By Danielle Tepper

In our regular visits to Valley restaurants we have noticed that there are more options for meatless lifestyles than ever. There’s more menu options and more restaurants specializing in vegetarian cuisine overall. Even carnivores who crave variety are enjoying a chance to choose lighter and healthier fare.

If you have you ever been curious about what it really means to be a vegetarian, or what makes the distinction between a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, we have done a little investigative reporting for you. Now when someone mentions she is a vegan at lunch you can do more than politely smile and nod.

Vegetarian: A blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. This grouping includes vegans and the various sub-categories of vegetarian; however, it generally implies someone who has less dietary restrictions than a vegan.

Semi-vegetarian: Usually describes someone who consumes dairy products, eggs, chicken, and fish, but does not consume other animal flesh.

Ovo-lacto-vegetarian: Vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk. This accounts for the largest group of vegetarians.

Ovo-vegetarian: Describes someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume eggs.

Lacto-vegetarian: Describes someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume milk.

Vegan: The strictest sub-category of vegetarians. Vegans do not consume any animal products or by-products. Some go as far as not even consuming honey and yeast. Others do not wear any clothing made from animal products.

By Danielle Tepper

Yes, it’s the season to keep warm and look great—while showing off your legs!

Nothing helps you do that better than textured leggings or patterned tights. Smart Style Girls always have plenty of both tucked away in their clothing caches, ready to whip out at a moment’s notice. And make no mistake about it there is a difference in the terminology. A “legging” is more of a structured pant option. We have seen this look on celebs like Rhianna and Sienna Miller. These styles are durable and versatile, and usually made from a heavier weight material including leather and Spandex. They can vary in texture (i.e. animal print, mock crock) and in length; everything from scrunched at the ankle to cropped just below the knee. Unlike, tights though, leggings usually stop at the ankle with the exception being the stirrup legging.

Please avoid the fashion faux pas of trying to pass off a stretch workout pant with a legging. Horrors! This is never a good thing to do. Try Victoria’s Secret catalogue for sexy and comfy adaptations in velour. Juicy Couture also carries the type of leggings you would want to wear out for a night on the town. Adventurous girls will love the color options available now, but you still need at least one pair of black leggings in your wardrobe at all times.

Leggings can turn any outfit into something comfy, yet chic. Designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, and Chloe, among many others, have included this look in their fall runway collections, making the trend bigger than ever.

For those of you who find leggings to be quite the opposite of flattering for your body shape, fear not, because patterned tights can do wonders for your curves. Try jewel-toned colors with chunky platforms or peep-toe pumps and layer with your favorite tops. Tights are the ancestor of pantyhose. They stretch over the entire foot and leg and can be much more sheer than a legging.

The options here are endless: Give your little black dress a makeover with some lacy legs; embrace your country side with wintry plaid; pair a business suit with pinstripe tights; horizontal stripes are back; modernize your denim mini-skirt with solid black tights and the classic white shirt or add extra flair to a conservative pleated skirt; keep your transitional dresses out longer by wearing tights underneath with platforms.

By Beth Kern

For Décor and Much More…

Show off these new leaf-shaped serving plates at your next dinner party. Available in four sizes, these plates can be used for every aspect of entertaining. The iridescent shine gives off the illusion that the leaves are changing colors. The gold back provides a barely-there, but stunning detail. Plate sizes range from pot roast-perfect to savvy salad. When you are not serving on them, they also make a great base for decor on your table. Each plate is sold separately so that you can mix and match to create the perfect combination for your needs. Prices range from $19 to $31 and can be found at GailGray Home Furnishings at the Promenade Shops in Center Valley. Be sure to check out all the other fall items GailGray carries to enhance your hosting skills.

A Warm Welcome

A seasonal wreath can bring warmth to the outside of your home in an instant. The flowers on this wreath from Distinctive Accents in Macungie blend nicely into its mix of green ivy. And you need not be shy about adding a wreath to the inside of your home, either. A large wreath looks beautiful on the wall just by itself. Small wreaths make perfect decorations on the back of doors or going up stairways. Acorns, berries, and orange leaves are also great wreath elements for the fall, so if this wreath doesn’t work with your décor, a custom design can be made to match your style and budget. Find this wreath at Distinctive Accents in Macungie, $128.99.

Little Packages

Small accents are sometimes the things that your houseguests will comment on the most when it comes to decor. These pumpkins, found at Stonewood Interiors in Emmaus, are sure to be scene-stealers in your home this fall. Add them to your favorite decorative dishes and jars, spread them over your coffee table, or use them in combination with your favorite fall candles as a centerpiece idea.
Ranging in size and color, these accents have incredible detail. Priced at $5.50 for a bag of about 100 pumpkins, they’re a real steal, as well! Your Stonewood Interiors associate will be happy to help you locate them in the store.

Form and Fun!

Don’t let a rainy fall day create tracks of wet leaves into your home. Guests can easily wipe their feet as they enter on these great interior door throw mats. Made of bamboo, these mats come in a variety of sizes and function beautifully with Country French themes and colors. Mats start at $25 and are available at Chickadees, 451 Main Street, Bethlehem, 610.868.5900.

Seasonal Scents

Fall is the favorite season of many because of the distinct scents associated with it. Capture those aromas in your home in an instant with this unique candle from Sweet Memories in Emmaus. Packaged in a vintage-look tin with a variety of Thanksgiving-themed labels, these candles are available in a variety of scents, including candy corn, pumpkin spice, and toasted pecans. The scents are light and fresh, not overpowering. You can put this candle out now and leave it out past Turkey Day. Other varieties of this candle are available for different seasons and holidays, as well. At the reasonable price of $12.99, you can easily splurge one for each season!

This is going to sound rather pathetic, but I unintentionally forgot my phone at home Wednesday morning and felt completely beside myself.

OK, so my life (personal and in LVStyle land) has been so busy lately! I don’t even know where to begin, but I guess I’ll just give you a quick rundown.

This year has certainly proven to become quite the wedding season for me. It’s actually been rather interesting because I’ve been invited to and attended three very different weddings with one more coming up in two weeks.

Thanks to the Society of the Arts (SOTA) for providing us with the inspiration for a great kitchen story. Now here’s a little background on SOTA.

SOTA is a women’s service organization associated with the Allentown Art Museum. The Museum Directors Richard and Betty Hirsch, with Mrs. Channing O. Davis, the Founding Mother of the organization, founded it in 1964. The SOTA bylaws describe the group as one: “Whose purpose shall be to cooperate with and further the policies and service programs of the Allentown Art Museum and to contribute to the social and cultural life of the Lehigh Valley.” The group has grown from its humble beginnings, when members packed and unpacked crated exhibits, painted walls and backdrops for displays, and catered openings and other social events with food and service pieces brought from their homes.

The Process Principle
Multimedia artist, Jim Toia ignites the polite relationship between art and onlooker.

 

Photos by Gridley & Graves
See the rest of the best of our amazing Home of the Year!