Party Shoes

Today were sharing a pretty party shoe with you from one of our favorite designers, Rachel Roy. These bold "blue suede" shoes are right on trend for spring (both pastels & color blocking are huge) and are sure to add just the right touch to any of your weekend party outfits. Pair with a jeans and a colorful blazer for a relaxed dinner with friends, with a flirty fitted dress for an evening of dancing, or with white fitted pants and a simple top for a Sunday afternoon get-together. The best part is they're only $110 and available online here.

Peeps!

Easter is right around the corner, so that means all the stores are packed full of fun and colorful  Easter candy like one of our favorites, marshmallow Peeps! These cute little confections are simply a tradition and a holiday must have. Get your yearly Peeps fix with these cool ideas that make them more than just for eating

Try incorporating Peeps into a flower arrangement for a cute festive touch.

Get creative and combine them with other candies to make sushi! Get the recipe from the Peeps website. We also spotted some other fun ideas there like Peeps smores and chocolate Peep fondue.

How cute are these festive little cocktails. Garnish drinks and mock-tails for kids with Peeps like they did here at Autocrat.

For a more modern look try nestling them into some fake grass like they did here from Holiday Helpings for a cool centerpiece or table decoration.

Lastly send guests from an Easter brunch on their way with little Peep favors made with free printables like these spotted at How Sweet Treats.

Rainbow Cakes

This spring it's all about color.... and color you can eat? Yes please! These fun confections can be versatile and suit a variety of occassions from baby showers, to Mother's Day, to birthday parties. Use this recipe from Martha Stewart as the basis then get creative. 

Play with the intensity of the colors in order to suit your occassion as well as the frosting outside. We love how this one from Foodista Blog mimicked the interior with ruffly layers of pastel colored frosting.

 

This one from Beyond and Beyond Blog doesn't need much explanation. Can you say Wow! Little dots of frosting meticulously placed in a rainbow pattern create this dramtic look.

For a more sophisticated look try it in just a couple of similar colors for a subtle look like this one from We Heart It Blog. This would make a perfect treat for Mother's Day this spring. 

You can also stick to shades of a single color like this one from I am Baker Blog we saw for St. Patricks day. This makes the possibilites endless!

Lastly, take this look to the extremes. If you or your baker have lots of patience try this version from Proof of my Existence Blog. It's sure to have everyone talking about the cake long after the party!

Simply the Best

You know we love Vera Wang for her amazing wedding gowns, but she also has created some great home products. One of our favorites is her bath towels. You know how hard it is to find decent towels; ones that are soft, thick, and most importantly don't leave you covered in lint! After purchasing a variety of brands to test drive them, we fell in love with these towels from her line Simply Vera available at Kohls. They would be great to add to your wedding registry, give as a housewarming gift, or stock up on for hosting house guests.

P.S. Today we spotted them at buy one get one free! Love them even more!

Pantone Flowers

Spring has sprung and that means lots of beautiful flowers! These gorgeous blooms inspired by the Pantone colors of the year are sure to brighten your day. Enjoy!

Sources: clockwise from top left

Wedding Chicks
Kate Parker blog
Martha Stewart
Wedding Wire
Belle magazine

Spring Fever

It's the first day of Spring, so that means it's time to freshen up your wardrobe. There is no doubt that you will be hosting or attending a variety of spring events whether it's your cousin's baby shower, your Mom's annual Easter brunch, or just a wine night with friends. Here are a few spring staples that will carry you through the season and into the summer. We chose pieces that are versatile and simple so you can mix and match to suit your occasion from day to night. They are perfect for that casual yet sophisticated easy breezy look. Catch Spring Fever!

Lace shirtdress: BCBG



Tweed orange piped blazer: Tory Burch

Wedge Pump: Teccetti



Pleated button down skirt: Collective Concepts

Layered jacket: BCBG

Pleated python print skirt: Kenneth Cole

Laser cut flat: Sweet Ballerina

Roll Out

Wallpaper is a great tool we often use when decorating for an event. It doesn't even need to be attached to a wall to make a statement. You can hang it with tape or clips behind a table to make that area distinctive, insert into picture frames to decorate a blank wall space, hang it with clips on a rod or rail to separate areas within a space, or even roll it out and use as a table runner. The possibilities are endless! One of our favorite resources to buy single rolls is online at Discount Decorating (they even have rolls for as little as $5.99!), but you can also find them at local craft, home furnishing stores, or even yard sales. The only tip would be to make sure you check the width and length before you purchase, as they all vary, because you want to make sure you select one suitable for your project. For some of the ideas below you don't even need the whole roll. You can use leftover scraps or even pieces from a sample book. What an inexpensive yet affective way to add some pattern and design flair. Here are some ideas on how to use wallpaper to decorate your next event. All of the patterns below are available online from the link above.


Hang this neutral damask pattern behind the head table at a vintage themed wedding for a classic and subtle look.

Light brown damask: $9.99

This blue patterned paper would be perfect for a baby shower or baby boy's birthday party. Line serving trays with this for a simple decorative touch or cover a cork board with it then let guests pin messages to the guest of honor on it.

Blue gingham: 5.99

Use this fun leopard print to decorate for a bachelorette party or girls night. Cut it into strips and hang in a doorway for a "wild curtain" or wrap pieces around bottles of champagne to dress up the bar area.

Black & white leopard print: 7.99

Hang back to back pieces of this faux wood paper to create a room divider to help designate spaces while adding some architectural detailing. You could also use it to cover doors or the front of a bar at a western themed event.

Faux wood: 5.99

This black and white damask pattern would make a bold statement framed in large frames at a cocktail party. Look for old frames from thrift stores and spray paint them a black or white lacquer and insert pieces of this dramatic pattern for instant glamour.

Black & White Damask: 12.99

This brightly colored striped paper would be perfect to use as a table runner at a children's birthday party.

Multi colored stripes: 9.99

Party Shoes: St. Patrick's Day Edition

Put on your party shoes! We knew you were looking for another reason to get a new pair a shoes, and a party is the perfect excuse! Our new segment "Party Shoes" will feature fabulous shoes for a variety of occassions. We'll kick if off with this pair from YSL fall 2012 collection that is inspired by this weeekend's St. Patrick's Day holiday. Go Green everyone!

Bracelet or Hook?

Looking for a little gift to give your friends as a favor after a girls night get together or as a thank you to your bridesmaids for being in your wedding? Well Bleau Box is here to help. We know you want something beautiful but also useful, so when we came across this little gem by Fumi, we thought it was perfect. It's a bracelet and purse hook in one, so your girls are sure to get tons of use out of it. It can also be clipped onto a bag as a little accessory even when it's not in use, plus it's super sturdy holding up to 25 lbs! (so scary to think how much we carry around ladies...!) The bracelet/hook comes in a variety of patterns and colors as well, which we love, so you can select the one that suits each persons style. Oh, and did we mention they're budget friendly at only $28 each! Available for purchase at Aha Life.

Posh Paddy's Day Party

Plastic shamrocks, leprechaun hats, and green beer... snore! St. Patrick's day is a fun holiday to celebrate, but you have to admit it can be a bit cheesy! This year celebrating it can be different! Here are some fun and creative ways to create a posh little Paddy's Day party! After all, it falls on a Saturday this year, so no excuses!

First and foremost, what are you going to eat? Serve up some of these treats that are inspired by the Irish holiday, but not so obvious.

Shamrock Pretzels: Recipe click here

Bowls of "green" salted edamame

Irish Blue Cheese fondue: recipe from Martha Stewart

For dessert serve Bailey's tiramisu or ice cream floats made with a stout like Guiness. You could also do root beer for non drinkers or kids.

Baileys Tiramisu click for recipe

Stout ice cream float: recipe here

Drinks can be beer, mojitos, or basil martinis. They can either be homemade or store bought. If you don't want to play bartender all night, purchase a variety of bottled beers like Harp and Smithwicks or pre-made cocktails like Skinny Girl Mojitos. You can still add some flair with these free printable labels or you can make your own. You could also attach them to rainbow colored fruit sodas for a non-alcoholic option. For an added festive touch, garnish mojitos and basil martinis with punched out clovers!

Basil was punched here, but you can also do the same with mint using a scrapbooking hole punch.

Labels printed from Printable Paperie

"Rainbow" non alcoholic drink buffet

Send guests home with simple favors like bags full or green candy like m&m's and gummi frogs, pouches of chocolate gold coins or cute and useful mini hand sanitizers.

Mini gummi frogs

Gold coin chocolates

Mini sanitizer from Bath & Body Works

For more ideas, check out our St. Patty's Day pin board on Pinterest. 

Project Bridal for Bebe

We've long been fans of Project Runway, so when we heard that former contestant Rami Kashou was designing a bridal line we were excited. Then when we found it it was for Bebe, we were even more excited! Bebe has collaborated with him to produce an entire bridal line including gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and accessories. The collection will be offered in select locations (South Florida, we're lucky since they'll have one in the Aventura mall) and online at Bebe.com. Here are two of our favorite dresses by Rami. While they are pretty from the front, the back is what really wows us! Especially love the architectural detailing in the first one and the sexiness of the second.

Source: bebe.com via BLEAU on Pinterest

Source: bebe.com via BLEAU on Pinterest

Source: bebe.com via BLEAU on Pinterest

Source: bebe.com via BLEAU on Pinterest

Also love the accessory selection. Check out our favorites.

Marabou cape

Crystal headpiece

Crystal chain headband