Black Friday. It has begun.

For those of you brave enough to wake up early and join the Holiday Shopping Frenzy, I salute you. For me, I get a bit claustraphobic in large crowds, so I'll mostly likely be stealth shopping online. I think this year, I'm going to opt for sensible gifts for family and friends. I am one of those people who prefers the giving to receiving-I give a lot of thought to gift giving. If you are like me, and you're a part of a family with all adults, and virtually no small children,trying to find a gift for loved ones who don't really have any wants or needs can be a bit daunting. Sure, I have newborn twin nephews, but they don't seem to really care that it's Christmas, they are just discovering where their noses are, so we have a year before spoiling them rotten with toys at Christmas!

I'm terrified to even venture out on Black Friday, so i'll probably work some, and maybe sneak off to the local park for a run. But I avoid the malls and shopping on this most Crowded of Days. The traffic, the crowds, the cold, the overall mayhem make me a tad dizzy, and often leave me nauseated and chugging the kaopectate. I tend to shop online mostly, and my heart goes out to all those frenzied warehouse workers trying to fulfill the overnight holiday packaging-so this year, I'm not going to go that route either. So what am I left with?

Solution oriented gifts. I know, I know, it sounds really exciting, mysterious and festive. I like the idea of getting my family non-retail related services and things they actually need throughout the year, and in life in general. Arranging for landscaping for the spring, or a home security system, or putting all the old home Movies on a DVD. Organizing an Heirloom photo book from all the old family pictures and getting it custom bound from a place like Good Stock. Gift Certificates for a Spa Day for New Parents who are only thinking about their children, or planning a weekend getaway and arranging to babysit. Things I know they would appreciate and use, but would never think to do for themselves, or ask of others. And it will be a complete surprise.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm thankful for friends, family, my health, my fortune to enjoy my work, my pets (especially Gracie) and for all of you who read all things lovely! Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.

Harvest Centerpieces

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of us are making travel arrangements, planning menus, cleaning and getting ready for the biggest travel day of the year! If you have time, or room at your table for that matter, to decorate for Thanksgiving, why not do it up simple with some bundled wheat? You can pick it up at most craft stores or farmers markets, and ribbon is simple to find online or at your favorite store, and if you want to be really rustic, why not try twine? Feathers make a cool decoration, especially when you choose pheasant or peacock and put them in a pretty vase. You can also scatter some small pumpkins and gourds around on a bed of fall leaves-cheap and easy! And candles are always a table favorite, setting a soft scene with the warm ambiance of flickering candlelight, especially when those candles are harvest colors (and scents). Naturally, these simple table centerpieces would also work well with a harvest theme wedding or party. I love the idea of using real fall leaves as place cards-you can use a metallic craft pen to carefully calligraphy the names of guests and put then with the napkin, like the setting above.

Simple, Healthy Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving. The day of family, celebration, thanks and gorging yourself on as much food as humanly possible and spending the next six months wondering how you'll lose those holiday pounds. You hear it all the time, "You can eat whatever you want in moderation," but "moderation" isn't what Thanksgiving is all about. Thanksgiving is about stuffing yourself fuller than the bird, drifting off in a tryptophan induced catatonic state, and then devouring leftovers by the fistfuls for days afterwards. And I say hell yeah, eat yourself silly. I'm no nutritionist or a doctor, but I do cook a mean Thanksgiving meal and have a few tricks to making healthy substitutes to some of your favorite dishes without skimping on flavor.

First Tip, how to make a turkey moist and juicy and flavorful, SANS BUTTER.
I'm not gonna tell you how to roast a turkey. You can or you can't, and if you CAN'T, don't start on Thanksgiving!

My mother always put pats of butter under the turkey skin, but I prefer broth and herbs. I also inject the turkey periodically with syringes of the broth/herb mix, and have also used apple juice to add some moisture and flavor.
Second Tip-Sweet Potatoes.
My S'Meat Potato Recipe (don't worry, it's Vegetarian friendly!)

3-5 Large, Peeled Sweet Potatoes, Chopped, Boiled and Ready to Whip
Fat Free Condensed or Evaporated Milk, use to moisten, eyeball and taste measure
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup or so of Unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 stick of Light Butter OR you can use Spray Butter Sparingly. Don't use fat free butter substitute. it's gross, you'll ruin the dish and be really pissed.

Yams are sweet as is, and i eat them year round, baked, whipped, candied...however. I love me some yams! An easy way to cut the fat with Sweet Potatoes (aka "S'Meat Potatoes, since Gracie my kitten, alias "Meat" likes to help.) I use fat free condensed milk in place of cream, and mix it with fat free milk. It's less fatty, but condensed milk is heavier and tastes richer without added fat, and fewer calories. I also use unsweetened applesauce as a natural sweetener. I use applesauce in a lot of things for added sweetness when I'd rather not use white sugar. Experiment and see what you prefer to taste, but don't overdo applesauce or condensed milk, or your sweet potatoes will be watery!

Third Tip-My Moist and Flavorful Stuffing Recipe
Love Stuffin'

1-2 Loaves of Bread, Chopped into cubes
1-2 Cans Swanson Low Sodium Chicken Broth (if you can find turkey, God Bless you!)
2-3 peeled & chopped Granny Smith Apples
1 cup diced onions, frozen are fine
1-2 Cans of Chestnuts
Salt
Pepper
Celery Seed (if you want....)

Stuffing, or Dressing, is quintessentially Thanksgiving to me. And being a carb hound, I can't get enough stuffing. I like to make homemade stuffing from toasted bread chunks. I go to a bakery, pick up whatever bread suits my fancy (whole wheat, white, foccaccia, something not too heavy-avoid pumpernickel or rye, unless you want that strong flavor coming thru). I use the herbs i used for the turkey, which I get from William Sonoma. You can blend your own, but they do it for you, so why mess with easy perfection! Cut the bread into chunky squares, and let them get a bit stale. Once they are stale-but not moldy-toast them in the oven for a few minutes so they get warm and a little more firm. I saute up onions, chestnuts and granny smith apples in a teflon pan, using a little extra virgin olive oil, some generous pinches of salt and pepper, and a few liberal dashes of celery seed-i don't like celery, so i avoid it. It's the texture. Crisp and stringy...ick. Once everything is soft and the onions are translucent, I put in 1 can of Chicken Broth. I use a lot of chicken broth, simple Swanson low sodium chicken broth. Let this simmer for a bit, until the broth cooks down considerably, then I add my toasted bread chunks. They start to absorb the mixture, and the flavors start to meld gloriously. I keep an extra can of broth around, to keep it moist, and keep stirring occasionally until ready to serve. You can add dried cranberries, pears, squash-whatever you like, to make your stuffing unique. This is my recipe, and for the last 6 years, I've had it as a standing request at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it's sooo yummy, and actually not that unhealthy considering it's a Turkey Day Staple!

Hopefully this tips and recipes will help you feel a little less guilty about the Thanksgiving Feeding Frenzy! Happy Cooking and Happy Thanksgiving!

Guest Blogger: Nancy Liu Chin

I'm thrilled to announce our guest blogger for this Friday before BLACK FRIDAY! It's the one and only Nancy Liu Chin, the wonderfully multi-talented floral designer from San Fran! We've emailed back and forth, and I was blown away by the beauty of her work. Even though I'm East Coast, and she's West Coast, that hasn't stopped us from forming a blogging bond. Here she is on ATL for her debut post featuring a wedding she did not too long ago, and all you lucky ATL readers get to view this wedding here first! I can't wait to share more of Nancy's dreamy work and deliciously beautiful inspiration boards, so keep checking back!


Not long ago, I had the good fortune to help shape and create a wedding for a fetching young couple, Robert and Stella of San Francisco. Our down to earth bride and groom came to my San Francisco design studio. With our heads together, we all enthusiastically concluded that a wedding should be momentous, personable, and a bit out of the ordinary. Having produced hundreds of events, I understood the need to create something from the heart. Side by side, we brainstormed several concepts and ideas and frequently revisited the ideas just to make sure that we were still delighted with them. The result is the pleasingly adorable and touchingly sweet soulful wedding which blended artistic details with classic garden elements(and a few birds!). Enjoy this summer wedding that took place at the architectural gardens of Cornerstone in Napa, California. Photographs courtesy of Robert and Stella Weinberg. Wedding Coordination and Planning by Grace Lee Events.

Nancy Liu Chin is the owner of Nancy Liu Chin Designs a floral and event design studio based in San Francisco, California. Insiders and clients often call her a "floral mindreader". Her modern classic floral and event style has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Elegant Bride, Sunset, Grace Ormonde magazines. Nancy is much sought after for her trendsetting style and often contributes her witty and candid wedding tips to on line wedding blogs. You can read more about Nancy's ideas, insights and inspirations at the Brown Bag (www.nancyliuchin.blogspot.com)

Family Portraits, Part 3

And the grand finale of this weeks family portrait series. ThesEveryone was so nice and wonderful to work with, and I hope they enjoy the photographs as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Family Portraits, Part 2

Here is part 2, and the second part of the 3 part family! They were such a joy to work with, and such fantastic sports despite the rather humid and drippy weather! And aren't the girls just adorable?

Family Portraits, Part 1

I had the amazing pleasure of photographing a wonderful and rather large extended family a few Saturdays ago. It had been pouring all day, and the forecast didn't look good, but we lucked out and found an hour in the clear! Here are some of my favorites from that day! Look for more pictures and more family members tomorrow!

Barry & Laura 11-7-08

A few weeks back, just as the leaves were starting to change, I found myself at the wedding of Barry and Laura in my backyard of Wilmington again, with camera in hand. Weddings are so wonderful. Everyone is nice and happy, and it's such an honor to be invited into the lives of so many people on such an important day. Here are some fun little details from Laura and Barry's Delaware Wedding Bash!



A few little details.....







The Ceremony Begins!




Aren't Barry's Grandparents too cute?

Gorgeous Flowers: Soiree Charleston

In my opinion, Tara Guerard is the Southern Wedding Martha Stewart. Her events and florals are impeccable yet effortless, timeless and never fussy, with beautiful little details that'll make you swoon. Like our other featured floral designs, Soiree is more than a florist, it's a full service event planning operation. Hailing from Charleston, SC, her event company Soiree covers just about everything the Southern Carolina bride could ever want, with a certain level of understated panache and sweetness of the charming South.

Gorgeous Flowers: Botanicals, Chicago

Since not every bride gets married in NYC, I thought i'd share the floral love with Botanicals in Chicago. Their floral arrangements are unconventional-I love how they put things together in a completely unexpected way for such surprising loveliness!

Gorgeous Flowers: Artfool

Artfool has become synonymous with elite weddings and events, mainly because of their gasp-inducing decor, and of course, the flowers! I love how natural and beautiful their work is, it's just so pretty and perfect without being overdone. As Mr. T might say if he were planning a wedding, enjoy some of Art, fools!

Gorgeous Flowers: Michelle Rago

When it comes to perfectly planned and flawlessly flowered fetes, there is no one like Michelle Rago in NYC. I've been a less than secret admirer of her work for some time, and thought I would post some of my favorite images from her site here for a little blog love. Everything about her work is just flawless, and it's all about those little details that make them stand out as exceptional.

Finding Inspiration

Here is a really lovely shot, a la the master Henri Cartier Bresson from a very talented 19 year old I found on Flickr. It truly reflects the decisive moment that we cannot help but find captivating in the art of photography. An image like that would be the perfect Save the Date, don't you think?

photo credits, top, Cartier Bresson, bottom Llore87,

Even MORE wedding Hair

Here are some really pretty, easy hair ideas you can do yourself! All you need is some hair control product, hairspray, shine spray, a brush and a curling iron (or soft velcro rollers if you want it to be very soft and voluminous!) For the top one, a curling iron, some shine spray and voila! a simple sleek down do.

Remember, a focal hair accessory like this can hide hair flaws! That's a messy bun with a pretty pin!Or go with a style that's a little more neat like this! A simple tucked loose bun with a killer hair piece!

Velcro Rollers left in for a while, some backcombing with a boar hair brush and some shine spray to finish..maybe a little hairspray or pomade to hold, and you've got sexy touseled waves...
Really simple, for those girls with long, sleek hair. Half up, half down, great earrings.
But if you have curly hair, why not go with it? Half up messy bun and a fun tiara!
Great for short hair, or long hair-a little retro wave and some pretty curls-let down or up in a twist!

Part your hair, make some braids, and pull them into a pretty bun in the back, secrure with something from etsy phenoms like Oh My Deer or Portobello!

And always remember, PRACTICE!

More Wedding Hair

This 60's inspired half up do is really great for those who want more volume. You can of course tone it down if it's a little too bouffant for you, but the way to do it is listed here! again, thanks to InStyle! This do would also work really well with the HairDo extensions-just be sure you hide the clips with your own hair or a gorgeous hair accessory! You can also pull some tendrils down for a softer look!

1.Set the hair with a 1-inch curling iron.
2. Separate Hair at the crown and temples and clipped aside.
3. Pull the hair back as if creating a low ponytail, and starting at the nape of the neck, twist the hair tightly into a vertical roll, pinning it to secure.
4. After unclipping the top layer, back-combed the hair at the crown for volume, smoothing the sides and back with a boar-bristle brush.
5. Shape the remaining hair into waves and pinned long strands at the crease of the roll, leaving the ends to fall free.

You'll need a curling iron, shine spray, bobby pins, boar hair brush, decorative hair accessories, hair control-like mouse, pomade, hairspray.

Wedding Hair

Since girls and their hair and like girls and their shoes, or girls and their purses, Here are some great how-to tips for really pretty, really flirty, really lovely wedding day hair.

The key to mastering these hair designs? PRACTICE! I would suggest you start a few months in advance, work with your stylist (if you can't have them there on the big day) to help you get the hang of doing your hair, and enlist friends who can see the back of your head! Here is a gorgeous faux bob that's very vintage, very flirty and oh so romantic from InStyle!

How To Get the Look:
1. Set the hair with a 1-inch curling iron, leaving the roots flat.
2. Separate the hair at the crown and temples and clipped it out of the way.
3.Back-combed the roots at the nape of the neck to create a base.
4. Roll the remaining hair underneath itself, pinning it to the base.
5. Unclipped the top section of hair, letting it fall freely.
6. To add texture, he rubbed a dime-size amount of pomade into the ends.

Pretty Wedding Hair, Part 2

We all want gorgeous, natural looking hair on our wedding day. We want to look like the celebrities do on the red carpet, only more radiant. As most of you are well aware, most celebrities rely on the best stylists and often times, hair extensions and wigs to look as beautiful as they do. So why not a bride?

For my wedding, I wanted long, soft hair, but sadly, my hair was just south of shoulder length. My stylist Amy, who i swear is a genius with hair, suggested I try Jessica Simpson's HairDos. I didn't really like the idea at first-a wig on my wedding day. How classy! After all, I was very familiar with how fake even the nicest wigs can look, and with all eyes on me, I really didn't want to take the chance of looking, well, garishly faux, on my wedding day. But I really wanted long hair. So, I bought the color ring, matched my hair color, and ordered the clip in 23 inch wavy hair, in "Buttered Toast" and gave it a try. It took a little adjusting to get used to the hair clip in-there is a learning curve, and you really have to work to blend it in, but once you put a little effort forth, the results were really surprising! It made my naturally thick hair appear fuller and healthier, and LONGER! I already had long layers, so it looked like my hair had just grown. A trick to dulling the typical shiny nature of synthetic hair is to use hairspray to dull it down, and add shine spray to your own hair, so they blend more naturally (They have human hair as well, if you want to splurge and not worry about mis-matched texture).
My awesome friend Alison helping me get ready, and petting my weave.

I tried the hair do out on a few occasions-always try hair and makeup several times before the big day-once to meet up with my good friend Laura in DC, and her boyfriend. They both couldn't get over how FAST my hair had grown and how healthy it looked. Laura even touched it up close, until I whispered "it's FAKE". She couldn't believe the hair was fake, until i quickly unclipped and pulled it out. She gasped "I have to get this", which became the sentiment of many of my girlfriends after discovering my hair growth secret!
So I decided that I would have the long hair I had always wanted for my wedding day. I clipped my hair half up with a vintage rhinestone barrette I'd found on ebay, pumped a little more hairspray onto my head and ventured out to get married! My hair stayed secure all night, and I had SO many comments on how gorgeous and long my hair was-friends who I hadn't seen in months asked what my secret was to getting my hair to grow so fast! Frankly, I forgot I was wearing a hairpiece, it fit in that well and made me feel that beautiful. We had a few glitches with light rain, the cake being completely wrong, but overall, my wedding was wonderful.

Fake hair and all.

my wedding photos were by the amazingly talented Monika Broz and Andrew Wilkinson

Pretty Wedding Hair. Part 1

It's your wedding day, and naturally you want to be your most beautiful self. Finding the right hairstyle for your big day can become a pain, especially if your hair isn't the cooperative type (like mine!). I really love the trend of soft, natural hair with a little embellishment, such as pretty hairpins or barrettes that just a touch of something special. What if you want these styles but don't have long hair? Stay tuned for part 2 and my personal story of getting long locks for your wedding day!