Halloween Ideas, Part I

It's almost Halloween!

My motto this year is "Easy does it."
We thought we would give you a head start.
Here are some ideas for the holiday from my Halloween Pinterest board.

This is a window at the shop BRASWELL from Halloween 2011.

I think this is so cute.

These are very clever + easy.

How about a costume made out of cards & staples?

No craving & so creepy.

Pretzel sticks and cheese make a great snack.

Enough said!

Glow sticks in Balloons!

Party favors for everyone!

Love this light fixture! 
Not so easy but great looking.

 Spray painted gold pumpkins.

Monogrammed pumpkins for the front door.

So cute & easy.

Great idea.

Such cute costumes!

Scary BALLOONs for everyone. 

These teeth are so clever as a napkin ring.

Craved to look scary!

Witches brew cocktail - a signature drink!

Here's the recipe.

GHOST Cookies!
Dip store bought cookies in white chocolate and put some chocolate chip eyes!

These are just a few of the fun ideas for Halloween!


Dear readers, give me some of your ideas for the holiday.
I can't wait to see what you come with.





Love,



 Peggy

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design. 

Mini Lasagna Stacks with Marinara and Pesto Sauces

Mini Lasagna Stacks with Marinara and Pesto Sauces

Recipe from The Italian Dish Blog

 Ingredients

1 package of wonton wrappers
¾ cup freshly made pesto
1 cup marinara sauce
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon dried oregano
freshly ground pepper 
Chili pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Prepare either a baking dish or four small gratin dishes by spraying with a little nonstick cooking spray.  

Layer the lasagna stacks by starting with a square of pasta, spreading about a teaspoon of marinara sauce on top and then about a teaspoon of pesto on that.  Add another square of pasta and repeat.  You don't need much marinara sauce at all on each sheet and you can even skip every other layer for the pesto.  It's up to you. Repeat layers until you have used 12 squares for each stack.  Top with marinara, some pesto and a sprinkling of the mozzarella.  Add a few pine nuts on top of each stack and then a pinch of the oregano and some freshly ground pepper. Cover tightly with foil.

If using individual gratin dishes, place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake the lasagna for about 20 minutes and then remove foil. Bake for an additional 7 -10 minutes, or until cheese on top has melted to your liking. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to set up a little before serving.

I used store bought marinara and pesto because I was in a hurry.
You can do that, too but homemade is better!
Just in case, I put a pesto recipe at the bottom of this post.

Had to celebrate the Chinese wontons, with a little blue & white china + Chinese figures.

Wonton wrappers.

This is all the ingredients you will need.

You can freeze these stacks for later and pop it in the oven.

This is what a serving looks like, yummy and so easy!

Toasted pine nuts are wonderful. 

Two stacks of the cooked wonton lasagna.

I didn't use gratin dishes, but you certainly could!

I was hesitant to try them at first but when I did, wow...

This was so good & quick!
Everyone was raving. 
Gotta love that.

I think it is a great dish for the winter months.

Tell me what you think, dear readers.



Love,



Peggy

Basil Pesto Recipe

 Ingredients

1 cup walnuts or pine nuts
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed fresh basil leaves 
 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

 Meanwhile, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil; add basil, and submerge with a spoon. Immediately drain in a colander. Rinse with cold water until cool, then pat basil completely dry in paper towels.

 In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze.

 To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design.

Fashion Illustrations- Estrella Gonzales + Jean Claude Poitras

International Fashion Calendar

 International Fashion Desk Diary by Shirley Kennedy.



Another post from that fabulous '93 Desk Diary I was given.





 Estrella Gonzales

<Estrella Gonzales was born in Barcelona and bases her growing fashion business in that exciting Spanish city. Though she holds a degree in law from the University of Barcelona, she started designing costumes for films in 1979 and in 1981 began designing and selling her original leather garments in collaboration with her mother, a designer of high-fashion apparel.> 

Warm solution: a super overcoat in duo-tones of tasty brown leather
features oversize pockets and a cozy big fur collar.
The drawstring waist gives strong shape definition.

Weekend wonder: casual yet very fashion forward,
a great big jacket of saffron suede with a matching color wool jersey collar.
The jacket is tight-fitting in front with suede overlays.

City Splendor: Redingote jacket in black suede leather
it is detailed with stunning trapunto stitches in spiral patterns
The jacket has open side slits which can be closed with special zippers. 

Jean Claude Poitras

<Good-looking, somewhat irreverent Jean-Claude Poitras is considered by many as Canada's most celebrated designer and one of his country's leading fashion labels. During the years not only has his design talent grown, but Poitras is also known as a respected businessman and an outspoken supporter of the fashion designer's role within the industry. The Montreal born designer studied fashion and graphic arts in his hometown, worked in both the wholesale and retail arena before creating his own women's and men's collections in 1976. In 1990, Poitras Design joined forces with Irving Samuel, one of Canada's leading women's wear manufacturers. Poitras designs and supervises the productions of all his collections from company headquarters in Montreal. >

Cool swirls: a cocoon-shape evening dress made of translucent silk organza
that is topped by a colorful sheer lace.

Cocktails anyone: a dramatic bubble skirt & matching bustier
of crushed velvet is enhanced with sculptured shoulder detail.

 
One-of-a-kind: leather & vinyl in cool shades of purple & teal
define this exciting, asymmetrical jumpsuit.





 
Aren't these just the best? 
 So current for today's fashion...


Have a lovely weekend, dear readers.
 

Love,



Peggy





To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design.

Images and Products From The Web - So Great!

These are some of the many images & products I adore.
Take a look!
Let me know which one you is your favorite-

from lushlee.com



Adore these... aren't they wonderful?

from linemademadeline.tumblr.com



Love me anything Chanel.

from twokitties.typepad.com



Stamp houses! So chic.

from lamaisondannag.blogspot.com



I have always loved to wrap presents with newspaper.
Never thought to cover paper lanterns!

from flickr.com



Aren't these presents wrapped beautifully?

from estmagazine.com



Fabric for the shade.

from limilee.tumblr.com



 A paper coat...

from stadtbedarf.de



Isn't this just the best?

from blog.wanken.com



Made out of paper...

from anthropologie.com



Believe it or not, this is wallpaper!

from piccsy.com



Amazing shoe with zippers.
High flops!

from estmagazine.com.au



I love the saying "Today I Will."- You fill in the blank.

from bhldn.com



Paper flowers.



from estmagazine.com.au



love the different colored shoes with different colored laces.

from fancy.com



Calendar - so cool.

from huffingtonpost.com



They have different enclosures for the bottle each year.I adore this one. This one is biodegradable!

unknown



Aren't these so great?

from blog.wanken.com



Carved pencils! Stunning!

from vtwonen.nl



I think these are so smart!

from annwood.net



Paper cups, so wonderful.

from editoratlarge.com



Love the look of this! But then I love masses of things.

 

from flickr.com

Wings, I have a thing for them. 

from itsahouse.blogspot.com



I think these were done on a sewing machine.

from lottaagaton.blogspot.com



What you can do with a teabag...stunning!



Dear readers, which one do you like the best?
I cannot pick which one I like the most.
Let me hear from you...


Love,



Peggy

To see your vision come to life, email us about our design services at Peggy Braswell Design.