My weekend recap is a little light today, because truthfully I spent most of it hiding in my air conditioning from the crazy heat wave we’ve been having in Boston. I ventured away from the window unit in our bedroom for just enough time to mix up some St Germain cocktails —  anything to stay cool and refreshed! How did you beat the heat this weekend?

Entertaining a weekend guest can be a daunting task — even when it’s one of my closest friends or siblings visiting, I still find myself in prep-mode before their arrival. I’m usually fluffing pillows and tidying rooms, grabbing items at the grocery store, and putting out my best soaps and towels right up until the doorbell rings.

Does this sound familiar? Have some thoughts on this topic? Well if so, I’d love for you to join me tonight at 8pm for a #homemakerhappyhr Twitter chat hosted by Wayfair! We’ll be discussing tips and tricks for entertaining weekend guests, finding fabulous hostess gifts, and decorating guest bedrooms.

And to help you prepare for your own entertaining and decorating challenges, the nice folks at Wayfair are giving one lucky reader a $50 gift card!

To enter, leave a blog comment below with your email address. For extra entries you can:

Add a comment for each extra entry; I’ll announce the winner on Thursday night!

I have a few sneak peeks of a photoshoot I helped out on this weekend — I can’t wait for the pictures to be published because I have some very talented girlfriends at Bring to Light Photography and Little Flower Cottage. It also didn’t hurt that I got to drink a few of the props when we wrapped!

It was a pretty amazing weekend; I had tons of fun celebrating my fiance’s birthday at the delicious Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston. Saturday was spent sourcing some eye-catching treats at Macaron Sweeterie. And Sunday was the cherry on top of a fun weekend, working on a styled shoot with two of my best friends — check back tomorrow for a sneak peek! How did you spend your weekend?
My new cooler tote is c/o Scout by Bungalow

I went back through a few snaps from the weekend on Instagram, and combined they just look like Summer. I stocked up on lemons to make a delicious, fresh cocktail with elderflower cordials, wild tea vodka, and sparkling lemon water (I got thirsty just typing that!). And another highlight of the weekend was the arrival of a crisp new pair of Jack Rogers sandals in the mail — I had some very happy feet. What were you up to this weekend?

I’m excited to be participating in the adorable “if blogger’s ruled the world” series over on Julie’s blog, Julip Made, where I’m sharing some of my best blogging moments, entertaining tips, and more! Head over and check out the series, and be sure to stick around to read the rest of her site, she’s always cooking up something fabulous!

 

 

This week’s 5 under $50 was inspired by one of the motifs we’re using in our wedding invites — anchors! It seems like they’re the shape of the moment; they’re on just about everything! These are 5 of my favorites for bargain, plus a bonus for your home (don’t you love the bottle opener?):

Bracelet ($45), iPhone case ($25), Bottle Opener ($9), T-shirt ($40), Espadrilles ($25), Earrings ($19)

Last week I took a calligraphy class with one of my friends in Boston’s North End. I’ve always admired the delicate details of invitations and menus done in calligraphy and I was hoping to pick up the skill in time for addressing my own wedding invites. Here is what I learned: it’s a lot harder than it looks! It was great to understand all of the basic strokes and techniques, but I think it’s going to take a lot of practice before I start writing up cards on my own. I had lots of fun though, and loved looking at all of the different styles in Liz’s gorgeous studio space. For all of the Boston readers, if you’re interested in taking a class, check out Lettering By Liz — I recommend it!


I kicked off the July 4th celebrations a little early this weekend, taking in some local fireworks, bbq-ing with friends (how cute are my friend’s mason jar drink dispensers?) and spent some time by the waterfront looking at the tall ships. I’m ready to take on the week, mostly because it’s a short one — here’s to making it to the mid-week holiday!

Want to keep up with the rest of my adventures? Follow me on Instagram and Twitter

I had a perfect little Sunday visiting my parents at home in NY. We had a family BBQ and I broke out paper straws for our cocktails and put together an Americana inspired table with mini-flags and red gingham plates. I took a bunch of pictures and I’ll share them later in the week!

Want to keep up with the rest of my adventures? Follow me on Instagram and Twitter

 
 
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