By an-KNEE means Necessary

Skaters, breakers and eighties babes alike have an admiration for the almighty knee pad. Not to my surprise, only because I am never surprised at the amazingness from Chanel, this fall we will have a sneaker, boot, knee pad combo. I can't speak for you, but as for me… I will have these by an-KNEE means necessary!

Essie Fall 2014

Clark + Kesington & OPI

You guys are my people, therefore you know how much I LOVE nail polish. Knowing that my favorite colors cannot only grace my nails but my walls too gives me pure joy. The OPI collection available in the ACE Paint studio is high quality and diverse with colors ranging from My Vampire is Buff to Magnetic Force. I don't know about your walls but mine are OPI ready!

Celebrating Baby "B"

This is baby shower #2 this year and I had so much fun with it. Two of my beautiful friends are mommies to be, so a group of us decided to throw them a baby shower. The first baby shower that I assisted with was for the mommy of the love of my life… my nephew. We hosted it at my mother's home and we did a "Ready to Pop" theme. That was my first baby shower and I learned a lot! This time around I was far more prepared.

For this shower the theme was sophisticated elegance. Since we were honoring two mommies to be, and there was a group of us wanting to help, I decided that in order for this collaboration to be a success we would need to be organized and plan ahead. We started planning for this shower about a month out because we were making a lot of the desserts, favors and decor. I learned the last time around that however long you think this will take… multiply that number by two!

The shower for baby "B" (both mommies shared the same last name initial) turned out perfectly. We held the shower at a gorgeous estate. This home was beyond beautiful and had some of the most luxurious decor I had ever seen. The owner was so gracious to allow us to use her home and it made the shower so special. Because the venue was so elegant, I decided that adding "decorations" would cheapen the look and I would even go so far as to say it would have been tacky. Instead of the typical baby shower decorations, we let the deserts & favors add a pop of color, and I used the money that I would have spent on decorations on fresh flowers. I chose to do several flower arrangements because we were in a large space and utilized multiple rooms, but you can easily do a few flower arrangements and keep it very cost effective.

Here are a few tips for making fresh flowers budget friendly.

1. Go to your neighborhood grocery store: A lot of the time they have florists and they can be very inexpensive

2. BYOV: Bring Your Own Vase. Vases are not free and a lot of time they make up 1/4 of the costs of an arrangement. I keep all of my vases from flowers I receive and I take my vases with me any time I want to get a flower arrangement.

3. The Bigger The Better: Use flowers that are BIG. This way you won't have to use so many stems and you will still have a very full arrangement. Hydrangeas are one of the best for this!

For our dessert bar we had some of the prettiest, and might I say tastiest treats I have ever seen. I made chocolate covered pretzels & rice krispie treats. One of my friends ordered pink macaroons and made some of the most beautiful cookies ever, and of course we had a pretty pink cake. We also had hand made chocolates from a local shop & hand made hand scrubs as favors. I used my favorite Etsy download for the games, so we had plenty and we had more food than any of us could eat.


The next time you're in charge of planning here are a few words of wisdom, because let's face it, I have done this twice so I am designating myself as a certified professional (smile). Plan ahead and use your resources, the more people that want to help, the better. Use what you have! We used so many of the things that we already owned and repurposed them. Last but not least, have fun with it. Planning anything can be stressful, but don't let the details get the best of you. Be organized and communicate with your team. It makes all the difference in the world! Okay, this is really the last one, don't forget that it's not about YOU. You are doing this to honor someone else and they will see that through all of your hard work, so make sure that they are happy and your event will be a success!

NOE Undergarments

I am in the process of planning our annual vaca and I have come across the perfect cover up. I have yet to book plane tickets, and reserve our glamping accommodations but hey, this cover up spoke to me... so… it just moved to the top of the list. At least now I can check something off of the DONE list!

 noe-undergarments $164

Right BACK at cha!

If I had the back for this, I would definitely drape myself in this Blue Life Back Side Maxi… but I don't so I will just admire it from afar and if any of you go get it PLEASE send me pics! xoxo

blue-life-back-side-maxi-in-smokey-grey $88

Complex Simplicity

It seems like the art of simplicity is dying… rapidly. These days the definition of sexy is the shorter the better, the tighter the hotter and less is best. Call me old fashion but I still believe that there is nothing sexier than a confident yet subtle woman. Call it complex simplicity if you must, but the beauty masked behind every woman is showcased best in its simplest form. "Beautiful things don't ask for attention"- James Thurber

More of This

Less of This

Screw who… SCREW what… screw YOU… SCREW IT!

Marc b Marc Jacobs Screw It Studs with Bolt backs. Never have I wanted to get screwed so bad! 

What's cuter than a baby bunny?

The only thing that could even come close to the cuteness of a baby bunny is….. ME…. in this Lola Thumper hat! I know that I'm going up against one of the cutest things known to man, but I am pretty confident that this grey felted wool hat with a fox fur pom pom provides at least 9-127 additional cute points!

Thumper Cap $255

Grand Fleur

I am a lover of all things pretty and most things delicate, this set is winning in both categories!

KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE GRAND FLEUR

RB x Coogi

Rag-Bone

Loving this felt and faux-leather draped jacket from BLANK

Blank-Sofa-King-Combo-Drape-Jacket $108

Plan your perfect VACA

Planning a vacation can be work, hard work if you're not careful. Me and the hubby have developed a system for planning our vacations and it makes the process fun and easy. We break it down into 5 steps and we stick to them.

1. Decide how long your vacation will be

We only have a few weeks that we can travel during the winter that doesn't interfere with all of the baseball weddings,  his training schedule and the holidays. Deciding when and how long is the first thing that we do. If you only have 5 days of vacation time it's in your best interest to spend it wisely.  You don't want to plan a trip to Africa and spend 2 of your 5 days traveling.

2. Come up with a budget

The world of "vacations" has really changed since we were kids. Now you can have flights that offer the services and amenities of a five-star hotel, and go on a Glamping excursion in the middle of the jungle. Imaginations can really go crazy, but keep it all in perspective. It really makes no sense to look at destinations that you cannot afford. Use the "wedding dress" rule... Don't try on something your can't afford to buy. 

3. Pick a theme

Decide wether you want this to be a beach getaway or a cultural experience. You don't want to plan a trip to Rome if you want to spend most of your time laying on the beach. If you wish to do a little of both there are great locations that offer that. We chose to go to Dubai to get the best of both worlds, and boy did we! Other times, like our honeymoon, we just wanted to lay out on the beach so we picked a Caribbean destination with a quiet and secluded resort that was perfect for our beach vaca. 

4. Have each person traveling with you choose two destinations

There are so many really great destinations and it is rare for two people to choose the exact same destination and hotel. If that does happen you just eliminated the need for step 5.

5. Narrow the choices down 
Choose the place that has the better hotel & flight packages, what activities are complementary and what there is to do off of the resort. If you can't come to a decision... Do what we do and draw out of a hat. 

Athens Greece 

All good things must come to an end

That thing we spend all winter waiting for, and all spring planning for… summer… our beloved is coming to an end. Don't fret because as usual it will be back. Autumn brings such beauty, the leaves on the trees turn, the weather changes and if it hasn't done so already so should your wardrobe. If you haven't already started, get ready to FALL in line with the official fall pantone colors. You don't want to be the only thing that doesn't change with the seasons!

are you SEEING RED?

There is no RED more famous than the "Christian Louboutin" red! The signature RED bottom soles are lusted after and collected by many. While the Christian Louboutin design house is known mostly for shoes and accessories, they are adding another piece to their repertoire.

Inspired by the original red muse, Christian Louboutin will be debuting a NAIL POLISH! Now the term "stiletto nails" has a new meaning! The nail polish will feature a timeless shade of red, vibrant on any skin tone and is high gloss, formaldehyde free and non chip, ensuring a patent leather shine. The seven-inch calligraphy inspired cap which is modeled after the heel of the famous ballerina ULTIMA, the highest heel Christian Louboutin ever designed, is custom designed and has a beautiful glass cut bottle to match.

The Christian Louboutin Nail Collection launches this week with the signature color… ROUGE. It is sure to sell out faster than the shoes, so be sure you are SEEING RED… I will be!

"The red sole was born from red nail polish. I am giving back to beauty what the shoes took from the nails many years ago."-Christian Louboutin