My New Favorite Hostess Gift

Here is my list of great  hostess gifts.  There are times I might pick up a unique item from a local boutique or store, such as loose tea, a fun piece of jewelery, gourmet coffee, or scented candles.   But, the list below focuses on the gifts I usually give as a hostess gift.  (And based on this list below, there's no denying I  am partial to gifts that involve some type of eating or drinking!)

1. Wine. Usually I select one of my favorite red or white wines to take as a gift.  But sometimes a port or a dessert wine is a nice change.  
2. Fresh Flowers. This is always a safe gift.  But other options are also fresh herbs or plants such as orchids or fresh cut basil.
3. Champagne. Ah, who doesn't love a good bottle of bubbly?  And this gift is perfect when there is a special occasion. (Although, I am not saying there has to be a special occasion to enjoy champagne!)
4. Dessert.  Sometimes I like to pick up fresh baked cookies or cupcakes from a local bakery. If I have more time, I like to bake a simple cake or pie and take it over. (but somehow this option does not happen as much as I would like it to)

Here is my new favorite hostess gift
5. Beautifully crafted chocolate sweets

I just heard about  this new chocolate cafe in South Boston called Blue Tierra Chocolates.  Blue Tierra specializes in handcrafted chocolates, pastries, and desserts.  They truly are unique because they use natural ingredients and everything is fresh. At Blue Tierra, they even use local and organic ingredients when possible. They also serve loose leaf tea, origin coffees, and coffee elixirs.  And the truffles are infused with spices and flavors from all over the world.
Blue Tierra serves this amazing chocolate called Wasaberry, which is a dark chocolate ganache infused with wasabi and raspberry puree enrobed in dark chocolate.
And did you see those adorable green turtles? They were so delicious!

What is your favorite "go to" hostess gift?

-Wasaberry chocolates infused with wasabi and raspberry puree -beautiful exposed brick sitting area with middle eastern pillows and antique tables -amazing selection of loose tea and coffee -fresh baked cookies and pastries -green turtle chocolates--so adorable!

Style'n Outfit and Styling Tips from Tim Gunn

Usually I have some sort of reason I am posting a picture of an outfit.  But,  this is just a simple outfit I wore over the weekend.  I guess I wanted to try out my new H&M tank and my new Stella McCartney strappy espadrilles. 

I love this blank studded tank so I bought another one in a grayish/lavender tone.  It seems like I aways end up items I like in two different colors.  In fact, now that I think about it I have this belt in yellow as well.

Do you ever like something so much you end up purchasing two (or more) of them?

{Stella McCartney Strappy Espadrilles,, Guess pants, H&M tank, bangles gifted from my mom from a boutique in Newport RI, Michael Kors watch, Chanel sunglasses, Club Monaco skinny belt }

And Amgen (the company I work for) along with Pfizer sponsored this amazing contest for patients with Psoriasis. Check out Tim Gunn's summer styling tips below.

Amgen and Pfizer today announced the five winners of the 2010 Addressing Psoriasis™ contest, which recognizes people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who want to feel more confident in their everyday style. The winners have traveled to New York City where they will receive a one-on-one consultation with Tim Gunn, mentor to the designers on TV's "Project Runway" and chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne, Inc. Gunn will help the winners embrace their personal style and work with them to select outfits that complement their individual looks and lifestyles, and that work with their psoriasis. The winners' stories and experiences will help raise public awareness of psoriasis. - (For more details see the Amgen Press Release )

SUMMER STYLE TIPS FROM TIM GUNN

Allure Daily Beauty Reporter Blog
By Sarah Wexler
July 28, 2010

As a huge Project Runway fan, I couldn't wait to catch up with host Tim Gunn (who let slip that the show will be all super-sized 90 minute episodes this season). Gunn was dressing five people who suffer from moderate to severe psoriasis for the Addressing Psoriasis campaign (Gunn first got involved last year because his sister has the skin condition). Between consultations, we snagged him to ask a few style questions:

ALLURE: It's so frickin' hot this summer. What can we wear to not melt but still look put-together?

TIM GUNN: The temptation is to wear baggy clothes, like tent dresses, that don't touch you. But the more voluminous your clothes are, the more voluminous you look, so make sure the fit is flattering; try belting a shift dress.

A: What's the best look for summer hair and makeup?

TG: Simple and natural. If you wear too much, you look like you tried too hard; if you do nothing, you look so messy that it detracts from your outfit.

A: Are skinny jeans and leggings ever going away?

TG: Let me say that just because something is a trend doesn't mean everyone should wear it—only .0001 percent of people look good in them. And your shirt should be dress-length—otherwise, we see too much, and it can just be vulgar. Leggings are stockings, not pants.
A: What can we buy now and wear through fall?

TG: Citrus colors are going to fade out for fall, and I never recommend pastels—they make women look either babyish or dowdy. Your best bets are rich, saturated jewel tones, which you can definitely wear into next season.

The Perfect Dinner Party

Here are some pictures from the bachelorette party I attended this past weekend in Cape Cod.  It was so nice to get all the girls together and hang out Saturday.

Ok I know you are going to ask about the undies so let me just go ahead and tell you. We played this fun game where everyone brings a pair of undies and Nicole has to guess who brought each pair. When she did not guess correctly (which was in almost all cases!) we started lining them up on this clothes line.  I bought Nicole these ones from lululemon because I am literally addicted to them.

Nicole's dear friend Kim, hosted a Surf and Turf bachelorette dinner at her Mom's place on the Cape Saturday evening.   Afterwards, I thought about how much I love attending dinner parties and throwing them.  In my opinion there is no right way to throw a party but here some tips that I have found to be helpful.  And Kim must find these helpful too because she did an amazing job hosting and planning this lovely dinner al fresco.

{Kim-the hostess on the left and Nicole-the bride to be on the right}

Style'n tips on hosting a stylish and perfect dinner party

1. Keep the meal simple. This is not the time to be experimenting with new recipes.

2.. Organization is key.  It helps to write down a schedule of everything you need to do for the dinner party.  Also, prepare are much as you can prior to your guests arriving.  The last thing you want is for your guests to be doing all the work. But if you do have guests assisting you then be sure to delegate.

3. Make sure your guests can eat what you prepare. So check if you have vegetarians, guests with food allergies, or just picky eaters.

4. Always have some good background music and select the music based on the event and the type of mood you are aiming for.

5. Make sure you have enough wine, cocktails, and and other drinks on hand. 

6. Have fun with the decorations and details and and don't feel like everything has to match. Fresh flowers are always a bonus.

7. Last by not least make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get ready and look stylish!

Style Trend: Animal Prints

Until yesterday evening I had no idea I would be doing a post today on animal prints but here is how I got my inspiration. On Monday I found some beautiful animal print stationary with the help of one of my blogging friends Amy Labadie.  Amy offers a great service called  Paper Concierge.  Basically Amy will help you do all your stationary shopping! The website has a great selection of note cards, invitations, stamps, and other fun items.  Amy also has an awesome blog of her own called All the Little Things which I adore.  I don't know about you but I  like to have a good stock of personalized stationary including thank you cards and note cards on hand. So, Amy suggested a few options and I thought these pink animal note cards were bright and fun.   Amy is also helping me order matching return address wraps to go with them.  I cannot wait for these notecards to arrive!

Yesterday morning I snapped a couple of pictures of Ariyana as she was on her way out the door to preschool. And, I was already wearing this outfit in the evening so I decided to throw on this animal print scarf  and this bangle my mom brought back for me from Kenya. (Personally, I like the animal print trend but in small doses. )

So, voila! This is how I got my inspiration yesterday.
 

Have you embraced the animal print trend for the summer? What fun animal print items have you added to your wardrobe?

      {Forever 21 top, JBrand Skinny Pants,  H&M scarf, Stuart Weitzman shoes,

bracelet-gift from my mom from her trip back to Kenya}

How to update your look

One of my friends and I were discussing how to make some of our older favorite pieces of clothing look more up to date and current. I think one of the easiest ways to update an old look is to simply wear the outfit a different way. The key is to incorporate a newer trend into the outfit by focusing on accessories such as belts, jewelery, shoes, and handbags.  On Saturday I went out to dinner and decided to put on this BCBG dress from last season. This dress actually ties in the back but I really don't like that feature of the dress anymore. So I hid the attached belt by adding  this wide brown belt over it.  I also added a fun watch, a gold cuff, and a pair of  brown peep toe platform pumps to complete the look. I felt like my outfit was instantly updated.

What are your favorite ways to update your look for the summer?

{BCBG dress, Enigma shoes, Prada bag, Tory Burch cuff, La Mer collections watch,

Anthropologie belt, Chanel sunglasses }