"What Were They Thinking Thursday!!??" - Tricky, Tacky and no Treat

It's that time of year where people like to adorn their yards and porches with some of the tackiest holiday decor out there. It's Halloween. A little pumpkin here and spider there are great but nobody wants to see a mummy overload as they drive past your house.

Because 10 wooden pumpkin cutouts was not enough.

Very junky

Save this kind of stuff for haunted houses where people actually pay to see this junk, not in your front yard for every passerby.

Again, I just think this is inappropriate for everyone to see.

I'm confused, why is there a giant pumpkin on the roof. Is it going to go down the chimney?

I think this house was probably junky without the halloween decor but it just makes it even worse.

Finally a use for your wedding dress. Who said you'd never use it again?

Dirty drapes!

I do not understand the inflatable craze. These are tacky people!

Let's just put all of our old junk in the front yard for couple weeks. I think that's a great idea.

Cassie's neighbor has one of these and it looks into her bedroom window with glowing eyes at night. Any kids need to make a quick buck?

I saved the worst for last. This is a beautiful house and all you can see is all the tacky junk they have in every available space. Less is more people!

Now let's take a look at some really chic Halloween decor:

I'm not suggesting you paint your front door orange for the month of October but adorning your porch with some festive pillows and planters is a great idea!

I love these little pumpkins that spell out trick or treat. You could even do this with your last name or any other greeting for those approaching your front door.

One giant spider looks great, 10 looks tacky.

This is my favorite. What a great idea to use these bats for a swarm around your front door. Very artsy and just enough decor to be tasteful.

Great ideas for pumpkins.

A cute DIY Halloween wreath.

Love this idea of using white pumpkins. A more modern look to showcase black silhouettes.

Now I know it's a little too late to take down some of those Halloween decor items that are on the tacky side but keep this post in mind next time you decorate. Remember to be tasteful especially on the outside of your house where people pass by. You might think it is cool and really scary but all those mothers out there that always have to distract there toddlers when they drive by your house do not. Be considerate.

~Jessica

Fresh Squeezed: Interface Flor Carpet Tiles

Interface Flor has come out with some of the coolest residential modular carpet tiles. Carpet tiles are great because if you get one stained or damaged, you can easily replace it. Not to mention they are really cool looking!

These tiles would make great rugs for any room.

You can even use these tiles wall to wall. A great solution for an active family. Very easy to replace just one tile.

Carpet tiles are great for rugs because you can make them as big as you need them!

I love this gold damask. A more traditional pattern for the more modern carpet tile. A great combo of new and old for those eclectic households.

Martha is everywhere.

So are Suzanis! Did you read our Suzani blog?

You can find these carpet tiles and many more here Flor.

Interface Flor also makes commercial carpet tiles. You can find those designs here Interface Flor.

Where would you like to use Flor carpet tiles?

~Jessica

Office Holiday Decorating

Should you decorate your place of business for holidays? Some do and some don’t. I say DO! Why not? It’s fun and fun for the employees. You should even involve the employees and get them to give ideas and tasks to get into the holiday spirit. Of course, many businesses want their place to look perfect and it’s understandable if they want to project a certain image, so maybe employee participation in this case, may not be ideal. Everyone is different so it will be eclectic, and if you can embrace that, it’s worth a try!

Be careful because there are some bad ways to celebrate the holidays, here’s a few examples:

These "decorate your own cubicle contests" are a bad idea. Not a very productive workspace and it's just tacky.

These are good examples of using existing plants or pictures to add decoration too. Do not do this. It looks like an afterthought. How is this inspiring?

Some ideas to get your office in the Halloween spirit are:

1. Wear your halloween costume to work day (tasteful though)

2. Play scary practical jokes (spider in the restroom worked for me!)

3. Pumpkin carving contest. They could carve at home and bring it to the office.

4. Craft project for your desk. Like Spooky Pencil Jars. Be Creative!

5. Window Decor if you have exterior or interior windows. These Silhouette Ideas are great! Got to Love Martha Stewart!

We should make these silhouette chandeliers and hang in our windows!

6. Have fun in the break room with candy jars and fun candy!

Coming Soon! Ideas to celebrate Christmas at the office.....

Send us your ideas! ~Brandy

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Since the Holidays are just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite things with you. These would make great gifts for friends and family or just a special gift for yourself!

These little dolls look great sitting out on my counter and are functional. A traditional item done in a fun modern way. I love these!

Russian Matryoshka Nesting Doll Measuring Cups

You can buy them here: M - Cups

Macaroons are everywhere! Have you noticed these petite colorful creations in all the magazine ads and sets?

Well, when I saw these delicate cookies I just had to try some. I ordered some online from the famous bakery in New Orleans, Sucre'. They were delicious and even came in the perfect pastel striped box you see above. Makes a great gift!

Last year at Mistletoe and Magic we discovered these unique bracelets by leighelena and everyone in the office had to have one (or two!). These are made from different types of skins from python to lizard and stingray.

I have this wide buckle sting ray in gold and every time I wear it somebody asks me about it!

You can buy them here: Leighelena

What's the drink of choice at Studio B you might ask? Well, we recently traded in our soda for this delicious and more nutritious drink the IZZE!

IZZE drinks are natural fruit juices mixed with carbonated water. Gives you that ahhh soda feeling without all the sugar and preservatives. Our favorites: Clementine, Blackberry and Pomegranate! You can buy IZZE drinks at most grocery stores.

Here at Studio B we never know when we might have to go run out to a job site or measure and tour a home or office so it's always important to have comfy shoes on. I know these have been around for a while but I could never make myself bite the bullet and pay that much for a pair of flats. It took being at the mall in Dallas with aching feet mixed with my impulsive behavior to come home with a pair of these heaven sent shoes.

Tory Burch Flats are made with the softest buttery leather your feet have ever felt. I am so glad that I finally bought a pair, even though my husband might not be!

Who doesn't love the iPad! We recently got one here at Studio B and client meetings have never been easier. From typing notes directly and emailing them to whoever needs it to presentations and looking something up online, this little thing has made our life a lot more efficient not mention it's fun!

I don't know how we would make it through the day without Pandora's free online radio. Thankfully there is four computers in the room otherwise we wouldn't last very long with the 40 hour time limit!

Pandora makes it easy to type in your favorite artist and build your own custom station. It also will make recommendations based on what you like which is a great way to discover new artist!

Jeans + Leggings = Jeggings!

We loved leggings and now we love jeggings. Of course, we prefer to wear them with a long tunic top or a dress. Only the supermodels should wear a normal length shirt with leggings or jeggings, it's just not a great look for the rest of us.

For those of us who have curly hair or hair that becomes frizzy the Brazilian Blow Out is all the rage. One of us has tried it and absolutely loves it.

Basically it's a Keratin treatment that is applied to the hair. The hair is then blow dried and flat ironed in small sections to really seal in the formula. Then washed and dried again. This treatment will make hair silky smooth and will last up to 12 weeks. You can expect to pay between $200-$350 and spend 2 hours in the salon chair. Survey says, it's more than worth it!

Ever since Cassie shared her Crepe recipe with us on DIY Friday we have been Crepe Crazy!

I can't even count how many bottles of Nutella I have gone through since then. We have Friday morning office meetings with breakfast and crepes have made an appearance more than once. Hum, speaking of, who's turn is it this week ladies? Crepes Please!!

You can find Cassie's Crepe Recipe on our blog under May 2010.

Seeing as the holidays are just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about how to shed some pounds and not gain any! Here at Studio B we have all be trying our hand in the Flat Belly Diet and so far so good!

We really like all the options and are definitely full after each meal. Basic plan is to eat 4 times a day 400 calories each meal. Sorry if our office smells like tuna about 12:15.

With the weather being so nice when I get home from work I have taken to riding my beach cruiser again.

Beach you might be asking, well technically it is a for riding on the boardwalk at the beach which is what I used it for when I lived in CA, but now that I am back in Texas it sure makes a great workout. No gears means really pedaling hard up those hills. And not mention they are so cute and retro looking and you must have a basket on one of these!

The world is at our fingertips with the new Apple Magic Mouse!

We have all recently converted to the magic mouse and love how easy it is to use. You can flip back and forth through internet pages with a simple swipe of the finger. No cord means no limit. You can even click anywhere on the mouse for it to function.

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed a taste of some of our favorite things. Be sure to try at least one of them!

~Jessica