Barbieri Studios in Essex and Greenwich, whose artist's atelier features many of her own sea-inspired paintings; and Ellen Virden White of Boxwood Interiors in Old Lyme, whose "Safe Harbor" of a child's bedroom has the sunny cheerfulness of a beach house by the deep blue sea.

This takes me to few ideas of interior inspiration. My favorite combination blue and grey, is an elegant and beautiful color combination. It is a great choice for home decortating. Grey is a neutral and conservative color that goes well with many colors. When paired with blue, the combo evokes feelings of tranquility and calmness.

These rooms have a peaceful vibe that I love. It has everything to do with the soothing grey and blue tones.

Interior Inspirations...This weekend!

 

Interior Inspirations promises to be a weekend of

vision, insight and beauty.

Gallery of Vignettes &

Boutique Marketplace

Friday, Oct. 22

Saturday, Oct. 23

   10 am to 4 pm

Sunday, Oct. 24

   10 am to 3 pm

Lecture Series

Friday, October 22

   11 am, 2pm, 4pm

Saturday, October 23

   11 am, 2pm

Events held at the Lyme Art Association and The Old Lyme Inn (85 & 90 Lyme Street; Old Lyme, CT) 

The historic Lyme Art Association, located at 90 Lyme Street, will showcase our gallery of designer vignettes. This historic building was designed by the renowned architect, Charles A. Platt. Take note of the architectural symmetry and light streamingin from overhead skylights as you enjoy the variety of design visions of our interior designers and decorators.

A terrific mix of interior designers and decorators will share their particular vision for an interior home space. Where do you read? Where do you entertain? Our gallery of interior vignettes will inspire you to create spaces in your own home that bring you and your loved ones joy, peace and pleasure.

Our Vignette Designers include:

Melissa Barbieri: Melissa Barbieri Studio

Hannah Childs: Hannah Childs Interior Design

Lawrence Hamre: Lawrence Hamre Designs

Melissa Lindsay:  Pimlico

Richard Ott: Richard Ott Interior Spaces

Paula Perlini: Paula Perlini Inc.

Victoria Vandamm: Vandamm Interiors

Ellen V. White: Boxwood Interiors

Proceeds benefit The Child and Family Agency!

Child & Family Agency

of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc.

Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut assists children and families-at-risk through programs that deal with the prevention of child abuse, the treatment of family violence, teen pregnancy, children’s health care, childcare, parent education and children's mental health. Find out more about this organization: 

http://www.cfapress.org/

Come visit me Sunday at 10am! I will be there volunteering! An exciting opportunity! Not only is it a charity event close to my heart, but also a collaboration of talented interior designers sharing ideas! If you want to be involved with Child and Family Agency, it is an excellent way to help children and families in need.

Giving teaches you to be more thankful.

In giving, the greatest lesson often learned is that you have more than you’ll ever need. In this respect, giving of yourself teaches you to be more thankful for what you do have, rather than focus on all the things you don’t have.

I would be glad to provide information about this outstanding group. We are organizing an upcoming healthcare clinic to provide children with free exams and vaccines in the local area. In addition, we will be adopting families for the holidays to make it a special time for those needing help.

For more info, go to: http://www.InteriorInspirations.org/index.html