Stylish Notes on Entertaining :: Perfect Picnic Decor

I'm so incredibly fortunate to live near the beach - not just one, but 5 of them. We've been going a lot during the evenings this summer, partly because the days have simply been too darn hot and partly because that's my absolute most favorite time to go. The crowds have thinned, the air is cooler and the early evening sun casts cooling shadows. Whether you're a foodie who loves to prepare a fabulous spread and pamper your guests, or whether you're more of the sandwiches and potato salad type, or whether you'd just assume call your local pizza delivery guy - there's no right or wrong way to have a summer picnic. We often do all three. We love to order pizza and have it delivered to the beach. We think the pizza delivery guys like it too!

Whether you're near a beach, lake, or park there's really nothing like a picnic on a summer's eve. Picnics are so festive and yet so casual. They're a perfect excuse to kick off your shoes, and eat with your hands!

Sometimes you want to serve on something nicer than paper plates. While we love the ease and disposability (is that even a word?) and a dishwasher-free night, sometimes we just want to dress our tables a little nicer.

Below are some of my kind picnic finds that you should be able to easily locate, either at stores near you or via the internet.

Picnic Style Crush: This adorable Kate Spade bag slash wine tote. Note, it is not a cooler bag, so you will want to drink up quickly, or transfer your bottle to a bucket or cooler.

We love these lightweight beach blankets via Steve Allan. There's nothing like a really soft blanket to wrap yourself up in when the temperatures cool off...Oh how I long for cooler temperatures now!

Not your average citronella candle. We added some romance to our table with these lovely candles, The Green Been Wine Bottle, made from, you guessed it, recycled wine bottles! You can order these from The Garden Gates.

These wonderful Bastille Melamime plates are super durable and gorgeous. No worries here about borken or chipped dishes. They are available at Williams-Sonoma and are currently on sale. (Who doesn't love a good sale?!)

I'm a sucker for seersucker. (Ok, that was corny. I admit!) Seersucker is the ultimate summer fabric and the lovely, elegant and yet rustic look of these striped napkins get me every time I walk into Terrain. They are available at the store and on-line.

I have a thing for octopi. Despite how ugly they are in real life, I adore them as a motif... in art, decor and in everything I see. I fell especially hard for these lovely napkin rings from Pottery Barn! (And oh my goodness! They're on sale too!)

Paper straws are all the rage lately in their bright stripes and patterns. I quite like these floral garden party ones, also from Terrain. 

My love for sea creatures continues with this adorable lobster bottle opener. This, also from Terrain (can you tell I'm hooked?) has a nice heavy feel in the hand. Pretty enough for you, macho enough for your spouse!

          

Every beach picnic needs a little beach music. I kind of miss the days of boom boxes... you know? But even better are these wireless, blue tooth speakers from iHome that connect to your iPhone, iPad or iPod. We were impressed with the quality of music that came from such a little thing! Available at Amazon.com.

Every beach party needs some beach games! These fun paddles can be found at Pier1 Imports.

And finally, you'll need a tote bag large enough to hold these goodies. May I suggest this one from Kate Spade?

If you've been invited to a picnic, there's really no need to bring a gift, but I would suggest bringing a bottle of your favorite wine... even a brown bag will do... Especially this one which is insulated! Isn't it fabulous, funny, whimsical? The silliest, right? You can find one of your own, or pick up several for gifts at Sur La Table!

I even love that it's called the Wine-O!

It's Thursday my friends! The weekend is almost here!
Why not plan a picnic?!

XOXO,

Jessica

The Kitten Heel :: Stylishly Purrrfect!

Believe it or not the sweet, dumure, often sultry kitten heel has been at the center of fashion controversy. A longtime favorite of mine has been seen as a fraud, neither a true heel or a flat. Some have claimed this simply stylish heel to has little to no sophistication, they've called it doudy and unflattering. There are many kitten heel haters out there and I was quite surprised to learn this as it is, in my opinion, the perfect little shoe.

This perfect little pump, also known as a "petite stiletto" became wildly popular by Audrey Hepburn, who can be revered as the shoe's ambassador. The sweet little heel has been seen on the feet of fashion icons such as Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly. In more recent years Michelle Obama has renewed the popularity of the petite heel and they now can be seen all over Hollywood and the streets of Manhattan from designers such as Valentino, Prada, Feragammo and Kate Spade.

The kitten heel is named such due to its short, slender height, generally under 2 iches, with a slight curve setting in the heel from the esge of the shoe. The shoe was created as an alternate to the high, uncomfortable and hard to walk in stilletto. They were also a perfect "introductory" heel for young girls. In recent years pumps and stillettos have seen tremendous popularity, but I am happy to report that the kitten heel is indeed making a comeback.

The kitten heel is, in my opinion, a perfect little shoe that can be worn with anything from jeans to a little black dress. The look is classic and timeless, sophisticated and yes indeed, sexy and demure. They're easy to walk in and look well on all body types and heights. Whether a fashion trend or not, I've never stopped wearing mine and never plan to!

Yesterday's fashion icons...

and today's fashion icons...

all photos and sources here

Modern, yet classic kitten heels...

  

from left to right, Kate Spade, Salvatore Feragammo, Bottega Venetta

Below, a fresh and modern take, are a few outfits that I've paired with kitten heels via Polyvore.

"A night out on the town"

"Cocktail Hour"

"Perfect Transition :: Day to Night"

"Out on the town and lunch with the girls"

What do you think of the return of the kitten heel?
Playful, stylish, sophisticated, sexy or just not for you?

Cheers it's "Friday Eve"!

XOXO,

Jessica

Designer threads, treads and wheels...

Spring is finally in the air! While it's still cool in Connecticut, the sun is up early, the birds are singing melodically, the tiny buds on our trees are starting to bloom, little flowers are starting to sprout and I've already broken out my white jeans.

It's perfect bike-riding weather and I live in a perfect bike-riding town! It's too bad I'm in between bicycles these days... Perhaps we should go on a virtual bicycle shopping spree! Perhaps we should pretend that money is not important or relevant here. After all, this is my little fantasy... which of these fancy-fabulous wheels would I pick?

Fendi Bicycle

Gucci Bicycle

Kate Spade Bicycle

Chanel Bicycle

detail from Hermes Bicycle

Lilly Pulitzer Bicycle

Ok, some of those are a little ostentatious even for me. Hands down I pick the green Kate Spade bike! I think it needs a little basket in the front...

There we go... a nice Nantucket basket for the front... In it I would leave room for a bottle of water, and some fresh flowers, lettuce and other goodies from our delightful farm down the road...

That's more like it! Still, something is missing...

Oh yes. This is much better! N'est ce pas?

But I think Fifi Flowers has the best idea!

Cheers and Happy Riding everyone! Anyone care to join me? Alice, you can ride the pink one next time you are in my neck of the woods. I'll bring the baguette and the bubbly!

XOXO

Mind Your Manners Monday: Thank You!

Now that the holiday season is officially behind us it is time to take down our ornaments, stockings and trees. As we scramble to make room for the new we must not forget to thank those who have given to us so generously. This is especially true of children.

I have created Mind Your Manners Monday with hopes that we can all do our best to respect others and be polite. (Part of my betterment/self improvement resolution for me as well as this blog.) Many of these posts will be geared toward our children. As parents we need to set the example, and often we could use a little refreshment ourselves.

The first Mind Your Manners Monday post is about the Thank You Note and getting your children in the habit of writing them in a positive manner so that this does not become a dreaded chore.

I have always had my children write their own Thank You notes. When they were too young to write, I would ask them to draw an illustration of the gift on a hand made card. As the parent, I would thank the gift giver on behalf of my child either on the card or on a separate piece of paper that I placed inside the card.

As my children grew they were expected to write a little more.

• At 4 I expect Alexander to write his name under his picture.

• At 5 I expect him to write a sentence phonetically. I will then jot down a little note underneath his.

• At 6 I expect a proper salutation as well as a sentence or two.

• By 7 or 8, depending on your child's writing abilities and fine motor skills I expect a little detail about the gift my children are writing about.

• And by 10, I expect my daughter to write at least a paragraph. (Some children can do this earlier.)
  

Rebecca still likes to make her own note cards. She is very artistic and the recipients, generally family, members do like to receive her art.

If your child is not terribly artistic there are some wonderful note cards out there for purchase. I really dislike any fill in the blank note card. I find this terribly impersonal and lazy. They do not teach good letter writing skills or etiquette.

We do try to make writing thank you notes fun.

For younger children you can use white or colored paper, stickers, crayons or a note card that suits their personality. It's best to turn thank you writing into a project as opposed to a chore.

My 8 year old received a digital camera from Santa this year. We will print out one of the images on his camera, place it on a blank card and this will be come the actual thank you card. He will write his note inside.

When my daughter was 8 she created her own Thank You cards. We purchased simple tent cards at Staples and she drew 4 different pictures. We then scanned and copied the pictures onto more tent cards. In fact, she created a Christmas card for us one year using this technique too!

I think Alexander would have fun creating some cards with paint. He'll paint something abstract and colorful onto some paper that we will let dry. I will then scan and print out the image onto note cards.

According to Emily Post, "It is not necessary to write a thank-you note, when a gift is opened and the donor is thanked personally at the time of opening. If the gifts are not opened in front of the donors, the child must write a personal note mentioning the gift by name to each donor." I strongly disagree and think that a hand written, or drawn, thank you note is a must regardless of whether a gift has been opened in front of the giver.

As parents we must set the example.

If I am invited to a party or a dinner I often send out a quick note thanking the hostess for a wonderful evening. If I am hosting a party and I get a particularly nice hostess gift, I will thank the gift giver with a short note.

I attended a baby shower for a mother in my daughter's class last month. I gave a generous gift card as a gift as this mother is expecting twins and thought that she could put the money to use for strollers, cribs or other necessary items that she'll need to purchase. Truth be told that I am quite annoyed I never received a Thank You note. I was thanked in person, both at the party and the next day at school, but I think a proper, written thank you was, is, necessary.

Below is an example of a thank you note written by a child. (It is Rebecca's thank you to my parents.)

Dear Moo and Popsy,

Thank you very, very, very, very much for the Uggs that I have wanted for a long time. They are very comfy and these ones do not give me blisters like my other ones did. They go with everything I wear and they go perfectly with my brand new fuzzy brown Northface jacket that Grandma gave me. And now I can be triplets with my two best friends!

I do not want school to start at all even though I love my teacher and my friends. (I do not like Math!)

I can't wait to see you again for Popsy's and my Birthday!

Love,

Rebecca

The above cards are from Lilly Pulitzer, Boatman Geller, Kate Spade for Crane and Crane


Stay tuned for upcoming Mind Your Manners Monday posts from some of our favorite bloggers: LPC author of  Privilege, Catherine, author of The Blushing Hostess, and Miss Janice, author of Etiquette with Miss Janice, and a relatiely new blogger, nationally renowned etiquette and lifestyle expert, Joy Weaver author of All Things Refined.