Fabulous Finds Friday!

TGIF! What a crazy week this has been, but I am glad to say that it is Friday and that means it's time for my fabulous finds!

This week's spot light is on one of my best friends Samantha Morales! She is so fabulous and her hustle is awesome so of course I needed to share her fabulousity with all of you. First off she has her own baking business Short Stacks By Sam! She makes cakes, cupcakes, and even cake pops! It can be a very cumbersome task that takes lots and lots of hours of work, but she always pulls out the most beautiful creations. I would also like to mention the fact that she has 2 other jobs besides being an amazing baker! She is a mogul in the making people so make sure you are on the look out for her!

 I think one of the things that really set her apart from any bakery that you can go to is that she puts her heart and soul into all the cakes, and cupcakes that she makes and it really does show! 

Sam has been working at her craft since 2011, and she really has a talent for baking, everything she's made that I have tasted has been absolutely amazing and not to mention everything is so creative. I am literally in awe of how she can make these beautifully edible creations into realities that people all over are getting to enjoy!

Honestly I think that a dessert is the best part of the meal and  always to best way to commemorate any occasion! 

Everyone wants to be unique and what better way to do that by showing off with a kick ass baked confection from Short Stacks By Sam and without further adieu here are some of her master pieces that I am absolutely obsessed with!

Do you have a ladies who lunch function coming up? These are PERFECTION!

How cute is Olaf? Any Frozen fan would love this!

The details on these cupcakes are absolutely amazing! I love the little race cars and their drivers!

This birthday cake is everything! No better way to celebrate!

Avengers Assemble and eat cupcakes! These would be perfect for any avengers party or for any nerd a heart :)

I literally can not get over how real this cake looks! What a perfect way to celebrate a major mile stone!

This wedding cake is just darling and I love the flower touches. (BTW the cake topper is too funny!)

What Harry Potter fan would not freak out about these cupcakes?! They are amazing!!

Lastly is it graduation season and who doesn't need a graduation cake?! 

Sam does such an amazing job with all of her creations I can't wait to see what else she will come out with! If you are interested in ordering any of these confectionery creations contact her at Short Stacks By Sam!

Have a good weekend! 

xoxo- RPO1

Summer Solstice Party!

This weekend has been one that I have been anticipating for such a long time! It was my graduation party/ summer solstice party! For the past three years I have been obsessed with having an all white summer solstice party, but it never really worked out but everyone knows that I have been talking about doing it and then when I realized that I could do my graduation party all tied in with it I was all about it. This was my first time hosting a party at my house and having all the responsibility of coordinating it. It was most definitely a learning experience and even though I was so stressed about all of it and I wanted it to go off with a hitch I can honestly say that I did not sit down and take a breath until about half and hour into the party but once I did get to enjoy it, I realized how happy I was not only with the party  but with all the people I love around me and celebrating with me! After all that's what I think is the most important thing about a party is the people the guest list definitely sets the tone and I can not explain how happy all of my guests made me and how I am so grateful that they showed up ;) (asking people to show up in all white was a gamble but everyone showed up dressed to the nines!) I wasn't able to take pictures of my own because my phone was the music hub for the evening so I didn't have anything to take any pictures with and taking pictures with my camera but a big thanks to my wonderful friends and family for taking all these fabulous pictures!

Ladies in white-such a beautiful sight

Artsy shot by - Brittany

Family Tree Pic! #sororitylife

 Cheers to the good life! 

Fabulously fashionable!

Classic Jumping pic- still a work in progress

 Beautiful roses from a beautiful sister- Lauren 

Work It!

The fam bam :)

Getting caught taking selfies!

Finished product ;) - Photo Credit to Samantha!

Yay for graduation!

Fierce, Fabulous, and Fashionable Friends!

I had so much fun planning the party and I was so happy with how it was all executed and came together! I can't wait until the next soirée! 

A couple of things that I would like to add about the party that are kind of pictured above:

•  I lined the party area with white balloons that were tied down with gold tee's.
• Music is a must to make the mood, my selection was my Frank Sinatra station on Pandora
• Food and Drinks; it is very important that you have enough for all your guests this could make or break the party! 
• Party favors are a nice touch to show your guest that you appreciate them coming 
• My guests left with

Personalized mason jars 

 

Mini s'mores kits (perfect way to kick off summer!)

 

Lastly the most important thing about any party of gathering that you have are the thank you notes! In my opinion there is no better way of showing your appreciation than writing a hand written note to your guests because they've taken the time out of their day to celebrate you and a  little thank you note is your way of returning the gesture!

I'm off the write mine right now!

 

P. S: A big thank you to my cousin Noor for being my official photographer for the night along with my friends, Samantha, Lexy, and Brittany for sending me pictures from the party! Thank you!

Are you planning any parties this summer? What are some of your favorite tips for throwing a summer time bash?

XOXO- RPO1 

Rainy Summer Days

I love a nice summer day as much as the next person but I have to confess that I LOVE rainy days! There is just something so perfect about the chill from the rain and the soothing sound it makes. It's perfect to sleep in, or just to hang around the house, or even get some work done because you don't feel tempted to go outside, but rather it's more of an inside kind of day and sometimes those are the best and exactly what you need. My absolute favorite part of a rainy day though is my rain accessories! A perfect outfit can just make your day and anytime I can wear my rain coat and rain boots I consider that day a win!

Rainy Day by riyapartyofone featuring wellington boots

I love splashing around in my Hunter Boots they were definitely a good investment and I would recommend them to anyone who is in the market for rain boots, and lets be honest here, who doesn't need some rain boots in their life? Well if you live in the North East like I do I hope this post was a pick up for you from this rainy weather, but it looks like its going to continue tomorrow! If rainy weather isn't your favorite however no fear! It looks like this weekend is going to be fabulous and sunny!

What do you like to do when it's raining?

Fabulous Finds Friday!

It's Friday! So it is the perfect time to look back and think about the passing week and get ready for a beautiful weekend! In honor of it being Friday and my love for alliteration I thought I would take this opportunity to share with all of you some of the things I love in my hopefully weekly; fabulous finds Friday post!

This week's spotlight is on someone who I admire so much that I can't even begin to describe and that is one of my best friend's and role model Alexa DeLaurentis. Alexa is an amazing crafter and a number one hustler (lol). She works full time and still manages to turn her passion into beautiful creative accessories for everyone. She has the best bowtique on Etsy and is currently setting up shop at lots of craft fairs all around Connecticut! Not only are all of her products fiercely fashionable but they are all made with love and nothing can beat that! I own a few of her bows and hair ties myself and I can tell you first hand that they are of the utmost quality! I have also ordered them for my friends and loved ones and they have absolutely loved them!

Here are few items from her shop that I am currently coveting!

Anchors Aweigh (nautical or nothing is the motto right now)

Black and White Damask (If I had to pick a pattern for my life this would be it)

Everything Nice Lilly Pulitzer(Every girl needs a little Lilly in her life)

 Queenie (Obviously the most royal of choices for the princess in your life)

Party in the USA ( is there any better way to celebrate America?)

Red White and Blue Polka dot Flower Headband (I know what I will be wearing on the 4th of July!)

Peacock Hair ties (they make the perfect summer accessory for your hair or your wrist)

I just need to add that I use her hair ties every day, not only are they so cute and patterned but THEY DON'T CREASE YOUR HAIR! That is the last thing I need when I tie my hair up, I like it to look fresh when I take it down not like a hot mess and these are the perfect accessory! 

There are a lot of gift giving occasions coming up this summer like graduations, birthday parities and she's even got things for the men in your life! Here a few great gift ideas for the guys!

Giants Key Fob (perfect for any die hard fan)

 

 Dr. Who Bow Tie (she made this custom and it is perfect for the whovians in your life!)

Yankees Key Fob (It's baseball season, show your pride with style)

I hope you find something you love at her Bowtique! Everything is fabulous so happy shopping!

What are some of your favorite shops or up and coming businesses?

Accomplishments

I love having Monday's off because it really helps ease me back into the work week grind. What I don't love however is when I have a perfectly beautiful day and I end up staying in bed and watching Law and Order: SVU although I do love days like that don't get me wrong! Today however was made to be productive for me, I woke up at 5:30 in the morning and pretty much after that it was guns blazing! (I went to bed really early yesterday from heat exhaustion that's the only reason I was up so early!) My parents bought a grill a week or so ago and it has just been sitting in my garage slowly driving me crazy because all I want to do is grill and just enjoy my summer evenings just like any other red blooded American! Am I right? It is summer after all!

So the mission today was to assemble the grill, and I was feeling pretty confident about it because I now consider myself sort of a handy woman, I did build all my own IKEA furniture and for anyone who has ever walked down that path they know how difficult it is. So here I am with a million pieces of grill sitting in front of me all sprawled out on my porch and as I'm surrounded by cardboard, screws and random pieces of metal and not the right type of tools AT ALL I was just about to throw in the towel. I took a break from a moment and collected my self and got back to it, because I knew the finished product would be so worth it. I think sometimes it really is important to walk away from things when you are feeling overwhelmed because giving yourself a minute to clear your head can really be refreshing, the hard part though it not taking a break that is too long because that is when I find myself slipping into laziness and not wanting to keep going. Luckily I stayed motivated today and was able to pull through! It took me 5 hours to assemble this grill but I did it and here is the finished product!

Making this happen today has really made me feel accomplished, there are so many little things that can be done in the day that can be so worth while to you! I really enjoyed working on the grill all day it was a great way to clear my mind. After accomplishing my grill I was more than happy to enjoy the fruits of my labor!

Grilling and Chillin'!

What things are you looking to accomplish this week?

Stay fabulous- RPO1