Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight starts the eight-day Festival of Lights for our Jewish friends and family. In celebration of this ancient holiday my family will enjoy Veal Saltimbocca Alla Romana, Latkes (potatoe pancakes) and a lovely dry white wine. We just might spin the dreidels after dinner too . . . “Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay. Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, oh dreidel I will play!”

Speaking of Hanakkah dreidels, this month in Martha Stewart Living magazine Martha shared a fun, kid-friendly Hanakkah treat . . . edible dreidels!

Large marshmallows make up the dreidel’s bodies, chocolate kisses serve as the tips, and small pretzel sticks act as the top’s knob. The entire treat is then dipped in melted chocolate, refrigerated, and finished off with white chocolate Hebrew letters.

Here are Martha’s directions:

• Dip bottom of one (1) chocolate kiss in 8 ounces of melted semisweet chocolate
• Press onto one (1) end of a large marshmallow
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet
• Repeat to make twelve (12) dreidels
• Refrigerate for ten (10) minutes, then remove from refrigerator
• Cut a small slit in the bottom of each marshmallow (non-kiss end)
• Insert one (1) thin pretzel stick
• Carefully dip dreidels in chocolate
• Return dreidels to parchment-lined baking sheet
• Refrigerate until set, about fifteen (15) minutes
• Fill a resealable plastic bag with two (2) ounces of melted white chocolate
• Cut a tiny opening in one corner of the bag
• Pipe Hebrew letters onto three (3) sides of each dreidel
• Refrigerate at least five (5) minutes or up to eight (8) hours before serving
• Makes 12 dreidels

Create and enjoy!

Book Binding with Jen O'Sullivan

I had a fun new experience yesterday when I attended Jen O’Sullivan’s one-day book binding workshop at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Jen O’Sullivan, founder and principal photographer of Jen O’Sullivan Photography in Beverly Hills, shared her knowledge and expertise of traditional and non-traditional methods of book binding with me and a class of about twenty-two other students. We learned and practiced various stitching methods and walked away with several mini-books for our use and inspiration.

Learning a few binding methods is beneficial for student projects, professionals creating presentations and everyone wanting to create fun in everyday life! If you are interested in finding out more about this and other workshops offered by Jen, go to http://www.jenosullivan.com, and click on the workshops tab.

Go create and by happy!

Finding Creative Inspiration

At times, creative inspiration comes quite easy. You begin thinking about a project and your mind begins racing with ideas. Sometimes it's hard to turn the ideas off. At other times, you need a little nudge to get the ball rolling.

In thinking about this past week I have had inspiration overload! It's not a bad thing, but it started me thinking about how a single object, a certain shade of color, an article of clothing, or an interesting shape or texture can be the starting point in creating an amazing invitation or the inspiration in designing an event's fabulous decor.

Inspiration is everywhere around us! We just need to take the time to see it, experience it, and appreciate it! Here are a few things that have given me creative inspiration this past week -

• The Brewery Artwalk . . . the brewery artwalk takes place twice a year on North Main Street in Los Angeles. Over one hundred resident artists showcase their amazing talents at this open studio event. From paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry design and other mixed media, you can experience all types of art as well as talk directly with the artists. Art comes in many forms and can add a great element of interest to your special event.
  
  

• Music that moves me . . . many tunes from U2 and Michael Jackson move me. I've loved music all of my life. I've moved beyond the piano and flute lessons from my childhood, but that was the start of my love for music. Music inspires! Find lyrics and beats you can't stop dancing to and incorporate them into your affair!
  


• Halloween costume creativity . . . I was amazed at the creativity shown by the children who rang my doorbell last night for trick or treating! I was inspired that many of the children were wearing well designed, adorable handmade costumes. From ladybugs to robots, it's great to see the dreams and creativity of children! What are your dreams for your wedding or special event?

Go and find what inspires the creativity in you!

The Commuter Tie for Men

A great find for the men in your bridal party!

Check it out at http://www.thomaspink.com/

Host a Distilled Spirits Tasting

Wine tasting parties are popular and fun ways to bring old and new friends together. But, why not step it up a notch by hosting a distilled spirits tasting!

Check out a few tips at http://bit.ly/85LaA courtesy of Celebrations.com and Cheryl Jablow.

Happy tasting!

A Little Bit of Press from SheKnows.com

Baby showers can be festive and fun, but don’t need to break the bank. Social Frog Designs recently discussed this with SheKnows.com . . . If you’re creatively challenged, go online. Sites like FreePrintables.net enable you to download invitations at no cost. “DIY (Do-It-Yourself) event options are popular in this economy,” says Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs, Wedding & Event Consulting. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of great DIY options online.”

Check out the whole article at http://bit.ly/13z3vW

Happy planning!

Kimberly and Jason

At the beginning of the summer I had the pleasure of watching a dear friend of mine marry her prince charming! These two hearts compliment the other in such beautiful ways!

The wedding was a large, traditional Russian Orthodox wedding in which I had the honor of assisting in the planning process. There were many moving parts to this joyous event and I would like to thank Marcia Hemphill and her team at An Urban Affair for their outstanding day-of-event execution.

My very best wishes to Kimberly and Jason as they begin their new life together! Enjoy one another and have fun every day!

Photos by Tricia Koning Photography