Link Love.

Tuesday Inspiration.

The Kitchn
Jam-filled biscuits would be the perfect way to start the day…



The Cinderella Project
This gorgeous butterfly blouse is everything…



Coco Cake
I think this display of floral designed cupcakes on the rustic cake stand is SO lovely.



Threading in the Choirs
The ceiling detail in this NYC resto makes me smile.

Preschool Parties Winner

Contest Winner.

Thanks to all for entering to win the fabulous book, "Preschool Parties: Easy Ideas for Princesses, Pirates, and Other Little People."



Our randomly selected winner is...

Erin, who said:

I have a 4 year old little girl with fantasies about tea parties, pricess parties, pirates and hidden treasures. To say that planning parties for her is a small task quite the understatement. I end up spending so much of my time searching on the internet and scoping out party blogs. What a wonderful idea to compile it all into an adorable book full of inspiration and magic to any child. I could simply show my daughter the book to give her ideas for her birthday rather than blindly asking what she'd like. Thank you so much for the chance to win!

Congrats, Erin!

Grilled PB&J

I know, I know…what could slapping a little butter on a PB&J and throwing it in a skillet really do? Believe me the end result is heaven. Since I have trouble actually enjoying the sandwich since it involves smothering the already caloric peanut butter with extra butter, I came up with a solution.

Think appetizer. I cut mine into bite size pieces and served with toothpicks on a tray topped with peanuts and lemon leaves. Everyone loved the adult spin on a childhood classic and now I am trying to think of other sandwiches that could become appetizers… maybe nutella and banana? Next, I think I will look for a cute lunch box and serve them tableside.

Seeing Red

Beauty.

I've been lugging around my September issues of all the magazines to see what's new in the world of fashion and beauty. And you know what? Red lipstick is still in.



I, for one, am completely psyched that I can still go rouge because I've assembled a cast of 3 fool-proof colors that I rotate for everyday wear. And even though I was hesitant at first to wear them (are people staring at my bright red lips???), I soon got over that. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't get a complement on my daring shades...so I must be doing something right.

So today, I'm sharing my secret weapons with you dear readers. Get out and buy one. You'll love them!!


Chanel Rouge Coco Shine - Rebelle
Slightly coral and sheer. No fuss application for daytime wear. I also layer over other colors to add extra shine.



Laura Mercier Creme Lipstick - Sunrise
Slightly more orange undertone to this creamy red color. I wear this for both more formal day or night occasions. The Chanel color from above looks great layered over this for a glossier look.



Lorac Breakthrough Performance 15 SPF Lipstick - Leading Lady
This is the lipstick that sparked my red love affair. More of a cool undertone, but what I would call a true red. The moisturizing texture feel luxurious when you wear it. LOVE it for evening.

Cookbook Recommendations??

Reader help.

I LOVE my cookbooks. I love to sit down with a stack of books and plan my new culinary adventures for dinner parties and lazy weekend days. Some of my favorites are the entire Barefoot Contessa line, Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking, and anything by Cook's Illustrated.

But I know that I need to branch out a bit too. So when Bon Appetit listed their top 5 cookbooks to amp your cooking ability, my attention was completely grabbed. Here were the ones that most intrigued me.

Ad Hoc at Home
Thomas Keller...enough said.



Think Like a Chef
Before he was judging with Padma, Tom Colicchio was rocking NYC at Gramercy Tavern and his Craft empire. I'm pretty sure he could teach me a thing or two.



The Lutece Cookbook
The original NYC Celebrity chef and ultimate A-List French restaurant. And it was Julia Child's favorite restaurant in the United States. Yum.



But I'd love to know what you all like to use as recipe references. What are your go to books? Which ones taught you the most to make you a better cook?

The Bellini

This past weekend I had the pleasure of a very relaxing day at a Connecticut spa. While lounging around the pool, I got a craving for a Bellini. Imagine my surprise when the waiter handed me the above bottle.

This little guy was so cute and I loved the packaging. This got me thinking , wouldn’t this look gorgeous on a brunch buffet or in a bucket of ice poolside?

By the way, my husband talked for 10 minutes about how it was ridiculous because Bellini’s were such an easy drink to make, to which I moved my seat and continued to enjoy my beverage! My advice break these little babies out at an all girl event where cute packaging is appreciated.

FYI they also make Mimosas.

Link Love

Wedding Wire
This spiral seating arrangement makes sure everyone has the perfect view.




Sugar & Spice by Celeste
A little caramel cake to welcome fall.




Vintage Rose Garden
I would never leave this room.




Junebug Weddings
Simple yet gorgeous.

JewelMint Bracelet

I saw this cool bracelet made out of rings at Jewelmint and thought what a cool concept (wink, wink).

Crispy Chicken Wraps

One of my favorite places to grab a quick lunch is Pret A Manger, which is a sandwich and salad, grab and go kind of restaurant in Manhattan. One of the things that I love about their sandwiches is the way they manage to get the outside wrap so perfectly crisp and crunchy.

When I saw this recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Café I crossed my fingers that this would be a way to get my sandwich fix in my own kitchen. After the first bite, I knew it could definitely be achieved. The best part is that this sandwich is quick and easy. I use low fat mayo and sour cream to make it more figure friendly and in a few minutes I have a delicious lunch or dinner.

Black and White and the Kardashians

Please bear with me fellow hip hostess’ and allow me to vent about something that has been on my mind, Kim Kardashian’s wedding. I have started this post a couple of times only to stop and say to myself, “leave well enough alone.” But I don’t seem to be able to let that happen.

I watch “Keeping up with the Kardashian’s” and quite enjoy the show. There is nothing I love more than good, entertaining, and easy on the brain television after a harsh day of too much thinking. That being said, I was really excited to see all the details of the wedding.

Am I the only one who was severely let down? For instance, black and white theme…I get the old Hollywood theme and blah, blah, blah but you had a team of wedding coordinators and you couldn’t come up with anything a little more original. To play devil’s advocate, maybe she had been dreaming of this style of wedding for years, so at least give us some details that make us say “wow”. I see amazing weddings shown by our lovely wedding blog friends daily and never fail to be blown away by people’s creativity. Where was the creativity Kim? A 6 foot black and white wedding cake…c’mon!

Also, I think the fact that they were paid for their wedding cheapened it to just another episode of their realty show. Some things are sacred and I don’t think your wedding should be about swag bags and monetary gain. Are we really going to start making a business out of weddings?

Needless to say, my DVR line up just got a little lighter after last week.