Pink Lace and Cupcakes

lord help me...

2011-05-18T08:18:00.006-04:00

Love it or hate it, memorial day is right around the corner. And clearly so is swimsuit season!! Its not my favorite time of the year (Christmas is) but over the years I have found cuts, styles and brands that really work well with my figure, being petite, but not rail thin and muscular, but not like a body builder, is tricky when searching for a swatch of material no bigger than a doile which is supposed to keep me looking glam, and also keeping my bubbies undercover when the inevitable massive wave I'm to oblivious to notice smacks me a good one. Boys really have it so much easier...

Here are a few of my top picks:)
Vitamin A..They are the best! You can pretty much pick out any style top or bottom and in any different pattern. They are super durable as well!

I love the 80s look of the two on the left

Its Roxy, I may be a bit old to be wearing it but the tiny floral pattern is so cute:)

Hooray for Sunshine and tan lines:)

Berry Berry Quite Contrary

2011-05-10T08:17:00.005-04:00

Strawberries are in season!!

I dragged hubs to the Farmers market on Sunday and scooped up a flat of strawberries. How I rationalized the need for that many strawberries is beyond me at the moment. Needless to say I have been feverently baking and Im not sure I have even put a dent in them! I made strawberry muffins, strawberry pies, strawberry water ice, a batch of strawberry cupcakes are in the oven at this very moment. Im going to make some strawberry jam before the day is through! Whew.

A few "berry" tid bits to get you in the festive spirit

I absolutley had the My little Pony that smelled like strawberries!!

This is how I remember Ms Shortcake...She looks a bit more "modern" these days

This in fact may be the exact birthday invitation I had

I used a little biscuit cutter and a muffin pan and I made mini strawberry tarts, mine weren't as pretty as this one though!

I know they re-released this, but I couldnt get enough of this stuff when I was younger!

Addicted. This little sucker may be what started my chapstick addiction. I had baskets of these in every room of the house!

This smells really really pretty, and all the fresh stuff is divine! Sephora carries it in a purse size bottle which is always great for little "on the go" freshen ups!

Harder to find than the standard blue tin, but the strawberry rosebud is my fave:)

Hope you all have a great day!

2 Years.

2011-05-09T07:39:00.003-04:00

2 years ago today I married my best friend and the Man of my Dreams.. (sigh...) Despite how crummy life gets at times, knowing that I get to take it head on with him is always a constant comfort:)

And we shall pay homage to....

2011-05-06T07:38:00.005-04:00

The Most Exciting (and fabulous) 2 minutes in sports

I absolutely adore all things derby, and "horsey" for that matter. Two of my most favorite dolls on the planet (yes they are twins) are lucky enough to have a birthday fall on Derby Day!! Both are celebrating with a Derby party of course.

I had a darling little "bourbon" soiree last year, and this year in a new city I wont be hosting/or attending one-insert pouty face here. I don't really think that hubs or our little pup would be over the moon for an all out decorated, horseshoe themed bash for just us three, so please celebrate in my honor;)

A few of my favorite "horsey" items...

Benedictine Sandwiches

I made these last year and I could eat them everyday, for the rest of my life.

Fab Hats..

Ok Maybe I just want to be this girl..but she does have a fab hat on too:)

Mint Juleps/ Bourbon Slurpees

No Explanation Needed

These adorable earrings that "my puppy"/hubs got me for my birthday

they pretty much go with everything and they are super preppy without being obnoxious...well maybe a little but that's why I love them!

Red Roses...

Ive never actually been a fan of red, but I adore them pulled neatly together in honor of such a momentous sporting event:)

Hope you all have the most wonderful weekend ever!! Dress to the nines, with big hats and bourbon!!

Tea time:)

2011-04-28T08:47:00.004-04:00

My love for all things "tea-party" related is no suprise. How could anything be any more dainty and girly??!!

I love to throw parties, especially themed ones:) So if I could I would invite you all over at 4am for a tea party/royal wedding viewing party tomorrow!

Clearly any excuse to devour tons of carbs and sugar with a serious caffeine buzz will get me out of bed at any hour!

A little inspiration...A lot of cucumbers...and some sugar and we will have ourselves a little tea party

vintage tea cup bangles! So cute but I would be so scared I would break them

Happy Thursday

Sweet Spring Flower

2011-04-27T12:04:00.005-04:00

Its been a rough couple of months to say the least. Moving is humbling. Thank you so much to my wonderful friends and family who have been such an incredible support and encouraged me to get back into the things I love the most:)

If I could send you each a huge bouquet of Peonies I would.

They are absolutely my favorite flower of all time. My mother has them growing in her backyard, there were so many at our wedding that the guests were even commenting on how fragrant they made the church and now living in the south they are in bloom much earlier!

I have been in the park to smell them each day and I am keeping my eyes peeled at whole foods for the bouquets to arrive. They are beautiful, dainty with such vintage charm I just cannot seem to get enough!!

Love to you all!

Out with the old (waaaay old)

2011-01-12T09:32:00.009-05:00

So.... pathetic as this may be, I was deathly ill on new years eve and I actually wrote out (in a cute little pink book mind you) a few of my new years resolutions...

One being... To keep my fingernails in good shape, polished when possible and tidy and shaped without hideous hangnails or overgrown cuticles, and I have vowed not to go days on end without removing all 10 digis if one starts chipping (guilty)

I started to examine my history/obsession with manis and pedis and polish ...

The earliest manis I could remember were Tinkerbell BO-PO (brush on, peel off!) in sickeningly sweet girly shades, straight from my caboodle none the less:)

Salon manis in my youth were often holiday centric, red or pink with an airbrushed snowman or flower on each ring finger! (I cant believe Im admitting to this)

A long love affair with an air-brushed french manicure & pedicure (which chipped mere moments after leaving the salon) followed

My wonderful mother and I were completely obsessed with Hard Candy (Ive heard they recently launched a line for Walmart!) and we had every shade imaginable! Bright polishes, clever names and the plastic gummy rings!

Who can forget the Chanel Vamp Craze, Im pretty sure we were on a waiting list. At the time it was so drastically different and wearing it now it doesnt even seem that dark!

Second Waiting list involved Chanel Black Satin and every dark polish after never seemed as dark

Classic Reds , Pale Pinks and Linkin Park after dark, with a scattering of semi-greys and beiges in between, have certainly been the staple of my mani/pedi diet over the past few years

But with nails being such an accessory as of late I am obssessing over Glitz and Glam! Deborah Lippman is as of late my absolute must have.... How could these be any more fun??!!

Bad Romance

Today Was a Fairytale

Boom Boom Pow

Dressing up jeans and a plain white -t, or adding sparkles to your glammed up gear, I really cant see any ensemble that these would not compliment:)

Hope you are all having a Fab Week!

"Dont Call It a Comeback"

2011-01-02T21:22:00.005-05:00

So That Happened!....

We moved to Raleigh

Got a puppy

I unpacked and decorated the little condo we are renting (It has a second bedroom!-Im not used to so much space!)

I decorated and un-decorated for Christmas

Hubs went away for training, I got lost several hundred time, I am pretty sure I have found every Target in the "Triangle Region"

My Puppy Went for my shoes (first and last time that will ever happen-they have since been moved)

We made two holiday trips back to DC

I found a Hair Place! (And I do not have a red mullet-AMEN!)

We found a wonderful Church

I met some really really sweet new girls and have already had a brunch date! (Making new girlfriends is very difficult)

I got lost a few more times (Im guessing this will continue for a while)

I found a fab little yoga studio, and a boring meathead style gym -I guess somethings are not that different

Ive also found millions of little places that will monogram any and everything-Im so excited about this:)

All in all its been completely insane yet wonderful and I am really loving Raleigh (not the getting lost part)
Here are a few pics from the most recent weeks:)

Little Henleigh (prn. Hen-lee)

He has lots and lots of $2.50 Christmas Tees from Target :)

His little "House" I found a stagecoach style crate cover online and took it to a cute little local boutique to have his name embroidered on it-hubs thinks Im nuts

Our New Bedroom, and new bedroom furniture

Living/Dining Area, The daylight that comes in is so beautiful and warms up the place so much

Home Sweet Home:)

I have missed you all!

XXOO

Pack it up...Pack it in!!!

2010-10-28T09:24:00.003-04:00

Let me begin......

worst blogger ever...seriously I am sorry. It was a total whirlwind of a summer with weddings, and showers, and life. Time has flown and I cannot believe it is almost November!!

My husband just got a wonderful new job offer, which he accepted! So... (I cant even believe this..)

WE ARE MOVING TO RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA!!
Ok so its not Paris or Milan, but for a born and bred northeastern girl this is huge! We are over the moon excited and I cannot wait to explore a totally new city with hubs:) Lots of amazing adventures are sure to be in store!

I really need help...Like seriously. We don't know what area to move to!! We are headed down this weekend to look for a place to rent in the time being, but not knowing the lay of the land has proved a little daunting.

If you, or anyone you know lives or is from Raleigh would you make a suggestion on where to live?? I figured you guys would most likely be the best people to reach out to:)

An area, zip code, apartment/condo building. Pretty much open to it all, love to hear suggestions!

XXOO Thank you a million times over!

Welcome to the World!!

2010-10-07T09:39:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the world Baby Jack!!! John Nicholas Pascale arrived last night and weighed in at 10 pounds!!! My Bestie, the new mommy, is doing well and recovering from quite the adventure!! All our love and prayers go out to such a little miracle and his new family!

Im a Godmother:)

I cannot wait to kiss those chubby little cheekies:)

Had to share!! Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Dont Cry! Dry your eyes...

2010-10-06T09:31:00.004-04:00

My Bestie is actually in labor as I type!!! I cannot wait until baby Jack arrives:)

On such a wonderfully emotional day I must pay homage to one of my favorite little things.....

Hankies:)

they are so delicate and feminine and lets be honest, they look so much cuter when pulled out of your pocketbook to blot your eyes than a crumpled up cotton wad of a kleenex! Dont get me wrong I have many a "wad o kleenex" but I am really hoping to scoop up a few vintage hankies for myself and some others to hand out for little holiday gifts to sweet girlfriends!!

A few of my absolute fave.....

Ebay has tons! For really cheap! They are so cute It almost makes me want to cry!! ;)

Hope all is well!!

XXOO

Where the heck have I been? pt 1.

2010-09-13T08:56:00.009-04:00

The wedding montage scene played to "Shout" at the beginning of wedding crashers has honestly been my life!!

I feel lucky and blessed to have been a party of so many wonderful events, but I am looking forward to getting back to life on my schedule:)

Summer in Review....

Just in the beginning of May, Hubs and I celebrated our first anniversary day!

A weekend later a Sorority sister said her i'dos, hubs and I had a blast (and maybe a cocktail or two)

For memorial day a scary plane ride shook us up quite a bit! But we celebrated life with great friends and Chi-town was a huge hit!

Another wedding in between then a 40th Anniversary Fiesta for My parents-The King and the Queen!!!!

Off to Las Vegas we went with a smile!! For a wedding on a beautiful lake with legal gambling all the while!!!! Spending time with my two besties, a bride and mommy to be, life doesn't get much better it was def time to Party!!

my bestie (who could deliver any moment!) and I in front of the amazing las Vegas lake:)

The Bride's beautiful little niece Perry-She slept through the entire reception!

The Bride looked absolutely amazing!! I did her hair-so proud of myself

Hubs and I at the rehearsal:)

My Lovies!! 3 different time zones and still closer than ever:)

Its going to have to be in 2 parts-considering This only brings me up to June!

I just really felt I owed all of you wonderful girls some sort of explanation as to where the heck I have been!!

Thank you for being there always:)

XXOO

AHOY! ITS A BOY!

2010-08-17T08:31:00.005-04:00

I told you guys I had tons and tons going on....Clearly visible from my lack of posts.. I guess I will post in reverse since I have the most pictures from this past Sunday!

My Bestie, is having her first baby and she let me throw her a nautical themed baby shower with a few of her moms girlfriends this past weekend!!

I had the best time ever putting together "nautical-esque" favors and making the regatta flags:) Sometimes being a detail freak can be super draining, but this was obviously worth it!!

Enjoy The pics!!!

Little white beach pails filled with goldfish! I made mini regatta flags just to stick in the tray

My Little Regatta Flags
I could make diaper cakes until the cows come home, but the simplicity of the ribbon and rope kept me from adding any baby sock flowers-It looked clean, crisp and the Mom-to-Be loved it!
(I got her the buoy and the little nautical knots to help add seaside decor to the nursery)

Beautiful Dining Room shot!

The Invitations I sent out that I am obsessed with-it had a printed back as well!

My adorable mother, The beautiful mother to be, and me!

Amazing spread of food:) Yum

The cutest lil VT baby booties! GO HOKIES!!

Hope you are all having a Fab Day!

XXOO

Chalk it Up!

2010-08-02T12:46:00.004-04:00

Maybe its because, I am always looking for an excuse to buy that huge tub of sidewalk chalk at target. Maybe it is because back -to -school items are popping up in stores. Maybe its because I am completely entirely swamped in every aspect of my life so naturally, I thought what better time to begin another crafty, potential destructive, craft project!!

Regardless of the reason..I am just completely smitten with CHALKBOARDS!!!

There is something so organic and charmingly vintage about them that I cannot resist! And now with readily available chalkboard paint you can take the most adorable frame and turn it into a chalkboard!!

I cannot wait (for some reason I don't think hubs is going to be nearly as excited about it-but he loves me all the same!) to find one!

Inspiration....

Happy Monday Dolls!!

Still Alive, Still Eating Cupcakes!

2010-07-28T17:14:00.004-04:00

Zero excuses.

Ok well maybe a few....

Please Bare with me (and my pitiful lack of posts) as this is by far the busiest summer of my entire life. All good things, weddings, bachelorettes, weddings, weddings, weddings....and clearly lots of cupcake eating along the way!

To my wonderful followers, A zillion and one apologies, and I promise that once my life settles back down I will post much more frequently, as it always comes from the heart!!

2010-06-15T09:07:00.007-04:00

The Eternal search for the perfect wardrobe and organizational methods continues.....

I decided recently that I have come to the point in my life where I should no longer have "crossover" clothing-in fact I am sure that these items should have fallen by the wayside long ago. I should have a work wardrobe. I should have day/evening clothes & dresses in all parameters of formality.I should have gym clothes-like real gym clothes that I would (and do) only wear to workout in. I should have pajamas. I should not have tshirts and heinous shorts from my high school (I cannot believe I am admitting to that) cheerleading days that I sometimes wear to bed and sometimes pair with an a tshirt from my good ol college days to wear to the gym. Hubs thinks this is all some plot for more shopping-I think its a mature approach to life, and since when would I ever need an "excuse" to shop....really

Ive got the normal clothes down but what I really need to address are my lack of dedicated gym clothes and pajamas.

Here are a few of my faves....

Nike Tempo Running Shorts

Anthro

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

Off the Cuff...

2010-06-14T08:42:00.003-04:00

I have seen these everywhere and every time I ask someone where they scooped it up they say "oh in Spain" or "actually my daughter picked it up in Mexico..." Needless to say I almost screamed out loud when I spotted one in the South Moon Under (only the best clothing boutique ever-They have been expanding over the past few years too!). I found the brand ZAD and although the website is not super appealing the products def are, and the prices are completely reasonable!

How Cute??? The Turq would look so pretty on a sun tanned arm with a cute little sundress:)

If Only I could find an orange one!!!

Happy Wife Happy Life

2010-06-11T08:26:00.003-04:00

I almost cried when I read that my absolute fave housewife ever Teresa Giudice and her hilarious hubby Joe had to file for bankruptcy!! I just love her, she is absolutely hilarious and I honestly feel like she is who she is, Italian Jersey Girl, and she doesn't make any excuses for it-I totally respect her for it!

I did come across her new cookbook "Skinny Italian" and I must have it now. The recipes look delicious, and simple enough to make for hubby for an easy weeknight meal. Hubs sticks to a mostly Paleo diet and (since I do the cooking) I am always challenged to find new and tasty recipes for dinner that are pretty close to (if not 100%) Paleo. She has lots of healthy recipes and easy dressings and marinades that I cannot wait to try-plus her "tone" comes across throughout the book and It seems pretty hilarious!

Putting Family first was how my wonderful mother brought us up, and I do my very best to make sure that hubs is taken care of-plus who doesn't love getting a new cookbook??? I will let you all know how the recipes turn out, but with all the fresh produce at our farmers market and whole foods this time of year, I don't know how they wont be delish!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

UnReal!

2010-06-09T08:22:00.005-04:00

I am an old fashioned girl. I keep a day planner (hand written-its Lilly and makes me smile), prefer a handwritten note over an email any day and I despise evites(nothing personal). That being said, I absolutley, positively, could not live without my iphone. Hubs and I both have them and have for a while, sometimes I consider it to be "My Mobile Google Machine"!! I am really not a huge gadget/gizmo type of person but Hubs made me watch a 3 minute video about this new baby......

THE IPHONE 4!! Honestly, Im obsessed. The "Facetalk" feature, which basically allows you to see the person you are talking to, or allow the person you are talking to to see what you are seeing is just unreal. All of the times you are away from loved ones and simply want to see them smile-this will make that happen!

It sounds rediculous but sometimes when it comes to technology, and how quickly things change I honestly feel like the Jetsons theme song is going to start playing!!

In my eyes a modern girl is rooted in tradition, elegance and class, but absolutley needs the most up to date in media and communications devices-How else would she "google" that new adorable monogrammed stationary to keep up on her social graces??!! :)

Hope everyone is having a great week

XXOO

MilkaWhaaat????!!

2010-06-03T10:08:00.003-04:00

After seeing, and obsessing over the unbelievably adorable whoopie pie and vanilla milkshake dessert this past weekend in Chicago, I have been on the hunt for vintage, or vintage "esque" milk bottles. Something so pure and nostalgic, yet clean and simple all at once!

So many uses..... flower vases, storage (buttons and ribbon would look so pretty in glass ones) or for a milk and cookies party (I need an excuse to throw one asap!!)

yes please....

Hope Everyone has a great Friday:)

What a Weekend!

2010-06-02T14:30:00.005-04:00

My posting as of late, have been pathetic. Working for a living (on a construction site-yes I am totally serious) has really been cutting into my blogging/shopping/domestic duties!

After the most harrowing experience of my life last Friday (an emergency landing on our flight-We had no nose gear!) I have come to realize how important each and every second with my darling hubs, my wonderful family and friends truly is.

When we finally made it to Chicago (I still cannot believe I got back on a plane!) Hubs and I grabbed deep dish, downed a much needed cocktail and watched the sunset from the observation deck at the sears tower-the highest building in the world!

My doll of a childhood and lifelong BFF (and former Chi-town resi) Muffin and her peach of a Fiance, got in late Friday evening-and we had an incredible weekend-certainly one for the books!

A few pictures from an incredible journey- One which I am so incredibly thankful I was able to experience:)

Hubs & I before the Cubbies Game

Two girls, having wayyy to much fun:)

Hubs & I after dinner at Sable (ABSURD)

Whoopie pies and Milkshakes for dessert at Sable

The most amazing cupcakery I have been too-There are zillions in DC (including Georgetown cupcake-which is completely overrated!) Sugar Bliss Cakes:) The cupcakes were super fresh and had incredible flavors-I soo wish I lived closer

Hubs & I at Millenium Park

We had a table at the Violet Hour-which was insane, with the best Pimms Cup I have ever had, hands down. No Cameras allowed, but I snuck in a pick in the powder room-to prove we had been!

A Red Velvet Pancake at Bongo Room-This was following the Banana Bacon Flapjack! I could eat these everyday forever

Muffin and I :)

Staring down from atop the highest building in the world-awe inspiring after our crazy flight!

Woooaah Nelly!

I know its a tourist attraction-but we could resist, I still cant finish one piece!

My Camera Bunked out But we had the most amazing dinner at AVEC on Sunday Night!!

Hope Everyone out there is well!

XXOO

The "Mane" Event

2010-05-14T09:35:00.002-04:00

Absolutely, 100% my new favorite hair product.........

Moroccan Oil- go get it now!

In February my doll of a Bff, Muffin, stayed with me for her bridal shower weekend. She whipped a bottle of this out of her toiletry kit and raved about it, she has always had gorgeous locks (even when we were little girls) and she has always been way ahead of the curve with health and beauty tricks & products (she taught me how to set my hair in foam rollers when we were like 7 years old!!)

I finally got a trim, and fresh highlights on Wednesday and scooped up a bottle for myself. Its amazing, not only does it cut down on drying time (which my T3 has already done significantly-this just cuts more time off!!) but it makes my hair super soft-and super shiny!! This is really the only product I have ever used that has added a significant amount of shine to blond highlights (it def. works better than my old go-to Kerastase Chroma Riche serum!!), Its incredible:)

So thanks Muffin!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!!

This May Indeed Solve All the worlds problems

2010-05-12T08:03:00.003-04:00

I really try to maintain a healthy diet, sometimes (meaning, all the time) my sweet tooth gets the best of me. Yesterday was no exception. After a miserable day, I hit up 7-11 with the intention to grab a pint of ice cream (don't judge) Instead I grabbed a pack of marshmallows, a Hershey bar and some , wait they didn't have any Graham Crackers??!!!! My resourcefulness kicked into high gear and I was forced to improvise. I snatched up a pack of nutter butters, and went home to feast on peanut butter smores-They were pretty absurd-I think I may be on to something.

The entire ooeey gooeey chocolate, peanut butter fiasco would never have come to be had 7-11 had my favorite new indulgence in the world....

Addictive is quite the understatement. This will satisfy any and all taste buds. Chocolate & Vanilla, salty and sweet, the only problem I can find is that they don't sell it in industrial trough sizes. Woops!

Ice Cream may not be able to solve the worlds problems, but man does it help a girl out when she is having a bad day!

Bourbon Slurpees and a side of Mayo

2010-05-02T11:08:00.003-04:00

Bourbon is a sneaky little lady....

Some pictures of the little derby party I hosted yesterday...

Whole foods had the prettiest organic roses, they are giant! All in little mint julep cups:)

Balloon weights-I thought the sun coming in was pretty

The "Brunette" I searched high and low for horse balloons! ** Bizarre I didn't notice this at the time but the picture hanging on the wall is a print that we have from New Orleans a few years ago of Bourbon street, and I only caught Bourbon it the picture!!**

The "Blond"

Spiced Pecans, these came out so perfectly I am going to make them for everything! Garam Masala was a little tricky to find but I got a big jar for future batches

Mini Ham Biscuits! Only the second time I have ever made biscuits from scratch and they turned out so adorable (I had to use a shot glass to cut the dough!) They had horseradish aoili and pimento cheese, with ham and bibb lettuce:)

I am obsessed with Benedictine spread, For a first timer, I am pretty pleased with the "pistachio" shade I was able to create with food coloring ( I learned that the perfect shade of green is essential when serving a perfect Benedictine Bite)

Little Spread, loved my layer salad-looked so pretty in the trifle dish! I also made a derby tart which was yummy

Horseshoe Favors! I wrote a little "how-to" on hanging above your door frame to catch good luck that falls upon your home:)

"The Bar" I told you our place is tiny! Mint Juleps with shaved ice (that our Margarita maker made perfectly) and the picture had a batch of Oaks Lily cocktails-both were a hit. I scooped up the Beverage Dispenser from Crate and Barrel - Melissa over at For the Love convinced me it was perfect and versatile, for a more girly affair I can rest it on a cake plate with a doilies :) She the best

I had my Lilly entertaining book propped open with the derby section for fun!

I did the very best I could in keeping with all proper Kentucky Derby Traditions. I am sure inevitably (being a northern gal) I messed a few things up, but all in all I was pleased-and most importantly I had a blast!

My Mariposa Obsession

2010-04-30T11:56:00.005-04:00

Is it too early to start writing letters to Santa??

I have always loved all things mariposa, especially the cocktail napkin holders with interchangeable (and absolutley adorable) little weights. I want one of each for every occasion. I have a number of showers and birthdays to go to, and what a sweet little hostess gift any of these items would make! Love, Love LOVE!

A Cracker Caddy! Just take them out of the sleeve and they sit perfectly in the little tray!

Condiments, dipping sauces, nuts, candy-pretty much anything would look adorable in this!

Or this!

This is toooo perfect for words!

Hello absolutley adorable salt and pepper shakers, how are you? Is this not the most perfect little wedding gift for those "Love Birds"! I mean really!

My Favorite by far, the little weights are interchangeable and there is one for every season, holiday, event they are just perfect!

One thing my mother always has, is perfectly coordinated guest towels in the bathroom for every holiday and event. How cute would this be in yours????!!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday-I am going to be spending the afternoon making the biggest batch of mint simple syrup for my Juleps tomorrow!!! Hooray for the DERBY!

Drink up!

2010-04-28T08:29:00.002-04:00

I have been drooling over these pretty beverage dispensers for the past few years, but I am finally going to man up and buy one! I keep going back and forth about style and size, but I figure the more classic and the more simple the better, since it will go with each event I use it for. Im hosting a Derby party on Saturday and i cannot wait to fill one up with a big batch of juleps and fresh mint:)

Hope you are all having a great day!

Where does the time go?

2010-04-26T09:09:00.005-04:00

When I began writing this blog, I made a vow never to let it become a negative place. I don't want to rant and rave about living outside of the district or how absurd the cost of living is, or really whine about things in general. There are plenty of blogs dedicated to this subject matter, but I just did not want mine to be one of them.

That being said... I need to get back into our blog world. You are all so positive and that energy and positivity helps me be a happier person. Please excuse my most recent absence, I was in a rut mentally and I really did not want that to come out in my blog!

Onto things I have to be thankful for, My 1 year wedding Anniversary is in 2 weeks!! I simply cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. I am more in love with Hubs than ever before and our relationship gets better and better with each passing day. Among other things, I never got around to getting our Wedding Album together (pathetic I know) but I finally got the disk from my mom and I reached out to our photographer to set up a time to get things in order-so hopefully I will have something in the works soon..

A few pictures (All taken by the incredibly talented Angie Moon Photographer) I wanted to share with you from the absolute best, most beautiful, most perfect day of my whole life....

Mom and I leaving the Hotel Suite, to meet my dad!

The Church was only a block from the Hotel on the Ocean-so the entire bridal party processed with a bag piper from the hotel to the church!

This picture is the only reason I really wanted it to be beautiful on our wedding day, and boy was it! 85degrees and sunny after 2 straight weeks of 50degrees and rain

Mom & Dad made their grand entrance to the theme from "The Godfather" note my dads hand in his suit coat-I told you we were Italian-What can I say??!! :)

Hubs & I!

Right as we got to the reception-which was directly on the bay, a huge thunderstorm rolled in and we thought our sunset shots would be totally out of the question. It rained for 15 min, the sky cleared beautifully and a rainbow came out-It was unreal!! We got our sunset shots after the most perfect day ever.

I am one Lucky Girl, and I am going to try to remind myself of this each and every day!

I want to go every year:)

2010-04-09T17:09:00.005-04:00

The Masters is just absurd. Whether you are a golf fan or not, it is remarkably beautiful and perfect in every way. I had the best time with hubs (he was in heaven) and I want to go back every year for ever.

A few pics from the trip...

Ernie signing at the Par 3 contest

Freddy "Boom Boom" Couples-He is "Da" Man:)

Phil with one of his three absolutely adorable daughters who were his caddys

Hubs and I at the front of the Club house-He is holding the Augusta National Golf club flag-just in case we forgot where we were!

Magnolia Lane

Just Arnold Palmer as he zipped right in front of us for the second time that day!

$20 got us all of this....Don't worry I absolutely ate my weight in Pimento Cheese sandwiches

Hubs and I

Action shot

Hes got the most hilarious German accent

Watching Tiger putt

I mean it was so cheap, I could not get over it

Tiger warming up

I miss you already Augusta...

Fore!

2010-04-02T09:43:00.004-04:00

A nasty little sinus infection is to blame for my recent absence! I am feeling a million times better, and I am happy to be back on this beautiful Friday:)

Hesitant to even let myself get excited about our plans (after our Mardi Gras trip was cancelled due to miserable snow!) I have checked the weather and I let myself start planning, because on Tuesday Hubs and I will be headed to .....THE MASTERS!!

Golf, beautiful flowers,little sammys & beer & wine for a dollar-I AM IN:)

So onto the most important issue..What am I going to wear?????? I mean it is the masters, basically the mecca of all preppy golf lovers-plus the potential that I may be "televised" has me striving to have a perfectly "preppy-Chic yet classy" look, while not sweating through my clothes while getting a bad sunburn, because it could be brutally hot!

I might wear the new Lily Mom got me for my birthday, but Hubs suggested I get something in honor of the event (He is clearly out of his mind with excitement about attending since he is encouraging me to go out and buy clothes!) I just don't want to wear a polo.

A few options...

What do you think? Have you ever been? What kind of Shoes???? So much to think about:)

Hope you all have a fab Friday!

My Latest Obsession

2010-03-25T08:32:00.004-04:00

I am completely obsessed. Poor hubs saw the gleam in my eyes, and the Micheal's bags on the floor and new he was in for a serious crafting session (which usually makes a mess through our entire condo!). I woke up with the idea for throwing a shower for a girlfriend with a "Love is in the air" theme-what better to convey that then PINWHEELS! They are so sweet and whimsical, and a bit nostalgic all at the same time. I'm hoping to hide a small fan somewhere (maybe behind flowers) so that they will all spin softly throughout the shower!

On invites, as decor and even little ones on cupcakes! Weeeeee

Inspiration...

Happy Thursday!

In Desperate need of a tan!

2010-03-19T07:52:00.007-04:00

I did it, I tried on my first bathing suit of the season, it was terrifying. Thanks to "buff brides" i definitely fit into smaller suit sizes which is always nice, but I realized one thing as i tugged the bright spandex over my white tushy-I NEED A SERIOUS TAN!

I have been really really happy with the self tanner I have been using for the past few years, but I am always and forever in search of new beauty products.

My Current go to ...

Clarins-Self Tanning Instant Gel
Doesn't streak, still smells a little, gives decent color-its worked well in winter months, when having a dark tan with 3 feet of snow on the ground would look absurd!

I need to try these...

Tan Towel

these things are always sold out at blue mercury and magazines always rave about them, so I am going to have to give them a whirl

St. Tropez Bronzing Lotion

I used this a while ago, and while the smell was pretty bad the results were a deep, dark glow-I am willing to give it another go:)

What do you use?? I would love to have some new products to try, Especially for the face!

Happy Friday!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T09:41:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patricks Day!! On this first St. Patricks Day as a "Mc" I will leave you with one little saying (that we had printed on our St. Patricks Day Cards-yes I know I am nuts!)

May your pockets be Heavy,

and your Heart be Light,

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Hope you all have a wonderful day:)

Put on your BIG Girl Panties, and Deal with it!

2010-03-16T10:49:00.008-04:00

Amidst my ongoing efforts to find the perfect organizational system for everything in life, I spent my 15 minutes of daily decluttering yesterday, organizing the complete chaos that it my underwear drawer. I have read a zillion different articles about the best way to organize your "intimates" and over the years have attempted almost all of them. I found a nifty little organizer from the container store that, in combination with a "rolling method" I discovered on an organizational blog, I might actually have a working system for keeping my "undergarments" neat an organized!

I came to a sad realization during this decluttering process. My underwear drawer looked like that of a teenagers, not just in its lack of organization, but in its styles and colors. I think (gasp, gulp), I have officially out grown (not physically, thank goodness) the "Pink" line from Victoria's Secret. I don't really see the 5 for $25 fuchsia thongs with orange dogs and lime green polka dots as "age appropriate" anymore. I even laughed at some of pairs I got rid of. Therefore, I have made it my mission to re-vamp, and re-stock my newly organized drawer with pretty, classic, and more lady like styles.

A few of my faves...

Hanky Panky

And as a parting note to my dear "Pink", its been fun-but we both knew it would last XXOO

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2010-03-13T16:57:00.003-05:00

What a year it has been!

I am still in the midst of celebrating this first day of my 27th year with Hubs, who is the most incredible man in the world-btw!

I absolutely wouldn't be where I am today without all of the love I have received from all of you wonderful bloggers throughout the past few months:)

So Thank you a million times over!!!

Bloggy Blog Love

2010-03-10T10:48:00.005-05:00

This is long overdue, but the most fabulous Lily Lemontree bestowed upon my little blog a very, very sweet award last week....

The Beautiful Blog Award!

I mean how could Marilyn not brighten your day??

There were only a few guidelines to follow, tag as many blogs as you wish for the award, link back to the doll who bestowed this honor unto you and let those bloggers know that you have passed this adorable gem to them!!

Three daily reads I am hooked on:

Jakie Fo

Deliciously Organized

Haven & Home

You must go and check these out!!

Signature Scents.

2010-03-10T09:02:00.006-05:00

Every year around this time I am itching to get into "Spring mode", so I usually wind up getting a bottle of purfume for my birthday (Mom & I used to go to Saks every year and pick one out). I always find myself craving something new and fresh and lighter to help get me through the end of the winter. At least I can smell like spring, even if there is still snow on the ground:(

I am going to stick with some of my standbys but I would love to add a few new scents to my rotation...

My Staples.....

Smells like orange Candy
Bond no 9. "little Italy"

My Everyday scent, Lily "Squeeze" It is fruity and cheerful and oh so fresh!

Laura Mercier Almond Coconut
Rich and Decadent, yet not overpowering! This is so nice to layer over the body souflee or mix with other scents!

Fresh Sugar Lychee (my wedding day scent!)
So clean and crisp, yet sweet all at the same time, it is even better layered over the lotion!

My New Obsessions....

MAC Turquatic, MV1 & Mv3

amazing, all in their own right and at $25 a pop, one should own all 3!

D&G #3

Delicious and sweet, but still edgy-this could be my new everyday!

illy is just Silly.

2010-03-10T07:41:00.003-05:00

Until this neanderthal diet started I would take my morning coffee with a little bit of skim milk and maybe a tiny bit (or maybe 2-3 packs) of sweet and low. Well since "cavepeople" (to be PC) did not have access to cows, milk is outlawed and so is everything artificial (aka EVERYTHING delicious and sweet). I have been drinking coffee black or with a little bit of coconut milk, which doesn't do anything but make it a little lighter, yeesh! Regardless, I never really cared what the coffee tasted like plain, until now.

This is the best coffee on the planet and I am not sure that I will ever be able to drink anything else, sweetened or not!

Done.

Lovely Locks

2010-03-09T08:19:00.003-05:00

About 3 months ago hubs purchased me the T3 hair dryer. I have given it a few months and a trip to the hair dresser before I posted on the condition of my hair and my personal opinion of the hair dryer.

My hair is thick and long and dry from being highlighted for years, so before I got this dryer it was visible fried. I did a pretty good job at hiding it, with about 30 minutes of blow drying and another 20 minutes with the flat iron, but all in all it was an hour long process at least for locks that still werent perfect. My hair has dramatically changed, even my hair dresser noticed how much it has improved. The health of my hair is now close to perfect but the time that the T3 has cut off my "getting ready" process has really been incredible. I actually set a timer to see, from start to finish, how long it would take.....9minutes and 27 seconds!!!! That is from sopping wet hair, to bone dry, silky smooth, frizz free locks with absolutely zero need for a flat iron. I have always been careful about products and making sure to take good care of my locks, but I thought a blow dryer was a blow dryer. I was wrong. The T3 is amazing. I read some really mixed reviews about it when hubs first picked it up for me, but I haven't had a single problem with it, and it works as well today as the first day I used it. So if anyone is in the market for a new blowdryer, or needs to cut time (and tools) out of their morning routing this is a seriously wise investment!

Health & Fitness (seriously.)

2010-03-08T08:42:00.005-05:00

The irony of a post about health and fitness on a blog with cupcakes in the title is just hilarious to me! So here goes...

Part 1 (exercise)

This is the final week of my "Buff Brides" 24 week program, and I cannot even believe the results.I had to get measured for two bridesmaids dresses on Saturday, and had the pleasure of standing uncomfortably in my skivvies, with my pasty winter skin glowing under the florescent lighting, as a tiny little seamstress wrapped a tape measure around my "bust", "waist" & "hips", always a joy. Boy was I surprised! Not only has the weight melted off, but I have lost lots of inches as well! Lifting weights has transformed my figure, and the book outlines everything so clearly that it has been quick and easy. For anyone, at any fitness level this book will totally rock your world! I am just pretty panicked because I don't know what to start after I finish the last workout!

Part 2 (diet)

Ok, so I haven't exactly been eating as well as I have been exercising. I love sugar, I just love it, candy, cupcakes, sweets of any kind-it may very well be an addiction:( Hubs is an avid "Crossfitter" and part of the lifestyle they promote involves a "Paleo Diet"-aka "The Caveman Diet". His gym started a 38 day "paleo challenge" to help improve performance (weight lighting abilities) and overall health-supposedly there are lots of benefits to it. Well somehow, I had a moment of weakness and told him I WOULD DO IT WITH HIM!!! We took "before" pictures, and he showed me the list of what we could eat , I am still looking for the flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and confectioners sugar, but I cant seem to find it anywhere on the list.

Today is day #2 and so far I have only tried to gouge my eyes out once. I will be cheating on Saturday for my birthday, I will drink wine and eat cake, but I am going to try to make that the only day I do so for the next 38. Wish me luck!

I hope I don't end up looking like this guy.....( I would love his french fries though)

Hope Everyone is having a great Monday:)

What Time is It??

2010-03-04T14:04:00.006-05:00

First and foremost, an apology for my most recent absence! Who knew starting a job, planning a shower for twin sister brides to be and preparing for your hubbys birthday could be so time consuming? Not having an Internet connection at my new job didn't help either. But I am back:)

My girlfriends who Mom and I threw the shower for last weekend stayed with me and hubs (he couldn't tell them apart!) and we had the best time ever! It is crazy that we have all been friends for 20 years, and none of us are even 30! They both always have fabulous jewelry and accessories, but their love for watches really set me on the hunt for a few new fun "time pieces" to spruce up my new extremely casual work outfits....

Here are a few that I am loving....

Michele
Swatch!

Toy Watch

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Thursday:)

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.......

2010-02-24T22:20:00.005-05:00

Cadbury Eggs have arrived:)

I know not everyone cares for them, but I do. In fact I love them. Cadbury Cream Eggs are my Kryptonite. Unfortunately (which seems appropriate to say, however I see it as a fortunate coincidence!) the cvs a block from my house only sells them in a box of 4. I wont even get into how many 4 packs I have bought over the past 2 weeks. I convinced myself that the Easter candy was delayed due to the blizzards that we have had here, so I was simply doing the economy a favor and making up for lost time, by buying them and eating them as fast as I possibly could, so I could go and buy some more. I keep coming up with excuses to go to cvs, only to find myself walking up and down the Easter candy isle, which is by far the best season, for a 2000 calorie post dinner "snack", I must say I am quite convincing, I even sold myself on it:)

Oh If only I lived in the UK, A Cadbury Creme egg McFlurry-that sounds like heaven to me

I have never contemplated highjacking a van until I saw this picture, could you imagine the amount of Fondant in it! More realistically, I would simply request a picture be taken of me in front of it, sheepishly posing like a dork

What the What!-This looks right up my alley! The used the mini Cadbury eggs inside of a butter cream cupcake-I might try it tomorrow, so I will let you know how it turns out:)

Hope you all are doing well! I am so sorry I have been MIA for like a week:( I finally got a new Jobby Job!! Yay! So I promise to be back on my normal posting/commenting schedule by next week!

LOOOVE YOU:)

Just Plain Silly.

2010-02-17T21:39:00.003-05:00

I was never, ever a huge fan of cereal-in fact I am still not a big fan. I never had all the sugary kids cereal growing up, My mother has always been very health conscious, and I really don't like milk (at all). I eat Special K with berries and a splash of skim milk every single morning and that is pretty much the extent of it. Hubs is a huge fan of cereal, and for the past few months he has been talking about this cereal that he had as a kid that they were bringing out of retirement and how amazing it is, blah, blah blah (or so I thought!)

This arrived today (actually 3 boxes of it arrived, but he is saving the other two-yes I am serious)

One word, SILLY. I have had 6 bowls, only a tiny bit of milk and I could easily polish off the box! "Oops All Berries" might as well be "Oops All BELLY" because it is addictive, highly addictive. If you see this anywhere, get it-I promise you will not be disappointed. I really want to make some buttercream cupcakes and add these to the batter, and crush some to top the frosting with, YUM! So much for giving up being a glutton for lent, at least it didn't have any meat in it:0)

Hope you are all having a fantastic week!!

Dear Birthday Fairy

2010-02-15T08:16:00.004-05:00

Dear Birthday Fairy,

I know it isn't for a Month (March 13th to be exact) but just in case you were feeling sorry for me since I should still be in New Orleans and I'm in DC covered in snow and expecting more today, and you wanted to know what I would absolutely love for my birthday here you go...

Lunch Skins These things are amazing-would be perfect for kids lunches but I am planning to use them in order to cut down on my excessive use of Ziploc bags
Lululemon "The Relaxed Fit Crop II" Incredibly, ridiculously well made work out clothing-it is true what they say about the company having a cult following, and I am one of them! Hubs got me an adorable zip up for Valentines Day. The products are fabulous, last forever, can transfer easily from the gym/yoga to out and about.
Story Book Romance Dish Towels from Anthro! I mean these are so adorable and would give any kitchen a sweet little touch

Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears AKA Muddy Bears I have yet to find a place to buy them in bulk to have on hand, which is most likely a good thing!

These Candles are just Absurd, I stand in the store and smell them all for hours, All the scents are TDF but who can resist this fabulous turquoise shade?? I'm telling you its the Pisces in me!

The Cooled Globes Lamp from Anthro-My mother would be singing "Deep Greens and Blues are the colors I choose"-James Taylor, because I am a Pisces and this would look smashing with the blue shades of our bedding!
I am in love with these cute little dinner napkins-neutral but sharp with the cute little design!

My Two fave Lilly dresses of the season, the first a must have for showers, weddings, spring and summer parties, and the second in her perfect stretch cotton jersey, throw on at the beach with a pair of white jacks and go grab some ice cream on the boardwalk-I NEED SUMMER!
I would take anything made by Seda France, but this Bon Chic Candle in Sugar Blossom Lime looks amazing:)

In All seriousness, I keep a "wishlist" of things that i update frequently-which seems to be a good thing simply because sometimes I wind up not wanting it a few weeks later, and the ones that I still love I should really get them!

Hope everyone has a great Monday:)

Grounded.

2010-02-12T18:05:00.002-05:00

Literally, Grounded-our flight for tomorrow morning down to Louisiana has been cancelled. After a solid 7 hours of phone/Internet time with every single airline and car rental company in the united states we finally realized that we were not getting out of here. I couldn't be more disappointed. Hubs and I have literally been snowed in for a week (i did walk a few miles before the second storm hit to get my highlights done-but hey desperate time, desperate measures!) and we were looking forward to this trip for so many reasons:( At one point today we were actually contemplating driving 10 hours to Atlanta to make our connection but we are not even sure if our connection would be leaving ATL tomorrow due to storms they have coming through. We tried everything, we were willing to drive a few hours, change airlines, fly to different cities, anything-and the flights don't even exist, or they were cancelled as well:(BOOOOO to mother nature, so over weather-We want to move to Vegas-NOW!!

Hope everyone is having a better week than we are! On a brighter note, my hair looks freakin amazing-best I have had in forever:) ....Always a silver lining (or at least I am trying to find one!

Ugh!

2010-02-10T08:47:00.002-05:00

The view from my bedroom window.

I have baked, cooked, cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, re organized, baked and slept. Oh and ate an entire pint of ice cream. Part 2 of the blizzard is here and its disgusting- the winds are absurd (45mph) and we cannot even leave the condo. I don't like complaining, nor do I like being a negative person, but this weather is making me seriously grump:( So please excuse my usually cheerful pink and sparkly blog! I promise to return to normalcy as soon as possible!

And I hope that one of you is able to look at a palm tree and the sunshine for me today:)

Fresh to Def

2010-02-04T12:28:00.003-05:00

Two of my absolute favorite bath products ever. The first I discovered a few years ago, and has dramatically changed my life. The second I just picked up for the first time in Vegas a few weeks ago, and now I am totally smitten!

Fresh. (the name says it all)

The Brown Sugar body scrub is absolutely absurd. You don't even need to use lolo after you shower because it leaves your skin so soft and moisturized! I find myself using it at least a few times a week because the winter air (and the blasting heat indoors) has really dried my skin out! I know they say not to use exfoliators with oils in them before you self-tan, but if I buff up with this a few hours or the evening before, my self tanner comes out perfectly!

You will not be disappointed! **It can make your shower slippery (Hubs let me in on this!) so just make sure to rinse well:) I don't know why it says "new" its not-I think the size is.

I love lipgloss, am completely addicted to chapstick, hate "lip stains" and I have a collection of lip products that would rival and entire cosmetics department at Nordstrom. I am always looking for a good "day time"-if you will- lip product that will moisturize (like chapstick), last for longer than a couple minutes, give me a little bit of color (so i don't look like i just smeared Vaseline on-which i do frequently) and not look so glossy or hot pink that I look like I am going out. This is it....

It is perfect, does everything I have always wanted, and it subtle enough that it could be used throughout the day without ever looking silly. Where has this been my whole life? Honestly

Hope everyone is having a great day! "They" are calling for lots more snow here starting tomorrow and hubs just called me from the market to tell me it was as if the apocalypse were coming (at least he bought a case of wine!). I'm stocked up on baking supplies and luckily we can walk pretty much everywhere but I think I am just over winter!

Laissez les bon ton roulette

2010-02-03T08:16:00.004-05:00

I'm Going to Mardi Gras!!!!!!!

Hubs and I decided to forgo Valentines gifts this year and we snatched up a couple of flights down to the big easy for the party of the year! Hubs and I have been lucky enough to have been to New Orleans on multiple trips! My bestie even got married in St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson square!! She had a second line band lead us from the church through blocked off streets playing music and cheering all the way to the reception site!! It was incredible! My Bestie Tara and her hubs live in Baton Rouge and they are going to be our hosts for what is sure to be an amazing weekend!! I couldn't be more excited, seeing my bestie and going to mardi gras all in one weekend-my head is going to explode!!! Being with locals I know we will get to see the most amazing parades (with the best throws) and eat at the best places, and drink the best daquaris! I know hubs is dying for a shrimp po' boy from mothers and I cannot wait to get a huge feather boa(not sure why but everytime I go to NOLA I come home with one, which has stained whatever shirt I am wearing, but I continue to buy them). It is one of the few places in the world that you look completely normal walking around with a huge feather boa and a cocktail during the middle of the day!

This is my Besties actual second line (she is in the beautiful white wedding dress-duh!) Note the beer sign on the right side of the street!

I dont know who he is but he looks like a lot of fun!

I get a picture with one of these guys every time I go, and I still think it is just as funny

Now onto the bigger questions..... What to wear????? My biggest concern is obviously shoes. There is tons of walking, and lets just say that being a shrimp isn't really conducive to wearing flats! Maybe some dresses with flat boots? I was really hoping not to wear anything that I would be to upset about if it got ruined. Our first trip to NOLA years ago, Hubs got an entire hurricane dumped on his brand new white shirt (by a friend) so I have learned my lesson. Any Suggestions??? What about a cheap pair of flats?? Where to buy?? I need your help please!

Hope you are all having a fabulous day!

My Weekend Recap.

2010-02-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

I even woke up at 6am Saturday to get a workout in before I drove about an hour to my moms house so we could spend the day lunching, and shopping and getting some QT together. Well I did get up, did work out, did drive there, only to stay 2 hours and get back in the car to come home. The trip home was horrible and scary, cars were sliding all over the place and the snow was coming down really heavy!

Here is a view from our condo window
And another before I drew up the blinds...
Well whats a girl to do??? Bake! I made a challenge with myself to bake as many different types of sweets with only the ingredients I had on hand (no running out in the snow for an item)
I did really well! Here is a stack of the Chocolate sandwich cookies with vanilla cream filling-TDF!
Chocolate chip Coconut Blondies (my first time making blondies and they are amazing!)

Peanut butter hearts, so easy, so simple and sooooooo yummy! Paula Deen always does it up right!

More Sandwich Cookies
All three tiers!!

**I also made a giant cupcake cake for My dads birthday, and two giant Pizza Cookies! It was really fun to be creative to see how far I could stretch what I had on hand to make lots of different things!!

Obsessed

2010-01-29T08:46:00.004-05:00

I am the worst blogger ever, please excuse my lack of posts this week. I have been locked in the house (and running to and from Michael's and target) preparing for this shower! I know its early but my mom is hosting it at her house and I am planning on bringing everything there tomorrow (if it doesn't snow!) because Hubs came in yesterday and told me it looks like Victoria's Secret threw-up in our living room (which I was infuriated about, but the colors are the same). I promise to post pictures soon of everything (I am really excited about how everything is coming together). But I will leave you with the most amazing discovery I made this week...

Glue Dots

I am sure I am way late to this party (as usual) but these things have almost completely eliminated my need to whip out the hot glue gun every thirty minutes! My mod podge usage has slowed as well(truly amazing)! These are not the removable kind (I know they make some) but they have proved incredibly useful on crafting projects and just for use around the house! I plan on always having them on hand!

I know I have been all over the place about shower favors (I get a little too into it-I know), from the macaroons, to soaps and back again! But leave it to my mother to come up with the perfect favor!

La Vie French Bon Bons! So delicate, with pretty parchment paper wrapped around the bon bons when you open them, the tins are amazing! My mother always had one of these in her purse, we used to get them for her at Crabtree and Evelyn.They come in lots of flavors, and I am planning on tying a baby pink satin ribbon around the "belly band" of the tin and adding a tag with "thank you " or something like that. So Excited!

Hope everyone has an amazing Friday!!

Ooh La la!!

2010-01-25T11:00:00.004-05:00

Thanks to my incredible mother who finally decided on the "Parisian" shower theme for the party we are throwing next month. I am not kidding when I tell you that I have multiple folders with inspiration for various themed parties, which I add to daily. My Bestie threw my shower last year and made a million of these "Martha-esqe" Pom poms in hot pink and white. She made hers with rounded edges and they looked incredible. I whipped up a few last night and I am sticking with a baby pink and black color scheme throughout. I cut the edges to a point, I thought it made it look more "fru fru", like a boa?? We are going to use lots of these, White Christmas lights and some big feathers (hoping to find some like in the picture below) with fresh flowers for centerpieces. I need to find a wire Eiffel tower, and I am hoping I can, I feel like I see them all the time but that just means since I am looking now, no such thing will exist.

Lastly, I am going to continue to make macaroons (even if it kills me) but I might not use them as favors. I feel like they are too much work to package up and risk the chance of getting thrown out or crushed in someones pocketbook. I will still make some for the shower, so a tower of them can be put out, however I was thinking of doing something else for favors. Little French milled soaps. What do you think?? I found some really cute pink heart soaps (of course they were noodle and boo and $15 a pop-Go figure) but I would love to find less expensive ones and package them up with a tag saying something like "Thank you for coming..A gift from soandsos Shower to yours"??

Hope everyone has a great day! Au Revoir:)

I guess its a learning process...

2010-01-22T14:33:00.002-05:00

Oh Parisian Macaroons, I am humbled. I attempted my first batch yesterday, which were much smoother than the ones came out today, but I under baked all of them and threw them out. The filling came out perfect, but I don't care for it (who knew I could whip something up with butter and sugar that I wouldn't like??!) so I think for the final product I am going to try to do a raspberry filling instead. I finally came out which a decent batch today. I am not happy with the texture of the cookie, but I figured out how to get a good "foot" on each one.

All the recipes and tips say to keep the oven cracked while baking. Do this or else they will puff up like snowballs (like the pink ones you get at 7-11). Baking time is around 15 minutes so at minute 13 or so I closed the oven for about a minute, and the most perfect little "feet" sprouted. I opened the oven door for the last minute of baking and they turned out pretty well. The recipes also call for parchment paper, I tried it and the ones I made on my silpat turned out much better, with better feet.

So I am going to keep at it, but its a start at least:)

They have to stand after you pipe them for 15 minutes at least.

My finished (but lumpy) product.

The filling looks a hot mess, but I am used to cupcakes where more is better, not so much here, it just squishes out over the side! But I am proud of my "feet"

Happy Friday everybody:)

Shots all around!

2010-01-21T09:22:00.006-05:00

So I know I have mentioned before that sometimes I will completely forego the baking of the cupcake and just whip up some frosting in order to "practice" my piping skills. Well I usually wind up eating most of it right off the wax paper, which gave me an idea (and something to "google"). Low and Behold I am apparently way late to this party...

Frosting Shots..

How perfect would this be at a shower, or when you have girlfriends over for Happy Hour drinks???? No cupcake necessary (ideal in a time crunch or last minute get together!)

A few inspiration "shots", I am hoping to work with for the upcoming shower Mom and I are throwing

I have the Baking Itch bad today, and I may be getting in way over my head, however The shower Mom and I are planning is "Parisian Inspired", and I am dying to make a Laduree style macaroon (yes I did say I was in over my head) and package a few up in clear containers with a big bow to hand out as favors.

Have any of you dolls every made these? Do you have an inspiring, easy recipe? Tips or Tricks (to me it looks potentially disastrous!) Do I need to turn right around and stick with my cupcakes? But with all things I need to try to make these, and I would love to hear your thoughts..

Happy Thursday!

Vegas was AMAZING!

2010-01-19T10:50:00.005-05:00

Next to our Honeymoon, Vegas was hands down the best trip I have ever been on. We came back winners, but exhausted! A few pictures from an incredibly fabulous trip...

My Vegas Bride-to-be! She lives a few minutes from the strip and certainly showed us an amazing time:) Getting ready for Sushi Samba and TAO!

Hubs and I at Freemont Street (Old Vegas). We were right in front of the Golden Nugget!

Hubs and I before dinner at LAVO (love how the tiger looks like he is eating hubs head!)

I wish you could see better, but in our Baller sweet at the Polazzo we had a huge window looking out over all of Vegas (Obviously we were dancing in front of it while getting ready!)

Hubs and I in front of the Bellagio fountains

The King himself serenading me! Madame Tussauds wax museum was the coolest! I kept having to touch all the figures because they looked sooo real

Hubs with Stevie-This is my favorite picture from the whole trip

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Hubs and I at the Mirage before we saw the Beatles LOVE, which I am now completely obsessed with!

As many of you know I heart Peanut M&M's, so when I found one dancing around in front of M&M world on the strip I absolutely had to get my picture with him!

For any of you that live in proximity to an IN-N-OUT burger, I am JEALOUS! We made a stop and it was the most amazing fast food burger I have ever had, IN MY LIFE

My Cotton Candy Martini at Serendipity 3, amazing

The beautiful Sunshine on the Strip...

Hubs and I feel so lucky to have had such a wonderful trip, there are still a million things I want to go back and do, so I am ready to plan our next trip!!

Baking and Grieving

2010-01-11T09:51:00.003-05:00

As many of you may know from my previous posts, Cleaning and Baking are two of my biggest stress relievers. There is something about both of them that allows me to escape for the moment and not focus on current stressors. This morning after dropping Hubs off at the Airport I found out from my mother that a dear family friend had passed away early this morning. Not being good at dealing with grief, I barreled through my front door, only to realize everything (including the bath tub) was sparkling clean. I grabbed an apron, preheated the oven and just let my hands take over. Baking can be very therapeutic, and it forces you to concentrate on the task at hand. There is something very relaxing about rolling out dough, cutting out cookies and especially piping out frosting (sometimes I skip the whole cupcake and just frost on wax paper for the same relaxation effect). I zoned out for two hours and found this ...

Apparently for the past two hours I had been doing this...

And this... (And I took pictures of it! I never take pictures, but for some reason I did today!-Bizarre how my body took over)

Needless to say, I am going to freeze these cookies and hopefully ship them out with some pink frosting for Valentines Day. And even though the situation is not happy, I did find the silver lining. This cookie recipe is amazing (and if you knew our family friend who passed on, He would absolutely love that I am thinking of him while baking and love the fact even more that I am sharing this cookie recipe with you). So here it is (I am not sure where it came from-I'm sorry)

Uncle Jims Hearts

-7 Cups All Purpose Flour

-2 Cups White Sugar

-2 teaspoons of Salt

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1 1/2-2 cups of Shortening

-3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

-1 Cup Whole Milk

-3 Eggs

Combine dry ingredients, add shortening to dry ingredients in 3 parts mixing well in between, add in Vanilla, Milk & Eggs and mix well until ball is formed. Roll out on floured surface with floured rolling pin. Cut the cookies thick. Bake in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes (the edges and bottom barely turn brown) at 375degrees F. Frost with your favorite icing and decorate with sprinkles or colored sugars.

Give them to someone you love:)

Sweet Puffy Clouds

2010-01-07T11:30:00.004-05:00

SOOOO excited to be planning another bridal shower with my mom for two of my dear friends (who are twins!). I am always looking for ways to make favors or decorations unique and memorable. Last night something struck me and now I have become a little bit fixated on the idea.....COTTON CANDY!!! Can you think of anything prettier, than puffy pink clouds of delicious sugar??!! Am I the only adult who still gets a bucket of it at baseball games, or on the boardwalk at the beach?? Cotton Candy is honestly one of those things that evokes such wonderful childhood memories its incredible! I am struggling to find a company that will sell bulk pink cotton candy that I could package up in cute containers to hand out as favors, so naturally I researched an at home cotton candy making machine (which might be cheaper in the long run!). Needless to say I found some beautiful inspiring pictures to share with you all.

Doesn't that just make you want to eat some???!! If anyone has used cotton candy for weddings or events, would you please recommend a vendor or company to purchase it from??

** I found out that one of the huge gluttonous buffets in Vegas serves Huge sticks of cotton candy on the dessert table...D.I.E!!! So pumped:)

Bon Voyage!

2010-01-06T09:41:00.005-05:00

Inspired by my bestie (who was here this weekend and is the most organized traveler ever!) I have been in search of ways to travel "lighter" and with more detail to make packing and unpacking easier on myself.

1. Carry On!

I am going to make a serious effort to only carry on luggage for short trips from here on out. Not only is it such a pain to check(and pay) for luggage, but this way you know all of your goods are with you from departure to arrival and back again. I would love any of these adorable carry on bags!

Tumi

Longchamp

Louis

2. Label Everything & Use Clear Bags

My Bestie had little Ziploc bags with "liquids", "Shower" etc on them, She even had a clear bigger bag labeled "dirty" to minimize laundry efforts when she got home. The Container Store has perfect clear zipper "sweater bags", to add your own label to with a sticky label or even a waterproof sticker. I found these at Cherry Hill Designs and thought they would be perfect for adding to travel size toiletry cases.

The Container Store (Those are not my socks!-or thread or clothes)

3. Unpack and Repack

There just isn't anyway around the fact that your items will be jumbled up, reaching in and out of your suitcase while on your trip. So set aside some time before you are set to leave to re-fold things, organize clean/dirty and make sure you have all of your belongings. It will save you time and effort when returning home!

Since I am going to Vegas next week (YAY!) I am going to really try to get all of my little ducks in a row and have the most organized trip ever:)

Hope you all are having a great day!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T09:09:00.005-05:00

I am finally back in the swing of things after a busy past few weeks! I made one specific new years resolution this year and I am really hoping to stick with it. I read in "better home and gardens" that January is national letter writing month and I have resolved to write a handwritten note to the important people in my life every month this year! There is something so wonderful about receiving a handwritten note just to say hello, so I thought what better than to let those important people in my life know how much I love and appreciate them throughout the year! With a world full of electronic everything I am going to go "old school" at least a few times a month and I hope that my recipients enjoy cards and notes as much as I enjoy sending them!

Obviously sending thoughtful notes on personalized stationary or cards just adds to the excitement:) Here are just a few of my favorites...

I heart Lilly & I think this one is my fave!

Boatman Gellar always has really pretty stationary as well

I thought this would be perfect for the busy mom, it even includes little notes that you could send in a lunch bag, or to your child's teacher!

The simplicity of this is perfect, and its still pink!!

Classic.

Polka dots & Pink! Yes Please:)

PSA Essentials...I want a million stampers-they are so pretty and look great on an envelope-I don't know that I could decide on one design!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Bliss.

2009-12-29T08:56:00.004-05:00

I Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was wonderful, but very hectic! In part of our travels we got separated from our toiletry bags but our hostess was sweet enough to have a million samples for us to use in her guest bathroom. I am a sucker for Bath and Body products and I have a few I am going to pick up this week.

I have used Bliss products in the past but only a few. Bliss just opened a Spa downtown at the W. Hotel and now I cannot wait to book a massage or a Chocolate pedicure and hit up the world-famous "brownie bar"! Our Hostess had these for us to use and I am completely hooked!

This stuff created the best lather, sans shower pouf, and rinsed clean but didn't leave my skin feeling tight or overly greasy-it was soft and smelled divine!

I have used the original body butter, but it was just a little to thick for my liking. This "light" version is perfect-thicker than a moisturizer but not as thin as a lotion-It is amazing:)

This may very well be my new favorite scrub (I still love my "Fresh" brown sugar body polish). After finally converting to self-tanner only (I am a recovering tanning bed addict) I have been on the hunt for the best pre application exfoliator. This stuff was so nice, smelled amazing and prepped my skin perfectly!

I will leave you with a few fun pictures from our Holiday travels

Hubs,Myself, The Bride-to-Be, and her Fiance (I am such a shrimp! I had 4inch heels on and everyone still towers over me!)

Some Richmond Girls with the Bride to be and her Sister who is preggo with her first! It is a busy year for this family:)

Christmas Morning with my In laws & the wild puppies!

Christmas Day afternoon (after a 2 hour drive) With Mother and my SIL-yes we all got matching red ruffle pashminas!

My favorite picture of all..My little 4 month old nephews loafers next to Hubs pair!! How cute is that???

Adding to my ever increasing new year resolutions list-I think I need to add some color to my wardrobe! Every picture from our travels I was in a black dress (none of which were the same!)

Hope everyone has a great day!

My Christmas Blessings

2009-12-22T21:44:00.004-05:00

I never imagined when I started writing this blog that a)anyone would ever read it or b) I would ever make so many amazing friends out there who love and adore so many of the same things I do! I have learned so much from each and every one of you and during such a trying time in my life, I really feel like you all offered me the support that I needed. I have loved reading all of your blogs and amazing comments-not to mention all of the fashion and beauty advice,even if it has driven me to shop even more than I usually do!! So In a round about way (so chatty) I am trying to say Thank you, to all of you, I feel especially blessed this Christmas to have found so many amazing people, and for those of you I have yet to know-I am looking forward to the opportunity. You all are truly my Christmas Blessings.

Julie at Brown Eyed Belle tagged me for the sweetest award ever The "You've got IT" award!! (and yes Julie I think we may share a brain!)

Since Julie is the creator of this award I wanted to quote her directly on the meaning behind it...

"It is a way of recognizing blogs that have something (IT) that you love. The thing that keeps you coming back for more. The thing that draws you in and makes you feel like this blogger is your soul sista. The little something that sets that blog apart from other blogs. Those posts that speak to your heart, make you laugh, make you cry, make you rush to the bottom of the post for the little comment box to tell them how it made you feel. That is what this award is about."

I am going to pass this on to a few ladies who inspire me each day...

For the Love-I laugh out loud every time I read her posts, she is so sweet, pretty pretty blond, shares my loves of diet coke and lives in Florida with her darling Hubby! I just know that we would most likely be the only two girls giggling all of the time!

Becky at Thyme for Wine-We have become such good friends I can call her Becky:) I know we would be BFF, plus her recipes (which are amazing) have basically saved my kitchen from burning down and my husband from starving! I think she should publish a cookbook.

Tales of Short Southern Momma-One of the sweetest, most darling people on the planet:) She has a daughter (Macy-love love love her name!) and they have the kind of relationship my mom and I have and the kind I hope to have with my own children some day, She will brighten your day, everyday!

Our Three Ring Circus-She has the absolute best mix of posts! I love hearing about beauty products, reality TV, fashion, family, her kids (she is a teacher!), her hubby. She is just one of those girls you feel like you know instantly and you have been close to forever:)

Through Rose Colored Glasses -One of the very first blogs I ever stumbled across, with the most amazing fashion sense, adorable little puppy, impeccable taste in decorating you will love her! And the poor thing has had quite the year with a roof that caved in! (you have to read it!) But she just relocated and her new place is amazing:) Love reading your blog girl!

So I hope that after the Holidays you girls get a chance to get this award off to some other people:)

Hubs and I are leaving in the morning for what is sure to be an eventful couple of days.

So I shall proclaim before I turn off the light.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!!!

The Apron

2009-12-22T07:09:00.007-05:00

There is just something about a dainty apron that you wear while cooking, that takes you back to a special era where ladies were ladies and weren't wiping wet hands on their gym clothes after doing the dishes (Not that I have ever done such a thing). I am going to try to get to that place once a day, while cooking or cleaning and remember a different time where pearls, lace and beautiful aprons were a staple in the kitchen, not just worn while playing dress up. With all of the Holiday Baking I have been up to the past few weeks, I have realized how much I utilize my aprons. I have, without being aware of it, started a collection so naturally I have been in search for the next one I cannot live with out.

I have found a million that I am in love with , and it was really hard to narrow it down but here are just a few of my favorites...

Anthroplogie

Anthropologie

I don't know where this came from, but I am in love with the "half-apron"

My absolute Favorite (not to mention the most pricey-go figure!) from The Haute Hostess

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week, getting ready for the Holiday!! We have finally dug ourselves out from all of this snow, but it is still a nightmare trying to get anywhere, 'Tis the season:)

Lollipop, Lollipop

2009-12-20T23:02:00.003-05:00

Since these made their debut, I have been trying to come up with an excuse to order a few of these completely absurd lollipops from the Sugar Factory. Considering I will be in Vegas in a few weeks and the store is in the Mirage Hotel, I am just going to buy as many as possible, and figure out who I am going to give them to for presents! I love to have nice little birthday gifts for family and friends that they would love but would never buy for themselves, and for $25 a pop (no pun intended-but it totally works!) these are perfect:) There are so many colors and flavors, I cannot wait:)

Get one:)

They still have next day shipping available if you are in need of any last minute Christmas gifts!

Aww Snooki, Snooki!

2009-12-18T10:22:00.004-05:00

As an Italian American (pops is 100%), I have been raised to respect my culture, heritage, faith and food-it is a way of life. My mother is 100% Irish, so I like to think I have the best of both worlds.

That being said...(I cannot believe I am admitting this!) I am totally and completely enthralled with "MTV-Jersey Shore"!!!!

Having the pleasure of being from the east coast, and having myself been to the jersey shore, I find this show to be hilarious. Despite major outrage from the Italian American community and multiple sponsors dropping advertising spots from the shows air time, I simply cannot pry myself away(which, being Italian, I feel guilty about)! I laughed so hard last night I cried. Snooki, is absolutely the most hilarious person I have ever seen on television (right up there with Jeff Lewis of "flipping out"). Please tell me I am not alone, tell me someone out there has seen this show and finds it to be as funny as I do. And if not, Tivo it and watch it after "real housewives of Orange County" next week, that's what I had to do!

A self-confessed reality TV junkie, this has got to be my new fix!

Happy Friday!!

Pretty Presents

2009-12-17T13:49:00.003-05:00

People think I am a little nuts about presentation and especially gift packages! Until now, I thought my bestie, myself and my mother were the only people slightly obsessed with wrapping paper, bows and pretty packaging, yes I am serious. Seeing all of your meticulously wrapped and color coordinated packages sitting prettily underneath your perfectly decorated trees, I feel at home:0) I just really love the fact that so many of you all share my love for making things look pretty and perfect! I searched high and low for white glossy wrapping paper this year (I refused to order it online because they only sold it in rolls that were obviously intended to wrap a fleet of MAC trucks), and finally found it at The Container Store! I only bought one other style (gifts for my family are wrapped in white, and gifts for the in laws in polka dots), shipped all the remaining gifts out and I am done!

So Here they are in all there glory, on our new PB Christmas tree skirt (i did get it personalized but photoshopped it out to post it)! By no means perfect, but I was pretty proud of myself:)

Vegas Baby!

2009-12-16T09:24:00.005-05:00

2009 has been quite a year, the best and worst of my life thus far. Got married to the best man in the entire world (UP) lost my jobby job (DOWN) Welcomed my little nephew to the world (UP) Discovered this fabulous world of wonderful bloggers, and other great girls who have become wonderful friends(DEFINITE UP) applied for every job imaginable to no avail (DOWN) Christmas is almost here (UP)....Hubs is taking me to Las Vegas (UP!!!!)

That's right, after quite a hectic few months with some serious ups and downs, we are planning a mini vacay to Vegas. January 13th I am off to Sin City for some serious R&R-just kidding this is Vegas were talking about! I cannot wait to get out of DC, and its heinous traffic, for a few days and party with my hubs! I wish it was going to be warm, but 60 degrees with palm trees will be just fine (considering its 30 degrees today) with me!

I secretly want to give myself a "Vegas makeover". Remember Charlotte's 36th birthday in Atlantic City??? I loved her big hair and sparkly dresses!

Always looking for the opportunity to wear cute little cocktail dresses, I think this "Vegas vacay" might be the perfect excuse! So Where to begin? Since pearls, argyle and pumps are my usual staples, I need to spice it up a bit (without spending all the money I want to take with me to play slots!). Where to go?? This is where you guys come in. I am willing to put my all consuming "forever 21 anxiety" aside and fight through the racks if you think it is worth it. I don't have much time to order clothes, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, leave me a comment and tell me where to shop:)

Also, my doll of a blog friend Julie at Brown Eyed Belle left me the most adorable award I have seen yet! The Glamorous Blog Award! (Very fitting for Vegas don't you think??)

The only rule she gave me was to pass it along to 10 other absolutely glamorous blogs! Who doesn't lovveee Marilyn & Diamonds???

Brown Eyed Girl & Her Beau

Life is Glamourous & Fabulous

P is for Party

Southern Living: Preppy Style

The Pink Polka Dot

I Looovee Reading every one of your blogs and love giving awards out to all of you fabulous bloggers! Thank you so much for inspiring me each and every day:)

I heart Awards!!

2009-12-14T11:45:00.006-05:00

Yay!!! Julie at Brown Eyed Belle, who writes the most adorable blog sent me the Happy 101 award:) I am so honored and suddenly feel compelled to bake a million pink cupcakes:)

The Rules:

1. 10 things that make me happy

2. 10 bloggers that Brighten your day!

Happies

1.Cupcakes (especially almond with buttercream frosting!)

2.Hubs, and the adorable childhood picture of him at my desk

3. Manicures and Pedicures

4.Monograms/Ribbons and Bows (for me they go hand in hand)

5. Peanut M&Ms

6. Turquoise water and white sand in the caribbean

This was on our honeymoon

7.fresh highlights! (my appointment is on Saturday!)

8. A Dirty Ketel One Martini

9. Big Pearl Earrings and necklaces (fake or real, button style or with stones, I love them all!)
Mom loves her pearls too!-we are like little twins!

10. Lilly Pulitzer, pink and green, and getting my first new Lilly of the season:)

Blogs that brighten my day!

(it is so hard to narrow it down, because I love reading about all of you fabulous girls!)

for the love

Our three ring circus

Cocktails & Cashmere

Keeping up with the Davidsons

Deliciously Organized

mrs. mfc

thyme for wine

Blissfully Enamored

Jimmy Choos & a Baby Too!

Brown Eyed Belle -right back-atcha girl:)

You must go check out these blogs! They will be sure to brighten your day too!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Well...Im going to get a few things done today!

2009-12-11T08:22:00.008-05:00

I feel like the rabbit from Cinderella or a chicken with its head cut off! Ran out the door at 630 this morning to the grocery to stock up on goods for the weekend. I have drinks and apps with a sweet girlfriend tonight, I am making an Italian Feast for Mom and Dad who are coming over for an early dinner tomorrow, and Sunday my In-laws are coming by to celebrate my father in laws birthday, by eating cupcakes that I have to bake! SOOO... I didn't have time to make coffee before I ran out the door this morning, and figured I would just grab a diet soda at the store ( I try not to do this, but I need caffeine in the first few hours after waking-its a problem!). I reached for the first row of Diet Mountain Dew (instead of my go to diet coke) and they were barely cold, like the coolers had just been turned on, so I grabbed another one a little bit cooler and started drinking it in line. Loaded the groceries, drove halfway home, chugged almost the rest of the bottle on the way, when to my absolute HORROR i noticed that the label looked a little bit different, i slowly pulled it down into my sight (while the light had turned green and every one was blaring their horns at me) when it hit me. I had just polished off a full 12 oz bottle of REGULAR Mountain Dew!! I do not drink regular soda at all, not just for the calories but for the sugar ( I save that for sweets that fill me up!). I am going to be go go going all day from all of that sugar, which maybe is just what I needed. I should have grabbed the bottle of diet coke, obviously it looks different! So here I am already starting to feel the jitters, and kicking myself for not drinking what I usually do!

On a completely different Subject, I would really like Santa Claus to bring me a pretty headband (I'm not sure how well I can pull this off) Maybe like one of these...

Jennifer Behr-I wore a piece of hers for my wedding and I adore it!

Jennifer Behr

J.Crew-They had this on a headband in the store and it was absolutely the cutest thing ever!

Bebe

Happy Friday Everyone:) Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Warms the Heart, Soothes the Soul

2009-12-10T07:30:00.006-05:00

I Love Tea-Time! Mom started taking me to tea as a little girl downtown at the Mayflower and it has been one of my absolute favorite things to do ever since. I have had the great pleasure of having tea at some of the oldest most amazing hotels in the district, most states on the East Coast, even Ireland and England! High tea is so charming with dainty little sandwiches, petit-fours and the most delectable sweets imaginable. My Bestie even threw me a Tea-Party bridal shower last year, it was absolutely amazing! This time of year is the best for having tea. My mom has a tea every year in February where she makes the most unbelievable cucumber tea sandwiches, and the cutest teensy little chicken salad rolls. She invites all of her girlfriends, and she uses my grandmothers collection of vintage china teacups-they are so beautiful! They are similar to the styles below. I would love to have planned a Christmas tea party with girlfriends this year but the time has just gotten away from me.

I will leave you with some of my favorite tea party pics...

Vintage Tea cups

Holy Tea Sammys!

Scones, clotted cream, jam, and lemon curd (yum!)

I adore 3 tiered serving trays, we have zero storage space or I would absolutely have a few!

Flowers (especially vintage roses, tea roses or ranunculus) add such a feminine touch to any ladies tea-party

Whether its out of a vintage tea cup or an old chipped coffee mug, I hope once in a while you get to kick back and relax with a warm cup of tea:)

Lovely Lounging

2009-12-08T09:16:00.005-05:00

How great does it feel to have nothing to do but relax? How great does it feel to have ultra comfy (yet still feminine) loungewear to hang out in? With the Holidays approaching I was thinking how nice it would be to have some ultra feminine, ultra comfy loungewear to bum around in. I know hubs would appreciate it more than a giant pair of sweatpants with a t-shirt, not that I ever wear that!! :0)!!

My Faves..

Jcrew- I love the bow on the slips!

I used to have a pair of these pants and they are so soft, and only get softer with each wash

Juicy

Arlotta Cashmere Hoodie and Lounge Pants-How Comfy does this look???!!

Juicy, The pink and white Thermal is so cute!

Hope you get some Lounging in this Holiday Season:)

I fixed the links!

2009-12-07T21:47:00.002-05:00

For any of you who tried to click on the links I posted from all the amazing little boutiques I scored all my Christmas goodies from..My Apologies! I had no idea that not a single one of them was working! Be sure to check now because lots of the websites have adorable Christmas goodies, plus lots of great stuff for the rest of the year too!

PJ's & Cookies!

2009-12-07T09:57:00.006-05:00

I sheepishly admit to loving E!'s the girls next door, even the new season. I noticed last night that they always have on really pretty long sleeve silk pajamas. I have wanted a pair for a long time but the ones I found were always super matronly and not very feminine looking. A while back Through Rose colored glasses posted about Coco before Chanel and the beautiful wardrobe in the movie. If you are not a follower go check out her blog asap! You will love it!

She has inspired me to go on a hunt for a pair like these! I am always freezing cold and they would be such a pretty alternative to flannel Pj's plus you would feel like a goddess when you wake up! How perfect for Christmas morning!! Let me know if you girls have a great place to find some (I heart the lace detail on these!)

I rarely shop at BeBe but once in a while (usually around Christmas or New years) I pick something up. I received the catalog a few weeks ago and I have been really stuck on the tights that this model is wearing in the picture. They are ballerina pink and I think they would look really cute with a black dress and heels for a festive holiday party. Trouble is, I cannot find them anywhere. They aren't listed on Bebe, and the tights they do have listed aren't even made in this color! Am I totally missing something?? Please if you know where to find these or something similar let me know, I am already mentally planning a festive all black ensemble incorporating these sticky sweet bubblegum pink tights!
Lastly I will leave with you a heinous picture of myself ( I am in serious need of a tan!) after baking Christmas cookies for 6 straight hours yesterday! That was only about a third of what came out. My kitchen was destroyed and hubs spent an hour vacuuming up red and green sprinkles! Haha it was completely worth it, the cookies turned out perfectly and I cannot wait to package them up and hand some out as gifts:)
Happy Monday to everyone:)

Mission Accomplished!

2009-12-05T08:50:00.008-05:00

What a day Mom and I had yesterday! We headed down with our rolling cart and credit cards in tow, and boy the Bizarre did not disappoint this year. I am completely finished with all of my Christmas shopping!! I even found something for my big brother, and the Bazaar isn't exactly geared toward men:) Mom and I arrived at 11:00 and we didn't leave until 6:45 the doors closed at 7! We took two quick breaks for caffeine and gobbled down some lunch but we were two girls on a mission, and we made out like bandits! We made two trips to the car (yes even with a huge rolling bag) and the parking attendants could not believe we kept going back in for more!

Here is a big picture of all the goodies I picked up, my mom took all of her stuff home but she got tons of adorable stuff as well! I stuck to my budget (well sorta!) and came away with everything I needed!

Little closer view of some items

And the other half

A mini list of the following boutiques i bought from, I got cards from everyone to let you girls know and you have specific questions, send me a comment and I will find out where you can get the item!

Lisa's Unique Creations (we get tons of stuff from her every year)

-Big reusable bag in Houndstooth (maybe you know a Bama fan?) they had tons of colors and patterns

-Monogrammed Hot pink, green & black wine stopper-They monogrammed it for me while I shopped

-Nutcracker Hot Cocoa Mug-They also personalized this for us while we shopped

-Stretch large pearl necklace (My mom got a few as well, I have one and they are so cute to wear with everything-and they were so cheap!!)

-Stretch Silver necklace-this one looks so cute on

Grace Oliver First year we ever found anything from them and we cannot wait to get more!

-Beautiful two strand amber and gold necklace

-Missoni inspired scarf (I should have bought like 10 of these) they were so soft and really well made, plus they looked sooooo cute on

Handmade by Stacie Baker

-Adorable wooden hand made & painted key chain balls! ( I got two!)

-wooden hand made & painted wine stopper

** She will customize anything for you in specific colors, I picked some up in Hokie colors, but these would make really really cute stocking stuffers or bridesmaids gifts-you could have her make you some in your wedding colors!!

D.O.G.Street

-Precious little doggie Christmas cookies!

-I dont have any puppies but we have a couple puppy stockings to fill for family so I could only get a few things, but if I had a dog I absolutely would have bought everything! They even had mini chocolates:)

Au Gres Sheep Factory

-I have a pair of Ugg slippers and these may very well be softer!

-I got a pair of Men's slippers and they are unreal! It is the softest sheepskin I have ever felt!

Truly Yours -I have never been able to find a website for her! I forgot to ask yesterday because her booth is always completely swamped!

-Four Ruffle Pashmina's-I bought a black one last year, and This year got my SIL and my mom a red one and I got mom another Camel one-They are soooo cute and they go with anything! I was in meetings last year in a conference room and this was the only thing that saved me!

-I have never seen anything like this around here so if anyone knows where to find them or what there proper name is please let me know!!

Pretty Baby Naturals

-The best smelling bags for your bath ever! It is like tea for your tub! You let them steep in a Hot bath and they release amazing relaxing aromas and tension relieving salts!!

-Mom picked up like 50 of the bar soaps in all scents!

-The Mango Tango "foamer" soap smells incredible and left my hand soo soft!

Red Band Peppermints

-Mom and I booked it to her booth for our first stop, because she always sells out!

-Fat Free peppermint sticks-Unreal! They melt in your mouth, are perfect for hot chocolate, you can stick them in oranges or lemons for decoration or to "minty" up your citrus for water or a festive cocktail, we give them out to everyone and people love them!

Loofah-Art

-3 kitchen srubbers-they are eco-friendly, biodegradable and they actually hold less bacteria than a kitchen sponge because of the natural fiber!

The Sports Chest

-A grill set with a Huge Wooden handle Virginia Tech "VT" on the spatula and the tongs

-For any college football team or tailgater you know this would make an amazing gift!

Whew... I am exhausted from so much shopping but happy to be finished:) I just have to wrap and bake and relax until Christmas!

YESSS!!

2009-12-03T15:00:00.003-05:00

So my mother and I were planning to go to the much anticipated Bizarre Bazaar on Saturday, however it might snow here on Saturday so we are going tomorrow! I can hardly contain my excitement.....

Why is it always 10 times more crowded when we are there??

I am making my list:)

Most likely adding to it twice,

Obviously I already know who has been naughty and who is nice

Mother & I, Visa, MasterCard and Amex are Coming to town!

** I am hoping to scoop up some preppy little gifts for a "Christmas Giveaway"-Stay Tuned :)

Hope you all are having a fab week, and your Friday is equally wonderful!

Stocking Stuffers

2009-12-02T10:02:00.007-05:00

This is the first Married Christmas that Hubs and I will be celebrating together:) This is also the first year that our families live within a few hours of one another. We are going to attempt the stressful "split-Christmas" wish me luck! Since we wont be arriving to my parents house until after 2 on Christmas Day we decided we were just going to do Stockings Christmas day and exchange Christmas presents the Sunday before with my family.

Here are a few of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas...

Lancome Juicy Tubes gift set. Who wouldn't adore these yummy smelling mini versions of the original? You could easily break the package apart and throw a few in each stocking or repackage two in a little cellophane bag for a darling "mini-gift" for a great girlfriend.

Monogrammed Tervis Tumbler. We have a million "Tervi's" and we really couldn't live without them-plus anything monogrammed is a plus in my book:)

Popcorn Tin from The Hampton Popcorn Company. Delicious, addictive and packed in an adorable (& reusable) tin!
Diva Dish gloves. I have a pair and they are the best! You can use really, really hot water to get your dishes and pots and pans sparkly clean and your little hands wont feel a thing! I also find these especially convenient when cleaning the panini press (while still pretty hot!).

Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Body Duo (Honey Bath & Body Soufflé). This stuff is sinful! The honey bath is incredibly luxurious, and the body soufflé is amazing!

Monogrammed mini antibacterial hand gel. For kids, teachers, anyone! I love these:) Check them out at HayHayDesigns.etsy.com

Ribbon Covered Horseshoes from Hableconstruction.com(featured in Southern Living Dec. 2009). What a sweet paperweight, or hostess gift this would make. I would love the pink one to hang over our front door for good luck.

Lastly, little preppy tissue pack. I heart the Christmas argyle:) Perfect for a schoolbag, your purse, to have in the car, anywhere! These are made by Sniff, and they have plenty other adorable designs

Happy "Stocking-Stuffin" Girls!!

Chocolate & Ribbon

2009-12-01T09:30:00.005-05:00

My Parents Parish has a "Green Sale" every year to raise money for the Church. My mom usually bakes amazing cookies, or whips up some candy or fudge to donate but this year I decided to help. She is busy with the end of her semester and babysitting for my little chunk of a nephew, so hopefully this will lighten her workload up a little bit! These are the easiest little treats to make-and who can resist the salty/sweetness of white chocolate pretzels!

In Progress...

I added drizzles of red and green chocolate for a festive look and tied them up with a little grosgrain

Whipped up a couple of Bows (I made these on alligator clips) for some little dolls to pair with a Christmas dress:)

The Finished products, all ready to head to the green sale. I just thought it looked so "Christmasy" I had to share:)

Hope everyone has a great first day of December!

Happy Monday!

2009-11-30T09:32:00.008-05:00

I Cannot remember the last time I purchased a CD. I cannot remember the last time I loved every single song on a album. Hubs bought the John Mayer Album, Battle Studies, last week and I am in love. I actually saw him in concert in Baltimore, before his first album was really popular-He puts on such a great show. If you haven't heard this album yet, get it, or download it, but you will love it! I think my favorite song is "Half of My Heart" its a duet with Taylor Swift (she mostly plays the guitar on it), but it is such a good song!

On a completely different topic, We got our Christmas Cards! Yay! I am in the process of addressing them and hopefully we will send them out this week! Here is a bad photo (I do not blend into the card! It was just an awful flash moment) of how they turned out-They look better in person and the Red is very festive!

I ordered them from TinyPrints and they always do such a nice job-plus the turnaround time is incredibly speedy!

Lastly I put up our Christmas tree last week, and a million other decorations (ill get some pics up soon) and it has certainly warmed up our little place! The Christmas Tree skirt from PB kids came and it looks really cute with the tree, now I just need some packages to go under it:)

Perfectly Polished

2009-11-29T10:23:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Last Wednesday I met my mother in Maryland for our girly "Wednesday before Thanksgiving" tradition of delicious manicures and pedicures, and a lovely lunch. I am such a purist when it comes to my polish colors, my toes alternate shades throughout the season (Lincoln park or A-list during the winter and I'm Indi-a mood for love or That's Berry Daring during the summer) but my nails are usually some variation of a sweet semi-sheer pink-I am so boring!

Here in DC in the nail salons it has always been a pretty standard mix of OPI & Essie, further north (my corporate office used to be based out of NYC) the girls never wore anything but Essie. For all the sweet southern belles out there what do you see the most of??

These are my favorites but I am always looking for more inspirations...

OPI Sweet Heart-I will usually just ask for one coat it looks a little thick on me if I get two

Essie Sugar Daddy-Its more sheer than it looks and I like it in the winter vs my standard mademoiselle if I don't have any tan whatsoever

Essie Ballet Slippers-as pretty as its name, I prefer one coat with this and a second with sugar daddy or mademoiselle
Essie Mademoiselle-The shade, its perfect year round, but I prefer in the spring and summer with a little color on my skin

OPI Bubble Bath-I wore this one on my wedding day, its great for a mani or pedi since it is not too sheer for your toes. My Bestie and I both consider this our year round "go-t0"

Essie Limo-scene-It is a little thicker, but it also works perfectly as a 1st coat with sugar daddy for a sheer pretty pink, year round!

I am dying to know what your faves are and if there are any others I need to run out and find:)

I feel like a superstar...

2009-11-24T20:02:00.005-05:00

My very first award(s)!!! Thank you so much to the fabulous MRS. MFC for sending me these darling awards, I couldnt be more excited.

Rules are as follows 10 facts (as interesting as I can manage) about myself and tagging 15 other fabulous bloggers (be sure to let them know) to pass the awards on too, here goes....

1. I love ribbon; I could never have too many spools. I will buy it with absolutely no intention to use it. I will buy it just because I am drawn to the colors or pattern.

2. There is a Container Store a block from my condo, I shop there multiple times a week, one week I bought something there every day for five days in a row!

3. You can see the US capitol, the national cathedral and pretty much the rest of Washington DC from my roof.

4. I used to be a baton twirler. Not like a majorette with the band, but an actual competitive baton twirler for Wheaton Majorettes. I went to nationals at Norte Dame university-people in college were so shocked to find this out, my friend Blair’s mom Martha used to twirl and she brought her batons once when she came to visit, we had a “twirl off” at a college party-people still remember that☺

5. I will only eat Heinz ketchup; I refuse to eat any other brand.

6. I went to Michaels last night (one of my favorite places on earth) and I had more garland in my cart than anyone else in line (4, 9ft long packages)-I live in a 750square foot condo. Hubs cannot wait to see where I am going to put all of it

7. I love gummy bears in my frozen yogurt

8. I never joined facebook- I do not know how I missed it! Now I feel like it is just too late, and I won’t have any friend requests!!

9. I cannot get through the week without at least a couple of Skim Mistos from Starbucks. I always get them to add two pumps of sugar free hazelnut and two sweet and lows (I have them stir them in)!!

10. I was a vegetarian for 14 years (I really did not have a good reason as to why). 3 years ago my family went to Fogo de Chao and I ordered a big hunk of Filet, and that was pretty much that. People still freak out when I eat meat☺

I tag the following sweet as can be bloggers

Tales of a Short Southern Momma

(she just started a new job this week!-so please get some relaxing done this weekend!)

Kelsey@ Seattle Smith's

Jami at Imagine

Keeping up with the Davidsons

Thyme for Wine -She has totally turned me into a cook:)

Brown Eyed Girl

Hope everyone has a wonderful week & and Happy Thanksgiving. I am certainly Thankful for such wonderful fellow bloggers and such as sweet, supportive community!

Beauty Disasters!

2009-11-23T09:20:00.007-05:00

I had a serious meltdown last week and Hubs decided it was time to take me to the mall. I knew whatever I was doing to my face was wreaking major havoc but I just didnt know what to do! So I am trying a totally new line and I really hope this helps!

Dior Hydraction

The woman at the counter told me the reason my "fine lines" were so pronounced was due to major dehydration, so hopefully this will work on those! The serum already seems to make a difference.

In the past I have used La mer, but the mineral oil just didnt work well for me during some seasons, and La Prarie is great as well but I feel like I have hit plateau with both product lines.

My Hairdryer also exploded (sparks flew!) on Friday so Hubs got me a new T3 Pro Dryer (its pink) we picked it up from sephora and I have used it for one blowout so far. It has gotten really mixed reviews online so I will have to let you know how well it works. Talk about being helpless, It's not like I had a backup hair dryer!

Lastly, this community of women has once again taken the guess work out of beauty products for me. After almost being set on fire by my hair dryer and basically crying at the skincare counter at Nordstrom, I knew I needed some mascara. I have been a devotee to Chanel for years, and I am proud to annouce a conversion. Thanks to many of you, I picked up YSL Singulier Mascara in Deep Black. It is AMAZING! I am also an eyelash fanatic and I am always in search of the best mascara. Go get it now!

On a note involving less vanity (oops!!) I have a phone interview today, and I hope it goes well! Say a little Prayer for me:)

Buffy

2009-11-19T20:06:00.008-05:00

I hate the gym.

I especially hate my gym, hubs lovingly refers to it as "globo gym" and meatheads are everywhere. All day, everyday. I have, for as long as I can remember, been a slave to the cardio equipment. I would run, do the eliptical, some abs and leave. I was so intimated of the weight lifting areas, and the guys here in Arlington are so "hanz & franz" esque, its obnoxious!

I purchased a book that I was planning on using to get in shape for my wedding. Somehow I only managed to use it for a few weeks then I got so nervous I would eat nothing but sweets and drink coffee, just to get through the day. It was really pathetic! 10 weeks ago I decided to give it another go. I had no idea that I could actually "transform" my figure-I thought that was just what people on infomercials say. The workout takes like 45 minutes, and the pictures are so helpful! My arms are toned, my waist has shrunk and my legs have thinned out! Sometimes when I am doing the workout I really dont feel like I am dying, but boy have I seen results! The inital weight lifting program is 24 weeks so I am not even half way through yet:) It is all free weights, and she suggests different cardio on off days. It's light lifting but it has made such a difference that I just had to share.

PS-Today was soooo yucky and cold and rainy here- I wish I was on vacation...

Hubs brought a koozie from our welcome buckets on our honeymoon (we had hot pink in addition to the navy) How cute is it on the sand with that water in the background?!

This was the view from our villa at Cap Jaluca in Anguilla (Sigh). Turquoise water is my favorite!

Side note***I feel so lucky to have met so many of you wonderful girls through blogging! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday:)

Frames & Giveaway Winner

2009-11-18T13:42:00.007-05:00

Each year my mother and I head down to Richmond, Va (about 2 hours from DC) to the biggest, baddest craft show ever called Bizarre Bazaar. We usually get most of our Christmas shopping done at the show, and they always have tons of girly, adorable, preppy, stuff -It is truly amazing! So a few years ago I discovered a company called "Feel Good Frames". They specialize in custom wooden, hand painted & personalized frames, ornaments & even bulletin boards. I emailed the owner last week to see if I could place an order in advance to pick up at the show, only to find out she wasnt coming to the show this year=( They have an amazing site online, so I picked up a few things and I am having them shipped here, but I am just so in love with the products she offers it is completely worth it!

I ordered this one for my little nephew with his name on top and his birthdate on the bottom

I ordered this one with our names and wedding date for the tree this year, I have one from last year that says "engaged"

And who can resist the festive Christmas colors?

The quality of the products is amazing, and everyone always compliments the ones we have in our home. Plus they make perfect gifts! www.feelgoodframes.com

And now for the winner of my Lilly giveaway...

Lindsey @"Sweet Simplicity"

-send me an email (pinklacecupcakes@gmail.com) with your mailing address when you get a chance!

I took a hilarious picture of Hubs shaking up the names in a teacup this morning while he was still pretty much half asleep in bed, but I figured if he ever found out I posted it he would be furious!

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday:)

Christmas Tree Skirts

2009-11-16T17:30:00.006-05:00

Dont get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving. But I am counting down the days until "black friday"-surprisingly not to go shopping but to decorate for Christmas! I get it all from my wonderful mother, who never misses a beat with any holiday. Growing up our home was perfectly decorated (and still is!), and I look forward to each holiday season to see what she has added to make it even more special.

My parents put up three live Christmas trees in their home and my mom has two beautiful tree skirts which over the years she has sewn an image onto with the year on it representing something significant that took place in our family. She has really sweet ones from when my brother and I were growing up, an image of a cruise ship from a wonderful family vacation, an image of our darling sweet departed doggie Dede, and many many more. This year I am determined to be the keeper of family traditions and I am in search of my own christmas tree skirt, one that I will hopefully be able to fill with as many wonderfully beautiful memories as my Mom has.

I have found a couple and only one that I really love but I have run into a dilemma. I want to have the skirt monogrammed or have our family name put on the skirt, but the one from PB kids wont allow enough letters! What to do?? Im going to try and give them a call to see if they will help me out.

This is the one I really like but "The-our last name" wont fit:(

I Like this one as well (the red and white) but just not as much.

If anyone knows where I can find a monogrammed Christmas tree skirt please let me know!

Giveaway

2009-11-14T22:28:00.003-05:00

My very first giveaway! I am so excited:) I love, love, love, Lilly, and pink and coffee, and smelling pretty! So this is perfect:)

The winner will receive a really cute Lilly pink and green travel coffee mug and Lilly "squeeze" perfume and lotion, it's my fave and perfect for everyday:)

Just leave a comment and I'll use a random number generator this week, hubs will help me pick the winner on Wednesday!

Rain Rain Go away!

2009-11-11T09:35:00.004-05:00

What a yucky day outside! The rain that has been blanketing most of the east coast showed up here this morning, and it is so gross! Luckily I have a few pink and green things to brighten up this day

I did some major re-organization to my desk/nook (our condo is super tiny) last week. I decided I needed some pretty "desk related goodies". Thank goodness Lilly came out with stationary products in the past year (unfortunately not in time for my wedding invites) this is what I scooped up...

The "time flies" planner is my favorite, I love the fresh slate of a new year, and I cannot wait to add all the fun weddings and events in 2010.

I am always looking for pretty ways to package shower gifts, and presents. Yesterday I came across coffee filter flowers! I am sure many of you have seen these, mommymakesflowers.com was featured on the Martha show, and her flowers are truly a work of art! I kinda made my own up as I went along (they do not look nearly as pretty as hers!) but I thought they would be a pretty addition to a wedding or baby shower gift, or a diaper cake for the new mommy...

I am sure its custom everywhere, but at bridal showers one of the maids will take all the ribbons and bows to make a "bow-quet" for the bride to use at the rehearsal, I thought that a coffee filter flower would make the perfect addition!

Hope everyone has a great day, Think sunny thoughts please:)

Happy Monday!

2009-11-09T10:21:00.006-05:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

My mini shopping excursion on Saturday went really well. I found a dress for an upcoming event and I love it!

I almost bought this one from BCBG but wound up putting in on hold for an hour so i could check out the other stores (and because they have a crazy return/exchange policy)!

I am so glad I did because I found this one that I absolutely love!DVF Fiorenza Dress in Viloet-The color is sooo pretty but its hard to get in a picture:(
It is such a departure from my standard black cocktail dress, I am so proud of myself for branching out!

Has anyone tried this eye pencil yet? I love a smoky eye for holiday parties and the like, and this looks like a departure from the crazy Hard Candy sparkly eye pencil (in lilac) I had in high school (yes I am ashamed!) I usually line my eyes with black liquid liner and this might be a pretty change without being too drastic? Thoughts?

Softsparkle Eye Pencil by MAC (its shown in Iris-but I would get black)

6 months ago today (please excuse the dumb looks on my face!) I was in Lala land!
Time Flies when you are having fun! Love you Hubs:)

Something no man will ever understand.

2009-11-07T08:36:00.005-05:00

I adore my husband, have a wonderful Father, my big brother is the best, but they wont ever understand.

There is a bond that women are able to develop that men simply are not capable of having. No Im not talking about friendships among women, I am talking about women and shoes! The way you feel when you slip on a georgeus pair of heels, like nothing in the world could stand in your way. They are empowering, not to mention they make your legs look so skinny:) Plus you can change them all the time! My Husband thinks I am nuts. Dont get me wrong he is quite fashionable, designer denim a must, and his tiny little section of our closet is packed with labels to rival that of the mens section at Bloomies. He just doesnt get the shoe obsession, and most likely never will.

A great pair of shoes can change your attitude, turn a bad day into a great one and make you feel like a million bucks! I Know I am way late to this party, but I just got my first pair of Louboutins! Simple 100's black (so basic, yet classic). My feet are tiny and not narrow but not wide, so I was worried about the fit. I put them on and wouldnt take them off for an hour-I am in love. The red bottom is, obviously, so hot but the toe cleav is too much for words! Obsessed. The comfort of these shoes speaks to their quality and I want a million more right now!

Please Excuse our Heinous Burbur carpet, we live in a rental!