Design Advice & Special Events for July 2017

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1 Design Advice & Special Events for July 2017 Sasha Witte Interior Design Reach us at: Hello Kellie, Wendy and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Washington DC & New York City. The highlight of the DC trip (in case you find yourself there sometime soon!) was the Hillwood Home of Marjorie Post. This beautiful estate was a joy to tour! So much history and art plus acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and a hothouse collection of over a thousand orchids!! (HillwoodMuseum) In New York City, we visited the Cooper Hewitt museum for the first time. They had an outstanding display of Jazz Age furniture, fashion and art. It was incredible!!! (CooperHewitt) Now I am back in Long Beach and happily inspired by a beautiful diversity of historical styles!! I hope your summer is full of inspiration and adventure and time with friends and family!!! Love, Sasha Wendy & I in the gardens of the Hillwood Estate in DC! "Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." Matsuo Basho

2 Upcoming Event Pow! Wow! July 16th July 22nd The Third Annual POW! WOW! kicks off here in Long Beach this month. This weeklong live art exhibition features globally renowned artists creating large format art pieces using Long Beach buildings as their canvas. Throughout the week, the public will be able to view the creative process as these giant murals come to life. A real treat I enjoyed last year & look forward to again this year!! PowWowLongBeach.com Summer Entertaining Ideas Summertime, and the living's easy. That's the motto here in Southern California when the sun goes down past 8pm and the weekends are filled with bike parades, sidewalk chalk sessions and BBQ's. I've always been a major fan of the outdoor gathering, and there's no better time to entertain outside than summer. Read on for some of my favorite ideas on summertime entertaining! 1. Decorative Design with Summer in Mind Hang String Lights...as Many as you Can! Nothing says "backyard party" quite like a few strings of white lights.there's something about white lights hanging from the deck that invokes warm fuzzy feelings of friendship and invites long bonding sessions on the patio. Don't have a covered patio to hang lights from? Pick up a few wooden posts to attach your lights to. Stick the posts in a few pots with stones or bricks to anchor them down and cover the top of the bricks in green moss or succulents. Paint your Votives Summery Colors: Collect a few simple glass votive candle holders (or pick them up from a local home store) and dip them in fun zany acrylic paints. This is a fun activity with older nieces and nephews as they help you get ready for a family dinner party!

3 Pink, green, blue and yellow are perfect hues for summer!! Make Floating Centerpieces: Fill some simple, shallow bowls with water. Gather your favorite flowers, cut off the stems and float them on the water for a simple centerpiece. Peonies and gardenias make a lovely delicate centerpiece, while black eyed Susans and zinnias make a bold and bright eye catching one. Hang Lanterns: Paper lanterns in summer hues are an easy way to bring more color to your outdoor dinner party. Hang lanterns on trees and from the deck and reuse them at each party, changing out the hues to match whatever color theme you decide on. Bring out the Fine China whe entertaining for a Few: If there are more than ten folks coming over, it's almost a given that you'll be breaking out the plastic forks and paper plates. Disposable ware makes for easy cleanup that is kind to the host. But if you've invited just a few close friends, why not bring out the fancy stuff? I love any excuse to use china dishes and backyard parties are no exception. The contrast of beautiful white plates and silver flatware against a garden backdrop is very satisfying. Build a Photo Area: Photo areas are no longer just for weddings! Make each party you host an opportunity for your friends and family members to create lasting memories by building a designated photo area. It can be as simple as hanging a wooden photo frame from a tree branch for people to poke their heads through, or as extravagant as cutting colorful paper into triangles and stringing them on driftwood to make a backdrop. Whatever it is, get creative and make some memories!! 2. Drinks & Food, the Bare Necessities of Life (And Parties) Serve Fancy Water Cocktails:

4 Who says water has to be boring? On summer evenings I love taking a pitcher of water and throwing in some sliced cucumbers and mint leaves. It's amazing what some fresh herbs can do to water!! Have a rose bush? Gently wash some rose petals and place those in your water pitcher, along with sliced strawberries and squeezes of fresh lemon. Rose water, complete! Keep a Beverage Station Separate from the Food/Tasty Bites: Facilitate more spaces for people to mingle by separating a help yourself beverage station from the food/deserts. Make a section dedicated wholly to coolers, ice buckets, drinks, glassware and accessories like straws, wine glass charms and bottle openers. It can be as simple as having an extra table out, or pulling a tray table/bar cart from the living room to act as a bar area. The separation allows more spaces for conversation, as well as preventing tasty bites from getting spilled on. Freeze Fun Ice Cubes: We've all seen those photos on Pinterest of fun ice cubes one can make for summertime. I urge you to try to make some this season! I love the look of frozen fruit cubes, where you mash watermelon, kiwis and strawberries with some lemonade and leave them in an ice tray overnight. The green and yellow cubes are absolutely adorable and taste fantastic in cocktails or with white wine! Another easy trick is to use frozen raspberries or blueberries. Plan a Meal with the Basics in Mind:Sometimes I get bogged down with making too many dishes and cooking days beforehand. Alleviate some of this pressure by sticking to one protein and three sides maximum. Protein can range from fish to chicken to pork, but keep it simple and let the sides color up the plate. Offer one vegan side like potato salad or roasted cauliflower, one side made with cheese (for extra protein), and one raw side like a fruit salad or greens.

5 Serve Fruit for Dessert: Whatever your planned meal is, I'm 99% sure that fruit will make a perfect dessert. Go to the farmer's market and pick up lush berries and mango or pineapple. Some fresh whipped cream (simply mix whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for one minute in a cold bowl) on top makes it delicious while keeping it low calorie (although nothing beats ice cream and strawberries!) 3. The Extra Mile Make a Hospitality Basket: I always believe that good hospitality is an essential part of being a good party host. As well as doing the usual stocking up of toilet paper and soap in the bathrooms, it's good to keep a cute wicker basket nearby of anything your guests might need during the party. Place in it items like Kleenex, bug spray, sunscreen, hand wipes, hand lotion and light outdoor blankets for after dark. Bring Out the Cushions: Pull out as many pillows as you can for your seated guests. The plushness will make them linger longer and keep the conversations flowing. Don't have enough chairs for the whole party? Make a floor lounging area nice and comfortable with outdoor rugs or blankets and cushions. The lounge area will provide a nice laid back vibe to more casual dinner parties and double as the perfect "kids table" for your nieces and nephews. Hold an Outdoor Movie Night: A friend of mine just did this last weekend It was so much fun!! Recreate the romance of drive in movie theaters at your next backyard shindig with an outdoor movie screen! A DIY screen made from PVC pipes and a thick white sheet will make your party truly memorable. Better yet, hold monthly outdoor movie screenings to re watch all your favorite classics with your best friends. I hope you use some of these ideas while hosting summer parties! Please share your favorite ideas with me too I love trying new things!!! And feel free to check out our blog posts for more ideas!

6 Sasha Sasha's Blog "On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined; No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet To chase the glowing hours with flying feet." George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage "I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends." Nancie J. Carmody Featured Artisan Kathy Brown Over the years that I had the opportunity to have our little retail shop on Broadway, one of our best selling artisans was the talented Kathy Brown! For years her wedding pillows have been featured in Good Housekeeping magazine.

7 Oprah had her appear on her show and featured her fabulous baby pillows!!! Kathy's love of textiles began at a very young age. "I came from a generation that made all my own clothes. But I even took my shoes apart and covered them with fabric to match my outfits in high school...imagine!" Kathy graduated with a degree in Home Economics from the University of Idaho. Since she had always loved to sew, she started Krazi Krafts, her business, here in Long Beach. "The business has been great to me! I have shipped pillows all over the world!" As a creative person, she has constantly been inventing new things to keep her brain busy and happy. Every wedding pillow is different. The inspiration for her baby pillows came from her twin babies that she raised on her own they turn 42 this month! I recommend checking out her website for some of her fun pieces currently available. And her prices are so reasonable it makes it simple and easy to add a fun touch of style to your happy place!! Link to New Featured Items of the Month

8 Currey & Company For the last couple of years, Currey & Company has been coming out with some of the most innovative lighting designs!! They have a wide variety of styles that could play into either traditional or more contemporary spaces. Their new Carmen Chandelier (above) has a classic orb shape in a fabulous forged leaf design that is finished in silver granello. It measures 23" around and would be a fabulously fun touch in the right space!! Regularly it retails at $2,060. But this month order it or any other light fixture by Currey & Co and we'll take 25% off the regular retail price. That would make this stunning fixture just $1,545!! Check out their Designer Galleryinspiration page for stunningly beautiful spaces outfitted with pieces by Currey & Co. To see their collections and their inspiration images, visit: Currey and Company Kate Spade by Jaipur Rugs If you are a fan of the bright colors and fun designs of Kate Spade, I'd recommend you check out her rug collection now available thru Jaipur Rugs. The Gramercy Rug featured above is hand tufted in India using wool and art silk. It is a study in asymmetry, with a beautiful floral bouquet casually tossed to the side. It is available in a variety of sizes from as small as 2' x 3' to as large as 9' x 12'. Jaipur is our source not just for the Kate Spade collection of rugs, but also for a wide variety of hand tufted and hand knotted area rugs in both traditional and more contemporary looks. For greater value, they also have a collection of machine made rugs available! Order any Jaipur area rugs from us this month and we'll take 25% off the regular retail price. To see more or the beautiful creations by Jaipur Living that we can offer you, visit: Jaipur Living Recently Around Town! Carol was looking to completely remodel her master bathroom. She was ready to add color and better connect the look and feel of the space to her master bedroom and sitting area where she already had beautiful

9 stained wood furniture and colorful art and bedding. So we added efficient and beautiful new cabinets that included tall but shallow upper storage cabinets (perfect for storing toiletries, makeup etc.) Electrical power was included inside her new upper cabinets for hair dryer ease of access and electric toothbrushes. We also added a beautiful new mirror, artwork and accessories to help the space better reflect Carol's vibrant personality. Did we mention that the shower was also ready for a complete overhaul? The shower was already spacious but very much stuck in the 1960's and not in a way Carol or I liked! So we added new tile and decorative details, a bench for comfort, a seamless glass shower enclosure and recessed niches for shampoo and soap! Check out the website for more images of this master bath remodel along with others we have recently completed. SashaWitteDesign.com Company C has been one of my favorite bedding suppliers over the past few years. Whenever possible, they use certified organic cotton when crafting their pillows, duvet covers and coverlets. Add lightweight warmth and texture to your bedroom with their soft cotton matelasses. Check out their inspiration images and use them to select accent pillows to pull your bedroom together and create visual interest. Create a room to relax in with their luxurious bedding so you can sleep peacefully and wake up to beautiful color!! CompanyC.com

10 Save 25% On Orders Placed thru us for Company C During July, save 25% off any bedding or rug order from Company C that you place with Sasha Witte Design. This excludes items already marked down for clearance. Offer Expires July 31, 2017 Sasha Witte Design Sasha@SashaWitteDesign.com STAY CONNECTED