if we had helped 100 children it would have been worthwhile

in light of tomorrow's holiday - the one day it is absolutely appropriate and acceptable to eat candy until you're blue in the face (and tongue) - i wanted to share something with all of you that you may not know.

100 years ago milton hershey founded the hershey school (yes, in hershey, pa). the school has lots of history, but here we are today, and the milton hershey school is the largest, cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children of social and economic need --from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. 

the reason i'm posting about hershey's chocolate the day before halloween is to suggest that this year, you buy hershey's for your trick or treaters because of this little known fact....

a percentage of the proceeds of chocolate purchases (not just halloween candy though, so it's a good excuse to buy chocolate year round) go to the trust fund for the milton hershey school!

how great is that?!

get more information about the school here: http://www.mhs-pa.org/ 

and more information about milton hershey's legacy here: http://www.mhs-pa.org/100years/

milton hershey 100 years ago:

 

click here to see which of your favorites are hersheys products and give yourself a pat on the back for helping a great cause!

happy halloween!

tomorrow: pumpkin carving!

*quote by milton hershey

witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear october's days

this morning is stumbled upon this posting on casa sugar...accompanied by this picture:

at first i thought, that's really neat. then i thought, is that plastic?

the answer would be a resounding no.

this pumkin is courtesy of a DIY feature on Vogue. VOGUE! intersting, consdiering Vogue really isn't known for a DIY.

(get the directions here)

but i suppose when jewler eddie borgo is involved, a DIY feature is completely appropriate.

now, i'm not a fan of halloween in terms of costumes, but i do like halloween decorations, especially with such a creative flare...and with a real pumpkin, no less.

over at cupcakes and cashmere, our lovely emily has embraced halloween decor in quite the appropriate and haunte-ing (and somewhat girly) manner

a glittery skull in a silver skeleton hand:

an unexpected spider (sorry mom)

a bowl of skulls as a centerpiece (beats fake fruit)

and a feather wreath that channels kat von d

check out z gallerie for most of the decorations featured on emily's cupcakes and cashmere (and add her to your reader!)

besides carving a few pumpkins on halloween i won't be decorating this year...or throwing on a costume. i would, however, be 100% willing to sport michelle chang's necklace:

if you haven't stumbled on michelle chang's jewelry on etsy you definitely should. i recieved some bangles from her yesterday, which i will hopefully post soon. every order is hand made from her brooklyn studio, and she is just sweet as pie.

there is the always dependable thomas wylde for some skulls to add to your wardrobe:

*image via sacs en ligne

and there is always the skull-lustworthy stylings of alexander mcqueen

*image via style by me

and the ever popular skull scarf that almost every celebrity has been spotted rocking at one point or another (and the one scarf i have been drooling over for years...and i mean, years...)

*image via saks

how will you be ringing in halloween 09?

*quote via unknown

i love the rain, i want the feeling of it on my face

oh how i love october rain. it's different than spring showers - from the temperature to the smell. in october you walk outside and the leaves are fiery in front of grey clouds rolling overhead. underfoot, acorns (that i'm convinced squirrels purposefully throw at you) crunch. rain drops make reverberating circles in puddles and it's just chilly enough to make your nose cold and a hot cider perfectly appropriate.

the one and only thing i don't like about rain is when the bottom of your pants get wet. and it's not just a little damp, it's downright soaked. so unless you cuff your jeans or pull on some wellies for the walk to the car, it's almost unavoidable.

there is something about the wet ground that just attracts jean legs...have you ever noticed that? rain = wet jeans, guaranteed. and the big problem with wet jeans is that it weighs down your pants so the bottoms slide under your shoes and you inevitably wear the edges of your jeans! simply awful.

the only way i've come to combat the wet-jean-torn-bottom syndrome is to cuff my jeans and top it off with an umbrella and embrace the october weather.

*save it for a rainy day

*quote by katherine mansfield

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color has taken possession of me; no longer do I have to chase after it. I know that it has hold of me forever... Color and I are one.

i love color, i think it should be every where - art on your walls, on your bed, in your living room, in your bathroom tiles and linens, in your clothes and in your food. there is nothing better than food that is bursting with color; food that stirs the senses before you take a bite; food that tempts you with a single glance and before you even taste the food it has you wrapped around its finger without the slightest sense of remorse. 

the only thing that is as tempting as food erupting in color (scent and flavor) is colored appliances. from their retro vibe to their ability to inspire any man, woman, and child to try a recipe just once - they are, simply put, divine.

these colorful appliances could get anyone cooking up a storm in the kitchen...how could you not want to spend a chilly sunday afternoon in front of one of these?

*aga ranges 

this stove below from nordic-home would be just lovely in a smaller kitchen. coupled with some fun dishes, pots, pans, linens....definitely fun and quite a conversation piece. how many people do you know that have an aqua stove/oven?

*nordic home 

Big Chill Fridge has an insanely well marketed retro product line that even the most color fearful would be tempted to put a pale pink fridge in their kitchen or buy one of their dish washer panels to toss a little color in to the mix.

*Big Chill Fridge 

some of the pictures from Big Chill's website are so delicious, you simply can't help but re-imagine your dream kitchen with a colorful retro fridge....because really, everything can't be stainless steel!

*Big Chill Fridge 

*Big Chill Fridge 

there's really a color for everyone's style...

*Big Chill Fridge 

and a subtle retro touch for a beautiful white kitchen....

*Big Chill Fridge 

pink fun for a house full of girls...

*Big Chill Fridge 

and Rachel Ray's set!

*Big Chill Fridge

 if a fridge is a little too much color (or stove, oven, cooker, etc.) we all can enjoy our favorite recipes with our trusty and classic kitchenaid mixer in a gorgeous blue, green, or pink (or any of your favorite hues)

*pick up your pretty kitchenaid mixer here

there's even a colorful retro kitchen play set for all our mini-me's

*baby earth 

*quote by paul klee

whatever you do in your decorating philosophy, be brave....never wish you hadn't taken your vision right to the end. make a bold statement.

ever since elle decor featured betsey johnson's edgy pink home, i have been obsessed with the idea of a raspberry colored dining room with lush flowers of the same tone in mismatched vases on a vintage table covered in golden light strewn from mismatched candle holders...i'm a fan of vibrant colors, golden light, and as many layers as possible, what can i say?

my mouth waters every time i think of this spread. betsey's knack for detail is undeniable in this pictures. i love when a home can really reflect the essence of a person - otherwise, you might as well live in an androgynous hotel room.

*images courtesy of {this is glamorous}

and then i recently saw this picture from Pigtown-Design and my heart was aflutter. the red couch is insanely bold and the zebra studded doors are as dramatic as it gets. the clustered art work is perfection and the book collection (via the reflection in the mirror) looks lived in - like any good book collection should be.

*image via pigtown-design

*title by roger banks-pye