Festive Fourth of July Picks

Hello lovely girls! I thought today I’d share with you a few Fourth of July favorites for this upcoming holiday! June has flown by so quickly and before you know it the iconic American celebration will be here. Plan early! I highlighted 7 adorable, patriotic pieces above and have linked them along with a few others below so be sure to check them out!


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My outfit is still in the making but I will most certainly be wearing my Lilly Pulitzer fireworks skirt. It’s seriously the most festive and fun piece of clothing I own! I don’t think they make it anymore sadly or else I’d buy something similar in that pattern and end up wearing it all summer. Who says 4th of July has to end? Anyway enjoy your Tuesday and drink some coffee for me!

Baby’s 1st Birthday Party

Happy Tuesday beauties! My weekend was a busy one that I’m still recovering from. It was my cousin’s little girl’s first birthday and they had a big party for her on Saturday! It’s been a while since our whole family had been together so it was especially a good time for all of us. My cousin did an amazing job planning her daughter’s party (she’s quite the party planner!) Everyone really enjoyed the celebration and how much time and effort went into making it special.

She chose pink and gold for the color scheme and lots of sparkles! Her baby girl wore a darling little tutu and pink onesie for the occasion. A pretty strand of pearls was added for photo-ops. A fun addition to her party was the candy bar in the dining area complete with chocolates, rock candy, jelly beans, and lollipops!

There was also the most delicious cookies in the world on the dining table, personalized for baby girl of course! I love watching bakers make these amazing cookies on the Food Network. There’s so much detail that goes into the decorating!

My cousin also had a cake smash for her little girl. It was so funny to watch her very delicately put her fingers in the cake. She was such a lady and didn’t want to make a big mess. Finally, after a while she got her tiny fists in there and started eating her cake.

For the adults, there were beautiful strawberry cupcakes to indulge in! My aunt also made a strawberry spinach salad with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, crushed bacon pieces, almonds, and a vinaigrette. Delicious chicken salad sandwiches on croissants were served as well! Told you my cousin knew how to throw a party!

It was a fun event for everyone and a great birthday for the birthday girl!

-Liz

New Year’s Eve Must Haves

Happy Monday friends! I hope your Christmas was filled with happiness and pretty things! My Christmas was spent with my parents and sister at home. My mom made a delicious turkey for dinner and we indulged in a chocolate cake after. We opened presents in the morning and I got the cutest Lilly Pulitzer planner, Kate Spade mug, Lauren Conrad earrings, an adult coloring book (I love to color, it relaxes me!) and an assortment of other fun gifts! I was spoiled this year and I hope you were as well!

Since New Year’s Eve is this Friday I figured I’d write a little something about the must-haves for the big celebration. When I was about 7, my parents finally let me stay up until midnight for the big celebration on tv. When it hit midnight, we were sitting in our living room and I said “That’s it?” I was disappointed at the lack of excitement I expected there to be. Last year I spent New Year’s Eve in New York City, it was quite a bit more exciting!

This year, I’ll be spending it in San Antonio with my boyfriend! For those of you who plan on a more low-key celebration in your home, I have the perfect list of things for your event.

New Year’s Eve Party

Let’s start with a fabulous outfit! The more sparkly it is, the better you look! New Year’s Eve is the perfect event for you to sport a bedazzled skirt or dress. I’ve seen a great selection of dresses at Forever 21 and Target. If you’re going to wear something shiny on top, consider wearing a solid color shoe so it doesn’t compete with everything else.

Moving on to beverages, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx have the most adorable wine and champagne glasses for around $4 each! Most of them have sparkles or confetti adorning the exterior of the glass for a festive look. I recommend having a non-alcoholic drink option for those who don’t want to stumble around too much. Have a champagne bucket like the gold top hat pictured above to chill your bubbly before midnight.

Something a little different to do with the popular bar cart is to fill it with little hors d’oeuvres instead of drinks. Personally, I think it’s easier to have drinks at a kitchen island because of the mess it can make and the sheer amount of people trying to get to them.

Finally, festive decorations are always nice such as balloons like the ones featured above. Noise makers and confetti poppers are also a great touch to any New Year’s Eve celebration and can be found at most party stores.

Out of politeness and safety, have space already made up (blankets, pillows, air mattress) and ready to go in case any of your guests are, ahem, too tipsy to drive home. Obviously, the point in responsible drinking is to know when to stop and what you can handle, but some people just don’t know their limits. If you’re going to have alcohol at your party, it’s partly your responsibility that everyone stays safe after consuming it.

Leave a comment with your New Year’s Eve plans!

A Costumed Mess: Review of Victoria’s Black Swan Inn Masquerade

Happy first Monday of November! I was so excited when I woke up yesterday and saw that Starbucks has debuted their seasonal drinks for Christmas. The Starbucks red cup is back and I’m thrilled, just call me basic. I’m sure most of us were bombarded with #redcups on our Instagram feeds. Hopefully, I’m not the only one who is having trouble deciding whether they should still relish in fall leaves or dive head first into snowmen and sugar cookies. Please leave a comment so I know I’m not alone!

The Masquerade

Since Halloween is over, I thought I’d share with you my experience going to my first masquerade ball! I went to Victoria’s Black Swan Inn with my boyfriend, his sister, and her husband for a night of what we thought would be full of entertainment and spookiness. We were sadly mistaken. What could have been a great event, turned into a chaotic, wet mess.

Upon arriving at the Inn, we took a few photos outside of the mansion, which was beautifully decorated, and proceeded to the event. We had just walked up to the house when I felt a raindrop hit my shoulder. Several minutes later, the sky opened up and gave us the pleasure of a cold downpour that lasted over 2 hours. The entire event was supposed to take place out on the front lawn and no one had thought to rent a party tent in case of bad weather. A band, DJ, cash bar, and the buffet were set up near the patio and they had to quickly cover their space before everything was ruined. 

Meanwhile, all the guests stayed dry inside while watching the crazy costumes that walked through the front door. Some were very elaborate while others were bought at Party City. The 4 of us dressed up for the event in assorted costumes. My man and I went in black tie attire and wore masks we bought at Pier 1 Imports (they have a great selection of Venetian masks for under $30.) Unfortunately for me, wearing a mask while taking pictures makes my eyes look mostly shut. Embarrassing much?

After about an hour of people watching and not much else to do, we each got a glass of wine to sip since dinner wasn’t going to be served until the event planners took the initiative to set up the buffet elsewhere. Someone started playing the grand piano in the living room to add some festivity to the event because it needed it.

Cold and Hungry

The DJ set up inside the living room next to the piano and played a few Halloween classics for the hired belly dancers to dance to. After a few minutes of dancing, someone said the food was finally set up. The line for the buffet winded down the hall and through a dining room. By the time I got to the front of it the caterers had run out of food and were cooking another batch of everything. A bunch of us stood there for about 20 minutes and ate tortilla chips out of a communal bowl before the enchiladas and refried beans were served again. I’m not a Mexican food expert, but I know what tastes good and that didn’t.

After we ate, the rain had mostly stopped and about 30 people stood outside and watched the fire dancers do their stunts. Most people had left by then (it was 10pm) and had gone to other parties or venues to enjoy their Halloween festivities. We left very disappointed, hungry, and wet. It would have been a great event if their had been some additional planning done and someone orchestrating the ball. Everything seemed to be communicated to guests by another guest over hearing it from the hosts and then telling everyone else.

I hope your Halloween was a little more fun (and dry) than ours was! We tried to make the best of it but when you pay $75 a ticket, you don’t expect being forced to “make the best of it.” I’d love to hear what you all did for Halloween and what you went as! Leave me a comment and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more pictures from the event!

Masquerade Balls and Red Lipstick

Does anyone have Halloween plans? Because I do, and I really want to share them with you! I can’t remember the last time I did anything for Halloween. Every time I lived in a major city during that time of the year, I was too “young” to go out and obviously too old to trick or treat, though it was suggested. This year my boyfriend and I are going out with his sister and brother-in-law for a masquerade ball at an old haunted inn in San Antonio!

What am I wearing? A floor length, black, mermaid style gown and of course, a masque. The masque I bought is actually from Pier 1 Imports. Supposedly it’s made in Venice (I have my doubts) and it only cost me $30. Not bad for something so beautiful and delicate. I like that it’s simple with only a lace pattern and a few rhinestones on it. There were so many to choose from but quite a few of them made me look like a bird, which I didn’t want.

Since I’m wearing all black, I wanted to add some color to my face so I don’t appear washed out. I’ll be wearing Nars “Cruella” on my lips. This is the best lip pencil/stick. The color stays on for several hours and is really vibrant! I’ll also be doing my nails in a red color with a gold accent on my ring finger.

To add some glam to my dress, I’m adding this Ann Taylor belt to it. The belt is stretchy and snaps in the back for comfort. Can you believe that I found it for $5? Neither can I, but I honestly did. I won’t be showing you the dress until we’ve taken some decent pictures of it, but it’s beautiful! Let me know what your Halloween plans are in a comment below!

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