I'm "bowled" over by these vintage football plates

Before the televisions are strategically placed around the room and the furniture
rearranged for optimum viewing pleasure, the first order of business when
planning a Super Bowl party is the menu and setting the table! Without proper
decorations, your Super bowl party will be incomplete. To liven up your table
and give it the feel of a bona fide football party, add some creative touches to
your table.



You'll score big with these vintage football plates from Williams-Sonoma. Use them
to serve your favorite football-watching fare, from appetizers to sandwiches.



If creating a football-rich environment is too great a task for you, make sure you stop
over to Hostess with the Mostess for some help. Jenn, has posted an awesome looking
super bowl party buffet. Also check out this month's issue of Real Simple for some
ideas.



Although many hosts have favorite dishes they prepare annually, the most
successful parties incorporate a good variety of finger foods conveniently placed within
arms reach. Your decorations may be great, but if the snacks and main dishes aren't hits,
no one will be pleased -- there's nothing scarier than a hungry mob of football fans on
Super Bowl Sunday! For great Super bowl recipes visit Martha Stewart.

Whether you're planning a Super Bowl party out of love for the game or just the desire
to host a fun, relaxing party have FUN and may the best team win!

Speaking of cookies: Girl Scout cookie selling season is upon us

In an annual rite that is still going strong, Girl Scouts across the country have
kicked off their 91st season of cookie sales. New to the eight varieties of cookies
in 2008 are Cinna-Spins, crispy cinnamon snack swirls that are only 100
calories per pack and Lemonades, savory slices of shortbread with a refreshingly
tangy lemon icing. Having a cookie buffet full of Girl Scout cookies is a great idea.



Throw a cookie party in support of the Girl Scout Financial Literacy Program.
In this program, girls learn important skills in the art of developing objectives,
project planning and implementation, budgeting and financial responsibility and
teamwork, self-confidence and community awareness. The cookie season is all
about individual entrepreneurship — using cookie selling to teach Girl Scouts how
to manage money, create a business plan and win customers.

To find the nearest cookie-selling troop near you, click here.

How sweet it is: A Cookie Buffet

A cookie buffet is a fun way to top off a special event or wedding reception and it allows
guest to gravitate to the cookie of their choice. This week, a good friend of mine launched
his cookie business! To celebrate this joyous occasion, Brooke and I decided to host and
style his launch party. Everything turned out fantastic and everyone loved the cookie
buffet we set up.



In our buffet, we used Vietri cake stands to elevate the cookies offering in every sense.
We also used apothecary jars that showed off the ingredients used to make the cookies.
We placed small platters and plates around the cake stand and set the beverages,
cutlery and napkins at the end of the table so guest were free to reach for the cookies.



Milk and cookies are the perfect pair. For a unique touch, we served the milk out of
vintage glass milk containers.



Presentation is everything and when it comes to presenting your guest with a special
take home box this rings especially true. All our guest were given these beautiful
boxes with bite size cookies inside.



It's entirely acceptable to set out a variety of tableware patterns. We alternated the styles
as we stacked the plates. If you don't have 24 glasses or silver for 20, borrow from friends
or call a party-rental company.



I loved our invitation, we downloaded this template from Real Simple's website. They
conveyed such an old-fashion charm, just like the cookie, which are made from a family
recipe past down over generations. We printed the invites on kraft paper, punched a
hole in the upper-left hand corner and tied a knot using baker's twine.

A special thanks to our friend Jeff who was on hand to take these amazing photos!

Madame Butterfly: tablesettings that allow you to just "wing it"

In science, a person who chases butterflies for a living is called a lepidopterist. In
tableware, there are lepidopterists too, although they are more commonly known as
contemporary tabletop designers and retailers. These winged wonders have long
served as popular motifs in fashion and accessories. Now, they've migrated to the
table for a fresh garden look.



By the looks of things at retailers like Pottery Barn, Horchow and Abitare, it
appears that butterflies have landed in colonies upon the spring tabletop offerings
in the form of decoupage platters, hand painted dinner plates and melamine trays.



The humble monarch butterfly is taking center stage at fashionable weddings.
Since throwing rice or confetti has been deemed environmentally incorrect, wedding
guests have been inventing more earth-friendly alternatives. Now, more and more
brides and grooms are exiting the church amid a fluttery curtain of butterflies. A
butterfly release symbolizes new beginning and a new life. The distinctive orange
and black butterflies often land on the couple and flutter around them for several
minutes before flying away.



You don't need a net to capture the beauty of those dazzling butterflies. You can
bring butterflies to your next party by incorporating them in your decor. Suspend
garlands of monarchs for a dazzling party backsplash or send invitations in a clear
box with feather butterflies (resources can be found in the Feb 2008 issue of InStyle).



Butterflies continue to fly as a interesting tableware motif and since back-to-nature
is in vogue it is a perfect way to introduce elements of nature into the home. Butterflies
are fun, unexpected and their colors are simply stunning.

Registry Bliss at Perfect Bound

Marking the start of a new year filled with weddings and registries, Anne from
Perfect Bound, contacted me and asked if I would contribute to a fun, week-long
series that she is doing called "Registry Bliss"! This series will spotlight the
eccentric and luxurious items that would be included on the "Dream Registry"of
5 different bride-to-be bloggers.



Today, she is featuring my "Dream Registry"! Ranging from the La Cornue
Cornufe Stove to the Goyard Picnic trunk to the Dyson vacuum cleaner, I chose these
items not only because of their style and design but also because I would definitely
use them all the time. I guarantee you these blue-chip items wouldn't end up returned
or in unopened boxes gathering dust in my parent's basement. Here's to champagne
wishes and caviar dreams!

"Registry Bliss" can only be seen this week at Perfect Bound. Make sure you stop by
and check out other dream registry items. If you have a "dream" registry item, I would
love to hear what it is...drop me a comment.

Women who create beautiful tableware: Nambe introduces Eva Zeisel's new dinnerware

Swooping up and around in whimsical curves, the ceramic designs of Eva Zeisel seem
to almost come alive. Her work is playful and round and begging to be used, not just
admired from behind a glass case. That’s why Nambe' has teamed up with Eva Zeisel
to create museum-quality tabletop pieces that you can enjoy everyday. A new
category for Nambe, this dinnerware set contains a bowl, plates, stemware and
candlesticks made of Nambe's very own signature metal alloy.



The aspect of interaction holds as the signature twist that Eva Zeisel gave to
modernism and continues to pass on. She was the first designer in America to
produce an all-white modernist dinner service and she continues to produce
to this day. Nambe is thrilled to introduce “Eden” by Eva Zeisel. The resplendent
curves and resonant shapes are very signature of Ms. Zeisel. Subtle nuances
are revealed in luminous white glazed porcelain and Nambe’s signature metal.



Eva Zeisel is a true living legend, a modernist designer who's work continues
to fascinate me and other lovers of design as much today as they did when
she first started designing.

Dining by Designer: Thomas O'Brien

Forget about Ralph or Calvin, and don't even mention Tommy - - - it's Thomas. Yes,
he may look a bit like Ferris Bueller's older brother in tortoiseshell horned-rimmed
glasses, but the engine behind the New York shop Aero and design firm Aero Studios
is well on his way to becoming a recognized national brand in his own right.



Not since partnering with Ralph Lauren has the esteemed silver house of Reed & Barton
teamed up with a boldfaced design name. Thomas O'Brien is helping catapult one of
the most prestigious tabletop and giftware companies into the 21st century. With
hundreds of items across all tabletop categories, Thomas O'Brien's collection includes
dinnerware, stem and barware, flatware, accessories and gifts.



O'Brien's take on classic styles - which he calls warm modernism - is familiar but fresh,
casual but elegant, masculine but feminine, new but old, sensual but simple. Stylistically
and practically, this thoughtful, well-designed collection has it all.



Dinnerware ($90 to $130, five pieces), flatware ($60 to $65, five pieces), stem and
barware ($12.50 to $50 a glass), and giftware ($35 to $150) bear O'Brien's warm
modernism signature.

All tableware available at Bloomingdale's.

It's a jungle out there: tablesetting takes a walk on the wide side

But if you're brave and let zebras stalk your table, you'll be echoing the hottest trend for
the season. The zebra is now being heavily promoted in home decor magazines and
retail stores. The images below were taken from Domino magazine and J.Crew.



The zebra patterns were forever the favored prints of famed decorator Billy Baldwin
and fashionista Diana Vreeland. The black and white or brown and cream colored
curvy lines were injected into rooms and fashion outfits to lend crisp contrast,
vitality, style and personality.


(l to r: Hot Flowers by Versace by Rosenthal, starting at $25.00, Bloomingdales; Zebra
stripe serving bowl, $32.90, Tracy Porter, Horchow)

Now, zebra patterns are showing up in various ways in your table top decor. The
interest in animal prints is driven partially by their versatility. The zebra pattern
is different things to different people: A sophisticated and even glamorous design
statement, adding luxury and richness to a setting. A touch of whimsy, fantasy
or fun. A way to bring a bit of the natural world or one's ethnic heritage into one's
home. Or an element of surprise to an otherwise conventional table setting.



(l to r: Zebra plates, $25.00, William Wayne; Zebra dinnerware, starting at $100.00, Vivre)

Because I believe in setting an eclectic table, when it comes to using zebra patterns,
mix and match. Graphic prints look great with zebra patterns with bold colors and
strong geometric patterns. Florals look right with zebra patterns, in the English
colonial spirit and jungly floral designs are particularly compatible.


(l to r: beaded zebra coasters, set of 6, $23.70, Z Gallerie; Zebra print place mats, set of
4, $382.00, Horchow)

When it comes to zebra patterns, flexibility is the key. Look around your kitchen and
see if the animal print would work as well in another part of your home. Then if
you get tired of it, you can always let it slink away to your bedside table, bathroom
vanity or coffee table.



(above: Zebra tray, $49.95, Z Gallerie)

New Year’s resolution #3: Recycle

Recycle! Renew! Reuse! This most appropriate mantra will be heard everywhere
this year as people are starting to realize that eco-friendly designs make sense for
both people and the planet.



Most of us have at least a few pieces of cracked, chipped, and mismatched tableware
that haven’t seen a table in years, languishing in some dark upper cupboard, evidence
of life past. But some gifted designers are proving that one woman’s trash is another
women’s treasure. Breathing new life in old tableware and creating provocative works
of art, worthy of any table.



Designer Sarah Cihat, rescues orphaned ceramic pieces from thrift stores and resurfaces
them. Her much adored ceramic tableware line, Rehabilitated Dishware, is a collection of dishwasher-safe plates, bowls, and creamers rescued from thrift shops and then lovingly reglazed in bright candy colors and quirky patterns.



Esther Derkx is the Sarah Cihat of The Netherlands. Dutch designer Esther Derkx takes
vintage teapots, cups, creamers, and the like and decorates them with screen-printed
images of dancers and athletes. Classic English roses and leaf motifs join kitschy leaping
girls in bikinis and briefs-clad guys doing yoga. Because Derkx scours flea markets for
original pieces, the entire line is one of a kinds. And the porcelain and bone china she favors
come from far-flung locales like the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, and Bavaria, so you’re acquiring a piece of history in the process.

New Year's Resolution #2 - Keep it Simple

The first ever Real Simple guide to planning the wedding of your dreams is
now available exclusively at Crate and Barrel stores and online beginning today!

Real Simple Weddings forgoes the intricacies of overdone nuptials, providing only
stylish, streamlined approaches to the key elements of your big day - the gown,
the flowers, the cake, the reception. With surprising ideas for centerpieces, favors,
and stress-reducers, as well as all-inclusive checklists and organizational tools.

Here's a sneak preview inside the pages of the new book.

New Year's resolution #1 - Find the silver lining in every dark cloud

(above: Jasper Conran for Wedgwood, Platinum; Waterford, Ballet Ribbon,
both available at Bloomingdale's)

With 2008 in full swing, I know many of you have made at least one New Year's
resolution. I, too, have made personal and professional goals for 2008. Top on
my list is to celebrate life! Holidays and milestone dates are not the only reasons
to celebrate, just gathering with friends and family around the table is reason enough
for celebration. That means not only coming up with a menu and cooking a meal but
setting a beautiful table and a easy way to do that is with razzle-dazzle metallics. They
instantly add glamour to your table.


(above: newest collection from Haviland, Allure, satine platinum, Michael C. Fina)

When it comes to formal china, platinum-banded place settings are the most popular.
I know several brides, like myself, who have registered for platinum-banded china.
The reason many couples are picking traditional patterns, such as gold- or platinum-
banded plates is because there are so many ways you can change the look of it.


(above: the dinnerware that I'm registering for, Match Pewter, Convivino)


(l to r: Anne from Perfect Bound registered for Lenox, Westerly Platinum and my girlfriend Stephanie is registered for the Paola Navone collection)

There's no doubt that platinum has proven to be golden in the fine china category.
Initially perceived to be a trend, platinum is here to stay. Part color, part texture,
the heart of the appeal of platinum is the reflective shimmer that gives depth of
character to surfaces and finishes. You can make a regular day special by setting
a table that's glitzy and atmospheric. Cheers to everyday!

Dining by Designer: The Martha Stewart Collection with Wedgwood

Homemaking was a dreary chore until she made it an artisanal pursuit. And built
an empire! Distinguished by inspiring ideas, rich how-to information, and iconic
images, Martha Stewart has elevated the familiar elements of daily life. With
all of her products, whether it is a sheet set from Martha Stewart Collection at
Macy's, a special tool from Martha Stewart Crafts or a holiday card from Martha
Stewart designed digital photo products with Kodak. No matter how you look
at it, she has influenced the way Americans think about, organize and manage
our homes.



It is no surprise that Wedgwood has collaborated with Martha Stewart to create
a thoughtful, beautiful line of tabletop items. From the simple to the elaborate,
artful details and distinctive Martha Stewart palette and patterns allow for a
traditional display or can be intermixed to create a personalized look.



Inspired by some of Martha Stewart's favorite pieces of china - modernized for the
needs and tastes of today's discerning bride and entertainer. Each china pattern
is available in 5-piece place settings, ranging in price from $99-$159. Each of the
six stemware patterns offers Wine, Goblet, Flute, and Iced Beverage styles and
range from $30-$37 per stem. The flatware ranges from traditional to modern
and ranging from $45-$60 for a 5-piece place setting.

"I have always been an avid collector of fine china, crystal and silver, and my
personal collection includes many Wedgwood pieces I am very proud to own. Our
new line with Wedgwood offers a range of beautiful and timeless pieces that can be
collected and enjoyed for years to come just like my antique pieces"

- Martha Stewart

The Martha Stewart Collection is exclusive to Macy's.

Start the year off White: dramatic, colorful presentations look best on neutral-toned plates

With the growing popularity of the Food Network, Top Chef and other cooking
programs many people are looking for ways to create restaurant-quality meals at
home. I know for myself, I’m not only looking at what tools and utensils the professional
chefs are using, I’m also looking at how they plate the food. What I’ve noticed is that
stark white dinnerware sets the stage for today’s food. Even for a home cook, like myself,
illusion is the key: a disastrous culinary misadventure can be salvaged when I place it on
a pristine white plate.


(l to r: Calvin Klein Circles, Bloomingdales; Bernardau Louvre, dinner plate, $32.00, Horchow)

With today's eclectic menus, anything goes, and since everything goes with white it
continues to sustain its popularity. A major advantage to using white dinnerware is
its price niche. White dinnerware is the least expensive in any manufacturer's lineup.
Economics aside, the aesthetically pleasing properties of white also account for its
appeal year after year.


( above: Juliska Berry and Thread dinnerware, Juliska)

White china is dynamite if you want to put more interest on the food. But white can be
improved upon, for the hottest, trendiest new look in tableware, try mixing and matching
whites with patterns and color.


(above: Astier de Villatte Regence, John Derian)

With the broad range of stylish white dinnerware on the market today, "setting the table"
to suit your personality, your home's decor, your food and your mood is easy, affordable
and lots of fun. The white dinnerware that I’ve mentioned here are just a few of my
favorites.


(l to r: Rosenthal A La Carte, Tatami, Scoop, Nimbus; Ralph Lauren Spring Lace, Bloomingdale's)