Spring has sprung

This morning, the thermometer was at 0 degrees, but spring has spung at Lilly Pulitzer. This collection is stunning. I thought that I loved resort, but this collection is even better than resort in my opinion.

You know what Lilly says, "Wear Pink and Make the Boys Wink!" Here are some of my favorites:







xoxo

The Full Monty

Happy Saturday lovely ladies! I have a lot to share with you today ~ a fun girls' night out and the lucky winner of the Kate Landers Events giveaway. It was such a busy week for me with two very long days and nights at school. This time of the year has so much activity with the new semester starting and registration for next year all happening in the same 2 week period of time!

A while ago, my Mother and two aunts made plans to see the Full Monty Musical. Late this week, they found out that a few tickets were available and my cousins, Courtney and Nicole, and I jumped at the chance to see this fun show. It was such a wonderful evening. I had a blast and I don't think I have laughed so much in a long time.

The Full Monty musical is different from the movie. The musical is set in Buffalo, New York with six unemployed steelworkers as the primary characters. With a story that is truly touching and heartfelt, the Full Monty is full of laughs and has a great musical score. Some of the lyrics are absolutely hysterical and add so much to the story.

And yes, the men in the show truly did the "Full Monty" in their final number. As an avid people watcher, one of the funniest things for me was watching the unfortunate gentleman in the FRONT ROW who was mortified by the whole display. At one point, he covered his head and eyes with his hand and arm! Poor guy! His wife, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying herself.

It was a fantastic evening for me!

Now on to other exciting things. . . The lucky winner of the Kate Landers Giveaway is Sue Romano-Trader. Please contact me at blbrodger1@hotmail.com with your mailing information so that I can put you in touch with Kate to choose your prize. Congratulations to Sue and thanks to all of you who entered.

Happy Saturday!

xoxo

If Mother raised you right

Good morning! Thank goodness it's Friday. This has been such a busy week for me and I am thrilled that it is finally Friday. Whew.

Yesterday, I found a fabulous deal on Crane stationery. There are also some Kate Spade note cards at a great price. The majority of the items are 50% off!

You know what they say, don't you? If Mother raised you right, you're going to need thank you notes. In general, I love pretty note cards and enjoy sending little notes to friends. It brings me so much joy to get "real" mail from people. Here are some things that my BFF UPS man will soon bring to my house:







xoxo

Tapas Brunch

Tapas are little appetizers eaten in Spain. This tradition may have originated in the Jerez area of southern Spain known for making Sherry. Bar patrons were given a piece of bread to cover or "tapar" the wine glass. Years ago, I imagine that little bugs and other critters loved to hang out in dark taverns. Later meats, cheese, and other ingredients were added to the bread and tapas were born. Today in bars in Spain, many tapas are included in the price of the cover charge or minimum drink purchase. Some of the best tapas I've had were in Sevilla.

Isabella's is one of my favorite restaurants for tapas and Spanish food. The girls also really enjoy eating there and we always order a few tapas to share. You can't go to Isabella's without ordering asparagus fries. While this is certainly not a traditional item for tapas, it is SO good.




The restaurant also offers cooking classes. I've taken a few classes and have learned some great recipes. Here's a delicious recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, garlic shrimp. It is delicious when served with saffron rice.

Ingredients:
• 12-15 shrimp, 25 count to a pound
• 1tbsp garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp sweet Spanish paprika
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 3 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• Rice to accompany the shrimp

Preparation:
In a sauté pan or heavy frying pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for about one minute or until they begin to brown. Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp and paprika. Stir well, then sauté, stirring briskly until the shrimp turn pink and curl – about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer shrimp with oil and sauce to a warm plate. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

xoxo


P.S. Don't forget to enter to win the fabulous giveaway from Kate Landers Events. You'll have the preppiest party in your neighborhood. The contest ends tomorrow.

Pink Wheels

Do you remember that I shared the juicy details about my trip to the Pink Palace with you a while ago? I'm still thinking about the electric car that I saw while I was there. I can imagine myself in this electric car at the beach, running errands and enjoying the sunshine. A girl needs her vitamin D, after all!

Isn't this car adorable in her maiden voyage in a photo shoot at Palm Avenue in Charleston?


I'm in love. . .

xoxo

Turquoise

Turquoise is going to be big this year. Although I love all things pink and green, turquoise is wonderful because it is soothing and invigorating at the same time. Any time I see turquoise, in clothing, on household items, or on a collectible, it makes me think of a different place. It makes me think about the Caribbean. Turquoise takes me to a place where the sea is a unique blend of blue and green that sparkles on a sunny day.

This year, turquoise is Pantone’s color of the year. According to their website, “Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.”
Turquoise is a color of nature. These gorgeous turquoise robin’s eggs represent new life and a new beginning.

Throughout history, many civilizations have valued turquoise because they believed that it had spiritual properties and provided good luck. While I was studying pre-Hispanic art during my master’s program in Mexico, I became fascinated with Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, who is one of the most well known and important gods to a number of ancient civilizations in Mexico. This mask, found in the British Museum, is covered with a turquoise mosaic. So many buildings, temples, and ceremonial pieces are encrusted with this precious stone.

Lilly Pulitzer incorporates turquoise into many prints for resort. Glistening Green Madly Glamourous is one of my favorites. (AP Photos)



How will you wear turquoise this spring?

xoxo

Hello, Honeysuckle!

Congratulations to Honeysuckle, Pantone's color of the year.

The Shauna dress is one of my favorites from Lilly Pulitzer. It is so incredibly versatile and the embroidery is exquisite. I've worn my Shauna in black from everything to a party to a baby shower. This honeysuckle shade, called Daiquiri Pink Fools Jewels is a fabulous option for spring.


These models look gorgeous in these styles from Emporio Armani. Honeysuckle is a gorgeous pop of color that suits any skin tone.

Last year, I liked turquoise, but I'm thrilled about Honeysuckle.

It has my name written all over it!

xoxo

Post It Note Tuesday

It's Post It Note Tuesday! Here are some witty quotes, comments, and notes du jour.







Join in on the fun and make your own stickers here.

xoxo

How I went to Mexico ~ Part 1

(picture from bigdestinations.com)

Many of you have asked how I ended up in Mexico. It’s a long story with many twists and turns along the road. It was probably my destiny and Mexico will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve been in love with Mexico since I was a child. As a day student at a school with a lot of boarding students from Mexico, I had the unique opportunity to interact with a lot of girls who came to the school to learn English. We all heard songs in Spanish, ate spicy Mexican “Miguelito” candy, and became near sisters with so many of these girls. The first time I went to Mexico, I was only 12! My parents actually let me spend the summer in Mexico with my friend Nuria and her family in Mexico City. That summer transformed my way of thinking and I learned so much about life. I learned a lot of Spanish, too!

(picture from esmas.com)

Languages come easily to me. I used to think that I was like Darryl Hannah in the movie Splash when she learns to speak English by watching TV! I studied French and Spanish and have dabbled a little bit with Italian and Portuguese.

As time passed and I went to high school and college, I still kept in touch with my friends Nuria and Cecilia in Mexico and visited them often. After graduating from college, I worked as Director of Development at a private school. During the summer, I went to Mexico and had such a good time with Cecilia and her family that I didn’t want to come home.

(picture from dynamicarchitecture.net)

Only one year out of college, I was still very much a Mommy’s girl, and my parents both told me that I needed to come home. I tried my best to convince them to let me stay, but they told me that I needed to work and use my education! They said that I could stay in Mexico IF I could find a job and support myself. To this day, both of them tell me that they thought that I would just come home.

Cecilia helped me use every connection possible to find something constructive (meaning, a paying job!) for me to do. I ended up coming home to tell my parents the news; that I had found a job in Mexico. Then I had to gracefully resign from my job at the school and tie up the loose ends for a golf tournament that was scheduled before I could make arrangements to go to Mexico.


In the next installment, I’ll tell you about my drive from Maryland to Mexico City in my little Volkswagen Jetta full of things. That was QUITE an experience.

Happy Tuesday! Have a great day.

xoxo

Perfect Preppy Party!

Aren't these party hats adorable? You'll have the most unique and preppy party in the neighborhood with these gorgeous party hats. Kate Landers offers favors and treats for classic childrens' parties. You can see some of her creative ideas on her blog. She offers many personalized items including custom invitations, party ware, tableware, favors, and more! Your party will be complete with these lovely party goods.

Although many of the items are geared primarily towards children, others are perfect for wrapping any gift or using at a bridal or baby shower. I love this personalized wrapping paper.


I know that you're all itching to get a party hat for yourself and here's a great opportunity for you. Kate Landers Events is offering a giveaway for Maryland Pink and Green readers. In order to enter, you MUST be a follower of Maryland Pink and Green as well as Kate Landers Events.

After visiting Kate's website, followers should leave a comment below this post about their favorite item from Kate Landers Events. You can also find Kate Landers on Facebook. Become her fan so that you've got the latest scoop and perfect preppy party ideas.

For this giveaway, the lucky winner has a choice of any ONE of the following:

a) a designer fabric party hat (in any fabric listed on the Kate Landers website)

b) an exquisite felt party hat (choice of the daisies, the sailboat, the lion or a turtle with pink or blue shell)

c) a fabulous festoon trimmed party hat that lilac, light pink or fuchsia dots, or light blue stripes (sayings will be pre-selected, either "The Birthday Girl" or "The Birthday Princess" for the girly colors, and "The Birthday Boy" for the light blue one)

d) a set of classic paper party hats in the preppiest pinks and greens (mix of nautrical stripes, large polka dots, small swiss dots, etc)

This giveaway is open to all of my lovely readers who reside in the United States. Sorry, international shipping is not offered. The deadline ends for this contest on Friday, January 29, 2010 at midnight. I'll announce the lucky winner on Saturday, January 30.

Best wishes to all of my lovely readers for a magnificent Monday.

xoxo

PANDAmonium, finally!

Pandemonium!?!? That's usually not a word that you want to hear, right? But the Lilly Pulitzer pandamonium is something that I have eagerly been awaiting. Do you remember when I shared the big news about the Lilly Pulitzer panda print with you a while ago?

This adorable print is a departure from other Lilly prints because it is the first print that is black and white. The signature Lilly pink adds such a pop of color to the print, especially on the girls' shift. The pandas have adorable pink floral bows in their hair! My girls thought that this was the cutest thing ever. A little ribbon of pink writing says, "Lilly loves the World Wildlife Fund."

A girls' shift dress, a women's shift, a women's skirt, and a beach tote all are available in the Pandamonium print. The beach tote is available in two sizes that are perfect for almost any need.

I've already put my name on the list at Persnickety Palm for the shift dress for my Minnies. Alexia is OBSESSED with pandas and can't wait to wear her dress. She's already planning how to wear the shift until the warmer weather heads our way. The little fashionista plans to wear a white shirt and black leggings under the shift. Too cute! We're expecting the girls' shifts around February 10. Too bad they won't be in stock when we visit the Zoo to see our favorite panda, Tai Shan, in early February.

In keeping with the theme, Lilly Goes Green, these items are made with 100% cotton and low impact dye. 10% of your purchase of the Pandamonium items will benefit the World Wildlife Fund.

Are you a Lilly Pulitzer fan on Facebook? Set your alarm clocks for 7 a.m. tomorrow when there will be a special pre-order for the Pandamonium collection on the Facebook page. Alternatively, you can talk with your favorite Via or specialty store to put your name on the list for these adorable items.

xoxo

Preppy Valentine's Wreaths

These wreaths are so cute for Valentine's Day or any time of the year for someone who loves pink and green. One is going to a special friend, one is going to Nana, and one is proudly hanging on the door of my classroom.


They are relatively easy to make. You will need a straw wreath. These wreaths are made with 18 inch wreath forms. They also had the 12 inch straw wreath form at Michael's, but I prefer the 18 inch size. The straw wreaths are pretty inexpensive at only $3.99 and I had a 40% off coupon on top of that!!


The ribbon is 1 inch in diameter. You can loop little bows around the entire area, securing them with floral pins and hiding the pins in the ribbon. There is a little bit of "shedding" from the straw wreath when you are handling and pinning it. It's a good idea to work in the garage or mud room that is easy to sweep when you are finished. You could also put down a drop cloth of some kind to make clean up a breeze.



These wreaths are adorable and will last for a long time. Hope you have a great day! We're supposed to get 3 inches of rain today with flash flooding possible! After church and Sunday School, we're going to stay at home ~ and dry!

xoxo