xoxo, gossip girl

ok, I confess. I've watched an episode or two of "gossip girl", a.k.a. the most ridiculous show on the planet. I mean, are we really supposed to believe that NYC is filled with spoiled-brat-private-school-teenagers who have last names like "van der woodsen" & ride to school in limos, sip martinis & hang out at burlesque clubs?

hopefully not. but when I saw this group of cackling school girls crossing the street in NYC last week, it made me laugh.

red velvet

I took a trip to DC this past week & after a day of sightseeing, my friend kristin & I needed a cupcake (yes, needed!). we had heard good things about red velvet cupcakery, so we tried a vanilla cupcake with chocolate buttercream, an expresso cupcake & their featured flavor, an olive oil cupcake with a fig frosting. so delicious. the fig cupcake won. 

seasonal appetizer: peach + prosciutto + blackberry

when I walk by the peaches in the grocery store, they smell amazing. I knew I wanted to make some sort of appetizer using fresh peaches for our party, but just wasn't sure what. as soon as I saw the cover of the latest jacksonville magazine, I knew it would be the perfect end-of-summer appetizer to recreate.

I cut the peaches into slices, wrapped them in prosciutto & then used a toothpick to stick the blackberry on top. such a delicious combination.

{the perfect summer appetizer}

inspired by: "cool as ice"

grace at designsponge always does these really great "living in" movie montages (see them all here). they are always based around such sweet & classic movies, like "sixteen candles" & "a league of their own". so when vanilla ice's 1991 movie, "cool as ice", came on tv tonight, I thought it would be the perfect "living in" movie to parody.

I can't quite pinpoint what makes this the worst movie ever. is it the film's catchy tag line: "when a girl has a heart of stone, there's only one way to melt it. just add ice."? or perhaps the oscar-worthy acting (my favorite line: "drop that zero and get wit' a hero."). maybe it's the styling, like ice's puffy jacket with "sex me up" on one sleeve & "down by law" on the other? or the fact the the poor director couldn't book single job for 8 years after this film came out? whatever the case, it will definitely make you laugh... a lot.

the inspiration:

the collection:

soulja sunglasses, $15. nationbuild cap , $28. drakkar noir cologne, $40. workout pants, $35. motorcycle, $9,600. single hoop earring, $18. high top sneakers, $22.

our trip to maine

last month robert & I escaped to new england for a long weekend. our friends moved up to portland, maine a few months ago, so we'd been planning to get up to visit them before it got too cold (which for me is like 60°f. gimme a break- I'm from florida).

{fresh seasfood}

{cape elizabeth, maine}

{hand-picked strawberries for our drive to the cape}

{cape elizabeth, maine - so relaxing}

{does this look like a puzzle or what?!}

{wild flowers grow everywhere}

{so does the fruit}

{the most amazing hosts, dani & mark}

{we took the ferry to peak's island & explored the whole thing by foot}

{the quaint peak's island inn}

{how cute is the island post office?}

{watch out, jonah!}

we also spent some time in portsmouth, new hampshire, which was just as beautiful. thanks to our incredible friends & tour guides, mark & dani, who took us all over the place & kept us well fed (seriously, we ate & drank at so many good restaurants. I may have to do a separate post just on food!).

lisbeth salander's IKEA shopping list

what books have been on your reading list this summer? I've been enjoying the millennium trilogy by stieg larsson. if you've read the second book in the series, the girl who played with fire, you will love this post that shows photos of lisbeth salander's ikea shopping list (the books are set in sweden). sadly, I knew some of the pieces just by the names listed in the book. but I love that someone took the time to give us a visual of her apartment. and if you aren't a reader, I also enjoyed the swedish film, the girl with the dragon tattoo (the american version will be out next year, directed by david fincher & starring daniel craig. nuff said!).

9.02.10

thanks for all of the positive comments about my little obsession hobby. to make it even more evident, robert & I hosted a 90210 party on 9.02.10, of course. we served popcorn & ice cream sundaes & showed season one on a big screen outside that robert made from a shower curtain & reclaimed wood from our home renovation. it was a lot of fun. and it makes me pretty happy to know that I have friends who are just as nerdy as I am.

{we served movie theatre butter popcorn & rosemary infused popcorn}

{ice cream sundae bar in honor of the walshes}

{one of the beverages served was the champagne that donna got drunk on at prom}

{I made buttons for the guest who didn't come in costume}

{robert = dylan. I = brenda. kara= amanda from the slumber party episode}

{my mom = brenda from the slumber party episode, with scrunchie & slouchy socks}

{mike= brandon & lisa= knocked-up andrea. jen= kelly taylor}

{bob= steve sanders & reba = valerie}

{we showed season 1 on the lawn on a giant movie screen that robert built}

{brenda + dylan forever}