Relationship Question: Do You Use Music to Set the Mood?

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Music has a pretty amazing ability to set the tone for whatever type of situation you’re in. But Mark and I have a little secret for when we’re feeling romantic: Woody Allen – Music From His Movies. There are four volumes of about 20 songs each, filled with jazz and old standards from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. And trust me when I say that it’s all terribly romantic. It’s the perfect background music for a candlelit dinner for two or a cocktail hour at a wedding. (Or slow dancing in your living room! We’re big proponents of living room dancing in our home.) When you listen to it, you feel like you’re strolling through the rain on a quaint Parisian side street in Midnight in Paris or laughing over escaped lobsters in Annie Hall. Whether or not you’re as big a fan of Woody’s films as Mark and I are, I think you’ll agree that the man sure knows how to pick a soundtrack!

annie-hall-halloween-costumesMark and I as Annie and Alvy, Halloween 2012

Do you and your significant other use music to set the mood? What songs are your go-tos?

P.S. Here are a couple more relationship questions for ya…

Do you go to bed together?

Do you celebrate your dating anniversary?

Illustration: Mark Saul for Hooray Hurrah

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DIY: No-Carve Terrarium Pumpkins

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Oh, the cuteness that is happening right here. Instead of carving my pumpkin this year, I decided to take some liberties with the Halloween tradition and decorated my plump white pumpkin with some terrarium moss and tiny plastic animals instead. Artistic license, ya’all.

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I used the stem as part of the landscape in my pumpkin terrarium too—a tiny tree stump!

Here’s how to make your own terrarium pumpkin…

I Used:

  • Pumpkin
  • Moss
  • Tiny plastic animals
  • Hot glue gun

Instructions:

  1. Map out where you want your animals to go, and glue them down directly on to the pumpkin.
  2. Glue the moss down second, surrounding the plastic animals.

That’s it! Easy stuff.

Photos: Mark Saul

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The Little Things

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Mark and I went to the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday morning, and I stumbled upon the tiniest pie you ever did see. Then, just a few stalls down, I found the smallest, most precious little apples I’d ever laid eyes on. At that point I decided to make a game of purchasing tiny produce (why not?), so I picked up a few mini potatoes and a petite white pumpkin too. Just a silly, rather literal reminder that it’s the little things in life… like farmers marketing, pies so tiny they make me smile, and Sundays spent with the guy I love most.

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The pie was a butternut squash pie. This was my first time trying a butternut squash pie, but it will not be my last. It was kind of amazing.

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A feast fit for a mouse!

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Wedding Bells: Would You Wear a Non-White Wedding Dress?

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Confession… It’s been a year and four months since Mark and I got married, and my gorgeous Sarah Seven wedding dress hasn’t even made it to the drycleaner yet. I know that I have no excuse at this point, but I’ve still been debating what exactly to do with it. Do I clean and preserve it on the off chance that my future daughter will want to wear it? Do I shorten and dye it so that I can wear it again? Do I donate it?

We went to our lovely friends Maxwell and Genevieve’s wedding a couple months back and it was so beautiful that I had to ask Max if I could share a few pictures! The whole wedding was just charming, but my very favorite part of it had to be Genevieve’s dress. Instead of wearing a traditional white wedding dress, Gen opted to don a navy blue Zac Posen gown.

Genevieve looked gorgeous, and even more importantly, she now has a beautiful gown (with so many lovely memories tied to it) that she can wear on more than one occasion. And with her long white veil, there was no doubt that she still looked like a bride.

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Our wedding wasn’t the most traditional, but for some reason it never really occurred to me to look for a non-white dress. I’ve seen brides wearing pastel or metallic shades lately, but Gen’s navy gown proves that you really don’t have to limit yourself these days. I think the most important factor in choosing a wedding dress should be that you feel beautiful in it and it’s exactly what you dreamed it would be. If you look gravy in navy, wear navy!

Anyway, here are a few more pictures from Max + Gen’s elegant and classy Carondelet House soiree… Continue reading

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DIY: Pompom Mobile

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If there are two things I love in this world, it’s pompoms and my husband, Mark. So today I am just pleased as punch to present a guest blog from Mark, where he will show all of you how to make your very own pompom mobile in six easy steps. What a treat!

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I like to knit. But with this darn Los Angeles sunshine, there’s not much use for a closet full of scarves and knit caps right now. So, I decided to take all that extra yarn I have lying around and make something that can be used all year long. Say hello to the pompom mobile.

I Used:

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Instructions:

Step 1: Pick your colors. This part’s easy. Unless you’re indecisive. Then it’s very difficult and will take many hours.

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Step 2: Make your pompoms. You can get a kit from your local craft store or make your own template by cutting a rectangle out of cardboard with a smaller rectangle inside, wrapping the yarn around it multiple times, tying it off through the opening, cutting along the edge, and trimming as necessary. Make sure the piece of yarn you’re using to tie it off is extra long. These strands are going to come in handy later.

For a 7-inch-wide mobile, I’d make about eight or nine pompoms of varying sizes and colors, but you don’t have to listen to me. I’m not your dad.

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Step 3: Wrap the hoop. Unscrew the embroidery hoop and wrap your yarn around it until it’s completely covered. When you’re done, screw the hoop back together.

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Step 4: Pompom placement. Arrange the pompoms in whatever order you like by wrapping the long strands around the hoop, gathering them about a foot from the top and tying a knot.

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Step 5: Hang it up! Find an appropriate place to hang your new mobile. Try it over your desk, or your bed, or your baby’s crib.

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Step 6: Don’t have a baby? Here’s how you make one:

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Pretty neat, yes? Think I can convince Mark to do some more guest blogs? By the way, if you’re not the craftiest and still want a super cool pompom mobile of your own, you can also purchase one of Mark’s creations right here.

P.S. Here’s my DIY pompom wrapping paper!

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