I love the holidays! More opportunities to host and break out my special cocktail menus and party dresses. I am so inspired by this Kate Spade shoot. What a great way to reinvent the holidays. Can’t afford a tree? Draw one. Want a new holiday idea? Go crazy with the glitter! How cute and delicate.

I ask you, is it too late to whip up a holiday extravaganza with only three weeks to spare? I hope not, because I’m on board to make this happen!

Photography: Alison Conklin / Styling: Styled Creative / Cakes and Cupcakes: Brown Betty Desserts / Paper Materials: Two Paperdolls

read on to hear more about the shoot from the Kate Spade team!

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Last week marked my first guest blogging experience with Brooklyn Bride! I had a lot of fun picking inspiration for the site. My inspiration this week was on the color Coral. I’m kind of in love with this color. The best part is, depending on what colors it is paired with, it can transcend all seasons. Look for more of my upcoming guest posts on my inspiration at Brooklyn Bride or right here at Local Social.

1. Interior by Herzog & Meuron’s | 2. Shades by Group8 | 3. beach wedding via StyleMePretty | 4. Invitation by Be True Designs | 5. Bird Confetti from BHLDN | 6. cake and coral fringe via 100LayerCake | 7. Coral House by Group8

On a cold, gray day like today, these playful oversized knitted objects bring a little cheer and a feeling of warmth. I want to surround myself with them and take a nap.

Urchin Pouf by Christien Meindertsma

Aran Rug also by Christien Meindertsma

Knitted stools by Claire-Anne O’Brien

Knitted poufs and giant blanket/tapestry from hardblogcafe

I’m super into this table decor from Hey Look. This is so fall! It’s versatile enough and just right for a light meal with friends or even a somewhat formal dinner for the holidays. I’m in love with the gold vases and use of ferns. They even took the time to style some very cute corsages for the guests. I love that! I’m a big fan of the corny, “hello, my name is tag”, but in a much more subtle sophisticated way and this way (with gold flowers) is much more personal and intimate.

In preparation for Tilt, the wedding event that we styled and participated in a few weeks ago, we designed and made some boutineers for our guests. It’s super simple and a great way to personalize your wedding attire.

Step 1
Begin by collecting your materials. You’ll need flowers (duh), ribbon or fabric, flower tape, wire and wire cutters. We chose to work with air plants with some accent flowers. The air plants were generously supplied by Air Supply Plant Co..

Step 2
Take a wire and poke it through your air plant, bend it halfway and cut it about 2.5 inches down.

Step 3 Arrange your other flowers next to your air plant. Begin by tapping off the flowers from the top down. At this point, you can choose to put a piece of vintage fabric or ribbon on top by wrapping it around and pinning it to secure it.

Voila!

At Local Social, we are big on designing a signature cocktail for every party we create (designed by our LS mixology guru Marjan). Something about having a specially made drink for your guests really says you went the extra mile to make their time special (and delicious!). Bon Appetite has done a great job on their site of telling you exactly how you can make your own event stand out with killer cocktail recipes and interesting features (like how to make your own ice specific to each drink).

I’m in love with the cool clean classic graphics and photography, as well as the classic choices of videos and yummy concoctions. Take a look and find a way to spruce up your next party.

Bon Appetite also includes informative videos on the proper way to mix your favorite drink. In this case, we’ve included a link for a manhattan. Enjoy.

For more interesting resources for drinks, check out The Art of the Bar and the web site Liqurious.

* look for a post on Marjan and his amazing drinks soon on our blog!

This adorable baby shower was put together by the writer of the Oscar and Emma Blog. We love the muted color palette and simple yet elegant and playful decor. The handmade paper rosettes are so cute. Great job Karly!

Making navigation easy for your guests is key at any event. Whether your crafty (or not), or have a lot of money to spend (or not), your main goal is to make sure you get your guests seated. Don’t stress, we’ve compiled some great ideas to help you get started. Check out some of these clever ideas below. Included is a “how to” from The Knotty Bride on handmaking your own.

Photos // (top to bottom) unknown source, but awesome utilization of vintage library numbers // BHLDN numbers // diy from The Knotty Bride // Oh So Beautiful Paper blog // from 100LayerCake

What is a more happy expression of childhood memories than balloons? These larger than life decorations make our day. They are so magical and enchanting. I would love to fill a whole house full of them and swim around. Check out the third link to a public art installation video of a field of balloons in Montreal at the Musée des Possibles.

Photos // 1 // Jihan Zencirli opened the doors to her Seaton Street Studio and Workshop for Geronimo in Los Angeles this past year. 2 // posted by Caiti Barr on Pinterest 3 // Musée des Possibles Installation

Lace isn’t just for weddings anymore. We’ve discovered some wonderful (and modern) lacy elements that capture the material’s ephemeral and feminine qualities and are anything but ordinary.

We love these great porcelain lace bowls from Hideminy (01) and check out this interesting take on the everyday chain-link fence from Demmakersvan (2).
Yep . . . lace is on a come back.

1 // Hideminy on Etsy 2 // We.Love.Laugh.Kiss Blog diy envelope tutorial 3 // BHLDN 4 // Demakersvan lace fence 5 // Remade USA lamp 6 // photo by Tracy Turpen on Ruffled 7 // tutorial on Heartmade