Fashion Friday: Athletic Chic

Omg. I’m in love!

You know I can’t contain my excitement for the Olympics, so of course I became giddy upon seeing Net-a-Porter’s Game-inspired page on its site.

Aren’t these items just darling!?

First Row: Miu Miu Studded Glitter Sneakers, Markus Lupfer Sequin Medal Shirt, Markus Lupfer Rosette Ribbon T

Second Row: Aubin & Willis Sweatshirt, Charlotte Olympia Clutch

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Five Shots for Friday: Going for the Gold

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Happy Olympics Day! I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited to cheer on ‘Merica in these Games!

So excited that I’ve dedicated my Five Shots for Friday to the games.

·       Reading Sports Illustrated this week, I learned that marathons are 26.2 miles because of the 1908 Olympic Games held in London? Yep. Princess Mary wanted her sons to see the start of the race from Windsor Castle’s royal nursery, so the race was extended past the 26 mile mark and the tradition has carried on for the last 104 years!

·       Another fun fact from SI, returning to the Olympics this year is mixed doubles tennis! Could we see some Andy Roddick and a Williams sister? Maybe B and I will start training for this…

·       Forget Phelps and the scary Jordan Wieber, athletes I’m going to be  watching include WVU rifle coach and former shooter Jon Hammonds and graduate of my high school, diver Cassidy Krug

·       Spoiler! Is this the leaked playlist for the Opening Ceremony?! (I hope not – that’s 86 songs!)

·       Looking for a sport to watch? Visit the NBC site for a full listing of the schedule!

USA USA USA USA!

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London's Calling: Party Like a Champion

I make a lot of true confessions on this blog. As they say, don’t share something online unless you would share it with someone in public. Well this I would.

I get the majority of my news from a United Kingdom newspaper – The Daily Mail. I started reading it around the Royal Wedding and then fell in love. I get directed to the US page and they include top news stories and celebrity gossip in such a cool format – with a lot of pics – great for us visual people. I’ve now turned at least six people on to the site as well.

Don’t worry – I haven’t picked up a faux British accent just yet, but I do admire their style and I love me a good Pimm’s Cup.

If there wasn’t been enough cool stuff going on in London (Jubilee!), the Olympics are starting in a few weeks. So here are some “expert” tips from a wanna-be British gal for an Olympics party!

·         Invitations

o   I love a good invitation and I love Paperless Post. Seriously, I’ve become an unofficial brand spokesperson. I downloaded the app and it’s awesome to pull up who’s coming to your party on the spot. Well P² didn’t let me down with some festive electronic invites! This is a last minute shin-dig – stick to an email.  

o   On the invitation, ask your friends to RSVP with their favorite athlete or sport – use this to help fuel your décor!

o   In pervious Shot of B posts, I covered the Beer Olympics if you are looking for another twist on the traditional Olympic party!

·         Food

o   What’s on the Smithkowski watching list? Fish & chips!

o   You know, Brits really aren’t known for their food. Yeah, we ate at some good places, but let’s just say London isn’t the culinary capital of the worlds. BUT I’m all about being festive here, so some other dishes for your party menu:

§  Bangers & Mash

§  English Breakfast Tea

§  Cadbury’s Chocolate

§  Recipes from English chef’s like Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver or Robert Irvine

·         Drinks

o   Hands down your cocktail needs to be a Pimms Cup. See my previous post.

o   I found this cocktail on Ryan Seacret’s website (weird, right?) on the NBC Olympics page. I don’t know what it is, but let’s pretend that it’s bubbly with some gummy Life Saver rings. Fun, right?

o   So athletes like Gatorade. It’s fine to have some on hand at your event, BUT why not mix it with alcohol! Here are a TON of spiked Gatorade recipes. (photo credit)  

·    

     Décor

o   Dust off your 4^th of July flair and bring out your royal wedding goodies – this party is all about the red white and blue. Think American Flags with the UK Union Jack.

o   I love this little red and white striped party bag from the TomKat shop. I would stamp some stars on the white part to resemble more of a US flag!

o   You know the famous Keep Calm and Carry On posters? Design your own sports-related ones! (source: Keep Calm at the Olympics and Keep Calm and Go For The Gold)

o   No Olympic party is complete without some gold medals 

o   A tuxedo shirt always takes a party up a notch, BUT for the Olympics, you need one of these faux gold medal shirts. This one is from Etsy, but I also recommend DIYing it yourself : )

o   If you really want to go for the gold with your décor, check out these balloon Olympic rings from Balloonacy.

·         Additional Flair

o   It’s reported that Sir Paul McCartney is going to perform at the opening ceremony on Friday. Break out some Beatles tunes for your party (and maybe some Elton John & Ellie Goulding too!)

o   The Gap has these cute Olympic-themed shirts

o   Are you on Kate Middleton fashion watch like me? I can already predict that she will likely recycle this, this and this, BUT if you want to know what events she is schedule to appear at, here you go!

o   Speaking of Royalty, catch up on the Queen’s bling with this past post.

Cheerio! 

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In The Oven

Believe it or not, there are only 41 days left until the kickoff to college football. Or rather, until my Mountaineers take the field against in-state rival Marshall.

I stumped upon this awesome item that would totally take up any tailgate a notch – the Coleman Portable OVEN! Yes, you heard that right – a portable OVEN!

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Can you imagine the warm goodies you could cook up with this propane piece of perfection!? I'm dreaming of post-game pizza! 

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Making it Rain for HayDay

A week ago today was reader Dana’s bridal shower here in Pittsburgh.  The local bridesmaids (including myself) and the MOB hosted a shower for Miss D. Here are a few details that I wanted to share for you to steal!

Dana is marrying Hayden. They live in Los Angeles. So of course her friends have given them a celebrity couple name – HayDay (DAY just also happen to be her current initials!). Dana has branded a few wedding details with “Love, Hayday” so I crafted some glitter letters for the shower (and potential incorporation at the wedding). These were super easy to make and during the process unearthed my new favorite crafting supply – Martha Stewart glitter finish.

The wedding is in Aruba, so HayDay plan to incorporate a little Hollywood stars with beach fish for a big of a starfish theme. The shower centerpieces featured some bedazzled starfish, while the favors were starfish bottle openers – an AWESOME find by Reader Bridesmaid Lindsay.

A few years ago, Dana made us all wish bracelets for Christmas, so Reader Bridesmaid Lindsay wanted to incorporate them into the shower. Lindsay suggested we purchase them from Etsy, but I said heck no and made them. SO easy – some 39 cent string from JoAnne’s and starfish from Oriental Trading – DONE.

After lunch, we celebrated Dana’s last single night in Pittsburgh with a night out on the town. Dana and Hayden got engaged in New Orleans, so we started the night off at NOLA – a New Orleans-themed restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh. We noshed on southern food and drinks while we donned festive garb.

As co-MOH of this bridal PARTY, I must say after this super fun day I couldn't be more excited for the upcoming HayDay nuptials! 

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Get your SWAG on and go HAM because YOLO

I always say in my next life I’m going to come back as a rapper. OR in this life, if I’m ever forced to try out for a reality singing competition, I’d rap (or just bust out my rendition of the Double Dutch Bus).

This is  would be my kinda gangster accessory! Oh and mine would shoot water...obvi. 

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So today, I’m going to go HAM and educate you all on the latest rap lingo so that you too can be hip with the kids. So pop your grill in and let’s go!

·       YOLO = You Only Live Once

o   This is one of my favorite buzz words right now. It hit mainstream popularity from the Drake song “The Motto”

o   Two special shout outs on this one Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans for getting a YOLO boob tat and another to reader Trish for finding the sweet shirt to accompany this post. I may also note that Trish and I spent a recent Saturday yelling YOLO at people in Pittsburgh. Why? Because YOLO.

·       Swag

o   This word has been around for ages and more recently made popular by the song “Swagger Like Us,” by Jay-Z & friends, but this summer its taking off thanks to another song by one Justin Bieber. In the song “Boyfriend” the Biebs says “swag, swag, swag…” in a whisper.

o   This is an easy one to define – swag is your style or appearance.

·       HAM = Hard as a M*&%$#F&*@ER (fill in the blanks there)

o   Thanks to reader Lindsay for introducing me to this one (that I had to Google).

o   This one is a bit more tough to put into everyday talk, but you could drop a little “Last night we went out HAM” – I don’t know….it still makes me think of ham….the food…and I don’t really like it that much….

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·       SMH = Shaking My Head

o   This is more of a Twitter/Blog/Text slang

o   I personally am not a fan of this one for 2 reasons. 1. I think it sounds like the acronym of a catholic high school OR 2. I guess because I’d wouldn’t really shake my head in person to you, so why Tweet/Blog/Text it? It’s not like LOL because I really LOL

             

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Baby, You're A Firework

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Happy 4^th of July Eve!

It’s a weird one in this year because the holiday falls on a Wednesday – which means only one day for the 4^th. That = NO FUN. I mean don’t you think that our Founding Fathers took a day off after signing the Declaration of Independence?! I mean Hancock totally packed up his buggy for the Jersey Shore after, right?

Anyways, if you are looking for some last minute recipes for your 4^th celebration, I dug up some goodies from the Shot of Brandi* achieve.

·       Chicago-Style Hot Dogs

·       Teenie Weenies

·       Bacon-Wrapped Tots

·       Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

·       Mini Carmel Apples

·       Sand

·       S’mores or S’mores on a Stick

·       Food on a Stick

·       Bubba’s Lemonade (always a 4^th of July hit!) 

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