Red. The color of the season. The inspiring color – filling, spilling, sipping from our glass. We whine and whimper in the presence of this year’s haute, bold, deep reds. From very primary to sophisticated, luscious burgundy, our visual collection of red-y to wear pieces from our favorite designers and boutiques will leave you pouting like Veruca Salt screaming, “I want it. I want it NOW!”

H&M, our favorite right-priced Euro design house announcing two new collaborations coming soon…

First, Versace for H&M with some seriously bright and print-happy designs are set to hit 300 stores November 17th. See some favorites from the official look book after the jump. »READ MORE

Eighteen years ago, Bradley Child was a victim of a horrific car accident. The injuries Child acquired have put him through intense pain for nearly two decades. Where most people would have crumpled and wallowed in self-pity, Child not only managed to pull through the pain and hardship, and direct his energy into starting a successful specialty food company.

The company officially launched this month with its debut hot sauce, Madison’s Original.

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Looking for family-friendly Halloween activities this weekend? Or maybe an adults-only haunted excursion instead? You can take your choice or do both at Cave Creek Wicked this Saturday, October 29.

Family-friendly during the day…maybe not so much at night, Cave Creek Wicked touts itself as Arizona’s only all-day, all-night Halloween event. The family-friendly activities run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include a number of events like a kid’s costume contest, pie eating contest, games, a petting zoo and lots more.

The grownups get their own frightful festivities after the sun goes down, from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m, with the main feature being the bar crawl with drink specials and costume contests at each crawl location.

Cave Creek’s Wicked kicks off with a special concert by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, presented by Danny Zelisko Presents on Friday, October 28. Gates to the concert open at 8:oo p.m. at Harold’s Corral. Tickets for general admission start at $35 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Check out the event’s website for full details on the slew of activities taking place that day.

Are you a food fanatic? An avid cook? Or maybe you’re just a Farmer’s Market junkie. And hey, we can’t say that we blame you. Fruits and vegetables always seemed to just taste more wholesome when purchased directly from the grower. You’re in luck. The Valley hosts some great Farmers’ Markets where you can pick up your favorite fall foods, fresh and delicious. Just the way they should be. Below you’ll find a quick schedule of this fall’s Farmers’ Markets. 

The New! Avondale Farmers’ Market
Begins November 5
Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friendship Park by the lake
12325 W. McDowell Rd.

Boo! Ahh, Wednesday again. Candy is ’round every corner and pumpkin flavor has infiltrated pretty much everything edible. What does this mean for you you? Read all about it. Here’s a redux of this week’s happenings in our favorite food blogs: 

There are many things to love about fall. Since that tell-tale crisp air is non-existent, we have to rely on the food to bring about the true spirit of season. One of fastest ways to rot your teeth (but also one of the most delicious) is caramel corn and Cupcakes and Cashmere has all the deets on how to make it yourself. Butter, brown sugar melted and coated over perfectly snackable popcorn? We’ll take it. Here’s the recipe in all its oozing glory. »READ MORE

The cake-slinging continues. Word from a loyal reader is that Cathy’s Rum Cake Caterers is cooked! We brought you the details on the family feud between the original Cathy’s cake and her daughter Lisa a few months back. Seems as if Lisa has taken the cake, shutting out her mother’s original bakery from this surprising accusation from a reader this morning:

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We’ve featured a variety of Valley food fests and events here at DLT lately, but let’s not forget about our friends down in the Old Pueblo. This weekend, the Tucson Culinary Festival is going down in the Big T.

The festival kicks off Thursday, October 27 with the 6th Annual World Margarita Championship at Maynard’s Market and Kitchen. Your $45 ticket gets you margaritas and food samplings and vote in the 2011 People’s Choice Award. Any chance they need extra judges for that? Call us. »READ MORE

Everyone has their favorite coffee shop, but what about toffee shop? We know our favorite toffee is made lovingly by the mother/daughter duo of GoodyTwos Toffee Company!

In honor of their new location in Scottsdale and Halloween, GoodyTwos is offering an old school “Trick or Toffee” where you can stop by and snag a free bag of their delicious Traditional Toffee. The shop is currently open, but a grand opening celebration will occur on October 31 with a ribbon-cutting by Mayor Jim Lane at 4:00 p.m.

GoodyTwos Toffee Company | 6990 E. Shea Boulevard | Scottsdale, AZ  85254 

Image via GoodyTwos

We’ve recently added a few new apps and bookmarks to our Smartphones and browsers. Here’s a list of what’s caught our attention long enough to download and try after the jump. »READ MORE

First we get Marty McFly’s legendary shoes and now we’ll be getting his car. The DeLorean Motor Company is back from the dead and they’re bringing their most famous (and only) model back with them.

The DMC-12, aka The Time Machine, is set for a 2013 comeback but this time as an all-electric vehicle with modern amenities like an iPod dock.

Jalopnik recently took a prototype version of the ride for a spin and came away impressed overall with the car’s 260 (equivalent) HP electric motor and it’s 70-110 mile range. No word on the specs of the flux capacitor.

Image via delorean.com 

Artist Ray Villafane carved the world’s largest pumpkin yesterday in New York City into the freakiest Halloween pumpkin ever. The artistry is amazing and frightening all at the same time. We could see this psych-o-latern spawning a new sci-fi / horror thriller for Halloween 2012, called “Squashed.”. Check it the full exclusive pictorial from Inhabitat here.

If you’re still in the market for a Halloween pumpkin (or a second if the hot sun toasted your first), stop by one of our favorite pumpkin patches after the jump.

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Sports icon and entrepreneur Jerry Colangelo announces partnership today with Grand Canyon University to relaunch the Colangelo School of Sports Business in Phoenix. Leading with the Colangelo Guest Lecture Series that will bring top leaders from pro sports, college athletic departments and leading sports companies to the campus, the programs at the school will emphasize sports entrepreneurship and ethics.

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Here’s  a horrific thought: You wake up November 1st with an image of Casper the Friendly Ghost permanently inked onto your derrière and you have no recollection as to just how it got there. Here’s another scare: this lifelong decision only cost you as much as an oil change. Just in case you aren’t a hardcore Halloweener, the offer at E-Z Tattoo Shop that is going on now may actually be a good one (provided you stay away from anything too holiday specific). Scottsdale’s oldest tattoo parlor is offering a special deal until October 31 for anyone wanting a quarter-sized tattoo or any body piercing. For just $31 (clever, clever) you can make this Halloween one you will never, ever forget.

Melding nostalgia with contemporary artistry, the husband and wife team of Vintage Industrial Furniture in downtown Phoenix, creates hand-made, industrial-inspired furniture built to last.

Starting the furniture business in their garage in 2009 after designing and building a table for his wife, lead designer and owner Greg Hankerson is now creating custom pieces to ship across the country from a 6,000 square foot historic Phoenix building, saved from demolition by our favorite local real estate renegade, Michael Levine of Levine Machine. The Wright Chair, named for Frank Lloyd Wright and based off the famous Toledo design, is currently belly-up at The Arrogant Butcher in Phoenix and at Smith Commons in Washington DC. »READ MORE

Art is said to be the ultimate form of expression and creativity. There are literally no boundaries, no limits, and no wrong answers.

So come and appreciate some the work of esteemed artist Janine Antoni as she speaks in honor of this year’s Elaine Horwitch Memorial Lecture on Contemporary Art and Visual Culture.

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Calling all adrenaline junkies! Do you have a taste for challenge? Does three miles of jumping cares and climbing over police barricades sound like a good time?

Then the AZ Urban Race (formerly called the AZ Urbanathon) is for you! The challenging course will feature 10 different obstacles requiring participants to jump over, climb up, or run across. Taking place at Salt River fields, spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the AZ Urban Race will utilize the entire facility, providing a great challenge and ultimate glory to those who finish.

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Got your excuse to dress slutty sexy Halloween costume or cute twosome costume ready to wear but nowhere to go? Here’s just a few of the parties going on around town this Saturday, October 29:

Haunted Mansion at Montelucia Resort & Spa
8 p.m., Live music provided by DJ Erl and The Chris Parker Project. Costumes are highly recommended.
Admission: $25 when purchased in advance.
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Our latest weekly column: Breathing Space, highlighsts a yoga pose of the week and its benefits. Each week, DLT will offer some insights on a position of the week by yogini Danielle Campagna of Genshai Yoga.

FORWARD FOLD (UTTANASANA)

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Bangkok Noodles

Guests have spoken and Pei Wei has listened. We all love to grab an Asian dish quick at the popular fast-casual chain, but it appears we weren’t the only ones who weren’t always looking for their Goliath-sized portions.

Now through December, Pei Wei will be offering value-priced Diner Select meals starting at $6.25 which include a select entree of your choice and a side. Pei Wei fans can also vote on what the next Diner Select entry the chain will feature.

They have also added three new small dishes to the menu, including bangkok noodles and black bean chicken and rice, for $3.95 each.

Now we can get our fix, save some calories and skip the food coma.

We are loving the funkalicious sounds of this new video for the song His Girl by Friends. There is also some fantastic fashion in the video and perhaps a good Halloween costume idea. Enjoy.

We’re down to the last few days to burn off that booty before you squeeze into that sexy Pan Am or The Playboy Club costume for Halloween. And this Thursday, you can burn it, then shop in your socks at the Pure Barre Pink Party. From 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., grab a killer workout, then purchase a Stella & Dot Breast Cancer Tribute bracelet for $36 while sipping cocktails and enjoying appetizers with your workout buddies. 20% of each bracelet sold goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Pre-register for the workout and the party by clicking here

Pure Barre Scottsdale | 10050 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 107 | Scottsdale, AZ 85253

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

On the clock today, Mr. Sam Fox, CEO of Fox Restaurant Concepts (you know, Culinary Dropout, Sauce, Bloom NoRTH, True Food Kitchen, the list goes on) chiming in on football in honor of the Valley’s 2015 Super Bowl victory as well as food.

Today, Sam Fox announcing his partnership with Ashly Young, owner of Chloe’s Corner at Kierland Commons, to open Chloe’s Corner at downtown’s CityScape, where Oakville Grocery is.

So here’s how this works, we start the clock and rapid fire some questions to you, you answer them and bam, we post them up on the interwebs for the world to see and share. Let’s begin:

DLT: When did your first restaurant open? What was it?
SF: Gilligans Bar & Grill Tucson in 1993.

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Feeling pretty is no laughing matter. And there’s nothing like a makeover to make a girl feel fresh and pretty. And there’s no one like celebrity make-up artist Jemma Kidd to go to for beauty tips and tricks. Jemma has been the master of make-up for major runway shows and celebrities, and has a line of products at Target. Desert Living Today was lucky enough to “kidd” around with the London-based make-up mogul before her visit to Arizona this weekend for some beauty magic:

DLT: What was your inspiration to become a makeup artist?
Jemma Kidd: I started out in the industry as a model, but I was never really comfortable in the limelight – unlike my little sister Jodie! I’ve always been creative and artistic and found myself watching the makeup artists backstage, wanting to know all of their secrets. I felt more at home behind the scenes than on the catwalk. When I discovered what it was like being on the other end of the makeup brush, I knew I’d found the right career.

If you could only have one product on a deserted island what would you take?
I have such fair lashes so I would have to say my JK Jemma Kidd Ultra Plush Volumizing Mascara ($15 at Target). It’s the most vital item in my make-up bag. I use it religiously to frame my lashes and give definition to my eyes. It gives real volume to my lashes.

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