Escaping for the Holidays

(St. James, Paris)While getting together for the holidays with family and friends may be warm and festive, you might just need a little R&R away from it all.  Perhaps an escape to one of these beautiful resorts will rejuvenate you to face the new year. 

We took a look at some incredibly designed hotels (of course!) and found these eye candies from around the world. Paris is always a romantic destination and St. James hotel in Paris will not disappoint those desiring a romantic tryst.  The guest rooms are luxuriously designed with glamorous fabrics and materials. If you ever dreamed of living in a chateau, then book a stay at the St. James.

(St.James, Paris)

(Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico)If warm breezes on a beach is more your idea of an escape, then ogle Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico.  The windows to Paradise resort is aptly named as it borders the ocean on the Baja Peninsula.  The resort is designed in a relaxed Spanish hacienda style with intricately carved woods and ironwork. 

(Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico)

For those where wining and dining is the ideal R&R, then escape to the Napa River Inn in the tranquil wine country of Napa, California.  The guest rooms have the cosy feel of a bed and breakfast but with the size and luxury of a resort hotel.  Each room is uniquely designed with beautiful prints and comfortable armchairs and beds. 

(Napa River Inn, CA)(Napa River Inn, CA)

Celebrating Day of the Dead

Halloween is starting to permeate many countries around the world. For instance, last week when I was in Paris, the chocolate shops were embracing the holiday full on! But for my money, the Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) Mexican tradition on November 1 is much more amazing and picturesque. In this video, you'll find a great last-minute tutorial on how to make up your face like a traditional "sugar skull," a great way to celebrate both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.

One of the Di de los Muertos customs is to decorate your home with an altar dedicated to departed loved ones. It's not a morbid custom; the skulls do represent death of course, but the colors and sugary substance of the confectionary skulls represent the sweetness of life, so it's a celebratory mix. This video shows you some of the ways you can decorate craft skulls to celebrate.

And from the same crafter, here's her step-by-step demonstration video on making Dia de los Muertos charm bracelets.

Finally, don't be surprised to see the Day of the Dead theme creeping into weddings, too! Here is a themed wedding cake, complete with skeleton cake toppers. Click here to visit the Etsy store where you can purchase the cake toppers.

If you're interested in learning more about event and 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.

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