Local Love: 5 Phoenix Mid-September Events

The winds of change are in the air! Time to head out, clean out, clear out, make a few changes to your home plus wardrobe for the cooler weather months ahead and also start some fall travel. The temps here in Phoenix may still be burning in the 100's, but don't let that stop you from getting in a fall frame of mind. Getting out of the house to support local businesses is a great way to kick off your fall season - and even help get you "in the mood" if you're not already. Support your local teams during tailgate season - for recipes and tips, read my guest post this week at Hadley Court: 10 Tailgate Treats to Try! Looking for fresh produce? Most Arizona Farmer's Markets Summer hours are still in effect (because of the heat) but will shift come October when it's cooler. Keep an eye on the markets at ArizonaFarmersMarkets.com. Looking for fun & festive decor for your home? One place in particular to start is a visit to Sweet Salvage - who for the past three years has been voted "Best of Phoenix" with their monthly themed vintage market, open only the third weekend of each month.

 Meet the Sweets Team!

Rustic Remains - Sweet Salvage Vintage Market Event - Phoenix
Thursday September 18 - Sunday, September 21

This over the top event will bring you the creepiness of Halloween and the beauty of Autumn treasures. The monthly pop-up market has also expanded its food truck selections, making your shopping experience even  more delightful because you can stayed fueled PLUS also help support additional local business.

 

Sneak Peek of Rustic remains - Sweet Salvage Fall event!

And the Sweet's Team has a little surprise in store for you: Enter to win a chance for the Sweet's Team to come play at your house! On Saturday, September 20th, one lucky winner will be chosen for a Fall or Halloween Front Door Makeover by a team of Sweet Salvage designers! This awesome prize will be on display during our Rustic Remains event when the doors open. Entries accepted all day Saturday with drawing at 2:30. Must be present to win. Valued at $500.

Get more Sweet Salvage info, plus see their new website at: sweetsalvage.net

 

Phoenix food Trucks - happening at Sweet Salvage! 

From food trucks to restaurants - Taste Phoenix Restaurant Week!

Arizona Restraint Week - Fall 2014

September 19 - 28

Getting out of the house need not only be for a shopping experience. Arizona Restaurant Week offers a selection of fun spots and fine foods to try all over the valley, with prefixed menus selections from participating restaurants sure to satisfy a variety of tastes! Visit their website to see the wide variety of participating restaurants, including Mexican, Indian, Italian and American flavors to name a few - plus even categories including beverages and excluding gluten. 

Get additional info plus restaurant list at: arizonaresturantweek.com

 

 JunkInTheTrunk Vintage Flea Market - September 20th

Junk In the Trunk - Vintage Flea Market - WestWorld
Saturday, September 20

Over 170 vendors selling all things chippy, rusty, vintage plus handmade goods

Early Entry starts at 8AM and costs $10
General Admission starts at 10AM and costs $5
The event ends at 5PM.
Children12 and under are Free all day
Parking $5 per car.



Located in the new building at WestWorld, which will provide wonderful amenities including an improved sound system, multiple restrooms inside the building PLUS: (best but certainly not least)  AIR CONDITIONING!!!

Find additional info + driving directions at junkinthetrunkvintagemarket.com

 

Goodwill Thrift Stores - Saturday Sale - All Color Tags 50% Off

Thrift Sale - Goodwill - Central Arizona
Saturday, September 20

Every-other Saturday here in the Valley are Supper Saturday Sales at Goodwill thrift stores. No need for coupons - just thrift-shop-til-you-drop at all east valley Goodwill stores all day Saturday, September 20 - The perfect way to get extra savings on Fall essentials for your wardrobe (sweaters, skirts, coats) and for your family or home. Discount applied towards secondhand merchandised only. Seasonal decor, such as Halloween, Fall and Christmas are excluded, but still at great savings to you.

While you're headed out thrifting, also bring in a few items to donate, plus help get your home cleared out for Fall.

For central AZ locations, visit goodwillaz.org

 WoMAC - It's In the Bag Fund Raiser - Phoenix Art Museum

It's In The Bag - Phoenix Art Museum
Saturday, September 27

The Women's Metropolitan Arts Council (WoMAC) is hosting its sixth annual fundraiser. “It’s In The Bag!” is an evening of cocktails, gourmet hors d'oeuvres prepared by local chefs, shopping, and fun that provides Phoenix Art Museum guests with the ultimate night out. Dine on food from local restaurants St. Francis, Gallo Blanco, Del Friscos, Nook Pizzeria, Nothing Bundt Cakes & Urban Cookies. Drink from an open bar plus enjoy wine tastings by two local wineries.

The event boasts live entertainment and a silent auction. This is an excellent means to meet and socialize with art museum members plus attendees while raising money for the Phoenix Art Museum. 

The title of the event stems from the concept that items will be auctioned with a thematic bag. Whether the bag is a designer bag with theatre tickets or a gym bag with a gift certificate for personal training sessions, there is something for everyone. 

Tickets are $75 each - available online at: PhxArt.org

In October, when temps will start to drop (a little) Phoenix will host even a few more metropolitan events such as art festivals, a jazz festival and - Phoenix Fashion Week, which is sponsored by Mercedes Benz (just as New York Fashion Week!)

If the valley is still to hot for you, now is a great time to take a drive up north to Sedona. You can read my previous series - Sedona in September at:

Vistas & Views of Sedona

Area Artisan Finds & Shops

Historic Architecture: Chapel of the Holy Cross

Hope you get out and get inspired!

Thanks for stopping by.

12 Things to Do This September To Get Ready For Fall

Yes - the lazy days of summer are ending - even if some parts of the country are in resort or tropical climates - and Back-to-School is in the air. With the arrival of a new season also comes the time to change routines, recipes, and reorganize your home for Fall. Think of these as your new Autumn Resolutions. If you are blessed with a family, take advantage of the extra hands with a Chore Chart for the kids and a loving Honey Do list for the hubs. This can help encourage house pride if everyone is engaged and involved in the tasks vs. everyone expecting one person to do it all - unless of course you're solo, you can do it all, just take it one space and one task at a time. You can get started with these tips inspired from Style at Home on 10 Things to Do this September for purging and decluttering to help making your home serene and inviting (plus I added a few of my own), not only for Fall but the upcoming Holiday Season - plus two to plan on to get out and enjoy the autumn weather...

1. Cut the Clutter
Getting organized is a significantly easier task when there is 'less stuff' to deal with. Before tackling larger home projects, take a house tour and survey your own home - clear out any clutter accumulated from summer, or even collected over past seasons - especially in closets. Ballard Designs recently shared the above closet as the perfect closet cleanse for a master closet. Afterwards, avoid the hassle of a garage sale by taking the best of your purge to to a local consignment shop, and simply donate the rest to a local charity or church thrift shop.

Clutter Clearing Checklist:

Clothing Closets

Handbags, Shoes, Ties and Scarves

Jewelry Drawers

Dressers, Credenzas & Buffets

Linen Closets

Under-The-Bed Storage

Under the Sink + Medicine Cabinets

Guest Room Closets

Office Storage

Laundry Rooms

Garage (and even car trunks!)

Junk Drawers & Drop Zones

2. Prep the Front Hall Closet for Winter Coats
With the Fall fashion season comes a closet full of coats, whether they are new purchases or coats being taken out of storage (and dry-cleaned). So true: "Don't be caught scrambling for a coat on the first chilly morning of Autumn." Get organized ahead of time with these SAH 6 Solutions for Front Hall Closets... and don't forget to also include your mudroom too! In small spaces, simply adding an amoire can create convenient coat organization. In even smaller spaces, wall mounted hooks can help, especially with kids coats and back-packs... just install children's coat hooks a little lower for them to reach.

3. Organize the Broom Closet + Under the Sink Cabinets + Spice Drawers & Baking Supplies
Your household chores will go a lot faster once your cleaning supplies are under control. Check out these suggestions for a clutter-free broom closet -- including organization ideas for those of us without one! Check baking supplies, spices, and their expiration dates (especially on baking powder & flour). Besides also cleaning up the kitchen areas, take a peek under the bathroom sinks as well - clean brushes, condense beauty supplies, purge expired medicines (especially cold medicines from last year).  

4. Organize Summer Photos
Whether your camera is digital or an old-school 35mm, if you want to enjoy the sunny warmth of your summer photos come the cooler months for Fall and Winter, they need to be organized. Style at Home has solutions for both your boxes and envelopes full of photos along with tips for organizing the files on your computer. Personally, when I upload photos to Flickr or to my computer, I automatically will highlight all and rename them, usually with the season + year. I tend to label folders starting with the year, so by years end, I can take all that year's photos, and place them all inside ONE folder of that year.

5. Focus on Clean Air
As the weather gets cooler and you keep windows open less often, your home will be getting less and less fresh air from outside. Help keep indoor air quality high by clearing chemicals, Style at Home suggests switching to biodegradable cleaning products and investing in a few new houseplants -- English ivy, peace lilies and gerber daisies are top picks for cleaning indoor air of pollutants. If you want to save some green while being green. also see this post on How to Make Your Own Cleaning Products. Here in the southwest, we've usually had our windows on lock-down due to summer dust storms. Dusting off vents, fans, window ledges plus ensuring the air filter is changed is a must.

6. Pet Peeves Begone! 

(I LIKE this task!!)
Pick one thing (or more!) in your house that drives you crazy -- whether it be the plastic containers always falling off the kitchen shelves (Jeff's pet peeve for sure!!) or the shoes that pile up in the entryway -- and fix it for your family. Or the mish-mosh of tattered towels collected over the years in the linen closet - organize it before family guests arrive. Then sit on the couch with a cup of tea and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

 7. Get a Head Start on Holiday Correspondence
It may only be September, but it won't be long before it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve - and POOF! The Holiday entertaining season is over! One task you can accomplish ahead of time is organizing your stationery, cards, and writing supplies (yes - people do still send hand written cards, invitations and thank you notes). Make sure your address book is up to date now. Plan ahead for buying stamps and any cards or invitations you may need - or may be inspired to create your own you pinned last year - although I'm really loving the plaid holiday party invite (shown above) you can order at elli.com - plus see their thank you's and note cards too.

8. Get Started on Fall Entertaining
As patio party season ends, the time for more formal indoor entertaining begins. But don't hesitate to throw a few last al fresco parties if the weather holds up! Why not start testing some of those pinned  recipes you saved and then work on invitations for your next dinner party? Also- take stock in your stemware, dishware, and silverware. Check for chips, hard-water stains and missing silverware - donate odd numbers and watch for sales on replacements. For extra tips on entertaining, be sure to also visit Hadley Court blog where I have contributed a few posts such as:

Top Tips: How To Set A Formal Table

 The Gracious Dinner Party – Top Tips For Making Your Guests Feel Welcome

Top Tips: Table Manners For Gracious Living 

Etiquette Top Tips: Formal Dinners and Business Luncheons

 9. Start Your Fall Garden Clean-Up
After a long summer of enjoying your pool, patio, and garden, it's now time to start preparing it for the winter chill. If you live in the southwest, many plants may have already suffered from a summer drought. Purging this loss now will help in your Fall garden clean up. For more suggestions, visit Style at Home's Mid-September Garden Chores, and then set aside a few hours on a sunny afternoon to get started. Maybe even plan on working in a few hurricane candle-lights into your fall containers for entertaining, like the one above from apartmenttherapy.com

 Build a banquet to customize your eat-in kitchen.

 10. Plan Your Next Project
From a major kitchen reno to a paint projects (moldings + stair railings + doors) or refreshing the guest bedroom, any home project will go smoother if it's well planned. Even if you are still in the dreaming stage (or hoping to move!), still pull together your vision and a plan. Visit a book store (remember those?) order a pumpkin spice latte and flip through some new design books plus  September issue magazines for inspiration... and if that isn't enough inspiration for you, spend a morning with a cup or two of coffee (or tea) flipping through design books you already have - and when all else fails, there is always Pinterest for a plethora of home design and decorating ideas!

 Two additional tasks to Do This September 

(that can get you off line and out of the house!):

11. Support Local Venues

When the heat of summer dies down (especially here in the southwest!), it usually brings out some wonderful Fall concerts, wine tastings, farmers markets, and even art walks. Look up your local parks, cities, and even universities to see what's happening in your area. Who knows - You may learn of a new-to-you wine which becomes your favorite, you could hear a new local band with a sound you can't find on the radio (and live music without a stadium crowd), or you may learn of a new Fall food truck gathering that becomes part of your family Friday routine (plus a fun way to try new foods)!

12. Travel

If you're fortunate enough to live in an area with beautiful Fall foliage, even if it's an hour or two away, take a drive to experience the Fall splendor. The new sights can create some beautiful new images for your family, of you and your spouse, or even create seasonal art for your walls and picture frames. Not to mention, the beautiful memories you can capture with the time shared experiencing different surrounding, fresh air, and getting off line. If your family lives across the miles, and you can't be together for the holidays in November or December, book a flight and celebrate during September (or even October!) Living here in Arizona's east valley, September is a nice time to take a drive up to Sedona. 
  Visit my previous series post - Sedona in September: 
Vistas & Views
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Area Artisan Finds & Shops

 The leaves will be changing before you know it - it's already getting darker earlier - so take the time now in September to make your Autumn Resolutions. Also, stop by Hadley Court blog to read my guest post: Top 5 Organizing Tips for Back To School Families. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Entertaining Ideas

This week, the long Memorial Weekend kicked off the start of Summer Entertaining outdoors! And with so many opportunities to choose from, it can get a little tricky planning those outdoor gatherings – from pool parties to a backyard birthday bash – movie nights to the family barbecue - daytime bridal or baby showers – to even relaxed sunset engagement parties to an intimate outdoor wedding. One commonality between all of these outdoor summer soirees will be the need for recipes, trays and barcarts. Visit Hadley Court today, where I am sharing with you some of my favorite Summer Entertaining Tips in my guest post: Summer Entertaining - Recipes, Tablescapes, Trays + Barcarts. Here is a peek at some ideas & tips you will find...

Tips for Summer tablescape ideas, including setting up buffets...

Tips for stocking up the barcart - and it's many other uses...

Tips to keep cool & fresh...

Grilling tips...

Tips for using trays...

Even a tip on how using trays can create a teachable moment...

For much more tips & recipes on Summer Entertaining, please visit Hadley Court blog today.

Thank you for stopping by and happy Summer Entertaining!

Talk Derby to Me: DIY Derby Style Entertaining Ideas

Recently I was asked to join a group of designers & bloggers on Pinterest to pin entertaining ideas for the Kentucky Derby. Being a city girl, I was hesitant to accept the invite. Honestly, because I thought what in the world could I contribute? I don't know diddly about the Kentucky Derby - but I do like hats! So I accepted the invite from Cynthia Bogart, Founder & Editor of The Daily Basics and cruised around the board for a bit to get the gist of the contributions. Boy did I learn a lot - from both the board and reading several blogs and sites on line, including the Kentucky Derby Museum. My learning's inspired my blog post contribution at Hadley Court this week, which also includes some of the history behind the Top 5 Kentucky Derby Traditions, how to apply those traditions as your Derby inspiration, fashions for men and a small gallery of Derby hats.  

While being inspired and contributing to the Talk Derby To Me board, I came across two pretty amazing blogs - Jennifer Sbranti's Hostess With the Mostess and Courtney Whitmore's Pizzazzerie - Both full of festive & creative party ideas with sweet styling plus recipes you can pull together for a Derby Party this Saturday. First are a few of my favorites I found on Hostess With the Mostess...

 

A simple toy, painted in gold looks uber elegant, whether you're hosting a "Millionaires Row" viewing party or a "Insiders Track" garden party.

 

Click link to go to: Golden Horses and Jockeys

 

Jennifer's "Hot To Trot" Derby themed table was adorable using pasta bow ties on the wine glasses for the Southern Gents, and turning the bottoms of the ladies wine glasses into the traditional Derby hat, said to be a symbol of 'Good Luck' at the races...

 

 Click link to go to: Southern Gentlemen Stemware (and more!)

 

Click link to go to: Southern Belle Stemware DIY

 

Jennifer also has free printable on her site, for easy and fun party table decor.

Six more DIY Derby Style projects can be found on Jennifer's 

"Preppy Paddock" Themed Derby Party

 

DIY Derby Style Projects Include:

Fabric Bow Ties

Preppy Horses

Party Paddock Centerpiece

Winner’s Cup Arrangements

Paper Diamond Garlands

Wooden Photo Booth Props

So many wonderful details! From the clever watering hole sign at the ice bucket to the bow ties, not only on the stemware, but on the tray as well.

 

Another wonderful idea - simply taking one of the Derby phrases as inspiration - "Photo Finish" is an excellent idea for everyone to capture a special photo opp at your Derby Party!

Love the simplicity of this moss-covered frame, also at "Preppy Paddock". It's simply unfinished wooden frames ($1 each at Michaels) covered with sheet moss & used to display Jennifer's free printable 4×6 signs.

Mint is a traditional flavor served at the Kentucky Derby and can be found in cupcakes and cocktails...

 

Sabrina created these fantastic Mint Julep Cupcakes

(and yes - they include a 1/2 cup of bourbon in them!) 

Great idea for a kid-friendly Mint Julep - Create a Junior Mint Julep!

 

I'm sure these smell and taste heavenly!

I've never tried bourbon, but after seeing all these recipes for drinks & cupcakes, I definitely want to try it this weekend - especially these Lavender Mint Juleps from Courtney!

 

 

Be sure to visit Pizzazzerie to check out Whitney's Mint Julep With Lavender + Derby Party Ideas, plus also check out 6 Mint Julep Recipes With A Twist and Kentucky Derby Delight Recipes.

Other Derby Day entertaining ideas I liked from the Talk Derby To Me board were the creative ways to present napkins for a buffet...

 

Clever idea! A simple ribbon band can turn your buffet napkins into a Derby Style bow-tie!

 

These simple rolled napkins tuck in a bowl with some fresh greens look like a bowl of napkin roses - great if you're hosting a "Run for the Roses" viewing party buffet.

If you're wondering how to set your buffet, refer to this diagram, and also my post at Hadley Court (I included a video!)

 

 Using trophies as containers is a fantastic way to create Derby Style floral arrangements - Perfect for a Garden Party!

 

Having worked in window display and visual merchandising for stores, I thought this rose centerpiece tablescape was adorable! A delightful Derby inspired tablescape by the Social Butterflies, LLC

And what would Derby Day be without the hats and fashion...

 

This is the essence of true Derby day attire for the ladies - The dress sweet and demure, with a beautiful hat. Pure elegance. One of the many stunning and stylish hats featured on the collaborative Kentucky Derby ideas board – Talk Derby To Me

Men can personalize their Derby day style with a hand made, Italian silk, custom couture pocket square.

 

 Rather than 'Run For the Roses', I'm ready to run out and find a fabulous hat plus pick up a (mini) bottle of bourbon to try a Mint Julep this weekend, and even sing "My Old Kentucky Home"!

So are you Derby ready? Will you be hosting a viewing party? Or are you heading to Churchill Downs to see the race between the twin Spires?

For more entertaining ideas plus history behind the Top 5 Kentucky Derby Traditions, visit Hadley Court to read my guest post, Run For The Roses: Kentucky Derby Entertaining Ideas. Also - get FANTASTIC inspiration from visiting the collaborative Talk Derby To Me board on Pinterest.

Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Derby Day!