Coming Soon: Rikshaw's Boho Trunk Show

Concierge Couture and Beth Beattie Branding, PR and Events are over the moon about hosting Rikshaw Design's "2012 Boho Trunk Show" this March in Palm Beach, FL.  My little lady and I adore their colorful bohemian tunics, sun hats and bloomers.  Stay posted for more event information coming very soon!! 

Concierge Couture: Pinterest Happy

Psssst.... are you following Concierge Couture on Pinterest?

You'll score tons of free inspiration in our {current} favorite categories.

Now featuring:

{valentine crush}

{travel concierge}

{event concierge}

{fashion concierge}

{home concierge}

{office concierge}

{lil concierge}

Baby Concierge: French Baby

When I am working from home or doing chores around the house - while also entertaining a one year old - I love turning an ordinary day into a playful {and even educational} day.  Lately adorable "bonjour" tees, pink berets and a catchy French Playground cd have captured my heart.  So yesterday, I dressed my little lady in our favorite chic clothes, turned on French tunes and used her authentic French alphabet placemat.  It was an anything but our usual Monday!    

to be fabulously french:

{1} bow melton beret - $11

{2} bonjour graphic tee - $13

{3} graphic tulle tee - $11

{4} girl in paris pajamas - $17

{5} french playground cd - $13

Golden Globes: Best Dressed

Hands down, Elle Macpherson was the most gorgeous woman at the Golden Globes last night.  I love how she rocked an effortless, fun look.  I won't even mention her age {like she is pretty for x} because she is stunning for any age.  And while she glows on the outside, you can tell she is just as beautiful on the inside. 

{via}

Hot Nest: The Refrigerator

I'm so so very excited to launch Concierge Couture's new series: "Hot Nest".  In case you missed the intro, each week I am making-over a common household problem area, thus turning a hot mess into a hot nest.  I planned to kick-off with our shower, but I am waiting for my supplies to arrive, so I switched gears and organized our refrigerator this weekend.

{Hot Mess #1}

Fridges, especially family fridges, can be majorly ewwww.  I dove into our refrigerator prior to taking a "before" pic - so this is not ours - but you get the jist.

{via}

{Transformation}

My 5 EASY tips and practical solutions for organizing the dreadful fridge:

{via}

1. "When" - Sunday afternoons are my enjoyable time to get organized for the week, especially in the kitchen.  This is when I plan meals and do the biggest grocery run for the week.  On certain Sundays, I go on a tangent and tear apart the fridge.  Sunday may not be your best day, but pick your favorite day/time to get organized and stick to it.  

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2. "How" - Take one shelf at a time.  Starting with the top shelf, take everything out and check for expiration dates, toss expired food, throw out old leftovers and keep any good food.  Before returning anything to the fridge, wipe down the shelves and drawers with a wet paper towel.  I don't like spraying chemicals near food, but if you need to use a cleaner, I recommend an all natural, non-toxic one like Babyganics All Purpose Household Cleaner.

{via}

3. "Where" - Once you have clean shelves and good food, you need to put the food in the right place.  Larger items in the back, smaller items in the front, similar items together and free of contamination:

Top: cheeses, drinks, leftovers and ready-to-eat food

Middle: fruits and vegetables 

Bottom: raw meats

Drawer : extra storage but be careful of contamination

Door: condiments organized by categories 

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4. "Extras" - To bring a little fun into this chore, you can add extras to personalize your space and provide simple solutions.  I love food expiration stickers, monogrammed magnetic memo boards {just ordered this super cute one!} and clear food containers.    

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5. "Remember" - Having a hard time recalling the last time you cleaned out your fridge?  My favorite way to remember is to rely on modern technology. Add an appointment to your computer or phone calendar, set a reminder to give you a heads up and set up a recurrence or series {I like every 2-4 weeks for this chore}. This is the easiest, best way to stay on top of all of your to-dos!   

{Hot Nest}
Wallah, a happy fridge makes a happy family!
Take time this week to clean yours out. :)

{Bonus: kitchen fun for the kids}

My daughter loves playing with this educational toy:

Leap Frog's Fridge Phonics Magnetic Alphabet Set

Beauty Concierge: Trish McEvoy Workshop

Ladies in the Palm Beach area, I have a fab beauty event for you!

{Trish McEvoy Power of Makeup Workshop}

Join my favorite makeup artist Fonda Lee 

for a private, educational workshop

Thursday, January 19 

Saks in Palm Beach Gardens

Four sessions available: 10:30, 1, 3 and 5

Located at Trish McEvoy Boutique 

Only $75 to reserve your seat with the experts

To book your appointment, please call 561.373.4325

1st Birthday: Winter ONEderland

We celebrated the big "ONE" over the weekend with a "Winter ONEderland" birthday party.  This was the most fun I have ever had planning a party.  I started with the color palette and picked our favorite color {aqua}, which was also used for her baby shower and nursery.  I used different shades of blues with shiny, silver and glittery accents to create a winter feel.  

I wanted the invitation and decor to be Anthropologie-esque 

and used this invitation for inspiration:

{party inspiration}

    

Elsie J Prints did a fab job designing our own version:

{the invitation}

Once the invitations went out, I got busy with the decor.  We had the party at a park and used the gazebo as the focal point.  I found lots of inspiration in store windows during the holidays and loved the idea of streaming garland, ornaments, pompoms, ribbon and snowflakes under the gazebo.  

My dad, sister and her assistant helped create this:  

{the "design team" at work}

{garland, ornaments, pompoms, ribbon and snowflakes} 

{yay "design team":: aunt julie, grandpa, aunt beth, birthday girl and mama}

{winter onederland}

Sparkly, silver pinecone branches from Z Gallerie decorated the bar.  Pompoms, snowflakes and apothecary jars filled with goodies complimented the hot chocolate and irish cream station. 

My sister hung glittery snowflakes to create falling snow:

{snow bar}

An easy, inexpensive and personalized decoration is a picture table.  I set up our favorite pictures from her first year with a large photo album I made on Ofoto and added a few pompoms and snowflakes.

Guest enjoyed looking at the pictures and album:

{picture table}

The kids ate chicken fingers, french fries, macaroni and cheese, fruit and pasta salad, while the adults were served a selection of sweets.   

Snowflakes covered the plates, napkins and spelled out her name on the table:

{kids table}

{yum}

{yum}

{yuuumm}

My favorite part?  The four ginormous balloons I created after seeing these inspiring balloons from Geronimo! in California.  I bought 36" teal balloons online and added ribbon streamers in different colors, sizes and textures.  The balloons helped guide the guests to the park area.

How fun is this:

{balloon inspiration}

{grandpa trying to transport a ginormous balloon}

{obsessed with large balloons}

But most importantly, the birthday girl had so much fun:

{playing on the slide}

{listening to music}

{eating cake}

{and partying with friends}

Brrr: Chilly In Florida

I'm preparing for our little girl's "Winter ONEderland" birthday party, so I have been covered in glitter, pom-poms, ribbon and snowflakes {and feeling magical} all week long.  With cooler temps also arriving this week, Florida has never felt so:

{{via}}

{{via}}

{{via}}

I'll be back on Monday with a recap of the festivities!

New Series: Hot Nest

{via}

Since it's the start of the new year, I'm in the mood to organize {my husband is reading this and chuckling, "When is she not in the mood to organize?!"}.  Ok, I confess... I'm a nester by nature, turned uber cray-cray nester when my motherly instincts kicked in during my pregnancy.  So I have decided to make this super-nesting urge the focus of my new weekly series: "Hot Nest".  Each week, I will tackle one task from my nesting wish list and share the common problem area and simple, doable solution.  Oooh I have lots of ideas, lots of projects in mind and this year, I will complete them.  Join me each week as I organize our home and hopefully inspire you to create an easier, more efficient way of living, too.  I hope by the end of 2012, I will have nothing left to organize {bahahaha}. Ambitious, but doable.  And who knows, maybe I'll finish my list before the end of the year?  Check back next week for the first project: the shower.      

New Year's Eve: Resolutions

2012 is almost here, yaaaa-hoooo!

Last year, I was sitting on my couch with a newborn baby in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other.  I remember thinking holy. freaking. moly. life. will. never. be. the. same.  And I was right.  Last year I didn't need a resolution.  I knew that starting the new year as a new mom was a goal and accomplishment in itself.  I knew I would learn a million and one new things, be pushed to new levels, experience a world of change, have to dig deeper than I have ever had to and again, I was right.  What an amazingly life-changing year it has been, one that showed me a love I hadn't known and now can't live without.  

While I'm not big on resolutions, I do love picking one thing to focus on throughout the year.  I'm not for anything too crazy {read: unattainable}, but I enjoy having something that I work toward achieving.  Two years ago my resolution was to "follow through".  Before then, I would have ideas, plans and goals that would get lost in space.  That resolution taught me how wonderfully rewarding and necessary it is to execute my ideas.  That's one of the things that pushed me to finally create this lil ol blog and I'm already working on new ideas for this year, so that resolution continues to inspire me.

For 2012, I wanted to do something I could treasure.  When I had my little lady last year, I wanted to write a note each day as she grew so we both could look back and laugh {and cry} over all the precious moments that we would have otherwise forgotten.  I started with her birth story and that was the first and last entry - DOPE!  It's a year later and I am wishing I would have "followed through", so when I found this adorable mom's one line a day diary, I thought: perfection. This year, and for the next five years, I will write a note each day to my sweet girl. I can't wait to scribble down my thoughts and look back when she is all grown up.