Saturday Sip & Shop XIX ::: Carolina Cup Edition!

This week's Saturday Sip & Shop is dedicated to all things Carolina Cup!
These annual horse races in Camden, SC, are an essential part of our family.
Tailgating galore, Southern style ... what's not to love.
I'll be there this year with bells on.  And my Lilly, too!

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Sip:

Source: theforestfeast.com via April on Pinterest

 Bloody Mimosa
We always start off a day at the races with a mimosa.
I think this blood orange mimosa sounds amazing!

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Shop:

Source: rstyle.me via April on Pinterest

Lilly Pulitzer Cassie Dress {$98}

Lilly owns the Carolina Cup. 

They always have a tent there too with fun giveaways!

I think this dress would be perfect for the races.

Carolina Cup 2013

I am oh-so-excited that this weekend is not only Easter, but also the 81st running of the Carolina Cup!  We've been going to this event for well, just about all of my adult life, and it truly is a big part of me.  The day consists of competitive horse races for the cup, with the big running joke of, "so did you see any horses?" 

A big tailgating party, Southern style.  That's about all it is.  Like the very best part of college football games, all day long.

A day when we pack our cucumber sandwiches, don our wide-brimmed hats, paint our toenails pink, and think that we look like this:

 
When in actuality, we look a little more like this:
 

Or this:

OH SHOOT THAT'S ME!

Or this:

GOOD GRACIOUS, ME AGAIN!
What a dang hot mess.

Well, don't you know that what happens at the Cup stays at the Cup.  Right?!

Easter Basket Wishlist - Dude Edition

So, while I hope the Easter Bunny loves my wishlist, I'm sure he'll want a peek at what my husband's would consist of as well.  Here ya go, bunny!

{1} St. Ives Green Tea Scrub
Ian loves this stuff {$5}.  The grit is finer than the traditional apricot scrub and it smells heavenly.  Or so I guess -- I mean, it's not like I steal it from his side of the shower or anything... *ahem*

{2} Swiss Army Knife
This Victorinox Swiss Army Knife from Nordstrom {$30} would suit him just fine.  The man always has something to cut, file, snip, or open.

{3} Patagonia Trucker Hat
My guy has a major affinity for trucker hats (and he wears them well).  I think this Patagonia one {$25} would look so good on him.

{4} Minty Gum
Self explanatory -- he loves it!  And the more he has, the more I can pawn off of him.

{5} Ammo
For fun target practice sessions up in the mountains, or the next zombie apocalypse.  Whichever comes first.

Would the man in your life like any of these to appear in his Easter Basket?

Easter Decorating At Our House

It's Easter at our house!  I've never really gone all-out with Easter decorating, but I decided to give our breakfast table a Springtime look.

So here's what I'm starting with ... a blank canvas for the most part.  This pub-height table typically looks like this (maybe with a little stack of mail taking over a corner, ha!). 

  

I started out by getting some plastic eggs.  I picked up this pastel-colored pack from the Dollar Tree ($1) and I also had a pack of white eggs from Hobby Lobby ($0.50).
 

Add to the mix -- four somewhat creepy-looking bunnies ($4 total) from Dollar Tree.
  

I wanted to incorporate these precious egg cups from Homegoods ($5) into the mix.
 

And I knew one of my favorite vases (a wedding gift from sweet Misty) would make a pretty centerpiece.
 

Only issue at this point?  As cute as the pastels are, I just didn't think that those colors would jive with the rest of our home decor.

Enter a new friend:  Krylon's 18kt. Gold Plate metallic spray paint. I picked this up from Hobby Lobby using my 40% off coupon on their iPhone app.
 

One warm-ish evening after my walk with Drake, I got to spray paintin'.  Thank goodness for Ian's access to these big medical cloths ... they are perfect for projects like this.

I put the gold bunnies on top of green napkins, and the golden eggs went into the egg cups and into the large vase in the center of the table.  I added glasses and plates that I already had.  Lastly, dried sprigs from Old Time Pottery ($1.99) went into the center vase.
   

It was also time to add a little greenery to our corner, so I got a new houseplant for us.  It just needs to be raised a little bit so it takes up a little more visual room.

Here's a little before and after to show the changes to the table.

I love how this little table turned out, and I'll be sad when Easter is over!

Do you decorate for Easter?

Weekend Highlights

On Friday I mentioned that we had a weekend ahead of us with some adventures -- we escaped out of our comfort zone (pizza / yoga pants / Netflix on Friday night needed a rest!) and I do have to say that it was quite fun.

Friday evening, we were invited to our neighbors' home for dinner.  They are Indian, and they fixed us authentic fare.  I loved it.  Rather than opting for the traditional bottle of wine as a host gift, I went a little out of the box and brought a pineapple -- the Southern symbol of hospitality.  Ian thinks I'm positively kooky, as others likely do who drove by me Friday evening, walking down the sidewalk with red lipstick and a pineapple in hand.  Oh well.

Saturday afternoon I went up to Birkdale Village for the grand opening of Apricot Lane.  What a fun store this is, and it's surrounded by lots of other great stores.  Convenient ... and dangerous.  Just how I like my shopping.
 

Here are my favorite five things at the store:

That was the first time that I'd ever seen the headband version of the hair ties I love!

I did leave with a pretty fabulous new pair of earrings... aren't they fun?
 

On the way home, I went old-school and started jamming out to my old MTV Unplugged 10,000 Maniacs CD.  Ian and I had big plans that night to go uptown and see her perform with the Charlotte Symphony!
 

I wore a Lost April black sheer cape from Petal along with black leggings, black stilettos, and my new Bellvue Newport monogram necklace.

We caught a cab uptown and had an awesome dinner at King's Kitchen.  This non-profit restaurant features Southern cuisine with local ingredients, and profits go back to feeding Charlotte's hungry.  We loved every bit of what we ordered, but the fried oyster appetizer with the bacon aioli ... good gracious.  Just downright sinfully good.
 

The show was great, and Natalie Merchant has a voice that gives you shivers!  Man oh man, I really do wish that I could sing. 

More Easter updates coming on the blog this week!  I'll take a break from the Organized Traveler series this Thursday, but it will be back the following Thursday.  Ciao, ladies!

Easter Basket Wishlist

Remember how exciting it was to sprint to your Easter basket right after waking up to see what the Easter bunny brought you? 

And then to swiftly devour Peeps and Cadbury Eggs and chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, all before 8am?

Oh, the long-lost days of the high metabolism.

I'm not giving up all Easter sweets, but here's my wishlist for this year's basket!

{1} Jelly Beans
I'm a total jelly bean lover, and of course Jelly Bellys are so delish.  I would have to say that pink grapefruit and canteloupe are my very favorite flavors.  Oooh, and toasted marshmallow!

{2} Seche Vite
Instead of asking for nail polish this year, I'll just ask for another bottle of Seche Vite!  This product has revolutionized my nails.  I used to think that I had to go with Essie or OPI nail polish to get staying power -- but this little bottle ($8) can turn bargain brands into a salon-worthy manicure!  I love the little $0.99 nail polishes by the cash register at Sally Beauty Supply, and with Seche Vite on top, they look just as good as the expensive brands.

{3} Cheery Potholders
This set from Vera Bradley ($22.50) would look so darling in our kitchen, and added bonus: the busy print camouflages any food stains that you may get from taking that piping hot cheesy casserole out of the oven.  Don't act like it doesn't happen to you.

{4} Nest Votives
This Wasabi Pear Votive ($14) may cost more than your traditional votive, but we are huge Nest fans in our little family due to how strong they are!  The votives last a long time and fill up the entire room with their scent.
 
{5} Kendra Scott Danielle Earrings
One small pair of earrings that really makes a statement.  And better yet, you can buy them ($60) through Zappos (here), which gives you free shipping and return shipping -- not that I think anyone would need return shipping on these beauties!
 

What's on your wishlist for the Easter Bunny this year?