Wedding Season: Dress Code Edition

Wedding season is upon us and with 3 weddings on my calendar in the next few months, dress shopping is upon me! I often look to celebrity looks, red carpet looks in particular for inspiration around my wedding guest attire. Picking the perfect dress can be a challenge and accessorizing can sometimes seem impossible and choosing the right color and cut are just half the battle. Will you go with the One Shoulder Dress... Will you opt for a dress that is Strapless We all know choosing the right accessories can be challenging on a daily basis, but even more difficult when it comes to certain looks. 

A few things to consider when looking for jewelry to complete your look: Consider the neckline of the dress... Is it sleeveless, short sleeve or long sleeve? And what is the overall look you are attempting to achieve? Keep these questions in mind as well as my following recommendations and I am sure you will find the perfect bling to bring out the beauty and sophistication of the look you choose.

Necklace and the One Shoulder Dress:
First of all, I would suggest skipping the necklace unless you have the appropriate time to spend searching for one that is just right. And if you do... may I recommend the following:

Choker: Keeping in mind A choker lays close to the neck without interfering with a slanting neckline. A choker works well with a slender neck and brings attention to the face.

Bold Cuff: Like the the Malene Birger Hacia Cut Out Cuff from INTERMIX. One shoulder dress are made to look and feel uneven with an edgy fashion take, but a bold cuff can provide just the perfect amount a balance to dance the night away.

Ear Cuff: Red carpet ready is always a look I like to go for when an opportunity to dress up is on the horizon. And with the elegant yet edgy look Giuliana Rancic pulls off an ear cuff is all she needed. Sometimes and ear cuff is just enough to pull the attention back up to your face and adding the right touch of layered rings is a no brainer.  

Naked-Chic: Dare to be daring! Recently one of the biggest trends from the Met Gala 2015! Naked Chic! Stars like Jennifer Lopez, Kim K, and Beyonce showed up baring a lot of skin and I thing the right mix of naked chic may be a bit daring for a wedding but hey like I said, its all about what over all look you are trying to achieve. Below I have included a couple of fail safe naked chic dresses and one bold look from Bey! 

Sage and Sparkle

Here is Beys version of naked chic at Met Gala! 

BCBG and Wendy do naked chic just right! 

Super Bowl XLVII: Touchdown

Oh the Super Bowl… possibly the most celebrating sporting event of the year! Football fan or not this is the one day where acceptable party refreshments include the likes of potato chips, burgers, beer and anonymous bowls of mystery dip… effortless entertaining if you ask me. But while most of us are typically drawn to serving soiree clichés such as cheese dips and fried foods due to their convenience why not mix it up and host a party your guests don’t see coming! The Super Bowl or football for that matter isn’t typically a topic which provides much discourse from my perspective, however parties on the other hand and new ways to put your hostessing skills to the test… I'm all about it! (not to mention being a CA native I figured I would show some love seeing as the San Francisco 49ers are a stones throw away from my hometown) So even though I myself will not be throwing a fancy fete, I have created a web round up of what my perfect Super Bowl party would entail. Here’s to inspiring you to shake up your next house party on game day!

Invitations:

No matter how big or small the party an artistically crafted invite is essential. It not only makes your bash more official, but gets potential guests excited about attending too! I am a big fan of the iPhone app Red Stamp. Without going out and spending $$$ on fancy invites you can hop right on iTunes, download the app, select one of there awesome invitation templates, create and send away. You can even send these sweet little invitations via text! Convenient right?! Above are a couple I mocked up to inspire you!

Maximize Your Space:

Seating isn't optional to include when hosting a party for a room full of football fans. I'm not suggesting clearing the sofa from your living room and moving in a set of stadium bleachers, but its important to maximize your space for optimal seating, especially if you don't have enough chairs to go around. Make room for everyone and get this done before your guests arrive to ensure all attendees will have a great view of the game {or the commercials and halftime show depending on what they are into more...}

Put It On Ice:

So important and often times forgotten... ICE! Nothing can turn an otherwise amazing Super Bowl Party stale than a ton of luke warm beer...or soda, agree?! Don't forget the ice and lots of it! And coozies are always fun too! {You can encourage your guests to bring their own in honor of their favorite team even if their particular team is not one of the two playing in the Super Bowl.} Think of the coozies as game day wine tags! This will also limit the amount of half full beer cans you will be cleaning up once everyone has gone home.

Game Day Food:

Any football fan knows that top notch game day food is a must when throwing a successful Super Bowl party and without it, frankly you don't have much of a Super Bowl party. With hot wings, potato chips and various other fried and finger foods being the go-to items to serve... this can make for a rough Monday morning especially when a;; being washed down with beer. Instead try serving a few of the items I have included below. (For more Super Bowl Party inspiration don't forget to check me out Pinterest)

Cucumber Sandwich:

 

So simple and healthy too! Slice and dice and add your fave toppings to make these cute little health conscious treats!

Mini Spinach Football Pizza:

Rather than take-out/delivery pizza which can get greasy and unhealthy at times why not serve mini pita pizzas! Easier on the waist line and will score a touchdown with your guests because they are just so darn cute! 

 Burger-Potato Bites: 

 These bite size burgers are a great grab and go! Easy and just as yummy!

 Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos:

If you know anything about me... you know a reserve a big piece of my stomach heart for spicy foods! So obviously when I came across these hot mamas I couldn't pass up the chance to include them! 

Get Creative:

{49ers printable decorations avail by Hello My Sweet ETSY shop}

Once you've sent out the invites, thought about the best ways to maximize game day seating, chosen your menu, and added buying ice to your to do list now its time to get creative! Whether you choose a specific team for guide the theme of your party or just football in general HWTM has plenty of game day printable freebies! 

 Added entertainment is also great element, think Super Bowl Bingo! You can even use M&M's in the specified team colors {and yes, personalized NFL M&M's exist!} How fun, especially for those who aren't so savvy on the football speak, this will give them something to banter and cheer about!

Be sure to check out my Super Bowl Party Pinterest board for more inspo! Let the countdown begin! 

 

Life is short make it pretty...

It seems as if the holidays are all about time... or lack therof if you know what I mean and I really dislike the overwhelmed feeling of last-minute gifts {which are sometime totally unavoidable} And while you could just totally head over to iamexec.com and hire yourself some additional hoiliday help for $25 per hour, you might as well spend that dough and pick up one of these personalized tchotchkes! Im a big fan of gift giving that shows you gave a little thought and custom monogram notebooks prove you were planning ahead. Only thing is Im going to have pick one up for myslef too, I believe that would be called a me-gift.

me-gift/ verb: to buy two of the same present- one for her and one for me

 Example: Its bad enough Alysse and I are wearing the same sweater tonight, but its even more awkward because I me-gifted mine when I bought it for her!

Good news is, May Designs offers up a great selection of these customized notes and notebooks and you can create your very own right down to the letter/s printed on them, not to mention for such a reasonable price and the production is a cinch; easy as one, two, three, four :)

Step one: Choose your pattern from their amazing selection of swatches
Step two: Add a monogram or a name
Step three: Choose your Inside Pages. Agendas, Dots, Lines, etc.
Step four: Preview & Checkout. and Voila! 
You are all finished and you can cross one or maybe even two more people off your hoiliday list of to-buy-fors. Check out their gallery for a little may designs inspiration! Happy shopping!

Messing About with Swinging on Swings...

As a kid I loved the swings. I can honestly still tell you the names of the park playgrounds which house(ed) my favorite swings to swing on... My dad even put one in our very own backyard which I quickly outgrew. There is just something about the heights that I reach while on a swing that make me feel as if there is a better world out there and the higher I swing, the closer I get and will eventually reach that place... You're never too old to swing on a swing! I would love to have my very own... Here are just a few I'm dreaming about:   

{everyone loves an indoor swing. and if you don't you should start!}

 {How ideal does this look...}

 {swing in my bedroom... yes please}

 {perfect}

{high ceilings and indoor swing... swoon}

{indoor swing for two, love it}

{ah-mazing}

10 ways to Celebrate Shark Week!

As the Summer Olympics commence another eventful week of festivities has begun… Its

motha effin Shark Week my friends!!! Yeeeee! Its the time of year again when those fierce monsters surface from the depths of the sea and swim straight into our homes invading our television screens! Thank you Discovery Channel… This year Shark Week just so happenes to be the celebrating its 25th anniversary! And what do you know, another reason to celebrate!!! You have a few more days of diving with these deadly sea animals so make sure to cozy up and and catch Shark Fight, Great White Highway or Shark Weeks 25 Best Bites! And we all know I swoon at the opportunity for a celebration so I have decided to splash you all with some honorary ideas on just how to successfully celebrate the remaining days of Shark Week and all of its 25th anniversary glory! Oh yeah, and how to i not include a little Jenna Marbels and her thoughts on this glorious event on all of its jawsomeness! i mean hello!

1.) Shark Week Drinking Game

(even though this is from 2011 lets assume same rules apply!)



2.) Jump on the Jaws Bandwagon with Shark Week Style!



Hollywood Life shows us just how to fashionably jump on the Jaws bandwagon!

3.) Shark Week BINGO!

Shark Week BINGO 

4.) Polish on the Jaws Tips!

5.) Shark-a-fy Yourself!
Or better yet, someone else!

Obvi i didnt shak-afy myself... i did my little brother instead! Ha!

6.) Enjoy a Sea-Predator Inspired Libation

Using a friendly pool tool simply perched on the rim!

7.) Shark Koozie... Why the Jaws Not!?

If you opt for the beer rather than the cocktail you can still get down in Shark Week style.

8.) Top it off with a Fleece Shark Hat

Head over to ObeyMyBrain and score yourself this jawsome Shark Hat!

9.) Shark Fin Cupcakes

Oh Martha, youre so crafty!

10.) Turn Everything into a Land Shark!

And if you dont know how... just watch Ms Jenna Marbles... she will show you! And while youre at it check out her thoughts on Shar Week as well!

Jenna Marbles and her rant thoughts on Shark Week!

Happy Land Shark Week Y'all!

Also be sure to check out the Highlights from the last 25 years of Shark Week and them maybe play some Shark Week Trivia or even Shark-a-fy your face! i guessi have more than 10 ways to celebrate!