Royal Obsession

Are you over Royal Wedding talk? Don’t continue on.

If you can’t get enough of it like me – here’s some more cool things from around the crazy internets.

• In public relations, we make these crazy lists and schedules for all of our events. And, back in the day when I worked in sports, we made game notes for the sports reporters so that they had something to talk about during down time of games. Well – The Official Royal Wedding Media Briefing is like a mash up of these. Read this tonight and I guarantee you will either scare or impress friends with all of your knowledge of the “Wedding of the Century”

• Didn’t get an invite to the Royal Wedding? Generate your own here

• The Golden Globes have Moet , most rappers (except Jay-Z) have Cristal, so what will be on the table during the festivities? Decanter Magazine is confirming that Pol Roger will be the official Champagne sippled before the sit-down meal. This is another little detail that will break recent tradition. Bollinger was served at Queen Victoria and Prince Charles’ weddings.

• For a few weeks now, my secret obsession has been the UK paper, the Daily Mail. Their celebrity gossip is so good, I think I’ll continue to read it after this wedding hoopla is over. Here’s the latest and greatest story.

I’m sure I’ll update this post today if I see anything else that I can’t resist to post!

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Liquor is Quicker

It was Willy Wonka that said, “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” Well, just in time for Easter, I wanted to share the best of both worlds - candy-inspired alcohol from Pinnacle Vodka.

Always ahead of the trends, my mom introduced me to Pinnacle’s Whipped Cream and Cotton Candy Vodkas. Both are delicious with a number of mixers like cream soda, orange soda, root beer, ginger ale and coffee (whipped cream). The cotton candy is good on the rocks - and don’t forget to garnish your cotton candy drinks with the fluffy substance! For more delicious recipe ideas, visit here

I expect the cotton candy vodka to be super hip this year with all the “Water for Elephant-“ inspired circus parties.

(photos by me)

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SomeBunny Loves This

So the other day, my hubs and I were talking Easter baskets. Let’s just say that my family raised me to be a bit of an Easter basket snob. Growing up, the bunny left J Bo and I gourmet chocolates from hometown favorite Sarris’ Candies and other goodies like bathing suits and flip flops. No plastic eggs and grocery store candy here.

Last year, I ordered some chocolate from Sarris and had it shipped to Chicago for Easter baskets for Brady and reader Sacks. This year, I’m so happy to see the chocolate bunnies in my local grocery store – a total perk of moving back!

Anyways, I LOVE this idea from Martha on how to spice up those chocolate bunnies and turn them into a sweet little Easter gift. How cute is this! You can find glass jars like this at places like the Container Store, Dollar Store, etc.

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Push it Real Good

Remember those push up pops you ate as a child? You know, they were like orange and you pushed up the frozen goodness until you licked the plastic push piece?

Well for about a year, I’ve been seeing companies make push up cake pops. Yes, that’s what I said. I know – you need a moment to digest the cakey-icing goodness of what I just said. PushCakes.

One of the pioneers of this trend is the Meringue Bake Shop.

I love PushCakes because they save you the hassle of cutting a cake at a party. Just like cupcakes – but without the wrapper!

If you want to attempt to make these suckers on your own, the blog Gourmet Mom-on-the-Go has some tips.

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Egg-celent Attire

This is going to sound so mean, but growing up one of the highlights of Easter for me was a new Easter outfit. It was the ultimate sign that spring was on its way. And then you would get to church and all of the people would be wearing bright colors with flowers and hats. It’s such a bright point that makes you forget the horrible winter that just passed.

With Easter coming up next weekend, may I suggest some colorful frocks to brighten up your day!

Floral Dress from Nordstrom

Anthropologie Dress – Duh, you knew that I had to include something from Anthro! Lol.

Ralph Lauren Dress from Bloomingdales

Amanda Uprichard Dress – Piperlime

Lily Pulitzer Chole Dress

Alice + Olivia from Saks

Oh and may I suggest asking the Easter Bunny for some candy in the form of one of springs hottest accessories – The Furla Candy bag. Not only does the product have the word candy in it, but the big colors play very well with spring/summer’s “bright and tight” trend.

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These Are My Obsessions

• Say Salud at your next event (or Cinco party!?) with these adorable Patron-inspired wedding favors. While these bottles include agave syrup, I like the idea of giving out Patron minis (depending your budget and audience) (source)


• Speaking of Cinco de Mayo parties, wouldn’t this easy DIY wreath be ADORABLE for your door? And it could last through the summer! (Alana Rose via Family Circle)

• If you’re into yoga and looking for a new mat, how cute are these inexpensive personalized mats from MyCustomYogaMat.com?! They could also make a really cute bridesmaid gift. (source)

• For spring greetings, aren’t these pop-up flower cards just perfect!? (Unica Home)

• Yes we can! After wine in a box, now wine in a can! (Slashfood)
• The perfect gift for an upcoming birthday – Birthday Girl nail polish (Deborah Lippman)

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Eat Your Veggies

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You know I'm a big fan of the veggie cup for an appetizer. It's where you throw a shot of ranch or veggie dip in the bottom of a small cup and then fill it up with sticks of veggies. No need to share out of a communal dip bowl with your family and friends!

Well how cute is this idea from Living Locurto (via Tip Junkie). It takes the veggie cup to a new level by using a flower cookie cutter to shape your cucumbers! Perfect for spring shower season or a garden party!

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April Showers

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Not only is April known for being a rainy month, but it never fails that each year I'm invited to attend a shower of some sort (bridal or baby). This past weekend, I attended a beautiful shower for my friend Megan. Great food, conversation and two great tips that I had to share with you.

The first - Meg's adorable sister Molly, had an excel chart printed with all the guests names, so that she just had to fill in the line with the gift. Not only did it save time writing out people's names, but it also helped enusre that everyone's gift was accounted for. And I'm sure not everyone noticed - our table did because we had front row seats to the main gift opening event!

The second tip is more of a gift idea. Who doesn't love cheese, right? Well Megan was gifted a three-month cheese subscription from the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company. And if that wasn't enough, it was paired with a cheese cutting board and slicers. What a cute, and yummy, idea!

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Bottle Full of Bub

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Part of my day job involves monitoring food magazines for client stories and the latest trends – not a bad job, right?

Today I found a story from the January 2011 issue of Food Network magazine on 31 tips that had to do with champagne. I love champagne and I thought that some of these tips were too awesome not to share.

Champagne Tips from Food Network Magazine (with some commentary from me!)

· Is your champagne bottle too pretty to part with? Use your empty champagne bottle as a water bottle on your table (cute idea for a hangover brunch!)

· Sautee shrimp with a splash of champagne

· Put raisins in champagne – they jump up and down

· Brie and camembert cheeses pair well with champagne

· Learn how to saber a bottle of champagne

· Make Bellini’s!

· Champagne Pops? Yes, please! Mix half champagne with half fruit juice and pour into pop molds

· Brut champagne pairs well with popcorn

· Make champagne Jell-o shots. Substitute the water with champagne

· Buy champagne, prosecco and cava and see if people can tell the difference

· Try Gruet Brut bubbly – it’s from New Mexico

· Champagne frosting: whip 2 sticks of butter, 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar and a big splash of champagne (Shot of Brandi* recommends putting this on cupcakes!)

(source: Food Network Magazine)

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1,000 Cranes

While natural disasters are horrendous (i.e. the recent earthquake and aftermath in Japan), it’s sometimes amazing to watch what happens after. The outpouring of donations from everyday people to large companies (although sadly sometimes just for the publicity) is just remarkable.  While there are a lot of different shopping discounts and charities looking for donations, one I think is just super cute is 1000 Cranes.

I can’t write a better description of this charity than the one on the site, so I am going to paste it word for word:

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish. And no one needs those wishes more than the people of Japan, following the devastating earthquake and Tsunami.

J.Crew also released two cute options to support Japan – a tote bag and t-shirt.

As a lot of companies have offices in Japan and products made there, look for charities, promotions and products continue to pop up throughout the year.

Disclaimer: My Company is owned by the same company behind 1000 Cranes. However, all views expressed above are my own.

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These Boots Were Made For....

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An adorable centerpeice! I spotted these boots on a wedding blog. The bridesmaids sported these colorful beauties and above is a shot that that a photographer snapped with their bouquets. BUT this photo got me thinking - wouldn't this make a strange, but cute centerpeice at an April bridal shower!?  You can buy inexpensive boots at Target and Payless or even stock up weekly during Macy's sales (with coupons). They also double as a cute favor!

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If The Crown Fits

For this Fashion Friday during my Countdown to the Royal Wedding Week, it’s obvious that I must channel someone that is about to become one of the biggest fashion icons of our generation – Kate Middleton.

It was only fitting that Kate chose one of her favorite deisgners, Issa, during the press conference to announce her engagement. Kate’s wore Issa designs on a number of occasions and now you can too. These stunners below are from Net-a-Porter.

Issa Silk-Chiffon Red Gown

Issa Gathered Jersey Dress

Issa Silk-Crepe One-Shoulder Gown

To accessorize like the soon to be princess, you of course need some royal jewels. Here is a replica ring from The UK Gift Company.

In the official engagement photos, Kate wore these white topaz earrings from Links of London.

And while Kate will soon wear a crown on her head, she’s favored fascinators for special events. It’s rumored that famed designer Phillip Treacy will be creating headpieces for the royal wedding party. Here’s a fancy fascinator from Amazon.com.


According to People.com, Kate is a fan of boots from Aquatalia. While I’m personally banishing boots from my wardrobe on April 1st until October 1st (personal style tradition), I encourage you to stock up on some of these in the off season to channel your inner Kate!

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