Brilliant Bubbly

Champagne.

As much as I love a well-crafted cocktail, there is just something extra special about a glass of good champagne. I've tried many...be they pink, white, sweet, or dry, but my newest obsession is Launois Pere & Fils.

Photo courtesy of Yoshio Taka on Flickr.

We first stumbled upon this gem at our trusted Lush Wine & Spirits on Chicago Ave in Chicago. They consider it their "house champagne" and I can certainly see why. It is perfectly balanced for most every individual's taste. And it takes only one sip to realize that this is truly a special champers indeed.

For your next special occasion, grab one of these gorgeous bottles and enjoy. Or you can do like me and order a 1/2 a case and keep it in the fridge at all times...because you just never know when you're going to need it ;)

Cupcake Liner Cocktail Covers

Easy Fix.

I love an ice cold cocktail while sitting on the porch or my rooftop. The problem is...so do the bugs. Yuck! That's why this is such a genius idea...



All you need is cute cupcake liners, an exacto knife, and a straw to make your cocktail critter-proof. Amazing!

Link Love

The Sweetest Occasion
Love the use of honey dippers as spoons in this refreshing iced tea.




Invoking Inspiration
Besides being cute this has great storage potential.




Style Me Pretty
Great option for the bride with allergies.




Café Fernando
5 minute chocolate mousse.

The Perfect Shade

Do you look at this picture and wonder how all these glass bottles, are the perfect shade of blue? Well, it turns out Craftberry Bush has the solution and it is as easy as glue, paintbrush, food coloring and patience. The possibilities are endless and the money that you will save on purchasing the vases in the perfect color…you can use towards the perfect color of shoes for your event!

Chalkboard Gift Tags

These tags are chic, adorable AND reusuable.

Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers

If you are a single lady looking to meet some new gentlemen then I have one word for you…Chorizo. Sausage is to men as a new pair of shoes is to women.

Earlier this week I saw the above recipe and had the ingredients on hand so decided to give it a go. Our bbq grill is located on a shared rooftop and before I knew it all the men that were on the roof had gravitated to our grill where the sausage was sizzling away. Even though my neighbors had beautiful steaks grilling and on the other side of the roof hamburger and hot dogs were plentiful. Now I like sausage and all but I don’t feel myself being gravitationally pulled in its direction!

This got me thinking, why buy expensive perfume, when you could just throw on some Shrimp and Chorizo skewers?

Mini Polaroid Photos

The Instax Mini 7S Instant Camera is getting rave reviews. The camera is not exactly a tuck in your pocket type, however the mini Polaroid snapshots are worth the schlep. I don’t know why everything miniature is so cute…but it is! If you have an upcoming event that you would like to capture the moment with something a little out of the ordinary then this camera is for you. Normally, I don’t like to see myself in photos but maybe a mini snapshot will change my mind.

Egg-celent

Recipe.

Every year when Cadbury Eggs appear on store shelves, I do a happy dance and try my best to not over-indulge in my favorite confectionary treat. But then Easter passes and my beloved eggs disappear leaving me sad that I didn't toss diet caution to the wind and eat just one more chocolate treat. *tears*

And then this week I saw this...



Shut. The. Front. Door.

The absolutely gorgeous blog Not Without Salt actually came up with a homemade version. Now I can enjoy a little Easter in August!!! I really could not be more excited.

Link Love

Tuesday Inspiration.

Sparkle and Hay
I love this gorgeous art made from this couple’s wedding vows



Sprinkle Bakes
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Terrine. Oh my!



Luna and Chloe Weddings
Who knew that a beer can in a paper bag could look so good?



Café Cartolina
What a fabulous DIY pendant light!

No Chip Mani

Beauty.

I don't know about you gals out there, but I am pretty tough on my nails. So when I get a manicure, I tend to go with neutral colors that don't make a scene when they start chipping 2 days later.

But last month I had two weddings on consecutive weekends in two different states. I definitely wasn't going to have time to go to the nail salon in between. What's a girl to do? The no chip manicure...that's what.

photo courtesy of delodylady

Yes ladies, the OPI Axxium gel nail polish is so flippin awesome that I went a full 2 weeks without a chip AND the top coat remained shiny and gorgeous. Which meant that I could get a fun cha-cha color without fear.

The only drawback (if you can even call it that) is that you have to have it taken off at the salon. Or if you have patience, you can remove the polish at home like this.

And I forgot to mention another fabulous point of the Axxium product. When they apply the top coat and it cures under the uv lamp for .2 seconds (not really...but pretty close) it is completely dry. So dry that they buffed my nails with a cloth and oil right after.

A.MA.ZING.

Ladies, the no-chip mani is totally worth the little splurge for the right occasion.