cocktails are served…sparkling white peach sangria

image: thekitchn

cocktails are served…

sparkling white peach sangria

 

in planning my nieces wedding shower I have been experimenting with different cocktails to serve a crowd. i came across this recipe from thekitchn.com and think we hit on a crowd pleaser.

serves 4 to 6

2 to 3 white peaches, sliced (2 if they are large, 3 if they are small)

3/4 cup peach brandy

1 bottle moscato, such as 7 daughters moscato, chilled

1 liter white peach seltzer water, such as seagram's sparkling white peach seltzer, chilled

in a pitcher place 3/4 of the sliced peaches (saving some for garnish) and brandy and lightly muddle.

add the moscato and seltzer water.

stir with wooden spoon to mix. pour into ice filled glasses and top with a couple of fresh peach slices.

 

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5 little luxuries

spring is in the air. quite literally in nyc. we have been enjoying 65 degree weather and the world looks positively cheery. to celebrate this long awaited spring, a few my of little luxuries for the week….

 

a gorgeous plum pretty sugar robe in which to pad around the apt with the windows wide open. (am so impressed with the collection and their customer service that a proper review will be coming shortly).

 

a cadre of bamboo sugarcane candles from trapp to burn while enjoying the incoming breeze as i pad in my robe.. the scent is absolutely enveloping. i can’t explain it, the scent just makes me feel happy (hey,it’s a lot cheaper than anti-depressants)

 

a new spring-like throw to adorn the sofa as i sit in my robe, inhaling the scent of my trap candles while watching the breeze through the billow curtains.

 

billowy curtains allow enough light in and dance perfectly with the incoming breeze.

 

and finally the pièce de résistance to enjoy all of the above acquisitions…

 

how to make the best gin and tonic: a bottle of this and a package of these to make this

lip & cheek - the pinks' makeup palette from kevyn aucoin beauty

lip & cheek - the pinks' makeup palette from kevyn aucoin beauty

“i believe in pink” ~audrey hepburn~

our girl audrey was definetly on to something. this kit is my new go-to, perk-up weapo

this lip and cheek palette includes three gloss shades, a lipstick and a cream blush

 

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feliz weekend!

source: time

10 best wines under $20

 

7 common french toast mistakes

 

get ready in 5 minutes or less

 

fasten your seatbelts:more turbulence

 

the one week detox plan- what to eat to remove toxins

 

five new fitness studios to watch, courtesy of well+good nyc

 

file under “omg i so want to live here!”

 

time’s 100 most influential list is pretty darn good

 

a round-up of the best gold spray paints. ~via cupcakesandcashmere.com~

5 little luxuries

the hare with amber eyes: a hidden inheritance  by edmund de waal is currently on my nightstand book rotation. i recommended the title to a very esteemed english friend who responded,“thank you. i have read it already. my father loved it when he could still read” i think you will have the same response.

 

jonathan adler had me at happy chic. i swooped up the most darling double old fashioned glasses appropriately named elizabeth.

 

allow us to introduce you to sōsh, a free restaurant- and activity-recommending site and iphone app (already popular in san francisco) that just arrived in nyc.

really loving the free tempo app (from the makers of siri) it’s a calendar virtual assistant! you need directions to your meeting? done. here is a google map. it literally multi-tasks any calendar entry and invite. maps, related documents, dial in info, passwords. even sends out a pre-written “running late” messages

 

i became intrigued about the benefits of apple cider vinegar after reading this post and made a mental note to pick up a bottle. after stroll through whole foods i discovered the bragg organic apple cider vinegar all natural drink with honey and i am now hooked. its too soon to document any of the health claims but i feel myself releasing weight and my skin clearing (i know its wishful thinking but hey…) you better believe i will be documenting the results.

feliz weekend!

image: the glitter guide

10 best wines under $20

7 common french toast mistakes

get ready in 5 minutes or less

fasten your seatbelts:more turbulence

the one week detox plan- what to

 eat to remove toxins



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5 little luxuries

image: target

another week, another five (imo) brilliant purchases…

a brass elephant for practically pennies.

a super inexpensive bikini for the oh-so-impromptu weekend getaway invite to one of my fave destinations in mexico

seized the 30% code (gapshop) and stocked up these ballet slippers

these curtains were the impetus to my spring cleaning project

thanks to copy cat chic I found the perfect sunburst mirror at an even more perfect price!


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listening to: bruno mars - when i was your man (cover by helena maria)

cucu diamantes is playing in nyc!

image: jessica mitrani

cucu diamantes is playing in nyc!

“too much of a cuban to live in new york, too much of a new yorker to live in havana”

grammy nominated cuban/new yorker cucu diamantes celebrates the release of amor cronico's film soundtrack with a very special live performance following the screening for the havana new york film festival.

cucú diamantes returns to her homeland in cuba to perform her songs while becoming the first touring artist from outside the country in over 50 years. along the way she realizes that she is “too much of a cuban to live in new york, too much of a new yorker to live in havana”. this paradox, along with a new-found romance, sets her semi-fictional lead character on a whirlwind tour through the cuban heartland. cuban filmmaker jorge perugorría mixes live concert footage with an over-the-top fiction smorgasbord to create a love story and a road movie with a flashy musical twist.

listen or download  ‘show me the money papi” here

watch here

joes’ pub

saturday, april 13 2013 @ 11:30pm

tickets $25, purchase here

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a luxury product under $10! mustela's gentle soap with cold cream

 mustela gentle soap with cold cream

the label reads “for kids”. but do not be fooled. this is a huge, rich, creamy, luxurious, absolutely sumptuous bar of body butter in the form of soap. and the scent… the scent... it wafts through the bathroom long after your shower is done.

 

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feliz weekend!

image: wordlable.com

reservations cheat sheet: how to score new york's toughest tables

 

the chic cheapskates guide to nyc: 14 chic ways to live large on a dime

 

new apps let you take vacation shots like a pro

 

free printable spice jar labels to make your pantry prettier. ~viacupcakesandcashmere.com ~

5 little luxuries

my beloved niece, aka coquette is getting married in mexico in june! (side note: my niece’s upcoming nuptials inspired me to give birth to a new edition in the casa naranja media empire, casa naranja bodas. more on that later.). i have precisely 9 weeks to get impossibly fit! i am banking on the combat workout program, by the same people who bought you p90x and insanity so… here’s hoping...  anyhoos a few days into my challenge, i became a little self-conscious about jumping; so to maintain neighborly harmony, purchased this extra thick foam exercise mat. will keep you posted on the 60 day challenge results.

 

if you live in nyc and ride the subway you know it’s best not to think about who sat in the seat much less who pawed the poles and stairwells.  i briefly toyed with wearing gloves and a surgical mask but it created a host of vanity issues. with the motif citrus zest and ginger hand and face wipes i picked up at duane reade, i bring my own sunshine to an otherwise drab and germ infested commute.

 

you know that lip hue you strive for when you want to look like you are not wearing any makeup- that impossibly natural and dewy look ? the lip color you achieve when you have been outdoors and have coyly biten your lip? well guess what- it exists and it’s neutrogena revitalizing lip balm in sunny berry.

 

spring has arrived (well not really in nyc but) and so has my new fiery orange red lip color, and get this, the color is called french martini from face stockholm for j.crew. my two loves combined in a lip color.  now that s what i call a happy spring!

if pablo neruda designed lingerie.. eberjey's orianna chemise

when poetry, sonnets and boleros meet lingerie…

the orianna chemise appears as if pablo neruda himself whispered it  into existence.

 

eberjey.com

$78

 

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listening to: pablo alborán "tanto"

fonseca in concert! in nyc! april 18 2013!

living! living i tell you! living to watch fonseca perform and get my vallenato on.

fonseca

irving plaza powered by klipsch, new york, ny

thu, apr 18, 2013 08:00 pm

buy tickets here

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cocktails are served…the peruvian victory

peru …just mention the name, and it evokes thoughts of a delicate ceviche, the rugged andes, the mystical ruins of machu picchu and the lyrical spiritualism of mario vargas llosa. but now, peru is also a country of champions, with its footballers recently besting chile and trinidad in the 2014 fifa south american world cup qualifiers. (allow us to also point out that they are very sweaty, toned and muscular champions …but that is for another post). of course, a proper champion deserves a proper cocktail homage. and so, we present to you…

 

the peruvian victory

created by jp gwozdz, sportsmen lodge

 

1 1/2 parts portón pisco

1 part fresh lime juice

cucumber

basil

 

in a shaker, muddle two slices of cucumber and a few basil leaves.

add portón and fresh lime juice. shake and strain into glass.

 

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the only mascara you will ever buy again and again and again!

l’oreal voluminous power volume 24h mascara

the only mascara you will ever buy again! bold statement right? i stand by it.

i gasped when i read the first paragraph of liliana’s cheapchica.com post: “i’m obsessed, and not just “sort of” obsessed, but inappropriately obsessed with lashes. when i see great eyes, i’m always wondering what’s their secret? how can i get long, voluminous lashes like her?”   i thought to myself “she can see inside my soul!” needless to say, i rushed out to purchase this mascara panacea she wrote about and all i can say, between tears of happiness, is that she was beyond generous in sharing this magical potion.  so magical is this mascara that eyelash extensions need not apply and will be thing of the past. the length, the volume, the voluptuousness it produces, the perfect coats…. this mascara is just everything! i admit that i have made this claim about other mascaras but l’oreal’s voluminous power volume 24h mascara truly exceeded my expectations.

available at major drugstores

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