Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Mondays with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.  The original impetus for T&T was to streamline all aspects of entertaining for professionals who don’t have time to be Suzy Homemaker, would rather cook themselves than go the Kitchet route, and need elegant DIY decor inspiration that won’t end up on pinterestfail.com. Though I’ve chronicled my experiences navigating the Martha Stewart waters via blog posts, none of them capture the reality of hosting your first dinner party so clearly as the hysterical New Yorker piece Couple’s First Dinner Party, Serves Six. Teaser: “Each guest should, at some point, look around and offer a lukewarm comment about how ‘grownup’ it is to be having a dinner party. Congratulate one another on the genius of ‘just hanging out with friends without having to go to a noisy expensive bar,’ as though you’ve personally invented the concept of home entertaining. Garnish with more compliments about the chicken, which there is nowhere near enough of.”

II.  Confession: I’m a complete sucker for glitter eyeshadow. While I reluctantly recognize that the look is often more Showgirls Elizabeth Berkley than Breakfast at Tiffany’s Audrey Hepburn - there are occasions that call for such accouterments (New Years Eve, Vegas, theme parties). I’ve tried everything from MAC to stage makeup, but the sparkles always end up everywhere from my eyebrows to my date’s lapel. I was just about ready to retire my glitter obsession when I found Wet n Wild (yes, the same brand you used when you were a pre-teen) Bronze Color Icon Glitter.  At a whopping 99 cents, this game changer combines the glitter with a Vaseline-like gel that stays put wherever you place it. Genius! 

III. My brother and I are throwing a James Bond theme birthday for our mom’s 60th this year. The party will be held both inside and in the garden of her home in Atherton, which means that we need plenty of elegant outdoor lighting. City restrictions preclude us from traditional uplighting so we had to get creative. I remembered that a friend faced a similar issue when she held her wedding at a ranch in Calistoga, and solved it by stringing three hundred white lanterns in varying sizes over the makeshift dance floor. Here’s everything that you need to recreate the look for your next outdoor party: 12-inch and 16-inch paper lanterns, two LED battery operated lights per lantern, tape to adhere the lights to the lantern, and fishing line to string them.

IV.  Easter this Sunday means every kind of egg imaginable. Dyed, chocolate, marshmallow, hard-boiled, and my personal favorite - deviled. I can’t wait to make my Park Tavern recipe hack for family brunch this weekend. The combination of truffle oil, bacon, and jalapenos is to die for - I highly advise making a double batch because they go so fast you’ll be lucky to get to sample a taste of the hard-earned fruits of your labor.

V.  The record-breaking warm weather we’ve been treated to in the Bay Area this season means that most of my coats and jackets have remained quarantined to my closet. But if I’ve learned anything from my time in San Francisco, it’s that Karl the Fog has a habit of creeping in when you least expect him. To combat unexpected temperature drops, I’ve started carrying oversized scarves in my handbag. My current go-to is this Monument Valley Scarf from Theodora & Callum - the pop of lime paired with classic black/white is perfect for spring. Discover new ways to wear your scarf collection from the brand’s adorable blog.

Have a wonderful week!  xx tt