Happy Happy!

Happy Birthday to Sparkles of Life!

Once again, it's been a great year and I'm excited for the next year!

Party Planning: Easter

I won't be hosting Easter for awhile but I love to think about fun party ideas, so why not plan a pretend party?

The menu would incorporate as many chocolate Easter bunnies as humanly possible.

Fun and bright flowers would be everywhere. 

Obviously there would be an egg hunt involved (who doesn't love friendly competition...)

Everyone would wear fabulous, perfectly colored and bright Easter outfits. 

How much fun would these bunny shaped napkin folds be?!

Movie Style: Alfie

I'm obsessed with Sienna Miller's style in general and especially love the way she dressed in Alfie. Obviously, I love her as Edie Sedgwick in Factory Girl, but that's a whole other movie style! 

Color Wheel: Blue + Green

My grandmother once told me nature will always show you the most spectacular color combinations and you can never go wrong by following nature. This is style advice I took to heart and still has an influence on my style today. One of my fave color combos, blue and green, is an instant hit for any occasion. 

Author Amour

FACT - I have a serious book addiction. I'm totally that person who marks book release dates in my calendar. A few books that are on my radar include:

The Defining Decade by Dr. Meg Jay caught my eye when I was reading British ELLE last week. I'm totally a sucker for a self help book and so far this one has yet to let me down. 

I you have been a loyal blog reader from 2009 or one of my besties, you I love all of Sophie Kinesella's books. My love affair started in 7th grade and never really stopped. Needless to say, I'm really excited to read her new book, Wedding Night which comes out on April 23rd.  
(Yes, it's marked on my calendar)

I seriously can't wait to try some new recipes from GP's new book It's All Good. I've had much success with the other one I purchased, so I'm sure I'll have lots of recipes to recommend. 

Breakfast Epiphanies

Why Are Romantic Comedies So Bad?

Good Question, and great answer.

Fashion Evolution of Nicole Richie

This explains (visually) why I'm so happy she started working with Rachel Zoe.

Fear and Loathing During the Gym Rush Hour

I'm really happy I'm not the only one to get stressed out at the gym during "rush" hour!

Fashion Circus
A must read article about fashion bloggers and the role they play in the fashion world.

Party Planning: Quirky Cool

When planning a party, I like to focus on some of the smaller details once I have the theme and venue planned. Some fun finds I've stumbled upon include:

Mini Pinata Pullaways
Since I live in the city, in a teeny tiny apartment, I can't have the bloodthirsty pinata parties of my youth. Instead I can have "civilized" pinata parties. (HA!)

Personalized Placemats 

I love anything monogrammed, so this is obviously an instant hit.

Edible Cups

The colors look promising and what a fun addition for my bar cart!

Thursday Mantras

Because sometimes everyone needs a bit of encouragement and reminders!

Spring Has Sprung Everyone!

Spring is the time of plans and projects. 

-Leo Tolstoy

It's officially Spring and I have a lot of things on my plate for a new project that I couldn't be more excited about! I'll be posting more updates and hits soon, but for now you should get excited. 

Manolo Blahnik + Madeline Weinrib

This collaboration makes me so happy on so many different levels. How could I not be thrilled that one of my fave shoe companies and home design companies are working together to make a pretty and long lasting shoe style?

Image from The Editorialist

Kiss and Makeup

In case you couldn't tell from all of my recent posts, I'm bursting at the seams, not only from all the food I've been eating, but from excitement that Spring is almost here! I'm already looking for inspiration for makeup. 

Party Planning: St. Patrick's Day

I'm not Irish or a big drinker, but I'm all for celebrating and will take any excuse to plan a party. If I were to throw a St. Patrick's Day party I would need to check a few musts of my list, including (but obviously not limited to):

The perfect green party dress.

A signature drink that would make any Irishman proud!

(Check out Glitter Guide's Chocolate Guinness Float)

Some fun photobooth accessories to go with my ever present disposable cameras.

The perfect green cake bites!

And some green and white flowers (shamrocks, maybe?) with a dash of gold for fun.

21 Drops

I've recently been getting into aromatherapy, particularly essential oils. Does this work? I haven't been trying it long enough to tell, but between LAD's rave reviews and the 21 Drops packaging I spotted at Bendels I decided I have to give it a whirl.

Stay tuned for some more feedback!

Details: Small Spaces

Living in the city has taught me to seriously limit my purchases. Now everything I purchase has to be deliberate and have to have a home before it gets home. I'm constantly finding inspiration on Pinterest to help me with the small details. 

I'm always looking for ways to bring in more artwork, but still keep the space light. 

Note to self: be more selective about beauty products in the shower.

You can always find a place for organized clutter and make it work.

Bar carts are fabulous and not just for alcohol. 

Coffee tables should be filled with books,nuts, and flowers to inspire conversation.