Cookie Shot

Dominique Ansel of Cronut fame is releasing his latest creation today in NYC.  This is a chocolate chip cookie cup with a shot of milk poured right in.  Now, the Cronut was a little more intimidating in trying to make your own because I mean c'mon where do you start with that one.  But this one I think would be worth a shot of mimicking at home to avoid standing in line for hours.  Now of course you wouldn't have the special organic vanilla bean cold infused milk from upstate New York but my guess is it wouldn't suffer to much!  What do you think?  I think you bake some cookies in a stoneware sake cup and pour in some milk and serve your guests the new "hot" dessert.

Dexter Coasters

I think these blood splattered Dexter coasters are quite cool and would add a spooky touch to any Halloween party.  You could purchase them here for $30 or I'm sure some of you DIY'ers have some ideas up your sleeves.

October Card Game

If you host a monthly card game of some sort then my advice is to kick it up a notch for October and order these creepy yet cool decks for just $8.

Cute Find

Everybody needs a good chuckle on a Monday and this card made me laugh because it is so ME!  I'm the crankiest girl around when deprived of food.  I need to take out a loan for how many of these I need to buy to give to my husband.

Watermelon Centerpiece

Got some time on your hands?  Well what could be cuter than a watermelon grill centerpiece complete with fruit kebabs...not much.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Have you ever had a few guests stop by and wanted to offer them something but the cupboards were bare?  Well most of us have some vanilla ice cream stashed in the freezer and check out some of these fun combos that you might not think about but most likely you  have them or something similar stashed in your cabinets.

Lemon Berry Pie-Lemon curd or pie filling, fresh blueberries and crushed vanilla wafers or similar

Iced Mocha-Caramel sauce with a sprinkle of instant coffee and sea salt

Rainbow Crunch-Crushed raspberries and Fruity Pebbles cereal

Ode to Thanksgiving-Orange zest and a dusting of cinnamon

Banana Fest-Chopped banana, miniature marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles

Regrets

I apologize that you have to look super close to tell what this is.  But it's worth it...a cheeky card that says "regrets her behavior at."  Now we've all been there and everyone understands that good times are not always without a couple of regrets that you would rather not think about the next day.  That's why a couple of these chic cards from catbird would come in handy.  Let's just not hope you don't need to buy a whole pack.

Watermelon Plates

Check out this great idea from three many cooks.  When you don't have enough plates just slice up some watermelon!  Practical, unique and delicious.  In the photo they are serving basil-proscuitto salad with an edible plate.  YUM!

Fridge Liners

Do you always pull out your crisper drawer and wonder what exactly happened in there.  For god's sake man...I just store my tomatoes, onions and greens in there.  I've started to do the blind reach, I just open look through one eye and then grab and shut.  That way I won't feel the need to pull out the whole drawer and wash it down.  Well fridge liners is saying that they have a product that will stop all this because the paper is absorbent?   I'm not completely convinced that it will help but I'm willing to give it a go.  Anything has to be better than what's going on now.  Anyone have these?

Basketweave BLT

Apparently I have been making my BLT's wrong for years.  The newest trend that ensures you get bacon in every bite is the basketweave method.  I plan on giving this a try very soon.

Lemony Feta Dip

Lately, down time has been something that I dream about but can't seem to make it happen.  So, after I do a few hours of work on Sunday morning the rest of my day will consist of this delicious lemony feta dip, a glass of wine and a pile of magazines waiting to be read.  What do you do to unwind when life gets a little crazy?

Floral Straws

We've all seen paper straws in polka dots and stripes but how about floral?  I love paper straws but was looking for something new this season and voila here they are.  These would be darling adorning glassware as well as your outdoor pieces.  Plus they come from Australia so you have a conversation piece as well.

Spring Flowers

 Do you ever see those initial coffee mugs and think, I kind of like those but I already have coffee mugs?  I've had this discussion with myself many times and mainly because they always seem to be in the discount section plus they look so elegant.  Well leave it to The Effortless Chic to come up with the perfect solution. What a great way to display Spring flowers.

License Plate Coozies

Yes that is right...you are looking at a license plate coozie.  I'm originally from Kansas where coozies are to beer as biscuits are to gravy, always served together.  When I saw these coozies made from authentic license tags, I thought what a great idea for a party, where people are gathering from different states.  It not only lets you identify your beer but it also gives a great conversation starter.  They are a little pricey at $28 a pop, but you know what they say.  Beer in a license state coozie expensive but a good times had by all...priceless.

Origami Arrow Magnets and Tacks

If you have a significant other or children in your household you need these!  In my case, my husband doesn't see things in the morning.  For 7 years now he has been walking right past the full trash can, the pile of cards and bills that need to be put in the mail slot and let's not forget the ginormous bag of laundry that needs to be taken to fluff and fold on Friday's.  I've tried everything, putting the mail on his keys.  Putting the laundry bag in front of the door so he has to move it to get out. Somehow he gets out the door with his keys and the mail and clothes are still sitting there?

So today, I'm going to make some neon yellow arrows, in a cute print of course.  A little paper folding and an awesome arrow reward is well worth getting my 30lb. bag of laundry carried downstairs.

Fun Find: Swordsicles

You might wonder what it is you are looking at here?  If you have a little swashbuckler in your household or in my case a big swashbuckler then this fun find can't be missed.  It is sword shaped tray for popsicles or ice cubes!  How cool is that?  Perfect addition to any pirate themed kid's party or how about national talk like a pirate day, which is on September 19th.  No matter what booty you're chasin' this swords a must.

Umbrella Fun

So this has nothing to do with party planning but I thought it was cool and wanted to share.  It is an umbrella by Squidarella that changes from black and white when dry to colorful when wet.  I am not a fan of the rain especially in NYC because it always seems to rain sideways and it doesn't matter what you are doing you get soaked.  But if I had a cool color changing umbrella then I would look forward to rain.  Another plus is that I always sit my umbrella out to dry and am never quite sure when it is sufficiently so.  Now I don't have to guess.  One umbrella please.

Perfect Poached Egg

I've never attempted a poached egg.  To be honest, it always seemed like to much trouble.  But thanks to this article over at YumSugar giving you tips for the perfect poached egg, I think I will give it a whirl-pun intended.

Down Time

It's been a helluva week and I'm headed to the spa.  Need a little R&R yourself...check out these tips for at home spa treatments.

Porcelain Ice Cream Cones

I don't really need these...I just love them.  What could be cuter than porcelain ice cream cones...ummm...not much.  Well maybe puppies.  If you would like to make me jealous and buy a few then this links for you.