My kind of Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! Time to mail these enchanting cards....

....tote this little number around town...

...cozy up with a blanket, a nightlight, and a scary tale or two....

...And watch this gem of a Halloween classic.

And if you've picked up on my grandma predilections, then well spotted! :-) What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?

{Images via here, here, and here}

Cookin'

Tonight I made this gorgeous thing. And it wasn't half bad either (which is a direct reference to my amateurish cooking skills and not the quality of the dish).

{Image and recipe from Martha Stewart via LONNY}

Night at the Aero

One of the things I love most about my neighborhood is the fact that this theatre lies only a stone's throw away from my apartment. Last night the Aero held a screening of Pulp Fiction, one of my boyfriend's favorite films and one this blogger hadn't actually seen until last night (and yes, I am woefully inexperienced when it comes to viewing knowledge of some of the best films ever made; T mocks me for it all the time). To say I enjoyed it would be a vast understatement. My mind is still reeling from all the great memorable lines of dialogue, as well as the film's non-linear structure and the interesting way in which the different story lines intersect. Seeing such an iconic film for the first time on the big screen wasn't the only highlight. The good folks at Aero played a poignant tribute to the film's editor Sally Menke, who tragically died only three weeks ago. Sally had been a long-time collaborator with director Quentin Tarantino on all of his films, and his love and esteem for her was well apparent in the montage made in her honor (included were brief clips of the films Sally edited over the years, as well as a gag reel of all of the big Hollywood stars in Quentin's films shouting a warm "Hi, Sally!" as they shot their scenes). It was such a classy, unforgettable Hollywood moment and made my first viewing of this film classic all the more remarkable.

Coco at home

I couldn't help but smile when I saw this snapshot of model Coca Rocha playing dress up in her own closet. Could she possibly be any cuter? Vogue recently caught up with the model to get an inside look at her glamourous Manhattan digs (and enviable closet).

I especially love the charming mix of teapots, books, sea-colored vases, and other beautiful knickknacks against a backdrop of robin's egg blue. So pretty!

{Images via Vogue}

Sweater Weather

Today is cold, gray, and drizzly (my kind of weather) and all I really feel like doing is cozying up in a great big, warm, woolly sweater, preferably of the grandpa variety. With a mug of hot cocoa and a book of ghost stories in my lap (talk about perfect rainy day afternoon). Lo and behold, I found some snuggly sweaters that fit the bill courtesy of--who else?--J.Crew.

{Images #1, 2, 3, 4 via J.Crew}

Reading Nook

Meet the perfect reading chair.

Would I like to own this very chair, as well as the sun-drenched corner/ideal reading nook along with it? Yes, yes I would.

And I'll take the wise old owl lamp, too.

{Images via West Elm}

The Ghostly Collaborative Project

Today is 10/10/10 and I'm writing this at exactly 10:10 in the evening. Kind of creepy, right? Which is only fitting considering I'm spending this dark October night catching up on some spooky Halloween reading. A few book bloggers are teaming up to write The Ghostly Collaborative Project, where one blogger begins a ghost story and the next picks up where that person left off and so on. The story will conclude with a final chapter on Halloween. The plot thickens and twists with each blogger's version of the tale, and they're all such good fun to read through! Short and sweet, they pack a spine-tingling punch. Read them for yourself:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

To be continued.....

Favorites from Spring 2011

Another Fashion Week (more like month, really) has come and gone. There was a distinct 70's vibe at a lot of the collections, and lower, more elegant hemlines were everywhere (something I personally favor and appreciate). Two runway collections particularly stand out to me: Fendi and Jason Wu. Below are some of my favorite looks from their Spring 2011 collections.

I heart the vibrant color palette at Fendi. It's very Kindergarten teacher circa 1974 (in the best way possible). There's an ease to the clothes that I find incredibly appealing, and I love how the bright lipstick acts as a sort of punctuation mark.

If I were to become a millionaire over night and had the sort of day-to-day existence where fabulous soirees and designer clothing were a reality, I would turn to Jason Wu, my sartorial guru. Glamourous, feminine, and totally luxe, his clothes would be a dream to wear. I imagine Holly Golightly would go nuts for his designs.

A girl can dream...

{Photos via Style.com}