How to Be A Juicy Guest for A Juicy Party!

This holiday season, many of us will be invited to a dinner party or gathering. Some may even be staying overnight at a friend or family member’s home. A great way to show your appreciation for the work and effort put forth by the hostess is to bring a hostess gift. While they are certainly not mandatory, they are thoughtful and show good manners. These hostess gifts and ideas won’t ensure you will be invited back, but they will definitely leave a good impression and get you started on the right foot, so think outside the box of assorted chocolates, without splurging on time or money.

~Ditch the merlot. Swap out the standard bottle of wine for something more exciting: a bottle of amaretto or fixings for a round of banana daiquiris.

~Morning after gift. The truly thoughtful gift when invited to a major holiday party is an ice bucket stocked with a cooling eye mask, Alka-Seltzer, pain reliever packets, and a few bottles of fancy mineral water.

~Start dishing. When going to a dinner party, make the dreaded part of the after party more palatable with a bunch of pretty new cleaning supplies. Pile some dish towels, cleanup sponges, pink rubber gloves, and dishwashing liquid into a colorful bucket. If you want to be extra nice ..volunteer to help clean up!

~Film It. Bring along a disposable camera and a 4×6  album for recording all of the unforgettable moments that your hostess might otherwise miss.

Cheers!

Moi xoxo

Relax with the romance of old Mexico & cornbread!

 

I went to Mexico on vacation and stayed at Casa Luna Bed & Breakfast, a 18th century villa in San Miguel de Allende. In the morning, I woke up to the unforgettable scent of chocolate chip cornbread baking in the oven. The picture above is a table shot from the breakfast portal. Having a breakfast pastry that tasted like dessert was just what I wanted while on vacation. The unusual addition of chocolate enhances the moistness and roasty corn flavor. I remember my grandmother always telling me to be extra nice to the staff that waits on you as they are your entry way to the chef who willingly gave me his recipe. Serve with your upcoming Thanksgiving feast as a tasty treat!

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×5x3 in loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chocolate chips. Whisk milk, canola oil, and eggs in a seperate mixing bowl. Now add your milk texture bowl to your dry texture bowl and stir to blend. Transfer to loaf pan. Bake bread using a toothpick to check center of bread which will come out clean in about 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve cornbread warm or at room temperature. Recommended wine pairing~ a sweet white Riseling from the J. Lohr estate.

 

Moi xoxo

Dual Star

The Olsen twins are hoping to spread a little influence, and young readers will pick it up as quick as Barney’s picked up their fashion line, The Row. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen published a coffee table book about fashion, titled “Influence,” that was just released in the Fall. The book includes exclusive photographs of Ashley and Mary-Kate from world renowned photographer John Rankin, and a wide variety of other never before seen materials and interviews from Mary-Kate and Ashley’s personal collections. The 21-year-old actresses wrote about photographers, artists and designers including Bob Colacello, Terry Richardson, Jack Pierson and Christian Louboutin. The book was given to me as a gift, one that I was excited to open as it’s filled with creative people who have inspired the Olsens and many I recognized myself. It’s a great introduction for reader exposure to respected artists, seasoned designers, and others who have influenced the twins over the past decade.

Moi xoxo

Blown Away

As one of my Top 5 Twitter friends @gipson coined TGFDM {Thank God for Direct Messages} I get oodles of DM’s asking how do I keep my hair straight. I’m a busy woman and I don’t care to bother with my hair for several days, so finding products that multi task or will at least act like it are what I hunt down! Before the flat iron comes the blow out, and my holy grail product is Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray.  I have fine strands and the more product I pile on to reduce the common issues of dry ends, frizz, or thinness, the more my hair will turn into a helmet. This setting spray adds body and makes my fine hair feel thicker, but also soft, and never gummy. It also tames frizz and flyaways. It contains Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, which moisturizes, conditions, and helps repair environmental or chemical damage. Don’t be afraid of the *Thick* in the name, this beauty is for all hair types, but if your fine or limp, this is your blowdryer’s BFF.  Spray when your damp hair is in sections, comb through with a pic, then blow dry each section with a medium size round brush. Then reach for the Victoria Secret Hair Serum for smooth and shine. It’s all about keeping it easy, simple, and ’70’s style!

Keep the DM’s coming!

 

Moi xoxo

Look Good. Do Good. Naturally.

Aveeno has hands down become my favorite drugstore brand. From the body firming lotions, to the daily facial scrub I have already reviewed, this line remains true to its motto of creating products that bring the best of nature and the high tech of science together to create fabulous natural products. All without breaking the wallet! The new facial product line and it doesn’t matter if it’s the Positively Radiant or Positively Ageless, all contain a fairly new ingredient: mushrooms. In this day and age when everyone seems to want to feel “green” by using a more natural approach in everything, including skin care, this is a product many women can’t wait to try. If you’re shopping soon, don’t toss the receipt just yet! While supplies last buy any two Aveeno products and receive an eco-friendly Beau Soleil Reduce, Recycle, Renew tote bag. Now Look Good & Do Good. Naturally~

Send your receipts to VOGUE’S AVEENO GIFT WITH PURCHASE c/o Vogue Promotion Department, 4 Times Square, 12th floor, New York, NY 10036.

 

 

Moi xoxo

Easy Breezy Bohemian

Unless you’ve been living in a country sadly devoid of a fashion sense, it’ll come as no surprise to me to hear that the Boho look is dead. Actually, I will expand on that. As a major trend, it’s certainly no longer mainstream, but I won’t go throwing out my gypsy clothing and boots out just yet. There are still pieces that I would incorporate into my style as the bi polar world of fashion changes every season. Accessories such as the Three Studded Cuff from Hermes or The Paddington Clutch from Chloe all add that Boho vibe to a Fall look! For Moi, colored bangles are the perfect pick-me-up- for my daily uniform of black and white. For that added funkiness, I would wear them even above the elbow. I love the chunky ones by LA designer Gara Danielle and I have nicknamed her Fall collection as earth tones are easy. I mean that in the best way as they go with everything. For bangles starting at $23, for that price, you can afford an armful. Slide one of these stunning neutral bangles over any outfit for an instant dose of je ne sais quoi!

Moi xoxo

The Pillow Fight

As the United States continues towards an inevitable economic recession and possibly worse, several signs begin to interfere with your daily life. You may question how you can substitute your previous spendy habits with inexpensive alternatives. It might be switch to drugstore beauty items, skip the Starbucks latte in the morning, or for me it’s stop redecorating! Not 100% but instead of furniture pieces I am going the affordable route and changing my pillows. It’s easy to switch up your pillow décor and don’t stick to old fashion rules that you can’t mix solid and pattern designs. As long as the colors themselves compliment one another, take the eccentric approach and mix animal prints with stripes or paisley print with paint splotches. By the looks of Thomas Paul’s designs below, you’d think the man never had a bad day in his life. They are always bright and cheery, and his new pillow collection is no exception. The punchy patterns are printed on 100% linen and finished with simple piping. Fresh and fun, they are hard to get sick of—especially when the colors are reversed on the back of the pillow.

If all else, get some pillows to have a fun and delightful pillow fight!

 

 

 

Moi xoxo

 

 

 

 

Odd & Unusual Punishment

Fall is in full bloom and with that comes loads and loads of dinner parties and social gatherings!  Be thankful it’s 2008 as in the early 1900s, you couldn’t get away with using just any old knife for handling butter. You needed a butter pick. And for plucking that special chocolate treat off the platter? The bon bon scoop, of course. You think it’s hard now trying to figure out which fork to use? I’m just glad I wasn’t living during the Victorian Age when nearly every entree and side dish had its own utensil. Before refrigeration and chemical preservatives, food spoilage was a major concern, especially among the wealthy who thought sticking the same serving piece into different foods would cause “cross-contamination”. As a result, the bacon fork and the sardine server were among the utensils invented for those who could afford to be so finicky about their health. I had quite the chuckle as I reviewed the collection of odd and little-known utensils now available at LiveAuctioneers.com. Enjoy reviewing the roundup of the strangest silverware used during the 19th and early 20th centuries—silverware that not even your mother would likely know what to do with. Now take note, the salad fork is the one with the slightly smaller prongs!

Moi xoxo

Cake Breaker?

*Shooting Star*

California + Los Angeles = Celebrities to the majority of the population but to me it equals LA based KWID, otherwise known as Kelly Wearstler Interior Design. Kelly is my sole celebrity I would chase down in my stilettos for an autograph! I have been following her design style for years and love how she incorporates bold colors and prints into neutral colors such as black and white. Since black and white is my wardrobe pallet with bold colors used in accessories and jewelry I feel like I am Weartler’s sister from another mother. Now it’s time to visit sis in New York and head over to Bergdorf Goodman as the designer has lent her Midas touch to the legendary department store’s swank BG bar and has just released a namesake shop within the store, stocked with her signature touch of furnishings and textile designs. As I travel the globe, I purposely book at any hotel within the Kor Hotel Group as Kelly has transformed them over with her mod-baroque interior style such as the Tides South Beach in Miami Beach and Avalon in Beverly Hills. With her new home store inside Bergdorf Goodman, this is Kelly’s first attempt at creating decorative objects and art. Simply put, there is a need for interesting and luxurious accessories in the home marketplace and with her design style, you really are getting something special and you wont see it at all of your friends houses. My wish list includes a 18h century-inspired canopy chair, a kaleidoscopic metal lamp, and a massive marble table. Every season a new crop of Wearstler items will debut which means every season I need to find a business reason why I need to fly to New York.

Moi xoxo

This Phat is Good For You!

The perfume market is just flooded and flooded with fragrances endorsed by celebrities. At this point, its overwhelming and they all look and smell alike. However, when I keep going back to purchase a third or fourth bottle I know I got myself a keeper! Urban is not the term one would first think of when they think of me, but since I am open minded, I prefer Urban Glam and Kimora Lee Simmon’s Baby Phat line brings out my inner sex kitten. I received her “Golden Goddess” fragrance as a gift set Christmas 2006 and that was my favorite gift under the tree! One squirt and I envisioned a luxurious scent of bubbling champagne intermingled with an intoxicating floral bouquet. Yes, all that came to mind along with sexy and glamorous! Plus, it’s not over powering. Some perfumes are so strong that you need a rhinoplasty nose job just to get rid of the scent! It’s the perfect way to indulge yourself, a friend, your lover, or make new ones! The expectant mother of two created this second fragrance inspired by her love for canary yellow diamonds. This fragrance brings luxury to a whole new level!

Moi xoxo