Category Archives: Recipe

High-Low Party TV Segment

I am super excited to share with y’all that H&T is now on TV! This first segment was syndicated across the country and am working on many more so stay tuned to find out when I’ll air next. This has always been a huge goal of mine before I turned 30 (still in my 20s, woo!) and I could not be more happy to begin this journey.

For those of you that did not get to see this air last week, I’ve included the clip below and hope you enjoy and are inspired to host your own.

Thank you all for all your sweet comments as I’ve shared this on social media and for those that have been following along awhile, you know this segment was inspired by this post so many years ago. As always, I appreciate each and every one of you for following along and allowing many of my dreams to come true.

Be sure to follow along on Snapchat if you aren’t (bannc) as I took y’all behind the scenes at the studio and will keep you posted on the next segment too.

{Outfit Details: Eyelet Dress // Mini Wedges // Necklace // Bracelets (here and here) // Ring // Lipstick (Fanfare)}

SkinnyGirl Protein + Green Smoothie Recipe

I’ve posted about these SkinnyGirl protein shakes before but today I’m sharing a recipe that you can make with them to add a little more protein to your day.

I’m partial to the Vanilla Bean Sunday flavor (also comes in Chocolate Brownie) and have also added it to my coffee as creamer before too!

However, this green smoothie is quite fitting before a morning work out or just to start your day otherwise with protein. My good friend, Tessa, helped me with this one as she’s a fitness and nutrition guru extraordinaire. I find that it keeps me full before and after a workout and works for an afternoon snack too as I know I have trouble getting in enough protein into my diet each day.

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Vacay Every Day with Palm Breeze

Right about now I am missing the beaches of Tulum – as I just got back into town recently from an amazing trip to Mexico. I wish I could live on vacation every day – seriously! Who doesn’t?

Well, today I want to share a way you have your own “staycation” and embrace the “vacay every day” spirit all Spring and Summer long.  I know that I plan to do so quite often along with the help of Palm Breeze.

One of the best parts of being on vacation is relaxing and spending time with those that mean the most to you – whether they be friends, significant others, family or all three (or even a solo trip by yourself). AND one of my favorite ways to do this and keep the vacay spirit alive even while home is to host everyone in my back patio – with drinks, a cookout and good music.

Palm Breeze is the perfect addition to this – it comes in two flavors – Ruby Red Citrus and Pineapple Mandarin Orange. My personal favorite is the Ruby Red Citrus. It’s light, refreshing and sparkling in nature. It tastes of citrus and grapefruit and is perfect for an afternoon cool-down as the warmer days approach. I also recommend serving it with ice!

It makes the perfect drink for guests who want something to quench their thirst and also perfect for afternoons full of magazines, lounging and sunshine (by yourself or with company!).

How do you staycation? Consider adding Palm Breeze to the mix and share with me below!

{Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Palm Breeze through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Palm Breeze, all opinions are my own.}

{Please Drink Responsibly.}

Charleston Bachelorette Party Guide Part One

I’m back today with a full recap of my sister’s bachelorette weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. If you didn’t read my first post about the welcome bags + hangover kits, be sure to catch up here.

For all my fellow Maid of Honors and bridesmaids out there, I know that the idea of planning the bachelorette weekend for your favorite bride-to-be can often be a little overwhelming especially if you haven’t traveled to the city of choice before or have no event planning or organizational skills (or TIME) whatsoever. Luckily, I had been to Charleston more times than I can count and was so excited when my sister chose the destination.

However, for those of you that have not been to the Holy City or might be planning a bach of your own down there (or up for all my southern readers), I hope this guide helps you as I plan to share in two parts all the places we visited and links to all the goodies I incorporated throughout the weekend.

Friday: Arrivals + Check into House!

My number ONE recommendation for planning a Charleston weekend with a group of girls (we had 10 total) would be to rent a house. While groups often rent houses in Folly Beach or Sullivan’s Island – I opted to rent a house in Charleston proper since these babes (mostly FL & CA girls besides me) get enough of the beach already. The weather in March was also a little chilly to be poolside over the weekend. There are excellent finds on VRBO and Homeaway, however, I was connected with a friend at Rewined and we rented her home via AirBnb instead. It was the perfect little green bungalow just outside of downtown Charleston. The best part renting a house vs. one of the fabulous hotels in Charleston is that we all got to stay together over the weekend, bond over late night food, get ready together and it’s also the most affordable for such a large group on different sized budgets. (Here is the link to the house we rented!)

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Friday Afternoon: Spa Day at The Spa at Belmond Charleston Place

Throughout the weekend, my sister received “date cards” (if you will a la The Bachelor) with various surprises revealed one by one. This worked for her because she was the type of bride that did not want to know a thing about the weekend (other than what to pack) and we kept all the planned outings and activities a secret. Believe me, if you know how close my sister and I are and how bad I am at secrets…this was very hard.

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After she opened up her bach welcome bag, we blindfolded her with her sash and let her open the first “date card”. Inside she found a giftcard to The Spa at Belmond Charleston Place from all her bridesmaids and girls attending the weekend. She had a massage booked and we dropped her off for a few hours of pampering while we ran around to the grocery store and other errands to get the house prepped for the evening. This spa afternoon served as a perfect way for the bride to “relax” into the weekend and of course, as a special treat too.

The Spa at Belmond Charleston is quite the establishment and comes highly recommended by the bride after her appointment and myself.

Friday Night: Southern Shrimp Boil + Lingerie Shower + Night Out

 With the help of one of my sister’s closest friends, Mallory, we decided to have the first night of the weekend be more casual and allow the girls to settle into the house over drinks and delicious food. We cooked up a paper-plate & fork Shrimp Boil (not quite as fancy as my DC one) complete with wine and bubbly.

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After dinner, I hosted a lingerie shower with dessert, games and yes, bubbly. The theme was “All You Need is Love…and Lingerie” so we had appropriate decor to match complete with napkins, coasters, Rewined candles and custom lingerie cookies. We hung up all her pretty new pieces on a tassel banner with pink clothes pins and made her guess who bought what.

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I bought Megan this “my little black dress” sleep shirt (it’s sold out online but I’ve still seen it in the stores) & this mini pink glitter crown headband (similar here). She proudly wore them both all weekend around the house (along with her sash) and during her lingerie shower to open gifts. I also had the tattoos & stickers below made for everyone to wear throughout the weekend. (Mine went home on the plane with me, whoops!) 

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If you’re looking for a fun, dance-on-the-bar, coyote-ugly type of spot for an evening out, shall I recommend Market Street Saloon. It is not my typical type of hangout or spot while in Charleston but perfect for bach affairs. We had a blast and it allowed for Megan to complete more than one of her “weekend dares” that we set aside for her (sorry, those will always remain secret).

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After we stopped at a bar around the corner and then to Giovanni’s Pizza, which is all within walking distance. I took the liberty of ordering the largest sized pizza (and slices) I have ever seen in my life. This place was on my bucket list for late-night food in Charleston and it should be on yours too!

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 Saturday Morning: Pajama Brunch

On Saturday morning, the majority of us woke up with slight Irish flus so I whipped up a homemade brunch for the group. We indulged in diamond donuts, “naughty” fruit skewers, cava mimosas and a few healthy items – to get our day started.

Today’s “date card” was a hand-written note from the groom who was sweet enough to “host” our brunch. He didn’t do the cooking but he made sure we had everything we needed to stay full. I also included a black and white canvas photo of my sister and her fiance from WPD that we gave her on this morning. (more…)

Champs & Cookies Decorating Party

This time of year can be very overwhelming with holiday parties, gift exchanges and events galore (not to mention you still have to find time for Christmas shopping). It can also be a little daunting when you decide to play hostess to your own friends and family. This year, instead of hosting my favorite things party or big holiday party, I decided to put together a small “Champs & Cookies” get together at my house with the help of my good friend, Brie of Monumental Sweets.

This best part about this idea is that it can be a super last minute party to plan with friends and family and requires little-to-no prep work aside from the baking (thanks Brie!).

The concept was simple  – growing up, we both went to so many “cookie decorating” parties at school, friends’ houses and family’s that we decided to take this idea and make it a little more “grown up” (aka add toasting).

Brie took care of the sugar cookie recipe because she’s a pro – but you could also do this with break and bake dough too. We baked the cookies ahead of the time and used frosting, sprinkles and other toppings for decor. We set up an assembly line of sorts with plates, decorating stations and bubbly glasses. Full disclosure: my cookies did not turn out quite as pretty as the pro’s!

The champs was poured and N’SYNC + Justin Bieber + Michael Buble and a little Mariah Carey Christmas tunes played in the background on repeat (those are completely optional music choices although I would recommend them strongly).

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