Entertaining

Summer Entertaining Essentials with Julip Made.

Some of my favorite bloggers are sharing their summer entertaining essentials for being a savvy hostess this season, last but not least in the series is Julie of JulipMade!

Hi DomestiKated Life readers, Julie from Julip Made here sharing with you one of my favorite summer party ideas along with the tools to make it happen. For me there is nothing better than spending a day at the vineyards munching on cheese, sipping on wine, and wiggling your toes in the grass. See below for some ideas to make a vineyard picnic come to life…

JulipMadeforDomestikatedLife
1. Haus Interiors round nickel lantern 2. Furbish coral print cocktail napkin 3. Terrain rustic stripes throw 4. Terrain six stems basket 5. Corkcicle 6. Terrain garden croquet set 7. Sabatine tartufo honey and truffle 8. Saint Andre cheese 9. Virginia Chutney Co. spicy plum chutney 10. Anthropologie colorblocked baguette board 11. Sur la Table market umbrella food tent 12. Household Essentials woven willow picnic basket 13. Anthropologie meadowsweet salad plate 14. Anthropologie farmers market basket.

Thank you so much for having me Kate and please stop by for more entertaining, food, cocktail recipes and more!

Signature

Home

White Out.

Where some people stray away from experimenting with color, I fall on the other end of the spectrum. For me, working with whites and neutrals in my home is a challenge! Yet I love the calming, simple aesthetic that comes from an all-white space. Do you have a serene, neutral room at your house?

For more decorating with white inspiration, check out my houzz post here.

Sources: Chair, Floor Lamp, Cake Stand, Table Lamps, Bookshelf, Pouf, Couch, Pillow, Throw, Clock

Life

Scenes from the weekend.

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?

Life

Guest Post: Julip Made.

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!

 

 

Home

Al Fresco.

Dining outdoors is definitely one of my favorite perks of Summer. These shots from this month’s House Beautiful are a gorgeous example of an al fresco dining set-up; how fun is the window bar?

Recipes

Summer Dinners.

It has been a zillion degrees in my apartment for the past few weeks with this heat wave in Boston, which means I have been quite lazy with making dinners at home. I saw a recipe that required no stove time in this month’s  House Beautiful and it finally inspired me to cook something up besides take out. This recipe was a perfect simple summer meal;  I added on some grilled corn for a little extra color and flavor, and it turned out delicious!

Life

5 Under $50: Anchors Aweigh

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)

Entertaining

Summer Entertaining Essentials With Society Social.

Some of my favorite bloggers are sharing their summer entertaining essentials for being a savvy hostess this season, up next in the series is the master of the bar cart, Roxy, from Society Social:

Hi lovers!! I’m so tickled to be here sharing my summer entertaining essentials because a good social is what I love for! I live in New York City in a shoebox of an apartment so I’ve got to get creative considering the space constraints and I think a sunset picnic in the park is just the thing for the city girl craving big social style! In this case the park will serve as my living, dining, and bar area! Cheers to you!

Bamboo 21 piece insulated picnic basket, Watercolor Picnic Blanket, Francis Ford Coppola Rose 2010, Outdoor lanterns, Monogrammed linen cocktail napkins, Croquet Set, Bose Sound Link Wireless Mobile Speaker

DIY Life

Calligraphy Lessons.

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!


Travel

Scenes from the Weekend.

I took a mini-break after the Fourth of July and made my way down to the Cape for the weekend. It was perfect Summer weather with warm days and cool nights, and plenty of beach time. I cautiously dipped my toes in the water (have you heard about the sharks?) and enjoyed spending some time with old friends over cocktails and BBQs. What sort of Summer fun did you have this weekend?

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