After my epic chocolate cake fail the other day, I started hunting for the perfect recipe to try. This time vowing to follow all the instructions to a T. Then, this little number fell right into my lap. A ten layer piece of chocolate perfection crafted with love and flawlessly photographed by...
I have this urn that I've been holding hostage. It was sent to me filled to the brim with pretty stems designed by my sweet friend Yumiko, of Hana Floral Design, for my mother-in-law's surprise party. And I keep meaning to send it back. But then, I see it out of the corner of my eyes and can't resist filling it...
So. Sometimes things don't always work out as you planned. Especially for this girl. Who happens to be terrible at reading directions. And has this annoying tendency to add a splash of this and a splash of that to whatever she is making when in baking, you know that is cardinal sin #1. And thus the fate of my latest creation. A perfect chocolate cake gone totally, completely, epic-ly wrong. But not to fret dear smp-ers. There is, indeed, one thing that I'm good at. In fact, I'm awesome at it.
This is a love story. A celebration. A gorgeous, inspired party that I have been obsessing over since the moment I first saw it. It's glowy and romantic and a total blueprint for what a truly memorable party looks - and feels - like. Designed by the bride, who also happens to be an event planner, with photographs by She N He Photography, this little celebration with laughter...
My daughter's first birthday was serious business. My sweet son's first birthday was $.99 margaritas at a Mexican restaurant. For us, not him clearly. Which was way more fun than organizing the petting zoo and making little labels for every last detail. But...didn't really hold the same magic as my daughter's pink wonderland. So if I had to do it over...
I was on a flight from LA to Boston (Virgin America which if you haven't flown, ummm...it's awesome) and they gave me a bag of caramel popcorn. And the whole damn bag was only 100 calories. The BIG bag at that. So thus began my obsession with caramel popcorn. Which I may or may not have every day with my soy mocha. So here is my skinny gift of goodness. Caramel Popcorn without any guilt at all. Yum. 1 bag 100 calorie popcorn 1/8...
Baking with kids. It's one of those things that as a mom, I know I should be doing. But as a sort of frantic, totally spastic baker who rarely follows the instructions, well baking with little ones sort of makes me a bit crazy. But this year, I've vowed to slow down. To savor the moments. To enjoy the journey. Which means that every Sunday, Audrey and I bake. And she gets to pick the recipes. And I don't try...
Not long ago we shot a Mother's Day feature here at my house. And we didn't have time to make little donuts so we ran out to the grocery and picked up a package of those powdered sugar mini donut things that are so freaking good. Anyway, it was the first time my son had one and I would give anything to go back to that moment and put my camera in my hand because the look of pure bliss on his face was...
Good morning, lovelies! It's GORGEOUS out today here in Boston and we thought this little project was the perfect way to add a touch of something light and breezy into your home. To celebrate all of the prettiness happening inside and out. Plus, we loved the idea that these DIY stenciled towels were handcrafted so perfection wasn't even remotely in the cards. The imperfections on each gave them a really...
In our house, lazy Summer celebrations like Memorial Day, always come overflowing with food. And not just regular old food. We're talking the best food you could ever imagine. BBQ ribs, grilled veggies, creamy potato salads and well, the list of sinfully delicious food just goes on and on. So for me, bite-sized tasting portions are everything. Otherwise, you would literally have to roll me into bed tonight. Which is why making these...
I e-met Janie Medley about 6 and a half years ago. She was launching The Bride's Cafe and I was plugging along with Style Me Pretty. And through the 6 years, we've sort of grown up together. Her thriving floral business and blog and her pure, unabashed kindness always taking center stage. And although I can easily call her a friend, until recently we had never met. So...
Now it wouldn't be a Jose Villa day without showing off work of his wildly talented other half, mister Joel Serrato. He's one of those guys who picks up a camera and turns anything he captures into film world gold. No joke. And since Joel was there to document Dani and Ryan's perfect day, we thought we'd set aside some time to swoon the footage inside and out. [iframe...
Shut the front door Jose Villa. This, this very wedding is one of the reasons I love Jose so much. It's woven with breathtaking details shot in a way you can’t put words to, a way that Jose Villa knows all too well. It's his trademark and when a wedding falls in our laps with details like these crafted by Moon Canyon Design + ...
I honestly want to be best friends with this couple. Not only is their engagement session through the roof adorable but their rehearsal that followed is far more gorgeous than most weddings we've come across. Plus they own a fab boutique in Boston called Flock; a must for all you Beantown dwellers. Told you they were awesome. And we get to journey full circle with them from engagement...
If you've been a SMP reader for any length of time, you know we when it comes to Jose Villa, our love knows no bounds. It's an unabashed, let's grow old together, forever and ever kind of love that's wrapped up in both his flawless work and treasured friendship. It's the reason why we feel the need to have Jose celebrations on a regular basis and cleared today's schedule to do just that. Kicking the party off with this gooorgeous e-sesh, we've...
I love having a seasonal wardrobe as much as the next girl but honestly, I don't want to fork over a zillion dollars every time I feel the need to update my wardrobe. So while I totally appreciate the need to invest in timeless pieces, I also want to gussy them up with some inexpensive cuteness that feels just right... for right now. Enter, Summer Finds for $50 or less. Summer shopping made totally easy. [dotted] Pink Bathingsuit:...
I bought a donut pan. Which seems to be the new must-have pan in the world of Pinterest. I get it. Donuts are cute. They are yummy. And they are generally fried so the idea of baking a donut that actually satisfies the craving is like too good to be true. But I should tell you that I am complete Donut snob. And until I made these babies - inspired by...
Katie and I have been friends since we were 13 years old. Soul mates. Forever friends that have stuck together thru far away colleges, boyfriends, weddings, husbands, babies, businesses, cross country moves, fights, make-ups, tragedies and more laughter than you could ever imagine. And if there is one thing that as a pair we always come together over... it's food. Massive amounts of food. In all...
Summer is here, my friends. Which means that the grills have been uncovered, the tomatoes are growing and the sweet, sweet corn is about to pop up and say hello. It's my FAVORITE time of year and I have literally bursting at the seams to make this tequila chicken with corn & tomato relish. Because it just reminds me of days outside, bare feet and the pure yumminess of Summertime fun. Oh and it's...
One of the most important things in my life is being able to create a warm, inviting home where delicious food, fresh flowers and total comfort reigns Queen. And yet I work full time, have two babies, try to squeeze in daily workouts, spend time with the hubs... you get the drift. So having super easy, super fast staples on hand is key for me, I'm not above taking little shortcuts that feel special and homemade. Enter...
