HAPPY WEEKEND & COCKTAIL TIME!

Happy Friday! I hope ya'll have had a good week and have something fun planned for this weekend! I can't believe it is already July 4th almost.  It is very weird having the 4th fall on a Wednesday this year, so I'm sure there are plenty of people celebrating the holiday both this weekend and next and maybe for the lucky ones, all week long. You have to try ou the margarita & dip recipes and let me know what you think of them.  Both the margarita & Guadalajara sour recipes are the perfect refreshing choice for happy hour over the hot weekend! Would love to know your thoughts on the recipes and if you have any other favorite cocktails recipes to share, please do! Hope your weekend is fabulous! 

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TINY BITS OF TRUTH...

CURRENTLY LOVING..

I am absolutely in love with these Amanda Uprichard print silk shorts.  I have always been a fan of silk shorts for summer but really never felt like I could pull these off until just recently.   I popped into a local boutique this past weekend and immediately was drawn to the bright print of these shorts.  Once I tried them on and liked them I of course had no clue what I was going to wear them with and how to style them.  Jessica, the amazing store manager (it happened to be her last day at that store), helped me put together a perfect outfit, and I was sold on the entire look.  

I have to share with ya'll a little bit about the store manager, Jessica.  She had such a magnetic personality and told me the reason she decided to quit her position as store manager was that after living in New York City for 9 1/2 years and having grown so much during that time, she just felt like it was time for her to find out what she really wanted out of life.  She went on to tell me that she recently had an uncle pass away that opened her eyes again to how short life really is and that at the end of the day what really matters is family and the relationships you've made and have cultivated in your life.  Yes I'm sure you are thinking how in the world did you have a heart to heart with the store manager, and I have to  admit this isn't unusual for me to meet someone and be able to tell you their entire life story by the time I walk away from the conversation.  I'm not sure if that is due to the fact that people seem comfortable to share these personal things with me or that I will ask a million questions always in every conversation?  I tend to think of it as a combination of both, but regardless, it happens quite often and I love hearing about other people's journey in life.  It really is eye opening and she just reminded me again to take time to figure out "what this whole journey of life is really all about."   Honestly, I can't remember the last time I spoke with someone with such a genuine, calm, and positive energy and outlook on life.  The greatest take away from our conversation was just to make sure you don't wake up in ten years after keeping your nose to the grindstone and not coming up for air, and realize at 40 the life you envisioned might not be possible anymore.  I came across a quote I pinned a while back that reminds me and hopefully ya'll to simply "Enjoy life now, this is not a rehearsal." 

CUT OFF CRAZY

My absolutely very favorite thing to wear during the summer happens to be my J Brand denim cut off shorts.  I originally bought my first pair of these three years ago and literally would not take them off, don't judge they are that fabulous.  After realizing that at the rate I was wearing them they were surely not going to make it to the following year, I immediately purchased two additional pairs of them and have stocked up on the colored denim cut offs this past year as well.  Needless to say, I am a believer that cut offs can be appropriate for so many different occasions: the beach, a summertime BBQ, a casual brunch, the movies, a friend's rooftop for dinner, drinks for happy hour, and many more.  I recently came across an amazing deal on some cute colored denim cut offs at two different stores and had to share these budget friendly options with ya'll as well.  Both Topshop and Old Navy have several colors of denim cut offs that are the perfect summer staple.  Old Navy's shorts are only $17.50, at that price you can take one pair in every color! Do ya'll have a favorite brand of cut off denim that I need to try out? 

J Brand Cut Offs/ Old Navy Cut Offs/ Topshop Cut Offs

THIS OR THAT?

Happy Monday and hope ya'll are having a good start to the week!  Recently, I have come across several similar items that I knew I loved but couldn't decide which I thought I would get more wear out of.  Decisions, decisions! The turquoise tassel earrings below are everywhere these days and I have seen them on so many people and love the look but still can't decide if they are way too big for me since I rarely wear earrings much bigger than studs.  What do ya'll think about the earrings? Let me know, curious if they are too much of a statement piece or just the right amount of color to make any outfit complete! 

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TINY BITS OF TRUTH

SEE IT. OWN IT. LOVE IT.

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Whew! What a week, and I know I've been slacking on the blog posts this past week and a half.  I needed a little break to catch up on things at home and am back at it with a few posts this Thursday.  How has your week been?  Summertime is definitely here in NYC with the temperatures in the past two days unbelievably steamy and hot! I have so many favorites on my wish list and the moment that I had the hardest time deciding which to include in this post.  The red mini vase is AMAZING. I just received it from Design Darling and you can purchase it here.  I also am loving the fabulous red Society Social chair and think it would be the perfect addition to my desk and living room area.  I really love just about every single thing on the Society Social site to be honest.  Hope your week has been lovely and you are looking forward to the weekend! 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I hope ya'll had a very fabulous Father's Day yesterday! I couldn't let the day pass without wishing a very HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Dad! A belated Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's out there and hope your day was fabulous!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH

ESCAPE AWAY TO...

It's been a crazy week playing catch up and getting back to NYC following major delays in Dallas... thank goodness for the airport Xpress Spa, highly recommend it anytime you have a long delay at DFW! It's Friday and I am wishing I was heading on vacation to a relaxing beach, St. Simons Island in Georgia would be the perfect long weekend vacation to getaway and soak up the sun.  If ya'll haven't been to St. Simons Island it's a great summer vacation! I absolutely LOVE this towel that I've seen all over the place recently and really it speaks for itself, right? 

What do ya'll have going on this weekend? Any fun plans? I'd love ya'll to share them with me! I am looking forward to being here this weekend and not traveling as it seems I've been in the airport a bit too much these past few weeks.  I am looking forward to this amazing weather we are having in New York right now, 70's in June feels like Paradise compared to the 100 degree temperatures in Texas.  

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CURRENTLY LOVING

These days, there certainly isn't a shortage of online boutiques.  Each one stocked with curated unique finds and with the use of social networking tools such as pinterest, it seems I am daily coming across a new fabulous online shop.  I have found so many wonderful treasures and secret gems over the past few years, that I  literally have so many bookmarks in my bookmarks manager now that I will eventually have to take more than one day to sort through, organize and rearrange all of this disorganized link chaos.  One of my most recent discoveries I had to share with ya'll because it is literally one of those fabulous shops that has affordable, unique and amazing items for everyone and anyone.  Since I found this site a few months ago, I've already ordered twice, thus I felt I couldn't keep this store to myself any longer. If you have not heard of Leif, you absolutely must get to know this online boutique stocked full of everything amazing.  Officially,  Leif is a shop of "colorful goods for beautiful living," but it is so much more than that too.  A personal favorite from the shop are the brightly colored tribal print bracelets that come in two sizes.  See below for a few of my favorites from Leif and make sure to pop on over to their site, you're going to love everything!!

Serving Spoon//Tart Server//Tribal Server//Spice Cellar Set//Batik Tray & Spreader Set

MONDAY MUSINGS....

Monday is more than halfway over and I am playing catch up today after a long weekend in Austin for a good friend's wedding.  Lots to do after a wonderful wedding weekend, but in the meantime, a belated bits of truth post from last week since I was not on the ball on Thursday and didn't get this posted before heading to Austin for the weekend.  Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend and having a good start to the week! 

I can't get enough of the Call Me Maybe parodies, they are everywhere these days.  This video of Rebecca Minkoff, Hilary Rhoda, and Leandra Medine (The Man Repeller) getting ready for the CFDA Awards is fabulous, by any chance, Rebecca, are you hiring? I'd like to sign up as your new best friend and assistant, think we would be great friends instantly! Seriously though, don't they all look like so much fun?

 And finally, READ: a remarkable graduation speech given by author Anne Lamott.  Another reminder to take a moment to pause and enjoy your life in the present moment.  

NO PLACE LIKE NEW YORK CITY

Last weekend I walked the Brooklyn Bridge with friends to have brunch at Bubby's in Dumbo.  It was the second time I've actually walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and I must say if you have never done that while living or visiting New York City, it is definitely worth it, and a wonderful experience, not to mention you can get some incredible photos from the bridge of the city.  The first time I ventured across the bridge was two years ago when I was living in NYC for the summer and got the bright idea to take my parents with me in the 100 degree heat to trek over a mile one-way across the bridge.   Let me just say, I highly recommend you DO NOT take your parents across the bridge in the dog days of summer to wait  in line at Grimaldi's while the pizza bus unloads with an entire bus full of people who will be ahead of you in line.  Overall, they absolutely loved the chance to see something they never would have done had I not suggested it,  and really we all enjoyed Grimaldi's pizza, probably would have thought it was amazing had we not been standing in line outside waiting for over an hour to get a slice of it! A few photo favorites from the first time across the bridge are below.  

However, this past weekend could not have been more perfect. Everything about the day, the gorgeous sunny but not too warm weather, the stroll across the bridge where I captured the photos below, and the brunch, oh the brunch was AMAZING.  Bubby's is also located in Tribeca, but I loved the spacious layout of the one in Dumbo and we did not have to wait at all to get a table which is rare on a Sunday around brunch time.  Overall it was a wonderful day, and a second great experience walking the bridge.  Have any of ya'll walked across the Brooklyn Bridge? If so, aren't the views amazing? 

Finally, that leads me to the video, A Year In New York, shown below.  I mean it speaks for itself, and reminds me there is no place like New York City.  Don't get me wrong, I love Austin, TX and I will always hold it near and dear to my heart, but I get excited every single time I return to NYC and every single day I wake up here is exciting, a new adventure, and I have no clue what I might see or experience on any given day here in the city.  There is no place like it, and the video is another reminder of what makes this city so fabulous!

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING & WATCH THIS...

No seriously, whatever you are doing right at this moment can certainly wait the three and a half minutes it will take you to watch this video.  It's a simple video, with a truly amazing message that I personally can relate in many ways.

Told you that it was worth watching.  The company, Buddy Media, connects major brands with their customers throughout all the major social media networks.  It is a raw and emotional video by Buddy Media CEO Michael Lazerow, and incredible that he does not speak at all, not one word, during the entire video.  It certainly causes all who see the video to pause a second and wonder whether fear in our oown lives is holding us back or are we living without fear, which as Lazerow reminds us, "if you live without fear, anything is possible." Congratulations, Michael not only on the acquisition but also for living without fear and reminding all of us to do the same. Are you living without fear or is fear holding you back? 

RECIPE LOVE

It's no secret that I think I could survive off of cheese and candy.  Yes I love both that much and would probably have my last meal be some sort of combination of the two. So when I came across a simple, delicious recipe for MINI mac & cheese pies, I was thrilled to find one of my favorite meals in miniature form.  Doesn't it seem like everything can be miniaturized these days, you name, they make it miniaturized.  These mini mac & cheese pies would be the perfect side dish for anything you grill out, steak, chicken, whatever you choose.  See the easy recipe below and let me know what you think of these mini mac & cheese pies.

JUNE FAVORITES

Well I am way delayed in getting this post up, seems like the weekend slipped away from me and here we are back at Monday already! How was your weekend?  It was absolutely perfect weather here in NYC today, minus a brief rain shower, it was the perfect Sunday.  I remember it being much warmer last time I was living here in June, so I have no complaints if I have to substitute a little rain for cooler temps!
I couldn't let the first week of June pass without sharing what I am loving this month. Check out my favorite things below, and let me know what you're looking forward to this month, a fun trip maybe or something else. Would love to hear about it!

 Trina Turk Collection/ Tony Awards/ Beach/ Public Bikes/ Summer Lights

Trina Turk and Banana Republic's recent promo for the launch of their collaboration on June 7th has taken cuteness to the next level.  If the video doesn't make you want to run to your nearest Banana Republic and scoop up all of the Trina Turk collection, I don't know what will.  It is adorable!

And finally, since it's Monday & I don't know about ya'll but I have a case of the Mondays, enjoy the random video below! I love EVERYTHING about it- the song, the guy, his dance moves, all of it- AMAZING. Happy Monday!

HELLO, JUNE!

And it's officially June 1st folks! The dog days of summer are upon us, and although here in New York there have only been a few days of dreadful heat thus far (I am going to regret making this statement come August), I know ya'll in Texas have had some unbearably hot days  so it definitely feels like June to ya'll.  I am in BIG TIME need of some sun at the moment (it's raining, AGAIN this morning here in NYC, yuck!), and can't wait to head south next weekend for a good friend's wedding in Austin, and a few days at home in Waco.  Fingers crossed it's bright and sunny the entire time I'm home so I can finally catch some rays and get a little color.  Do ya'll have anything fun planned for this month? Any vacations or special plans?