SOWA Holiday Market, Boston

Want to make holiday shopping fun? I love going to the South End Open Market during the summer and next weekend (12/12 & 12/13) they will be hosting a special holiday market where you are bound to find one of kind gifts for your friends and family. The market will be held in the Cathedral high school gym at 74 Union Park Street. I would recommend browsing the market and then heading to Union for some brunch & bloodies...now that's a perfect Saturday!

Calling all Boston fashionistas

Elements of Style is one of my favorite blogs and tomorrow night Erin Gates, the design guru behind the blog, is hosting an event at the Liberty Hotel called Fashionably Late.  Stil & Luna Boston will be holding trunk shows before the show.  Why not go and see what it's all about!  Gentleman - I think you can guarantee there will be a lot of lovely Bostonian women on-hand.  See below for RSVP information.

Hurry! Riedel wine glasses on sale today on OneKingsLane.com

You have heard me rave about my Riedel wine glasses before and today, they are on sale online at OneKingsLane. Perfect for holiday entertaining!

Monogrammed coasters, trays, ice buckets & more

If you like to entertain, check out the preppy, bright items from iomoi that you can customize.  The patterns and designs to choose from are so much fun and these will definitely brighten up your next party.  These also make incredible gifts!  They also offer a wide range of invitations. 

Just a few of the trays to choose from:

Ice Buckets:

Coasters:

Invitations:

Hosting a holiday party?

'Tis the season to drink and be merry! December is filled with social gatherings and in case you are planning one, here are a few things I have come across.  Today, there are so many options for holiday decorations, we are no longer confined to the traditional red and green. Personally, I love incorporating silver with an accent color - perhaps blue or pink. 

I was reading through Martha Stewart magazine this morning and it reminded me how much you can do with things straight from nature. And this economy, we should take full advantage! Try making these napkin ties for your place settings.Following the outdoor theme, silver pine cones are great for the table, the fireplace mantle or for filling a decorative bowl.  You can buy these from Crate and Barrel ormake your own - find some pine cones and purchase some silver spray paint...easy!  You can do the same with tree branches. 

These silver trees are available at Target - buy at least three and use them on the table for a dinner party or use them to decorate a room. They come in two sizes, be sure to mix and match. 

Luminaries are great for lining a long driveway or a walkway.  You can purchase these from Target or make your own. A close family friend introduced to us to the tradition of lining an entire neighborhood each Christmas Eve. My mom started this in our old neighborhood in Pennsylvania - so beautiful! Buy regular brown lunch bags, sand & votive candles.  Be sure to be safe and careful with these. 

These beaded place mats will help brighten up any table. I prefer the silver. Available at Pier 1.

If you can't tell, I had a successful trip to Target.  I loved the colored Christmas ornaments and bought the blue and silver package.  I have them in a glass bowl on my coffee table and hanging from greens on the railing of my stairs.  They match the colors of my living room which makes all of the decorations tie in nicely. 

Holiday cocktails

What special cocktail are you serving at your holiday party? Here are just two to think about.

This is a candy cane cocktail compliments of Martha Stewart. What you need:

• 1 candy cane, crushed, for garnish
• 2 ounces strawberry vodka
• 4 dashes white creme de menthe
• 2 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
• Ice cubes

This is an easy one - champagne with cranberries (a Poinsettia). Picture compliments of Southern Living.

Save the Date - Wine Tasting at Fenway Park

The inaugural Boston Wine Tasting will take place on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 to support the Foundation Fighting Blindness.  Our goal is to raise $100,000 in our first year, so we need your help!  If you love wine, Fenway and want to support a worthy cause, please join us!

FFB raises money to fund research to find cures for retinal-related diseases. This year, a young boy saw the world for the very first time! We are making an impact but still have a lot of work to do.  

For more information about FFB please visit blindness.org. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, donating an auction item or want to join the events committee, please email me at ConnectForEvents@gmail.com.