Darcy Miller

Are visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in your head? For many of us, it wouldn't be the holidays without a visit to a local production of The Nutcracker. George Balanchine's ballet masterpiece is as much a part of the holiday season as the smell of pine and the sound of wrapping paper falling to the floor.

For Darcy Miller, editorial director for Martha Stewart Weddings and a mother of three young daughters, the New York City Ballet's George Balanchine's The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition. Darcy remembers seeing the ballet as a little girl and loves taking her daughters each year. They've watched the video and listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times. The ballet inspired Darcy to create a Winter wonderland party filled with ballerinas, snowflakes, nutcrackers, and angels to usher in the season. Keep reading for a first look at this dreamy party.

Thanksgiving dinner may center around a long, delicious meal, but when there are little kids in the mix, it tends to feel more like fast food, because dinner gets inhaled and the kids go back to their fun and games. But when the kids have a special table — filled with details and activities just for them — they're more likely to spend a few extra minutes sitting at it.

We turned to Darcy Miller, editorial director for Martha Stewart Weddings, and a mother of three, for some tips for creating a kid-friendly dinner that both parents and kids can enjoy. Among her ideas is using craft paper as a tablecloth and an orange paper runner with a punched edge for accent; the paper doubles as a great way to keep the kids entertained. Placing coloring pages, crayons, stickers, and rubber stamps (holiday-themed, of course) on the table can also help keep them at the table a few minutes longer. Keep reading for more of Darcy's tips, as well links to free downloads you can print out for your own Thanksgiving festivities.

There are few things more Summery than a vase full of daisies sitting on the table. The yellow and white flowers are perfectly casual yet sophisticated, lending themselves to baby showers and birthday parties. Darcy Miller, editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings and a celebrations expert, knows a thing or two about the sweet flowers — she named her daughter after them. We simply adore Darcy's party-throwing style (who can forget her daughter Pippa's perfectly purple party) and knew that only she could create a daisy-themed celebration that didn't look like it was thrown in an English tea garden! For Daisy's first birthday, the party expert gathered up her favorite daisy party items — cookies, hanging paper daisies, lollipops, cupcake picks, etc. — to create a beautifully sunny outdoor party for her tot.

Today, for the first time, Darcy is giving fellow party givers the opportunity to create their own daisy party using the same party items she did through her first curated sale on OpenSky. The sale includes everything you'll need for your next daisy party or shower, from the cookies and gumball sticks to napkins and a coordinating Slip 'n Slide.

Source: Donna Newman Photography

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Darcy Miller, celebrations expert and editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. Having just thrown her daughter's third birthday, Darcy shares the original — and sweet! — way she planned the entire party around the birthday girl's favorite color.

In our house, birthdays are not only a celebration, but also a fun activity for us to do as a family. We always start with the theme (of course it is a negotiation at times), but we end up with fun celebration that we enjoy organizing together. We have done everything from a Daisy Party for my oldest daughter Daisy's first birthday to Pajama Parties and Puppy Parties. This year, for my youngest daughter Pippa's third birthday, her sisters decided she should have a purple party since it's her favorite color. I will admit, although I love lavender, I can't say purple is my favorite color — but purple it was! As you might have already guessed, everything from the favors to the play dough stations was purple. There was purple icing on the cake and purple bouncy balls tossed around the room. I even set up a reading station featuring purple-themed books like Harold and the Purple Crayon on a purple blanket. At Martha Stewart Weddings, we love to start with a palette, and monochromatic is a color theme we've returned to over the years.

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Darcy Miller, celebrations expert and editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings. With Valentine's Day upon us, Darcy shares some original — and sweet! — crafts she and her three girls put together for the holiday.

With three little girls — Pipa, Ella, and Daisy — who adore all things hearts and sweets, Valentine's Day is always a huge holiday in my house. In fact, I start collecting pink and red materials in early January to prepare. It's the perfect time to surprise loved ones with custom handmade gifts that show how much you care. I always like to involve the girls, and this was a great way to spend time together. Here are some of the sweet DIY gifts we'll be sending with love to family and friends this year.

When Martha Stewart turns 70, you know it's going to be a fabulous party. Today's episode of The Martha Stewart Show on the Hallmark Channel gives us an inside look at Martha's big bash thrown this Summer by Darcy Miller, celebrations expert for The Martha Stewart Show and editorial director of Martha Stewart Weddings.


Our very own Rebecca Gruber of LilSugar attended the taping and scored some exclusive party pics. Click through for a look at the menu, the sweets, the adorable Scrabble- and puzzle-themed decor, and inspiring yet easy to re-create crafts and favors. Happy birthday, Martha!

Photo by Donna Newman Copyright 2011

Got an empty wall that needs some decor? Consider filling the space with a gallery of shadow boxes. Simple to create, they are the perfect way to display family memories, retired books, yellowed tickets, and whimsical portraits. I have been inspired by these incredibly adorable pieces of art created by Martha Stewart Weddings' editorial director Darcy Miller. A mother to three and an artist with a vision, she showed off her talents on Martha's show and is showcased in this month's edition of Martha Stewart Living.