The White Library

Sandra Downie Style & Design Episode 2. Citrus Themed Party Ideas

admin — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:29:24 +0000

Can I say how happy I am that it’s Friday. I am looking forward to this long holiday weekend with my family. Do you have any special plans? We should be opening the pool, but it will still be a few weeks as our pool opening company is backed up with orders. The weather hasn’t been the best so not sure we are missing out LOL. Well I am excited to bring you the 2nd episode in my webisode series Style & Design. This is a citrus themed party idea I thought of after returning home from a trip to NY to find that my hubby had bought me a bag of Cuties. I thought that was so sweet of him as I had mentioned that I wondered what they tasted like after seeing the commercial one night. I must admit to you lovelies… leave it to the camera to REALLY show you how much weight you have gained. This is why my diet and I are best friends right now. Down 8 pounds and counting. Soooo next time I hope you will notice the progress. I’m looking good…lookin good! p.s. dieting sucks when your such a food and sweets lover like me! My goal is to be like my idol who I see on the commercial…the M & M candy dancing to the song…I’m Sexy and I know It. Have a great weekend!

Wedding Wednesday: {In The Press} Sandra Downie Event Designs Styled Shoot + 1

admin — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:01:24 +0000

So much going on here at SDED headquarters (AKA my little home office). I have two FAB interns, and we launched our pretty new website, with expanded services for our clients including floral design and vintage prop rentals. So excited about these services as I have been an avid “treasure hunter” of vintage items for years and have been doing floral designs when entertaining for friends/family for years as well. Hoping this will make the life of my clients a lot easier so they don’t have to go to many vendors for various items. With that said, I am also excited to share the recent press we have gotten 1. The Knot NY featured one of my most beloved dessert tables and 2. WellWed Hamptons featured the beautiful Marie Antoinette inspired photoshoot I designed and styled last Summer. I worked with an amazing team of vendors and the shoot was photographed by Melani Lust. I will share the entire photoshoot with you all on another post next week or the week after. So many pretty details in the shoot, it really was just lovely!

SPRING/SUMMER 2012: WellWed Hamptons

SPRING/SUMMER: TheKnot-NY 2012

The TJ Maxx & Marshalls Giveaway Winner Is…

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:08:15 +0000

Hi lovelies! I wasn’t around here on the blog all last week. There was so much going on as we are getting into our busy season here at SDED. So many fun projects and can’t wait to share them with you along the way. Finally, today I am happy to announce the winner of the TJ Maxx & Marshalls Spring Giveaway.

We will be in touch!

Last Weeks Lovelies & Finds: Vol 5

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:45:32 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day. Mine was good. I vacuumed, did the laundry and some organizing in the morning but the rest of the day was all about me. Saw the movie The Avengers (been waiting to go), went to my favorite local restaurant Barcelona and went to see my husband’s mom in MA. Overall it was a relaxing day that I enjoyed with my daughter and my hubby. Found some things I wanted to share with you all from last week. Sweet, pretty and useful. All things I love.

Top Row: Found the cute pink and green canvas tote bag at Barnes & Noble. They had blue and white as well. Awesome ladder find at HomeGoods. Middle Row: Shopping at Staples for my office supplies just got better. I got this AWESOME coupon to use towards a purchase of the Martha Stewart office collection. I will be getting some stuff for my girl cave makeover. Salted caramel chocolate from Godiva. Yeah, it’s really good. Bottom Row: Found the perfect color of Red nail polish from Creative Nail Design. (it’s the shellace polish in Hollywood). This cute little bistro chair is only $15 at IKEA. Helloooo good deal.

Confessions: My Wish For This Mother’s Day

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:45:00 +0000

It’s Friday and according to my new editorial schedule today should be party related. But it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want to LOL So it’s been a while since my last Confessions: It’s time for another and what better time than for Mother’s Day as I have been having this feeling for several months now. What feeling you may ask? The feeling of emptiness. Say what?

Let me clarify by saying my love tank is full (OK half full) but it’s not fully on E either and it’s chugging along. BUT with my one and only off to college soon, I have been feeling quite empty and she hasn’t even left yet. Questioning whether or not I should have had an “only”. Do I want another baby? (no definitive answer there as starting over after 18 years would certainly justify my admittance into a mental institution some would say…including yours truly) Should we make the leap and get the puppy we have been talking about since we bought our home? The answers to these questions are still cloudy.

My daughter, a few days ago, asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. I didn’t know what to say. She has been working for a few years now and feels she can buy me what I want. What I have figured out that I do want from her is acknowledgement that I did a good job as a mom. We had a cry fest the other day as I dropped her off for school. We got on a touchy subject that had us both spilling our guts in a few minutes, like we have never done before. I listened. I cried. I asked for understanding of my mistakes as a mom. We hugged and that was it. As I drove away. I realized so much more what I wanted was to feel like I hadn’t made a mistake in my life by choosing to have an only. Knowing that all my eggs were in this one love basket for my daughter. Asking what am I going to do with my life now?

photo by: Growing Tree Photography

Some people would say travel, work on your business, spend time with the hubby. Yes Yes Yes to it all. But will all of that be fulfilling for ME? I don’t know.

So my dear readers/friends my wish for this Mother’s Day is for an answer. An answer to the questions “Will I be OK when she is all gone”. I guess time will tell.

If you have an only, do you regret not having another and do you have fears of what you will do when that only leaves the nest?

p.s. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all you lovelies who are moms. It’s one of the things I will forever be grateful to have been able to experience in my lifetime.

DIY: How To Dye Lace With Walnut Ink

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:29:31 +0000

I am so happy the week is almost done. Has your week been good so far? I was playing with some lace the other day and at the same time working on another project using walnut ink. I decided I would see how the lace would look with the walnut ink sprayed on it and to my expectations it was a lovely finish.

What you will need:

STEPS:

Cut as much lace as you are going to need.
In a small bowl place your lace and spritz with the walnut ink color of your choice (I used the terra cotta color)
When you are done spritzing, rub the lace in your hands so that it gets rubbed deep into the lace (I use gloves so the ink doesn’t get all over my hands).
Lay your lace on a piece paper towel to dry.

Finally:

Make a pretty project with your lace: I made a little photobook TO MAKE: Cut craft paper to your desired sizes and layer with embellishments and your newly died lace.

Wedding Wednesday: Incorporating Lovely Lilacs

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:39:36 +0000

We have a VERY big lilac bush in the corner of our backyard. Unfortunately, we have almost two acres in the back so I rarely get to smell them as their scent is so beautifully strong. My hubby always jokes about how he is the lucky one when he is mowing and gets to get numerous whiffs of them as he is riding by. He brought some in for me yesterday as a surprise and I was ever so grateful to see them sitting on my counter this morning. They started smelling up the entire kitchen as soon as he put them down. You gotta love lilacs. How about for your wedding? Here are some lovely ideas on incorporating them into your big day. p.s. Did you know that they come in white and soft pink?!! Yup found some a few weeks ago. I admit it. I was creeping in a neighbors yard and snipped some off their tree. Don’t tell FLORAL TIP: Since the stems of lilacs are what floral peeps call having “woodsy stems” to make them last longer, you should cut an X into the ends on the tip with sheers/scissors or smash the ends with a hammer (kid you not). This allows the branches to soak up water more quickly and steadily so they last longer.

1st Row L via R via| 2nd Row L via R via | 3rd L via R via | 4th Row L via R via | 5th Row L via R via

Beauty Academy: Snow White Inspired Beauty Picks

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:13:04 +0000

Before getting into the events business, yours truly was a sought after makeup artist and certified Esthetician (skin care therapist). I worked with several celebrities, did New York Bridal week, got published in several magazines etc…yup, I was and still am the bomb he-he (yes I still love helping women look pretty on the side, it’s in my blood) Well from now on I will be sharing more of my beauty tips, tricks and secrets here on the blog. You won’t mind will you? Let’s get to it shall we. Two Snow White inspired movies are hitting theaters soon, so I thought it would be fun to share some of my top beauty picks inspired by the movie. These are really fab products that I have personally used and love that will help any of you women feel like a true Disney princess. (let’s just hope their isn’t a wicked witch around the corner waiting to start some trouble)

1 These lashes I have used on many clients. They are my go to both personally and to use on others. They are just enough to give you a bit of glam without putting you into drag queen mode. Snow White would approve! About $4.99 at CVS or Sally’s Beauty Supply| 2 Red is a tricky color to get right on everyone but this color from Chanel’s Rouge Coco collection in Gabrielle looks good on everyone. $39 | 3 Want brighter looking skin as clean as snow? I use this Benefit face polish 2 x’s a week to keep my skin look fresh and hydrated. It has a small amount of glycolic acid in it as well, so it really helps to unclog the pores. $22 | 4 I have this blush and I LOVE it. The color is called pinch me and it really is the most loveliest shade of blush pink. I use it every time I wear makeup. $20 | 5 OPI launched the NYC Ballet Collection. Many of the colors are soft and pretty and aren’t to loud on your nails. $8| 6 Benefit i s offering a new limited edition set to celebrate the release of Snow White and the Huntsman in theaters. It has everything a girl might need to get the Snow White look. The bag alone is so gorgeous, you have to get it. $45

Last Weeks Lovelies and Finds {and a blog update} Vol. 4

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:20:32 +0000

Happy Monday lovelies! This will be short and sweet as this Monday is jam packed with to do’s and have to’s. My weekend was busy busy busy. I was so happy to have made a sweet floral arrangement for a dear friend who wanted to give it early to her mom for Mother’s Day before she moved out of state to Florida (happy to say her mom loved it as well as her dad). I love making people smile. Here it is: {Her mom likes purple so I made sure to incorporate purple flowers into the mix}

As for the blog update: It’s not a bad thing, just an organizing thing. I am often pulled in so many directions that I needed to get on more of a schedule with the blog. I sometimes have posts ready to go in drafts and other times I wake up and wonder “what do I want to blog about today”. Well setting myself up up on an editorial calendar will make things a lot better and organized for me. So moving forward, you will see the following content on the following days (sometimes a giveaway or news may be inserted instead on a particular day, but in general this is how content will be shared moving forward)

Mondays: Last Weeks Lovelies & Finds. {stuff that I loved or discovered that spoke to me or caught my attention}

Tuesday: Beautiful living. {from beauty, to style & fashion, to home décor and more}

Wednesday: Wedding Wednesdays. {all things lovely related to weddings}

Thursdays: DIY Thursday {DIY and craft projects via photos or my video series)

Fridays: Celebration Friday {party ideas from cocktails recipes, to food recipes to party decorating inspiration hostess ideas etc}

Oh this is going to make my life so much easier

Top row: POPS: rice krispie pops from Forbidden Sweets. LOVE the cocktail themed one for a bridal shower or girls night out. POLKA DOT PRETTIES: I stopped the car immediately after spying the polka dot lovelies in the J. Crew window. That dress was mine.

Bottom row: TIN CANISTER: The linen covered Paris canister was waiting for me to come by and pick it up. It’s just perfect. CUPCAKES: I saw these at Walmart and just had to try them. They cost under $4 a pack and they tasted good surprising. They also had chocolate and lemon flavored

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Cinco de Mayo And A Pomegranate Margarita

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:38:32 +0000

Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday, May 5th and I can’t think of any other way to celebrate and get the party started than with a tasty margarita or two. I came across this seriously, no I mean seriously AMAZING pomegranate infused tequila called La Pinta. Now I am not really a margarita fan compared to other cocktails I enjoy, but this has certainly caught my taste bud’s attention. The pomegranate tequila, made from premium liqueur maker Clase Azule, really knocked my socks off. Yeah I mean really. Like OK, this stuff hit me so hard I had to go to bed. But it was gooood.

I never really enjoyed straight up tequilla before becasue I just didn’t enjoy the taste. But this stuff, you can toatllay drink straigh tup and on the rocks. But be warned. It’s a sipping kind of drink. Not a throw down. La Pinta is a fusion between the finest Tequila and the juices of an exotic variety of Pomegranate fruit. This combination of ingredients gives it a sweet flavor and a unique aroma and body (probaly why I like it so much) Really lovelies, this is something you will want to add to your liqueor cabinat ASAP.

I came up a with a simple margarita recipe using this tequilla. So here it is:

POMEGRANATE MARGARITA

1 oz La Pinta Pomegranate Margarita

1 oz triple sec (orange liqueur)

2 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz orange juice

Orange wedge and/or pomegranate seeds for garnishing

Ice

DIRECTIONS:

In a blender combine all the ingredients (except garnish of course) add ice, blend and enjoy.

Photo taken for me by Nick Caito