Posts by Dian McManus
I have never felt so giddy in spring time like a baby on a swing as much as I feel now!
My darlings, this Mrs. McM is about to give birth! In A FEW HOURS. On MARCH 14th! Exactly on our darling Lolo’s birthday!!! Yay! What an honor. It is so funny how this planned C-section has been making me feel. I feel like we’ve been planning a party or an event and the big day is almost here. Except that we are not sure if the guest of honor will really feel like showing up on the scheduled day and time or she will make last-minute changes. Ha ha! I am so giddy, giggly and sometimes gaga when the baby wiggles so hard in the belly like right now. This must be spring! And literally, a baby will be on a swing soon. Astrud Gilberto was right. “It Must Have Been Spring.”
I said to the sweet husband last night, “I have an urge to blog. I have not blogged for awhile. This urge is like the urge of nesting. I HAVE to do it.”
Before I pop! Today.
So here I am finally back at writing. I have been dying to share with you the loveliest party in town thrown in honor of me and the baby in early February, at the Montage Hotel, Beverly Hills. I have been too tied up with the monthly, bi-weekly then weekly doctor appointments and finally tonight is the night I want to tell you all about it.
My baby shower. It was a dream come true party for me. It was the most gorgeous high tea party of 20 ladies (and their little ones) I have ever imagined and seen! I was so blown away by every decor detail and prop that were put together on the long table, on the invitations, on the paperie for the games and on the ladies’…wrists, waists, and necks. My dear bestfriend Irma and her magic hands is the person behind the setting – you may have heard of her name many times from my blogs. Her professional work usually involves huge set designs for the Oscar Governor Ball’s Preview Cocktail parties, Emmy’s and numerous high-end clients like Burberry and Swarovsky. But for this little friend of hers, in between her dedicated working hours everyday, she searched high and low to give me a party I REALLY wanted. She had been thoughtfully gathering ideas and making sketches for my baby shower since probably summer last year!She collected thoughts of the things she knew I would REALLY love. She showed them to me and of course I squealed in a high-pitch tone full of overwhelming delight!!! I am so lucky I could be (once again) her “special client” for my party! Irma, I owe you big time for the decor idea you gave me and sketched for me!
Here is my talented Irma at the shower tea. Adorned with a gorgeous corsage that she handmade herself. All 25 of those! To be worn as a corsage on your wrist, waist, neck or anywhere the guests liked! I love the corsages so much that I put some of them in the nursery as a decor!
Irma and I were back and forth thinking of the right place with the atmosphere and decor to match with the royal, classic high-tea, “your Sunday best” style where the “royal” guests of honor could dress up to the nines for the occasion. (Because you know, I happen to have friends who love fashion and mostly love to be photographed. Just like me. Ha ha!).We giggled so much throughout the whole planning, right from searching for the venue. The more challenges we faced, the louder our laughter. Then I contacted my high-tea lover friend, fabulous Susan Lubron who came up with a few places to help me choose the perfect place. One of the names she mentioned was the Montage. My heart stopped. I have always loved the Montage. I knew it was going to be the one. Once I talked to the professional and friendly Catering Director Shaun Brown and Catering Coordinator Alicia Wall who sent me pictures of the elegant and beautiful Montage Library private room , I knew I didn’t need to look further. I didn’t even need to visit it. I just knew the room would be perfect for the event of a lifetime (besides our wedding, but really this one was as exciting!).
Susan and me at the Royal Tea!
Irma created this invitation that consisted of five loose pages filled with images of the Versailles (and the Montage Beverly Hills resembles this palace, don’t you think?!), chinoiserie pictures, delicate China tea cups and saucers, and all the beautiful colors that I love from the world of decor! I really want to have multiple pages of this invitation covering the wall of the nursery like a wallpaper.
Introducing Baby Fiona’s little nursery! The cherry blossom wall art decals are also from Amazon. They are so easy to apply that Keira could help me sticking everything on the walls.
The mirrored table is from Target!
I chose this ghost chair instead of a glider!
I also found this wall art that I think is really cute! I have no more walls to play with this one, though. But you might like this for your little one’s nursery!
Irma knew I had to have bright colors in my parties (or outfits). So she made sure the colors I love would dress the elegant Library room at the Montage to have more of my personality and style. Pink, red, yellow, chartreuse, green, blue, and gold were added as the “Dian colors” in that room (that were in sync with the colors in the invitation). With all those details of the decor in mind, she came up with creating that darling invitation inspired by the “royal” feeling you get when you go to a high tea party, like as if you were invited by Marie Antoinette at the…Versailles. Nothing wrong of dreaming big, right? She chose the Versailles picture in the front of the first page of the invitation and the rest of the pages depict the occasion and of course, since we are going to have a spring baby, she chose the theme of spring (which is also the theme in the nursery): cherry blossoms, chinoiserie (“Chinese-esque”) everywehre. Blooming buds of flowers. Gorgeous delicate china sets. I could not ask for more. Wait, I never had to ask, because she aready knew. Lucky me!
My sweet mom aka the “Royal Queen” and me (with Irma being busy in the background!). Thank you, Royal Queen for the shower you gave me!
Irma also knows I am a big fan of Kate Spade’s style of bold and playful colors. The Library room at the Montage Beverly Hills is an elegant, graceful room furnished with dark wood panels, book cases, tables and chairs. It also has a stunning and cozy fireplace with comfortable seats and a coffee table. The room is perfect for the feel of the event as we wanted it to be a grown-up tea party. Yet, we could also make the room look pretty, warm and inviting. And I wanted to invite the little guests who came with their mommies as well. The layout of the room was perfect for the shower. The little ones were seated by the fireplace area with their own little tea party trays of cookies and children-friendly sandwiches (Nutella sandwich, anyone?). Then they could shake the sugar off from their pint-size sweet little bodies by running around on the grass in the adjacent courtyard while their mommies were busy chatting and sipping their tea.
From left to right: Audrey (Sandra’s princess), Caitlin (Lolo’s), and Keira (mine) sitting pretty after running around on the grass.
I enjoyed every single thing I picked out at Paper Source (I ALWAYS LOVE this store!) for the favor boxes, endless ribbons, envelopes for the invitation and a wax stamp to seal the invitation. I can always be there for hours and get even more ideas for every crafty thing I want to make for an event. For our wedding, I also got every paperie thing I needed to create our own invitations.
We also needed additional decor items, such as the fabric for the table liner. I remember being on the phone with Irma from Joanne’s Fabric store and we chose the fabric ‘together’ virtually via email and text messages. It was definitely fun though we were almost running out of time. I am so lucky to have so many girlfriends who wanted to help to make this “RRRROYAL” tea party come true. Lolo herself volunteered to pick up the cake and brought it in tact. My other mommy friend Sandra Kosasih (I need to blog about this amazing mommy, by the way, so you will get to know her) who worked on one of the games and made it all look pretty and perfect. Just like the way Sandra is. Then my other close mommy friend Putri Sarnadi also helped me putting together the favors. She is a fabulous mommy of two who always finds the time to help me in between her full-time career and taking care of two kids! Very inspiring. And Irma found the white vases to put the fresh flowers in on the table from a friend of hers who is always there to help with an open heart! So sweet!. We all made a perfect team to work for this party! Thank you SO MUCH, girls for all the effort and energy you put in for me while you were already so busy with your responsibilities as a mom!
Thank you, Irma for this beautiful “Princess Marzipan Cake”! I feel like I want to frame this cake picture as a decor in the nursery! Thank you Lolo for picking the cake up from Berolina Bakery!
Irma’s drawing of the tea party table. I would LOVE to have this decor for our dining table.
TOPIARIES! I love them as much as I love mirrored furniture! I got the artificial 16-inch topiaries for the table decor from Amazon. Now the topiaries from the shower are all over our tiny place. I love it! They are so fresh-looking but yet still classic.
This is the original decor of the Library room at the Montage Beverly Hills before Irma and I transformed it…
And after we transformed it…
One of the games that Irma came up with. What a sweet idea!
The favors Putri and I created look like this one for my darling photographer friend Dela Dewi who took gorgeous photos of the royal tea party!
Each favor consisted of a tea tin of Dragon Pearl Jasmine (because the baby is a Dragon baby and because I love Jasmine tea and pearls!), a box of homemade cookies I made with the recipe, and a honey jar. Next to each person’s favor is the guest’s name on a topiary place card holder. Also from Amazon!
I should probably catch some sleep before the surgery. But I am not sure if I can fall asleep. Too much excitement. Too giddy. There are going to be at least two birthdays today: Lolo’s birthday and baby Fiona’s birthday!!! I cannot wait for the two of them to meet for the very first time on their birthdays!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my darling Founder!!! HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY, my darling baby McM #2!!! What the world needs today and everyday is love. May you two always blossom like a spring flower! May the love that blooms in springtime last a lifetime!
Happy swinging from my heart to yours. From our home of love and giggles to yours.
With tender love,
Mrs. McM!
This “nesting” is done and I will be really in labor soon, girls! Thank you for the being excited for the McManuses!
Many Christmases ago when I was growing up as a child in Indonesia, when Santa actually came on December 5th following the Dutch tradition, I always wanted more glittery glitzy decorations on our not-so-tall Christmas tree. Presents were always nice but I know I just wanted more festivities on our Christmas tree, more beautiful ornaments on top of the annual new Christmas dress. Everytime my parents took me to a nice shopping center, I remember vividly how I just stood there in front of an expensive-looking, fully-adorned stunning Christmas tree with dreamy eyes. How I wished we could at least have been able to afford a few of those glimmering, gorgeous Christmas ornaments. I knew my parents couldn’t afford to get many of them back then. Many of those glass ornaments had to be imported so the prices were not very friendly to our modest wallet. Our Christmas tree was always decorated prettily with nice ornaments but I knew the tree needed more. Deep in my heart, all I wanted for Christmas every year was for Santa to bring me an enchanting fancy Christmas tree.
Santa heard me finally. Either that or I am finally not naughty and have been nice. Or it’s because I got married, have a family of my own and we knew we got to have our own Christmas tree to make our own little family’s Christmas tradition. And we live in America full of Target, Hallmark and Disney stores that have many affordable beautiful Christmas ornaments in front of your eyes right after Halloween is over. Not to mention the annual Nutcracker ballet performances, that we see twice every year, that sell delicate ballerina and Christmas ornaments at the door. So my dream has come true. We got our own Christmas tree that seems to be more embellished than ever every year, if not every week in December.
Christmas lights! Christmas lights! I love how Keira gets excited seeing every home’s or building’s Christmas lights when we drive or when we sit at home.
I love Christmas lights and beautiful wreaths, especially when the greenery is combined with this vintage blue painted door!
A real tree always makes a heavenly shape!
Keira helped me decorate our Christmas tree. Her little hands are the sweetest ornaments in my heart!
I know someone will always have a fancier Christmas tree than our little one but I am gleeful with what we got because now I get to decorate our own with every single ornament that tells a story about our little family.
This is an “Irish Home” ornament I got three years ago from a Hallmark store.
This is a “Snow White” ornament that I got for Keira for her first Christmas. At that time, she had just watched Snow White the movie for the very first time.
December IS my month. I love Christmas and decorations so much and the love is so abundant that I feel so giddy whenever I hear the Christmas songs. My bestfriend told me that, actually, reminded me that this year, when she saw a picture of me posing in a Santa-looking dress full of adornments with my big growing belly and all, on the beach. I didn’t care if I looked ridiculous. I was too delirious because it was Christmas time and the holiday season is the best time of the year for me to decorate anything in sight and belongs to me. That includes Keira, her gingerbread house, my outfits and our little home. I love the ornamental month too much!
Next year, we will go more creative on our gingerbread house like these holiday houses from Capadia Designs
With that said, my favorite month of the year is now about to end and I have to do something about it! I hate to leave the Christmas spirit! I cannot leave it behind without a celebration, however big or simple it needs be. I know I always do Christmas as big as I can, at decorating and at singing the Jingle Bells at least. So with New Year’s Eve, I do big with singing Auld Lang Syne and maybe one day when Santa gives us a bigger place, I want to have a bigger New Year’s Eve party with more than just glitzy hats and noisemakers.
I am still dreaming of white Christmas and a white house that can hold all of my friends and family partying with us tomorrow!
In gold, silver and white! And faint grayish blue! In Old Hollywood glamor, of course. I cannot have holiday festivities without a touch of vintage and glam because it just reminds me of the glitz of the bygone era…or year.
Smores! Dressy smores! I cannot wait to make these tomorrow! Dress up your smores with sparkly sprinkles! And have a glamorous cocktail as your plus one!
As featured in Elizabeth Anne Designs
Get your glam party hats on and make a lot of noise! From Etsy.
Don’t forget sparklers!
Now I gotta have my glistening vintage-looking sequin dress on! The kind that stretches for my growing-than-ever belly. Or a Burberry sequin dress for you?
Then of course I need to put a bow in my hair!
It’s been such a fabulous blessed year and I wish you a darling new year ahead! The kind that is full of love, pride, good health and glam glitzy moments that melt your heart.
With love from my heart to yours,
Mrs. McM!
And family!
Glittery holiday season is seen and felt everywhere! How I love it so, so, SO much. It’s the combination of feeling so festive and jolly as well as wanting to look glistening more than ever. Wouldn’t you agree? Whether you are a Santa believer or not, the holiday seasons may want to make you feel like, at least,…shopping. More shopping, if you know what I mean. Hopefully, we shop more for others as well as ourselves! For those who love high fashion and beautifully-wrapped presents, we got fabulous cards that can go darlingly well with your thoughtful gifts to your girlfriends who appreciate the same things you do!
Martini & Milk joyfully represents Pergamino®! Fine Papers For The Well-Heeled® A line of chic greeting cards to illustrate and communicate a fabulous woman’s essence: her beauty, her sense of style and – of course – her wicked sense of humor. These beautifully-designed greeting cards are made with modern women in mind. The modern women who are stylish, witty, and value-conscious with an eye for detail. Pergamino’s dedication is to save our planet and give back to the community. The products are made of recycled paper. They are also hand-made meticulously in the USA by disabled adults whose purpose in life is to acquire job skills so they, too, can live to their fullest potential and feel the pride that comes from financial independence.
Pergie®, the company’s trademarked character is the unique disposition of Pergamino. Pergie® is a modern woman who loves fashion and always carries fresh attitudes. All the Pergies are beautifully-illustrated women who have it all: confidence, independence, efficiency and a great sense of humor.
“Although the illustrations in our greeting cards show the consummate fashionista, they resonate with every woman – no matter what her age, ethnic or social background” says Chicago-based founder Monica Montejo Luburich.
Pergie® girl is also described as sexy and driven, witty and wicked, nurturing and sensual, decadent and savvy. And I completely agree! Now who doesn’t want to be like Pergie®? 
I want to be like Pergie®! In fact, Pergie® even comes in a preggo style! It is love at first sight to me.
I am crazy about this one. I hope Santa sends me one of these. From the Pergamino’s Glitterati Collection: Expecting She Glows.
Inside Message: You’re Bringing Preggo Back.
Exotic HOBOT birthday card.
Inside Message: Celebrate like it’s your first kiss. Happy birthday!
Dancing Divas! With blank message inside. Great for a holiday card or wishing someone a fabulous New Year (or New Year’s Eve) or a dress-shopping trip ahead! I want their glistening gowns for the New Year’s Eve party!
Let’s be festive! All you need to do is check out more styles and order from us! Email me at dian@martiniandmilk or Lolo at lolo@martiniandmilk after checking out more fabulousness at Pergamino®! Stay tuned for upcoming Pergamino® cards at a Whole Foods near you!
viagra
Happy Friday! With that, I present to you my very first Editor’s Notes where I share things beyond home decor pretty things to you.
Written always with love.
Lolo’s Beluga text gave me a good laugh this morning. She said that she had a dream about me and Irma. Something about meeting with farmers, playing Barbie dolls and hosting lunch (played by me, apparently), and Irma’s 2-year-old son playing race cars that almost tripped everyone over in the room. See, Lolo, Irma and I constantly text on Beluga. We chat about anything you could ever imagine. From 2AM, 6AM, 9AM, 10AM, through 11PM and back to 2AM. Pretty much every hour. For an hour. While we multitask. We never sleep. Well, it feels like it when you are a mommy with a little one or a bunch of little ones. Even when we sleep, we constantly think of things that fold into randomly funny dreams. Then we wake up feeling like we never had the sleep. Mommies are constantly on the move. That’s why one day I thought we should have our own little pod of chatters by installing the free and fabulous PRIVATE mobile application: Beluga. As in a type of whale that is known for its high-pitched twitter. Perfect. This Beluga I talk about is not a real whale, however. It’s an app that does not cost us any extra bill to pay to the telephone company and it is addictive. This way, I thought we (Lolo, Irma and I) could remind each other that we are quite crazy, silly, delirious, exhausted, non-athletic but smart (yes, Irma, Lolo and I think that we are quite impressive with our individual strengths and even weaknesses)…strong, creative, energetic, fashion addicts, powerful and quite wonderful. Lolo and I occasionally call ourselves without shame: Wonder Women.
I suggest you try Beluga (if you have not) and create a pod for you and your friends who keep you going in good and bad times. The app, which works on iOS and Android phones, allows you to sign up via Facebook and creates BlackBerry Messenger-style groups for synchronous messaging with friends. This app has been our shrink, our shoulder to cry on, and our comedy central. Even if noone replies right away or makes any likable comments that the other one would wish. The fact that it is there for us, it’s comforting. We talk about so many random things. In different languages. But most importantly, our chat makes us laugh a LOT.
Of course, the app can also be used for a more serious, business-like pod of conversations. But we never really take things THAT seriously. Though we do get things done even more efficiently by Beluga-ing.
Enjoy your Beluga, my darlings.
Smooches,
Mrs. McM
Editor
Helloooooo! I am back! Did I fall off the planet? Not really. Just got a bit rounder on the belly and somewhat sidetracked by doing 1001 other things!
But it’s true! I am pregnant with baby McM #2! After trying for a year and experiencing some losses, this time the baby seems to like her mama’s belly and is sticking to it! Yeah!
Let me back up a little bit to see where I left off last time I wrote to you.
Summer! I missed writing to you after summer started. So much celebration of love happened this summer! First with my “Pin-up” birthday party. PIN-UP! I have always been in love with the 50s. So who else but my theatrical-minded bestfriend Irma who came up with the Pin-Up party theme for me at the 50s-inspired boutique hotel Avalon Beverly Hills. I just LOVE this boutique hotel. Yes, next to the Viceroy hotels. (And it IS part of the Viceroy Group. No wonder.) To me, it’s one of the best birthday bars and lounges – CBS seemed to agree with my pick. The staff was so amazing and service was excellent! I was definitely treated like a star there. I would recommend the sales team to you if you are thinking of having your next event here. The birthday girl got three, everyone: THREE (!), fabulous poolside cabanas for my special cocktail night. (This was before I found out about the pregnancy if you were wondering).
The hotel even let me display a little decoration for keeping up with the party theme. One of Irma’s many gifts to me was a set of white frames filled with my favorite Pin-up style photos of ME (ha ha!) that were taken by my husband Sean (as part of his birthday gift. So sweet!). Now, how silly and giddy did I get that whole week leading up to my birthday? Beyond every silly and giddy emotion I had ever felt in my entire 36 years of life. I was so into this Pin-up fever. I loved posing endlessly for the photoshoot (taken at home with an orange backdrop that Sean especially ordered for this birthday-celebration business), I loved the Pin-up style invitation that the bestfriend made me . I loved the venue for the party and I just loved loved the party itself because it was full of the people I love. I loved the postcards that Irma made me as “love letters” from the guests. All of these images, that were made with love, have joyfully decorated our living room. Yes, I love bright colors as much as I love myself. Ha! That’s a lot of love not to share with you!
Did we have fun, or what? Pin-up girl Lolo spectacularly posed and geared in a special “fruit cake” dress only for ME!
The brain behind the theme and me! YEAH!
With some of other fantabulous Pin-up girls!
That was one delightful event with a lot of Pin-up style posing, I’ll never forget it.
That arc lamp reminds me of ours. If you want to create a 50s look in your apartment or house, pick a colorful hour-glass dress, shake a cocktail, then start decorating. Remember: bright colors. Maybe you’ll find this 50s-style wallpaper in a design that is inspired by the Avalon hotel. Maybe that will give you the mood to throw an all-girl party and dress up like those darling 50s girls.
I love these 50s wallpaper designs by the internationally-renowned Sanderson!
In love with the 50′s color palettes? I am. From pistachio-sage green, bright lemon yellow, aqua blue to flamingo pink colors…they will go so well with your vivid red lipstick. Colors from this era were fresh, light, and often in pastel shades. Though black and white also made its appearance paired with bright red, orange or pink.
One of the sweetest events in one’s love journey is, blissfully, a wedding! So, off we went to witness a beautiful, chic, all-white wedding in Manhattan, in July. One of my dearest girls in New York got married! She was one of my first girlfriends in New York, one of my (six) bridesmaids in our wedding, one of the most beautiful girls I have ever admired, one of the smartest girls that I have known in the financial world, and one of the most fabulously-dressed girls I love going shopping with. And, I never really knew her other talent, decorating, she is one of the most talented and creative decorators I have ever seen! She made the cocktail and reception rooms extra elegant and swanky at Trump Soho.
Maiyang Saridjo, you are always inspiring! This girl transformed her dreams into reality (and stayed within her limits) by designing, creating and decorating her own wedding centerpieces and displays, in an utterly-chic, New-York-City-girl way. No one would have ever guessed that she made her striking aisle runner herself. The runner that was covered with hundreds of rose petals, glued carefully, one by one, only days before her wedding. She was very immaculate and particular with what she wanted, and how she made them happen. I love that about her. I was so impressed when she told me and showed me how she made every single item a dream come-true. And she made it sound so simple and doable. Even when we were on the phone a few days before her wedding, she calmly told me that everything was as scheduled. (She would make such a great event planner!) She had friends helping her and her apartment was full of branches. They were beautiful, chic, and tall decorative Manzanita branches dipped in a large, glass vase filled with flowers, and draped with dramatic hanging garlands of crystal-like beads. I was so in awe when she showed me some snapshots of her demo branches she took with her phone. They looked like they could have been made by a professional designer. Now, that’s one smart Manhattan girl!
That was the most beautiful and chicest white wedding I have ever attended where the bride actually made every single decoration herself, with the guidance from insightful websites.
Hydrangeas in tall, clear glass vases like these would make any home or wedding venue look dramatic, modern but yet classy and chic. Add votive candles and rose petals on display to create warmth and romance in the air! And of course, a glass of wine won’t hurt. Unless you’re pregnant like me. (Though I heard a sip won’t hurt – check with your doctor first, please;)
I love tall cylinder and square glass vases. You can get them at affordable prices from websites like Save on Crafts, Michael’s and other craft places. It’s up to you if you want to use real or silk flowers. While you’re on these websites, you may find yourself getting more inspired and creative. (I just bought myself a beautiful glass cake pedestal for $15 – hey, you can never have too many desserts or pedestals for cookies and cakes!)
The trip to New York City to have my fix of Manhattan again was absolutely darling. I always miss the city and it was so good to be able to introduce Keira for the first time to the enchanting city that once made mommy live her twenties to the fullest. And for that, Keira even got the honor of being the flower girl at her Auntie Mayang’s Manhattan wedding.
Not surprising that Mayang’s wedding was fabulous. A fan of Philippe Starck‘s design would definitely choose something that is timeless and beautiful for their special day. Or everyday life.
Mayang and I are passionate about the classic Louis XV ghost chairs that Philippe Starck reinvented for Kartell. But Mayang is the lucky one, since she owns a set of these lovely creatures. Design Within Reach maybe just around the corner from where you sit. This is the only ghost that I am not scared of.
As summer seems to linger longer here in Los Angeles, the bright and bold colors of autumn start to come alive. I woke up one morning to a crisp autumn breeze, feeling so ready for fall. I cannot wait until the sun is not as bright, and lower in the sky. Don’t let the summer glow fade away when the creeping chill sneaks in. Preserve the bright summer colors inside your cozy home. In the spirit of October, I promptly hung the autumn leaves on our front door. Yellow and orange mixed with earthy tones. Just add the autumn mist and write a poem…I am feeling rather romantic. More than usual.
We are ready to carve our pumpkins this weekend. I love these beautiful pumpkins!
Now…tell me if you don’t feel like cozying up by the fire after looking at this picture.
Have fun decorating for fall! I am always here to brainstorm ideas together with you! I might not be able to be in touch with you by Halloween weekend since Keira is turning three on the 28th and a costume-fashion show party is underway! That means mommy is going to be extra BEE-zy! That gave me an idea. Maybe I can be a bumble bee this Halloween.
With lots of love!
Mrs. McM!
Smooches.
This is the original decor of the Library room at the Montage Beverly Hills before Irma and I transformed it…
