Thursday, March 31, 2011

You're Invited: S+S Soiree

We could not be more thankful for our readers. Without you, we would be lacking inspiration and creativity. We would be lost. So we want to celebrate with a virtual party S+S style. Equipped with a tablescape that screams S+S, what we'd eat, what we'd drink, what we'd wear. The works! Since we can't be with you all to celebrate, we will pretend.

This tablescape was created by the ever so talented, Eddie Ross. If these colors don't capture S+S, we don't know what would.


The only thing that would complete this table setting, would be this hanging from the ceiling...
Hello Lover.

 To get the Eddie Ross look, we have found the following pieces to include:

Our signature cocktails:
The Sadie {Sapphire Raspberry Mint}

The Stella {Strawberry Champagne}

What we would serve for dinner:
Arugula Salad with Strawberries
Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Toasted Goat Cheese and Twice Cooked Red Chile Sauce
And no soiree is complete in our eyes without a mashed potato bar....
{Recipes to follow on S+S chow}

What we would serve for dessert:
What we would wear to the event:
{karta}


And of course the girls would be in attendance! Wearing party hats along these lines... 


Cheers to YOU! Thanks for being so lovely!

Reminder to enter the Dani Notes Giveaway!


Are you feeling lucky?! Don't forget to enter this extraordinary giveaway for a personalized Dani Notes Platter! You will be able to choose your style, color and font. Hurry, You don't have too much longer! In case it slipped your mind, here is the low down...

TO ENTER:
1. Become a follower of S+S {if you already are, fab!}, please visit Dani Notes and comment here to tell us which design you would choose if you won! 
2. For an additional entry, like Sadie + Stella on Facebook,  and Sadie + Stella on Twitter, come back and comment here letting us know.
3. For another additional entry, like Dani Notes on Facebook, again, come back and comment here to let us know.
This giveaway ends Monday, April 4th.

And to remind you of how AMAZING these platters are... 




Wednesday, March 30, 2011

70's Murder Mystery Partay...there has been another murder.

So, we promised you the nitty gritty details of our 70's theme party that we hosted last week...and we are here to deliver! This 70's themed party was like none other, it was a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. I cannot even tell you where I came up with the idea to do this, but I did. I have been to an actual Murder Mystery Theater Dinner before and it was so much fun, so why not host one at your house! So we started googling ways to host an at home Murder Mystery party and came across a kit called: How to Host a Murder. Clever name...I know. The game gives you ideas from menu choices, (which we did not follow because they were going with the whole hippie theme, ie bean sprout salad, yanothanks) costumes (our friends came up with their own hilarious renditions of their characters from the 70's. Men in women's pants, no we are not kidding) and even home decor (which we also didn't follow as they suggested a tie-dye love pad). So basically, we made up our own game.

So instead of these suggestions, we chose to host an Italian feast (including the Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago), with all of the trimmings, and decorate the house in a 70's Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern theme. The house was exuding Dean Martin, circa 1969. Here is what we came up with.
This tablecloth is a Raw Linen Robert Allen Fabric in Raspberry, that I found at JoAnn's at 20% off. Score. This fun little embellishment you see on the cloth can be credited to a little grosgrain ribbon and fabric glue.

Another view.
 To achieve the mid-century modern look punchy colors, organic fabrics, brass accents white ceramic accessories are in order. To continue with the theme, here was the bar area.
We even hooked up our murder suspects with note pads for copious note taking on all of the evidence presented.  
For those of you  who are desperatrely wondering who the killer was...we can't tell you. You aren't old enough. You are going to have to get the game!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Chronicles of the $10 chair.

Remember the $10 chair?
Well it's been waiting patiently for some TLC and I think I finally decided just what to do with it! Ever since the fabulous Emily Clark posted this diy on painting upholstery I haven't been able to get it off my mind! I would love to have it recovered or try recovering it myself but neither of those options are in the cards at the moment. Painted upholstery might be just what the dr. ordered!

 Kristy at Hyphen Interiors did a phenomenal job transforming this...
into this...
All with a little paint. I. DIE. 
{See the step by step process here.}

Call me crazy, I think I am going to take a swing at it. Wish me luck. I will be back soon with the results!

Monday, March 28, 2011

It's Dani Notes Giveaway Time!!

Boys and girls, mostly girls, we have very exciting news for you this afternoon...Dani Notes has been gracious enough to do a giveaway for Sadie and Stella readers!! What is she giving away, you ask? Well readers, she is giving away one of these bad boys...
Sometimes we are very jealous of your readers. Ok. So Dani Notes is going to giveaway one Personalized Melamine Platter of your choosing. You can choose pattern, color and personalization. It will be all yours!! Mwahahahah! 

TO ENTER:
1. Become a follower of S+S {if you already are, fab!}, please visit Dani Notes and comment here to tell us which design you would choose if you won! 
2. For an additional entry, like Sadie + Stella on Facebook,  and Sadie + Stella on Twitter, come back and comment here letting us know.
3. For another additional entry, like Dani Notes on Facebook, again, come back and comment here to let us know.
This giveaway ends Monday, April 4th.

Allow us to show you some of your other options for platter choices, should you win this fabulous giveaway. 
Aren't these awesome?? These can make a fantastic gift for someone or even an addition to those plate walls that we spoke about recently...Good luck ya'll!

monday musings: accent chairs

Chairs can serve as the ultimate accessory in a room. With the right color, pattern and shape, a simple chair can transform the room's mood and give it new life. We have a few chairs of our own waiting for some love and it's time to find some inspiration!

SWOON. Love the curves, and ADORE the color.
The suzani is simply perfect for these tall wingbacks.
hello beautiful, green ikat. you really are lovely. especially with that fabulous rug.
 
The mix of traditional and contemporary elements in this space is fab. 
More of that gorgeous color. I can't get enough. 

The color in this room is delicious. 
What a fantastic pair.
Beautiful Bergeres...


{images via lonny, house beautiful and elle decor}

Happy Monday dear readers! Check back later for a giveaway that is sure to start your week off right!

Friday, March 25, 2011

s+s chow: Creamy baked fettuccine with asiago and thyme...oh and caprese salad

So in the spirit of our event we have planned for the evening...we thought we would share some of the recipes that are making an appearance at the soiree. If you are coming tonight...don't read this post. And if you still are going to proceed reading, make yourself useful and bring your fat pants tonight.

This recipe hails from the Italian Cuisine Queen herself, Giada de Laurentiis. This is just so good and easy, that we have to share.

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme
Ingredients
1 pound fettuccine pasta
2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Aiago cheese, creme fraiche,Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.
To accompany this ah-mazing dish, we have also included a caprese salad recipe. Folks, if you have never tried to make this at home, please do. It is incredibly simple and so rewarding! 
Caprese Salad
Ingredients
3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices
1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices
20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt and pepper
Directions
Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

We hope you all enjoy your weekend. To come next week, pictures and details from our party this weekend and a very exciting giveaway. Stay tuned... 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

mid-century modern madness

Ummm so maybe the guys are into March Madness, but not so much for us. We are thinking, Mid-Century Modern Madness! Our bracket has retro, vintage, unique architecture, clean lines, fun colors, stone, organic material and funky shapes all going to the Elite 8.

So we are totally in the theme of the 70's. We are hosting a 70's themed party this weekend, which we will give you the deets on next week... but this whole set up has got us thinking about mid-century decor. Think Palm Springs! We are hoping to achieve the same aura for our party as we cannot handle the whole "hippie" theme.

We love the look of mid-century pieces mixed with old and new. Please look at this first room. What is not to love? From the organic grasscloth wall coverings, to the oversized quatrefoil mirror. The colors? To die. Don't even get us started on the light fixture. This room is sure to win a bid to the Final Four. No?
David Jiminez has done it again! When I see these x-benches, I immediately think Jonathan Adler. The sleek architecture and bright white, with the gold and lush accents...this room is a slam dunk. 

What do you know...another x-bench. How did that manage to make its way in here? Orange velvet chairs and holy statement lighting. This dining room screams Palm Springs. 
{desire to inspire}
We are slightly obsessed with this room. We love the understated tones of the room to immediately lead your eyes to those amazing chairs. Basically everything from the Viceroy Hotel is droolworthy. 
{the famous Viceroy hotel}
Yeah. Well of course, it wouldn't be Mid-Century Modern without an appearance Jonathan Adler. X-benches...snuck their way in. Again! We wouldn't have it any other way. We have never loved white walls so much!
{the Parker Hotel, designed by Jonathan Adler}
Love how the focal point of the room is that amazing structure above the fire place. Its reflective and asymmetrical and absolute perfection. It immediately draws your eyes above to the grand art deco chandelier. As you know, we love turquoise. Cannot go wrong. 
Doesn't this room just make you feel like you are in the desert? I feel like we could walk out of that sliding door into 100 degree dry heat in Palm Springs. This room is the quintessential Palm Springs. We love the addition of the lucite chairs to the mix. 
So to achieve this look affordably and quickly, we have selected a few items for you that are sure to throw you into the category of mid-century modern.

Statement lighting? Yes, please.

What is mid-century modern without an x-bench? As you all may or may not know, these benches are a tad pricey. So we found you a very affordable option with many choices of color from Ballard Designs.

Another fun ottoman option:
So obviously we are going to need white ceramic accessories to achieve our look. 



Items made out of organic materials...which also happens to be an animal. Weird. 
To top the look off...we are going to need some fun accent pillows.
Have a wonderful Thursday!