Goodbye spring, hello summer! It’s time for a break and time to celebrate the start of season. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or a swanky rooftop soiree, no party during Memorial Day weekend will be complete without a great cocktail. We’ve curated 10 of the most luscious libations to imbibe over your mini vacation. So kick back, relax, and enjoy!

Fire Cracker

1 ½ oz. EFFEN Vodka
¾ oz. JDK & Sons O3 Premium Orange Liqueur
¾ oz. Pomegranate Juice
¾ oz. Lime Juice
¾ oz. Simple Syrup
1 Dash Bitters

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ie. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel folded in half with a cherry, held together by an American flag toothpick.

Rockaway Beach Cooler

2 oz. Red Stag by Jim Beam Black Cherry
1 oz. Raspberry Liqueur
Sweet ‘n’ Sour

Combine the whiskey and liqueur in a highball glass over ice. Top with club soda.

Icy Mint Freeze

1 oz. JDK & Sons Crave Chocolate Mint Liqueur
1 oz. DeKuyper Strawberry Patch Liqueur
1 oz. DeKuyper Blue Curacao

Mound fine crushed ice in a cocktail glass using a large ice cream scoop. Pour each ingredient, one by one in stripes to create stripes. Serve with a demitasse spoon.

Mint Margito

1 cup Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
2 cups Club Soda
1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
1 bunch of Fresh Mint
3 tbsp. Sugar
Ice
*Serves 4

In a small pitcher, muddle the mint leaves, sugar and lime juice until they start to melt together. Add the tequila. Fill 4 glasses with ice and pour cocktail mixture 3/4 of the way to the top of each glass. Fill each glass with club soda and garnish with a lime and an extra sprig of mint.

Kappa Punch

1 ½ oz. Kappa Pisco
½ oz. Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
½ oz. Fresh Orange Juice
½ oz. Lime Juice
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigourously and strain into a wine goblet or rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

Avión Watermelon

2 oz.  Avión Silver or Reposado
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1 One-Inch Cubes of Fresh Watermelon
Agave Nectar

Muddle the watermelon with the agave nectar in a cocktail shaker; add the remaining ingredients and ice. Shake and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a small piece of watermelon.

Crushed Crown by Lindsay Nader

2 oz. SKYY Infusions Moscato Grape
½ oz. Coco Lopez
½ oz. Sweetened Passion Fruit Puree or Papaya Puree
½ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Angostura Bitters

Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass over crushed ice. Top with 5 dashes of the bitters and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Lavender Sunset created by Billy Ray

2 oz. Barrymore Pinot Grigio
¾ oz. Lavender Syrup
¾ oz. Lemon Juice
1 oz. Blackberry Puree

Add the pinot grigio, syrup, juice, and ice in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass, layering on top of the blackberry puree. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Key Lime in a Coconut by Jesse Card

2 oz. Cruzan Key Lime Rum
¾ oz. Lime Juice
1 oz. Coco Lopez Coconut Syrup

Add all of the ingredients into a blender with 10 oz of crushed ice. Blend and pour into a coconut.

Dangerous Margarita

2 oz. Peligroso Reposado Tequila
¼ oz. Agave Nectar
1 oz. Cointreau
½ Fresh Lime

Combine all of the ingredients, including the juice from half of a lime, in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Your beach bag isn’t complete until you’ve packed a few essentials: sunscreen, your book of choice, and a beach umbrella. We know what you’re thinking, no one wants to lug a huge umbrella around, so we took the liberty of finding six that you can fold up and tuck into your beach bag! Your skin will thank us.

1. Patchwork Prints Beach Umbrella available at Pier1.com for $39.00
2. Beach Stripe Tilt Umbrella, available at CrateandBarrel.com for $16.95.
3. 6.5 ft Super Compact Folding Beach Umbrella, available at Amazon.com for $61.90.
4. Super-Brella Outdoor Beach Umbrella available at Meijer.com for $39.99.
5. PortaBrella Umbrella, available at ShadeUSA.com for $40.
6. The Beach Hut Umbrella, available at ShadeUSA.com for $70.

… and they’re designer! When CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund 2011 Runner Up Creatures of the Wind took up a temporary residence in the new renovated presidential suite of the W Union Square in New York, they came away inspired.

As a result, the 2012 CFDA/Vogue Award nominees Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters designed a robe that highlights the suite’s traditional design features, paired with avante-garde colors that can be worn as a layering or lounging piece.

“There were deconstructed elements to the space, which we could relate to in our own design process, Gabier told Vogue. “And we played off colors that had a interesting harmony, but also a discordance.” Like orange and pink.

Considering our own penchant for pink, we like the way those Chicagoans think. You can purchase your own robe for $250 in the hotel and online here.

Glam toasted to the beginning of summer on Tuesday night with a girl’s evening of pampering with a group of our digital fashion and beauty influencers. The party was filled with mani/pedis, makeup touchups, and, of course, cocktails courtesy of Smirnoff. With the sweltering humidity that has suddenly taken over the city, we’re all in need of a sweet escape! Shake up one of these three delectable drinks for a delightful way to beat the heat:

Smirnoff Sorbet Ginger Lady

1 ½ oz. Smirnoff Sorbet Raspberry Pomegranate
2 oz. Diet Ginger Ale
1 oz. Cranberry Juice
2 Lime Wedges

Build all of the liquid ingredients in a highball glass over ice, squeeze the juice of one lime over the cocktail, and stir. Garnish with the other lime wedge.

Smirnoff Sorbet Coco Crush

1 ½ oz. Smirnoff Sorbet Mango Passion Fruit
1 ½ Coconut Water
1 oz. Pineapple Juice

Combine the ingredients in cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with either a pineapple wedge or a lime wheel with a cherry.

Smirnoff Sorbet Sunset Spritz

1 ½ oz. Smirnoff Sorbet Lemon
2 ½ oz. Diet Sprite
1 ½ Pomegranate Juice

Build the cocktail in a highball glass and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start to summer which means for some, heading east to the Hamptons, Montauk, or Fire Island with a group of friends to vacation at a summer share house. Spending the warmer months in a rental alongside friends is a lot of fun as long as you’re prepared. This isn’t like staying at a hotel, so you’ll need to provide just about everything. Consider this your checklist.

1. kate spade new york Spring Street Peony Sheet Set, available at BedBathandBeyond.com for $49.99.
2. Babybliss Tourmaline Travel Hair Dryer, available at Macys.com for $39.99.
3. Croc Baby Croc Mini Flat Iron, available at Folica.com for $26.00.
4. Pacifica 10-Cup Pitcher, available at Brita.com for $32.99.
5. Mrs. Meyer’s All Purpose Cleaner, available at Target.com for $7.99.
6. Cotton Buds Toilet Tissue 24 Pack, available at Target.com for $23.00.
7. Pssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo Spray, available at Ulta.com for $5.99.
8. Travelon Microfiber Travel Towel, available at QVC.com for $21.00.

Ice cream parties are perfect for everything from your little one’s birthday to a playful summer baby shower or bridal shower. If you’re looking to host one, here’s the scoop!

I recently designed a sweet-and-sparkly Ice Cream Shoppe Birthday Party myself and stumbled on so many great ideas during the process of planning it… way more than I could realistically use all at once. So, I thought it would be fun to do a link round up of some of the *tastiest* ice cream party ideas all in one spot, so you can pick and choose what inspires you the most.

The cherry on top? While all of these ideas are creative & pretty to look at, most of them are also simple and EASY… check out the “ice cream” balloons, for example! (You can also see my own version of them here.) And for the projects that require a bit more skill – like the adorable ice cream cone cake pops and sugar cookies for example – there are some amazing sweets vendors out there that can help with those. Just bring an inspirational pic to a local vendor or do a quick search on Etsy.com, which is one of my favorite resources for beautiful treats. Here we go with the ideas roundup… get ready to go spoon-over-scoop for this sweet party theme!

1. Wooden Ice Cream Party Spoons: Bright colors and stylish patterns add so much character to this variety pack of wooden ice cream spoons!

2. Ice Cream Cone Cake Pops: Ice cream imitation sweets for the dessert table (I love how these cute pops by Kiss My Cakes are in mini sprinkle filled jars with waffle cone pattern paper!).

3. Carnation “Ice Cream Sundae” Centerpieces: Add in fresh flowers for a girly & grown up feel.

4. Cone Headband Kids Craft: Instead of using traditional party hats, let the kids have fun decorating their own sugar cone headbands!

5. Paper Cone Garland: This project has 3 of my favorite attributes: fun, easy, and colorful!

6. Ice Cream Cone Cookies: These are beautiful treats to display while the ice cream is chilling in the freezer.

7. Ice Cream Balloons: Super easy and inexpensive: win-win!

8. Ice Cream Cone Party Garland: Yarn ball “scoops” + cones embellished with free printables + sixlet “cherries” make = one very tasty party garland.

9. Sundae Toppings Bar: No ice cream party is complete with an assortment of fun toppings!

10. Mini Ice Cream Cone Piñata: This crafty little project pulls double duty as a decoration AND a unique party favor!

Contributing Editor, Jennifer Sbranti is a graphic designer and founder of Hostess with the Mostess^®. HWTM brings stylish entertaining ideas to light through an inspirational “how-to” website, creative online community, and popular daily blog. Sbranti’s ideas have been featured in media outlets such as The Today Show, People, InStyle Weddings, Pregnancy, and Everyday with Rachael Ray. Sbranti resides in San Diego with her husband (& HWTM co-founder) Sonny Sbranti and their two young daughters, Macy & Rylie.

From its signature Belgian chocolates to its irresistible truffles, Godiva has been an indulgence to many over its 80 years of rich history. With summer right around the corner, the brand is spicing things up with an array of spirits, including the classic chocolate liqueur and chocolate flavored vodkas. While we can’t get away every weekend, we can at least indulge a sweet escape during happy hour with a few of these deliciously decadent drinks. Mixologist Katie Stipe created a few that are perfect to toast with to the start of the season:

Some Like it Hot

1 oz. Godiva Caramel Chocolate Liqueur
2/3 oz. Don Julio Reposado Tequila
1/3 oz. Grand Marnier
3 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to rim a coupe glass. Add the caramel chocolate liqueur, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake well and strain into the Coupe glass.

Smoke & Mirrors

1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
¾ oz.  Oban Single Malt Scotch
½ oz. Pear Liqueur
¾ oz. Light Cream
½ tsp. Honey Syrup (2 parts honey and 1 part water)
Pear Slice

Add the chocolate liqueur, scotch, pear liqueur, honey syrup, and light cream to a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake well and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of pear.

Sweetheart

1 ½ oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Raspberry Vodka
½ oz. Light Cream
3-4 Fresh Raspberries

Combine the liqueur, vodka, and light cream into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake well and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Modern Southern Belle

1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
¾ oz. Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon
¼ oz. White Crème de Menthe
Bouquet of Mint Sprigs

Build  the liqueur, bourbon, and crème de menthe in a rocks glass filled with crushed ice and gently stir. Garnish with a bouquet of mint sprigs.

Missoni has already put its signature chevron on everything from clothes to shoes to rugs to even bikes. But now the brand is partnering with over 30 designers to create home décor items for a good cause.

Barrique – The Third Life of Wood is a collection of home décor pieces designed by Missoni, Ferragamo, Daniel Libeskind, Marc Sadler, Karim Rashid, Arnaldo Pomodoro, and more. The collection uses repurposed wine barrels to create pieces like tables chairs and lamps, then produces them alongside members of San Patrignano, a drug rehab facility. Proceeds from the pieces will benefit the facility that provides free help to addicts throughout Italy.

The collection will makes its way to the Big Apple this weekend at the Poltrona Frau Showroom, kicking off a tour throughout the U.S. For purchasing information, please visit Barrique.SanPatrignano.org.

The MoMA Design Store is keeping its eleventh collection of the Destination: Design series close to home. Local designers like Alexis Bittar, Bagu, and Sandy Chilewich have all created products for collection that revolves around all things New York.

“In New York City, we are fortunate to be surrounded by design that represents a wide range of backgrounds, ideas, and passions,” said Paola Antonelli, senior curator of Architecture and Design and Director of Research and Development. “We’re thrilled to offer a direct connection to these designers through Destination: NYC, and hope the project will inspire both New Yorkers and guests to think critically about innovative design and its role in our everyday life.”

We say mission accomplished! Check out our favorites from the collection, which hits stores and online MoMAstore.org on May 15th, here.

Many little girls grew up dressing their Barbie and prancing her through the perfectly manicured Malibu Dream House. Now you can have the opportunity to be Barbie, and prance through an actual life-sized replica of her pink mansion.

“This year, Barbie is inviting her fans into her world to explore what they’ve only played with in doll size,” said Lori Pantel, the vice president of global marketing for Barbie. That means 2,500 square meters of pink, glitter and plastic, according to Grazia Daily. Barbie’s Dream House has already opened its doors in Florida and another will open tomorrow in Berlin.

Across the pond, in London, there is a different Barbie Dream House in the works. Barbie commissioned London-based designer Roksanda Ilincic to outfit her new virtual pad in partnership with Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio. Reportedly, after attending the designer’s Fall/Winter 2013 show in February, Barbie fell in love with her style, and the rest is fashionable history.. With Ilincic’s influence, we’re expecting the usually pink home of Barbie to exude a more modern, edgy style given the designer’s aesthetic.

The glam life at it’s finest, wouldn’t you say?