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2017 Highlights: Oh the Places We’ve Gone… (and people we’ve met)

2017 was a pretty incredible year for me. I got to be in an Olay campaign with my mom, was profiled in Vanity Fair, danced with the Rockettes, judged Glamour’s Beauty Awards, was on a billboard in Times Square, and meet so many of my idols! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If I’m being honest the whole year was a bit of a blur. Which is why every New Years Eve, I take an hour to go through my Instagram feed, blog posts and just reflect on all the incredible things that have happened. So here we go, my top moments of 2017 (in no particular order)!

  1. Being profiled in Vanity Fair. I mean… #goals.

2. Seeing my face on a billboard in Times Square! I hosted a Facebook Live with Sophia Bush for Sunglass Hut that was streamed on a billboard in Times Square. It was incredible.

3. Getting this Owl necklace from Iris Apfel’s personal jewelry collection. She hosted a trunk show of her one of a kind vintage pieces she’s thrifted throughout the years and I walked away with this incredible piece.

4. Being in Greece with Patricia Field and Debi Mazar, two women I’ve literally admired my whole life. From cruising around Mykonos in an ATV, to epic lunches overlooking the Mediterranean, this vacation was the definition of paradise.

5. Getting to judge Glamour’s Beauty Awards for the 2nd year in a row.

6. Being in an Olay campaign with my mom and being apart of the 28-day clinical study for the famed Regenerist and Total Effects moisturizer.

Also being in Health Magazine for the campaign!

7. Got to workout with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and learn their moves thanks to Gillette Venus!

8. Getting to hug Joe Biden!

9. Walking in my first fashion show for Livari during fashion week!

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Wake me up before I go go

Being a blogger and always juggling a hectic schedule, there are two thing I rely on more than anything, especially to wake up, it’s COFFEE and music! This magical caffeinated drink is a morning (and afternoon) must-have and if I could have it hand-delivered to my bed everyday I would. But I found the next best thing!

Mr.Coffee 4-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker – My boyfriend ordered this off Amazon for $27 and it’s like the greatest thing to ever happen to me. You can program it to brew coffee at a certain time so when my alarm goes off, so does my coffee! You can also just kit the button and make it instantly but the timer feature has taken the coffee machine from my kitchen to my night stand. There are more sophisticated versions I linked to above, but minus being a little loud when it brews — which really doesn’t bother me since I’m trying to wake up anyways, it’s changed my life. And I’m a dark roast Lavazza girl, Intenso and Perfetto are my jam. I love a dark roast but don’t like to feel shaky or anxious and it’s perfect. There are a lot of great coffee brands out there but this is one I always find myself going back to. I used to be an ambassador for them and it’s just one of those brands I always go back to. While I’m geeking out on coffee, I also recently discovered TFees Straws.  True coffee and tea addict know that staining, enamel erosion, and discoloration are only a few of the issues that can arise from our beloved beverages. TFees’ patented heat safe & completely BPA, BPS & estrogenic-free reusable drinking straws, that come in three convenient sizes help to protect teeth without having to worry about harmful toxins or chemicals. Plus they can be cleaned by simply throwing them in the dishwasher.

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DIY Dining Tips Inspired by Buzzfeed + American Express

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As some of you know, I’ve partnered with American Express to be an ambassador for their no annual fee, Blue Cash Everyday Card. It’s pretty much my dream job since the card is all about making everyday a little more epic, which you probably have noticed from my social media handles is what I’m all about. I mean, this month alone I’ve been so blessed to have had the opportunity to take a gymnastics class with Dominique Dawes, play in the mini-Instagram board room with Eva Chen and Facebook, hang out with WWE Superstars Dolph Ziggler and Charlotte, enjoy a private exhibition at Christie’s with Tom Ford Beauty, and take a pretty awesome road trip…and it’s not over yet! I’m living for the end of August when I’m back in NYC for the US Open!!!American-express-blue-cashe-everyday_7

This credit card not only fits my lifestyle but also my everyday favorite moments from entertaining and dining to Vespa rides around town. I’m also loving Amex’s latest collaboration with Buzzfeed for their “Epic Everyday” video series; sharing everything from easy DIY dining and entertaining tips to fun recipes and birthday party ideas..

I took inspiration from their 3 Living Room Upgrades in 60 Seconds video for a family dinner and double date I hosted with my sister. We had a lot to celebrate between her exciting job news with the United Nations, plus James and I wanted to celebrate with a night in since we were headed out of town for so long.

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I used a mix of fresh flowers and herbs I picked from a local garden with some dried lavender inspired by the Buzzfeed video for the place settings. To break it down here are 3 fun and simple ways to update your dinner table:  the center and put one on each plate setting. I also used it for decoration around the cheese plate.American-express-blue-cashe-everyday_6

Idea #1: Fun ice cubes with a twist

Ice trays come in all shapes and sizes, I grabbed a two pack of these pineapple sets and put some fresh mint in each socket before adding water and freezing. It’s a fun way to make a party in a glass and the mint lasts long after the ice melts.American-express-blue-cashe-everyday_2

Idea #2: Dried lavender decorations:

Inspired by the Buzzfeed video, I took a bushel of dried lavender and sectioned it into small pairings. I then wrapped raffia yarn aroundAmerican-express-blue-cashe-everyday_5
Idea #3 Flower arrangements in jars

Flower arranging is a passion of mine. I love picking flowers and creating arrangements for the table. For this dinner I was going for more of an urban rustic feel so I used jars from around the house. I found everything from a Mason Jar to glass juice bottles I saved and an actual glass vase which all worked together. Just illustrating that things don’t have to be perfect to be perfect. The variety of sizes of glass containers added to the charm.

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These are all easy ways to make a dinner extra special. Whatever Epic Everyday means to you, I hope you’re all living your best life and staying inspired. The Blue Cash Everyday Card offers all kinds of perks like 3% cash back at supermarkets to help make every dining experience like this that much better, 2% cash back at gas stations (which has been coming in handy on my road trip), 1% cash back on almost everything else and more perks you can learn about HERE.

Thank you American Express for sponsoring this post and having me as an ambassador.