Cointreau x Dannijo: The Art of the Soiree

Cedar Lake Events was home to a fantasy indoor garden Wednesday. Cointreau showcased a range of exotic cocktails to start the summer paired with scrumptious bites. The visual senses were seduced by the glittering jewelry from Dannijo, the brand founded by designers Danielle and Jodie Snyder.

Cointreau has been a staple in my bar for years as a key ingredient for my cosmopolitans and margaritas. I tasted several new cocktails that night that I will be adding to my repertoire.

Dannijo jewelry came out of the gate with spectacular statement pieces in 2008. The sisters self-taught themselves to make jewelry using their father's tools. Their label launched from a project to benefit Danielle's non-profit organization to create economic opportunities for women in Africa. Now their jewelry and handbags are sought after by top celebrities and "It" girls around the world.

Tin Can Studios in Brooklyn created the most beautiful decor for the party. There was a gigantic orange tree as the central point of the event space that seemed to bloom Cointreau and glittering jewelry from its branches. Other topiaries were dripping in jewels. The beautiful banquet table was set with wild-looking florals of intense color, stretching out from partial terrariums. The overall effect looked like an organic amethyst.

Platters of vegetables offered innovative flavors along the table. A rich smoked duck appetizer followed. The bar offered up salmon rilettes, pate, and cheese. Servers enticed with desserts like a chocolate tart that looked like tiny flower boxes of dirt and creamsicles that hung off bamboo spirals like tendrils of a vine. Here is a recipe for one of the most refreshing cocktails I sampled:

Cointreau French Lemonade:
2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz. Cold-pressed Watermelon Juice
3 oz. Club Soda

Build all ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Stir gently. Garnish with a watermelon wedge and lemon wheel.

Thank you Cointreau and Dannijo for a decadent evening! A mix of opulent style, food and drink is a treat indeed.
(photos by Mariana Leung)

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Make Your Shoppable Wish List with Tagspire

You can’t get away from the décor and shopping goodies for the holidays. You want to collect and share them all, but how about a tool to make it easy? I discovered Tagspire, a great site for tagging your photos and make them shoppable.

For my collage above, I put together a few of my favorite finds from the holiday collections on the runway.  I loved the party vibe from Betsey Johnson’s fall winter 2014 collection. A tight red dress, faux fur jacket and dancing tights? I’m in. I am totally in love with elaborate Dannijo statement necklaces. I am a longtime fan Rebecca Minkoff bags for myself or as gifts for my girls. However, in the spirit of show, not tell, I just tagged them so you could just click on the photos and go straight to the shop and I could have saved myself the time of writing out this paragraph. If you want to see more photos of that great Betsey Johnson runway, you can also click the photo and see my video of it.

This is a great tool for all of my fellow bloggers for augmenting their posts with links or monetizing their gift guides. These are also great for sending your wish list to your admirers. Do you use social media as a visual diary of your wardrobe? Great. You could make money with every selfie.

 For social sharing, you can tag personal photos of your family and friends with additional videos or links to celebrate a special occasion. I am also planning on using Tagspire to enhance photos of my own design work or use it as a selling tool in presentations.

Are you ready to start Tagspire-ing? You can start upgrading your photos with this Tagspire video.  Then start choosing your best looking pictures. If you are in my circle of friends, get ready for my tricked out wish lists!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Tagspire. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Tagspire.

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Dannijo Jewelry - American Aboriginal

Two sisters heated up a digit-numbing night in Chelsea Tuesday.  The lovely Danielle and Jodie Snyder founded their rustic glam jewelry collection in 2008.  The siblings hail from Jacksonville and presented their  Dannijo collection for the first time at New York Fashion Week.  

Their collection for the upcoming season drew inspiration from the Roaring 20's and the Wild West.  They mixed big shapes with chains and Swarovski crystals to fuse art and fashion.  The jewelry was displayed on models posing in opulent worn wood-cabin vignettes with a sense of humor.  

Department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Harvey Nichols are fans, as are celebrities like Tinsley Mortimer who came to show support.  

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