Throw a Very Special Kids Halloween Party This Year

Pottery Barn Kids: Halloween Tablecloth

If your household has young children, it's important to make each holiday count towards making wonderful lifetime memories. Special decorating and tabletop touches will elevate a Halloween meal or party from the everyday to the memorable, and that's just what you're looking for. Here are a few of my favorite Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn tabletop and decor items to help you throw a festive Halloween party this year. Click on each photo for more information. 

Pottery Barn Kids: Halloween Luminaries

Pottery Barn: Curiosity Appetizer Plates, Set of 4

Pottery Barn Kids: Personalized Owl Chairbacker

Pottery Barn Kids: Halloween Treat Basket and Liner

Pottery Barn: Owl Tree Punch Bowl Stand with Ladle

If you're interested in learning more about interior design and decorating, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Little Kids Put the "Awwwww!" in Weddings

There is a surefire way to please every wedding guest, and that's by having adorable little girls and boys serve some kind of function - most commonly, throwing clumps of flower petals onto the processional path or nervously holding a ring. Little children are indispensible parts of any wedding party, and it's particularly important to include youngsters if the bride or groom already have children; including them in the festivities will help them better adjust to the new marriage status.

And let's face it: it gives children a chance to dress up in something fun and fancy and show off in front of a lot of people. Here are some of my favorite little kids from recent weddings; click on each picture to see more photos from the weddings themselves.

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding and event inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding and event planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

If you're interested in learning more about wedding planning, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Feng Shui Tips: How to Decorate a Child's Bedroom

Simon Brown's helpful book Essential Feng Shui: Your Practical Guide to Health, Wealth and Happiness is loaded with concise tips that are easy to grasp and commonsensical (and I say that in the most complimentary way - it's rubbish to plow through a feng shui book that hits you with double-barreled mysticism when you're looking for practical decorating advice). Here are a few of Brown's tips on decorating a child's bedroom. 

• If more than one child sleeps in the same bedroom, bunk beds will save space and the kids will both be facing the same direction when they sleep. This will help prevent arguments between them.
• Beds should be cozy, so use plump pillows and fluffy duvets and comforters. Keep your bedding fabrics 
• Avoid lamps (trailing cords aren't ideal around young childen anyway). Wall lights are great, and uplights that reflect off the ceiling support growth energy.
• Natural wood is good flooring material and it's easy to clean.
• Fabric window blinds make ideal window treatments. They don't block chi energy flow and when they're rolled up, they maximize the room to full chi exposure.
• Don't hang mobiles directly over a child's bed, but mobiles can be either rousing or relaxing additions to a child's bedroom (metal: rousing; soft fabric in light colors: relaxing).
• Select fabric wall hangings for the walls whenever possible, and choose positive images. Select either bright colors (stimulating) or soft colors (soothing), depending on the child's temperament.
• Select furniture with rounded edges (stools, tables, chairs). A good location for a play table is in the east side of the room, facing east (good active energy there).
• There are a variety of feng shui appropriate wall and accent colors for a child's bedroom. Softer shades will induce calm while brighter colors are more stimulating. Plain walls and bed covers reduce the impression of clutter. A soft blue is a good color to use, bright green and yellows (in small accent doses) provide stimulation without breaking the room's sense of harmony, yellow is a great color to use in any part of a child's bedroom, and star motifs introduce fire energy (good). Soft pastels and pale purple inject more calm into the room.
• Avoid: open doors and open curtains at night; placing the heads of beds below windows; clutter; electrical equipment like TVs or computers; big, bulky furniture (kids need lots of open space). 

Bonus

Click here to read 6 Feng Shui Tips to Make Your Bedroom Better.

We encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Fun in Your Home: Plan Fall Play Dates

 

 Megan Gates - You may be a Sheffield School student - as many working and at-home parents are. If that's the case, or even if you're an adult with children reading this post, you're probably aware that playdates can be lifesavers and welcome time-out or socializing sessions for grownups ... and there’s no doubt that playdates are beneficial to kids. No matter how old your children are, playdates encourage sharing, taking turns, and socializing with others. But when it’s time for you to host the playdate, it can be challenging to know what to do! While there’s no need to throw a party-like atmosphere, a little preparation can go a long way.

There are a few things you’ll want to handle prior to the playdate to ensure that you get started on a good note. First, make sure your child puts away any toys that he or she doesn’t want to share. You may also want to place a few activities within reach for the kids, such as those that encourage them to play together. Good examples include arts and crafts, puzzles and board games. And of course, make the playdate suitable for the ages of the children. If you’re inviting a toddler, 45 minutes is adequate. Even older kids can get overtired, so limit the playdate to 2 hours or less.

One of the best places for a playdate is outside! Not only do you minimize a messy house, but being outside always seems to make kids play better. Don’t think you need to

Click to read more ...