Etsy Love

I love Etsy. I almost always check their lovely little site for hard to find or customizable items before shopping larger retailers. Not only are most shops so grateful for the business, they are so accommodating to make you the customer happy...something that means a lot to me! The coming year has a lot of fun plans in the works and I have been busy favoriting away cute shops to resource for decor, invitations and so much more. A few current favorites are below. 

these mixed print invites are ahhhmazing...I am totally obsessed 

every party has cocktails, therefor a place to put them on is a necessity, these bright colored with gold foil printing napkins are too cute

these diamond pinatas are so cute solo or in a bunch, i love that you can customize them in colors to match whatever palette your special event is sporting

these stylish matches are so fun with their cheeky sayings, a big bowl of them would be fun near candles or in the bathroom

snail mail just got a whole lot cuter with these neon letterpress note cards that suit all different occasions

let the party begin with these hilarious little treat bags to fill with a little hangover kit or recovery snacks for a girls weekend!

***Have a great week & weekend - I am signing off till next Tuesday to spend time with the family over on the West coast. I of course will be sharing snaps of our travels over on Instagram so come say hello over there!***

Travel Style

Morning friends! My apologies for the lack of a post yesterday. I was up in Maine for the weekend celebrating my best friends engagement and left the old lap top back in Boston. My husband and I have been on the go quite a bit these days and are about to head off again to the West coast but this time with my folks. I feel so fortunate to have parents who still enjoy travel, it was something we did often as a family when I was younger and has given me a lot of great memories that I will forever cherish. Growing up we were taught to treat travel as a luxury, something my father worked very hard to provide for us. It meant we were always dressed up for our flights and always had to be on our best behavior. This lesson stays with me to this day, I am so grateful for the travel I get to experience and like to be at my best when flying. Which means for me a put together outfit that is also comfy along with efficient packing with my travel essentials to keep myself entertained in flight as well as items for freshening up upon landing. A little travel style inspiration round up of my favorites are below.

charger & headphones // pouches // laptop case // cape // suitcase // blouse // denim // ring // flats 

Color Crush Grey & Sales Galore!

Grey has long been a favorite of mine. It's a great neutral that pairs perfectly with every single color in the spectrum. I personally have been living in this sweater since the temps dropped here in Boston, it feels like a cozy blanket wrapped around you. Grey also looks incredible head to toe in different shades of grey or a completely monotone look. It's practically impossible to mess up pairing this hue. A little round up of my favorites are below as a well review of all the incredible sales going on right now. Have a great weekend!

coat // earrings // polish // denim // scarf // booties // skirt // sunnies // clutch // blouse

October is clearly friends & family month, check out the incredible sales below!

Saks Fifth Avenue Friends & Family is taking place right now with 25% off, use code FRNFAM.

Shopbop is also offering 25% off with code FAMILY25.

 Jonathan Adler will be offering their friends & family with code FF2014.

J.Crew is offering 30% off outerwear & sweaters. 

Tibi is offering 25% off with their friends & family sale with code FF2014TIBI.

Loeffler Randall is offering 20% off with code IMAFRIEND.

Lord & Taylor is also hosting friends & family for 25% off with code FRIENDS.

Girls Only

No offense to the fellas but today is strictly for girls only. Today I want to to talk about the garments that we wear underneath all our fashionable items. You know those torture devices that keep everything in place and smooths out our figures to look it's best in your clothes.  Pretty much every woman I know has worn some sort of shape wear, even the thin gals need a little help keeping everything where it should be. I will never forget the first time my husband saw me putting on a pair of tights {it looked something like this} that had the built in control top. The ridiculous maneuvers and moves I displayed as I squeezed my german hips into these impossibly taught nylons left him stunned like a deer in headlights...I knew when he stayed with me after that it was true love and also that some women's secrets are better put on in the bathroom where no one witnesses you squirm into spandex. So back to the task at hand being the curvy gal that I am I have tried about a million different styles and finally have a few favorites that I thought are perfect for wearing under dresses, pants and whatever else your body desires. 

Get Your Glow On

I don't know about you but come cooler temps, my skin becomes severely dehydrated. I'm sure I don't drink enough water but I swear the weather is really the significant contributor to making my skin look dull and feel coarse. So I have been testing out a slew of products to create my perfect glowing skin. You know, that dewy summer glow that we all wish we could achieve year round. The most important element I found was trying to avoid looking shiny, no one wants to look like a sweaty mess...it's not cute. Radiance was the goal and I feel like with the help of five products I finally feel I have a little round up of products that have helped me moisturize my skin but also providing coverage without feeling like a heavy veil of makeup is caked on my face each day.


one // two // three // four // five

On top of my anti-aging regimen that I do daily, I apply moisturizer with my hands all over my face and neck. You will really want to let this soak in before proceeding as it's the all so important base to making the other products work. Some people like a mist or a facial oil but I have to try either thus far. I then go to my trusty concealer. The combination of bb cream and concealer provides a perfectly creamy concealer to cover my under eye area. After the concealer is evenly blended in I go to one of my all time favorite products, Borghese splendor which gives me the healthy glow I so desperately need. You only a need a little and I apply it with my beauty blender in small dots around my face. Finally for a little color, the beauty balm in vanilla glow is my top layer to pull together the entire look. What are your favorite beauty products for getting your skin glowing???

Shopbop Friends & Family

I recently read an article that January is the best month to go shopping due to the deep discounts post the holiday craze as well as generally lower prices to lure in shoppers due to it being a slows sales month. I however find October to be the best month of deals and steals. Not only was this past weekend chock full of sales, but now Shopbop has launched their Friends & Family sale offering 25% off almost everything... I am having a major moment with black, red & white and created a little round up of some fashionable items at all different price points from the sale. Just enter code FAMILY25 at checkout for your stellar savings. Perfect time to start your holiday shopping!

coat // iPhone cover // earrings // clutch // top // tray // sunnies // necklace // pumps // denim

***more sales that are worth a mention***

Saks Fifth Avenue Friends & Family is taking place right now with 25% off, use code FRNFAM.

Today is the last day of Friends & Family at Serena & Lily offering 20% off with code LIFEFAMILY.

Starting Thursday October 16th, Jonathan Adler will be offering their Friends & Family with code FF2014.

J.Crew is offering 30% off outerwear & sweaters. 

Banana Republic extended their 40% off till the end of today!

Currently Coveting - Sales Galore!

Hope everyone will be enjoying the long weekend with their friends & family! We may a bit of rain in our future here on Shelter Island so I have a feeling I will be taking advantage of the major sales going on this holiday weekend. J.Crew is the clear winner with it's 30% off using code WEEKENDPLANS. I have all the items below in my shopping cart but will have to severely narrow it down to one or two items so my husband doesn't divorce me. What is on your wish list this fall???

cashmere sweater // bracelet // clutch // coat // zipper sweater // denim // skirt // tray // pumps

Other amazing sales worth noting!

J.Crew Factory is having 50% off men & women styles & 40% off kids. 

{great time to pick up these cute wear with everything faux leather pants}

Piperlime is offering 20% off with code FALL20 . I have my eye on this amazing coat. 

Banana Republic has 30% off with code BRWEEKEND. I have been living in this sweater all weekend long and bought this dress in every color - so figure flattering. 

Club Monaco is offering up to $100 off with code FALLSALE. Boston friends, have you seen the new shop in Copley - it's so good! I am totally digging these lingerie like cami's & this edgy blazer. 

Madewell is offering 30% off select fall styles with code OHFALL, the perfect time to snatch up this silky wardrobe staple in every color. 

note: most of the above sales end 10/13/14

Happy Shopping!

Chopped - Cocktail Edition

Happy Friday everyone! I have been out on Shelter Island this week watching my parents pups and while I love my time in the country, living on a small island in the off season is a another story. Last night I drove an hour and half just to get some take out and everything on this little island closes at 5!  Much different then the urban life we are used to. So after a long day Thursday, I wanted to whip up a special little cocktail for John and I but I didn't want to leave the house to do so, that would be an additional hour endeavor. I thought I would give myself a little "chopped" challenge to create something delicious yet simple with ingredients that we had in the house {which were very few}. My dad loves mint, it's growing all over our yard, so I cut a few stems and tried to think of what paired well with them. We didn't have any fresh fruit in the house besides a lemon so I added that to my "mystery" basket. I then raided my dad's wine fridge {sorry pop, not much has changed since my college days} and after a peak inside, it was just as I thought...all Chardonnay's - ick. As I was about to close the doors and grab my keys to go to the liquor store, I pushed away the buttery chards & spotted a bottle of Prosecco in the way back {queue the music of the heavens opening} . Ok back to the task at hand, I had three ingredients but I didn't think it was enough to give me a super tasty cocktail, so the hunt continued. After searching the pantry to no avail, I surveyed the freezer and spotted some zesty lemon sorbet...jackpot! I put this in a bowl and let it completely melt {like you would vanilla ice cream for a crème anglaise} added in some good vodka, the entire bottle of Prosecco and garnished it with mint. It was fan freaking-tastic, tasted like a very chilled sparkling lemonade that after a few sips you simply didn't care what the day had in store for you. Letting the sorbet completely melt and mix in with the bubbly gave a perfectly frothy refreshing drink versus a scoop of sorbet that sits like a meatball in your glass :)
Hope you enjoy!

{my mom even had some cute towels & tray to use in the photo}

Ingredients 

One Pint Haagan Daz Zesty Lemon Sorbet

One Bottle Italian Prosecco

4 oz premium vodka {no flavor}

mint or lemon slice for garnish

Directions

Melt the pint of sorbet completely, stir in entire bottle of Prosecco and vodka, pour & garnish with mint or a lemon slice. 

p.s. if mint ain't your thang...basil, would also work awesome! If you want to make it more of a punch bowl recipe, add in some blackberries or blueberries for some sweetness. 

Cheers to the weekend!

Take Me Away - Ireland

 When we were researching places to celebrate my husbands birthday this past September, Ireland was  definitely on top of our list. We generally like to visit places neither of us have been to before and when we spotted the Ballyfin Hotel we were pretty smitten. It however deserved a longer trip then the long weekend getaway that we had time for. So hopefully one day in our near future we will make good use of our Irish last name and visit this naturally beautiful island and rest our tired heads in this beautifully restored mansion. 

images via Trip Advisor

image via

Fab Favors

Confession, I dream of opening a little online shop selling favors for all sorts of celebrations. I have jotted down tons of ideas, including dreamy photographs of the favors in ideal settings and have a slew of names for the boutique that I hope one day will become a reality. What's funny is that I didn't even do a traditional favor at our own wedding and instead opted for a pashmina gift for the ladies and a cigar bar for the fellas. Since then I have been loving creating my own little favors for celebrations big and small {examples - here, here & here}. So when I come across little corners of the internet that are doing cute favors and such I am instantly intrigued. Design Corral is a great example of stylish and affordable treats for your guest as well as a few freebies and wedding suites. I personally am loving the hangover set above, cause let's face it, this comes in handy during a wedding weekend & beyond.

free printable's

fun favors for the gamers

Halloween on the Hill

Halloween in our neighborhood is my absolute my favorite time of year. So many homes participate in closing down the beautiful streets and deck out the houses and themselves for all the trick or treaters.  I even have a fun costume idea this year that I hope to cleverly execute with some help of my friends {more on that later}. It may sound corny but witnessing all the coordination of neighbors and the city just sealed the deal for me of never wanting to leave our beloved historic neighborhood.  So with this fun little holiday just around the corner I thought I would share a few of my favorite costumes and decor to help create a Happy Halloween in your home. 

How amazing are these mini blogger costumes. Can you guess who each little lady represents in the blogging world? Click the link below for the answers.

images via The Effortless Chic

skull sculptures 

x-ray dishes & cups

chemistry bar set

napkins

Goods that do Good

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month where a slew of companies create products that help support this awful disease that hits close to home for all too many people. I put together a round up of a few of my favorite ways to wear and decorate pink to help this cause. All of the items below have proceeds that go to charities that research for a cure, also any sales from this post will also be donated to the cause. 

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten 

Cash or Credit - Caped Crusader

Happy Friday friends, I don't know about you but I am ready for the weekend! Tonight we have a fun double date planned with one of my favorite couples at a new Boston restaurant that I have been excited to try. Work travel has had us on the road quite a bit lately so being home for a few nights is a real treat. Saturday we plan on strolling the city and come fall the first item I am to break out of my closet is my be loved poncho. I just love when the weather allows you to be in cozy clothes that feel like a warm blanket wrapped around you. While I am welcoming the cooler temps, I am not quite ready for the hellish wintry mix New England gets all too often.  I just love being able to walk out the door in a sweater and some jeans for a comfortable day time look.
What are you up to this weekend?

cash - cape // t-shirt // clutch // denim // booties

credit - cape // t-shirt // clutch // denim // booties

Have a great weekend!

Motel Chic - Farmer's Daughter

Morning friends! I just got off a very bumpy flight from Arizona where four glasses of wine and a dose of dramamine couldn't even knock my anxiety out. So needless to say I am happy to be back in Boston for a few days, even if it's rainy. During our brief stay in the desert I did a bit of reading of local magazines and came across this cute remodeled boutique hotel called the Farmer's Daughter. Located in the heart of Los Angeles this kitschy hotel offers a modern meets country vibe. The hotel  oozes that laid back California attitude that is so well known on the West coast. I mean one of the rooms is even called the "no tell" room featuring a mirrored celling for spicing things up. The decor boasts simple designs like Adirondack chairs, denim duvet's and plaid accents all the while keeping up with contemporary amenities you would expect in hotels these days like wifi, pool, in room dining and so on. Take a look for yourself at some of the hotels offerings with the images below. 

Oh & check out there cute restaurant Tart that serves up creative eats. 

image via