Thirsty Thursday: The Southern Beauty summer cocktail

What is more refreshing in summertime – watermelon, limeade or rum?

Well, thanks to this sweet summer recipe from Elizabeth Scokin of Haute Hostess, you don’t have to choose just one.

Her cocktail, The Southern Beauty contains all of these refreshing ingredients in one sensational summer cocktail – plus a surprising hint of mint.

The Southern Beauty - Haute Hostess's Elizabeth Scokin's sensational summer cocktail!

The Southern Beauty
My Haute Hostess cocktail recipe for summer parties al fresco

1 watermelon
1 large can of frozen limeade
handful of mint
crushed ice
light rum

Scoop out the inside of a watermelon and put pulp in lg ziplocs
Freeze overnight

In a blender put in one bag watermelon, 1/2 can of limeade,
handful of fresh mint, 1 cup of rum, 2 cups crushed ice.
Blend. Serve in martini glasses with sprig of mint.
Gorgeous cocktail. Great for a Non-alcoholic drink too without rum~

**
Try it out and check out her fab site, Haute Hostess, for some divine ideas for hostess gifts this summer!
I’m partial to the Missoni-style (light Missoni print lined with purple satin) Margherita apron. So if you’re visiting me, I’m not saying you should get it for me… I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind.

Haute Hostess Margherita Apron - a light Missoni knit with purple satin lining - perfect for summer entertaining

 

xoxo,
Dawn

 

BF Asks: What’s your sensational summer cocktail? Share it with me and you might have your summer cocktail recipe featured on BeautyFrosting’s Thirsty Thursday!

 

In-The-Bag: BeautyFrosting’s Candyland Gorgeous Gift Guide

 

The holidays are here at last!! So warm up a cup of eggnog or catch a candy cane and settle in for our favorites this holiday season!

If you, or Santa, have a few more names to check off your list, here are my top picks for this year’s BeautyFrosting’s Gorgeous Holiday Gift-Giving Guide!

This season, it’s a Candyland out there! With candy-colored hues, pastel pretties, and gifts that look and smell good enough to eat, you’re certainly in for a treat this holiday season! All of the deliciousness of dessert with zero calories? Count me in.

1) Fresh Sugar Cheer Set $28: Fresh always delivers its sugar-filled formulas with sweet-smelling and skin-pleasing cheer. And this set is no exception! The best of Fresh in one set, your secret Santa will get a tinted SPF 15 lip treatment in Rose, advanced lip therapy treatment and Brown Sugar Body Cream all in a shiny, festive red clutch. I have gifted Fresh oodles of times over the years, and every time, my gift recipients have been giddy with glee.

2) Haute Hostess Glam It Up Luxe Apron in Rosalynn ($350): Haute Hostess Aprons are on my wish list every year. When I finally received one as a gift, I swooned. Every time I see one of these luxe frocks in someone’s home, I get as giddy as a 13-year-old girl. The go-to glamorous gift for your favorite hostess with the mostest, the wearer will feel like a queen in the kitchen or a princess at the party. These coquettish confections bring out the beautiful best in every woman! And not only are they fun to wear, but they are beautiful conversation pieces in the home. The ultimate in kitchen couture, any girl will feel lucky to receive her Haute Hostess Apron just in time for the holidays.

3) Bobbi Brown Tube Tint Trio ($38): I’ve been getting these seasonal, sweet, sheer glosses as stocking stuffers for as long as I can remember. With just the perfect hint of color, they are ideal for lip-gloss lovers, teens, and anyone who likes her glam a bit more on the natural side. This year’s shades include Glitter Lip Gloss in Grape, Pink Violet Lip Gloss, and Shimmer Lip Gloss in Pink Mist. All give you a hint of color without making you feel all made up! Now, isn’t that sweet?

4) Trish McEvoy Voyager Collection Glamorous Beauty ($85): This wallet-sized pink planner packs a pretty punch! Stuffed with Trish’s favorite colors and tools, this is the perfect glamazon’s glamour-emergency kit. Inside are six mini versions of Trish’s iconic brushes; a double-decker palette of multi-textured eye, face and lip colors; plus two shades of concealer to bring out the polished pretty in each of us. It is a MUST for the glamorous girl in your life!

5) Trish McEvoy Wild Blueberry Vanilla Scented Candle ($20): The most delicious thing you’ve ever smelled. Don’t bake? People will think you do when you light this believable, buttery Blueberry Vanilla candle. It genuinely makes your home smell like freshly baked blueberry muffins. And it never fails to make me smile. Perfect for kitchen-centered holiday hangs. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

6) B & E Soap and Scrub Co. Vanilla Oatmeal Brown Sugar Scrub ($15): Who doesn’t want to be glowing for the holidays? A new favorite of mine, this scrub leaves your skin soft, supple, and smelling delicious— like a homemade oatmeal molasses cookie! It leaves virtually no trace of oil on you or sediment in the tub. Hallelujah! You’re sloughed and smell great! What more could you want? Oh, how about a great price? At $15 for an 18-ounce tub, you can buy one for you and all of those on your “Nice” list. Even Santa would appreciate this cookie-scented scrub!

7) Butter London Holiday Glitter Trio Set ($36): You can’t go wrong with nail polish as a stocking stuffer, as it is the perfect little holiday happy for your best girlfriends. And with this glittery trio from Butter, your friends are sure to be delighted! The holidays are a perfect time to don glitter and make a statement. And with these shimmering shades – Rosie Lee, a full-coverage, light rosy pink glitter in a clear base; Fairy Cake, a silvery, multi-color iridescent glitter in a light gray base; and the Black Knight, a pink, blue, and silver glitter in a black jelly base – your favorite recipient is sure to make a few stunning statements and turn a few heads this season.

8) Tarte Holiday Collection 2012 (price varies per set): Feeding into our signature sweet tooth is Tarte’s never-fail holiday collection. Give the gifts as a whole set or – do what I do – split them up between stockings. For those of us on a budget, I love getting Tarte’s holiday collections and making multiple gifts out of them! Personalizing each gift to each person’s personality and skin tone makes these gifts pretty, one-of-a-kind, and pocketbook friendly! I feel like Santa!

Now, I just need to find the perfect peppermint pastille-pretty paper to wrap these delicious gifts in for all of my little elves!

Merry, merry & happy, happy to you & yours!

I hope the gifts are tasty and the memories are even more delicious!

xoxo,

BF

Be sure to check out more columns like this from me on Giuliana Rancic’s FabFitFun!

BF’s Holiday Gorgeous Gift-Giving Guide: Haute Hostess Glam It Up LUXE aprons

As I’m sure is the same with many of you out there, much of my life occurs in my kitchen. And more often than not, I greet my party guests at the door in my apron. I’m also notorious for dressing up my homebody attire with a girly apron when I’m relaxing at home and meditating as I do…by baking.

With Elizabeth Scokin’s Haute Hostess Glam It Up Luxe Apron in Rosalynn or Ashley ($350), my kitchen couture is taken to a whole new level.

Haute Hostess apron in Rosalynn ($350)

Haute Hostess apron in Ashley ($350)

Ever since I discovered them in Nashville, Haute Hostess Aprons have been on my wish list every year. So when I finally received one as a gift, I swooned.

Every time I see one of these luxe frocks in someone’s home, I get as giddy as a 13-year-old girl. The go-to glamorous gift for your favorite hostess with the mostest, the wearer will feel like a queen in the kitchen or a princess at the party.

These coquettish confections bring out the beautiful best in every woman! And not only are they fun to wear, but they are beautiful conversation pieces in the home.

The ultimate in kitchen couture, any girl will feel lucky to receive her Haute Hostess Apron just in time for the holidays.

I love all of the glamorous options and love, love, love that they have sizes for grown-up girls and little girls alike!

Haute Hostess apron in Ashley Little Lady ($75)

These are gorgeous gifts to unwrap for the holidays but also make perfect gifts for bridesmaids, bridal showers, graduations, rush, weddings, birthdays, hostesses and more.

Note to Santa and those following my wish list: I’d like to receive one for EVERY holiday!
A girl can never have too much glam in the kitchen!

And I find the more aprons I have, the better my baking gets!

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Which Haute Hostess apron will make it on to your wish list?

 

High-Low 16: BIRTHDAY GIRL

If you read Friday’s post, you may have gotten the hint that I looooooooooove birthdays! I love my birthday, your birthday, friends’ birthday, kids birthdays, celebrity birthdays and even half-birthdays. My mom has always thought it is borderline unhealthy how much I love  birthdays.

Regardless, I love to celebrate life and my birthday is my ultimate life celebration on a yearly basis! So this week’s highs are all centered around my birthday. It was a magical week filled with friends, parties, surprises, fun gifts and celebration!

Here’s to this year being my best year yet and yours too!

HIGHS

1) Birthday Flowers are always the most lovely surprise!

Flowers from my brother, delivered in person, at my office:

Good job, brother!

 

2) These beautiful Haute Hostess aprons were sent as a gift and they are the cream of the crop when it comes to kitchen couture! Soooo gorgeous! I couldn’t stop staring at them!

 

Haute Hostess aprons ($350) in Rosalynn & Ashley: the BEST birthday gifts ever!

 

3) Birthday morning mimosas!

4) One of my dearest friends, and my former college roomie, Mary Beth, is the BIGGEST Hostess Donettes fan. So when I heard about Hostess going out of business, I bought the last package of powdered Donettes at the grocery store and decided, I would eat them on my birthday morning and send her a little tribute. RIP Hostess Donettes.

5) The best gift in the world is beautiful artwork from a talented friend. And when it’s a customized vision of your favorite inspiring catchphrase by Nami M. Scott? There are no words.

I was so surprised!

And DEEEELIGHTED!!!!

6) My little friend/ adopted “niece” across the street, Nora, made me the most beautiful, loving card. I especially appreciated when she said that I am “the best lovemaker”.  I just thought it was hilarious!! And so sweet! From the mouths of babes!

7) On my actual birthday, I was treated to a lovely, intimate dinner with a few girlfriends at Vinoteque (one of my favorite haunts). It was the perfect way to celebrate the night before the big party! As I often do on my birthday, I went around the table and told each friend why I love them and what I admire about them. But then they turned the tables on me! I got in back in spades. It was great fun! Love those girls!

8) I had been looking forward to hosting my Toddlers & Tiaras – redneck-themed party for a long time. So when it actually came, I was prepared. And when I say prepared, I mean I had my full Toddler pageant costume ready!

A lot of my friends were ready too:

Stay tuned for more recipes from the party – including my Go-Go Pageant Punch!

9) And then there was the cake!!! Oh, the delicious lemon raspberry cake from Hansen’s Cakes:

I loved my wish this year and I hope, hope, hope it comes true!

10) The party ended up drifting into the backyard and turned into a backyard dance party that raged til 3 am! I would also like to note that I have taken part in 3 (!!) dance parties in the past week and a half! Who says getting older means growing up?

The whole night was incredibly sweet so I, of course, had to do a few signature Toddlers & Tiaras moves:

My birthday week was AMAZING!! And I am soooo thankful and humbled by my precious friends who continue to be my greatest champions, inspirations and co-conspirators every day. Life is so fun when we have wonderful friends & family to share it with! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
And thank you, BF readers, for all of the birthday wishes and messages. They meant the world to me!

LOW

Sometimes when you’re juggling a lot, you drop the ball. And, like you, I am not one who like to drop the ball. Unfortunately, I did this week and I just hate that feeling. I missed a phone conference I was supposed to be on because I missed it on my iCal. I felt like I disappointed people I respect. Ugh. But if I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that you have to forgive yourself, pick up the ball and get in the game again. And that’s exactly what I did.

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

and

BF Asks: When was your last impromptu dance party? If it’s been a while, why don’t you change that this week and have a little dance party in your living room! With friends, your spouse, your kids or even by yourself! Just crank the tunes and have some fun!