Mais, Oui

 With a surprise Christmas/New Year trip to Paris approaching, our thoughts are ANYWHERE but here. (God love ya, Baltimore, but Europe needs us for a few days.) There are museums to get lost in, cafe au laits to be sipped and wine to be guzzled, and (al)most importantly, outfits to plan. It is SO much easier to look chic in warm weather, and Paris at Christmas is cold. We created a mini montage of fashinspiration from the city of lights. Now we just need to buy it all somehow. 

Anyone up for robbing a bank?

Inspiration shot: muted tones with shocks of sparkle.

LOVE toggles.

Relaxed and chic.

The perfect New Year's dress.

Red lips to make pale pretty.

Le sigh.

Poup

First off, we would like to issue an apology for the above picture. No, we have not gone crazy (yet) and whipped up a batch of baby vomit. That aesthetic nightmare is actually a pot a of creamy, delicious split pea soup. All excrement jokes aside, this stuff was beyond tasty. Perfect for a blustery day, and ''colorful'' enough to ward off a fridge-raiding boyfriend.

Holiday, Celebrate.

Something Special for ...Your Dad:

 

Every year he asks for socks. It's time for you both to get a little more creative.

Because the most hunting he's done is in the refrigerator.

Because he will always sacrifice style for comfort.

 Because he'll have to try really hard to not figure out how to use it.

Turkey Day

Whatever you do, have a fabulous day.

xoxo

Haute Air

(Courtesy of Apartment Therapy)

Apartment Therapy had the brilliant idea to glam up balloons by securing them with glitzy ribbon. The possibilities are endless but we're really digging this turquoise and gold combo.

Wednesday's Own... Things We Are Grateful For

Having plenty to eat.

Unexpected relationships.

Knowing the DJ.

Homemade pasta.

Accessories.

Nature's bounty.

Make-Your-Own families.

Hey, Baltimore!

Not counting the crime rate of mustachioed assaults on tropical birds, Baltimore has dropped to ELEVENTH most dangerous city!!!

We didn't know things were so rough in the mid-west (sorry, St Louis) but we're super happy that our little town broke out of the top ten.

3.14159265

While everyone is perfecting their pumpkin pie recipes for Thanksgiving, we thought that we would take a different approach this year. We've decided to ditch the gourd altogether and pay respect to our other favorite Fall filling; the apple. As if we haven't already screwed with tradition enough, we decided to add some caramel and walnuts into the mix. If you're a traditionalist (no shame) and can't bid adieu to the orange guy just yet, this pie tastes just as great any day of the year.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

(Tory Burch booties courtesy of Neiman Marcus)



(Deborah Lippman nailpolish courtesy of Nordstrom)





(Marc Jacobs bag courtesy of Neiman Marcus)



(Sequined vest courtesy of Free People)



Malls are open late, awkward decorations are appearing, and every third person walking down the street is indulging in a Starbucks gingerbread latte. We could say that we play it cool and don't get caught up in all of the holiday shtick but that would be a bold faced lie. The cheer is contagious and we want nothing more than to step out on the town looking like human tinsel. This Holiday season, red and green are hardly de rigueur.

Holiday, Celebrate.

We present to you, the official CharmedCity Holiday Gift Guide Part II

Something Special for Your Stuck in the College Dayz Boyfriend

He can recite (in alphabetical order) the name of every seasonal ale that Sam Adams has ever brewed, yet can't seem to recall your Birthday. For this God amongst men, we recommend:



...because you should always be prepared



...because it's a phone case....with BALLS. Duh



...because everybody needs an idol





Faking It

(Recipe courtesy of Ghiradelli)

We at charmedcity never claim to be perfect. In fact, we are admittedly flawed. That being said, we're pretty crafty when it comes to convincing others that we are not natural born screw ups. This weekend, for example, we baked a batch of cookies using a Ghirardelli recipe that we've been pretty psyched to try. The dough tasted great, amazing smells were wafting from the oven, and then, disaster struck. Our once beautiful confections had melted into a goopy uni-cookie mess. Head hung low and tear covered spatula in hand, we were about to trash the whole batch. And then we had a light bulb moment. You know all of those cute cookie cutters that we buy and never ever use? And just like that, our ugly chocolate blobs transformed into adorable bite sized wonders. Crisis averted.

ThreeWay

We want to wear this dress...

...and sip this Manhattan...

...at the Explorers Lounge. (But not with those nerds.)

Gonuts for Donuts

We burned a few. We're not perfect.

 Some of us at charmedcity hate donuts. (It's me. My name is Megan and I hate donuts. Just don't let the BCPD know in case I ever want to ditch event planning to become a police officer.) Thinking about powdered donuts make me feel sick, and I am offended that donuts parade around as a breakfast food. A lump of fried dough injected with corn syrup jelly is not breakfast. At best, it is Renaissance Festival food. 

Despite my aversion, when we came across a recipe for apple cider donuts I got hopeful. They seemed more "apres-dinner treat", and less "obese child's mid-morning snack." Plus we love cooking seasonally. With a few modifications to the recipe (and some serious McGyver moves in the kitchen) we had a huge batch of warm, delicious donuts. There is an exception to every rule, and for donut h8rz, this is it. We plan to serve these at the Monument Lighting on December 2nd with hot bourbon cider. Overkill? Maybe. But sometimes it's okay to have lots of a good thing.

Washington Post Recipe with charmedcity modifications after the jump.

Miss Cleo

This spread in December's UK Vogue is making us feel dreamy.

Wednesday's Own... Things We Love

The Alphabet

Recycling

Swings

Mor.e Ban.do Lov.e



(Image courtesy of Ban.do)

In the rare event that we have not already convinced you to stop what you're doing and treat yourselves at ban.do, let's try this one more time. Our favorite accessory mavens have taken the art of embellishment one step further and given us Shoe Clips. These adorable charms clip right in the front of your favorite kicks, breathing new life to your everyday wear. We're totally going to slip some adorable sequined hearts onto our trusty leopard flats. Choose from hearts, pom poms, or silk flowers at shopbando.com.

Holiday, Celebrate.

Halloween JUST happened, Thanksgiving is a week away, and already we're knee-deep in the holiday ad trenches with Jane Seymour Open Heart Pendants, Hess collectors trucks and those bumbling red & green M&M's. These premature cheery ads serve as a not-so-subtle reminder that December 25th is a mere 39 days away. We typically reject the notion of the Holidays until the week before, hurling ourselves into a full fledged panic, praying to Rudolph that we'll find parking at the mall.

 

Not this year. No. This year we are joining the minority of people ("adults," we think they're called) who have their shit together. Over the next few weeks, we're going to share with you the official CharmedCity Holiday Gift Guide, beginning with...

 

Something Special for Your Gay Bestie

He works hard making you laugh while simultaneously pointing out your love handles. For your BFF, we recommend:

...because New Directions is still lacking a lyrical Tenor

...because you can't afford Babs ticket prices 

...because you can borrow it

Garage Band

We just came across this DreamHome feature in the Sun, and cannot believe we live mere blocks from this urban retreat and have never noticed it. Architect Justin Seto converted a garage behind a Mt. Vernon row house into an incredible home for his family of four. We love his use of high-placed windows to capture tons of natural light, and are understandably envious of his dreamy rooftop deck. (Why does it seem Canton and Federal Hill have the monopoly on rooftop decks?!)

It's exciting to see such insightful, modern design in our neighborhood!

(*All images courtesy of The Baltimore Sun)

Bye Good

(Image courtesy of Everything Fabulous)

Cheers to drinks with friends, no work until Monday, and (hopefully) sleeping in.

Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me

(Image courtesy of Sugar)

Have you ever had a…err….naughty thought that was just too good to keep to yourself? Something so profound that it simply required an audience? No, we're not trying to make a sex tape with you but we are suggesting that you and your inner Anaïs Nin traipse over to Sugar tonight for their Erotic Reading Series. Whether you're brazen enough to share your tales with the room, or want to hide in the back and take it all in, participants of any kind are welcome. And did we mention that it's free? Free erotica = stop being a prude and go.    

Sugar
927 West 36th St
Baltimore, MD 21211
Hot Talk: An Erotic Reading Series
Friday, November 12^th
9 - 10:30 pm

Beer Light

On this lovely November Friday, we are full of promise for the weekend. The weather is supposed to not be an asshole, we have fun plans in the works, and pay day is inching closer and closer (come ON Monday!). While we await our bi-monthly gelt transfers, we remember the importance of not sacrificing our good time just because we live pay check to pay check. Enter: Beer Light.

Discovered during a particularly rowdy Pride celebration, this under-the-radar brew satiates all our needs. Balking at conventional nomenclature, Beer Light simply is what it is, and for Mount Vernon we think that's fabulously unpretentious. It is sold at Eddie's Market, meaning we can snack and buy beer in the same place. It is only sold at Eddie's Market, thus giving it a certain exclusivity. At less than 50 cents a can its within anyone's budget, plus the packaging gives the appearance of off-brand soda, which cuts down tremendously on open container arrests. And best (or worst) of all, it never tastes the same. Seriously, try it- it's like the Willy Wonka of beer. In our short relationship with Beer Light we've tasted Skittles, cinnamon, Utz chips and- oddly- even beer.

The next time you find yourself strolling empty-handed to a party, broke and embarrassed, we recommend a stop at Eddies to grab some wildly inexpensive local flavor.

A street gang samples BeerLight for the first time.

Olive Oil

(Image courtesy of O Olive Oil)

If you're anything like us (read: crazy overachievers) you've yearned to produce Top Chef worthy dishes in your not so Top Chef quality kitchen. But when you're trying to make foie gras de canard on a chopped liver budget, things can get a bit iffy. Before you let an inhumanly beautiful Indian model demand that you pack your knives and go, make your way over to Rue La La for some yummy deals. Now through Saturday, save big on O Olive oils and vinegars. This California based company has been producing citrus pressed olive oils, and aged wine vinegars for over 15 years. We're huge fans of their Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, especially when drizzled over sautéed spinach and pan seared salmon. Take that, Voltagio brothers.