How to Build a Kitty Perch…

May22

As I have mentioned before, my husband Joshua and I have two kitties, Hermione and Voldemort.  They are now 8 months old.  We do our best to keep our kitties entertained with toys, scratch posts, catnip, you name it, we have it.  Our kitties also love snuggling into our bed.  In an effort to gain us some sleeping room and still have the kitties love our bedroom, we decided to add a kitty perch into our bedroom.

Here is the step by step process of creating your very own cat perch.

  1. Go to you local hardware store and buy the supplies:  wooden board, two large L supports, drywall screws, little wood screws, staple gun, bath mat, wood glue, stair carpet, a 1×6 board of wood, small L brackets for the steps.
  2. Measure and cut the boards for the size you would like.  Be sure to make the step boards big enough to allow the cats room to turn around and large enough for a full-sized cat to use as well.  (We had to re-do one of our steps to be a little larger).
  3. Cover the large board for lounging with something soft.  We stapled down a bath mat and then fold a sherpa blanket to just sit on top.
  4. Measure the carpet for the steps.  Glue down with wood glue and then secure with staples.
  5. Secure the large L bracket support into your wall.  Then install the small wooden corner supports (we used scraps from cutting the main board and stairs).  Finally install the last L bracket.  Be sure to measure and take precautions to ensure everything aligns and is level.
  6. Attach the large board and screw into the brackets and corner supports.
  7. Measure where your steps will go (be careful that cats will be able to make the jump from step to step).  It is recommended to work your way from the top step down.  Install the brackets for the first step and attach the step to the brackets.  Repeat for as many steps as you have.
  8. THE PERCH IS COMPLETE.
  9. Introduce your kitties to their new perch.  We allowed them to sniff everything and helped introduce them on to the steps.  We also helped show them the path from step to step by assisting them in the climb and enticing them with toys to explore.
  10. It took about a day of curiosity and getting over their fear of jumping the steps and now they love their new perch.

Here are a few photos of the Perch creating process:

         

Anti-Bullying Gala…

May21

Dear Friends, I am sooooo sorry for my radio-silence this past week and a half!!  Sometimes life just gets crazy and you need to buckle down and get your stuff done.  Well that was my life, crazy busy, hectic and no time for good times.  Sucks, but it makes all the good times that come after all the hard work that much better.  A great way to put it is….WORK HARD…PLAY HARD!!!  And that is just what I did.

This past Friday, my friend Nicole got invited to an Anti-Bullying Gala.  It was a black and white affair and such a great cause to get dressed up and support.  Plus, after a long and grueling week, it is always fun to look fabulous and hang out with friends.

It was the first annual Manhattan Anit-Bullying Gala and it was held at the Flatiron Districts hottest social club, SPiN.  There were musical hosts such as Celebrity DJ Ambition, DJ Ravi B., DJ Billy Got It and DJ Ashkay spinning the hottest music.  We enjoyed musical performances by Lucie Marie and Shilpa Narayan.  STAR Vodka provided an hour of complimentary cocktails and Paparazzi Icon took red carpet photos.

It was a great time with friends with awesome music, dancing and PING PONG!!

Here are a few photos of the event:

For more information on the Anti-Bullying Gala, click here.

For more information about Anti-Bullying, check out their website here.

For more information on SPiN, click here.

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day, weekend and are looking forward to the three day weekend coming up :) .  I missed you all and am happy to be back.

WORK HARD…PLAY HARD!!  Happy Good Times!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

An NYC Adventure…

May7

I just LOVE NYC!!  I cannot get enough of it and I guess it is pretty much because there is always something new around the coner…literally.  My husband has been talking non-stop about a great restaurant he went to years ago with his Dad and we were finally venturing out to explore and indulge.   It supposedly had the BEST Mexican food and we just LOVE Mexican.  My husband could not remember the name of the restaurant, but recalled the neighborhood and the “sign.”  Well, my Sherlock of a husband found his dream restaurant right away.  I was impressed.  We rushed in, were excited to get seated right away and then confusion struck.  I was looking at the menu and could not make sense of it.  I kept looking over and over and wondering to myself “Is my brain functioning?”  This is not a natural thought process.  Finally, I look up at my husband and he looks just as bewildered as I do.  We are in an ITALIAN restaurant!!  He did remember the sign but it was for the wrong restaurant.  So we decided to go with it…and Italiano it was.  Which just makes me want to say….”Attraversiamo!!”

So there we were, at Pescatore and what a fabulous surprise it turned out to be.  The tables were intimate, so if you are not fond of being a little close to the table next to you, this is not the place for you.  But we had a great time.

We ordered:

  • Caprese – buffalo mozzarella, warm crispy eggplant, cherry tomatoes & basil pistachio pesto
  • Insalada Di Bosco – baby spinach, butternut squash, pears, walnut dust, goat cheese, mushroom chips & blood orange vinaigrette
  • Mezze Rigatoni Alla Nonno - eggplant, carmelized onions, smoked mozzarella & San Marzano Tomatoes
  • Ravioli of the Day – goat cheese
  • 2009 Pinot Noir
  • Vanilla Rosemary Panna Cotta – With macerated berries
  • Hazelnut Gelato
  • We each picked a Muscat as our after-dinner drink, but I cannot remember the names!! sorry :)

Here are a few photos of our dinner adventure:

 

After dinner, we met up with some friends for drinks at Loreley Restaurant and Biergarten.  The beer was amazing and there was such a great selection.  Everyone was happy and we were even having such an amazing time at the bar, that we turned down our table in their backyard.  Which ended up working out even more in our favor because my Sherlock Holmes of a husband discovered there was a private party taking place downstairs and dared my friend Nicole and I to find out what was going on.  Well truth or dare…we pick DARE!!  So we went downstairs (which my husband was shocked we made it down because apparently a few people got thrown out previously for trying to do what we accomplished) and invited the rest of our party to join after we had safely established ourselves.  It was a birthday party for SAM!!  SAM, we hope you had a great time and we are so sorry we crashed your party but it was AMAZING and we met such an awesome group of your friends!!  Needless to say I came home with some glow in the dark stunner shades..lol.

Here are a few photos of our Loreley adventure:

 

For more information on Pescatore, click here.

To view them on yelp, click here.

For more information on Loreley, click here.

To view them on yelp, click here.

I hope this gives you some wonderful thoughts to plan your next weekend!!  And what a great way to survive a Monday, than by planning for a Friday!!

Wishing us all a speedy work day!!

Happy Planning!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

Cinco de Mayo Fab Five…

May4

Today is Friday…yayyyy and it is also May 4th, which means tomorrow is May 5th…aka CINCO DE MAYO!!!  Here are some fab ideas to kick-start your weekend and ensure you have an awesome Cinco De Mayo.  (For the history of Cinco de Mayo, click here).

Five Fab ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo:

1.  The best homemade GUACAMOLE EVER!!!  For recipe and photos, click here.

2.  MARGARITAS!!!  Frozen, Rocks, Salt, Flavored…they are all amazing…what’s not to love??

3.  SHOTS OF TEQUILA!!!  Yes to salt and lime :) .  Steps to taking a shot of tequila:  salt, shot, lime = fabulous!!

4.  TACOS!!

5.  DESSERT!!!

And be sure to treat yourself to a siesta during this all day fiesta!!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

Zac Efron…

May2

My friend Nicole and I recently went on a “date” together while our men had a poker night. We decided to see The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron. It was a great love story and the perfect movie for us to gush over and be extra girly. Not to mention that Zac Efron is some pretty good eye candy especially when he is lifting heavy things (see the movie!!).

BUT, we were completely shocked at just how much he looked like our friend Devin Kittle. I was a little more so disturbed because I have always thought of Devin as like a brother and found it completely (odd/gross…sorry Devin!!) to be thinking oh baby check out Zac when he kept reminding us of Devin. So throughout the movie we whispered to each other the “Devin” moments, where they looked alike and the “Zac” moments where Zac Efron looked delicious so we put Devin completely out of our minds (again Devin, no offense).

After the movie we joined the men and of course, told them all about the movie and how Devin and Zac are twins!! Of course the men did not mind some female interruption and girl attention lol and our friend Devin just so happened to be present.

The following evening, my friend Nicole sent me a picture of Zac and Devin side by side. I was ASTONISHED how much they do look-alike. I showed my husband and he too was like WOW!! So I decided to take my friend Nicole’s picture, which had Zac all dressed up in a suit and switched it with a more laid-back casual Zac.

See for yourself!!! If you think they look-alike, please LIKE and SHARE!! Maybe Devin can star in High School Musical 4 as Zac’s long-lost brother lol. And yes ladies, Devin is single ;) ;) .

Check out their photos below:

What do you think?? Twins?? Separated at birth perhaps?? Do you have any friends that have a striking resemblance to a celebrity?? If so, please share.

And if you have not already, definitely check out The Lucky One in theaters soon.

Happy Eye-Candy!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

The Stag’s Head…

May1

When you are in NYC or any place with an abundance of restaurants and bars, it is always good to venture out of the box and try something new.  We have passed The Stag’s Head countless times and always mean to try to the place “next time.”  Well next time finally came around and we are sooooo thankful it did.

The Stag’s Head is a great place to meet friends and co-workers for happy hour, awesome joint to grab some dinner or a place just to relax and sip a fabulous drink.  The staff is awesome in that bar scene kind of way…aka freakin cool and at the same time just as friendly.  Which makes you feel like you can be yourself and have a good time.

We ended up going here after attending a fashion show and running into some friends unexpectedly at the show.  This was the perfect bar for catching up and their impressive beer and wine selection topped off with delicious food makes this a place we will be going more frequently.  It was great because it really catered to everyone’s tastes/needs.  They had great options for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

We ordered:

  • My husband and I each got our own craft beer sampler (aka you pick 4 different beers and get a smaller glass of each).  I can honestly not remember which 4 I chose but I know my favorite was the Chelsea Checker Cab)
  • Buffalo Wings
  • Spinach-Artichoke Dip (served with bagel chips)
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Checker Cab Chilli
  • Turkey Burger with Cajun Fries (my husband is not one to order turkey instead of red meat and he LOVED this burger…although I do not see it on the online menu)
  • Falafel Burger with Cajun Fries (AMAZING!!  I have only been eating NO MEAT since April 1st so I survived the month and this was mouth-watering delicious…did not miss a bacon burger for one second…I also do not see this item on the online menu)
  • Red Wine
  • Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Here are a few photos of our new “IT” place adventure:

If you are drooling while reading then, it is definitely drool worthy…so drool away lol.  The Stag’s Head is a place you want to put on your to-do list.  Great atmosphere, impeccable food and a fine selection of drinks (even GLUTEN-FREE…for my sister-in-law Diana).

For more information, check out their website here.

For reviews, check them out on yelp here.

HAPPY EATING!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

Christian Louboutin… <3

Apr25

If you are anything like me, then fantasizing about a pair of Christian Louboutins is a natural occurrence. I do not wear heels all the time, I am usually in sneakers, flats, sandals, boots…pretty much anything other than heels because I am constantly on the go. But OMG Christian just has a special place in my heart. That red sole just makes me swoon. I do not own a pair of Christian Louboutins but can only hope one day they are somehow calculated into my budget….or hey…if I am dreaming…maybe I will not need a “budget” at all!!

While clicking around on Facebook, I came across this WONDERFUL surprise. Maybe I can stop dreaming and start WINNING!!! Here is a fabulous way to win yourself a pair of Christian Louboutins. I could not help but share the excitement.

Check out the deal from Net-a-Porter below:

CLICK HERE FOR DEAL!!!

And check out these swoon-worthy Louboutins (aren’t they all!!) available at Net-a-Porter:

Happy Shopping…or HAPPY WINNING!!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

Cannot get enough of PRONOVIAS!!!

Apr24

The Pronovias 2013 Pre-Collection is just stunning!!  I am absolutely in love with the designs and am far from picking a favorite.

Here are some official photos of their 2013 pre-collection at a photo shoot:

        

And just incase my photos did not do the designs justice, I have teamed up with their marketing department.  Here are the official photos from Pronovias of the fashion show:

             

(All rights and photos used belong to Pronovias)

Do you have a favorite dress??  What is your dream dress and when is you big day??

And incase you missed it the first time, here is a video I made of the fashion show!!  Check it out :) .

Wishing you all the love and best!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo

Pronovias 2013…

Apr23

The Pronovias Fashion Show…

Just saying/hearing/typing the word Pronovias embarks on ideas such as stunning, graceful, glamorous, magical, style, quality and most importantly, happily ever after.

I had the privilege of attending the Pronovias Runway Show at their New York Flagship store on April 19th. And can I just say it was EPIC!!

Check out the 2013 pre-collection below, followed by a video!! And yes this is my first blog video!!

Here are some of my photos from the Runway Show:

Watch a live video of the Pronovias Fashion Show below!!!!

Can I just say WOW!!!

For more information of Pronovias, please click here.

For more information on model Kasius Loren, please check out her modeling website here or her fb page here.

Planning your dream wedding…think PRONOVIAS!!

I hope all of your dreams come true!! Happy Wedding!!

<3 Luv and I Do xxoo