Sand, Sea, and Sun

Well it's Friday and its a cloudy and humid day here in New York City. I am wishing that instead of sitting at my desk at work staring at a computer screen, I was sitting on a lounge chair on the sand looking over the Mediterranean. Oh well, I guess I can dream! 

(Image Source)

Dreaming of...

PARIS! Paris is on the top of my list of places to visit in Europe.  I think I would love walking around and admiring the architecture and the beauty of the city, walking the parks, eating lots of crepes, croissants, and fresh baguettes and sitting at cafes, people watching.  Of course there are the museums and art, but as people who know me well will tell you, I am not a big museum person. Anyway, one day, I will go!  For now I dream...

 

 

 

 (Photos via Pinterest)

Wedding Paper Divas

It has been a long time since I have posted a blog entry.  Between traveling to Amsterdam to visit my husband’s family, work, anniversary/memorial day weekend trip to Miami, and trying to figure things out personally, I have had a hard time focusing on the blog and coming up with new posts.  But it’s a new month and I am ready to start up my blog again!

Since we are now in wedding season, I thought I would blog about the website Wedding Paper Divas. It is a great website to buy invitations, save the dates, reception items like menu cards and place cards, thank you cards, address labels, and also moving announcement cards. You can also find party invitations for engagement and bachelorette parties, and bridal showers.   I love how Wedding Paper Divas designs are simple, chic, and modern. Here are some of my favorites*

Wedding Invitations

  

   

 

Bridal Shower Invitations

 

Bachelorette Party Invitations

 

Address Labels 

(based on your location)

(*click on the photos to be taken to the item on Wedding Paper Divas website)

Spring Baking: Lemon Ricotta Cookies

With spring in the air and Easter in a few weeks, I thought I would share a cookie recipe that I recently tried that I think is perfect for spring.  I made these cookies back in February for my sister’s birthday. The cookies came out really well and the flavor of the lemon really stands out and was refreshing. The cookies are softer than an average cookie due to the ricotta.  The recipe is very easy but making the glaze was the tough part. It is a mix of powdered sugar and lemon juice but it was not easy to stir the two ingredients together into a glaze. I ended up adding more lemon juice than the recipe called for because the mixture was very stiff and ended up with a lemon flavor that was more than intended. Regardless, the cookies overall were great and I will be making them for dessert for Easter.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients for cookies: 

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Ingredients for glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies: 

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

Rue Magazine & Kate Spade Bedding

I just went through the latest edition of Rue magazine and loved their spread on the upcoming bedding collection from Kate Spade.   Here is a fabulous video made by You + ME* & Trent Bailey Photo that showcases the photo shoot. (I really love the black and white bedding collection with the Mr. & Mrs. pillows and the gold accents throughout the room!)

Make Your Bed for Rue from You + ME* & Trent Bailey Photo on Vimeo.

Love this...

 

Photo via Etsy.

Vera Wang Collection at David's Bridal

Since wedding season is coming up, I thought I would dedicate this post to wedding dresses and focus on one collection that I recently saw. My sister had informed me of the Vera Wang line of wedding dresses for David's Bridal and when she told me about it I wasn't that excited because I personally feel that when high end designers try to design and make clothes for lower priced retail outlets their styles do not appeal to me and the materials used are never of the best quality (I guess that is why they are lower priced). But I was surprised when one night I was watching E! News and they had a feature on Vera Wang and her new collection of wedding dresses at David's Bridal. I must say that  I was impressed! I loved all of the dresses that were featured. The collection is called "White by Vera Wang". The dresses are affordable and range in price from $600 to $1400.  

Here are a few of my favorite dresses from the collection (as a side note, I really think that David's Bridal needs to rethink their choice of models, especially for this collection. She is too skinny and the makeup they used on her makes her look very pale and vampire-like. And a smile would have been nice since the dresses are for a joyous occasion...but that is just my opinion...)

Here are two of my big favorites. The dress on the right I love because of its Grecian style. The dress on the left, I love how its fitted on top with one shoulder and all the ruffles on the bottom.

I also love this dress, even though it is in blush pink.  Again, I love the ruffles on the bottom and the pink brings a different element to a wedding if a bride does not want to go the traditional route.