Fall Decorating with Eddie Ross

Eddie, showing us how to make everything more beautiful.

About a week and a half ago, Eddie Ross came to Philadelphia to host a "Fall Decorating" event at Terrain.  The invitation advertised that we would "learn the stylist's secrets to fall entertaining" and "with the help of Eddie, each participant will be able to design, create, and take home a planted heirloom arrangement."  Oh, and the kicker: "wine and appetizers will be provided."  Music to my ears!  Sounds like the perfect way to spend a Thursday night to me!   So, I called up my friend Sheila and we booked our tickets for Thursday night.

Before I go any further, I want to brag about my friend Sheila Salvitti.  Not only is she hysterically funny, smart, beautiful (and a fan of interior design!), but she is a total superstar.  This year, Realtor Magazine included Sheila among the "Top 30 Under 30."  That's right.  And, of course she made the June cover.

So, if you're looking for a house in our neck of the woods, call Sheila Salvitti.  The girl knows houses.

Ok, so where was I?  Oh right, fall decorating.  Sheila and I braved torrential rains, high winds, and Philadelphia traffic (arg!) to get our butts to Terrain.  When we got there, it was clear that the journey was well worth it.  First of all, let me just say that Terrain is a complete wonderland.  A home & garden sparkly wonderland, created by the Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie geniuses.  As a new Philadelphian, I had never been there, so the experience (although a bit soggy) was magical.  Take a look at the room that they had set up for us...

Eddie gave a fabulous presentation on how to use pumpkins and gourds more creatively when decorating for fall.  For example, a hollowed out pumpkin isn't just for jack-o-lanterns.  It could be used to serve soup (love this idea), or even crudite.  Here are some examples of what Eddie has done in the past...

    

Isn't this wonderful?  With a little extra effort, you can make a veggie plate look like this! 
And, impress everyone.

One awesome tip from Eddie: when you carve out your pumpkin--whether it's for food, flowers, or even a candle--make an effort so that the edges look thin and crisp (rather than chunky and thick).  Then, just before you put it into use, submerge it in 5 parts water, 1 part bleach.  This will kill any bacteria and ultimately keep your pumpkin (that you took all that time to carve!) looking great for a whole lot longer. 

After the presentation, Eddie talked about dressing your dinner table.  He had set up a stunning example using brass candelabras, mini-pumpkin candle holders and vintage china (that he had bought that day!)...

I love the simple burlap tablecloth, mixed with vintage brass candelabras, brass servingware, and modern glassware...

After we had mixed and mingled, we got down to creating our own pumpkin centerpieces.  I used sedum (one of my fall favorites), hydrangea, and chocolate cosmos mixed with lemon scented geranium.  And a healthy glass of white wine.  :)

me, working the pumpkin flower arrangement

Eddie suggested that we monogram our pumpkins (the man thinks of everything).  So, I used a simple skewer to trace out the letter "R"...  then, with a peeler I carved it out...

a fun trick!

Here is Sheila working on her centerpiece... She used hydrangea, red berries, and of course (our favorite) lemon scented geranium leaves.

This event really felt like a party-- the room was gorgeous and there was such a great mix of people in attendance.  Obviously, it was terrific to finally meet Eddie and Jaithan in person, they were completely lovely.  That goes without saying.  But I also met Amy, a friend of Eddie and Jaithan's (who was in town on her way to New England) and Dirke, who assembled her centerpiece across from me.  I often bothered these two gals with camera questions (as I've said before on this blog, I could really benefit from a photography class).  Thanks for the help, ladies!

party picture of me, Eddie, Jaithan, and Sheila (picture taken by Amy)

After the Terrain event, the group of us (Sheila and I, Eddie, Jaithan, and Amy) ran over to The Blue Pear for an AMAZING meal.  The food there is truly divine.  It was a night of great food, great conversation, and lots of laughs.  I hope that this group makes it back to Philly very soon!

 

Amy and I modeling our new Leigh Ann Barnes cuffs.

(who also makes the most beautiful handbags, you must see)

Thank you Eddie and Jaithan for hosting such a fabulous workshop, and sharing your expertise with all of us.  You both are so talented, down to earth, and completely fun to be around.  I loved meeting you (and Amy!) and hope you all come back to Philadelphia soon.

Here is my pumpkin at home...

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