Ciao to Dinner at Mangiamo!

Lola called me on Thursday afternoon going on and on about how we needed to check out this highly recommended Italian restaurant that her friend Becky told her about. I couldn't say no! Italian is my weakness and I can always go for a glass of red wine. Mangiamo! is a fantastic restaurant; Not just because of the food, but the atmosphere and décor is to die for. It bleeds a rustic vibe and feels very nostalgic. You are left wondering if you are actually eating Italian food in 1910 Florence.
 


It was a very comfortable place to eat and converse with friends because there are so many different rooms! The staff separates big parties so the rooms are quieter and it is much more pleasant than eating in one loud open dining room. My very favorite room in the restaurant was the room on the side of the building. It is full of these beautiful and large French windows which make the room very bright and cheerful.
 

Lola and I, as you know, love to dress up for even the smallest of occasions! Who doesn't like a night of delicious cuisine in the finest of wear?



Low and behold, Lola and I ended up wearing the exact same designer! I wore my favorite striped dress by Stella McCartney. It hangs low below my hips and is incredibly comfortable and stretchy. To add some color I carried my bright salmon pink handbag by Rebecca Minkoff. Lola wore a classic black dress by McCartney. She was feeling a little sexy and wanted to show off some of her porcelain through the lace that is displayed on the sides and top of the dress.

It was an amazing night of food, drinks, and fashion. The restaurant is so charming and honestly might be my new favorite! If you have never been then you must schedule an outing to this tasty venue. I promise you won't regret it. If you love Lola and I's choice of outfit as much as we do, you should go try them out at Leigh's. Word has it that they are both on sale right now! So hurry in and grab these gorgeous dresses before someone else does! Happy Friday friends!

Drinks at Founders

If you're familiar with Grand Rapids, then you know that it's a great place for a beer! After all, Grand Rapids is the Beer Capital! Eloise and I were thrilled to spend our Tuesday night celebrating our good friend, Becky's 21st birthday at Founder's Brewery. The drinks are so yummy and it was good to have a night getting a little loose! Especially for Eloise; she is so stiff all the time!


 

At Becky's request, we dressed up for the affaire and it was a blast! I personally loved turning the heads at the bar. You know me, flirting is one of my favorite hobbies!


 

I wore this adorable dress by Rachel Zoe and carried this clutch by Kate Spade. I chose not to wear any earrings because I didn't want to take away from my posh buttons. However, I did throw on my new favorite chunky bracelet by Bat-Ami Design.



Eloise rocked this gorgeous and vibrant dress by Bailey44 and also carried a handbag by Kate Spade.



That's Becky in the middle and she is holding her first legal drink! We just loved celebrating with her and it was good to get out and have a fun night on the town. Founder's is such an awesome atmosphere and the staff was incredibly helpful and nice.



The staff even helped Eloise and I pick out some tasty beer for Eloise to take home to her hubby. We will definitely be planning another trip to Founder's soon! If you see Becky around town don't forget to tell her Happy Birthday and make sure to check out Founder's if you get the chance!

A Little More Wine than Canvas!

After taking a bit of a break from events, Eloise and I decided we needed a good old fashioned girls night out! As you all may know we're quite the adventurous duo, so we wanted to try something we hadn't done before. After briefly searching the web for events, we found Wine and Canvas! Anything has to be good if it has wine in the name, am I right? So we signed up and began choosing our outfits! I decided to go with a red and green Trina Turk top and a pair of hot pink J Brand jeans! So fab, am I right?! Lets not forget my beautiful Save the Queen necklace or Lordane bangles! Eloise decided to go with a Trina Turk top and matching J Brand jeans as well! So perfect! She paired the outfit with a Lordane necklace and Dimitradia bracelet. All of these pieces from our favorite store, of course! Leigh's!

While walking in I have to admit, I was pretty nervous, this is nothing like the finger panting I'm used to at home! However, Lola convinced me that I will do just fine. Of course as you may know, fashionably early is the new fashionably late, so we were the first ones there. As everyone shuffled in and the wine was served my nerves floated away, and before I knew it, it was time to start putting paint on that canvas! Luckily aprons were provided so I didn't have to run the risk of getting anything on my beautiful Trina Turk top, or J Brand Jeans!

Looks like we landed in Italy!

I had a right to be nervous! Look at this beautiful thing!

We began painting the background to our African Sunset and we quickly realized just how Zen painting could be! After a few drinks everyone seemed to loosen up and enjoy themselves. Everyone even started to belt out a Journey song together, even though I couldn't hear much over Eloise's off key voice. Just kidding! After completing the background of the painting we got to take a break while we let the paint dry, which meant more drinks, and even an appetizer! And honestly, ever since I stepped into Pietro's and smelled the fresh bread baking, I was pretty hungry. We decided to throw our diets out the window and order fried mozzarella, and to be honest I only have three words to describe it, TO DIE FOR! In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to hop in the car to scarf some down right now. Luckily my figure doesn't seem to grow or shrink much, it pretty much just stays the same no matter what I do, pretty lucky, huh?

After basically inhaling those fried mozzarellas it was time to get back to work! It was time to paint the tree. Step by step, the instructor worked us through the proportions. She did the measurements by fingers, so in some places it would be three fingers, and in others it would be two, although Lola and I stuck to four fingers when it came to measurements, because we have pretty stiff hands. In fact, I'm surprised we were even able to use those paint brushes! Either way, with the help of the instructor and the support of the new friends we met around us, we were able to make some pretty awesome paintings, if I do say so myself.

Our masterpieces!

Everyone rocked it out!

Us with the final product! Not too shabby, eh? The red in the painting goes perfect with my outfit! And the blue perfectly complement Eloise's Trina Turk top!
All of our beautiful clothes from Leigh's in Breton Village! http://www.leighsfashions.com/
If you want to take a painting class or just have a girls night out sign up with Wine and Canvas on their website at http://www.wineandcanvas.com/
And don't forget about that fried mozzarella! Try it for yourself at Pietro's!  http://www.rcfc.com/pietros/

Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Spring Gala

Lola and I were so excited to attend the Grand Rapids Ballet Spring Gala, An Evening in Verona. And was it ever an evening in Verona! The minute we arrived on the red carpet I felt like I had landed in Italy. This gala was the Grand Rapids Ballet’s annual fundraiser and we were honored to support such a fabulous company. It was an incredible evening of mingling, dinner, performance, and dancing!

Eloise's Kay Unger gown

When I saw that the gala was set to a Verona theme I immediately knew Leigh’s would have the perfect gown for the evening. So Lola and I headed to Leigh’s where we found marvelous Kay Unger dresses. Since this was a special evening, and I knew I had a few spring and summer weddings around the corner, I found an eye-catching statement necklace that would not only match beautifully with my dress, but also would compliment other pieces in my closet. My dress was a wonderful Kay Unger pink-multi colored gown; it matched the coral Verona theme wonderfully!

Lola's Kay Unger gown

Lola also wore a Kay Unger gown that matched the tablecloths perfectly! Of course she wasn’t really fazed by that because she only noticed the open bar and assortment of men in lovely black tie tuxedo's. Lola had a good time talking to the ballerinas that were mingling with us for a majority of the night, they were so sweet! Made me miss my kids at home.

Dancers at the Grand Rapids School of Ballet

After mingling we saw a special performance that showcased excerpts of the Company’s highly acclaimed, commissioned work, “Romeo & Juliet.” It was amazing to see the girls dance! After the performance we joined the dancers in the beautifully decorated studios for an authentic Italian dinner catered by Amore Trattoria Italiana.

Beautiful decorations that made us feel like we had entered Verona!

 

Following the wonderful meal, Lola and I enjoyed the rest of the evening with dancing and some desserts, although we were careful not to ruin our gowns! Of course, Lola enjoyed the cocktails while she did her best to dance the night away. Her ballerina skills really started to shine through as the night went on.

Our friend, Kim Waltman was dressed in Leigh's from head to toe! Love the Magaschoni wrap.

              Lola and I had the immense privilege of attending the Titanic: A Night to Remember event on Thursday at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. What an event! When we first arrived we were greeted by a “crew” who looked like they were straight off of the Titanic. Lola and I both got a ticket to board the ship which had a name on it with different details about that specific person. At the end of the evening we found out if we were passengers that sank with the ship or passengers that were lucky enough to survive.

 

                 We walked the red carpet and stopped for a photo-op in front of a small Titanic replica. We then made our way to an oyster bar which exactly what they served on the Titanic! When the kind servers handed me an oyster I looked up to see if Lola got one also; turns out she had already made her way to the drinks.

                We did some mingling and munching around the socializing area and did some bidding on the silent auction items! Our intern, Abi, introduced us to some of the fellow Titanic dinner attendees and it was an honor to meet more fellow Grand Rapids citizens!

                We were standing near the “Gentlemen’s Club” section of the exhibit that resembled that of the ship waiting for a man to possibly notice Lola, how could you not in the fabulous Terani skirt that we both selected to wear that evening? While standing there, we posed for a quick picture with a couple that was accurately dressed in Titanic era clothing; mid-pose they ran away and told us to follow them quickly. We picked up our skirts and scurried to dance floor where the music was playing.

                To our surprise, there was a flash mob right in the middle of the dinner! A couple dozen people all put together a dance that was exactly how the passengers of the Titanic would have been dancing at their formal dinners. It was absolutely amazing how fast these dancers moved their feet all in harmony!

                With our Terani skirts, I wore a fabulous Foxcroft black and white printed blouse with a Jade Black cardigan to keep me warm. I wanted to incorporate the Titanic feeling with my outfit so I scored this darling Dorfman headband in black and Lola in purple. Lola was so in love with hers that she was having some of the men wear it so she could snap a picture.. embarrassing! On top, Lola work an Armani black cami that was very sleek and classy and covered up a bit, per my request, with a Cynthia Rose black scarf that I have had my eyes on at Leigh’s for quite some time. Love it!

 

 

              We then headed up to the second floor for some delicious dinner. I could not decide what I wanted with all of their Titanic replicate options, so I tried it all! I was so awestruck by the fabulous gowns the ladies were wearing that looked like they were walking right onto the Titanic (unfortunately, that’s a little impossible).

 

 

 

 

                It was a fabulous event and it was great to see some familiar faces and meet some new friends! I am taking the kids to see the exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum this week so they can get a taste of what it was like to be on the historic ship much like I did on Thursday.

Laura Mercier Event

I don't know about you, but this cold weather is not my skin's best friend. The cold, dry air and the strong wind do not do much good for my sensitive skin and I know Lola is does not appreciate the snow and cold either. It was pretty cold outside so I wore my favorite sweater dress by Diane von Furstenberg which is a perfect color to brighten up winter, some comfy leggings by Helios & Luna, clinched the waist of my sweater with a black Ralph Lauren belt, added a little touch with a fab What's-in-Store collar necklace, and stayed warm in my Tracy Reese black and white coat!

 Lola and I were super excited for the Laura Mercier event at Leigh's on Friday, so excited that I took a spill down the stairs on my way out of the house and hit my head!



Just a little bonk to the head, nothing some makeup can't fix!

After I got myself together, Lola and I headed over to Leigh's. When we first walked in I got a little distracted by all of the sale items out so I did some browsing while Lola headed over for her hand dip. When I walked over to get my make-up done by the lovely Leigh's make-up, Lola looked like she was going to fall asleep from how relaxing the parrafin hand dip was!

Tammi enjoying the relaxing hand dip with Eloise

Later we got our makeup done by the amazing ladies at Leigh's and got some new products to help us have flawless skin these next few months. Laura Mercier has some amazing products that transforms skin to be healthy, glowing, and flawless.

 

 

Carol even was able to do some work out my head wound, guess I won't have to hide myself until it heals! The make-up artists were busy treating ladies to the Laura Mercier products all afternoon and there were some fabulous, flawless faces all throughout the store. 

 

Lola was wearing some bold Elie Tahari pink skinny jeans, a creative Clover Canyon designed shirt, with a leather vest from My Tribe for a little bit of warmth because she left her coat at home, and she was wearing a super cute Fabiana Filippi statement necklace to add a little bit of Lola flair per usual.

 

While relaxing a little bit before we got back to shopping around Leigh's, we ran into some of our friends. Fortunately this time I didn't literally run into anything. Our favorite, Rebecca, was out of town picking out some new goodies for the store we didn't get to see her, but we did find Lesley and the new intern Abi!

Lesley gossiping with us, always lots of laughs with her.



New girl, Abi!

While we were gossiping at the store we found out about a few events going on in the area for the next few weeks, sounds like we are going to be busy with our new friends Kelly and Abi! Keep your eye open for where we'll be next.



Big Sale and Spring Styles at Leighs





 

You can never have enough Leighs! Eloise and I went back to our favorite store to hang out and shop with our favorite ladies. Mainly for the purpose that I wanted to change my outfit for date night this weekend, and why not check out the sale racks to find a second option?! Have you been to Leighs yet to check out this amazing sale? Look at all the fabulous jewelry, those beautiful Tory Burch flats, and loads of racks filled with amazing deals on great clothes.

 

 

You can never have enough shoes!

 

While shopping around I remembered that I forgot to pick out the perfect polish to go with my date night outfit. Everyone knows that polish can be the perfect accesory. I prefer darker shades and glitter, but Eloise insisted that I go with a lighter feminine shade. I'm willing to try everything once (except for the crazy diets Eloise is always on!)

 

Butter London even has matching Lippy's to go with their awesome nail laquers.

 

To top off our shopping, Eloise and I decided to "pre-shop" some spring and vacation styles. You never know when spring will hit with crazy Michigan weather. We found some awesome iPanema and Havaianas flip flops for our tropical vacation and a handful of new Elie Tahari and Muse dresses. Plus, we found this Tracy Reese Gem! Eloise is for sure making note of that for our next trip, which (let's not lie to ourselves) will probably be in a few days! 

 

 

Did you know our fabulous first lady wore this same dress?!

We want to be as fashionable as her!

 

Last but not least, we wanted to show you this awesome beaded necklace by Ben Amun and handbag by G-Lish. I can't wait to wear them with a pair of breezy pants and casual white tee while I'm on vacation!

 

Also, check out our friend at Leighs getting ready for valentines day. Ooo la la! Will I be needing this for date night?

 

This beautiful red nighty is from Natorie.



 

 

Eloise and I can't wait for all the great events that we will be attending this spring. We look forward to seeing a bunch of you there. One can never have enough friends.