WEEKEND OUTINGS - Make Your Own Popsicles

Earlier today, my husband and I bought Tovolo Popsicle Molds to make our own popsicles during the summertime. We made our first batch tonight, and they were delicious! Perfect for summer parties, after-dinner treats, and tasty just-because’s, you will love having your own custom-made popsicles!

 

Keep it simple by just pouring in your favorite beverage such as lemonade, cola, or juice and freezing it. If you want to make a yummy adult pop, then simply add in your alcoholic drink of choice such as strawberry daiquiri, mojito, or margarita and freeze it. If you want to get fancy, check out these recipes from Tovolo and Pops! by Krystina Castella.

If you have kids, this is a perfect afternoon project! You can make healthier versions for them with less sugar than the store brands.  Adults will have fun with the wide variety of options and alcoholic choices. Keep cool this summer with your own pops!

INSPIRATION - Lucille Ball

I have loved Lucy since I was a little girl, watching every night with admiration and laughing until my sides ached as this force of nature lit up my television screen. 

"I'm not funny. What I am is brave."

"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done."

"I'm happy that I have brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it in so many lives, in so many ways."

"Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead."

"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself."

"The more things you do, the more you can do."

In the fifth grade, I was so taken with this Queen of Comedy that I ardently persuaded my teacher to allow me to report on Lucy (and dress up like her) for my Famous Americans Report. Prior to that year, no student was allowed to pick a movie star or entertainer, except for Shirley Temple because she had also been a U.S. ambassador. With my typical assertive, bordering on pushy, approach, I convinced my teacher that Lucy was so much more than ‘just’ a comedian, and thankfully, I was right.

As we all know, Lucy was a highly successful, recognizable, and beloved entertainer, comedian, model and actress. But, even more notably, she was a television pioneer, entertainment business powerhouse, and a trailblazer as the first woman to own her own film studio, Desilu. And, all the while, she was a mother of two.  

Ever since my fifth grade project (and even more so now that I’m a grown woman), I try to think about Lucy as a real woman and human being rather than as her iconic character. While a little more flawed than her bubbly housewife symbol, Lucille Ball was a brave, insightful woman who really went for it in all aspects of her life, despite her own fears and despite others’ expectations of the norm. And that is why…I Love Lucy.

ENTERTAINMENT - Vivian Maier Photography

My husband discovered this gem the other night while perusing some of his favorite blogs. We were instantly captivated by Vivian Maier’s photography and even more so by her remarkable and mysterious story. We flipped through photo after photo, marveling at her distinctive, mesmerizing, and frequently humorous depictions of urban post-war Americana.
 

Self-portrait

Vivian Maier was a nanny who spent her free time as a street photographer, capturing over 100,000 photographs from the 1950’s through the 1990’s. But, she kept her work a secret, never showing it to anyone during her lifetime. It wasn’t until 2007 that John Maloof, an amateur historian and realtor, uncovered Vivian’s genius in a box of anonymous negatives at a Chicago auction house. She had previously kept many of her undeveloped negatives in a storage locker but had lost possession of the locker when she was unable to maintain her payments.

Now, Vivian’s photographs are being celebrated all over the world as people stand amazed by her incredible talent, intense privacy, and concentration on the often 'ignored' groups in society such as children, racial minorities, and low socio-economic classes.

Visit the blog & the website to see many more photographs, find out more about Vivian's life, learn about the upcoming exhibitions/events, and purchase the book.

WEDDINGS/EVENTS - Life's Sweetest Moments

From weddings, birthdays, and baby showers to anniversaries and graduation parties, life’s sweetest moments warrant something equally sweet to celebrate the occasion.

Photos from: Martha Stewart Weddings & Martha Stewart

Cake rightfully reigns as the dessert of choice for most parties, but you are missing out if you stop there. Get creative with your treats and their presentation! There is an endless amount of imaginative, delicious desserts to choose from, and you can adjust each sweet to best complement your event. Incorporate your color scheme and theme, consider the season, think about personal and guest preferences, and keep in mind ease of serving.

Cupcakes, cake pops, ice cream sandwiches, root beer/coke floats, cookies and milk, macaroons, candy, and gelato are just some of the yummy options. Every guest will be happy once you satisfy their sweet tooth, but you will really win them over if put some flair into your display. It only takes a little more effort to turn a tasty snack into an unforgettable, scrumptious showstopper. For instance, instead of simply buying ice cream sandwiches at the store, you can make a batch of homemade cookies and scoop ice cream in the middle. I served these at a beginning-of-summer/graduation party, and they were a hit! If all else fails, remember Ulmer’s advice, “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

INTERIOR DECORATING/HOME - Dream House: Bathrooms

I recently started a fun, personal project to “build” a dream house by collecting my favorite photos from magazines and online. Working room by room, I am assembling my ideal yet achievable ‘dream’ house.

From Left to Right: Photos 1-4 & 7 (House Beautiful); Photo 5 (Decorpad.com); Photo 6 (Southern Living); Photo 8 (bhg.com), Photo 9 (Pinterest, Torre Pinson)

I highly recommend this process for anyone who is redecorating a room or interested, at all, in interior decorating. Not only is it an entertaining way to pass the time, but it also reveals a great deal about your design tastes. Looking over your compilation, you will start to see patterns with your color choices and décor preferences. With my bathroom photos, for instance, I discovered my fondness for large, white bathtubs; bright, natural lighting; fresh flowers; romantic, airy curtains; wall sconces; and in some cases, black and white detailing. I would have never known any of this, and I certainly could have never expressed it without first creating this collage.

Even if we can't start from scratch and construct our dream bathrooms, we can use this exercise to bring our current bathrooms closer to our ideal. Presently, the bathroom is my least favorite room in my apartment. Cramped beyond belief with awful glass sliding doors and an irritatingly noisy fan, my bathroom is not exactly on par with the tranquil oases pictured above. But, if I add a chic bathmat, an elegant soap dish, and some of those fresh flowers, then I’m one step closer to living my life as beautifully as my dreams.

FASHION - Summer Fashion Checklist

Summer is about keeping it simple with effortless fashions that you can throw on and look fabulous in while soaking up the sunshine.  As summer is my absolute favorite time of year, I’m starting my Summer Fashion Checklist now, so that I’ll be ready as soon as those ‘lazy, hazy, crazy days’ arrive.

Here are my first three must-have items for your summer wardrobe. Check back later as I unveil more and more of the checklist as summer approaches. Here comes the sun!

#1 FLIP-FLOPS & FLAT SANDALS

From Left to Right: Anthropologie, Anthropologie, Tory Burch, Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman, Sam Edelman, Bernardo, Steve Madden

#2 WHITE JEANS

7 For all Mankind, AG Jeans (Two of my favorite brands, but choose whatever brand works for you!)

 #3 ROMPERS

From Left to Right: BCBG, BCBG, BCBG, BCBG, MIMI CHICA, JCREW, JUICY, JUICY, JOIE, FOREVER 21, FOREVER 21, PATTERSON J. KINCAID