Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Featured On: Style Me Pretty

I wonder what Sir Oliver is helping me with below? Hop on over to Style Me Pretty Europe today to see what special little surprise I put together for my bridesmaids. 


Thank you to Aneta Mak for her BEAUTIFUL photography and to Shannon Kirsten for her amazing calligraphy. I loved putting these together for my bridesmaids! Also in a time now where I am figuring out what it is next for my career, I think sometimes little projects like this can give you an extra push. Whether it is a full styled wedding shoot, designing a dinner party, styling a children's birthday party, it all makes me excited! Celebrations in Life….I kind of love everything about them! 

I hope this project inspires you as well! 

xoxo - Becca

Top 20 of Urban Flip Flops 2013

Happy New Year's Eve! Every year this day comes around and I can't help but start getting all sentimental about the year I am putting behind. We had an AMAZING 2013, however, I am looking forward to 2014 so much as well! Thank you for reading my little blog over the past year! I have met some amazing people through Urban Flip Flops, I have had awesome experiences through my blog and am looking forward to new and exciting things for Urban Flip Flops in the new year. I hope you keep reading along with my flip flop journey through parties, wedding planning, travels, life in London and more! If you are an old reader or a new reader, I hope you enjoy this put that I have put together with the top 20 read blog posts from this year. Happy Reading! Happy last day of 2013! 




xoxo- Becca


Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas in the States

Yesterday morning I returned to London after a ten day trip to the States for Christmas. I managed to squeezed three cities in with lots of friends and family and had SUCH a wonderful time! I absolutely love living in London, however, after not spending Christmas with my family last year and not seeing my oldest sister since almost two years ago {eeeek!, too long, never again!} I was so looking forward to this trip! Get ready for picture overload of my fun filled trip. 

First stop, NYC. I will always love you New York! {taken on Instagram
I stayed with my adorably pregnant friend Mariana the first night in NYC and spent most of the time catching up, eating, talking babies and wedding planning. We stopped at Rachel Zoe's new place, Dream Dry and got a pretty blow out. What girl doesn't need fabulous hair when in the Big Apple! I completely over indulged during my trip, but why not! The very carb full lunch at Maison Kayser was delicious! I could see the staff baking 
bread the entire time and was craving every single baguette. 
 I thought that the print in Mariana's guest room was so fitting for my stay! ;) 
 The second night I was beyond excited to meet up with my maid of honor and my sorority sister! We did a little shopping {yay for American sales!} and then met up with one of our other besties Emily, for a holiday dinner. Catching up with girlfriends about life, wedding chat and everything in between is therapeutic I believe. 
 I am in LOVE with my new plaid pants I bought on sale at Banana Republic
 Dinner at The House was great, it is an old Town House, a cozy spot for a holiday dinner. I suggest the ridiculous truffled macaroni and cheese, we shared it for a first course. A big brunch before going to a wedding dress fitting, why not? hahahah. My girlfriends and I have been going to Sarabeth's since we were college interns in NYC, it wouldn't be a NYC trip without a stop. 
 Well everyone you would like to know, I said YES to a wedding dress! I wasn't exactly planning on buying it in the States, but with the conversion and the VAT, I couldn't say no to this beautiful dress at Kleinfeld's.
I will write more about dressing shopping in another post, however I do have to say, having three close friends there in New York City was one morning I will never forget! I can't believe I finally found my wedding dress. 
 I took the train and met Beau in DC! It was a nice two days for us, browsing around the city we met in, no plans, just roaming, eating, shopping, sigh. We started with a run on on my favorite trail, the Capital Crescent Trail, and ended with a gigantic delicious American bagel! I love you London but sorry, your bagels do not compare to Bethesda Bagels
 A walk around Georgetown that included lunch at Pizzeria Paradiso, cupcakes and coffee at Baked & Wired, a trip to my favorite paper heaven Paper Source and a lucky stop at the Tuckernuck Pop Up Shop. 
 The Strawberry cupcake is AMAZING. There are real pieces of strawberry in the cupcake, and yes, it has pink frosting. 
 I was thrilled to order a pink beautiful go go dress from Camilyn Beth for my bridal shower at Tuckernuck. Ladies, the dresses Camilyn Beth makes are amazing, I'm now eyeing this glittery number, hen do night out????
Beau and I had a delicious dinner date at RANGE, one of Bryan Voltaggio's restaurants. Remember him from Top Chef! 
 We picked up my sister and headed four hours away for Christmas to Blacksburg, Virginia. I love the city, but being in a smaller town for a few days and hanging out at the house drink lots of coffee, wine and bubbles is a nice change.
 Yes, would you guess, these are my Barbie ornaments on the tree from when I was little. 
 Oh wow, I am a LUCKY girl! One of my friends sent us an early wedding gift, a new camera, eeeeekkk. She wants me to use it to document all the fun planning, OK! I am still teaching myself a lot of things. Does anyone else use the Canon rebel T3i? Any tips?
 We spent a lot of time with these cute furry guys…..I was missing Sir Oliver! 
 It is a Christmas tradition, every Christmas Eve since maybe I've been 8 or so, I make homemade pasta with my Dad for dinner. Nothing beats homemade pasta, delish!
 We also not only ate a lot of cookies, but decorated a lot of cookies as well. How cute is Mr. Sugar Cookie businessman? 
My sisters and I are in our thirties now, however we are still still usually around the Christmas tree until at least Noon or 1:00pm with many cups of coffee! 
 Seriously one of my favorite gifts, from my sister, the completely necessary Alice and Olivia coffee cup with a tutu and bow tie! 
 I can't get enough of Sir Franklin, he is 13, he is like my nephew at this point. I mean really, how cute is this little furry guy. 
 Back in D.C. I was able to spend a little quality time at my friend Besse's playing with her absolutely adorable kids!!! Isn't little Jimmy adorable?!?!?! If we lived closer I would for sure have Oliver come over and play with cutie Billy!
 After ten days of an amazing trip I was ready to fly back to London however. Arriving at my flat felt like home after a long trip. I may not have an accent myself, but when I heard people at the airport, I thought…I missed the accent, her her, I missed our flat, Oliver, Beau, London. What a year ahead we have in this city!

So that is where I have been. So quiet over here I know! I was traveling and spending quality time with the family and my friends, it was amazing!  But….I'm back now! Happy Christmas!

xoxo - becca

Monday, December 23, 2013

Soiree Style: Christmas Morning!

Christmas morning is one of my all time favorite days of the year! Ever since I was a little girl, my sisters and I would run down to my parents room and jump on their bed to open stockings, this was always accompanied by a large cookie plate! You were dressed in your cutest pj's because obviously dad had his camera out for the hours of wrapping gifts and being lazy around the tree to come! You may not think of it as a party, but truly Christmas morning is one of the biggest parties of the year. 


As we got older, and stopped jumping in our parents bed, we still kept the tradition of staying in our pj's until crazy hours of the morning and eating unlimited calorie free cookies {riiiight!}. Till this day,  Christmas morning you can find me in my flannel pj's, a large bottomless cup of brewed coffee, a mimosa and one too many cookies to count! This year, I am beyond happy to be at home in the States with my family and my fiancé and celebrating once again in my pj's until Noon. This year I'm hopefully adding some British Christmas crackers to the mix! It is as easy as that for this party; pj's, fancy mimosas, slippers with bows, cookies, coffee and a group of people you love by the Christmas tree! 

Hoping that your Christmas morning by the tree is as memorable as mine has been for the past 32 years! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! xoxo - Becca


Friday, December 20, 2013

Sample Sale! : Miss Bush Bridalwear

Ladies are you having trouble finding the perfect wedding dress? Are you getting married in the new year and have just started looking? If you have not been to the amazing wedding boutique in Surrey, Miss Bush, you must make an appointment there ASAP!

A couple months back my friend and I ventured out to the adorable little village of Surrey where Miss Bush Bridal is located on the high street. Emma Meek, the owner and creative mind behind Miss Bush, will make you feel like a rock star in her boutique! Emma carries a range of designers from: Maggie Sottero, Suzanne Neville, Jesus Peiro, Jenny Packham, Jim Hjelm to many more! The lucky thing for us brides to be is that 2nd - 4th of January Miss Bush is hosting a SAMPLE SALE!!!! To make an appointment call 01483 222815 . You can truly find some amazing dresses at a sample sale and I'm sure at Miss Bush you will not be disappoint. 

Happy Shopping! 
xoxo - Becca


*p.s. a lot of you have asked about my wedding dress shopping, well, I should have an update in the new year:)

Thursday, December 19, 2013

A Chilly Walk & A Cute Coat

Sunday afternoon I met my good friend Becky out for a walk in Hyde Park. It was a grey and misty day and the perfect day to throw on my new and wonderful Joules Hooded Quilted Jacket! A few months ago I mentioned how I wish I had a cute outfit to walk Oliver in, well now I do! My new cute Joules Quilted Coat and my fun and furry Saddle wellysocks were the perfect wardrobe for the day out for a walk with a friend. 
 Even on a dreary day Hyde Park is still lovely, 350 acres of green space in the center of London! I love to walk around the park starting at Hyde Park Corner, head to the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen for breakfast and a coffee and then walk with Beau and Oliver to Kensington Gardens. Today however, since Beau and Oliver were away, it was the perfect time to walk and catch up with a good friend! 
Winter Wonderland was in full effect on Sunday! 
OK, lets just put it out there, I'm no supermodel, but I do love showing off what I'm wearing and sharing it with my readers and friends. SO, this being said, please excuse my drizzly rainy hair and Sunday morning sleepy makeup;) Thank goodness I had my Joules Black Hooded Quilted Jacket on to make me feel a bit more put together for a walk in the park! At first I almost purchased the jacket without a hood, but in London weather am SO glad I decided to get the hood because it is DETACHABLE and hello, I live in London where you never know when it might drizzle! 
A stop by the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen to get out of the rainy weather was a nice little break! 
 How cute is this cute little house in the center of the park! I mean really, adorable! See, thank goodness I had a hooded jacket!
Fur lined boots and the quilted jacket with a plaid lining kept me warm and cozy during our walk. 
 I know this is such a simple detail, but I am absolutely in love with the little fox button at the top of the jacket. The button reminds of Mr. Fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox and that movie I am a huge fan of! Great detail Joules! 
 In the midst, in the center of the picture, wave to Kate and Will and ….baby George at Kensington Palace;) 
The walked ended a bit more wet then we expected, but my trusty little jacket kept me dry and my fur lined boots kept my toes extra warm and dry. There is something so relaxing and calm about a nice walk out with a  friend on a weekend morning. I am glad though that now I have a new little jacket to add a little style to my walk! 

I highly recommend the Joules Hooded Quilted Jacket! I guess skinny jeans and my quilted jacket will be my choice over yoga pants and windbreaker any day! 

xoxo - Becca

*This post has been sponsored by Joules but all thoughts, opinions, and supermodel pics are my own! 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Happy Christmas!

I have had such a nice Christmas season in London this year! We have gone on dates and celebrated with friends! We leave tomorrow for the States for 10 days and well, I couldn't be more excited. I LOVE London and our life here, however, I haven't seen some of my friends and family for over a year and the thought of giving them all a big hug makes me SO excited!
I will be posting a couple of times in the next week, but really trying to taking a little break from the social media world and spend time with my loved ones, wrap my head around some wedding thoughts and ideas and spend a little time in DC with my Beau. I fly to NYC today {I'm probably in the air right now!} for some amazing time with girlfriends, take the train to DC on Friday for time with Beau and more friends and their little ones, my sister flies in on Sunday when we will drive to Virginia to be with the rest of the family. Yiippeee! So happy Christmas to everyone! I will be back and active when I return. Have a wonderful holiday week ahead and enjoy every moment you have! 

xoxox  - Becca

*Image above from our Christmas tree. xoxo

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

A Simple Holiday Hostess Gift

It is that time of year…holiday parties, yippee! Last week I went over to my good friend Ann's house and wanted to bring a little more then a bottle of wine. In a day I gathered some simple gifts and put them together to create what I think is the perfect hostess gift that can be used throughout the season! 
 I bought a simple and classic half gallon glass jar to add all of the gifts to instead of a regular gift bag. Who doesn't like a nice glass jar to use for a vase, cookies, sweets, dog treats, baking goods, it is something
 I think everyone can always use! 
 I'm a huge fan of flavored salts, but I think it is one of those items that people rarely buy for themselves. A few days before the party I took some of my rosemary, that we have growing on the balcony,  and combined it with lemon zest and sea salt, voila, a perfect hostess gift! All of the ingredients combined in the perfect glass jar makes the easiest and thoughtful gift, maybe they will use it for their Christmas dinner!
 I found this candle at John Lewis and have easily named it my FAVORITE Christmas candle. The candles are affordable and make your home smell like a Christmas tree. 
I added some holiday cocktail napkins because you can never have enough of those, added some ribbon and a little tag I made a couple of years ago {remember this! } and yay, a sweet and thoughtful hostess gift. Small items that a hostess can use throughout the holidays like candles, napkins, chocolates, and soaps are always a nice addition to add to a glass jar to use throughout the year. Happy Christmas! 

xoxo - Becca

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...