Taking in the local color

Marlyn Dintenfass Painting at the Babcock Gallery, NYC 

My coat matches the painting above

How many blues do we see in this Louisa Matthiasdottir painting? At the Tibor de Nagy Gallery , NYC

Just a few shots of some works I saw recently in New York. Always love color and to explore new artists.

Treedom: Luxury Eco-Friendly Tree Houses

Photo courtesy of Lost At E Minor

These eco-friendly luxury tree houses are unbelievable. I would love to throw a party in one of these - or just hang with family - anything really as they pretty fantastic. Click here if you want to see more.
I found them on one of my favorite sites - Lost At E Minor. They are built by a company called Blue Forest. 

Not even sure if this would this be downsizing.

Yes You Cannes Frites

Pastis, Cannes

What can I say, pommes frites are on my mind and there is way too much serious news in the world this week to even think of something else to comment on. So, whether in Cannes or NYC, this is a no brainer - all diets out the window - order them. Not only are they fried, but they are TWICE fried.

In fact, get a double. That's what I did a few weeks ago while in Cannes with my husband. I couldn't stop eating them long enough to take a simple photo. But the menu is nice, right?


(I am afraid this is becoming kind of a theme with me, see photo of "regular" fabulous SALTY fries here.)

And here are a few photos from our trip...

The Marina - drinks with friends

I call this purple "boat" the Lakers Yacht... maybe it is... what's up with the NBA season?

View of Cannes

World Premiere of Upcoming ABC Show Missing (well, it was a business trip!)

Yum Yum

I always travel in color.

Smashing Pumpkins

Sidewalk display in NYC

I am not one for frothy drinks unless it is due to the whipped cream on my hot chocolate. So here are 2 versions of a great Halloween potion or a fine fall cocktail:

This first one is so easy, I have renamed it:

The Easy Jack O' Tini
1 or 3 Candy Corn Pieces
2 oz chilled vodka
1/4 oz Bols Pumpkin Smash Liqueur (or other pumpkin liqueur is fine too - whatever you can find as it is not so easy to locate)
Place a single candy corn (or 3) at the bottom of chilled cocktail glass. 
Combine vodka and liqueur a shaker with ice, shake well and strain into the glass.
Note the added treat when you get to the bottom of the glass - vodka infused candy corn. 
The end!


This next one is a variation of the traditional Margarita:
Pumpkin Margarita
2 oz Tequila
1 1/2 oz Bols Pumpkin Smash 
1/2 oz Triple Sec
2 cups ice
Blend all together until smooth, pour into a 16 ounce (pint) glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Option - serve in a traditional margarita glass, use the cinnamon stick as garnish and throw a dash of nutmeg on top


Drink recipes adapted  from Drink of the Week, which also has other pumpkin options for ya if you look for them!
Of course you could always just spike your pumpkin latte.

Just for Keith: A Taste of Nashville in 48 Hours

I love Steve Martin -  but I guess not enough.  Martin and his band the Steep Canyon Rangers, won entertainer of the year last Thursday night at the 2011 International Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville and I had no idea he was seriously in the music business. Who knew?  Obviously not me.

But, I do know about Keith Urban and that was what got us to Nashville for 48 hours over the summer. A birthday request to see him in concert - so off we went. And now, it is one of our favorite cities. We only made a dent and we will be heading back for sure.

Our highlights:

Friday - arrive mid-afternoon and head to our hotel.

Hutton Hotel in Nashville - great boutique hotel with lots of style and centrally located. The staff is super nice - as we found most people in the Nahsville to be. Highly recommend.

Hotel Lobby

Mad dash for a tour of Vanderbilt University. Even in the rain it is still gorgeous and impressive.  And look at the great colors in some of the libraries.

A twisty campus tree

Yummy blue ceiling

Loving the green walls

1808 Grille - located in the Hutton Hotel so obviously it was convenient for us (just an elevator ride). Sophisticated and approachable food and we loved the decor - modern but not cold. White accessories and great lighting. Also, they opened 1/2 hour early for us so we could eat dinner and still get to the Grand Ole Opry show on time -  that's southern hospitality for ya!

Hush Puppies

Grand Ole Opry - a must. A little hokey but fun.

Nice Suit

Saturday - still raining but we must go to the Pancake Pantry, apparently a Nashville tradition (with a very long wait).

 The Country Music Hall of Fame . Lots to absorb and we skipped the guided tour. Fun to see all the displays  - from Carrie Underwood's dress (like 15K swarovski crystals!!??)  to Elvis' car and piano (there are some very weird things there too -  along the lines of stuffed squirrels).

Pre Keith Urban we ate at Puckett's which was fantastic! Located in the Honky Tonk part of town and near the venue. We fall in love - with fried okra (get the ribs too).

Try it at home with Paula Dean's fried okra recipe.

And, now, the reason for our trip - Keith Urban - just look at him!

The show was fabulous! We also like Jake Owen who was the warm up.

Sunday, we leave mid morning knowing we will return - the trip was just not long enough.
But please, the real highlight of the trip for me ...

sisters...priceless

Nailing Blue

 Blue Rebel from Chanel

It's officially fall and that means a new nail color has captured my attention - Blue Rebel from Chanel. Go get it ladies - it's fabulous! Men - stick to NO polish please. Warning, the color is addicting and will replace your previous darker shades in the months to come.
Love, love, love!

And, while we are in the midst of blue, take a look below at the nautical theme of a recent Orrganics invitation. The invitation suite and the event were branded with a ship's wheel and lots of blue. Another love.

Invite done with Luscious Verde

Goodies using the ship's wheel done by Kim of Kim Rosen Events.

And, as an added piece today,

Come Sail Away - back to the 70s with Styx. I think the pant silhouette is now back in style. Enjoy!

Green

Color. If you have been reading me for a while you already know how I feel about color. I love it.  I love how color can set a tone. I love how color triggers emotion and reaction. I love that color can effect your mood. Color is so powerful.

And, as noted previously, different colors have come to "represent" certain things. Of course, how one feels about color can be very personal and tends to be rooted in personal experience and cultures, i.e., in the west we view white with innocence/purity.

This week the color green has taken on new meaning to me and to so many others in my hometown/community. The green I am talking about is a bright green and it is being worn in my community this week to honor the life of a brave 15 year old, Ethan, who lost his long battle against cancer just a few days ago. Ethan's favorite color was green. Some say this green was the color of his type of cancer. I am not sure which it is - maybe it's both - but I prefer to think of it as Ethan's favorite color.

I have always liked green, I like that the color represents nature, life and vegetation. (It has other associations as well.) However, until this week, I did not pay much attention to the color green. I remember the bright emerald green earrings worn on the red carpet in Hollywood (I watch E!), I might wear green or notice it on St. Patrick's Day, and this fall season, green has been touted as a popular color in fashion. But, I had no real emotional reaction to green until now.

Now when I see someone outside the local coffee shop in a green t-shirt, I smile. I see bleachers full of kids and parents at our high school football game (our school colors are blue and gold) and I am touched with emotion. I see kids everywhere in a uniform of green. This mass of color is SO powerful. Now, to me, this particular green = love. Supportive, unconditional and happy love.

Using a color to show love and support for a brave young man has changed the way I will forever look at this green*. This is what I call positive color cause and effect.

*Exact pantone color unknown at this time but there is likely a range of greens that would trigger in me the emotion and reaction I have described above.