Gatherings

Music on. Glasses clink. Conversation flows. Community is at the heart of our gatherings, and intentionality is key. Here we cover all elements of hosting a great party without the stress, while tapping our favorite tastemakers to share the unique ways they host at home.
Dinner Parties
Hosting Tips
How I Gather
Menu Ideas
Set the Table

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Design

The Kissing Sailor Couple’s Costume

Alfred Eisenstaedt’s 1945 photo of a sailor kissing a woman in a white dress is one of the most famous photographs ever taken, and one of our all-time favorites. “The Kiss” (or “V-J Day in Times Square”) was taken shortly after President Truman announced Japan’s surrender during WWII. While many photographers posed their subjects kissing […]

Design

A League of Their Own Costume

Okay, so this costume has been on our collective Halloween bucket lists since, like, 4th grade. We don’t just love Penny Marshall’s 1992 flick about girls playing baseball for all the great quotes — it’s the incredible 1940’s costuming, hair, and makeup that put this film on our all-star style list as well. Ever since […]

Design

Shipwrecked Couple’s Costume

From Lost to Castaway to Survivor to Gilligan’s Island, I’d say our culture has a bit of an obsession with the idea of being stranded on a desert island. I’m personally guilty of being inexplicably fascinated by the (not very possible) possibility of being washed ashore on an uncharted isle and having to fight for survival: […]

Design

“The Dress” Partner Costume

It was the biggest viral phenomenon of 2015, meaning it’s just begging for an homage this Halloween. I’ll never forget the moment my brother showed me a photo of a dress and asked what colors I saw (team #whiteandgold, by the way)… thirty minutes later, the internet had lost its collective mind over this thing. I mean, […]

Gatherings

A Southern Designer’s Pinterest-Worthy Brunch

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a stylish Southern brunch with my designer friend Katie Kime to celebrate the opening of her first brick and mortar store. It was an unforgettable morning full of gorgeous design (her house!), amazing food (churros!) and a guest list that included the chicest gals from both […]

Design

Linger On

Did you happen to catch Cindy Crawford’s lake retreat in this year’s September issue of Vogue? It’s rustic preppy perfection (and it should be, since she had a friend from Ralph Lauren help with the decorating). We all swooned over the dreamy feature here in the office, and it definitely re-awakened some old lake house […]

Design

Tablecloth Turned Haunted Playhouse

If you were to crawl under the table at my mother’s house and look up, you’d find the space filled with childhood hieroglyphics that my siblings and I left behind. For whatever reason, a boring piece of paper or coloring book wasn’t enough of an attraction for our crayons, colored pencils and markers, and their tips […]

Design

Monster Favor Bags

Ah, the magic of googly eyes. How is it that they’re so simple, yet as soon as they’re placed on any inanimate object, it’s brought to life? I love testing that theory around the office — sticking googlies on computers and soda cans and lampshades — and it’s proven true every single time. So for Halloween this […]

Food

Football Watch Party

Call me a fair-weather fan, but I equate football season with one thing: parties! Whether you’re inviting friends to gather around the tv in your living room, or meeting people at a genuine pre-game tailgate, the common denominator is good drinks and really great food. A lot of you guys have been asking for menu ideas […]

Food

Halloween Monster Cupcakes

This morning as we took the kids on a walk around the neighborhood, we spotted the first few houses all decked out with giant spiderwebs, ghosts hanging from trees, and witches guarding front doors on their broomsticks. It definitely made me start getting in the spirit of things — which is perfect timing since today’s […]

Gatherings

Shannon Eddings

Whoever said kids have no place at a cocktail party must have never met Shannon Eddings. Not unlike her interiors, this Austinite’s gatherings are classic and tasteful, but always with a hint of playful whimsy (and in the case of today’s gathering, that whimsy comes in the form of a toddler playing “mixologist”.) The mother of three is a pro at […]

Gatherings

A Tailgating Bloody Mary Brunch

It doesn’t take more than spending a few minutes with Catherine Stiles to think to yourself: Can we be best friends? Not only does being tight with her mean access to some of the greatest barbecue in the country at her husband’s Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, but it also comes with a lifetime membership to some of the best Texas-style […]

Food

Maple Molasses Donuts

I think it’s safe to say Summer is officially over.  It’s suddenly a little too cold in the evenings to go out in a tee shirt, and naturally I’m craving anything spiced.  Now that we can use our ovens happily without resenting it, I think it’s time to get baking.  These donuts are the perfect transitional breakfast […]

Food

Sprouted Rye Apple Butter Muffins

It might not be sweater weather quite yet here in Austin, but I’m feeling pretty autumnal anyway, thanks to one of my favorite fall crops: apples. I was so surprised several years ago to discover that Texas boasts several thriving apple orchards, and now as soon as the rosy Galas, Annas, and MacIntoshes start coming […]