Mission accomplished! One airplane birthday party, one happy four year-old.

Our intimate, low-key party was a success, but my favorite part of the day was during the afternoon, when it was just me and my two little boys. I organized a really simple scavenger hunt around the neighborhood—that eventually led to a sweet welcome and a birthday present at my husband’s office. It was so much fun watching my son revel in surprise after surprise—and doing it together.

Those of you who know me will be surprised to hear me say: I can’t wait to do this again next year!

*Names have been changed.

What a cute little idea! Kim Stoegbauer of The TomKat Studio designed this autumnal dessert buffet influenced by the happiest of fall flowers, the sunflower. It makes me yearn for two things: 1) fall (do you hear me, never-ending summer?) and 2) the entertaining gene (somehow it skipped me).

All afternoon I’ve been sipping limonana, one of the greatest summer drinks ever, and it got me thinking. Or, more accurately, daydreaming.

I don’t even have to close my eyes to imagine myself with good friends, lounging on a cushioned wicker sofa, eating hot dogs, drinking limonana, and watching our kids jump about in a lawn sprinkler. We’re enjoying each other so much that we stay through nightfall, Citronella candles flickering in the moonlight.

Hello, amazing color combination.

The April issue of Matchbook magazine featured this table setting for a Californian garden party. The colors alone make me think of antique damask fabrics and Louis XV arm chairs, and in those patterns they make me think of the 1950s (dotty aqua) and 60s (geometric green), but altogether they feel so casual-chic and so now.

I don’t know what I’m going to use this color combination for yet, but you better believe I’m going to use it for something!

Fast Company’s design blog featured this clever little serving dish yesterday. It’s called the Double Dish, and it’s from UK-based kitchen product company, Joseph Joseph. One look at the Double Dish and I could already envision it in my home, since we’re big on pistachio nuts and edamame around here.

Then, by happy accident, I came across the CB2’s Dunk Sushi Plate, another clever entertaining solution. You place maki on the outer part of the dish and soy sauce on the inner part. We often order Japanese takeout, so it’s another win.

And then, well, one thing led to another, and I found myself creating a whole green-and-white sushi dinner party theme.

Perhaps the most exciting find in this whole set is the table linens. Paper Cloud’s Petunias Field pattern is fun and quirky, and the linens are hand printed with water-based inks on organic cotton. Love!

When people say things to me like, “That’s my dream living room!” or “That’s my dream bed!”—I think to myself: “Which dream?”

I have so many that I’ve lost count. For instance, take the Eames Eiffel chair, designed in 1948. I love this chair so much that my heart goes aflutter just mentioning it. You could say it’s my Dream Chair—my Midcentury-Modern-Florida-Beach-House-Dream-Chair, to be specific.

So when I came across Anthropologie’s On-A-Whim dinnerware yesterday, I got very excited because it fits my Florida beach house fantasy perfectly.

By adding Crate&Barrel’s Everyday silverware, Alfi’s modern classic yellow carafe, and Chiasso’s serpentine fruit bowl—

my sun-soaked breakfast table is ready.

I didn’t have an immediate vision when I was asked to design Melissa’s* baby shower invitation. Instead, I poked around for inspiration and found an image of vintage floral wallpaper online to use as a starting point. The pattern was cute and quaint, so I decided to take the quaint factor even further and create a design reminiscent of homemade crafts.

I love how a simple invitation can inspire party planning. Imagine—this is the type of shower where you’d serve blueberry cobbler. Where the fabric napkins come in assorted blue-and-white patterns. And where the table centerpiece is a white spray-painted tree decorated with hanging blue heart-tags!

*Names will always be changed.