After Christmas Gifts for Moi!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I had a great time visiting family in New Jersey. The trip was cut short due to the blizzard (we wanted to make sure that we could make it home before the snow came), but it was still so fun. I received some lovely, thoughtful gifts, but I want to share with you one of my favorites...My very own breakfast sandwich maker! I've wanted one for awhile as I am a sucker for small kitschy appliances. And yes, it is a toaster, egg poacher, and meat warmer all in one.

On another note, there are are so many good sales this time of year that I'm contemplating buying myself some after-Christmas gifts...

I think I might need these beautiful Nine West boots. LOVE the bow on the back. Thanks to
Chic 'n Cheap Living for the heads up.

Jolt Pick Me Up jeggings that were featured on College Prep. And the price is right!

This JPK Paris 75 Bucket Bag from North River Outfitters. I love the NRO store and still count my lucky stars that I live within walking distance to a store that sells Lilly. I've had my eye on this bag for months - either in navy or pink!

What's on your after Christmas list??

Holiday Cards!

It is a rare occasion that my fiance and I manage to take a good picture together. In the event we do, it is a cause for celebration. OK, maybe that's a little dramatic, but there are just SO many pictures of us where my fiance is looking in the wrong direction, has his mouth wide open because he is mid-sentence, etc. And I'm not too photogenic myself. My blink reflex is lightning-quick and it is a common joke among friends and family that multiple takes of every picture are necessary as my eyes are usually closed - or worse, one closed and one open :\. Anyway, we actually got a good one last weekend AND it was Christmas themed. This just screams holiday card material to me.

NFW and SDA in Kennebunkport, ME

Now where can one can festive holiday photo cards? Shutterfly, of course! They have a delightful selection of Christmas photo cards to choose from. Here are some of my picks:

I especially love the monogram on the last one! And who knows, if our good photo taking luck continues, I might be able to make a photo desk calendar . Actually, I'm thinking that might be a nice gift for my girlfriends. How fun would that be?!

What kind of holiday cards do you send out?

P.S. Check out the promotion Shutterfly is doing for bloggers - 50 free holiday cards!! Click here!

Getting Into the Holiday Spirit(s)!

I love mojitos and the smell/taste of them can instantly transport me to Carribean vacations and warm summer nights. I'm dying to try this holiday version - the Depaz Winter Mojito. Simply replace the palm trees for a Christmas tree and you've got yourself a drink!

Depaz Winter Mojito

8-10 mint leaves
6-8 cranberries
1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz. Depaz Cane Syrup
1 3/4 oz. Depaz Blue Cane Amber Rhum

Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. The cranberries turn the cocktail red as they break open during the shaking. Strain the contents into a tall highball glass that contains ice. Drop in a few whole cranberries. Garnish with a mint sprig and coat the top of the mint sprig with powdered sugar (snow!!!). ENJOY!

(recipe and picture courtesy of marieclaire.com)

Cheers! xoxo

Fighting the Winter Blues - Island Dreaming and India Hicks

Today is a cold windy day in Boston. I'm sleepy from a weekend of heavy eating, running around, and shopping. And the heat isn't working very well in my apartment so I'm snuggled up on my couch with a blanket and a cup of tea. I have about half of Christmas decorations waiting to be put up, a pile of engagement party thank-you notes that need to be written, and some work that needs to be done on my work laptop. Oh and a sink full of dishes and a basket full of laundry. Instead of any of that, I'm sitting here, cozy under my blanket watching "The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth" on the History channel - not my typical choice in programming, but nonetheless a good excuse to lay around.

On top of all that, I've been looking at vacation homes in the islands. As I mentioned, it's COLD here and I have a long week of work to look forward to. I'd love to be lying on a warm sandy beach, my eyes closed, the sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep. Oh and a beautiful house designed by India Hicks to return to at the end of the day...

The Cricket Pavillion is located on Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

The Guest House, located near the Cricket Pavillion, features 40 feet long verandas that overlook the beach.



King's Treat is located on King Street in Dunmore Town and contains furniture and artifacts from Africa, France, India, Egypt, Italy, China, Cuba, England, and America.





Not too shabby, huh? I would have a hard time deciding where to stay. India Hicks (and partner David Flint) have beautiful taste and style. Fun fact - India Hicks was one of the bridesmaids at Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding!

Where do you dream of going when the weather gets cold?

All photos courtesy of the Hibiscus Hill/Harbour Island website.

A Very Preppy Christmas!

To all Kiel James Patrick, Tucker Blair, and Southern Proper fans - all three fabulously preppy companies have teamed up to offer a great holiday giveaway! One lucky guy or gal will win a $400 gift certificate to each store!

Click here to enter.

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I already have visions of proper pearls, Vicker Leed headbands, and needlepoint belts dancing in my head!

Early wishes for a very preppy Christmas! xoxo

Soon-to-be-Royal Style

I'm so excited for Prince William and Kate Middleton! They seem like a wonderful couple and Kate seems just lovely. I can't wait to hear more about their wedding over the next year and I really can't wait to see what wedding dress she wears!! She has fabulous style - see some of my favorite outfits below.

I love this pink dress. It's so pretty, elegant, and girly. Kate can definitely pull off the long gown look - a must for a princess!

I love this periwinkle coat that Kate wore to a wedding.
Love this look AND it's easy to emulate! A navy sweater, a white collared blouse, khaki/white skirt, brown belt, and brown boots - I bet most women have all of these items in their closet!

Another perfect casual yet elegant look!

Congrats Kate and William!!

Save-the-Dates

I have a question today about Save-the-Date cards. What do you think of them? Are they necessary? My mother doesn't think so. I kind of want to send them because...

1) I'll jump at any excuse to pick out cute stationery and send mail to friends/family
2) The wedding is over a holiday weekend and giving people as much advance notice as possible seems like the polite thing to do.
3) I really want people to "save the date"!

Just for kicks, I looked at some online. These are some of my favorites, all from Wedding Paper Divas.

Cute, huh? Would you send "Save-the-Dates"?

Sorry!!

I'm sorry to have been such a very bad blogger lately! Work, wedding planning, and just life in general have been so busy lately. I really do promise to blog on a more regular basis... and share my wedding plans! In the meantime, here are some "snapshots" of what I've been up to. :)

Fall in New England is beautiful and I am loving every second of it. So far, I've gone apple picking with my soon-to-be neices and sister-in-law, went to a wine tasting at the beautiful Nashoba Valley winery with my cousin, and have enjoyed crunching the leaves on my way to work in the morning. Did I mention I love fall?? 'Cuz I do! I also had a chance to get an aerial view of the beautiful foliage in Laconia, New Hampshire. My fiance got his private pilot's license a few months ago and I went up with him for the first time!

Foliage in Laconia, NH

It was so fun!

AND we finally decided on a location and a date for our wedding! It will be on November 11, 2011... 11/11/11! I was psyched to be able to get that date! The service will be at my family's church and the reception will be in downtown Boston! Check out some pictures I took of the space:

More to come! I promise!
xoxo

Uh-oh!

I've been such a bad blogger lately and I'm very sorry! Life has been so busy! I'll be back with some fun posts soon.... promise!

xoxo
Sarah

A Pink & Green Thirsty Thursday!

Remember my post on the Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade episode that featured Lilly Pulitzer? I wanted to share another fabulous recipe from that show - just in time for Pink & Green Thursday! What are Pink & Green Thursdays you ask? Well if you don't know yet (and you totally need to!), please check out Pink Preppy Lilly Lover.

This recipe is extra special today because it celebrates both Pink & Green Thursday AND Thirsty Thursday!

Pretty Pink Lemonade
Ingredients
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 (12 oz) can frozen concentrated lemonade, thawed
1 1/2 cups vanilla vodka
3 cups cold water
2 cups seltzer water, chilled
Mint springs, for garnish
1 lemon, sliced into rounds

Directions
Put the raspberries in a blender or food processor and puree. Using a rubber spatula press the raspberry puree through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. In a large pitcher combine the frozen concentrated lemonade, strained raspberry puree, the vodka, 3 cups of cold water and the seltzer. Stir and pour into glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a lemon slice.

How yummy does that sound? Cheers!

{Recipe courtesy of FoodNetwork.com}

My First Wedding Wednesday

I've noticed that the term "Wedding Wednesday" is quite popular in the blogosphere and I'm shamelessly appropriating it here. So here is my Wedding Wednesday. What do I have to report? Well, we have set a date... sort of. I won't say it now for fear of jinxing it.... but it has a lot of 1s in it. Right now, the date (and our dream reception venue) is at the mercy of my local Catholic church. And so seems to begin the joys and frustrations of wedding planning.

I'm hardly qualified to offer any advice on this subject, but let's pretend for a moment that I am. My first piece of advice would be to TAKE YOUR TIME. I don't really know why I dove headfirst into the planning. I literally started a couple of days after my boyfriend asked me to marry him. I think I started because I was SO excited, but continued because people kept asking me where/when I had in mind. Also because I'm just a crazy person. So if you just got engaged, take my advice and just take it easy for awhile. Relax. Enjoy being engaged. Fight the urge to sign up for http://www.theknot.com/ because their frequent emails will STRESS YOU OUT.

Questions About Moi!

mFw was sweet enough to tag me in some blog fun! Be sure to check out her blog - her posts are always so cute and fun and preppy. Plus she is hosting a great CSN giveaway right now!

Here are my answers to her questions:

What is your favorite decorating item or theme?
I love anything chinoiserie. I recently purchased a lovely bamboo style mirror similar to the one in the picture below. And I'm always on the look out for pretty blue and white china!

Favorite thing to get in the mail?

I loooove getting mail. I love surprise packages and letters. I also get really excited to receive something I've ordered (even though it's not a suprise). I also look forward to seeing US Weekly in my mailbox every week!

Something you're looking forward to?

I SHOULD say my wedding, but certain parts of the planning are stressing me out a little bit right now! What I am without a doubt looking forward to is living with my fiance! My lease isn't up for awhile so it won't be until right before the wedding, but I'm definitely excited for it!

Favorite fall clothing item?

I love boots! I really like the black suede boots I bought last fall, but my true love is riding boots. I really like the ones below from French brand Rectiligne. Speaking of, a pair of Frye riding boots (worn only a handful of times and in excellent condition) are still available on my blog sale here.

Favorite designer?

This is a tough one! I'm going to go with Lilly Pulitzer because each collection is consistently amazing. That's one of the reasons why Lilly is so special. I'll often walk into an ordinary mall store like the Gap or JCrew and find very few things I like in a particular season. Same thing sometimes with bigger stores like Nordstrom! It's not that there aren't things that I LIKE, but there aren't things that shout "You need to own me!" But I can never walk out of a Lilly store empty handed! :)

Favorite pattern?

OK, it may not count as a pattern (it's definitely more of a fabric), but I adore brocade. I have this ivory color brocade coat that is one of my favorite pieces of clothing ever. My mom lectures me whenever I wear it because she thinks brocade isn't for day (lies!) and that it is too "light" for winter. BAH! I love it and I say it's perfect! I do have to admit it is perfect for wearing over formal clothes when it's a bit chilly out.

Favorite boy and girl name?

I love the name Connor for a boy and Caroline for a boy.

Fun fact about yourself?

My ancestors came over on the Mayflower! Someone once told me that there is a group of other people with the same background, but I've never had a chance to look into it! Maybe someday!

OK, here are my questions!

1. What is your dream job?

2. Favorite Halloween costume idea?

3. Favorite dish to bring to a party or potluck?

4. Favorite magazine?

5. Best restaurant you've ever been to?

6. Favorite thing about fall?

7. Most romantic love song in your opinion?

8. Current item at the top of your shopping wishlist?

And I tag:

Chic & Pink

Fashion Meets Food

Nola Girl

Preppy Pink Crocodile

Summer in Newport

Too Much Is Never Enough

Wedding Junkie

Hope you're having a great week!

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

I wanted to find a fun and cute way to ask "Will you be my maid of honor?" and "Will you be my bridesmaid?" I found these cute dress-shaped cards on Etsy and ordered one for each of the seven girls that will be in my bridal party!

I love the dress shape and the satin bow! Mine will be pink and navy (which are my tentative wedding colors). These cards are from SDezigns on Etsy. I can't wait to ask everybody and give them these adorable cards!

I also came across these other fun "Will you be my bridesmaid/maid of honor" cards on Etsy:

I love the Tiffany blue color on these cards from The Original Pear.

I found the silhouettes at the bottom of these cards from Drix Designs to be just darling.

I LOVED these cards from Little Lady Company. The inside said, "Will you be my bridesmaid?" and then "P.S. I promise no bows on the butt, puffy sleeves, or awful colors." Too funny!!

Another pretty Tiffany Blue color. I like how simple and pretty these cards from MMACE are!

Which is your favorite? How did you ask your maid of honor/bridesmaid(s)?

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

Semi Homemade - Lilly Pulitzer!

Last weekend, I happened to catch an episode of Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking on the Food Network that featured a Lilly Pulitzer tablescape!

via

The table was a beautiful array of pink and green and feaured all of our favorite Lifeguard Press items including the party pom poms, pinwheels, cocktail napkins, and melanine plates and bowls.

Sandra Lee even wore a pretty pink Lilly dress! Perfect!

The episode, which was called "Garden Fresh" featured some really wonderful sounding recipes that you can find on the Food Network website. Here were my favorites:

Caprese Mozzarella Salad Bites

Ingredients
2 endives
1 large green zebra or yellow tomato, chopped
1 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Separate the leaves of the endive and set aside the larger leaves.

In a bowl, gently mix together the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and dressing, and season salt and pepper, to taste. Fill the leaves with the mixture and sprinkle with a little Parmesan. Arrange the bites on a serving platter and serve.

Blushing Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 cup water
1 box white cake mix
3 egg whites
1/3 cup canola oil
Frosting
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Reserved strawberry puree
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red food coloring

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (24-count) mini muffin tins with paper liners.

In a blender combine the strawberries (reserve about 12 small strawberries for garnish, slicing each into 4) with 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth. Puree should equal about 1 3/4 cups, if not add more water. Set aside 1/4 cup of the puree for frosting.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and 1 1/2 cups of pureed strawberries for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl to make sure all the batter is well incorporated. Using a mini ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the tins from the oven cool slightly before removing the muffins. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting
In a mixing bowl that fits over the top of a pot of boiling water, combine all of the ingredients, except the vanilla and food coloring. Beat with hand mixer on medium speed, while mixture cooks, until peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted out of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and add vanilla and red food coloring to the desired pink shade. Frost the cupcakes with the colored frosting and garnish each with a strawberry slice.


Don't these just sound delicious? I think I may try making the cupcakes next week. I'll let you know how they turn out! Did anyone else catch this episode?

Happy weekend!
xoxo

{All recipes courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

Outlet Shopping

Happy Sunday! Where oh where did the weekend go? My fiance and I just got back from a weekend in New Hampshire and the reality that tomorrow is Monday is setting in. The weather in NH was fantastic this weekend though and we had a great time traipsing around the state. We haven't really had a moment to breathe or relax since we got engaged so it was SO nice to just go away by ourselves and relax. I even got a chance to do some shopping! We stopped at the Tanger Outlets in Tilton and I picked up some things at the JCrew outlet. I wasn't thrilled with the selection, but I bought some good basics - two cardigans and a skirt.

I've been in need of a new white cardigan for awhile now and the Jackie is perfect!

I thought this black and white skirt was so pretty and could work for a number of seasons.
I also got a grey wool sweater, but I couldn't find a picture of it. Also, I'm kicking myself for not buying these polka dot tights:

I put them back on the shelf! I have these random moments of frugality and this was one of them. I thought to myself, "Oh, that's too much to spend on tights." This from the girl that owns about a dozen pairs of Wolford stockings. I'm sure I can find some other polka dot tights out there for a better price anyway though!

Hope you all had a great weekend!
xoxo

Versatility

Little Miss Can't Be Wrong was kind enough to tag me with the Versatile Blogger award (Thanks Little Miss!). The rules say that I have to list 7 things about myself and then pass the award on to seven other bloggers. Here are my seven things:

1. I love little chinoiserie touches in rooms. I just bought a bamboo style mirror for my living room and I love it. I'm on the lookout for some blue and white ginger jars. Chinoiserie Chic is a fabulous blog and the perfect place for decorating inspiration.

2. I love love love love LOVE red velvet cupcakes. I'm planning on having red velvet cake at my wedding. Last weekend, I had an amazing one at this adorable little place called The Duck and Bunny: A Snuggery in Providence, RI. Cutest. place. ever.

3. I love Real Housewives of New Jersey and I don't care if people say if it's stupid or fake. It is still sooo entertaining. I seriously want the Manzos to adopt me. I could totally work at the Brownstone.

4. I sleep with a fan on all year round. Yup, in the middle of the winter too.

5. I just saw Tim Gunn on The Daily Show and man, do I love him.

6. I used to do Irish step dance and I wish I still did! It was so much fun!

7. Lately, I have been really wanting to go back to Disney World. I do think it is the most magical place on earth!

Now I pass this on to these fabulous bloggers.

1. the pink prep

2. summer wind

3. southern living: preppy style

4. preppy pink crocodile

5. lilly and lacrosse sticks

6. falling off a high-heeled life

7. preppy little dress

xoxo

Sarah