a beach day to remember

Tomorrow my friends and I (along with the rest of Los Angeles) are planning a day at the beach to celebrate Memorial Day.  Here's my must haves list for a fun hassle free day in the sun and surf.

Smokey Joe table top weber and grill $35. It's something that you can use all summer long! Don't forget to bring your coals, matches and bbq equipment.

pottery barn throw $49 to keep you warm when those evening breezes start to pick up.

never underestimate the importance of sun smarts! In Australia I grew up with the sun smart moto of "slip, slop, slap". Slip on a sun shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat. Choose something light weight and higher SPF for your face and switch to a lower SPF for your body if you want to look like you've actually been to the beach.

personally I'll be getting my tan from Kate Somerville's Somerville360... the best.

I'm loving J Crew's sunhat for $165. However am sure I can find something equally as effective for a one eighth of the price here.

if you're like most people, you love the look of your hair after a day of playing in the sun and surf.  Bring along an extra spray bottle and fill it up with some salty sea water so you can spritz your hair all day long to keep the beach babe tousled hair happening. This tip came from hair stylist extraordinaire Christine Symonds at Byron and Tracy Salon; who's responsible for Lauren Conrad's sultry waves and the cover of this months People Style Watch.

which brings me to....magazines! Bring some easy reading material to keep you busy between games of charades, frisbee and for our friends sing alongs with my boyfriends trusty guitar skills.

Food is another story entirely! Stay tuned for a couple of great recipes that make for crowd pleasing munchies and hassle free transportation!

packing punches

More often than not people wait for reasons to celebrate (birthdays, engagements, holidays, weddings) and then sometimes the pressure that comes with celebrating such momentous occasions can actually make the day stressful, negating the 'celebration' part altogether.  Everyone's busy with life, kids, work and sometimes when you're out of practice the idea of hosting any type of event is enough to tip you over the edge, which is one of the reasons that I launched my business the chirpy bird and why I love what I do.  It's not about events, it's about lifestyle and I love showing people how easy it is to commemorate the simple moments and joys in life. Whether it's the season finale of Lost or tonights UFC fight with Jackson vs. Evans, finding things to celebrate is a great habit to get into.  I personally have never been big into watching two grown men beat the living daylights out of each other, however some of my best friends find it to be extremely exciting.  So tonight I'm choosing to celebrate the way that I know how, by giving everyone a good ol' punch. One black & blue and red punch to be exact! Oh yes, diving head first into the boxing theme...here we go!

Watermelon Punch 
Watermelon
Handful of fresh mint
Superfine sugar
Ginger Ale
Vodka
Lime

Cut up watermelon and blend until smooth. 

p.s. notice the OPI Tickle My France-y nail color I was raving about a couple of days ago! 

Finely slice two tablespoons of mint and add to blender. Also add one tablespoon of superfine sugar to watermelon mixture.

Fill desired pitcher with ice. By the way if you don't have enough pitchers for your party, have a look around and see if you have any cool vases that can double.

Stir in two cups of Watermelon mint puree.

Add 1 1/4 cups of Ginger Ale.

I'm Australian so I like to start with at least 1/2 a cup of Vodka and then go up from there if necessary. Now's a good time to taste test. Then add the juice of two limes.

Add slices of limes to your mixture and sprigs of fresh mint to garnish.  I also love to wrap my pitchers with basic kitchen twine to add a little rustic effect.


Black and Blue Punch


Using frozen blackberries and blueberries here saves lots of $ but if you've got some berries left over from the farmers market that are looking dull, use them up! Waste not want not!


Copy the Watermelon Punch recipe above but substitute the berries for the watermelon. If you've chosen to use frozen berries, it's best to wait until they've thawed out a little so they're nice and juicy.  


enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

okay...just ladies. 
May I present to you.... Madewell online shopping...

www.madewell.com


For those of you who feel like you've seen these casual chic lines somewhere before, well you weren't wrong.  Not only do their well worn and vintage inspired pieces appear on pretty much every celeb from here to London town, they're also a subsidiary to long time American favorite J Crew. This smaller off shoot company was launched in 2006 (I know I know it says "Madewell since 1937", however this was the year J Crew was founded) and has quickly grown to 17 stores nationwide and counting... I was becoming accustomed to schlepping myself (and my girlfriends) to Glendale's Americana in order to get the "I just rolled out of bed looking like this" chic, but now I won't even have to roll out of bed at all! What on earth will become of me?

Striped Flutter Tee $42 and brunch shorts $49. I can already think of 10 occasions to wear this little collaboration but will probably add my trusty fedora to make it my own. 

                   fallen needles skirt $78. Farmers market chic on a hot summers day.

stonefruit scarf $38. Zing up your wardrobe with these summer colors that can take you through to fall.

 the canyon messenger $128. Perfect for summer days at the farmers markets and outdoor summer acoustic nights

fallen needles shirt $88, midi shorts in dust storm $59, panama hat $52. 

Pair this with a black blazer to immediately take it up a notch for a casual date night or walk along Abbot Kinney.

lazy days floral jumper $88. Which Jessica Simpson, Audrina Patridge and Hillary Duff have all been seen wearing in the past week.  While I understand if that immediately turns you off, you can't deny it's still adorable!

Spend some time trolling through this site and I assure you, you'll be furious at me for handing you another vice on a silver platter...

Happy shopping!

Guess who?

My boyfriend found these amazing pics of (can you believe it) Barack Obama, taken in 1980 by Lisa Jack... enjoy!

barely there

This spring/summer it's all about incorporating nude tones into your wardrobe.  I've always been a fan of understated fashion and still believe in the "less is more" philosophy when it comes to pretty much everything.

Here are some of my favorite neutral fashion finds for this season...

Porter Grey dress shopbop.com. Loving the feminine layers and can imagine a vintage jewel belt complementing these lines perfectly.

Anthropologie Headband also on my must have travel list.

 

Elizabeth Arden cream blush in Nectar. I love cream blushes for giving you that subtle warm glow.

Clutch by Rafe New York. Amazing. Enough said.

Kimmichi Blue Nightie from Urban Outfitters can pass as a cute summer number on a warm balmy night.

Forever 21 Linen Jumpsuit, which I can't get enough of. The price is pretty fabulous too!

Tickle my France-y from OPI works perfectly with this spring time monochromatic madness!

Steve Madden's take on the Miu Miu wooden clog for a quarter of the price. 

There's nothing like a nude heal to elongate your legs. Especially when there's a platform to give you that extra height!

Hope this has inspired you to get nude ;)

dream house

When I was a little girl my dream house looked something like a cross between barbies bright pink love shack and the nature inspired Swiss Family Robinson tree house... Needless to say I wouldn't be the easiest client for an architect at age 5. Thankfully things have changed a little and my ideas are a little more feasible... I think!

I've been crazy busy lately designing a fabulous engagement party (stay tuned for pics) but wanted to share with you a design inspiration of mine. Quite simple her name is Nancy Meyers.  Some of you may immediately know her by name, but if it's not ringing any bells I'm sure her repertoire of films will jog your memory.  She's responsible for such films as The Parent Trap, Father of the Bride and more recently, Somethings Gotta Give and It's Complicated.  Not only is she known for these cinematic gems but she's also made quite a name for herself in the architectural design world.  The homes occupied by Diane Keaton in the Hampton's and Meryl Streep in Santa Barbara epitomize the same easy opulent living that I go crazy for.  I could see myself quite easily slipping right into either one of those dreamy estates and living out my life quite peacefully!  For now, I'll stick with my humble LA abode and aim to recreate some of that loveliness while I work towards that future!

Now, to make it happen...