Jacqueline Van Hall

I feel like once Labor Day ends, Halloween speeds upon us like a freight train. It doesn't slowly crawl by any stretch of the imagination and before you know it, here you are with you had planned a party in advance, picked up a costume, ordered the right items, etc. Let me tell you, Today.. 9/29.. you are almost a month out! TIME TO GO! I hope my ideas can help you with your planning, my links make your shopping a little smoother and make this month a little less stressful. Feel free to share, pass it on and reach out if you have any party planning question! I am happy to assist!

If we played 2 truths and a lie, one of my truths would be I once lived with a lamp designer briefly in college, and my other would be that for YEARS my mother worked at one of the big 3 MCM furniture companies, and these were not the same people. This is where I my love for fine furniture comes from Noguchi, Breuer, Girard, Nelson, Eames and Panton, Aarnio to Jacobson, and the lovely Florence Knoll, there is so much history in the Mid Century design products and elements, this list is just some of the items I dreamed up one night when I wanted to redecorate- a wish list if you wish, as I fell down the deep rabbit hole of nostalgia. (The lie is what I tell myself that I could afford every piece of this, or have a house big enough for all of it, one day when a Frank Lloyd Wright home style or original comes into my grasp, I would love to fill it with hopes and dreams, laughter and parties.) I long for planning cocktail parties in a home like this.

If you have been on TikTok to see the homes oozing with character, the ones that you can't walk through the rooms without a smile on your face as the creator talks about how every detail makes them so happy and how no space in the place is boring! That is what I'm trying to help you find here, pieces to make you go- THIS or THAT, I need it! That would be perfect here! I remember once looking at a video and sending it to my mom going, look at this living room, I have half of this stuff and laughing and they weren't from a set or from one store, it was from years of putting together adventures, but I think when you have a personality trait and a keen sense of, I like things that make me smile, your mind immediately wanders to a particular sense of trinket and tchotchke. Where you would expect a blue sofa to have a pink and a Magis pup off a white and gold shelf, and where a Biggie, pink neon sign WOULD be in your walk way by disco balls, strawberries and geometric credenza and pigs from Palm Springs would be prominently featured in your bathroom. That's what comes out of this list.. the art of living and being happy while doing it.

The intersection of elegance and sophistication when you combine white and gold. It gives a backdrop of luxury without being boring, it says soft and muted while also giving hints of glamour. Everything in this list offers a unique opportunity to fill your space with treasures that speak to your personality. I tried to find some different, not your every day finds, and also some of the usual must haves to make it easy. I hope this list helps you on your next design mission, whether you are looking for something completely new or trying to get ideas for the future, there really is something in here for every budget and every quirk.

Having been in the event world for a minute in Chicago, I get a lot of questions about who I would use for this or that when it comes to events. Here's a list that I've compiled of vendors I recommend that I would always work with. I'm also happy to add more recommendations if people have had positive experiences of their own to share the love around! **Trust me this list will continue to evolve, so check back for more updates over time!**

There's something truly magical about planning a princess party. Whether it is indoor or outside, and at any time of the year, here are some recommendations I have for items that can make for an event of magical memories.

My two favorite parties to plan of the year are for Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. It's a 3-day weekend where you don't want to let go of every moment of daylight, where the smell of the air brings back memories of your youth and every gathering whether it be on the block, in the backyard, around a bonfire or at a grill is sure to leave everyone wanting more. Here is a collection of what my family and I love to bring together to have the most memorable get togethers. The nostalgia I'm sure screams Midwest, Lake Michigan.., but from pixie sticks to super ropes, red pop to push pops, and blue moon ice cream to trying to see the green flash of the sunset, one thing is for certain, planning a get together for me will always be something that I hold very personal. It's creating an experience that brings out the best memories of summers at the cottage and having my entire family together, all 16 aunts and uncles and every cousin in my very large polish family. I hope you can see a little glimmer of those memories throughout these lists, as I try to share the best parts of me.

If you would have told Junior High Jacki that she would be setting her adult calendar to monitor shoe drops from Adidas, she would have smiled and said, my future self is exactly who I wanted to be. I keep a pair of Super Sambas I had in 8th grade in my closet to this day as a gentle reminder that a quality product never goes out of style. I love this brand and these shoes.. and those 8th grade shoes that are about 30 years old now have traveled with me so many places in life, and have survived about 15 moves, and yet whenever someone comments on the number of shoes I have or my collection of Sambas and Gazelles, I say, OH, so I have a pair for you. I stopped playing soccer young, in 9th grade actually, but the love of the game still remains. I ended up flipping a coin in a professional women's soccer game last year, which made me extremely emotional and nervous (as I can't handle the crowd), and I don't even know why, and the one thing that got me through was because someone commented that I dressed the part wearing the Sporty and Rich blue sambas for the game, to align with the Chicago Red Stars colors.. and I just kept thinking, it's the shoes that save me EVERY SINGLE TIME. (I fumbled that coin flip terribly) but again it was thinking about my junior high self that I was trying to make proud. As you get older and your styles evolve, I think something we fail to consider is how we carry the pieces of us that make us inheriently unique along the way. I'm not saying everyone does this, but I often do, until I take the time to reflect on it. I always want to be stylish, or more of one thing or another, but thoughout my adult years, I have seen my style evolution remain very consistent with stable items that almost stay as a security blanket for what I would possibly consider social anxiety. It's like, I know what items I feel most comfortable in, that I can be myself and put forward my best appearance, where I am not going to worry about something not fitting, or being uncomfortable, etc. Which is why I think I come back to this brand time and time again. I've found ways to wear their shoes with suits and dresses, or track jackets that can be dressed up or down. I truly believe this brand removes the stress out of the process.. EXCEPT when a shoe I want is sold out. (Shakes fist in the air) Here are so many of my Adidas pieces that I love so much. I hope if you are interested in any of them, that they aren't sold out, or that there's something comparable in your style wheelhouse.

My tried and true, know and loved products that half the time I buy double of and send to my mother! There's a saying that you pick one of the two cosmetic chains and it's hard to deviate and that is SO TRUE. While some brands are limited at each, and it's rare I stray, you can bet a majority of my purchased come from Ulta on a frequent basis. To prove this point I've even slowly started to load my purchases so you can see that I've actually bought these items. :)

My carefully curated closet began in a J.Crew Catalog that I'd dog ear the pages and circled items. If you know, then you know. Back in the hay day of J.crew roll neck sweaters of the 1990s, the linen plaids and the sweater vests, I always knew what my adult style could be. If that isn't a manifested destiny, I don't know what is. I long for those lambswool bends that I have made their way into a dryer a time or two over the years, the cashmere blends, I have plenty of those and the A-line dresses that line my closet will always be in style in my opinion. I believe in the staple items as a base and then I work up from there. So you know I put my money where my mouth is, here's a recent receipts, a few photos of J.Crew items and also my recommendations.

When I worked for a company that had purple in the logo and everything was purple, people would make comments like, I came to work here because purple is my favorite color. I began to realize that people who LOVE purple, bleed that deep in their veins, quite literally. They ride or die for that slice of the color wheel, so this list right here is for you!

Do you have any friends in your life who absolutely LOVE the color orange!? Well, I have created a list for you! This includes some of my quirky finds that I have come across online and also items I own or have given away in the past as gifts and also gift recommendation for pairing items to make the ultimate baskets & boxes! Orange you glad you stopped by? I have jokes for days!