Chad Dorsey designed this beautiful kitchen. My favorite part about it of course is the Bird decal on the ceiling. This is what I had in mind when I was talking about the Birds Halloween theme in Part I. Subtly spreading these Birds and making them look like art, rather than just temporary decorations makes them look tasteful, and almost curated. Very adult yet I’m sure that the kids would love them too!
Did you notice the nest on the table? Genius!
Oh this old thing?… Well it fits perfectly with my Birds Halloween Theme!
Alexander McQueen
Tamara Kvesitadze’s latest work, The Passage, (which she just created as the world went into a lockdown) inspired my Halloween decoration this year!
Hoards of haunting birds fly towards an invisible force, drawing them into the trap of the human head! Its what nightmares are made of! or should I say, what horror movies are made of! In fact, it reminds me of the horror movie that influenced every other horror movie! The Birds.
The Birds is a 1963 Natural Horror-Thriller Film produced and directed by non other than Alfred Hitchcock. It was very loosely based on the 1952 story of The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. It focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks over the course of a few days.
Hitchcock decided to do without any conventional scores. Instead, he made sound effects in counterpoint to calculated silences. He used the electroacoustic Mixtur-Trautonium to create the bird calls and noises. How scary is that? Wouldn’t these sound effects be the perfect addition to the spooky ambiance?
So far those are my favorite finds for this year. The one on the left is the iconic midcentury accessory House Bird by Eames. It fits perfectly in this theme and yet can be displayed throughout the year. The Crow Wreath is another Pottery Barn find.
A few of those removable birds wall stickers from Amazon will completes the theme!
I love everything about Autumn, the colour aesthetics, the comfy clothes, and even the weather. Autumn is when I want to be surrounded by all things Hygge! Now I know that it isn’t a trend anymore, however, I think we need that sense of coziness this year more than ever! The kind that makes you feel like all is right with the world.
While we can’t gather with our friends and family right now, Hygge will help us make the most of our time with our loved ones at home. Family movie nights, game nights, or just simple, funny conversations over dinner is more than enough to make you have that sense Hygge.
True hygge will come naturally to you. Like laying down on the sofa with a good book in your comfiest lounge wear and fuzziest sox! The fuzzier the better!
You’ll find it in things like a good cup of Hot Coco, or even a good home made Pumpkin Spice Latte!
I came across a flexible recipe from Pottery Barn of Pumpkin Spice Latte! I thought I’d share it here incase any of you need to find a little more comfort this year. I have to say though, the sugar content in this recipe seems to be a bit high, so I would start with a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon and then add another teaspoon if needed. I will have mine with almond milk and might add a pinch of cinnamon to the mix!
Enjoy!
Some may know the classic television program The Addams Family from the 60s, while others may know the movies based on the show that came out in the 90s. Whichever one you may remember or prefer ( I love the 60s version) you have to admit that this family was nothing less than iconic! However my favorite character in that show is Morticia Addams! I Love that she marched to the beat of her own drum. She thought that others were weird when they abided by the social rules. She lived her life exactly how she wanted to.
She was very intelligent and in my opinion the mastermind of her family. She may have been different, but I think that there are many ” life lessons” to be learned from her zany character:
Surround yourself with what makes you happy:
Morticia didn’t feel the need to sacrifice her happiness and put herself in situations where she was out of her element. She surrounded her self with the people who she most loved and created a home for her self that was her kingdom! She was so secure in who she was and did her own thing while just letting everyone else do their own thing including the kids. She constantly worked on new hobbies and interests in that spooky mansion of hers, made her own potions and spells, always improved on them and never settled for anything less than what she was satisfied with!
Never loose your cool in any situation:
I love that Morticia sounded a bit of a snob in many funny situations! She always controlled her temper and was always classy and put-together even in the most difficult situations. She exuded self confidence and ruled almost quietly in the background. Everyone turned to her when things went out of control (which they normally did) because she always kept her cool! She ruled her family with grace and careful tact. She always knew exactly what to say and what unorthodox advice to give!
Because of that calm and collected and self-control manner she was the glue that held her family together. She was the strongest and most intelligent member of that household and ruled just like a wise and regal queen!
It is ok to be different, belive in your own beauty:
Morticia was confident in her own skin. She was beautiful, and intelligent. She never changed who she was for anyone. She embraced her looks and never questioned her them. She didn’t put herself or her appearance down. She did’t seem to see other women as ‘prettier’ – only ‘different-looking’. She believed in her self, she believed that she is beautiful inside and out. Gomez fell for Morticia because she had a beauty inside her that she nurtured so it shone out. She didn’t look to Gomez to validate her beauty or intellect. She validated it herself. She was always quietly self-assured and although she so obviously loved and wanted Gomez, she didn’t need him. And that’s what made her so irresistible to him.
Family comes first:
Morticia valued her family. She loved her family very much and prioritized them. She always took the time to ensure that her children knew and respected their older. She encouraged the shared interests of the family. You never felt that her brother-in-law or mother were imposing on her life even though they were living in her house.. She was always loving and accepting of her eccentric kids. She raised them to be unique, creative, and honest individuals.
Morticia also made her husband a priority. They’ve been married for years yet still incredibly in love. They always made sure that they spent quality time together, from the occasional waltz to extravagant dinners and romantic evening strolls through the family tombs. She was devoted to him and supported him in all of his crazy ideas and didn’t mind cleaning up his messes. As a result of her loyalty and love to all her family members they learned to love and take care of one another. They always had each others backs specially when faced with outside forces.
Happy Halloween In advance 😉
Who remembers this Halloween episode from Frasier?
When Frasier hosted a Halloween party where he asked his guests to come dressed as their personal hero. … Roz dressed as Wonder Woman, Frasier as Sigmund Freud, Daphne as Elton John, Niles as his dad Martin Crane and Martin as Joe DiMaggio…. oh how I miss this bunch!
Happy Halloween Everyone!
Are your brooms ready for Halloween?
Halloween is finally over and my kids managed to collect way too much candy as usual! So I thought that I would turn some of that leftover candy into something a little more special!
I found this recipe on the net and am planning to try it out next week but thought that I’d share it with you just in case one of you out there would like to try it out too!
Doesn’t it look Yummy?
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup assorted Halloween candy, roughly chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides. Coat the paper with cooking spray.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the melted butter with the sugar and light brown sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and stir in the flour and salt just until incorporated. Stir in 1/2 cup of the assorted Halloween candy.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Halloween candy over the top of the batter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the pan cool completely then remove the blondies using the parchment paper overhang, cut into 16 squares and serve.
Note: This is the exact recipe that I got from the site, however, I think that I am going to only put 1/2 or 3/4 cup of sugar instead of the 1/2 cup of white sugar plus 1 cup of brown! I would also add 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and only 1/4 teaspoon salt instead of the 1 1/2 tsp!… Finally, I think with my oven I might have to put it a bit longer… maybe an hour? let’s see!!
It’s not Halloween without this classic book and cartoon!. Nothing else sets the mood for me and my little gang 😉
Here’s the 1st part of the cartoon just to freshen your memories!
I feel that art adds beauty and interest to our everyday lives and as a result, I love incorporating it in almost everything!!….. A few years ago I saw this series of Moscow-based photographer Alexander Khokhlov called Weird Beauty and somehow thought it would be a great inspiration for some last minute Halloween costume!!! Face painting is nothing new, I mean African tribes and aboriginal tribes have been doing it for centuries … But I loved that Khokhlov took it to the next level and modernized it!… Here Khokhlov used model faces as canvas and painted on them in only black and white.
Running In Heelz 