Pamper My Season

Here at Pamper My Style we want to inspire you to pamper all areas of your life.  With the guidance of lifestylist, Pam Pollak - we want to share with you the little tips, tricks and products on how to live life luxuriously.  So, make yourself a cup of your favorite tea, sit back and relax as we journey into the world of all things pampered.

❤ Pamper My Season ❤

Hello to all my #pamperedproteges!  I am SO excited for this weeks blog post where we are going to be talking all things fall!  Afterall, it's the perfect time to pamper yourself.  It's when the revolving door of guests stop heading out to the Hamptons....when I get my throws, boots and sweaters out of storage and it's when I can start sipping on my favorite pampered beverages like hot apple cider, pumpkin hot chocolate and - best of all - hot toddies (recipes below)!  So sit back and relax and let us talk all things autumn in this weeks post!  

We created a magazine style layout, since we got such great feed back on the one from our Pamper My Trip Blogpost, to help guide through the best way to turn up the pamper in celebration for fall!  

1. Re-sole your boots

Investing in quality fall/winter footwear is a great way to pamper your feet.  The best part about getting quality boots is that you rarely have to re-purchase for the next season.  I find that picking out a great pair of flat walking boots, like these beauties from FRYE and a  fashionable pair of black heeled boots like these from Yves Saint Laurent are generally all I need to keep my feet nice and cosy through the winter.  

The wear and tear of winter on boots does take its toll, but visiting your friendly local cobbler and having them re-soled is like putting a fresh coat of paint on drabby, cracking walls.  

2. Drink up! 

Take a look at these two fantastic recipes for that chilly fall day.  

The best thing about this Black Tea Hot Toddy recipe is that when the kids ask what your drinking, you can simply answer "tea"!  The rest of the ingredients will be our little secret ' )

Black Tea Hot Toddy

Tea of choice: 1 bag (I prefer good black tea)

Lemon: for squeezing and 1 slice for garnish

1-2 tbs of good local honey (to taste)

2 oz of bourbon or whiskey

(I prefer Woodford Reserve)

Stick of cinnamon

2-4 cloves (I like to stick them in the floating lemon slices)

Hot Water

Step 1: Combine Ingredients

Step 2: Mix

Step 3: Pamper

This next one is great for the kids to sip on while pumpkin carving.  As a family we always went out to Hanks Pumpkintown, so if you're looking for a little weekend excursion be sure to stop by and tell Hank that Pam sent you :)

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate - 

Recipe & Image from Cookies & Cups

Big thanks to Shelly over at  www.cookiesandcups.com for this recipe.  I would encourage you to take a hop over to this post and read it in full, as she includes an adorable picture of her prom on there as well (long story!).  But, regardless, this is a fantastic recipe - here is the text, for a full spread with step by step pictures, click here.

• Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup hot cocoa mix (no marshmallows)
  • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • whipped cream or marshmallows optional

• Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan over...
2. Add your canned pumpkin and...
3. Heat until desired...

3. Time to Wine down!

Let the drinking continue with your favorite glass of red.

My favorite autumnal wine is definitely Sassicaia, I've been drinking it for years.  Trust me, pamper yourself and order a bottle! 

4. Next up, scents!  In the Pamper My Table post I discussed how important the sense of smell can be to the pampered experience.  When changing your home over for the season, I cannot emphasize the importance of smell enough.  

I am not one for strong sweet smells, so I suggest the gorgeous new French Vanilla Bourbon scented candle from Voluspa.  

We will be including them in our Pamper My Man set, available this holiday season at Pamper My Style - but if you just can't wait, order one through Voluspa today.  Besides, you'll probably burn through this one just in time to replace it with your soon to be available luxury giftset.

5. Texture, Texture, Texture

Another addition to both our Pamper My Man and Pamper My Bedroom giftsets (coming later this fall) will be the beautiful Celine Throw from Sferra.  

If your little feet can wait, I would definitely suggest holding out to order it as part of our sets, since you'll really be getting a deal on ordering all the items together.  The throw is gorgeous, made of highest quality cotton and adds great texture to any room.  

In addition to a luxurious throw, pick up a wonderfully textured pillow.  I love Mongolian sheepskin accent pillows, but velvet is a hot trend right now and Pottery Barn has some great ones in the hot color this fall: cranberry.  Changing up throw pillows is a wonderful way to keep your home up to date and seasonal!  

6.  Last but Not Least - Time to Pamper My Sweater

There seems to be an ENDLESS list of sweaters available for purchase, but again I go with the classics.  These beauties by Ralph Lauren will NEVER go out of style and you know the quality is top notch.  

Ralph Lauren - Cable Knit Shawl Sweater from Macy's  ($350) 

Ralph Lauren - Blue Label Wool-Cashmere Shawl Cardigan from RL.com  ($398.00) 

Take care of them by dry cleaning regularly and they will stay pill-free and pampered for years.  Also, be sure to hang them up folded on a hanger and put a small piece of tissue paper between the fabric and the wood hanger to help deter a pilly-mess even further!  

That's about it for today #pamperedproteges, have a wonderful first weekend of fall and don't forget to pamper yourselves!  

Pamper My Mom-Conference and C-Wonder Store Opening!

Here at Pamper My Style we want to inspire you to pamper all areas of your life.  With the guidance of lifestylist, Pam Pollak - we want to share with you the little tips, tricks and products on how to live life luxuriously.  So, make yourself a cup of your favorite tea, sit back and relax as we journey into the world of all things pampered.

♥ Pamper My Mom...Conference (and The C-Wonder Store Opening!) ♥

I have had a crazy busy pampered week!  I am SO excited to share with you all that has gone on and for you to see pictures, and share info on everything
Let's start off with my first blogging conference experience.  A few weeks ago I heard about a fabulous conference called Fashion Forward.  Here is a little blurb about the conference from their website, www.fashionforwardconference.com:

On September 19th, the Fashion Forward Conference will bring OVER 300 INFLUENTIAL BLOGGERS, MEDIA AND BRAND EXECUTIVES TO NYC for a one-day conference filled with fashion shows, style tips, informative panels hosted by industry experts and interactive stations bringing fashionable brands and stylish bloggers...
Sounds fabulous, right?  Well...it WAS!  

It is so important for me, as a mom, a blogger and a business owner  to connect with real women and finding out how they like to pamper themselves...so I know what to look for when curating our luxury gift sets.  I went to fash forward to find out about new products, connect with other moms and hear the latest and greatest from the trendsetters in the industry.  
Here are some great pictures from the event.  Including a mommy and kid fashion show, panels with tons of fabulous women and great sponsorship booths.  

Michelle Madhock of SheFinds, Samantha Ettus of Experts Media, Kendra Bracken-Ferguson of The Digital Brand Architects and Julie Deane of Cambridge Satchel Company

Just in case you haven't seen them - here is a picture of the beautiful bag that Ms. Deane used to help resurrect the leather working industry in the U.K. See more here!

Ingrid Carney of Ingrid & Isabel, Andrew Sotomayor of iVillage's new series - DIY Beautify, and Lisa Marie of Marie Todd Jewelry 

The Bellaband is how Ingrid Carney made her mark on the industry.  #PamperMyPregnancy and order one today!

Andrew will be appearing on the new iVillage series DIY Beautify...Watch a sneak peak here!

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the Marie Todd collection.  See more here

Bella Blue Productions offered some great package deals! 

Zani Suttle was there with her company Polkadot What

Gabrielle Perez from Marie Saeki PR, Scherrie D. from Thirty Mommy, Monica from MarinoBambinos

Ingrid Carney of Ingrid & Isabel and Mai-Lan Pham from Truth Be Told, Inc. 

Kris Strange of My Strange Family

Some of my favorite looks from the fashion shows: 

These are DIY Polkadot jeans using Clorox! Find out how to make them on our FB page!  

 ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

As if that's not enough...I answered a tweet for an invitation to the new C-Wonder Flagship store in The Time Warner Building in NYC's Columbus Circle.  

Before I knew it, I was on the list to get scooped up by their DOUBLE DECKER tour bus that shuttled us to their new store where the morning started with a scavenger hunt (winner won $1,000 shopping spree - I was not her!) 

Here are some of my favorite shots from the experience:

That's it for today, ladies and gents - have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to pamper yourselves!!

Pamper My Table

Here at Pamper My Style we want to inspire you to pamper all areas of your life.  With the guidance of lifestylist, Pam Pollak - we want to share with you the little tips, tricks and products on how to live life luxuriously.  So, make yourself a cup of your favorite tea, sit back and relax as we journey into the world of all things pampered.

✺ Pamper My Table ✺

With the Jewish holidays fast approaching, I wanted to talk about ways I like to Pamper my Table.  As our new luxury gift set business is developing, one of the areas I am most excited to curate a collection for is the dining room.  Throughout my life the dining room has been a central part of my home.  The importance of having family meals, cooking good food and celebrating special occasions cannot be overstated.  It's truly the environment that makes a house a home.   

So, in an effort to make everyone at your dining table feel pampered and to make what could be a hectic evening run smoothly, I wanted to share a few of my pampered tips!   

I know I have spoken about it before, but the key to creating the perfect pampered experience is reaching all the senses.  What a better place to play with the senses than at a dining table?  Let's go through each of the 5 and discuss tips and tricks for how to reach them in a special way. 

Smell

There is nothing better when you arrive to a friend or family members home for dinner and the smell of whatever is on the menu floats in the air and wraps around you like a warm blanket.  The sense of smell is one of the most vivid receptor connections in our brain and creating a home where beautiful scents linger is so special. 

I was at a friends home recently and she was burning this wonderful candle from Archipelago called Arugula.  If you will be having children over for the holiday, you may want to skip the flame and go with this great diffuser.

Arugula Room Diffuser by Archipelago, Available at CandleDelirium.com ($39.00)

Another wonderful way to pamper your nose is by simply cooking good food!  That brings me to the next sense....taste, of course! 

Taste

Here I wanted to share with you a recipe that creates such an unbelievable scent in the home you are likely to have wanderers come in off the street!  The aroma of my Nannie's brisket recipe is one that permeates through every family get together, no matter who is doing the cooking.  

I checked in with my sister Rikki and cousin Lisa to make sure I had all the details right, so here it is.  Sometimes simple foods are really the best, and this brisket is simple, easy and DELICIOUS!  (Click on the picture to print out the recipe)

On to the next sense...

Sight

I absolutely love an exquisitely set table.  My move to the Hamptons came with invitations in to homes where I got to see some of the most extravagant and gorgeous settings imaginable.  Here are a few inspiration photos and special accouterments I add to my table setting to really make it pop!  

I am absolutely in love with this dining table by Donna Karan.  It's called Urban Zen and can be used both indoor and outdoor.  

What better way to pamper your guests than with the surprise of a beautifully decorated al-fresco dinner?  You may need a few extra hands for the lifting.  That's where having two sons comes in handy!  

Flowers are such a lovely touch to any table.  For a dinner party, make sure they are small enough that they don't become cumbersome.  You also want them to be low - so guests don't feel restricted in their conversation by their presence.  

Here are some beautiful fall colored arrangements.  Find out more about them on our Pinterest boards

Sound

I've said it before and I'll say it again, sound is something people always underestimate or forget entirely when trying to create the perfect pampered experience.   As discussed  in our Pamper My Picnic post, but here it is again - my trusty wireless/bluetooth BOSE speaker. 

Soundlink, Available at Bose ($349.95)

Not sure what to play?  Check out these Diner Party playlists from House Beautiful for help!

Last, but certainly not least...

Touch

An elegant dinner can meet all of the requirements listed below, but to truly have a pampered dinner - you just have to consider the sense of touch!

Wether it's beautifully designed cutlery, soft supple napkins or elegant and architechtural wine glasses the experience that the body has through it's fingertips it one that will set the tone for the whole experience. 

Here are some products that I use to get that pampered touch! 

What's better than when you are sitting around the dinner table, having a nice long conversation and you can kick your heels off your soar feet and carress your toes with a soft carpet or rug.  The biggest concern with placing a rug under a dining room table is spills, of course.  But, check this out! 

Ruggable has created a removable, washable 2- piece rug system that comes in beautiful patterns and all different sizes.  You just peel the top off the rug, place it in the washing machine and PRESTO - you have a clean, gorgeous carpet!  

  

2 Piece Rug System, Available at Ruggable.com (Starting at $24.95)

When choosing your dinner napkins, consider the feel of the fabric.  Get something a little softer to the touch than your usual napkin and guests will be sure to notice the difference.  I love these: 

Magnetic Myth Napkin, Available at Anthropolgie ($8.00/each)

Thank you for reading and I would love to see everyone's pics from the holiday - or just a random friday night dinner.  Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to pamper yourself!