HOLIDAY SIP AND SHOP + PHARMACIE HOLIDAY COCKTAIL RECIPE

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

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

Odd Bird Company. 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

MAKERS MESS. 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 HALLOWEEN DINNER PARTY

It's spooky season! We were so thrilled to have our Halloween dinner party featured on ELLE Decor. Today, I'm so excited to share even more images and details from our Halloween celebration with you.

THE DESIGN: We wanted to create a stylish and dramatic Halloween dinner party for the adult set. Something fun and festive, without losing the beauty of a sophisticated dinner party. 

The first two key elements of our table were the black flatware and the Jarrahdale (light grey/green) pumpkins. Those two elements were actually the jumping off point for the whole design. 

We purchased the pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch and they really made the table. We knew from the start that we wanted to forgo orange and do something a little more unusual. We were completely in love with these pumpkins and just wanted to cover every inch of the table in them. 

Once we had settled on black and the pumpkins being key aspects, that dictated everything else as we moved forward. We added light grey plates, flowers in deep red/purples as another contrast to the lighter colors, and smokey brown (goblets) to finish it off. We also thought that using classic silver for candlesticks, vases and goblets, added a perfect moody touch. 

We have a rule to always use fresh elements, wherever possible — even at our kids' parties. Whether it be pumpkins, flowers or evergreens, having an abundance of fresh, seasonal items really creates the most beautiful effect.

The plate decorations are actually chestnuts! We really wanted to have the flowers be a bit spooky and unusual. So when we came across these little brown monsters, we knew they would be the perfect unexpected addition to the table.

We loved the glass cloches. We placed some of the black birds, branches and the chestnuts under them. They created a great eerie vibe.

Make the most of your investment: Load up on heirloom pumpkins. Not only do they make great party decor, but they will keep your home festive all the way through Thanksgiving!

THE COCKTAIL: Our signature drink for the evening was “The Darkest Night.” It consisted of fresh muddled blackberries, bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup, topped off with sparking water. It was like a Halloween soda for grown-ups.

THE DESSERT: The cake was created by Whisk & Whittle. It was a two-tierd (gluten-free) chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. She created the spiders from marzipan and the web from spun sugar.

CREDITS:

Party Concept, Design, Cocktail & Florals: Twink + Sis

Photography: Sarina Cass of Red Anchor Photo

Cake: Whisk and Whittle

Tabletop sourced from: Borrowed Blu

Flatware: Classic Party Rentals

Candles: Yummi Candles

Skull & Blackbirds: Pottery Barn

Pumpkins: Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch

TWINK + SIS HOLIDAY TABLE ON ELLE DECOR

If you're looking for some Holiday inspo, our fairytale Christmas is up on ELLE Decor! CLICK HERE to see 15 ideas to decorate your holiday table.

OUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP

Hopefully you've made a dent into your gift shopping list and now it's time to start getting these treasures wrapped! Great wrapping really does set the stage for your gift, so I've rounded up some of my favorite wrapping paper to beautify your gift-giving experience. 

RIFLE PAPER CO. Winter Wonderland 

FIG 2 DESIGN Gold Confetti Gift Wrap

GOLDEN FOX GOODS Ojai Kilim Gift Wrap

KNOT & BOW Kraft and Chalkboard Gift Wrap via ONE KINGS LANE

MR. BODDINGTON'S STUDIO That String Is Out Gift Wrap

NORMAN'S PRINTERY Organic Geometry Rose/Copper Gift Wrap via ETSY

NOCTURNAL PAPER Funny Kanye Wrapping Paper via ETSY

PAPER SOURCE Dashing Reindeer Wrapping Paper

SUGAR PAPER FOR TARGET Mint With Gold Dots Gift Wrap

Happy Wrapping!! xx

ERIC MATHENEY'S HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS FOR GUYS

We've been doing all kinds of gift searching here at Twink + Sis, but today is dedicated to just the guys! Actor, screenwriter, and co-founder of The Acting Center LA, Eric Matheny, is one of the most stylish men I know (you should see his house!) so I asked him to share some of his top gift picks for the holiday season. Eric created a super stylish (and HILARIOUS) gift guide for us, so let's see what he had to say...

My good friend, Josh Warner, fine artist and craftsman, handcrafts some of the finest badassery anywhere at his GOOD ART HLYWD workshop. And what dude does not want more general badassery in his life? Exactly. 

GOOD ART HLYWD Belt Loop Buddy

And for a pricier choice...

GOOD ART HLYWD Zippo

I feel like hats have gotten out of control. Baseball caps work on game day but they now seem like bullshit every other time. And designer hats for men feel like they are destined to become a laughable footnote in fashion history - no offense Nick Fouquet. Is that the highest possible version of the "I don't care, but I work REALLY hard at it" hipster mentality wrapped up in a milliner's moniker? Okay I digress. The point is I feel like the simple, classic Irish wool snap caps might be the best choice for a casual hat for any man over the age of 17. 

DEL MONICO HATTER Hanna Irish Flatcap

The following is not the most specific suggestion, but here it goes:  A.P.C. 
That's all you need. Pretty much everything here is correct. Even the things that you think are probably not correct, in a few short months you'll realize they were indeed correct and now you're bummed you didn't buy it. Shoes, bags, jackets, shirts, sweaters - whatever, it's all good.

A.P.C. Men's Clothing

So I used to think that Club Monaco was for old fat men on boats who worked on tanning their bellies and paid models to lay across their bow. And who knows, maybe it was. But something changed while I wasn't looking and now they are making some really good, comfortable and classic things. For example, I really like this simple flannel shirt. I got it in Navy and Ivory. It's soft, looks great and the color isn't that stupid navy color, but the good one.

CLUB MONACO Slim Fit Flannel Shirt

Filmmaking is just getting more and more egalitarian. With these simple add-ons to your iPhone you can take those story ideas that flash through your mind and shoot them without needing a million dollar camera set-up. I mean, if Mark and Jay Duplass are doing it then I'm in. These are the two pieces that last year's movie "Tangerine" used to make their Sundance hit that was sold to Magnolia Pictures for "in the high six figures":

MOONDOGLABS 1.33X Anamorphic Adapter for iPhone 6+/6S+

CINEGENIX FiLMiC Pro
 

Ghurka makes ridiculously great luggage. The leather wears and grows old like a perfectly weathered saddle. It's one of those things you can pass down and it holds in all the cool you've added to it from your jealousy-inducing travels. 

GHURKA Pontoon No. 232 Rolling Carry On Luggage

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THANK YOU, ERIC!!! xx