Our Little Lion

Halloween was a blast this year! Our little lion was a champ during the entire evening! However, I must say that earlier in the week I wasn't quite sure. We tried on the costume to ensure it fits, yeah a little late I know, but McKinley refused to wear the lion headpiece. REFUSED!! But come Halloween night, he was all about the costume!

We first visited our friends Jan and Tom where McKinley received the darling treat bag below. Mama left the Thomas the Train one at home... The photo below was taken on my husbands phone. Grainy but still so cute!

Then we were off to Julie and Danny's where McKinley played every musical instrument he could find in their living room! Every single one. This boy loves music! 

 

 

 

Finally, we made our way to Meme and Granddaddy's where we spent the remainder of the evening. McKinley was a total ham! He loved hanging out with my parents next door neighbor's son, who's two months younger. He handed out candy to all the trick-or-treaters while running back and forth from the front door to the family room. And by the end of the night, he was in tears due to shear exhaustion.

 

However your Halloween ended, I hope it was full of treats and bootastic fun!

Halloween

Above are a few remnants from the "tablescape" from our Halloween party this weekend. It was the our fifth annual bash and I think a good time was had by all. We served up some yummy grub, had a signature cocktail, the Ghostini, which was souped up, melted vanilla ice cream in a glass, as well as some fun desserts to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth. 

This cake was featured on Country Living but I changed the formatting a little. What was a chocolate pumpkin cake with orange cream cheese frosting and chocolate glaze, became a blood drenched cake after a vampire bite! Same cake base, but with plain cream cheese frosting and red glaze. I love how it turned out. It rested on a black cake plate and was the centerpiece for the food table. This photo was the best I could do post party! I seemed to have gotten lost in the party and didn't focus a single bit on photographs!

 

 As a party favor, guests received t-shirts commemorating the event and popcorn hands for munching when that late night craving takes hold. I love to add a personal touch to parties and gifts that I give and I think these two things did just that! 

For the shirts, we found an image online that we loved, printed it out on iron-on sheets of paper and simply ironed them onto the shirt. How cute did they turn out? 

 

And speaking of gift giving, this year I made hurricanes for my friends. Martha Stewart provides amazing templates on her website, and when I saw these, I knew I had to make them. It's simply craft clue, glitter and a hurricane. Trace the design with glue, sprinkle glitter and shake off the excess. So easy and perfect for any Halloween decor!

If you are a crafter, or simply someone who likes to entertain, I hope you've enjoyed some of these little ideas. Happy Halloween!

Halloween's Past

Halloween! It's right around the corner. And this year the Krasnows are celebrating their fifth annual Halloween party! I can't believe it has been five years! Within those five years, there have been some amazing costumes by my super creative friends! We've had a Geisha and her lover. A Dorothy in drag. Several super hero's from our friend Rob. Annie and Daddy Worbucks. Lucy and Desi. One incredible shower scene from Psycho. One almost too real Toddlers and Tiara contestant. Oh, and who could forget our very own Greg as Alice in Wonderland!

My husband and I haven't been all that creative! However, we have put some thought into our looks. We've channeled celebrity couples over the years and their families after McKinley was born. And, I've tried to utilize what already existed in our closets. However, the first year we went our separate ways but still tried to use what we had. 

In preparation for this years party, I have posted photos from the last four years. How this party has truly grown!

First Annual Halloween Party 2008! 

Like I mentioned earlier, the first year we went out on our own, and to be honest, I don't even remember what my husband did. He's thinking it was Crockett from Miami Vice and I think he's right. He wore a white suit, with a pink polo and boat shoes. And, because he always sports a closely shaven beard, he pulled it off seamlessly! I had this costume on hand from an event at work!  I know the wig isn't true flapper in style, but its close enough as a 20s bob! What you don't see are my seamed fishnets and t-strap heels!

Halloween 2009 brought out the creative side of our guests! It's also when I knew we had a real event on our hands! This was the year of the Geisha, drag Dorothy and the Psycho shower scene! And, my love of Tori and Dean came into play! As I've said before, Tori was my inspiration for starting a family. There was a specific episode on Home Sweet Hollywood that I just felt I wanted/needed in my life. So, we went as Tori and Dean. I played off of her novel MOMMYWOOD that had just been released. Her book party was green in theme so I kept my look similar.

 

On Me:

Dress: BCBG; Shoes: Christian Louboutin

On Joel:

Jeans & Blazer: Banana Republic;

Shoes: ??; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban;

Tie: Target

 

 

 

 

It's 2010 and we are expecting! We couldn't decide on a couple so headed to one of those Halloween Express stores to browse through their bagged costumes for ideas. My husband found this Elvis costume and from there, Elvis and Priscilla were born! My husband shaved his beard, which I hated, but thankfully it was back in full by the following week!

This dress is by Tucker for Target. I love how current fashion can play into ones every day style or for a throw back in time. I found the belt on super clearance, also at Target, and paired with the "nude" pantyhose of the 70s and platform sandals. By the end of the night, the hose, belt and shoes were gone! The elastic waist of the hose and belt were cutting off my belly, making for a very uncomfortable evening.

Last year marked the introduction of our first celebrity family! Meet Rodger Berman, Rachel Zoe and Skyler Berman. That's right, Team Zoe! Another successful woman that I adore! Rachel has built an empire based on fashion which is something I can only dream of doing! And, I loved that we both had darling baby boys within a couple of months of one another. However, I didn't have her uber glam wardrobe during my pregnancy!

 

On Me:

Cap: Target; Vest: Rachel Zoe Luxe via QVC;

Shirt: Loft; Jeans: Loft;

Shoes: Brian Atwood; Necklace: Ann Taylor

On Joel:

Shirt: H&M; Blazer: Banana Republic;

Jeans: Banana Republic

On McKinley:

Shirt: Gap; Jeans: Polo Ralph Lauren

 

Our party is scheduled toward the end of the month and we haven't the first clue what we're going to do. We have four options of the table. Some I like, some he likes. We could find ourselves in the quandary of the first year and so separate looks. Whatever they are, we need to get to styling! 

Photo of The McDermott's: Seen on Growing Your Baby. PHOTOCREDIT:LACROIX/WIREIMAGE.COM.