Stay Cool

Happy, Happy Weekend. Stay Cool!

International Folk Art Market

The International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, NM was the most inspirational and enjoyable experience. There were more than 120 select folk artists from over 45 countries at the festival. The art was distinct and expressed the world’s diverse cultures. The sales at the market directly benefit artists and their families and help sustain communities worldwide. The participants take home 90% of all sales.

We took home hearts for Haiti, baskets from Rwanda and bracelets from Peru. This is an art festival that everyone needs to experience.

Blogger Award

Recently a friend from high school nominated our blog for a Blogger Award! We are very excited and would like to thank Ivy for the nomination! As a part of the nomination we are supposed to:

1. Thank the blog who nominated us.
2. Share a few things about ourselves.
3. Nominate new blogs.

Since we've already thanked Ivy above I will go ahead and start with number 2.

- Two of my fellow Dinner Club MD bloggers work together at the same office and on the same account at a marketing and advertising firm in Kansas City.
- My other fellow blogger will soon be working for a non-profit organization that benefits children.
- Last but not least I have created a free-lance design business called WESdesign and will be working from the office of an architecture and design firm in Kansas City begining in August.

A blog that I would like to nominate is The Concrete Catwalk for the 'Most Stylish KC Local'.

Thanks again Ivy for the nomination, it's great to hear that people are enjoying our blog!

Party Perfection!

To me, nothing beats a lazy Saturday at the lake. Naturally, when my future mother-in-law wanted to throw me an engagement get-together with my girlfriends, it was an easy decision to have it at the lake. It was a beautiful Saturday with my closest friends. I couldn't have asked for a better engagement party!

The beautiful arrangement outside the front door!

Another one of my favorite things about the lake...a regatta!

BEAUTIFUL Flowers from a friend that couldn't make the party!

My future mother-in-laws idea...flowers in the shape of a wedding cake!

So clever...serving dip out of a cored artichoke!

All the girls!!

This is so sweet....these place-cards are from my future-grandmother-in-laws wedding shower over 60 years ago!

Hanging on the dock!

Dinnerclubmd!!

More to come soon!

A Refreshing "Hawaiian" Night

A favorite simple summer dinner of mine is pizza with a salad. Most recently, I made a Hawaiian pizza and it was super refreshing and the perfect combination of sweet and salty…my favorite! Because it was a hot summer evening, I decided to make a fresh and zesty side salad to go with the Hawaiian pizza flavors. The side salad consisted of tomatoes, avocados, peaches, red onion and a lemon vinaigrette (recipe compliments of Cupcakes and Cashmere)

First, I made a very simple red sauce.
(a mix of tomato paste, canned tomato sauce, fresh Roma tomatos, garlic, olive oil and minced mushrooms and onions.)
Then, spread the sauce on Tandoori Naan Flat crust, cheese it up, top it off with pineapple and Canadian bacon and voila… ready to bake!

If you are craving refreshing bursts of flavors, this simple pizza and salad is a wonderful choice!

Happy Weekend!

Wishing I was relaxing on the beaches in Malaga, Spain or enjoying the beautiful view from the cliff bar in Dubrovnik, Croatia on this rainy Friday evening in KC. Nonetheless, YAY for the weekend! Happy, Happy and Cheers!

Any exciting weekend plans?

O’Keeffe Café

After spending the morning taking in the beautiful artwork at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, NM, we walked next door to the charming Georgia O’Keeffe Café and enjoyed a relaxing lunch outside. We ordered off of the “Blunch” menu (love the unique breakfast + lunch combo!) Our Blunch favorites: Croque Madame with Chicory Salad, Quiche w/ Mixed Greens and a Guerre Fondu and Pan Asian Salad.

Next time you are in Santa Fe, make sure to visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Café, it makes for a wonderful outing!

Picnic Perfection

Traveling sometimes makes us feel that we need to spoil ourselves by eating at expensive, fancy restaurants yet when I was in Nice, France recently I found that my favorite meals were our picnic lunches on the beach. Our first day we picked up the essentials (bread, cheese, cured meats and wine) for a quintessential french picnic and the other days we bought ingredients to make homemade sandwiches (and of course more bottles of wine). Part of what I found so fun about these picnics was shopping at the local grocery market and really getting a taste for the local culture and people. Whether we were having issues with not having the right change and struggling with the language barrier or becoming giddy about how cheap the wine was, it made the experience unique and made getting lunch almost like a mini vacation adventure.

What I found most fun about these days was that they were unplanned and relaxed. We would start the day off with a jog along the coast, hit up the store on the way back, head home to get things ready for the day, go to the beach to enjoy some sun and our picnic then end the day strolling around the town sightseeing, souvenir shopping and scoping out places to eat for dinner. If you have time on your next vacation to set aside a day or two to do something similar I would highly recommend it. It's a great way to experience wherever you are and spend some time truly relaxing on your vacation!

Happy Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July! Have a great holiday! I am so excited about spending the long weekend at the lake: being with good friends, hanging out all day in my swim suit, fireworks, beer, relaxing, gorgeous sunsets and lots of laughs! Enjoy :)

What are your plans for the 4th?

Red, White and Blue

Lauren Moffat's red, white and blue attire is ideal for the 4th of July. The combination of colors and accessories make for adorable, flirty and chic summer outfits perfect for celebrating outside for the upcoming holiday!

I am loving the hats!

Enjoy :)

Essie, nails it again!

( Demure Vixen )

( Pretty Edgy )

( Knockout Pout )

( Haute as Hello )

The new Essie summer collection is here and introduces the most fun colors yet – Although the spring and resort collections are still some of my most favorite and reliable colors nothing screams summer like Demure Vixen, Pretty Edgy, Knockout Pout and Haute as Hello. These colors will act as perfect accents to any summer wardrobe!

For my weekend at the lake, I will be wearing Pretty Edgy on my toes and Haute as Hello on my fingers J