TIPSY FRIDAY

Twas the night before the guests arrived and nothing was stirring, not even a mouse (thanks to my tips)!  WOW, how did we get to the end of November already?  Obviously it's been a bit of a hectic week for me as every client pushes to wrap up projects before guests start rolling in for the holidays, so I love to look back on days like this at a few of my favorite tips that help make hosting just a little easier..start with cocktails, of course!
REUSE/RECYCLE: Because it's been so frigidly cold in the northeast, I popped my pumpkins outside after Halloween (the ones I didn't carve) so they'd stay nice and hard while we roast away by the fire inside.  Next week they'll be ready for their close up when I carve them in half and use them for various things..smaller gourds get filled with dips, medium sized ones are used as vases for dry arrangements and I love to cut a pumpkin in half, carve it out and use it to serve beverages near our bar…
CLEANIE AFTER YOUR WEENIE: A clients ten year old walked into the kitchen I had just completed designing this week and plopped a dozen stinky hot dogs into the microwave and walked away letting them pop and sizzle (and stink up) the microwave!  To clean up after this little lovely person, I placed a measuring glass filled with water in the microwave and ran it for five minutes.  Use extreme caution when taking out as the water will be boiling (duh), but any baked on chunks will fall right off and your turkey left overs next week won't taste like wiener!
OY VEY THE DUVET! Ever lost your favorite t-shirt then you find it hidden in your duvet cover months later?? This is a common problem many have when washing a duvet with open ends…other laundry items tend to sneak their way right in!  Here's how I avoid that problem..by adding an extra step to the washing process, after removing the comforter I snap or button the duvet back up..seems pretty simple, right?  It keeps outside objects from coming in!
LIGHTEN UP BUDDY! Someone emailed me the other day after watching clip from a show I was on a few years ago.  She was having major problems in her bedroom…don't go there, folks..it's a family show!  At any rate, the lighting was awful because she had an awkwardly placed window that let very little light into the room.  To balance out the space she followed one of my tips..of creating a fake window by hanging a store bought shutter on the wall, framing it out and placing rope lighting behind it.  A few simple steps for a bright idea!