10TH ANNIVERSARY FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT AT ONE & ONLY PALMILLA

When we were wedding venue hunting in 2007, my sister (Twink) suggested One & Only Palmilla. She and her husband had honeymooned there and loved it. It was absolute heaven and a short flight from Los Angeles, so seemed to be the perfect location for our intimate destination wedding. It was! We had the best time bonding with our family and friends in the days leading up to the wedding. An adventure we would continue to talk about for the ten years following.

So it was only fitting that we return for our 10th anniversary (earlier this year). We decided to bring Mila (5) with us and make a family trip out of it. She absolutely loved it. We spent our days swimming and relaxing (with the hotel staff taking incredible, loving care of us). Before we left, we had the opportunity for a dusk family photo shoot with the talented Bernardo Arce. Wanted to share it with you here, hope you enjoy it!

Happy Holidays! xoxo

Venue: One & Only Palmilla // Photographer: Bernardo Arce // Mila's dress: Bonpoint // Marlan's (Sis) kaftan: Camilla 

 

HOLIDAY SIP AND SHOP + PHARMACIE HOLIDAY COCKTAIL RECIPE

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

We co-hosted a Holiday Sip & Shop with our BFF's Beth Riesgraf and Marissa Ribisi, to benefit the local women's shelter in Downtown LA. I am so excited to share images of the event with you today! We teamed up with so many amazing artists and vendors for this event. It was truly a magical day. 

Sis & I created a girly & whimsical holiday wonderland table filled with delicious treats by our fave, Whisk & Whittle. And we are truly still gasping from the beauty of the garland MV Florals created for us.

Our guests enjoyed their bite-sized treats and handcrafted holiday cocktails from Pharmacie, while shopping from so many incredible artisans and companies including Bare Collection, Beautycounter, Entertaining Elephants, Jen’s Pirate Booty, Lovelybird, Makers Mess, MB Surplus, Mariah O’Brien interiors, Michele Miskovich Photography, Odd Bird Company, Pade Vavra, Red Car Wine, SKJ Sunkissed by Jenni, Sweet Mary’s, Tracee Nichols, Tysa Designs and 901too.

Pharmacie served three gorgeous seasonal cocktails and I was particularly obsessed with their "St. Nick's Tonic" -- which I have lovingly renamed "THE MOST DELICIOUS HOLIDAY COCKTAIL. EVER." Founder, Talmadge Lowe, was kind enough to share his recipe for the drink with us today! Read on for all of the details...

We went super feminine with the copper, pinks, red and white palette. The fresh greens brought in that Christmas tree vibe that we all love. We went crazy with bottle brush trees, in a mix of metal colors, and glittery birds to amp up the "glamorous wonderland" feel.

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

PHARMACIE'S ST. NICK'S TONIC

Gin - 2 oz

Cinnamon Syrup** - 1.5 oz

Lime - 3/4 oz

Cranberries

Muddle a handful of cranberries in the cinnamon syrup. Add this mixture with the gin and lime and ice in a cocktail shaker.

Shake vigorously. Pour the entire mixture into a hi ball glass. No garnish. Let the muddled cranberries float in the gorgeous pink drink. OR, maybe put a tiny branch of fir in it!

**Combine equal parts water and sugar (I cup of each) in a small pot and heat until the sugar dissolves.  Add 8-10 cinnamon sticks to the syrup while hot and let steep for 2-3 hours. Always let it cool to room temperature before using. Refrigerating over night is preferred.

Tracee Nichols Jewelry. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Tracee Nichols Jewelry. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Odd Bird Company. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Odd Bird Company. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Beauty Counter. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Beauty Counter. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Bare Collection. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Bare Collection. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

MAKERS MESS. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

MAKERS MESS. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

MB Surplus. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

MB Surplus. Photo by Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Credits:

Designed by: Twink + Sis

Photography: Jenna Elliott of One Eleven Photography

Florals: MV Florals

Linens: Classic Party Rentals

Cake Platters: Borrowed Blu

Drinks: Pharmacie

Desserts: Whisk & Whittle

Christmas Decor: Anthropologie

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible!! xx

 

 

TWINK + SIS HOLIDAY PLAYDATE

We got the kids and their friends together -- in their jammies! -- for a little holiday playdate! Photos by One Eleven Photography.

Our centerpiece is a homemade naked cake (gluten-free pumpkin with cream cheese frosting) topped with sugared fruit (persimmon, pear and grapes) and pine branch.

Meri Meri’s partyware provided the perfect setting with kraft star plates and napkins, accompanied by Santa and reindeer cups with matching straws.

The kids had a blast getting to pop open all the Meri Meri Christmas crackers.We love a little custom element, so each place setting has a pine branch on the plate and a gold pom pom attached to the fork.

We loved the idea of bringing Christmas trees to the table, so we filled the space with three Noble fir tabletop trees from Mr. Greentrees, dripping in paper ornaments that we DIY’ed.

Inspired by gold bells, we set out to create a backdrop resembling that look. We came up with a balloon installation made up of huge gold balloons from Koyal Wholesale.

We asked the kids to wear their favorite jammies, but not necessarily Christmas jammies, because we wanted it to be fun and cozy without pushing the Christmas theme too far.

The kids did a toddler-friendly pine cone craft, while sipping on hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music.

Every family took home an eeBoo Rabbits’ Den puzzle as their party favor.

Details:
Design: Twink + Sis
Photographer: Jenna Elliott, One Eleven Photography
Plates, napkins, cups, straws, Christmas crackers: Meri Meri
Puzzle party favors: eeBoo
Balloons: Koyal Wholesale
Trees: Mr. Greentrees
Mila's pajamas: Petit Bateau via Melijoe; booties: RH Baby & Child
Brixton's pajamas: G.Nancy via Fawn Shoppe

WHIMSICAL HOLIDAY DESSERT TABLE

Since Thanksgiving is over, I'm officially ready for Christmas! Here's a cute little dessert table we put together for our annual Christmas Eve get-together.

Obsessed by these Meri Meri bird cupcake toppers, I went for a theme inspired by The Nutcracker and Mendl's from "The Grand Budapest Hotel," without taking either too literally. 

Our Christmas Eve is all about the kids, so I took the non-traditional, sherbert-colored birds and ran with it. The bird garland then set the backdrop, with some added pinwheels.  I hung sparkly ornaments from the dining room chandelier, birds to fly over the table, and the table was set with foraged fir branches, amaryllis, tangerines, a wink to the nutcracker and sprinkle-covered ice cream cones.  Jenna Elliott, of One Eleven Photography, captured it below.

How cute are the reindeer cups?!  I replaced the candy cane striped cups with gold stars to complement the theme. 

My little sugar plum fairy in her teepee.

Photos: Jenna Elliott, One Eleven Photography

VISITING A CHRISTMAS TREE FARM

I've been on the hunt for a Christmas tree farm since Mila's first Christmas, so I was excited to finally find Peltzer Pines (through JL Designs on Instagram). We visited their Brea farm location, which is less than an hour from Los Angeles.

Mila loved leading the way through the rows of trees. 

As a note, these trees are pines (not the firs that we're used to).

Choose your tree and they cut it down for you to take home. That's pretty fresh!

Visiting a tree farm was a fun family activity that I could easily see becoming an annual tradition. 

Mila's dress is Tutu Du Monde via Thumbeline and her moccasins are Lil'fut and Company.