my home - my halloween decorations!

Inspiring Images...orange

Inspiring Images...orange

Spooky Sips from NYC and Travel and Leisure!

By Charlotte Savino Food + Drink, Fall Travel, Recipes Comments

You've carved the pumpkins and stocked up on candy. Now, hit the liquor store. Hotels across the U.S. are preparing for Halloween with signature cocktails that are the perfect adult treat. We've rounded up the best from bar-epicenter, New York City. Make the trip or concoct your own for a party at home.

Coco's Black Widow (pictured above) - From Avenue's mixologists and available at Marquee and Avenue during the month of October, this finicky drink is a visual stunner. Since the must-have ingredient, Blavod Black Vodka, may be difficult to find, it's best to go to the bars themselves.
¼ cup ice

¼ cup orange or tangerine juice

¼ Cup Vita Coco Tangerine

1 1/2 ounces black vodka

1 black licorice twist, for garnish

Place ice in a highball glass. Pour juice and Vita Coco into glass. Pour vodka over the back of a cocktail spoon into glass so it sits on top of juice. Slice ends off a licorice twist and use as a straw.

Hocus Pocus - Served up at the new Forty Four at the Royalton Hotel, this upscale cocktail is best served by one of the hotel bar's skilled mixologists, or at least someone in a mixologist costume (send us those photos please!).
1 3/4 oz Beefeater Gin

1/2 oz Combier

1/2 oz Carpano Antica

1/4 oz Fernet Branca

L'Orange Pumpkin Carver (above) - Created at the Paramount Hotel, this meal-in-a-glass kind of drink has a whole day's worth of carbs. Just save room for candy corn.

1 ½ parts Grey Goose L'Orange Flavored Vodka

¾ part maple syrup

½ part Canton Ginger Liqueur

1 tsp pumpkin butter
1 part fresh lemon juice

Garnish with apple chips

In a cocktail shaker add all ingredients. Add ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into martini glass and add apple chip garnish.

Pumpkin Punch - At Kastel in Trump Soho, Halloween revelers can sip on this orange elixer that's the color of some (*cough*) celebrity skin-tones.

2.5 ounces of Bacardi eight-year aged rum

1 ounce of pineapple juice

3/4 ounce of lemon juice

3/4 ounce of orange juice

.5 ounce of spiced pumpkin puree

.5 ounce of date molasses

1 dash of Fee brothers original bitter

Shake really hard over ice and garnish with nutmeg

Charlotte Savino is Travel + Leisure's Listings Editor.
Photos courtesy of Avenue Hotel and Paramount Hotel.

Super Spooky Stuff from Apt Therapy!! Love it!!

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/roundup/creepy-crawlies-notsocuddly-critters-haunted-house-tours-130414

Whispering Pines is one of my all time favorite sites!!

http://www.whisperingpinescatalog.com/products/road-trip-rug
check out this fab rug!!!

chinese stools - apartment therapy facinates again!!!

for the last few years, barrel-shaped ceramic stools have been a popular decorating accessory, adding luster, color or texture to a space while serving as little side tables or room accents. but where do they come from, and where were they traditionally used? okay, the answer is in the title of the post: they come from China, and they were traditionally used in gardens. read on to learn about the fascinating origins of this familiar form.

believe it or not, barrel- or drum-shaped garden stools have been used in China for at least 1,000 years. they may have evolved out of the Buddhist garden tradition, where natural elements like tree stumps and smooth rocks were used as seats.

traditionally, Chinese homes were built around a courtyard, and with an emphasis on landscape and gardens, so outdoor furniture was essential. by the Song Dynasty (960-1279), these types of stools were used both indoors and outdoors as casual seating  indoor stools were typically portable and made out of wood, while outdoor furniture, to withstand the elements, began to be made out of stone, glazed stoneware, or porcelain.
the antique stools that are still extant tend to be from the late Ming Dynasty — early 17th century — and later, and they have a range of decoration, including fretwork, relief decoration, and pierced motifs. one common decoration is simulated nailheads, often around the upper and lower parts of the barrel form. the nailhead motif is left over from ancient Chinese drums, which had wood bodies with skins stretched over each end and affixed with nails. although they've been around over 1000 years, in the USA they have gained popularity only in the last and current century.

you can find stools locally at thomasville, ethan allen and other fine furniture stores.  or on line at www.wisteria.com and www.chinese-furniture.com.

Keith Linton Art Samples for ARTfordable show!!

Facebook art

ARTfordable Show at LVAC October 15 and 16, 2010

Tired of the downtown art scene? Looking for incredible art work that won't break the bank? Welcome to recently launched LVAC: Louisville Visual Art s Collective.

Located at 2932 Cleveland Boulevard, LVAC provides a unique environment designed to encourage artistic/patron dialogue and viewing by offering a deliberately cozy and laid-back atmosphere. The 7000 square foot building showcases a wide variety of art work and mediums provided by local, international, established, up and coming and midlevel artists.

The gallery features rotating and permanent exhibits as well as special exhibitions including the upcoming ARTfordable Art Show which will be debuting and running through October 15 - 16th. Artwork starts at $50 and up. The show provides a great way for Louisville art lovers to find unique, locally created art work at very reasonable prices. The ARTfordable show will feature painters, photographers, printmakers and jewelry designers.

At press time The Artfordable Show has signed over 15 artists including Louisville born, Keith Linton, and South African artist, Emil Walton, who also oversee LVAC operations as directors. Keith Linton, www.keithlinton.com, uses contemporary, industrial products such as foams, plastics and other synthetics. His contemporary multimedia approach gives warmth and character to these otherwise cold materials. His "constructed deconstructions" of the natural world offer vibrant dimensional images what show an unforgiving, yet fascinating energy.

Emil Walton www.emilwalton.com, is a mixed media artist born in Namibia, Southwest Africa. In 2008, Emil settled in Louisville after living in South Africa and travelling throughout Europe. He has exhibited in several galleries around Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. His powerful work has a self described ‘social-political" vibe, touching on various international and domestic issues of our current cultures and political climates. Emil is the founder of the contemporary art pace, ART227, in St Matthews.

You can find LVAC on Facebook at Louisville Visual Arts Collective or email them at: lvacgallery@yahoo.com

ARTforable Show
October 15; 6 - 10 pm
October 16; 1-6 pm
2932 Cleveland Boulevard
Louisville, KY 40206
502 939 1164