Link Love.

Tuesday Inspiration.

The Decorista
I am totally crushing on this shiny mosaic tile staircase.



Not Your Average Ordinary
This jewelry is so very charming.



Delicious Days
Prosecco and berry jelly…I want some.



Once Wed
I love the moody feel of this wedding shot. Simply gorgeous.

Why didn't I think of that??

I recently went to a Brooklyn restaurant and was admiring the way their champagne chillers matched the color of the decor perfectly. I guess I must have been sipping a little too much champagne, because it took me a while to realize they were actually paint cans. Now there are a few people in my life who would be as excited as myself to see a paint can turned into an inexpensive, yet practical, one-of-a-kind champagne chiller and not a freaking one of them was around.



The group that I was with was less than thrilled with my cool find. What they didn’t see is a great way to add self serve custom vignettes of wine or champagne to any event along with a “wow” factor and you won’t have to take out a loan to do it. So, my fellow hip hostesses , can I get a woot woot?!?!

Hard Candy Cotton Candy Maker

Fun Kitchen Equipment.

I recently heard some great feedback about a little machine that takes hard candies and transforms them into cotton candy for just $49.95. Not only, is it cheaper than renting a machine for the day but you won’t have to worry about buying expensive powders and mixes. If you have a kid’s party in your near future, this could make you the coolest mom ever.

If anyone has one of these nifty gadgets I have a watermelon jolly rancher all ready to go.

Make Your Own Manicure

Beauty.

I love getting mani/pedi's. It's my time to sit and speed read all of the gossip mags, enjoy a killer massage chair, and make my hoofs and claws look lovely. And after my pamper session, I just feel so much prettier.

But what happens when my perfectly enameled nails start to chip? My digits stay unadorned for at least 3 weeks before I'm willing to make the splurge again. You see...I can push back cuticles, shape my nails, and moisturize perfectly...but I can't apply my own polish to save my life. I might get one coat on perfectly; but somewhere between basecoat, 2 coats of color, and topcoat, I am bound to make at least a couple of mistakes. And then I tried Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure.



I can thank the pharmacist for taking too long to fill a prescription for this one. I wandered around Walgreen's just a little too long and convinced myself it was worth a try...and it was.

This polish goes on very smoothly and the flat brush gives you SO much control. And only two coats gives you the same coverage and results as a basecoat, strengthener, growth treatment, color, and top coat. Sweet!

My favorite color is Commander and Chic (the middle one below). Now my nails can look great all of the time!!!

Ginger Mojitos for a crowd

Cocktail Recipe.

Football season is here and the holidays are fast approaching. This usually means crowds. And what do you do with a large crowd? Ply them with Ginger Mojitos of course.

Check out this recipe found on Chow.com that is all about infusing the simple syrup with ginger ahead of time and the best part no muddling needed.




Ginger Mojitos
Makes: 12 drinks

Ingredients for the base:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater about 1/3 cup packed
2 cups tightly packed fresh mint leaves from about 2 bunches
1 750 milliliter bottle white rum
1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lime juice from about 18 medium limes

To serve:
Ice
2 ¼ cups club soda chilled
12 fresh mint sprigs

Instructions
For the base:

1. In a small saucepan, bring sugar, water, and ginger to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add mint leaves, stir to combine, and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a 1-1/2 to 2 quart container and strain the syrup, discarding the solids. Add rum and lime juice and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Flower Arranging

DIY Tip.

Today I want to share another vintage Martha Stewart tip that is simply genius! You may know that I love monochromatic arrangements because they are always sophisticated and kind of hard to screw up. But this tip makes life even easier.



If you want a grouping of several small arrangements, forget the vase...use a toothbrush holder. Place one or two stems in each hole and you'll have a perfectly spaced and secure arrangement.

Isn't that a great tip?

Link Love.

Tuesday Inspiration.

Desserts for Breakfast
What a way to start the day!



Grace Design
Fall is here…give your trench a pop of color.



One Charming Party
Check out this step-by-step to creating a fabulous art party.



Cap Classique
This is a photo you'll not soon forget.

Skinny Cheese Cookbook

Enter to win.

I received The Skinny Cheese Cookbook in the mail and it reminded me of a funny story that happened a few years ago.

My friend asked me to take her mother, who was visiting from the Caribbean, around the city for a couple of hours while she went to an appointment. Her mother was very sweet, but English was not her first language so there wasn’t much in the way of conversation. Several times I would be walking and notice that she was missing and then I would find her in the back of a line somewhere. In NYC it is not unusual to see a number of long lines as people are waiting for tickets, auditions, sample sales, etc. Each time I got a little nervous because of course I was panicked that I would lose her somewhere. Finally the last time this happened I threw my hands in the air and said “why?” to which she yelled in perfect English “free cheese”. Obviously these people where not waiting in line for free government issued cheese and were less than pleased with the outburst. Needless to say I returned my friend’s mom a little early but still get a good laugh whenever I see a long line.




I was reminded of this story when Hip Hostess received an email from President and Sorrento cheese asking us to take a look at their new Skinny Cheese Cookbook. As you know Hip Hostess never turns down an opportunity to try cheese and this opportunity is extra special because all the recipes are light using either President Fat Free Feta or Sorrento low fat Ricotta. My favorite so far is the Proscuitto-Wrapped Chicken with Feta which is perfect for a romantic fall evening at home and at 307 calories per serving you can have a decadent dessert.

We would like to extend the offer for “free cheese” to our readers as Sorrento and President have been kind enough to include some coupons. We are looking for the first 6 readers who are willing to check out the new Skinny Cheese Cookbook and write a review which will be posted at a later date.

If this is you, please respond with your email address in the comments section and we will contact you for your address.

Dark Halloween Decor

DIY.



I saw the above article in Family Circle magazine and fell in love with the understated yet dark look of the décor. Normally when people talk about Halloween décor it conjures up images of plastic pumpkins and witches but these gorgeous photos shed a whole new light on the situation. This would make an exceptional statement on either a mantel, foyer table or even as a buffet tablescape.

The how –to for the wreath can be seen here and the black dishes are simply inexpensive thrift shop dishes that have been painted with a couple of coats of satin finish black paint.

Easy, inexpensive and classy.

Leftover Salad

Food.

I love to recipe test, but sometimes my grocery list can get out of control purchasing a little bit of this and a little bit of that for so many different dishes. So many of the best dishes came out of necessity from family kitchens where wasting leftover foods simply wasn't an option. One of my favorite examples of that is Panzanella Salad.

Panzanella is basically an assortment of roughly chopped veggies, leftover bread (toasted into large croutons) and vinaigrette. The bread soaks up the vinaigrette and the veggies create a fresh balance that's just delicious.



And though there are many great recipes for it (of course I love Ina Garten's!), you can just as easily shop through your refrigerator at the end of the week and use up what's left over to create your own.

Here are some of the leftovers that I've used in assorted panzanellas over the years :

cherry tomatoes
onion
cucumber
capers
watermelon
bell peppers
basil
flat leaf parsley
kalamata olives
cauliflower
broccoli
mushrooms
artichoke hearts
feta
shards of parmesan
roasted peppers

There really are endless possibilities. Just open up your crisper and start chopping...it's truly delicious.