It was my Mom’s birthday last week, so my sister and schemed all week and surprised her on Saturday by coming home and making her a tasty birthday dinner. I’m kind of terrible at secrets, so to pull this off I basically had to avoid my Mom’s phone calls for 3 days — but it was worth it, she was super surprised and we had so much fun celebrating. I love  getting to set the table at my parent’s house too — my Mom has quite the collection of dishes and linens and accessories, so picked out the very a Spring-y of combination of place settings to match the cheery daffodils she had growing on the kitchen counter. And of course no birthday celebration is complete without  sweets — my sister brought a big box of Baked by Melissa cupcakes and I ate them by the handful!

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Sometimes inspiration just comes in bursts, doesn’t it? I have been scooping up ideas from so many gorgeous parties around the web — like a darling garden party from Grey Likes Weddings — I need to dip-dye some napkins just like those! The color palette, the bows, the florals, and the stripes are all perfection in a Kate Spade-inspired bridal brunch. And a sweet little farmer’s market picnic party has my wheels turning for some spring-time fetes!

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I am looking anywhere and everywhere for a little peek of warmth and spring these days, it seems like winter is never ending this year! I ran into this image and it was just the dose of freshness I needed. Don’t you love the bright and airy lavender wall color and the little pop of cheery gingham?

katie-armour-apartment-matchbook-magazine-1Image via The NeoTraditionalist

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Easter is this weekend, mainly because I’m still wearing my winter coat to work everyday and there’s snow that has yet to melt on the sidewalks. So, to get me in the spirit, I took to browsing some spring-inspired entertaining accessories that are perfect for hosting a festive celebration! Gingham napkins and striped straws in pastel-hues are a sure-fire way to make it at least look like spring.

Easter BrunchClockwise from top left: Candles, Bunny knives, Soap eggs, Gingham napkins, Paper strawsCeramic egg crate

I got such a rush of happiness this evening when I walked outside my office building and it was warm and still light outside! I popped on my sunglasses and might have actually skipped to the subway. Spring is in the air people, so I’m sharing a crafty little DIY to get you in the spirit. No drink is complete without a festive adornment so I whipped up some mini-pinwheel cocktail stirrers to have on hand for my weekend libations. Making them is super easy: first cut decorative paper into 2″ squares; next cut small incisions into the corner of the squares and roll the edges around a pencil. Finally, layer the four points towards the center and pin them (I use map-tacks) and tack the pinwheel onto a small stirrer. Voila! Now you just need to mix yourself a drink and cheers to spring!

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In the age of online shopping, sometimes I just get a little burst of joy when a really great catalog pops up in my mailbox. Which is exactly the case when the Spring Boden catalog arrived this week. To me, it feels so bright and fresh and playful — and the styling is spot on. In fact I was almost as excited about that vintage bar cart in the background of one of the models as I was about the adorable patterned pencil skirts! img067img06859602395040371485_xiSTM1jQ_c

Color block cardigan, Pencil SkirtWedge boots

I was sitting on my porch yesterday flipping through the new House Beautiful and enjoying the warm weather, it felt like such a treat to be outdoors. And just in time for Spring weather, I saw in the magazine this adorable picnic set from Acme Party Box Company. This would be such a cute gift to give a friend for a summer birthday — and the tote is cute enough to use everyday! I’m inspired now to get some picnicking in one weekend this Spring.

Image via House Beautiful

 
 
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