Friday's Fancies

via

Happy Royal Wedding Friday! The day we've all been waiting for has arrived. Congratulations Wills and Kate!

via

I woke up and scrambled for the remote just in time to see the gorgeous bride arrive to Westminster Abbey. What did you think of the dress?! I thought she was stunning. What a fairy tale! I can't wait to catch up on all the coverage.

Linking up with {av} for this week's special Friday's Fancies. Honestly, I don't even know what I would wear to such an epic event. I can say there would be a hat on my head from famed milliner Philip Treacy.

Philip Treacy Feather Quill Cocktail Hat, £689

"Friday's Fancies" Polyvore

via

Did you watch William and Kate on Lifetime? One of the standout lines - "I'm not the heir, I'm just the spare." Ha!

Cheers!

Pink and Green Thursday: UK Edition

Hot Pink and Green Union Jack Tea Cozy, $45

Good evening! Today's Pink and Green Thursday is dedicated to my favorite Brits. The royal family is a given. Who I would like to share a cup of tea with...

via

Ed Westwick aka Chuck Bass

50% of my Gossip Girl obsession is toward Chuck, 45% for Miss Blair and 5% for Nate. I just want that accent to come out... I know it's there! 

via

Kate Moss

Smart move Rimmel London. Otherwise, I would have never even thought about it.

via

Simon Cowell

It was near impossible to get a picture of Simon with anything pink. Come back to American Idol please!

via

Sienna Miller

LOVE HER. I think she can pull off wearing just about anything.

via

Kelly Osbourne

So funny on Fashion Police! She's a sweetheart.

via

Lisa Vanderpump aka Pinky

In the running for my favorite housewife. This was one of my favorite Real Housewives of Beverly Hills moments - pink chocolate Louboutins!

via

Spice Girls

In middle school I sang my student council campaign speech to "Wannabe" with my running mate. I didn't win that year but overcame the defeat and went on to have a successful student council career.

via

Harry Potter

Must say with fake accent.

Honorable mentions for Sharon Osbourne, David Beckham, Robert Pattinson, Emma Watson, Kate Beckinsale and Kate Winslet. Did I overlook anyone?

Click below for more pink and green from the lovely hostess Trishy at Pink Preppy Lilly Lover!

Amy's Bridal Shower

My friend Amy is tying the knot in June and over Easter weekend I attended her bridal shower to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. The yellow theme was so bright and cheerful I forgot about the April showers outside.

With the bride and her sister-in-law, Erica. We all went to high school together.

Guests were able to provide words of wisdom for Amy on a vintage typewriter.

The food was delicious and as usual I'm going to focus on dessert. My first sweet and salty cupcake - vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, caramel and Fleur de Seul topped with custom made fondant engagement rings with sugar diamonds. There were two cupcake stands and they tasted as good as they look.

Candy jars and striped baggies lined a table for a sweet treat to go. The floral arrangements were all yellow, no fillers.

This present wins the gift wrapping award, it was HUGE (photo by Amy's sister)! Guests took turns quizzing the bride while she unwrapped gifts with questions that Erica had asked Amy's fiancé prior to the shower. Always a fun game, especially when the groom just happens to pop in during questioning.

Shower well done! Definitely took some notes for future party planning.

Wear Sunscreen

Nicole and Michelle Tunics $129

Wishing that was me poolside right now...but that's not what this is about. The tunics featured are by Mott 50 and have a UPF 50 (Ultraviolet Protection Factor - the clothing equivalent of SPF in sunscreen). I learned about the brand from a colleague last week and a piece of  Daily Candy yesterday reminded me to share.

Connolly Wrap Dress $119

Leigh Sundress $145

The brand offers an entire line of sun protective clothing, but the tunics and dresses stand out. After reviewing some FAQ I learned that the UPF level will hold up for about 30 washes. For comparison, a regular white t-shirt has a UFP 5.

If I spent more time outside I would be all for it, given the quality and style look as good in person. Thoughts?

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Pearl Tinted Lotion

And while on the topic of the sun... I had an unfortunate experience with this product. I love the spray, so thought I would give this a shot. I expected the results to be gradual, otherwise I would have been more thorough. I woke up the next day covered in glitter with some pretty intense streaks. I applied another coat and it wasn't so bad. I am willing to give this one more try before I toss it due to poor application.

How hard is it to apply self tanner to your feet? I swear I have Googled this 100 times. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate. I even came across this Howdini video with Lisa Birnbach, our preppy aficionado, while researching! Whenever I think it's not so bad, I step into the natural light and the sun reflects beams of orange from my feet. I'm exaggerating, but you get my drift. Help! (Please don't tell me Jergens Natural Glow. I can't stand the smell.)

Weekend Update

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was filled with family, friends and many sweets! I can't think of a better Easter treat than Cadbury Creme Eggs tied with a pink and green bow.

I am going to be a in a food coma for a few days. My mom fixed a wonderful meal that included this strawberry salad. What a great recipe for the spring and summer!

Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Goat-Cheese Bruschetta
Yield: 6 servings

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced red onion
• 3/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups torn spinach (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups halved strawberries
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 (3-ounce) log goat cheese, cut into 6 slices
• 6 (1-ounce) slices French bread, toasted

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a jar; cover dressing tightly, and shake vigorously.

Combine the spinach and strawberry halves in a large bowl, and toss gently. Pour the dressing over the spinach mixture, tossing gently to coat. Spoon 1 cup salad onto each of 6 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon toasted almonds. Spread cheese over toast slices; top each salad with 1 bruschetta.

Cooking Light, April 1998

As I read in the recipe reviews, to make it a main dish add grilled chicken and mix the goat cheese into the salad. Yum!

As you may have read I was looking forward to Water for Elephants. It didn't live up to my expectations, but I wasn't entirely disappointed. There were scenes that were hard to watch (thanks to those who warned me so I was prepared with tissues) and it was darker than I thought it would be. I'm curious to know what those of you that read the book have to say. I would have imagined Reese Witherspoon's character Marlena cast as someone a bit younger. Something about her and Robert Pattinson didn't quite mesh. I will say, spectacular performance by Tai the elephant!

No one can deny Reese looked glamorous in her 1930's costume and hair. You can see some of the sketches by wardrobe designer Jacqueline West on InStyle.com.

I also went to a lovely bridal shower on Saturday, details to come.

Last but not least, wishing my friend Amanda a Happy Birthday! Miss you and hope we can celebrate soon!  xoxo

Happy Easter!

via

Loveknot Links

"Love Thy City"
Earlier this week I went to a launch for PopSugar City and Bing Mobile Deals at Thom Bar in SoHo. Through Bing you can search multiple sites (including Groupon and Living Social) for local deals on your iPhone or Android. Verizon hurry up and release the next iPhone for me please!

It was an awesome event. Here I am with Corinne looking at a demo. Throughout the night they gave away prizes to those tweeting about the event. Funny to see everyone around the room hooked to their phones... but I guess it's like that anyway.

PopSugar City offers deals in the following cities:

• Seattle
• San Fransisco
• Silicon Valley
• Los Angeles
• Chicago
• Boston
• New York
• Washington, DC

You can sign up to get daily alerts. I haven't taken advantage of any offers yet, but have been tempted so it's only a matter of time. (If you like reading PopSugar - celebrity news, fashion, style, etc. - then the deals will be appealing! I find other sites aren't consistent in their offerings since they are targeting such a wide audience.)

What do you think of the local daily deals biz? I get SO many emails it's hard to keep up. But I have scored a couple good deals including yoga classes. I think it's a great way to give an activity, service or eatery a try. Just be sure read the fine print!

Giveaways

• Monogrammed Derby Hat Giveaway - Maryland Pink and Green - Hat of your choice from Marley Lilly (ends 4/25)

Hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Fashion Fridays: The IOU Project

I'm linking up with Kori for my first Fashion Fridays! How cute is this madras dress? It is handmade, one-of-a-kind and traceable. Using a mobile app you can track back to its origins in India. The person that wove the fabric could see the finished product on YOU. Pretty cool! The initiative bringing consumers and artisans together is called The IOU Project. I learned about its upcoming launch from a blogger outreach.

If you asked what came to mind upon hearing the word sustainability it would be the meat in my Chipolte burrito, not my clothing. Watching IOU's video made me realize that 99% of what's hanging in my closet is mass produced (hello Forever 21) and even brought back the horrors of learning about sweatshops when I was younger. I think if we all consciously chose handmade over assembly line once in awhile together we can make a difference. Call me cheesy but this hit my conscious!

Did you ever think you would have the option to buy a traceable dress? Crazy! Would you take part in this project?

Pink and Green Thursday: Delivery

I'm late to Pink and Green Thursday...but do have a reason for my tardiness. I was keeping close tabs on the shipping tracking for my Marley Lilly Monogrammed Derby Floppy Hat and knew that it would be waiting for me when I got home today. After I saw pictures of all you southern belles wearing your hats at the Carolina Cup that was it. Had to have. I chose the hot pink trim with lime green monogram. I love how it turned out and what a great day to show it off.

To my surprise I had another pink and green delivery today! I was the lucky winner of the Lush Life Pink and Green Giveaway from the stylish ladies of Rococo and Caffeine. The product details are on their lovely blog - you must check it out.

Everything smells great. I may have been wearing my new floppy hat while smothering on the Mint Julips Lip Scrub... haha. Lip care derby style?

As always, thanks to the fab Pink Preppy Lilly Lover for hosting. Click below for more pink and green goodness!

A Day At the Circus

I'm looking forward to seeing Water For Elephants starring Reese Witherspoon this weekend with one of my gal pals from high school. It has become a ritual to have a movie night whenever we are both in town for a holiday. (I also have yet to see Robert Pattinson in a role other than Edward Cullen. Yes, I'm a Twihard... and would like to note that I read the books first.)

I just read Reese's latest interview for Vogue, A Day at the Circus, that features beautiful photographs by Peter Lindbergh. Must read! I love the quirky things she says. "I have a squirrelly energy . . . Like, you don’t know where your next nut is gonna come from?”

Speaking of the high-fashion bible... for a laugh you must check out Rumors I've Heard About Anna Wintour if you haven't seen it already. Hilarious!

Have you read Water for Elephants? Excited for the movie? Am I going to regret not reading it first?!