For Plates You Just Can't Live Without

Today, I was walking by a tableware boutique and saw a china pattern that reminded me of a Lenox pattern designed by Kate Spade called Larabee Road. I decided I wanted to buy the plates for a cocktail party I plan to host! I looked them up online when I got home and learned that Lenox had discontinued the design last year, oh shoot!! But to my delight, I came across a website that I wanted to share.

http://www.replacements.com/ carries literally every china manufacturer you've ever heard of and in the Lenox category alone they had hundreds of discontinued patterns. My hors d'oeuvre plates were there, yay! I ordered the plates and I couldn't be happier. I figure that this site is perfect for when you need to replace a broken piece of china or find a discontinued pattern that you just can't live without. Now, I definitely have to invite the girls over!

Stop And Smell The Roses

On the way home from work last Friday I stopped at the local bodega and bought myself two dozen white roses. They looked so fresh that I couldn't resist. I have this beautiful rose bowl that my mom bought for me from Kate Spade. It's one of the prettiest things I own. I just love it and I was excited for myself to have an excuse to use it. When my roommate Kate got home from work she exclaimed how pretty the roses looked. I know!!!! Here are some tips I collected to make the most of your flowers:

1) Always use a clean vase.

2) Cut the stems on an angle to maximize the the space for the flowers to take in the water.
3) Remove all of the leaves which will be under the water while in the vase.

4) Add the flower food supplied by the florist, sugar can be used as an alternative.

5) Change the water every other day.
6) Buy flowers with buds or that are half open, you will be able to enjoy watching them open and they'll last longer

7) Never place your floral arrangements in full sun or over a radiator.

8) The best place for your flowers is in a cool room.

It's now Sunday and we are enjoying the roses that have almost fully bloomed. I have stopped to smell the roses a handful of times today and it really made my weekend. It's true that sometimes the best ideas are right under your nose!

Make It Yourself: Pretty Tissue Paper

Today I made a pit stop at J.Crew during my lunch break. I mean SUCH sales right now... Anyway, I got home and decided to take the plain white tissue paper that the sales girl used to wrap up my purchase and reuse it to create pretty tissue paper for gift wrapping. I did it by using a simple star shaped rubber stamp and gold ink pad. (Colorbox is my favorite brand of ink by the way) It is so easy and you can choose any theme for the tissue paper that you desire. The best part about stamping tissue paper is that you can make a mistake it doesn't matter because it will end up smooshed into a gift bag anyway, haha fabulous!

Tip: Stick with a smaller sized stamp with a simple bold shape. You want the shape to repeat dozens of times on the piece of tissue paper and be visible.

Tip: Stick with just one stamp and one ink color. Don't go crazy with lot of different stamps or colors. You are shooting for repetition here.


Decorative tissue paper can be really pricey so why not make it yourself after your next day of shopping?! At least you'll end the day feeling less guilty about shopping and more thrifty! Being creative always brings out the best and this simple project is an easy way to give that special touch to ordinary gift tissue. How charming!

4th of July Recipe

Becky Beynon's Jello Pretzel Salad recipe comes courtesy of my dear friend Julie. The first time I heard about this recipe I was skeptical... when I think Jello, I think of the hospital haha! But no, this recipe was amazing! It's so easy to make and sure to be a crowd pleaser for your patriotic group! The recipe has 3 parts:

2 cups chorsely crushed pretzels
3/4 c melted butter
3 tbsp sugar
*Mix pretzels, butter, sugar together and put into 13x10 inch pan (spray first with pam) bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, let cool.

1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 cups of cool whip
*Mix cream cheese and sugar together well, then fold in 2 cups of cool whip and spread mixture over cooled pretzels.

2 packages of strawberry sugar free jello
2 cups of boiling water
2 10 oz packages of frozen sliced strawberries

*Stir until resolved. put jello mixture into fridge to set (about 20 minutes) then pour over top of cream cheese and cover.

Let the dessert sit in fridge for a few hours before serving. Yum, happy 4th of July everyone!