Martini and Milk modern meets vintage

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.