Kristy Kay

Kristy Kay - Soup to Nuts & Bolts Back by popular demand! 1 stick of margarine, creamed with 16...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:16:08 -0500

Kristy Kay - Soup to Nuts & Bolts Back by popular demand! 1 stick of margarine, creamed with 16 oz powdered sugar, then add 16 oz creamy peanut butter and 3 cups of rice krispies. Mix until combined then roll into balls and chill. Melt 14 oz of your choice of chocolate. For me, it’s white or dark. I love Baker’s baking chocolate but even the melting chocolate from the craft store tastes great. Enjoy! (Makes 100 small or 50 large)

Need to add character and looking for more than paint but maybe you’re not into wallpaper?...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:15:27 -0500

Need to add character and looking for more than paint but maybe you’re not into wallpaper? Try floating “boxes” of trim moulding. Leave white or paint same as the walls. Adds drama and character easily.

Painting tips? Don’t be afraid of a dark color in a room filled with light and lots of white...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:14:20 -0500

Painting tips? Don’t be afraid of a dark color in a room filled with light and lots of white trim. Here I’m using Ben Moore Taos Taupe. It actually helps a room feel bigger and cozy all at the same time. Also, do all the “cutting in” (painting around the trim) first, rolling the walls is the quick and easy part and it’s just painting in the lines at that point.

Here’s a fun springtime centerpiece. Just take a pretty, shallow (watertight) container or...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:13:26 -0500

Here’s a fun springtime centerpiece. Just take a pretty, shallow (watertight) container or serving dish, some potting soil and grass seed and you can grow a small patch of your own indoors. Create an indoor garden with individual gerber daises (in florist spikes) or, great for a tabletop Easter Egg garden!

Make an impressive dessert tonight - here a simple boxed cake mix gets a red carpet look. I stacked...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:12:16 -0500

Make an impressive dessert tonight - here a simple boxed cake mix gets a red carpet look. I stacked two round cakes of different sizes for height and dimension. Next, I used a basic frosting but I put it in a ziploc bag with a pastry tip and pipped a fun top. Fancy and easy!

Absolutely loving this spring palette of navy, teal and lime green. Instantly my inspiration for my...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:10:31 -0500

Absolutely loving this spring palette of navy, teal and lime green. Instantly my inspiration for my appearance on Los Angeles’ KCAL news next week. Stay tuned for some great fresh ideas for you home!

Designer trick….Ever think of using drapes as shower curtains? It’s true. With an...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:09:28 -0500

Designer trick….Ever think of using drapes as shower curtains? It’s true. With an adjustable rod, adjust to the appropriate height of the drape so it’s around 1 inch off the floor. There’s more width to drapes (100 inches versus 72”) so it creates a lot of drama by the sheer volume. Often times, there’s more of a selection in all price points as well!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Instead of traditional chocolates, try my favorite French Macarons....

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:07:16 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day! Instead of traditional chocolates, try my favorite French Macarons. Crisp meringue outside but yet gooey inside and a whole variety of fillings. Too fancy to make (trust me, I’ve tried over and over), so enjoy them as a gift! Pistachio is heavenly!

Often times furniture stores sell great accessories and rugs - take notice next time you’re...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:06:26 -0500

Often times furniture stores sell great accessories and rugs - take notice next time you’re furniture hunting. I found this great mirror for a client in a furniture gallery!

Paint and new window treatments - the transformation never gets old. It’s the easiest renovation you can do. Today was my favorite kind of Saturday, a beautiful client install. She got it all, paint/windows/furniture/accents..I even swapped rooms around (the dining room is now the family room…much better flow). A great day! Stay tuned for before and after pics

With the snow storm approaching, I take comfort in looking at bright and cheery fabrics. Look at...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:04:28 -0500

With the snow storm approaching, I take comfort in looking at bright and cheery fabrics. Look at this great palette of pinks, yellows and browns. Not sure how to mix and match?… fabric stores have a great selection of special order fabrics, or fabric that can be cut right off the bolt. Lay everything out right in the store to see how it looks together. A good rule of thumb, basic on the permanent pieces, and use drapes, pillows and maybe an accent chair to bring in the “fun”.

At this time of year, we really look forward to those warm sunny days and vacation time by the...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:03:21 -0500

At this time of year, we really look forward to those warm sunny days and vacation time by the water. What better colors to use than red, white and blue! See how by just adding new throw pillows to your existing decor, you can get a whole new, fresh springtime look!

Need decor ideas for your wedding or another special event? Visit your local thrift store and buy...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:02:12 -0500

Need decor ideas for your wedding or another special event? Visit your local thrift store and buy glass bottles. Get them clean in the dishwasher and try one of these design suggestions - group a bunch of them in the center of a round table and put one flower in each (all the same colored flowers), vary the height of the flowers for more interest.

A fabulous find outlet shopping. A piece like this can work anywhere - foot of your bed, front...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:00:42 -0500

A fabulous find outlet shopping. A piece like this can work anywhere - foot of your bed, front entryway….even as a dining bench. Just beware, look outlet finds over really well for marks or tears as they’re ofen final sale items.

Steal of the weekend - Audubon Birds of America. I found this gorgeous book for $15 at a store that...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:59:43 -0500

Steal of the weekend - Audubon Birds of America. I found this gorgeous book for $15 at a store that sells what they find when they are hired to clean out houses. (The original is the most expensive book in the world valued at $10 million dollars.) I love to remove pages out of books like this and frame the prints. Buy six frames (create a grid of three across and two down) and have custom mats made for the prints. You can have this done right at your local craft store, takes about 2 weeks. A fabulous high end result for a bargain price!

This mild winter is giving me the spring bug…except I realized retailers haven’t caught...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:58:25 -0500

This mild winter is giving me the spring bug…except I realized retailers haven’t caught up with me yet! Stay tuned for what came out of my quick trip to my local home improvement store. My front door is going to get a zap of spring!

I know it’s early February, but why not give your dining table a taste of spring?! Fashion...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:57:17 -0500

I know it’s early February, but why not give your dining table a taste of spring?! Fashion trends tell us it’s all about bold colors for 2012. See how well this teal and red work together, how fresh! The placemats and napkins are the new “Chirp” collection by Lenox and you can find it Macy’s!

In keeping with my New Year’s Resolution (to save silver from yard sales and tag sales...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:55:42 -0500

In keeping with my New Year’s Resolution (to save silver from yard sales and tag sales everywhere), my rescue mission continued today with a fabulous find at a local thrift shop. Look at these pitchers, a steal for a total cost of $12. And the money goes to a great cause. I’ll have to make chocolate molten cakes so everyone can have their own pitcher of creme anglais! Time to polish.

Stay tuned for more details and lots of great ideas, but very excited to be designing an event with Saks Fifth Ave and the Yerwood Center for NYC and Fairfield County. Will have some great “springtime” decor and food ideas that you can recreate! A little sunshine to look forward to during this gray January.

Okay, I really didn’t believe homemade versus freezer section would matter here but I stand...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:53:47 -0500

Okay, I really didn’t believe homemade versus freezer section would matter here but I stand corrected. This was only four ingredients and tasted SO much better - super light and flaky! Also, if you’re anything like me, it’s far too dangerous to have cookie dough around but keep this in your fridge for 6 minute, amazing Palmiers! You won’t be tempted to take a spoonful but yet can create amazing and impressive cookies at a moments notice!

Puff Pastry

www.marthastewart.com

How a quick recipe and a little paint can make gorgeous, modern baby shower favors. Here, with some...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:51:36 -0500

How a quick recipe and a little paint can make gorgeous, modern baby shower favors. Here, with some simple acrylic paint, I painted a clementine box from my grocery store and filled it with a five ingredient and decadent treat. Mix 16oz creamy peanut butter, 16 oz powdered sugar, 1 stick of margarine and 3 cups of crispy rice cereal. Roll into balls, chill for 30 mins, and then dip in melted chocolate (here I used white chocolate). Let stand at room temp until chocolate has hardened and then wrap in “treat bags” from your local craft store. Add a preprinted tag (I love tinyprints.com) to make it really special and personal.

It’s all about mix and match…Here a dining chair from the Boston Design Center in a...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:50:30 -0500

It’s all about mix and match…Here a dining chair from the Boston Design Center in a beautiful Robert Allen fabric works perfectly with an elegant writing desk from the budget retailer West Elm. Notice how the lines on each each piece compliment each other.