{what i loved this week}

on instagram: @camillestyles picnic looks absolutely perfect.  

chris & I (in last minute costumes) ready to head out to Kellogg's annual 90's party.

on pinterest: "rasmopolitan cocktail" favors from Martha Stewart would be perfect for handing out a bachelorette party.  Giving doors a simple makeover that makes a big difference.  Love the look of these tissue tassels taped randomly on a wall as a backdrop rather than strung on a string. 

on the blogs: I am obsessed with this chic black and gold birthday party especially all the fabulous paper goods!

in real life: It's peony season!!! This gorgeous (and massive) arrangement of coral charm peonies is currently brightening up our studio at Bliss Weddings.

in the magazines:  I love seeing Kate Upton all glammed up in this retro spread for Vogue. 

on my wishlist:  This neon statement necklace sold out before i could scoop it up a few months ago, but now its back in stock at asos!!  I love this simple green dress for a bridal shower or sunday brunch.  The price tag is bit hefty for these headphones, but I love the design. 

{friday cocktail: spring sparkler}

Wedding season is definitely in full swing which means a calendar full of bridal showers, bachelorette parties, engagement celebrations and wedding receptions!!   A social line up like that also calls for many celebratory (aka sparkling) drinks so I thought I would whip up a quick champagne cocktail inspired by spring wedding season.   The only thing I love more than a great bottle of champagne is a dry and crisp bottle of sparkling rose so that is what I used for the foundation of this cocktail.  Add in some Chambord and aromatic lavender bitters and this cocktail is transformed into a sweet and pink drink perfect for the next bridal shower or bach party!

(also- if you are wondering why the main image isn't the usual cocktail photo you see on Fridays it is because I had my camera on the wrong setting and all the photos of the real cocktail were blurry.  Hey- that's life- it happens, but the cocktail was tasty and it got drank so that's all that matters right? right.)

Cheers!

{diy shortcake bar + free printables}

On a recent trip to Trader Joe's, I picked up a pack of their fresh shortcakes which inspired me to create a little diy shortcake bar for a weekend brunch.  This little set up would be so perfect to add on to the buffet at a bridal or baby shower.  I chose to offer a mix of classic and fun options for the shortcake toppings including the pepper jelly and cream cheese mix to add a spicy savory option!   At the bottom of this post you can download all the printables you see used here!

{are flags necessary to hold your shortcake together?  no.  do they look cute? yes.  moving on....}

  {The toppings selection I offered included classic strawberries and cream, lemon curd with lavender, and red pepper jelly with cream cheese.   Some other great options could be be nutella and bananas or a selection of flavored jams.} 

click here to download the shortcake bar instructions sign

click here for the toppings labels

click here for the heart flag garnishes

{jeff+katie's wedding paper goods}

As you might have seen on instagram last month, we travelled back to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of two of our very good friends, Jeff and Katie.  The event was absolutely beautiful and one of the most fun weekends I have ever had.  The couple was married at one of the most lush southern california venues called Rancho Las Lomas in Silverado Canyon.  Besides being a massive estate with a gorgeous area for the ceremony/reception, there is also a menagerie of zoo animals on the property including tigers and zebras!!

Katie asked myself and fellow bridesmaid, Kay, to help out with creating the menus and programs for the event which we were more than happy to do (and by happy I mean ecstatic- we all know how much I obsess over paper goods!).  We drew inspiration from the color of the bridesmaid's dresses and went with a simple design that showcased white text against the saturated blush/coral backdrop.  And then we of course had them printed at the best kept secret in downtown LA.

Here are a few snapshots of the menus and programs in action on the big day (you can see even more of the lovely photos from this day on their wedding photographer Cean One's blog right here):

 {programs on the ceremony chairs and amazing florals by Chelsea of Hello Gem- the same talented lady who did my own wedding flowers}

{custom beer escort cards/favors plus a little sign you might recognize from here and the 

menus at each dinner place setting}

Congrats Jeff & Katie!

{event images via Cean One Photography, all the rest taken by Mint Love Social Club}

{quick entree: pan seared scallops with pea & avocado puree}

For the better part of my life, I have not liked eating fish (with the exception of sushi- yes I know that doesn't make a lot of sense), but lately I have been making a concerted effort to seek out more fish recipes.  Surprisingly, I have really enjoy most of the fish meals we have tried cooking and I am beginning to believe the whole not liking fish thing was all in my head this entire time.  We whipped up a quick and easy scallop dish the other night inspired by a lot of the scallop appetizer recipes I was seeing that featured pan seared scallops on a bed of some sort of pureed veggie.  I liked the idea of using peas for the base puree, but we tossed in some avocado for an added creamy texture.  We used the frozen scallops from Trader Joe's which are great since this recipe lends itself nicely to appetizer portions so you can always have the scallops on hand in your freezer to be ready for guests.  Recipe is at the bottom of this post! 

what you need:

• 8 to 10 scallops- we used the frozen ones from Trader Joes
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup peas- frozen is fine for this as well
• 2 roasted jalapenos, sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 stick of butter

1. Puree cilantro and olive oil. Set aside to be used as a drizzle for finished plate.
2. Place avocado, peas, and jalapeno in food processor and blend until smooth. Salt & pepper to taste.  Can add olive oil to reach desired consistency if mix if too chunky.
3. Lightly salt and pepper the thawed scallops. Add butter to a non-stick pan and place over medium heat. Once butter has stopped bubbling, add the scallops. Cook one and half minutes per side. 
4. Set scallops aside to rest for a few minutes while you prepare the dinner plates with a bed of the avocado/pea puree. 
5. Place scallops on top of puree and then lightly drizzle with cilantro oil. 
6. Salt to taste.

**if you wanted to modify this for an appetizer dish you could portion a small spoonful of the puree in a appetizer spoon and top with one scallop as you see in this photo. 

{what i loved this week}

here's a little round up of things I loved this week- links to each are at the bottom of the post! 

Happy Weekend! 

on pinterest: this casual summer outfit in the perfect neutral shades (plus I already own the skirt!). these simple white cylinder planters.  this recipe for mandarin orange & olive oil donut holes sounds like the perfect mix of sweet and savory.

on instagram:  I have been loving seeing all the sneak peeks for the National Stationary Show that is coming up- especially the beautiful offerings from @SugarPaperLA. These rosemary skewers look pretty and add flavor from @inspiredbythisblog

on the internets: Phillip Lim for Target was just announced-  I will start counting the days now!!

on the blogs: I was dying over every image from this cocktail & food pairing post on Inspired By This- would love to re-create this kind of set up for a future dinner party!

in real life: I finally hunted down these Zara heels (I actually located them in orange county after they sold out seemingly everywhere and had to have a friend go pick them up to ship them to me in Chicago- thats not crazy. at all.)

in the magazines:  The striped paper suite by Cheree Berry in the Martha Stewart Spring 2013 issue is simply amazing.

on my wishlist:  This white lace kaftan/cover-up is perfect with summer around the corner and another Palm Springs trip on our calendar for June!  I would love to wear this necklace to dress up a simple white t-shirt & jeans ensemble.  An affordable black dress that is equals parts sexy (its almost backless) and bohemian

{friday cocktail: the sls rose}

After falling in love with a fabulous cocktail made with rose and jalapeño at the SLS Beverly Hills on our anniversary trip (see some live footage of me drinking that very cocktail in this video), I just knew I had to try to recreate something similar once we got home.

Ideally I would have found some simple rose flavored syrup like this one that we used own, but I came across this $10 bottle of Jo Snow Rose Cardamom syrup from our local Binnys and was intrigued by the flavor combo.  While this isn't what I originally wanted, it still made for a great cocktail.  Heat from the jalapeño  spice from the cardamom and sweetness from the rose all come together to make for a unique taste that is sure to impress your next dinner guest.  You can also substitute a real cardamom pod and regular rose syrup similar to this cocktail.

{last minute mother's day gift ideas}

I hope you are resting easy with your mother's day gift already nicely wrapped and ready to head out to brunch this Sunday, but if not then here is a little gift guide for some last minute ideas:

1. Fabulous Henri Bendel stacking bangles for her to add to her jewelry box.

2. Luxe mirrored vanity trays at a great price!

3. Tory Burch clutch/crossbody bag in a great springtime color.

4. Not just the normal (gross) flower delivery, but a shipment of pink peonies!

5. A unique and fresh scented Hermes perfume that she wont already have.

6. Elegant La Perla lace and silk robe.

{mango cocktail makeovers}

Now that the weather in Chicago is just starting to resemble Spring, that makeover and cleaning itch has definitely struck me.  We have been working on completing a lot of home decor projects that were either half done or not even started yet!  In the spirit of makeovers, I thought it might be fun to "makeover" three of the cocktail recipes from my blog using mangos sent over to me from The National Mango board!  Here are the recipes for the three cocktails I made over- you can see the original cocktails recipes here: Blood Sugar Sex Magic and Soju Margarita. While I have never actually posted a full recipe for a classic mimosa (because well...it's two ingredients total.), I have posted about the existence of mimosas at many of our parties including this one and this one!

{compensation was provided by The National Mango Board for this post. All opinions are my own.}

{one year anniversary trip video}

One of the best decisions we made with our wedding was deciding at the last minute to splurge on videography.  I love to watch our highlight video every now and then because it completely transports me back to that day.

Our DLSR camera actually takes great high quality video and I have been meaning to shoot more with it as well as learn how to edit it.  The trip to The Parker Palm Springs that Chris surprised me with for our anniversary seemed like the perfect chance to try it out!  Here's the video we put together using footage from both our DLSR camera and my Iphone then edited in iMovie.   After figuring out the basics of the video editing software, putting together the video was surprisingly quick and easy.  While I definitely have some room for improvement on both shooting video footage and editing it, having this great little memory of our trip definitely motivates me to want to make more videos of future trips.

Our 4 day trip to LA and The Parker Palm Springs was a much needed trip to warmer weather to escape the dismal spring that Chicago is having.  This video sums up our trip which was basically comprised of drinking cocktails, laying by the pool, drinking champagne, playing lawn games and drinking more cocktails - oh and celebrating our first year of marriage!

{friday cocktail: mint love julep}

I am still trying to come around to drinking and enjoying whiskey or bourbon based cocktails.  While there are a handful that I love (like this one or this one), my first preference remains gin for this time.  Since we will be viewing the derby tomorrow I feel I must be drinking some sort of cocktail out of a julep cup so I developed a little modified mint julep recipe to suit my tastes.  You can see my recipe for a classic mint julep right here if that's your thing. 

{kentucky derby jersey stirrers}

Who's ready to watch the fastest two minutes in sports this weekend otherwise known as the Kentucky Derby?!?! Well you will be most prepared if you download and print these drink stirrers that will allow your guests to mark their pick for winner by showcasing it in their mint julep!  The stirrers showcase each of the horses that will be vying for that awesome rose wreath this weekend.  As of now, I think my money's on "Fear The Kitten" because well...that's about the best name for a pony that I have ever heard (who cares that he is placed at 50 to 1 odds!).

Click here or on the image below to download the 2-page PDF printable of the drink stirrers!