Thursday, February 28, 2013

Basic Black: The British Way

Last week was Fashion Week here in London. I spent Saturday at Somerset House at the London Fashion Weekend and had a great time seeing all of the British Fashionistas in their finest. I have to say, some ladies were dressed in their finest fashion get up and some ladies, well I just wondered if they looked in the mirror before they went out the door? For me, it got me thinking, if you don't know what to put on for the day, how about just a basic black outfit! To celebrate British fashion, I put together a few of my favorite UK brands and my favorite black pieces they offer that I wouldn't adding to my wardrobe!

1. L.K. Bennet Black Pump {Kate Middleton's go to shoe}

xoxo~Becca

Monday, February 25, 2013

Oscar Red Carpet

This was the first year in years when I wasn't able to watch the Oscars live, or at least tape them. I am not going to lie, I was pretty bummed that I could not watch my favorite show of the years in our flat in London, big frown! The Oscars were shown here starting at 11:30pm on the other cable provider that we do not have, so I tucked myself into bed with our ipad and watched the live stream of red carpet arrivals, falling asleep WAY before the Best Picture Oscar was handed out! I just woke up with a cup of coffee and have browsing around online to see what everyone was wearing and who won all of the little gold men. There were some pretty ladies last night, some pretty ladies in not so nice dresses and in some GORG dresses. Here are my thoughts, whether you agree or not...


 Amy Adams dress I want to borrow for our wedding. Hello beautiful BIG Oscar pale Oscar de le Renta dress, she looked like a movie star to me. 
 Ok, I know Anne Hathaway's dress is going to get mixed reviews, I had mixed feelings, but the more I looked it at, the more I liked it. She looks like a classy Audrey Hepburn on the red carpet in her pretty little pink Prada dress. 
 Jessica Chastain looked like a beautiful Jessica Rabbit, I mean really, the red hair, the gold dress, she looked like what a red carpet Oscar nominee should!
 Jennifer Lawrence went ALL out in this huge Dior dress, I say, fabulous. It is the Oscars! Where else would you wear this? Poor thin may have fallen {I mean the dress is HUGE} however she made it seem fine in her acceptance speech. 
I am a huge fan of Kerry Washington in her Miu Miu dress, I bet it is the bow, I'm a bit of a sucker for bows. 
 The Hollywood couple of the night Jenn and Ben! Ben Affleck is Mr. Dapper in his tux with his pretty wife on his arm and I was SO glad that he won for best film! 
And my favorite, Jennifer Garner aka Mrs. Affleck in Gucci. Way to go for a girl from West Virginia {yep, we share that!} to a red carpet loveliness. I think she looked beautiful! I love the ruffles on the back, love love love. 

I am hoping I can watch the whole show next year...maybe a weekend trip to the States? :) 
xoxo~Becca

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

London Wedding Shows

In the next few weeks there are a lot of great wedding shows happening in London. Spring time is usually full of brides planning their wedding, couples were newly engaged over the holiday season and are looking for venues and ideas for their upcoming weddings, so yes,  the perfect time to host a wedding show. I will be honest, the idea of a wedding "show" kind of freaks me out. I think of 80's like wedding fairs with cheesy vendors, tulle bunched on the table, with old school planners and just out of date things happenings. Well, luckily.....things have changed! Here are two shows that I am excited to attend in the next few weeks: 
The London Wedding Emporium looks exactly like my kind of show! The show will be March 2nd and March 3rd and you can buy tickets here. After moving to London in September, newly engaged myself, I have spent hours researching vendors and venues for Beau's and my June 2014 wedding. Shows like the Cream event in the States have done an amazing job at bringing together designers and planners that have great design like minds and who are crazy fun and crazy creative, I am hoping that the Wedding Emporium does as well! The London Wedding Emporium certainly doesn't look like your old school wedding fair with boring booths and pamphlets being handed out. I am really excited to attend. I hope to see you there! 
The National Wedding Show takes place in London beginning this Friday, February 22 - Sunday, February 24. It is funny that I even mention both shows in the same post, because one is a HUGE wedding show, however, I have heard great things about the show and I think it can be a great resource if you are looking for a venue in the area or a bridal boutique to make an appointment. I am not expecting the small intimate space like the Wedding Emporium but it seems like The National Wedding Show will have a huge variety of vendors, it should be a great place to start your planning! 

Tweet Me if you are around! I would love to say hi. Happy Planning! xoxo ~Becca

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Girls Night IN


Beau was out of town last weekend skiing with some friends, so I decided to throw a little Girls Night IN party at our flat. I have been meeting some really great girls, both British and American, and thought, why not have a little party to mix it all up! A reason to entertain....I love it! The problem is when I throw a little get together, I can't seem to just throw some hummus and cheese on the table, I love entertaining that I tend to go a little overboard, ooops. I knew I would be at work all week, with little time to prepare, so I used some simple ingredients and told everyone to bring one bottle of bubbles for the bubbly bar. Voila, a fun and easy Girls Night IN! 

You may have seen my Instagram feed, it started with some pretty cocktails and ended with many bottles of empty bottles, signs of a good night! 
I made some easy crostinis, two of my favorites are Ricotta & Asparagus and Brie, Truffle Oil and Strawberries {I replace the basil with truffle oil}. Both recipes are simple and delicious,
 crowd pleasers for sure!

An easy bar set up that is always a huge hit, a prosecco cart! I had all of the girls bring a bottle of bubbly and I set up a mix of ingredients for girls to create their own cocktails. I set out: strawberries, blueberries, lemon, rosemary, mint, basil, elderflower syrup, lemonade, cherry juice and pomegranate juice. I love to jazz up a nice glass of fizz and so did everyone else!
 I made a quick bottle of basil simple syrup which I think is a delicious add in to a strawberry basil prosecco cocktail! One cup of sugar and one cup of water, add in some fresh basil and let it simmer to half the amount of liquid. I let mine sit over night to infuse the Basil and keep it in the fridge to add to an interesting drink after the night, its amazing in bubbly or a glass of lemonade. 
 I added a bowl of truffle almonds to the table as well. Still on my Paleo diet {cheated a bit this weekend but still down a pound!}, adding in some nuts is a great healthy nibble and with the truffle oil adds a bit of fancy!
For sweets I bought pre made brownie bites and valentines marshmallows and displayed them in a pretty bowl, because lets be honest, no matter if you are watching your weight or not, after a glass of bubbly and talking to friends, a little sweet is perfect! 

I hope you plan a Girls Night In soon and use some of these easy recipes. Girls Night's In are even more fun then spending tons of money out at the new restaurant in the city. I am so glad I am finally starting to meet friends and feel like London is home! I can not wait for more nights like this! 

xoxo~Becca

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A HEARTy breakfast

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, a day with a reason to celebrate love; with your honey, your girlfriends, your puppy, whomever it may be! What a better way to start the day then by a breakfast full of hearts!



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I love my Wellies!

I am sure you have heard of Hunter boots before, even if you do not live in rainy, muddy England. A one time boot that Royalty wore at their countryside home while out for a walk with their hounds is now on every girls foot from London to L.A. Having a dog and living here in rainy London requires a lot of early morning walks in the muddy park. I couldn't have thought of a better Christmas gift for Beau to get me then my shiny black Hunters! They were long overdue and I'm absolutely loving running around in the muddy fields with warm, dry feet and fashionable shiny shoes! Hunter Boots

Farmers, Royalty, the IT girl, the Super Model, you see everyone rocking their Hunter wellies now a days! The boots were once made only in Green rubber and now come in heels, wedges, quilted, shiny, and the list goes on! The Hunter boots may be a bit more pricier then a pair of wellies from Tarjay, but hey, they are worth it!
 Picture below is from this past week in Hamsptead Heath. Now with my Hunters, nothing will keep me out of the mud! Hhhhmm, if I got married in England, maybe a pair under my wedding dress, hahaha. 
LOVE them! Coming to visit us in London, Hunters.....very much suggested;) 

xoxo~Becca


Friday, February 1, 2013

Pink Drinks for Happy Hour

The first of February makes me think of Valentine's Day and everything pink and sparkly! Are you really surprised that I don't think of that the rest of the year, wink wink! Truly though, the month of February has a big pink heart around it in my mind, so what better way to start off by celebrating with some pink drinks! 
Cheers to a pink bubbly filled month ahead! 










I Fancy Friday v.4

SO today is a big week in our house! Today was my first week with a paycheck in the UK, woo hoo! This calls for a celebration! Lets open up some bubbly. I know I need to be saving all of my pounds up {no not my body weight silly!} for this wedding of ours, but hey, a girl can have her eye on a few new things! Happy Friday. Here is what I have been fancying this week! 
Fancy Friday v.4

Fancy Friday v.4 by rldamato 

1. Top Shop Heart Dress - Just in time for the Valentine's Season! Who am I kidding, I would wear this year around!

2. Top Shop Polish & Butter London Glitter Coat - I am splurging on a mani this weekend and most likely will add some glitter. I'm loving these two brands at the moment! 

3. Complimentary Pencils - So glad I found this site,  Not On the High Street {a UK Etsy like site}, they have these adorable pencils! Perfect to pass along to a friend, colleague..client?

4. Wedding Magazine Reading - So our wedding planning has begun. More posts to come on this! For now I am so looking forward to catching up on the new Reverie Magazine, Martha Weddings, Brides UK and Wedding Magazine UK

5. Almond Flour Cinnamon Rolls & a Cup of Tea - This recipe seems semi Paleo friendly, almond flour, no dairy, it sounds and looks amazing! Pair it with a cup of tea in this cute mug and you have a lovely little morning treat!

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

xoxo~Becca

*Do you have some lovely little things you fancy and would love to share? Write me a note and let me know what it is! I would love to start sharing! 
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