This post was created in partnership with Keurig Green Mountain®; all opinions, images, and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site!

Just about every post I’ve been sharing here this week has one thing in common: joy over the impending kick-off of summer this holiday weekend! Summer has an extra special feeling since we moved to our ocean-side town outside the city last year. We get an influx of friends coming down to see us (ahem, use us for our beach passes) and family members pile up their visits during these warmer months to make use of the waterfront. read more

A red gingham table cloth at picnics, white hydrangeas and tulips on my cookout table, and tons of little American flags tucked everywhere from our yard to on top of cupcakes – an Americana-inspired party theme is one of my favorites for summer! The nice thing about these red white and blue party details is that they work all summer long, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with the Fourth of July and countless barbeques in between. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite red white and blue party supplies get you inspired for summer celebrations! read more

The temperature hit 80 degrees yesterday and I’m now summer-crazed. It might be that we were a bit cooped up this winter with a newborn? Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m working for myself this year and know I’ll have a bit more flexibility to spend time outside. Whatever it is, I’m so excited for summer. Last night Mike and I were sitting on the couch talking about how we want to host a big clambake this summer. We also pulled all of our outdoor furniture out of the shed and got our yard set up for dining al fresco. Jane even had a little quality time playing on a blanket in the grass. Summer is the best. I have a few favorite tricks I lean on for setting up an easy, casual summer party, and as we gear up for Memorial Day weekend, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a few of them! read more

When I say hostess gift, what’s your go-to idea? I bet it’s wine! I love giving a bottle of wine when I get invited somewhere for dinner, or a bottle of bubbly for brunch. I was thinking recently about ways to jazz up this traditional hostess gift with something a bit more fun and unexpected. Warmer weather is right around the corner, and I love a glass of fruity, crisp white sangria. My DIY light bulb went off and I thought how fun it would be to make a sangria kit to bring along to parties. read more

I have a stack of my favorite cookbooks out to brainstorm my menu for Mother’s Day Brunch this weekend. I celebrated early with my own mom last weekend (with a trip to Home Goods, the cornerstone of our loving relationship). So this weekend we’re having my in-laws over for brunch. I’ve been wanting to try several recipes from Joy The Baker’s new brunch book: Over Easy, and I am digging into my own site archives to pull out a few favorites. I thought I’d share 10 of my favorite brunch ideas to get you inspired too! Any bright ideas for your own Mother’s Day brunch menu? Share them with me in the comments, I’d love to hear them!  read more

Spring can be pretty fleeting around here, we tend to go from cold, dark rainy days right into that warm, high-70’s weather that just begs for beach days and barbeques and ice cream. I have my sights set on Memorial Day weekend to officially kick-off summer! Last summer I got to partner with Better Homes & Gardens to share some recipes in their Summer Entertaining Guide. This year I’m excited to contribute a few more ideas from their annual guide and use some of the items they sent me in their Summer Party Box to create a summer to do list! read more

I’m getting in the fiesta-spirit for Cinco de Mayo this weekend, because any excuse to pour a pitcher of margaritas is reason for celebration, right? Outside of this extra festive holiday, I think ‘fiesta’ is generally one of my favorite party themes. Brightly colored lapel picado banners,tissue paper fringe covered piñatas, and of course a Mexican-inspired menu are all key. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite Cinco de Mayo party supplies to help get those fiesta inspiration juices flowing.  read more

This post was created in partnership with Keurig Green Mountain®; opinions are my own.

You may have noticed that I’ve been talking about brunch around here a lot lately. I have a newfound appreciation for this meal since it’s usually the time of day when miss Jane is at her best. Since taking the blog full time I suddenly have lots more time on the weekends – time that used to be dedicated to getting blog projects done — to appreciate brunch too. More than that though, this time of year seems to be chock full of baby showers and bridal luncheons and it’s-finally-spring-let’s-have-people-over brunches. read more

It doesn’t always look like spring has arrived when you live in New England (this week alone I’ve gone through three different coats, boots, and ballet flats – make up your mind, weather!) but I still have big armfuls of bright spring flowers on the mind as we head into Easter celebrations this weekend. Over the winter I got a chance to watch Alice, from Alice’s Table, do a demonstration on flower arranging at an entertaining event. In just a few short minutes I picked up lots of great tips from her and thought it would be great to get some of her insight on arranging professional looking arrangements at home. I’m going to be using a few of these tips for adding flowers to upcoming Easter brunch, bridal showers, and sometimes just a pretty bouquet to add a little spring to our grey New England days! read more