Tag Archives: pastel

Friday Funday: The Loverly First Look Event at The Washbow

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Oh, how I LOVE surprises!

This is the one! Eva Franco for Loverly

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the most precious, pretty girls brunch with a first look preview of the new Eva Franco for Loverly Collection at The Washbow, hosted by Be Inspired PR.

Eva Franco For Loverly

These dresses! I mean…can spring just come already?

A rainbow of dresses to match the cake you'll see later...

Besides darling dresses for your bridesmaids, showers or award season, the party itself was a stunner!

With Valorie Darling of Skinny Fat Girl Diary

Charming party rentals with tons of personality like this pink bar from Archive Rentals!

Charming party rentals like this bar from Archive Rentals! (I WANT!! Too bad there's no room in my house!)

Champagne & mimosa bar from One Hope Wine:

One Hope Wine hosted a sparkling champagne & DIY mimosa bar

Glam bar from GlamSquad. Just look how glam we look!

Thanks for the glomming, Glam Squad!

Delicious bites from 24 Carrots Catering. Helllloooo, glazed donut hole – and chicken nugget – sandwiches!

Donut hole and chicken nugget sandwiches! Say whaaa???

Rainbow cake from Beverly’s Best Bakery:

Pastel Rainbow Cake! And, y'all, it was one of the best cakes I've had in ages!!

Cakelet party favors from Beverly’s Best Bakery in assorted pastel rainbow colors:

The perfect take-home treat for a girl with a blog named BeautyFrosting

I got blue cake!

 

And LOTS of fun, laughter and good times with some of my favorite girlfriends!

Dawn and Jenn together again. Are y'all tired of pictures of us together yet?

 

Thanks for having us yesterday, Loverly & Leila Lewis!

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Which would have been your favorite part of the party – the fashion, the festive decor, the furniture, the food or the fun?

 

Mani Monday: Gilded Macaron by Enamel Diction

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It’s just another Mani Monday…or is it?
Nope, it looks like a Macaron Monday to me!

Mani Monday: Gilded Macaron by Enamel Diction

This week, Enamel Diction brought the sweetness as they crafted a confection of a mani, that made the macaroons at Bottega Louie I picked up the next day jealous.

Head on over to Enamel Diction for your own gel mani with nail art (one like this runs around $55).

 

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: What sweet mani are you sporting this week? 

My 37th 70s Soirée

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Another year has rolled around, and you know what that means…another birthday party!

Blowing out the candles of my dream cake

 

I love a theme party and I have one every year to celebrate each trip around the sun.

Dawn McCoy, copyright 1977. teehee. *chalk art by Yumarie Morales

This year, I decided to dress up as the strongest woman I could think of to motivate me for the upcoming 37th year: Wonder Woman.

We are all Wonder Women. And we only get more wondrous as the years progress.

The beautiful custom costume was designed by Christina Maybin of Cirquelde and I truly felt like Wonder Woman wearing it. I’d like to think it was the perfect start to a powerful and passionate year ahead!

Wonder Woman custom costume designed by Christina Maybin of Cirquelde.com

And you know we had cake! My dream cake was designed by my LA favorite, Hansen’s Cakes.

Hansen's Cakes designed this beautiful cake

It was inspired by my new favorite Christmas ornament that I bought at Rolling Greens a few weeks ago. They did an AMAZING job!

My favorite new Christmas ornament inspired what would become my dream cake!

And then the fabulous Takahiro Watanabe & Wendy came and set up their new photobooth, Intertwined Photography, and took some beautiful shots of my 70s-clad guests.

Photobooth fun with Intertwined Photography

Photo by Intertwined Photography

Girls on film with Intertwined Photography

Talented chalk artist, Yumarie Morales, designed this fun table sign, that guests could sign with their messages of “I met Dawn…”, “One word that reminds me of Dawn is…”, etc.

Art by Yumarie Morales

It was a night I’ll never forget, thanks to my friends and all of the talented people who made the night so magical.

These cute letter lights are by Uptown Country Home

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: How did you celebrate your birthday this year? 

I’M LOVING…Milk Jar Cookies and Milk For Dinner

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Because sometimes on a holiday weekend…cookies and milk just sound right for dinner.

Milk and cookies for dinner? Nothing is sweeter.

*Cookie is from my favorite neighborhood cookie shop, Milk Jar Cookies

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What’s your favorite kind of cookie?

Thirsty Thursday: Pampelonne Rosé Lime

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Thirsty Thursday: Pampelonne Rosé Lime

Well, I’m getting into the spirit of Palm Springs because I’m headed there TWICE in the next three weeks!
I was sent some Pampelonne Rosé Lime ($4.99/can) to try a while ago and just broke it out today because I thought it would be the ultimate spring cocktail…especially on this – the hottest of spring days.

Inspired by the spirit and sophistication of the French Riviera, this sparkling wine beverage is perfect for quenching your thirst while making you feel as bubbly as it is. A super-light Muscadet blend with notes of key lime, grapefruit and passion fruit, it’s refreshing as you sip poolside, enjoy after a long bike ride on the beach or enjoy on a romantic picnic for two. BF tip? Be sure to pair with a pretty paper straw. The cocktail becomes even cuter.

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What’s your choice of a cool beverage on a hot summer day? 

Looking Back – How BeautyFrosting Was Born

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BF Turns 2 Bloggiversary Party Co-Hosted by HomeGoods & Hope At Home - fashion illustration by Kara Endres of Sprinkles in Springs and cake by Magnolia Bakery - Photo by Takahiro Watanabe

When I started this little adventure called BeautyFrosting 2 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never written a blog. Actually, I had never even really read a blog! I mean they seemed like such a fad and, um, who had the time?
How BeautyFrosting came to be.
Then one day I found myself in Dallas sitting at our fave family spot, Mi Cocina, pondering the possibility of moving home from LA to Dallas. I was at the lowest point of my life having ended a 7-year relationship and having left my job that I’d had for years with Barbra Streisand as her personal shopper. I was down, depressed and my life wasn’t looking so beautiful.
I was searching for an answer and I found it while talking to my mom and one of my oldest, best friends – Kristin Merritt Liles. We were talking about beauty, baking and how much I love connecting with people and came up with the crazy idea of starting a place of positivity and light filled with all of the people and things I love so much. From that little, crazy nugget of an idea, BeautyFrosting was born.
Looking back, I realize that this one little leap of faith gave birth to so much. In the months following, I hit the ground running. I researched blogs that had similar aesthetics to my own, learned about the best ways to start a blog and would spend hours on Pinterest getting very clear about what exactly I wanted BeautyFrosting to be about.

Celebrating BF Turns 2 with dear friends - photo by Drunken Pixel

Introduce yourself to people, be kind and be clear about what you want.
Knowing what I know now, I realize that folks must have thought that I had some major cajones – or maybe they just thought I was naive. I was told repeatedly by brands and other bloggers that I was doing it all wrong – backwards even. I was building the brand and consulting the PR before the blog had even been written or made its online debut. But I was doing it my way and it just made sense to me. After all, why would anyone (brand, person or otherwise) want to work with me if they didn’t even know who I was? Yep, that’s where my southern sensibility comes in. Whether it seemed smart or not, pr agencies and brands that I still work with have told me since that they worked me simply because I seemed charming and honest. So there ya go, folks – charm and honesty are the way to go!
Work with the talented people you already have around you.
Rather than be yet another blog to hit the already-saturated market, I decided to spend 4 months sending emails and making phone calls to hundreds of pr agencies and brands. I decided to pool my brain trust of dear, talented and creative friends to create a blog on a budget that was literally less than $200.
I created a logo and branding template – that would shape the entire blog and brand – thanks to my talented best friend and former roommate, Vanessa York of Shindig Shoppe. After all, who could understand my aesthetic better than my best friend who had lived with me for 2 years? I asked my talented photographer friend, Amy Opoka, if she would take my profile photos for the site and she did an amazing job of executing my vision on a shoestring budget.
This early experience taught me how crucial it is to collaborate with the talents of those you know best. I learned to always ask because the worst that could happen is that they say no. By the way, no one ever said no.

With my BeautyFrosting logo and graphics goddess - and best friend - Vanessa York of Shindig Shoppe - photo by Drunken Pixel

Celebrate every milestone in life.
Ask my mom and she’ll tell you – I love celebrating and I love me a party. Even as a child, I would try to find reasons to celebrate every occasion. My Barbies were getting married? Let’s throw a wedding! I got an A on a test? Let’s have a tea party! I made the cheerleading squad? Let’s have a tex-mex party! So in true Dawn-fashion, I decided to throw a Cupcakes and Cocktails debut party here at my house to celebrate the debut of the blog before anyone had even seen it. Besides being a precious affair, we brought out the laptop and let friends and former coworkers get a sneak peek at what BeautyFrosting would be. I really think a lot of things got rolling because of the choice to celebrate this little milestone. And celebrating milestones is a great way to remember the gratitude every step along the way.

Celebrate the milestones - and little victories - along the way - Photo by Drunken Pixel

Most important lesson learned on this journey? Don’t be afraid to be a fool.
Was I fearful of starting a brand new chapter of my life? Hell, yes. But you get past the fear, accept that you may indeed be a fool and get past yourself. I asked pr companies to send samples before I even knew what that meant. I asked friends to devote hours of their time and because I believed in this so much, they believed in it and wanted to be part of it, as well. And I realized that it was more important to appear confident than it was to have 1 million readers. I have never been more proud of anything…and that’s coming from someone who was never raised to be proud. This blog has literally changed my life and I am so much better because of it.
Most Importantly…Thank YOU.
I know that I am nothing without all of you guys – my readers and social media followers – finding interest in what I write about, take pictures of and who I am. So, I want to thank each and every one of you who read this every day, like my pictures on Instagram and Facebook and tweet at me. (By the way, 2 years ago, I had no idea about what any of that was – that’s how much things can change in 2 years.) I have a feeling that the next 2 years will bring even more exciting change and I hope that you will be there for my journey every step of the way. You have made my hearts so full.

Cutting the cake and celebrating 2 years of BeautyFrosting - thanks to YOU!! Photo by Takahiro Watanabe

xoxo,
BF
BF Asks: What’s your favorite feature on BeautyFrosting? What would you like to see more of?

My Current Crush: Mini Cupcakes in Anthropologie Egg Cartons

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Valentine’s Day is coming quickly upon us! So if you need a little inspiration, here you go!
Hope you love My Current Crush as much as I do..

My favorite way to display mini cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, other holidays and parties?

My Current Crush: Displaying my mini cupcakes in an Anthropologie ceramic egg carton!

 

In egg cartons from Anthropologie! So cute!
And so multi-purpose! When I’m not using my Anthro ceramic egg cartons to display cupcakes, I use them for – well – eggs!

 

xoxo,
BF

Holiday Delights: Home for the Holidays…

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Holiday Delights: We're Goin' Where?!

Right now, I’m in the air en route to Dallas with Miss Ellie sleeping soundly in the bag by my feet, a laptop on my tray table, Creme de La Mer slathered on my face and my fellow Dallas-turned-LA blogger, Devon Rachel, on my right in the window seat. Everything is so peaceful and it just feels like all is right in the world.

I, on the other hand, am as giddy as a schoolgirl. I have always gotten so excited to go home. This flight from LA to Dallas has become such a welcome ritual that I look forward to and savor. And I love airports. I always meet the coolest people in airports; people who have ended up being lasting influences in my life – from my friend, Mario – the retired policeman from Mill Valley who is my “death buddy” (we text each other every time a celebrity dies – I know, morbid but I love it) to the guy in the band I met en route to Nashville and dated for a spell to the boy I kissed on the plane. Hey, don’t judge. It was fun – and, besides, it gives me stuff to write about and something for y’all to read. Yep, airports and I are pretty tight.

So here I am on another plane on another trip home to Dallas for another holiday spent with my family in Dallas. I cannot wait to see my family and friends! You can find us at Mi Cocina Preston Forest pretty much every night during my visit, FYI. But I will say that this is the first time I’m truly sad to leave my LA friends who have become my family. As much as I love being in Dallas for Christmas – and really can’t imagine being anywhere else – I really love Los Angeles in December. Between Santa & the gingerbread house at The Grove to the decorations in Beverly Hills lining Wilshire, my eternally summery city knows how to appreciate winter even when it’s 70 degrees outside.

So I just want to take a moment to say “Thank You” to my LA friends-turned-family for making 2013 my best year ever! I love and appreciate every one of you so much.

And Dallas…I’m Comin’ home!!! Keep the salsa and margaritas flowin’, Mi Cocina…

Holiday pillows by: Target (and under $5. I found them in the dollar aisle – say whaaaaa?!)

Bedding & fur pillows by: Anthropologie

Tassel garlands by my favorite: Studio Mucci

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What’s your plan for the holiday? 

Holiday Delights: My New Christmas Ornament for 2013

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Once a bath girl…always a bath girl. Every year I buy myself a new ornament that delights me. The kind that fills you with glee and makes you feel like a child upon first glance.Yep, love at first sight!

This year, it was this vintage-feeling metallic blue, purple & pink with crystal foam bubble bath from Target. I adore it. It makes me smile every time I see it hanging from my silver tree here at The Cupcake Palace. I hope you enjoy as well!

*crown stocking by Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic for Target, circa 2006

Holiday Delights: My Christmas Ornament 2013 - A Bubble Bath!

 

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: Did you treat yourself to an ornament this year? What was it?

Makeup Monday: Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Limited Edition Collection + 20% off!!

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I have been sitting on this collection – Bobbi Brown’s Lilac Rose – for a while.

 

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Lilac Rose Collection

 

Maybe I love it so much that I was being a little selfish? Perhaps.

But now I have to share with y’all before it’s gone!

And you’re gonna LOOOOOVE that this week (4/15 – 4/18), you can get 20% off at BobbiBrown.com. Yay! So really, I helped you out by waiting to tell you about this fab collection, right? See, because now you’re getting a doozy of a deal!

Okay, so now that you know that you have an incentive, how about seeing some of those lovely, Lilac Rose products!

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Lilac Rose glosses in Pink Lily and Lilac Rose ($24 each)

Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick ($42)

"Dawning" the Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Lilac Rose collection

 

 

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Which Bobbi Brown lilac rose collection product are you most excited to try?