As President Barack Obama’s final days in office are coming to an end, I thought it would be fitting to honor his legacy here on the blog by sharing a peek inside the private quarters of the White House. These photos were originally featured in the Jan issue of Architectural Digest. It’s common practice for each incoming first family to hire an interior designer to redecorate the White House private quarters upon taking office and in 2008 the Obamas enlisted A-list designer Michael S. Smith to give their new home at the White House a refresh. Smith incorporated modern touches …
How to do a Digital Detox
Happy New Year!! You may have noticed that I’ve been pretty quiet here on the blog and on social media over the holiday season. Without really planning to, I ended up logging offline for the past couple of weeks and taking some much needed time to reconnect with the real world and it felt amazing! It started on Christmas day – I really wanted to post something but I was hosting brunch for my family that morning and was a bit ill prepared so the second I woke up I started cleaning and cooking. All while I was prepping I …
How to Make Mulled Cider
There’s nothing like a cup of hot mulled cider to keep you warm when it’s cold outside. It’s such a simple drink to make…and it fills your home with the most deliciously fragrant aromas of the holiday season. Think cinnamon, orange peels, warm cloves and star anise…I can smell it already! The key to a great mulled cider is to start with good, quality cider. I like buying local unpasteurized cider which has more of a cloudy appearance. Then you add in your spices and for a bit of extra warmth you can even spike your glass with a shot …
DIY Patch Denim Jacket
A major 90s trend that is totally making a comeback is embroidered patches and pins on everything! I’ve been seeing this everywhere and I’m especially loving this look on denim. I recently attended an event for AG Jeans & Harper’s Bazaar where I was able to pick out one of their fab denim jacket plus a ton of patches and pins and there were staff on-site to iron or sew on all of the patches for us. I chose this edgy denim jacket with a raw hem and decided to bring all of my pins and patches home so that …
How to Throw a Stylish Holiday Cocktail Party in 15 Minutes
One of the things I love most about the holiday season is entertaining friends and family at home but as we all know, hosting can be stressful! From coming up with the perfect menu to executing a beautiful presentation, holiday party planning usually requires a lot of time and energy. I’m a super busy gal so over the years I’ve perfected ways to simplify my holiday party prep tremendously. This season, I’ve teamed up with GODIVA to share some of my foolproof tips for creating a stylish and sophisticated holiday party with minimal prep and no stress!
First things first, …