All kinds of Halloween favorite things!

 

Halloween is one of my most favorite times of the year! I so enjoy fall, and really love going to pumpkin patches and decorating! I am a believer in magic all year long, and what I love about this time of the year is that it can really allow the imagination to run a little more wild than usual, and be little more open to the magic that exists out there. I love going to Jack’s Pumpkin Pop Up here in the city, it is SO fun, sells pumpkins and I was even to throw axes.And it is so visual it makes for GREAT insta moments, and we all know how we feel about those, LOL. So, the axe throwing? Very good for stress management. While you would think that all of this activity would be enough to hold me over, I also love to cook and bake when I am in this time of the year, so I am leaving my favorite pumpkin espresso bundt cake recipe at the bottom of this blog! 😍

Although this year I was unable to dress up because of my work schedule, I did have a chance to set a sweet little Halloween table in my home and wanted to share it with you. I collect Halloween decor throughout the year and throughout my travels, and last year on a trip to Mexico I struck Halloween gold with some adorable linen hemstitch napkins, and some amazing hand painted china that I LOVE to incorporate in to my table! Believe it or not, the salt and pepper shakers are from the Art Institute here in Chicago!  

 

The skull candle, and my placemats came right from Pottery Barn’s halloween collection, which I obsess over every year (and is not probably on sale just FYI!)

I think my favorite part of this year’s decor was courtesy of my brilliant, talented and lovely friends at Smitten Boutique. Located in the west loop this is a place where I send ALL of my clients. From save the dates to invitations to cocktail napkins to my Christmas cards, they are my Mecca of design details and I love every minute of collaborating with them! This year, they hosted the most fun event with Amanda, from City Strokes Art and I was dyingggg. A BYO pumpkin calligraphy day! To see more on Amanda’s talent, check out her instagram. 

I used the pumpkin as the main piece on my table and basically shopped in my house with all of my favorites, including some fresh mint that I love to grow and keep in my kitchen all the time! For me it adds a really fresh feel to the fall decor that gives me that pop.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for! My Bundt Cake! 😍😍 To be frank, I have never made a bundt cake in my life. I am usually afraid of backing because I am more of a savory kind of gal, but my husband (who is a saint) assisted and we had a great time making this. The recipe is here online, courtesy of King Arthur Flour who I am mildly obsessed with. Reason why I love this cake in addition to it being tasty AF? The cake is both whole grain and includes no dairy ingredients! So, basically it is like diet bundt, right?