Arsenic Lace

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Sunday Kind of Love

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Sunday Kind of Love

Hello Everyone! Just checking in to see how your week went. I had a pretty busy one filled with work, lots of photo shoots for new blog posts, and one really bad hangover. OUCH! The Dutch Kills staff party was on Monday and I went a little too hard. Does anyone else get 3-day hangovers like me? I’m back to share my Sunday Kind of Love Post with you. Did any of you decide to also take part in Apartment Therapy’s January Cure? I’m still at it and I’m sharing my progress plus some items I’m looking at to get more organized in the new year.

I loved so many of the assignments this week.

  • Spend time with your home tonight. This was a media fast day which is so refreshing for me. It’s great to sit and think about all the things you want to accomplish with no distractions
  • Identify the places at home where paper tends to collect and work to get rid of it. This was a big one for me because I freelance which means I save ALL of my receipts. Keeping all the paper organized is important so I don’t lose anything I need but I cleaned out my desk, purse, and kitchen counter where the papers like to hang out.
  • Take some pictures of your home and use them to help you pick one thing from your list of projects to finish. I would really love to wallpaper the bedroom so hopefully, I can order it in time to be done this month!
  • Get your primary sofa into shape. I removed all cushions and gave the sofa a quick vacuum. Then I vacuumed and fluffed each cushion. My pink couch from Article was my dream couch and I’m so happy to own it. This was a quick refresh and made my favorite spot look flawless.
  • Refreshing the kitchen. This assignment had many parts to it and I did my best to tackle most of them. Basically, you organize everything in your cabinets and drawers plus get rid of anything you don’t need. Lucky for me I organized all my drawers last week! The other part of this assignment is cleaning the entire kitchen by decluttering, cleaning the appliances, and wiping down everything. I’m pretty much done besides tackling the inside of my cabinets. Do you know how much glassware I have? A LOT. Pour me a glass of wine and I’ll finish this by tonight.

I desperately need to organize all the closets because I know they could be more functional. Here are some items I want to get for the January Cure.

I’m sure I’ll be adding more things to that list as the month goes on. What are you doing to get your home more organized in the new year? Are there any big projects you want to tackle to get your home in order? Let me know in the comments below. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Happy Sunday everyone! I’m writing to you from terminal 5 at JFK en route to Charleston, SC for the SAVEUR Blog Awards. I’m super excited (and nervous) and can’t wait to see Charleston. I’ve always wanted to go to Charleston so this was the perfect opportunity to check it off my list. Thank you to everyone for your non stop support and to anyone that took the time to nominate Arsenic Lace for Best Drinks Blog. Wish me luck!

  • Not sure if you saw my Peach + Basil Whiskey Sour that went up on A Beautiful Mess last week. Get all my tips for making egg white drinks at home and why I love to drink them at this time of year. When I wrote that recipe peaches were still in season. The great thing about this recipe is you can swap out fruit and herbs for ones that are in season or you can enjoy something summery with a cold weather approved twist. You can always get peaches at the grocery store. 😉

  • My Gin + Tonic Popsicles that I did for A Beautiful Mess were featured on The Kitchn. Check out the article here. That caught me by surprise when I found it. I must have been in Paris when it was published and missed it. Such a fan of The Kitchn, so I was psyched that they liked my popsicles! If any of you live in a warmer weather climate or if you have been experiencing warmer than usual weather like we have in NYC, make these! They’re so easy and super refreshing.

  • I have a Banana + Kiwi Daiquiri that just went up on Palm Springs Style yesterday. The Daiquiri is my favorite classic cocktail and I love coming up with new ways to enjoy it. This recipe includes white rum, banana liqueur, fresh lime and a homemade kiwi syrup. While the weather gets cooler here and I’m planning out Fall and holiday cocktail posts, I really love the challenge of developing cocktails for a blog in California that doesn’t experience season change as drastically as we do over here in the North East. I guess you will get to live vicariously through my warm weather cocktails that I post on Palm Springs Style all Winter long. I’m a bi-coastal blogger, but can I just live in both places too?

  • If you followed along on the One Room Challenge I did with Michelle Gage this past Spring than you know about my livingroom + the many features it got. I’m in love with how the room turned out and am working on finishing up the rest of the house but it’s a slow process. Everything is pretty much done, I just need to put finishing touches, hang some wallpaper and maybe change a few light fixtures. I’ve decided to do to One Room Challenge by myself this Fall to motivate me to spruce up an area of the house that gets much neglected. Stay tuned this week to see what I will be working on. I’ll be writing about the process every Thursday for 6 weeks starting this week.

Make sure you’re following along on Instagram to keep up with my Charleston adventures. Cheers and happy October! xo

Sunday Kind of Love | Paris Edition

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Greetings from Paris, everyone! If you’ve been keeping up with my adventures over on Instagram you know that I’ve pretty much eaten/drank my way through Paris and Cognac. I’m going to write a separate post about some of my favorite bars and restaurants plus my trip to Maison Ferrand but just wanted to pop in and say bonjour. Sunday is my favorite day and I’m taking a bit of a rest. This week has been a whirlwind and I may have stayed out a tad bit too late last night (oops), so I slept in and got some room service. I sure don’t mind writing this blog post from the cutest hotel in Paris, with the windows open, enjoying some coffee and a few pastries. Life is magical sometimes and I’m very grateful to have had the chance to go on this trip.

I’m staying at the beautiful Hotel Henriette located on a small and quiet cobblestone street close to the Mouffetard district. Earlier in the week, I was at Hotel Bachaumont which was equally beautiful but it is exciting to get to explore a whole new neighborhood. For this Sunday post, I wanted to share some photos of the hotel and a few I’ve snapped on my Parisian adventures!

This is the view of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero. I’m so happy I finally got to see it in person and fulfill a lifelong dream. The only thing I wish is that there was someone else there to get a photo of me in front of it. Oh well, next time! How cute and charming is that carousel?

This is Rue Crémieux, a little cobblestone pedestrian street with private houses in the 12th arrondissement. I had so much fun photographing it, but it was admittedly hard because there were so many other people there also trying to snap some photos. I couldn’t check into my hotel yet so I dropped off my luggage and spent a few hours here and patiently snapped photos as people cleared out. It actually started to pour while I was there and I had to duck under a tree. That may sound crazy but I got all the photos I wanted and I think they will be the most important things I have to remember Paris by. I will definitely be framing some of these. I took so many I would need to dedicate a whole post to this street.

Hotel Henriette couldn’t be any more perfect for me. The design is such an elegant mix of antique/French with a very bohemian feel and blended with more modern furniture and lighting fixtures. My design style is very similar which is why I picked it and it’s even more beautiful in person. I wish I was staying a little longer because I feel very much at home here. Hotel Henriette is going to be my default hotel whenever I come back to Paris. Seriously, when can I come back to Paris?

I hope you’re all enjoying your Sunday. I fly back tomorrow evening and I’m hoping to get up bright and early to go to the flea market. Will they let me bring furniture on the flight? Au revoir! xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Sunday came so fast this week. I’ve spent a lot of my time preparing for my trip to France and making sure everything is in order before I leave tonight. I shot a cocktail but didn’t have enough time to get it up, so that will be on the blog tomorrow. HINT: I’m making something with a French based spirit in celebration of my trip to France. I’m going to take a lot of photos and try to update the blog atleast once while I’m there. Maybe my Sunday kind of love post next week will be a Paris edition. One can only hope! 😉

  • Last weekend my livingroom was on The Everygirl again. I know you’ve seen my livingroom a bunch of times by now, but the article is here incase you want to check it out. I think I’m going to do the One Room Challenge in October by myself this time around. I’m working on so many projects in the apartment that I feel like I’m a bit overwhelmed and that I can easily get distracted. Doing the challenge will help me stay motivated and focus on getting another room totally completed. At this stage, my bedroom just needs wallpaper, which means I should probably just order it. That will force me to put it up. This is the one I’m getting. I took advantage of Labor Day sales and ordered the items I linked to last Sunday. When I return from France there will be a new kitchen table, chairs, and a rug for the kitchen. All the kitchen will need to be complete, is some art and styling. I’d really love to get a new light fixture for that room as well. I was thinking this one. I will keep you updated about the One Room Challenge and what I will be concentrating on once it starts.

  • Speaking of ABM and popsicles, my Gin + Tonic Popsicles went up this week and they are AMAZING. Super refreshing and easy to make at only four ingredients. Summer isn’t over yet!

  • Voting closed for the Readers Choice portion of the SAVEUR Magazine Blog Awards. Each category has a Readers Choice and Editors Pick, so I have two chances to win an award. I was on the fence about if I should go or not, but I decided that I should and booked my flight and hotel this week. I will be in Charleston 10/1-10/3. If you have any recommendations please send them my way. I have always wanted to go to Charleston, so this was a great excuse! Wish me luck.

Stay tuned for a new recipe and follow me along on Instagram to see all of my France adventures. Au revoir! xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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I hope you all enjoyed your week and are making the most of your holiday weekend. I’m having some regrets about the summer as we approach fall… I didn’t make it to the beach once! I’m coming to terms with the fact that I might have some serious workaholic issues that I need to work through. Did I just create more work for myself? I’m not sure. 😉

  • It’s the last few days to vote for Arsenic Lace as Best Drinks Blog in the SAVEUR Blog Awards. Please go here and cast your votes as many times as you can until 9/6.

  • The Strawberry Hibiscus Frosé I made for Palm Springs Style was featured on The Feed Feed. Check it out here and grab the recipe!

  • These Jalapeño Mango Margarita Popsicles went on Palm Springs Style this week as well. They are as good as they sound. Boozy, super fruity, and SPICY! My most flavorful pop-tail to date. Making these is a must!
  • I pulled the trigger on the ABM x Kelly Moore bag that I mentioned last week. I desperately needed a new camera/laptop bag to travel to France with. If you’re on the market for a new camera bag, check them out. I went with the gold one because I figured I should expand my wardrobe outside of the color pink.

  • I wrote about my favorite frozen cocktails in Jersey City on ChicpeaJC for the holiday weekend. Check it out here and if you’re local, check a few places out and have one before Summer menus disappear. This is the Missionarys Downfall that I put on the Summer frozen menu at The Archer.

  • You have a few more hours to enter my giveaway with Bloomia. Go to my Instagram and follow the rules. I will be picking a winner later today. Who doesn’t want fresh flowers delivered right to their door?
  • There’s a huge sale going on over at West Elm for Labor Day. Should I pull the trigger on the kitchen table? Was thinking about putting this rug under it, which is also on sale. Thoughts?

That’s all for this Sunday. I’m headed out of town to spend some time with family for the day. Hopefully I can update the blog before I leave for France. One of the next Sunday Kind of Love posts just might be a Paris edition. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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I hope everyone had a good week. I can’t believe we’re approaching the last week of August. I really don’t know where the time is going. Someone stop the clock please! Not a whole lot happened this week except the usual tons of work thing that I always seem to be struggling with. There is light at the end of the tunnel though.

  • I'm going to Paris and Cognac in September with Pierre Ferrand to tour the distillery and spend some time in France. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to travel with them. France and especially Paris has always been on the top of my list of places to go to but somehow I've made it 30 years without getting the chance to travel there. I'm staying behind for a few days after the trip so I booked my hotel this week. After searching for a few hours I found this really awesome hotel, The Henriette, that was very afforable and just look how adorable it is. I know what you're thinking…how did you find a Palm Springs looking hotel in the Paris? Let's just say the universe found it for me. This trip has seemed so far for months and now it's just around the corner. What am I going to pack? Did I just find the hotel that every blogger is going to stay at now when they go to Paris? Can you spot a photo of my favorite hotel in Palm Springs framed above one of those beds? Click the photos to see the slideshow.

  • Meet the Finalists went up on SAVEUR this week. Check it out here and read about their favorite drink blogs of 2017 and learn more about each blog/blogger that has been nominated in the SAVEUR Blog Awards. You have until 9/6 to vote for Arsenic Lace for Best Drinks Blog, so keep voting! EVERY DAY!

  • Did you see my Chamomile Elderflower Tom Collins on A Beautiful Mess? It’s a delicious and refreshing variation on the classic Tom Collins with elderflower liqueur and chamomile flower infused honey syrup. This drink was so good and I had a blast making it and shooting it. I’m really happy with how the photos turned out.

  • I have a fun post and giveaway that goes live tomorrow on the blog. Keep your eyes peeled for that email in your inbox in the morning. You have to be following me on Instagram to enter, so if you’re not already, what are you waiting for? 😉

  • I need a new camera bag because I want to travel with my camera, especially for this France trip. A Beautiful Mess did a collaboration with Kelly Moore and ever since they launched them I’ve been dying to buy one. It seems like there’s enough space for my camera body, a few lenses, but most importantly my laptop. I want to be able to blog while I’m on that trip so having a bag that can accomodate all of my needs is really important. I like this one because it can be a shoulder bag or backpack which is super useful. My current camera bag is a little small and when I put all of my stuff in it, it’s very heavy and hurts my shoulders. This bag is obviously ridiculously good looking as well. My biggest problem? Should I get pink or gold? Obviously my mind goes directly to pink but keep in mind everything I own is pink, including jackets and my hair. What do you guys think?

If you have ever been to Paris and have any recommendations on places I should go and see, please tell me in the comments section below. Museums? Favorite restaurants? Cocktail bars? Colorful walls? I want to know about it. Enjoy your Sunday. I’m hoping to get a little time to relax myself. Cheers. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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I can’t believe how fast the summer has flown by. The end of Summer blues have officially set it. We’re approaching the last two weeks of August and I haven’t been to the beach once. I dread the winter so my anxiety about it starts pretty early. On the other hand, for the first time in my adult life I have the space to get a Christmas tree and I’m really excited to decorate the mantels. Besides looking forward to that, the cold and darkness really gets me down. Am I being over dramatic? I better start planning my next trip to Palm Springs.

There seems to be no slowing down in my schedule. I have a pretty busy September ahead (I’m going to France – YAY!) and October is jam packed with two weddings and I’m possibly going to Charleston for the SAVEUR Awards. Speaking of that, don’t forget to keep voting for me! You can do that here as many times as you want until 9/6.

  • Supercall named me one of the best boozy Instagrams to follow if you need a vacation. Check it out here! I REALLY need a vacation. Have you gone anywhere fun this summer?

  • Joanna Hawley of Jojotastic mentioned my Hibiscus Gin-Gin Mule in her Friday edit column. I’m such a huge fan of her blog so I was really excited that she even reads mine! Fan girl moment. Go check out her blog if you don’t read it already. I’ve been completely drooling over her bedroom reveal.

  • What do you think of this floral table by Liberty for Anthropologie? I thought I had decided on the West Elm table because it was more practicle. If you didn’t read my kitchen table dilema post, I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I’ve been lurking Craigslist for something vintage too. I really want to get something before the holidays.

  • My biggest news of the week is that my living room was featured on Apartment Therapy. I went to school for interior design (not sure if a lot of you know that) so one of my dreams has always been to see my home featured in my favorite design publications. This year my dream came true with a feature on Domino and now Apartment Therapy. I’m trying to finish up the rest of my rooms for fall so hopefully I can do some home tour features. DREAMS!

Making this one short and sweet. I have a lot of fun recipes coming your way this week, both here and on A Beautiful Mess. I’m also making some delicious boozy popsicles for Palm Springs Style which I’m very excited about! I shot two projects this week for posts that will have giveaways attached to them as well, so stay tuned! Hope you all had a great weekend. Cheers. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Happy Sunday! I hope these blooms brighten up your day. I did some flower arranging yesterday for a collaboration I’m doing with Bloomia, so stay tuned. Making bouquets is much harder than you think. Florists have earned so much more of my respect!

What a crazy week it has been and today I am most definitely giving myself a much deserved day off. I’ve been working a lot lately and honestly, I’ve been pretty stressed and spread a little thin. Between regular bar work, a consulting project, keeping up with the blog and social clients, my plate is very full at the moment. There is never a dull moment and who wants to be bored anyways? How do you guys unwind/relax? Do you have good tips on combating burn out? Send them my way! One day I will have this whole life/work balance thing figured out.

  • I’m sure you’ve seen by now that Arsenic Lace has been nominated for Best Drinks Blog by SAVEUR Magazine for their Blog Awards. You have until September 6th to vote as many times as you want so I’m going to be reminding you A LOT to place your votes. I’m up against a lot of really great talent, some I’m happy to call friends, so no matter what happens I’m honored to be a finalist. Head here to place your vote.

  • Wide Open Eats featured me and 15 of my drinks on their lifestyle section and said my Instagram is the happiest thing they’ve seen! “The Florida-meets-Palm-Springs flair of Arsenic Lace’s cocktails will inspire you to imbibe beachside or build a backyard tiki bar yourself.” I stumbled upon this while searching for another article I was featured in and it was quite a happy find! It feels nice to know that others find joy in the content I’m putting out there. This is exactly why I started doing this in the first place. Check it out here.

  • Did you see my delicious Mango Mai Tai go up on A Beautiful Mess this week? There’s an orgeat how-to as well which is a crucial syrup for making tiki drinks at home. Go read fun facts about the history of the Mai Tai and maybe try to make my summertime version for yourself! Recipe here.

  • Yesterday my Hibiscus Frosé was on Palm Springs Style. I’m so happy with the way this recipe turned out. I’ve been trying to figure out an easy way to make frosé at home that didn’t require freezing it in a sheet pan or adding ice to blend and I finally figured it out. The hibiscus syrup really took this drink to the next level by adding floral, tart, fruity notes that complimented the wine – plus the color is stunning!

That’s all for this Sunday. Hope you’re all relaxing with something frosty and boozy in hand. Did you make anything tasty this weekend? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers everyone. xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Happy Sunday everyone! What a crazy week it’s been and I’m so glad for my favorite day to finally be here. I do have a little work to do today, even though I said Sunday was off limits. The best thing about work? I get to drink frośe afterwards, so I guess it could be worse!

  • I hit 10K on Instagram this week!!! I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate everyones support. It’s been a wild ride building my blog over the last 14 months and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. The community over on Instagram and the whole blog world overall is just so supportive, and I’m so thankful for everyone I’ve met and gotten to work with. Thanks to all my readers that take the time to like, comment, read one of my posts, or send an encouraging word my way. You all make this possible and I promise to keep building this and creating content and cocktails that you love. I’m relaunching the website soon, I have a lot of fun things in the works, PLUS I have a very big announcement to make this week, so stay tuned!

  • My Hamilton Park Swizzle was on Imbibe this week. This was a cocktail I developed for the menu when I worked at Lani Kai back in 2010. It has mango tea infused applejack, palo cortada sherry, pineapple syrup, lime juice, and falernum in it. It was one of my first cocktails that got published and the first that got press. It was the centerfold in Imbibe Magazine for the Summer of Tiki issue in July/August 2011. It’s named after a park where I’m from in Jersey City and my first variation on a Queens Park Swizzle. Since then I’ve done a Van Vorst Park Swizzle, a Lincoln Park Swizzle and an Arlington Park Swizzle. I’m trying to cover all the parks here because if you haven’t noticed I’m very Jersey City, NJ PROUD!

  • I got some floating shelves installed in the bathroom this week and I’m in love! The bathroom is so small, and the sad part is it’s larger than my last one, lol. The upsides are the skylight, which means I never have to turn on a light (unless it’s night) and it’s perfect for putting on makeup, and the clawfoot tub. Theres a pedestal sink, which is pretty, but theres absolutely no storage and no medicine cabinet. I have some baskets under the tub, a little shelving unit under the sink and these shelves will act as my open medicine cabinet. It’s fun to display all my pretty skincare. AND since there’s light, I can have a plant. 😉

  • CB2 came out with this table and I’m dying. I don’t have a coffee table in the livingroom because it’s a little narrow. I keep bargaining with myself, asking if I move the couch a few inches backwards can there be enough room for this table? I kind of can’t live without it. How can a Palm Springs inspired livingroom exist without a gold pineapple table? Maybe I should buy it to just “see how it feels” in the room. What do you think? Please say YES!

  • Amara Living named my first Sunday Kind of Love post one of the top 25 interior design posts of July because of my bedroom progress (and the wallpaper isn’t even up). I know I’m a drinks focused blog sharing the occassional home photo, but can I expand into lifestyle and interior? I would love to! I did go to school for interior and exhibition design afterall. We shall see. Maybe just more photos of me drinking in my home.

  • Did you see my Dark ‘n Stormy popsicles go up on A Beautiful Mess? They are my favorite poptails I have EVER made. Super citrusy, bright, spicy, boozy and refreshing. Perfect for the summer. I think I like them even better than the original drink. I’m not sorry.

Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend. What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Thanks again for all your support. Love you! xo

Sunday Kind of Love

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Happy Sunday! Hope you all had a good week. I had sort of a stressful week, but I took it easy yesterday and enjoyed a much needed day off. I also unplugged and stayed off the internet. It was easier than you think, I promise!

  • Not sure how many of you have dogs, but I have a special pup that you are probably familiar with from me posting photos of him here, on IG, or in my stories. He’s a Chinese Crested named David Bowie and he is my whole heart. To make a long story short we tried to eliminate the crate this past week in hopes of having a cage-free pup and it went as bad as one can imagine. It included puke on the pink couch and many days of me trying to get the stain out of the cushion. A few anxiety attacks later, lots of blotting and stain remover and the couch is back to new. Phew!

  • It was National Tequila Day on Monday so I hope you got to enjoy one of the drinks I posted! 

  • I got a chrome manicure finally. My nail salon just got the powders in and I was super excited to try it out. Aren’t they pretty? It reminds me of rose gold.

  • I found this AWESOME wall hanging at Home Goods. I couldn’t believe it! I needed something to brighten up the staircase. I’m thinking of sprucing up the hallway/staircase this fall. Maybe some wallpaper, a landing area to hang coats, a bench for shoes/purses, a mirror, and I really want to paint the stairs. They get dirty pretty easily and I’d like to paint them in a higher gloss so that they’re easier to clean. Can’t decide if I want to paint the whole staircase, do ombre, the tops of each stair or wallpaper each step. Also painting a “runner” could look really cool. I started a Pinterest board that you can check out here. I’m really digging the idea of doing teal. It’s bright enough to be colorful but dark enough to hide dirt. What are your thoughts?

  • I think I decided on a kitchen table. After measuring and being very realistic with myself (I think I’m growing up) I think it’s best to go with the Modern Expandable Table from West Elm. The table is only 30″ deep and expands from 39″ to 55″ which isn’t obtrusive into the surrounding areas. I really wanted a round table but I think going with a rectangle is a better choice for the shape of the room. I can always have a round table in my breakfast nook in the next house. One day I will have a proper dining room! This gives me the ability to have a small table for everyday use and a long table for when I have company.

I’m thinking about starting another column about bartending technique (shaking, stirring, building rounds, batching, ice, dilution). The more I share about how it’s done behind the bar and what I’ve learned over the years, the more informed you will be while you’re making drinks at home. Thoughts or anything you’d like me to include?

Lots of recipes coming soon and some home projects this week. I will have lots to post next Sunday! Are you doing anything fun today? I’m heading to Sussex County again for my Mom’s birthday. I think we might thrift on the way. One can only hope! Cheers everyone. xo