what are you doing nye?

i hope you have a safe, fabulous evening, 

whatever your plans. 

i plan on having a sumptuous night in with david, 

some organic, grass-fed filet, delicious champagne, and romantic, classic movies. 

and maybe a little something sparkly.

cheers!

xo

gift horse

via

nothing pisses me off more than seeing christmas and holiday decor out and about even before halloween.

(ok, i lied. things which piss me off more: my waistline, drivers who refuse to use their blinkers, old navy commercials, the waiter bringing me flat water when i clearly asked for sparkling 
(i said "con gas"!!!)...

i digress.

the day after halloween, my inbox was flooded with the 

first wave of this year's onslaught of 

holiday deals/gift ideas/party dresses/etc.  

all of this has me freaking out a little bit

--i have got to get on it with my cards! gifts! i'm living across the country from everyone...just how am i going to do this?!--

but also has me excited. 

i truly love the holidays. 

my family schedule is always jam-packed with fun events 

of memory-making material, and i do my best to 

decorate/cook/craft up the season. 

in that vein, 
(and because when i went to the halloween party armed with a bottle of veuve to give the hostess, people looked at me funny--and not because i was dressed like sexy dorothy), 
i thought i would share with you some of my favorite hostess gifts, including some new ones i'm going to use this season, and get your opinion on the act itself. 

do you normally give a hostess gift when attending 

a (holiday or otherwise) party?

what is your favorite thing to give? to get?

here are a few of mine:

 

1. veuve clicquot brut yellow label 2. st. germain 3. two hands shiraz 4. knob creek bourbon 5. avion tequila (exposado, silver, or anejo)

you can never go wrong with a nice bottle of booze.

unless, of course, the recipient doesn't drink. so yeah.

poilâne french bread.

you can order a fresh loaf to be shipped overnight for about $35bucks. it is an extravagance for sure, but for the right recipient and special occasion, it would make an impression, and be a thoughtful (and delicious) gift.

 

1. votivo 2. balenciaga 3. tom ford 4. diptyque 5. temperley

6. d.l. & co. 7. fomasetti 8. d.l. & co. 9. seda france 10. koff

the left side was curated solely on scent; 

these are my faves, & they are delicious.

the ones on the right are showstoppers as far as candles go.

gorgeous!

(now if someone could send me one of each of these, that'd be great. mmmmkay? thanks.)

those are my top three simple hostess gifts... however, i often like to create custom baskets/bags for that special event. 

they are, in fact, kind of a signature of mine, 

and i really love creating them. 

the key is to tailor it to the recipient, as with any gift; i'll show you what i mean soon. 

stay tuned...i've got to go untangle the spider webbing from our front gate, take the spiders and pumpkins down, and start planning our thanksgiving dinner!

xo

drybar

i audibly squealed this morning when i read a tweet from my fabulous inside scooper buddy @WhatNowAtlanta...

(and then i vom'd in my mouth for writing squeal.)

drybar is coming to town!

you know that feeling you get when you leave the salon, 

feeling all fresh and new? 

drybar will give you that experience for a fraction of 

the normal price.

prepare yourselves, my well tressed southern friends.

according to the What Now Atlanta website, 

the chic boutique salon recently filed permits for construction on its soon-to-be-fabulous 1,500 sq ft west paces ferry 

location in the buckhead village. 

*eeek!*

but what is it, you ask?

"no cuts. no color. just blowouts, for $35."

the brainchild of pr/blow dry maven alli webb, the biz was born after alli's referral-only, in-home blowout service, ahem, blew up, and she took things to the next level. 

a dream team of professionals was assembled to create this genius concept combining some of our girly favorite pastimes: 

a gorgeous blowout, impeccable customer service, and cocktails.

yes please.

(honestly, WHY didn't I think of this?!)

 take a look at their clean, cool aesthetic: 

 

i spy kerastase... good job, kids; they know their product!

upon arrival, you can choose from a bevvy of blowout styles, and a variety of add-ons:

i'll take a cosmo with a floater and some bubbly on the side, please!

imagine it: having your locks expertly tailored during your next girls' night out, sipping champ' while dissecting 

the f/w '11 collections? 

(petticoats, paillettes, tripartite, oh my!)

better yet, hosting a fun event at drybar:

a bach party/wedding day's jumping off point, the junior league ball committee's latest planning sesh, some real atlanta housewives getting some much-needed time away from les bebes, or even the sweet sixteen celebration of westminster's latest deb;

yes yes yes. 

the team at drybar takes care of the cocktails and blowouts, you bring the party. 

done.

check out the rundown, as told by alli herself:

Drybar Overview from drybar on Vimeo.

too many handcrafted cocktails at holeman & finch last night? 

the thought of having to do your hair for today's bridal shower making you want to chunder everywah?

drybar nourishes both your hair and your hangover; blowouts on saturdays and sundays from 10-2, complete with complimentary croissants and bagels. 

and coffee. lots of coffee. 

drybar even offers a bartab system; you can purchase an allotment of blowouts at a discounted rate, or better yet (for addicts like i'm sure to become) join their monthly program for 2 or 4 blowouts per/month, & get discounts and special offers 

(like free head & neck massages!). 

with eight locations currently operating mostly on the west coast, drybar is crossing over to the ec with shops to open in nyc, washington dc and of course atlanta soon. 

becoming a barfly never looked better.

call it bespoke cheveux.

and i can't wait to geaux.

xo


*all photos via drybar.

off the starboard bow

(via thelonleyisland)


happy monday, mermaids. and men.

saw this on my sisterwife's blog today.

made me want to be here.
on a boat.
drinkin santana champ 'cause its so crisp...

had to watch. 

yet again.

(for you, e & b!)

nsfw

but funny as hell. 

xo

i heart ny

(via tumblr)

(via tumblr)

(via google)

(via flickr)

(via love.designxmag.com)

(via tumblr)

(via alovetrain)

(via alovetrain)

(via blog.babble)

congratulations, new york.

as our friend mike so wisely put it:

"that's why they call it new york new york, 

ladies and ladies, 

and 

gentlemen and gentlemen. 

love lives in new york

no matter WHO it is you love,

man or woman.

happy for [our] gay friends

who are in loving, committed relationships."

its a big day. 

live it up . celebrate . love well! 

and in honor of this big accomplishment, 

i will be making out with girls all day. 

come and get it.

xo

me time

happy monday!

so this weekend was all

(via flickr, tumblr, and pinterest)

...but you know, with kids around. 

most of the time.

today i'm all

(via leloveimage)

but! instead of moping i'm going to treat myself to some much-needed me time.

its crucial, you know.

when was the last time you 

turned off the cellie, 

turned on a gorgeous symphony, 

slipped into a hot bath 

bubbling with deliciousness 

and enjoyed a glass of cold champagne?

that's what i thought.

go run the water. 

now would be good.

to properly illustrate:

another fun treat you can whip up in the comfort of your casa, no credit card required?

(unlike some of the above splurges!)

a brown sugar scrub

(via thegloss)

i made my version a few days ago, and it is 

positively delish!

scour your pantry for the following, 

then get to scrubbin'!

(note: the recipe can obvs be halved if you don't have enough, like i did :)

*4c brown sugar 

(turbinado if you really don't want no scrubs)

*4c kosher salt

*1c finely ground almond or apricot meal, 

or oatmeal

*1/2c honey

*1/2c almond oil or apricot kernel oil

*5-10 drops vitamin e oil

*optionals: fragrance, sunflower oil, and 2T. avocado, shea, or cocoa butter

*spoon into your fave container--be careful with glass in your bath!--allow scrub to sit overnight after an additional 1/2c almond or apricot kernel oil is added, and enjoy! 

(via glamour)

ps. if this is just too much, you can certainly create a budget 

(on time and $) 

version in a pinch!

*1c brown sugar of your choice

*5-6T. oil of your choice 

*1-2tsp. vanilla

(i have used olive, jojoba and even sunflower)

super easy! 

the point is to treat yourself.

i certainly plan to.

i've got a busy week ahead.

off to get my beauty sleep, lovers!

xo