A 50th Anniversary Party For 100 People

I had the pleasure of planning a 50th wedding anniversary party for a wonderful couple.  What made this party a bit more special was that it was held on their actual 50th wedding anniversary.  With colors of white, cream, green, and gold, the room looked beautiful.

Floral centerpieces of white hydrangea, roses and orchids were placed in glass cylinder containers with leaves wrapping and hiding the stems.

Here is a picture of the room before it got decorated when I first saw it in early Spring.  

I created the table numbers with my handy black marker brush pen.

This beautiful cake was created by Cakes For Occasions (they have created cakes, cupcakes, and cookies for a lot of my client's events).  The florist then added roses, hydrangea, and green ivy.  Photos and a photo album of the couple 50 years earlier.

This blurry photo shows where I placed the escort cards for the guests.  We had ferns placed on the marble tables that are inside the front entry hall.

Here they are!  Such a sweet couple and wonderful to work with.  They told me that one of the secrets to their long marriage is to kiss each and every day!

I could photograph this venue all day.  This beautiful chandelier is located in the ballroom.  Here we had the buffet set up and the band.

On the table, I placed favor boxes with chocolates on each bread dish.  Below, you will the piles of chocolate I got to work with.  I loved smelling the yummy vanilla chocolate while putting the favors together.

I love how the lemons add a pop of color to the table.

A simple bouquet of roses are showcased on the dessert table.

A few more photos of the venue space that I took in the Spring

Linda Smith Davis, owner of http://www.newenglandfineliving.com is an interior designer and party planner - stylist in Massachusetts

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to take a boat ride with my guy on our friend's boat out of Gloucester, MA.   I thought I would share some of my photos with you.  Please keep in mind I took these with my cell phone, so the pictures are not as clear as I would like, but I was still pleased with them.

A trip to St. John and finding a bit of New England!

I know I have been a bit quiet on my blog, web site, twitter, facebook, yada, yada, yada,  but can you blame me?  This is the view I am working from, right this very moment.  I'm on St. John for a much needed vacation and also a mini press trip with my guy, so I have been busy taking pictures and taking notes to share with all of my readers from around the world.  Those stories, recipes, and photos will be posted on New England Fine Living's web site soon.    I have also been pleasantly surprised with all of the connections to New England including decorative touches in our private three bedroom villa that we are staying in. 

I have also been enjoying not only the culture, the views, and the large and small island critters (wild donkeys, pigs, goats, mongoose, iguanas, katydids, and so much more), but I have also been enjoying lots of local frozen and non-frozen drinks, and local meals.  Hey!  It's all in the name of research! :-) and I am going to share some of the recipes with you.

I Fixed My Toro Lawn Mower Pull Cord, that was stuck, All By Myself!

Public Service Announcement - Don't laugh, this is my first self-published video. Okay, you can laugh.


Well I did it! I told you I was going to attempt fixing my mower that had a pull cord issue and I did get it working!  Far cry from my fun press trips, social events, and product reviews, but it was a welcome challenge.  But Meh... this blog is for you to see not only pretty things or places, but my platform to share some of my daily life.

Funny thing is, my lawn mower is a Toro GTS "Guaranteed to Start".  Yup, that's what it says "Guaranteed to Start" printed right on the red casing.  Well it didn't start and I needed to cut my lawn pronto before my fun filled weekend and an open house that is being held at my home.

Due to a little determination, sunshine, and some mechanical DNA passed down from my dad, I got it done in no time at all.  Truth is, if I had thought out the probable cause first, I would have saved myself a few steps and would have protected my day old manicure.  If you choose to watch my first official lawn mower repair video, you'll see what I mean about thinking things through first.

With that said, I had a blast tinkering and figuring things out on my own. I'm also glad I took the roundabout way which made my brain work a bit.  Sometimes I get a few cobwebs in there if I do the same thing over and over and I loved this mini challenge.   Hmmm?  Now where did I put that broken toaster?



I loved making this video and hopefully I will do more and learn how to put them together better.  There are so many facets to my life from decorating pretty rooms, throwing fabulous parties, to slinging a hammer (Watch out thumb... not so on point any more with my eye sight :-o ).  Many of my closest friends don't even know I can do plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, floor and wall tile, painting, and a few other handy-woman projects that are on a smaller scale.  Now If I can only figure out why I have been putting off hanging one little towel bar in my bathroom.



Linda Smith Davis, owner of http://www.newenglandfineliving.com is an Allied ASID Interior Designer in Middleton MA, Westford MA, New England, owner of New England Fine Living, and Party Planner North of Boston. Classic New England Style or Glam Interior Design and parties have been most recently completed in Middleton, Carlisle, Andover, North Andover, Marblehead, Boston, Salem, Newburyport, Newbury, Ipswich, Westford, Boxford, Topsfield, and so many more surrounding towns!

Chanels Fall 2012 Fashion Show "Bombay meets Paris"

Held in the beautiful Grand Palais in Paris, France, Chanel hosted their Fall 2012 fashion show in this amazing setting. Sure the clothes by Karl Lagerfield were the highlight of the event, but for me... it's all about the surroundings, the chandeliers, and the table vignettes.  If I were given the opportunity to help plan and decorate the tables and runway, I would have done it for free just to savor in the grandeur of the building.

Images via Google - Photographer Unknown

Images via Google - Photographer Unknown

Linda Smith Davis, owner of http://www.newenglandfineliving.com is an Allied ASID Interior Designer in Middleton MA, Westford MA, New England, owner of New England Fine Living, and Party Planner North of Boston. Classic New England Style or Glam Interior Design and parties have been most recently completed in Middleton, Carlisle, Andover, North Andover, Marblehead, Boston, Salem, Newburyport, Newbury, Ipswich, Westford, Boxford, Topsfield, and so many more surrounding towns!