Signature Cocktails: Boston Cocktail

Posted on April 26, 2013 by richay8

In honor of Boston week, the ladies at Favorite Day wanted to pay homage to our great city by making the Boston Cocktail. We found the recipe for this cocktail from the Mr. Boston Platinum Edition drink mixing guide. It’s a little sweet and a little strong – just like our city. After all, we are Boston Strong.

Boston Cocktail:

3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz apricot brandy
1/2 oz lemon juice (or juice from 1/2 lemon)
1 1/2 tsp grenadine

I started by adding all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice. I shook it well and poured it into a chilled martini glass. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a proper garnish, but if you have a lemon feel free to add a twist for fanciness.

I found that the herbal flavor from the gin blends well with the sweetness from the grenadine and brandy. The lemon helps to balance it with a somewhat tart finish. If you find that it is too sweet, try adding less grenadine and a bit more lemon juice. It is a strong drink, so I think it works best to sip it slowly and enjoy it.

Having a get-together this weekend? Consider making the Boston Cocktail and let me know what you think!

Cheers!

~The ladies at Favorite Day

Mood Board Monday: It’s Boston Week!

Posted on April 22, 2013 by favoritedayevents

As I mentioned last week, we are dedicating this weeks posts to Boston. Maybe we’re a bit biased, but we think our city is pretty fantastic. And this past week has proven that the people living there are doubly so. Want to throw a party here? Well we have you covered. Check out some lovely inspiration and resources!

1. Boston skyline from here; 2. Public Garden from here; 3. Trolley from here; 4. Duck Boat from here; 5. View from Top of the Hub from here; 6. Cake from here (check out the whole amazing wedding – a special guest of Boston Bruins fame makes an appearance!); 7. Save the Date from Etsy; 8. Dress from here; 9. Sports jersey table numbers from here.

Let’s imagine your event is stretching out for an entire weekend. If our lit up skyline and public gardens don’t draw you in at first glance, you can always delve into the city a little more with a group tour. It may seem incredibly touristy, especially if you live here, but we recommend a trolley or duck boat tour. I (Renee) personally lived in the city for 4 years before I took a tour, and I learned so much! You can purchase group tickets for the duck boats here. For Boston Trolleys, you can either book a tour or charter a whole trolley for your own private event transportation. More information here.

If you’re feeling more like walking, take a walk down the Freedom Trail. Your event guests – especially the out-of-towners – will appreciate the opportunity to get out and take a look around. You can organize a self-guided tour yourself and walk around on your own (maybe plan a scavenger hunt?), or you could have the folks at the Freedom Trail Foundation set one up for you – private tours also available.

If a birds-eye view is more your speed, you can get a pretty amazing one from Skywalk Observatory or Top of the Hub, the restaurant and viewing area at the tip top of the Prudential tower. Skywalk offers group rates for the observatory and you can find more info here. Top of the Hub hosts events as well in their private event spaces, and we can speak from experience – the food is pretty great. The view isn’t bad either, 52 stories above the city.

Boston Common is the home of the swan boats, lovely bridges, and excellent photo ops for you and your party guests/guests of honor. It can also be a beautiful and very central location for your wedding ceremony. If you want to have your wedding ceremony or photos taken in the Boston Public Garden, you need a permit. Find out more about that here.

Are you from here? If so I bet that none of the above are news to you! For today we chose a few things that we consider quintessential Boston. Look for some off-the-beaten-path stuff later this week!

Awhile back we did some mood boards on what it would be like to hold an event at the Boston Public Library. Check it out here.

~The ladies at Favorite Day

Top photo from Etsy, print on sale for $15.

Internet Beauty Test Subject: DIY Microdermabrasion

Posted on April 17, 2013 by richay8

Water from here, baking soda from here.

There’s a picture of Lauren Conrad on Pinterest and her skin looks like it’s glowing. Seriously. Glowing. “DIY Microdermabrasion!” it says. Well, I’ve tried to click on the link to see how I could get skin like hers, but, like a lot of the links on Pinterest it was no longer available. So, I gave up and moved on. It wasn’t until I was looking for ideas for this post that I came across the picture again. So, I did what I always do – I Googled it (what would life be without Google? I don’t like to think about it). It brought me to this blog which described how to do a DIY microdermabrasion.

Microdermabrasion, the less agressive version of dermabrasion, is described as a non-surgical way to rejuvenate skin using a tool to remove the top layer of the skin. It can help treat wrinkles, age spots, and acne. For this DIY microdermabrasion I won’t be using any tools. In fact, I’ll just be using water and baking soda.

Hypothesis: Baking soda is a cleaning miracle – it can be used to clean anything from your hair, to your bathroom. As a paste, it can exfoliate and clean your face.

Prediction: I’ve always known baking soda can be used pretty much anywhere in the house, but it wasn’t until recently that I learned how much I can use it as part of my beauty regimen (i.e. dry shampoo, regular shampoo, whitening nails, whitening teeth just to name a few). I predict that my face will be soft and smooth after using the baking soda mixture.

Test: I started by washing my face with my normal face wash. Then, I mixed 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water in a bowl and applied the mixture in circular motions all over my face for about a minute. I rinsed with warm water, patted dry and used my moisturizer.

Analysis: Let me just say that I plan on doing this DIY microdermabrasion at least once a week. My skin hasn’t felt that smooth and clean in a long time. I usually exfoliate with St. Ives Apricot Scrub once a week, but I think I’ll be doing a baking soda “scrub” from now on. It’s so simple and SO cheap.

Ratings:
Cost: Less than $5.oo.

Time Consumed: 5 minutes.

Pre-Event Feasibility: This is such a simple and inexpensive way to get your skin looking great before any party or event.

Post-Event Feasibility: It’s also a good idea to do this after a party or night out because your skin will no doubt be exposed to all sorts of stuff.

End Result: Loved this! My skin felt soft and smooth and it looked brighter. I can’t wait to do it again.

Have you tried this DIY microdermabrasion? Do you have any skincare secrets? Leave a comment below!

Mood Board Monday: Wanderlust Part 2

Posted on April 15, 2013 by favoritedayevents

Oh hey everyone! Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. My life has been taken over by travel and other life events! Most recently, I was in Miami. Now the stark white/art deco/over-the-top style of South Beach is normally not my thing, but I’m a firm believer that when you’re in Rome, you do like the Romans do, so I found myself embracing it. It wasn’t all that hard having ocean-side mojitos, so don’t think that I stretched my boundaries too much. Besides – South Beach has some excellent people watching. So fun!

Now that I’m back in New England, and the weather isn’t a steady 80 degrees with a slight breeze – I’m finding myself missing it. Because of that, and with all of that inspiration still floating around my head, I decided to make it my theme for this week’s mood board. I found a photo that captured the art deco, neon, tropical side of South Beach and went from there.

1. Miami from here; 2. Coral dress from The Dessy Group – Style LR163 in Firecracker; 3. Wedding dress from Unique Vintage (no longer available); 4. Lounge at Spire Bar from here; 5. Cake from here; 6. Drink from here; 7. Lighting from here; 8. Luminaries from Etsy.

With the Great Gatsby movie coming out, you can find art deco EVERYWHERE. We’re departing a little bit from the 1920’s swank of Great Gatsby, though, and adding details that are very Miami. Think white and coral with neon blue and purple details.

I started with the clothes – both dresses here have art deco touches with the structure on the bodices. They compliment each other without matching exactly. I also like that the white dress has some sparkle in the form of white sequin on the sides.

For the lounge area, I would take a page out of the book of the Spire Bar, which is pictured in the above photo. I love this place – It is the perfect spot to have a rooftop mojito, and I love the white furniture with the coral-red pillows and the striped floor.

You can bring the neon details in with light-up cocktails (LED ice cubes do the trick), and possibly some rope light at the bar. If your DJ or venue has other lighting, you can also add pink, purple, or blue uplighting around your party. (side note – I am normally not a fan of colored uplighting, especially at weddings. I think it can get tacky very quickly. But this is Miami-inspired, so over-the-top it is!). The luminaries that I pictured above for table numbers have an art deco style, and can be lit up with colored lights as well.

I hope this makes you want to run away to the beach. If not, I will have a Miami-inspired cocktail for you on Friday and I’m sure that will do the trick! In the meantime – Check out my past travel-themed mood board here (Morocco), and look out for more in the future!

Pinning Pretty with Pinterest

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Laurie@FD

Happy Friday, everyone! The ladies of Favorite Day have been on the road, which means that we’ve been slacking a bit in the content area. While you wait for our triumphant return you may want to check out our Pinterest boards for inspiration. We love Pinterest, and even when we’re away we do often find time to pin some pretty fabulous things. Check out a few of our most recent finds.

1. Rent an ice cream food truck for a wedding? Yes please, with a cherry on top!