Movies In The Park

Like everyone else, I’m getting pretty tired of all the rain we’ve been having here in New York. On the occasions it does stop, and the clouds roll away, I like to get outside and take advantage of some of the unique, free, outdoor activities available to locals and tourists alike. One of my favorites is the 2009 HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival. Every Monday night, from June 15 – August 17, the lawn in Bryant Park opens at 5 p.m. to the public in anticipation of the film being screened later in the evening. The grass is always quickly crowded with families, couples and groups all enjoying a picnic dinner while waiting for the sun to go down, and the movie to begin. While there are several delis, sandwich shops and pizza stands close by to grab something, I like treating myself to something from ‘Wichcraft which has a kiosk right on the corner of the park. But the best is always a home-made picnic packed in an insulated cooler. The cooler will keep dinner cold all day, helpful if you’re coming straight from work. Tonight’s movie is “Kramer vs. Kramer.” For a complete calendar visit http://www.bryantpark.org/. Maybe I’ll see you there!

DM Wedding Showcase

On next Monday, April 6th, I will be hosting a Wedding Showcase in my office in New York City.  We will be showing off beautiful new ideas for spring and summer weddings or celebrations.  We will also be showcasing different products by vendors that we work with regularly.  Everything from cookies from one of my favorite bakeries to teeth whitening pens as wedding favors will be highlighted.  

Check back here all this week and next as we highlight the different ideas that we will be using in the Showcase.  

If you are getting married or planning a celebration and are interested in attending, please e-mail RSVP@davidmonn.com for further details.  

Power of the Sun

I’ve always envisioned a world where anything is possible when you put two different types of people in one room and get them to work together. We are all unique in our own way, but we often forget that combining our differences can often lead to a greater result.

There are many simple pleasures in life that can brighten anyone’s day. This weekend served as a reminder that sometimes, the best things in life are free. It was the first glorious, sunny warm weekend of the season, and I did my best to take advantage and spend as much time as possible outdoors. I saw the new energy that the warm weather and the sunshine brought to the faces of everyone I passed as I strolled through the park on a long walk with Sammy.

It was pleasant to see so many people enjoying this long awaited change in temperature. No matter how different we may be, there are still certain things that everyone can appreciate together. I hope that your weekend was as warm as mine.

Birthday Girl

On Saturday one of my employees, Lisa, celebrated her birthday. A big crowd of family, friends and colleagues turned out to celebrate with her. What made me happy was how many of our vendors we are able to maintain a social relationship with. Practically the whole staff of one of the lighting companies we use was there!

It is always fantastic to get to know people outside of work and Saturday was a great opportunity to do just that. Parties like Lisa’s make us remember why we like to throw parties in the first place.

Check out the picture of Lisa and me with the gift I gave her. Every birthday girl deserves a tiara.

Photos for a Lifetime

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I recently went through a bunch of things I’d had in storage for years. It was really cathartic to go through all of my old belongings and relive many memories.

I found lots of pictures that were just stuffed in boxes among other things.

I believe that photos allow us to relive our past and share it with loved ones. Photo albums are a great way of cataloging your life’s adventures and cherishing your fondest memories.

A more personalized method of organizing your photos is by designing photo books. I have been making photo books of all of my events using iPhoto on my Macintosh. This quick and easy program allows me to personalize my photos and illustrate a story with a sophisticated, yet modern style.

For those of you who may want some help organizing your memories or would like to create a great gift for a loved one, maybe a professional organizer is the answer. Ali Tenenbaum is a good friend who specializes in organizing your photographs by creating custom Albums and Scrapbooks.

Please visit her website at www.AliTenenbaum.com.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Today I thought I’d blog about the power of two. My jewelry designer friend Laurence has teamed up with the creative director of Guerlain, Olivier (another friend of mine), to produce a magnificent lipstick line called Rouge G by Guerlain. It is absolutely the sexiest lipstick I’ve seen. Laurence designed the case and Olivier designed the colors that are encased within. It is a gorgeous thing—and all the online reviews are saying the lipstick is supposed to be revolutionary.

Just goes to show you what great things can be created when two minds come together. I guess the old saying is true…

Read more about this lipstick at http://www.temptalia.com/guerlain-to-launch-rouge-g-de-guerlain-lipstick

Recycled Products

Here at David Monn, LLC we always strive to recycle as well as reinvent “used” ideas. For a kids’ party a few years back I used an artist’s soda can figures as centerpieces.

And recently, while coming up with party ideas for a very eco-friendly client, we stumbled across a pretty cool company. Developed by two Princeton students in 2001, Terracycle makes recycled products from everyday waste. They sell bags and backpacks, natural cleaners and degreasers, and even fertilizers. Better than that, they make it easy to take your trash—so long as you adhere to the rules of what they’re looking for. They have all sorts of programs that strive to “eliminate the idea of waste”.

Check out their website (terracycle.net) and read more about their views and how you can set-up a recycling collection site.

Sammy's New Coat

As a holiday present I received the most amazing gift from one of my fans and I thought it was so wonderful I had to blog about it. Ginny Shumacher made Sammy a wonderful suit coat that was so perfect for him! Made of brown and white plaid, it had everything from a pocket square to a matching leash and collar. It was even embroidered with Sammy's name! And, Ginny made me a fringed scarf so that I can match with Sammy when we're out on our walks through the city.

I recently blogged about how to care for your pets in the winter, and this coat is a great addition to Sammy's cold weather closet. When Sammy needs to go out in the cold for his daily walks, he'll be walking down the streets in style. Thanks Ginny!

A Good Investment

This past weekend I was able to attend the Antique shows and I was inspired and reminded about how wonderful the art of collecting antiques can be. This economy provides an great buyers market. If you have a little money to spend I would definitely suggest investing in antiques. Instead of buying furniture pieces that will fall apart within a year why not invest in a piece that has been proven to last a lifetime. As a friend once said to me "if you can't afford good art, start with good furniture."



The 55th Annual Winter Antiques Show
Jan. 23 - Feb. 1, 2009
Park Avenue Armory
Park Avenue at 67th Street
New York City
Open Daily12 noon - 8 p.m.
Except: Sundays & Thursday12 noon - 6 p.m.
$20 Admission

What is your favorite antique you own? Please leave a comment!

My Trip to the Met

To escape the cold this weekend I headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spent about 5 hours wandering through their amazing new exhibits. The exhibit that was the most inspiring to me was The Philippe de Montebello: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions. The exhibition is considered a parting gift to the director that helped acquire 84,000 works while he was with the museum.

There were two furniture pieces that stood out to me above everything else. The first was a Bureau Brise writing desk that is one of the only surviving pieces commissioned for the personal use of Louis XIV. It is part of a pair and the other is at the Louver in Paris. It is so amazing to see something and think that Louis XIV once used this desk.

The second piece was a Tula table made almost completely of steel. What is so interesting about this table is that Tula was a gun manufacturing company until Katherine the Great summoned them to make furniture instead of guns. This table specifically is made of mostly steel but looks as though it is made of diamonds. The craftsmanship and design of this table is so breathtaking to me!

If you get a chance you should go see this exhibit and be inspired! If you do not live in New York City but you still want to experience the exhibit click here to look at the website.

What inspires you? Please leave a comment.

Pucker Up and Moisturize

One of the harshest effects of the winter season is not always on our cars or the roads but on our skin, more specifically our lips!

Lips are an extremely sensitive area on our bodies and, because they are used constantly, they become irritated quickly. Most people that I know say that they simply use chap-stick or lip stick to fix their dry lips. This plan is probably the easiest routine for helping moisturize your lips, however, this only covers up the problem.

In order to really help your lips, exfoliate your lips before applying a lip gloss. After exfoliation, the next step is finding a great gloss for protection. Sally Hershberger has come up with both a refinisher and repair cream for helping ones lips. Another product that is great at fighting off the painfully dried lips is Rosebud Salve.

Don’t leave your lips out to dry this winter!

Sally Hershberger Products
425 West 14th Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10014
Lip Refinisher-$12
Lip Repair-$12

Rosebud Salve
Sephora - $6

What is your favorite lip product? Please leave a comment!

Pop Champagne, Not Your Eardrums!

One of my least favorite things concerning New Year's Eve is the hype that is associated with the evening.  Going to Times Square with millions of people in the crowd, attending parties where there is no room to walk or talk... these are all too crazy for my idea of the perfect New Year's Eve celebration. 

My recommendation for an amazing evening to celebrate the coming of 2009 is to have a small dinner party with your closest friends early in the evening.  Enjoy the company and celebrate the end of an amazing year and the coming of another one.  Send your guests home around 10:30 PM, as they walk out the door present them each with a gift basket full of New Year essentials:

- comfy slippers

- soft blanket

- champagne

- champagne glasses

- a great movie

Sending friends home to cuddle up with a great movie before the strike of midnight is the perfect gift. Is there any place you would rather be than your sofa, with a warm blanket and a loved one ringing in the New Year?

What is your idea of the perfect New Years Eve?  Please leave a comment!

Jingle All the Way

One of the great things about our high-speed lifestyle that we are quickly becoming accustomed to is the fact that one can do just about everything with the help of the internet. During the holidays, this may seem like a negative characteristic of our culture, however, we can also use it to increase the holiday spirit with friends and family.

The fun of caroling is slowly losing its touch as we become busier and a little less traditional. This year, I challenge everyone to use your computer savvy skills to download carols! Searching for carols on the internet is not only easy, but it is a way to bring back the tradition of caroling to our homes. Whether you simply invite friends over to sing or go door to door in your neighborhood, sharing the songs that you learn is a great way to get you ready for Christmas.

Another great holiday search is for the original versions of The Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol. Don’t lose the traditions of song and stories this holiday.

Carols

The Night Before Christmas

A Christmas Carol

Saying Thank You In Your Own Way

After attending so many events and worrying about sending a thank you note or gift I’ve finally found a way to thank my friends for their hospitality without the stress of sending something different each time. Creating a signature gift to use for showing thanks is the perfect solution.

What I have chosen to create that has been perfect for every form of thanks I need is a clear plastic box of mint malted milk balls! Tied with brown ribbon and topped with a personalized note, this delicious treat is chic, fun, and universal.

Think of something that you can send over and over again that says something about your personality. Showing your thanks while leaving your personalized mark of creativity is a gift that keeps on giving.

Mint Malted Milk Balls
Nutsonline.com

Clear Box

$.39-$3.19

The Container Store

Holiday Hints for the Perfect Tree

It is always difficult weeding out the good tips from the bad tips when picking, transporting, and decorating your Christmas tree. Below are some of the best “what you should know” helpful hints that I have followed over the years that have brought me long lasting, beautiful Christmas trees!

1. Shake the tree before purchasing to make sure it is not brittle. If green needles fall off, place the tree back on the rack and pick another!

2. Make sure the tree you choose isn’t too large for your room. It will save you from cutting the tree at home and money.

3. Shake off old needles from the tree before taking it home. Don’t bring the mess home with you.

4. If you have a long drive home, wrap the tree before driving away, and remember to have the stump facing forward on the car to protect the branches.

5. If you can’t bring the tree into the house right away, make sure to store it out of the sun and put it in a bucket of water to prevent it from drying.

6. To allow for optimal water uptake, cut a disk of about .5-1 inch off of the trunk. If the tree is left without water for an extended period, making a fresh cut would improve the health of the tree.

7. Cold water is best for the tree, and do not add any chemicals to the water. The purer the water, the better!

8. Keep the tree away from heat sources like a fireplace or heating vent.

9. Be aware of who is living near the tree. If you have children, make sure there are no fragile ornaments near the bottom (this also applies for pets!).

10. And please, always remember to turn off the lights before leaving the house. The only fire you need during the holidays is enjoyed best within the fireplace!

What are your Christmas tree hints?? Please leave a comment.

Entertaining on a budget with Martha Stewart Radio today!

I will be on Martha Stewart Radio this afternoon giving tips on how to inspire and entertain this holiday season on a budget.

My holiday gift this year will be a cheese selection from Artisanal. Cheese makes a great hostess gift and is a fun way to revisit fondue parties. I suggest serving a full cheese course instead of your traditional salad or soup. You can log on to Artisanal Cheese Company to see their Cheese Clock, a guide to serving cheese. I partner them with macerated fruits, which are easy to cook and smell amazing. Macerated desserts are simply fruit steeped in a flavored sugar syrup, wine, liquor, vinegar or citrus juice, usually for a couple of hours or overnight. During the process, the fruit becomes slightly softer, its flavor infused with spices, juices or wine.

Here are the recipes:

Curry’d Quince:

2 Quince
2 Cups White Wine (ny Dry White)
2 Tsp. Madras Curry Powder
2 Tsp. Honey
5-6 Pods Cardamom
3-4 Whole Clove
1/4 Tsp. Ginger
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
A Pinch of Salt
Lime Zest

Procedure:
- Peel and core the quince (Cut in half if you wish).
- Mix all the ingredients, except the quince, in a deep pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the quince to the mixture and bring the stove to a low flame.
- Cover the pot with Parchment Paper with a small hole in the middle.
- Cook the quince until soft and impressionble to the touch.
- Remove the quince and reduce the mixture further.

To Serve:
Slice the quince and drizzle with the reduced mixture.

Cheese Pairing:
Affidelice

Spicy Delicious:

2 Delicious Golden Apples
2 Cups Apple Juice
2 Cups Calvados
1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Peppers
2 Tsp. Pink Peppercorn
2 Tbsp. Honey
1/4 Tsp. Tabasco
1/4 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
3-4 Sprigs of Mint Leaf
A Pinch of Salt

Procedure:
- Peel and core the apples (Cut in half if you wish).
- Mix all the ingredients, except the apples, in a deep pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the apples to the mixture and bring the stove to a low flame.
- Cover the pot with Parchment Paper with a small hole in the middle.
- Cook the apples until soft and impressionble to the touch.
- Remove the apples and reduce the mixture further.

To Serve:
Slice the apples and drizzle with the reduced mixture.

Cheese Pairing:
Hoch y Brig

Chocolate Comice Pear:

2 Comice Pears
2 Cups Port Wine
2 Cups Red Wine
1/2 Cup Goji Juice
1/2 Tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp. Coriander Seeds
1 Tsp. Chocolate Powder

Procedure:
- Peel and core the pears (Cut in half if you wish).
- Mix all the ingredients, except the pears, in a deep pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the pears to the mixture and bring the stove to a low flame.
- Cover the pot with Parchment Paper with a small hole in the middle.
- Cook the pears until soft and impressionable to the touch.
- Remove the pears and reduce the mixture further.

To Serve:
Slice the pears and drizzle with the reduced mixture.

Cheese Pairing:
Barley Buzzed

Balsamic Red Plum:

4 Red Plums
2 Cups Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Red Onion
1/2 Cup Whiskey

Procedure:
- Cut each plum in two and remove pit.
- Mix all the ingredients, except the plums, in a deep pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the plums to the mixture and bring the stove to a low flame.
- Cover the pot with Parchment Paper with a small hole in the middle.
- Cook the plums until soft and impressionable to the touch.
- Remove the plums and reduce the mixture further.

To Serve:
Slice the plums and drizzle with the reduced mixture.

Cheese Pairing:
Rouge River Bleu Cheese

The smell of these fruits creates an enticing aroma in your home, but you can also achieve a holiday smell with a candle such as Pine and Germanium from Kmart, Christian Tortu's Forest Candle, or Bath and Body Works' Winter Candle. I believe the key to a great party is to properly engage the senses, starting with your sense of smell.

Music for the holidays is key. I have a variety of favorites that make any party great. Some of my favorites are Andrea Bocelli and Jim Brickman.

Here are my suggestions for a holiday play list:

Carol of the Bells - George Winston
Shades of White - Jim Brickman
Linus & Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Beegie Adair
Christmas - Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental)
Christmas Waltz - Oscar Peterson
The Nutcracker, Op. 71 Overture - Orchestra of the Kirov Opera
The Nutcracker, Op. 71 No. 2 March - Orchestra of the Kirov Opera
Joy - George Winston
White Christmas - John Tesh
Winter's Twilight - Michael Gettel
And Winter Came - Enya
Peace - Norah Jones
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Kenny G
Winter Song - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
Thankful - Josh Groban
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Sarah McLachlan
The Prayer - Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion
River - Sarah McLachlan
Silent Night - Il Divo
Christmas in the City - Marvin Gaye
White Christmas (1947 Single) - Bing Crosby
Winter Wonderland - Tony Bennett
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Michael Buble
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? - Diana Krall
A Joyous Song - Boyz II Men
This Time of Year - Ray Charles
Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
Baby It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin
My Favorite Things - Outkast

Listen in and let me know what you think!

"We're Going to Party Like It's 1929" New York Times Article Reciepes

Below are the recipe's from this Sunday's New York Times article by Alex Williams "Holiday's Downsized: We're Going to Party Like It's 1929"

I served my favorite twice baked potato with toppings: Three Bean Chili, Mushroom Ragout, as well as sour cream, chives and butter. For dessert I recommend a simple Angel Food Cake covered with frosting and coconut.

Twice Baked Potato

8 servings

8 Over sized Idaho Potatoes, bake until done.

Scoop out
Add:

1 cup of sour cream

1/2 lb butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup of heavy cream or until smooth

Combine all and hand mash mixture.

Add back into potato skins.

Brush the top with butter.

Bake 20 more minutes at 350 degrees.

Finish with a quick broil to give a golden brown top.

Toppings:

Three Bean Chili

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1 Spanish onion, chopped

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 pounds ground sirloin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted

1/4 cup chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans (great northern or cannelini)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat onions and garlic in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Add beef, oregano, and cumin and cook, breaking up until meat is browned. Add tomatoes, chili powder, and cayenne and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add beans and simmer another 30 minutes. Add Tabasco if you'd like a spicy mix.

Wild Mushroom Ragout

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots

1.5 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and torn

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 cup creme fraiche

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat; sweat shallots until soft. Add mushrooms until golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, stir in tarragon and creme fraiche, cook another minute or two, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Cream of Chestnut Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1 cup Sauternes

4 cups chicken stock

1 15.5 ounce can puree of chestnuts

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish

Garlic toast

Heat butter on medium, add shallots and saute for 10 minutes.

Add Sauternes and cook 10 more minutes.

Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and reduce heat, add chestnut puree and whisk until smooth.

Add cream, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve with garlic toast.

Natural Scents

As it has become apparent on this blog my passion for finding beautiful and natural scents. I have just found this amazing ceramic light bulb ring. How does it work? You place the ring on the light bulb and fill the ring with essential oils. The light bulb heats the ring causing the oils to release their scent into the room.

What I love about this is essential oils have no added chemicals, are 100% natural and last much longer than most candles. If you are looking for an alternative for making your home or office smell amazing both Aveda and L'Occitane have great natural oils in an array of scents.

Lavroma Ceramic Ring
$4.75 each

L'Occitane Essential Oil Blends
$18.00 each

Aveda Oils
$13.00 each

A Week in the Hectic Event Life of David Monn

As some of you may have read in the press, this past weekend we created the largest event held in Florida since the 1920's. The celebration was the reopening of the Fontainebleau resort in Miami Beach. As you can imagine, it was a crazy and hectic week trying to get this colossal event organized. Because I am frequently asked what goes into putting such a large party together, I have chronicled my week to provide a glimpse into the meticulous planning that goes into the parties that we do.

Tuesday: I arrived in Miami early in the morning, after having completed the Guggenheim International Gala the night before. Our schedule had been delayed two days due to some permit and building issues, and the atmosphere was tense when I arrived. It was mostly a technical day; we set up the lighting, sound. and video. Working as efficiently as possible was key because of our tightened schedule and the number of elements required to create this event. If one thing was assembled incorrectly, it would create a domino effect.

The Stage

Our boxwood crew got to work, building thousands of feet of my signature boxwood hedges with 10,000 pounds of boxwood that had been trucked in from Virginia.

Wednesday: We started getting the large decor elements loaded in and finished the last minute technical items. The stage was installed for the guest artist, Mariah Carey. Due to our two-day work stoppage, we began to operate on a 24-hour schedule. Although we were under a massive time crunch, we knew we would get it done as we always do.

In the afternoon, I was invited to take a tour of the Victoria's Secret tent for the fashion show that was taking place at the hotel on Saturday. It was a logistical feat to coordinate these two huge events back to back.

Thursday: Things really started to take shape in the morning. Beautiful custom bars were put together and the seating risers in the main ballroom were set up. Mirrored screens were installed and at that point the rooms began to come to life.

Late Thursday night we did a sound check with Mariah Carey, and I started to get excited about how wonderful this party was going to be!

Friday: The day of the party!! With all of our large events, we like to get everything done the day before so we can spend the day of the party making sure that everything was the way I had envisioned it. Even with the time constraints, our team was able to meet the Friday morning deadline so that we could perfect every detail throughout the day.

Our florists got to work on the huge floral project of the day -- creating a curved rose wall above the iconic "Stairway to Nowhere" with 6,000 white roses. At 8:30 pm three models ascended to the top of a fountain we constructed in the main lobby of the resort, and the party began!

What a week! I'm feeling tired just writing about it. If you want to see more, stay tuned...on Friday I will post the final spectaular design.

Please leave a comment.

The Scent of the Season

There are always scented candles burning in my apartment, my office, and at all of my events. My philosophy is that all five senses should be engaged to create the most satisfying and sensual experiences to be enjoyed every day.

Aromatic sprays can also give you that luxurious feeling. Recently I discovered a natural spray called ORANGER by Diptyque. It's the perfect scent for the holidays and throughout the winter season.

You can find out where it is sold at http://www.diptyqueparis.com/