#imadeface

Hello....all you smart phone geeks.....Have you heard of the app "I made face"?  I came across it over the weekend as it was rated the most downloaded free app on i-Tunes.  As I was watching the Grammys last night, I played around with the app to recreated myself. 

 Does this look like me?

High Tea: 50th Birthday

A spot of tea..... anyone?

A while back I came up with a brilliant idea of hosting a high tea for my aunt/god-mother's 50th birthday.  Funny thing.... I knew nothing about traditional teas at the time.  Seeking guidance in everyone I knew helped make this a true authentic English high tea.

It was a surprise party so we had people arrive early to enjoy small snacks and MIMOSAS! 

SET-UP

Nice Linens, fresh flowers, three tier tea server, tea pots and a variety of fun tea cups.

We had  4 loose teas and 6 tea pots.

Earl Grey and English Breakfast are a MUST at any high tea.  

These tea cozies helped keep the tea pots warm throughout the tea party.  

SURPRISE!  

My Aunt/God-mother was blindfolded and driven to my house.  She had no clue that her friends and family were ready to greet her once that blindfold came off.  

It was quite a SURPRISE. 

FOOD

I'm a bad blogger and forgot to take pictures of the beautiful food.  

Things you will need though......

First course: Tea sandwiches.  Variations of tuna, egg, cucumber, lox, etc.  

Second course: Scones!  I made scones for the first time ever and they came out pretty good. I found an easy mix from my local specialty store.  We had lavender, apricot and raisin scones.

You must have a variation of jams on the table.  We had apricot, strawberry, and homemade raspberry (made by my friend, Dee Dee).    You also must have clotted cream to keep things authentic.   Clotted cream is hard to find but worth it once you try it.

*Also make sure to have sugar cubes and milk on the table.  The English don't use cream in their tea but whole milk.

Third course: Petit Fours!  These are miniature tea cakes. DELICIOUS! 

There were 15 ladies total. Not everyone is pictured.

During the tea party we also played a few games....quizzes!  Everyone got into it and also learned a little about my aunt, tea and the year 1963.

PRESENTS!

Party Favors..... English Tea of course!

This tea party was so much fun and I think it's a great way to spend an afternoon with some fabulous woman.

Special thank you goes to my good friend, Dee Dee for supplying all the beautiful china, teapots and much much more.  Also, my friend Amy Savinon for custom designing all the decor as well.  You can find her work at, http://www.mypapertales.com/.  She's a fabulous designer!

CHEERIO!

Happy Birthday Bob Marley!

Yesterday, would have been Bob Marley's 68th birthday.  Crazy right?  I listen to Bob almost everyday on my drive into work. Something about his music always puts me in great spirits.  Each song also has a special meaning and I associate them to different chapters of my life. Yesterday....."ONE LOVE" was stuck in my head all day.   As I was getting dressed this morning and yet again humming the tune to "one love"... I looked up to find this wedding gift on my wall.  

Yup.... this is my ONE LOVE!  Mr. Ryan.

Fruit salad?

As always, my week has been jammed packed with work and assortment of activities.   Each night, I've come home to enjoy some..... FRUIT SALAD  ;-)

This week is almost over.....

Rainy days in Phoenix

Goodness, I have never seen this much rain in Phoenix.  It's been rainy/cold for the past 5 to 6 days which isn't the norm here.  The picture above was taken yesterday morning as I was arriving to work.

The sky was different shades of gray throughout the rest of the day.  

This type of weather just makes me sleepy.  I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep the day away.    Wishing and hoping for some sunnier days ahead. 

Fashion Obsessions

Do you ever have fashion obsessions?  

I'm obsessed with several items right now... any given day you see me sporting any one of these items.

CHEVRON

Anything Chevron...... such as skirts, scarfs, lamps, rugs, all of the above.

It's such a fun pattern and it makes every outfit look great.

I want this skirt!!!

BUBBLE NECKLACE

I've been drooling over this necklace ever since J.Crew debuted it awhile ago ...... 
at $150 (ouch)

More affordable options can be found at Dillard's and boutiques for $30 to $40.  
Francesca's just started selling them as well.

VERA BRADLEY ( Dogwood)

Love this pattern for many reasons........

Black & Yellow - some of my favorites colors

The Dogwood is the most prevalent tree in North Carolina and you'll often find it blooming all over the state in the spring and summer. 

It's also the official North Carolina flower. 

Here's the purse I've been sporting these days.

MONOGRAMS

Why are monograms so much fun!?!  

I always feel special when I receive something with my monogram. 
Especially now that I'm married.  

For Christmas, I received this beautiful scarf from my sister with my new initials. 

Here's a really good site for a variety of items you can get monogrammed and could make amazing gifts.  

Marley Lily, http://www.marleylilly.com/

Michelle's Baby Shower: Bicycles

Grandma, Michelle, Auntie, Mom

Michelle and her sister, Keri

Michelle is a friend from work and I had the pleasure in participating as one of her baby shower hostesses a few weeks ago. The theme of baby shower was bicycles since Michelle and her husband are avid cyclists.  

Michelle & The Baby Hostesses ( Lysa, Me, Dee Dee, Marci)

It's a BOY!

Lysa's amazing fruit salad!

Dee Dee made these yummy cupcakes!

Marci and Michelle

Preggers!  Michelle & Colleen

Loving this baby bike package! So creative!

Flowers made out of baby socks! 

Michelle was lucky enough to have her family around her for her special day.  They were so sweet and I enjoyed meeting them.  

Michelle we hope you enjoyed being showered with love.