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?

When it comes to your wedding day, Vera Wang has brides covered from dress to rings. But she’s not content to stop there. The designer has expanded her bridal empire to include bouquets of fresh flowers on the big day!

The Vera Wang Collection by FTD captures the essence of the designer’s aesthetic and presents an inspiration range of flowers for brides who adore the romanticism and simplicity of Wang’s iconic bridal style.

Wang designed three very distinct looks—the traditionalist, romanticist, and modernist. Each look embodies a unique elegance while maintaining Wang’s signature style.

“Few things are more closely associated with weddings than fresh flowers,” said Wang. “Their vibrant beauty captivates the eye and celebrates the occasion. It is my privilege to help every bride realize her dream with floral designs of beauty, grace and elegance.”

Between Oscar de la Renta’s wedding invitations and Wang’s flowers, you could have the designer wedding of your dreams.

We’re gearing up for summer, and for some, that means all things citrus!  Citrus is known for its cool and refreshing reputation – even on the hottest day.  Today, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite citrus finds.

1. When life gives you lemons, make a lemon birthday cake!
2. Not only does this lemon meringue pie have a stunning appearance, but it’s so versatile.  You can make pies and mini tarts with this recipe.
3. Recipes with a bit of a lavender kick are all the rage these days. I love the idea of combining lavender and lemon together in a cake.
4. A Blood Orange Cheesecake would certainly make for a great conversation-starter at any party!
5. Creamy avocado and lime ice cream makes for the perfect new-aged twist on a summer dessert.

Melissa Johnson is the Founder and Creative Director of Best Friends For Frosting. A self-taught baker, she used the experience she gained from working at three different bakeries to launch Best Friends For Frosting, making her the entertaining expert and dessert stylist she is today. Her expertise has been exhibited on QVC, In The Kitchen With David, America’s Test Kitchen, Easy Food Magazine, Foodspotting, Amy Atlas, Craftzine, The Tomkat Studio and The Party Dress Magazine.

We know Marc Jacobs loves his ink, but now he’s taking his obsession to new heights!

The designer’s literary space, Bookmarc, has partnered with marker brand Krink on a small series of markers that range in size from ball point pen to a squeezable paint pen (bingo, anyone?)—all in a rainbow of hues. The pens boast a consistent formula that won’t smudge, and promise to last 10 times longer than your average permanent marker.

This isn’t the first time Krink has added its graffiti-gritty touch to a lifestyle brand. Coach recently partnered with the brand and artist Craig Costello on a nine-piece collection of street art-based men’s luggage. While we don’t recommend painting over a designer piece, we can at least add Jacobs seal of approval to any surface we mark up.

Available at Bookmarc locations worldwide and MarcJacobs.com for $9.00-$14.00 each.

Using wreaths as a year-round decoration is a great way to dress up your front door or living space. Wreaths can be created to work with any season, plus they are perfect for welcoming guests to a party, or as beautiful home decor.  I personally like them because I think they add a feeling of warmth to a home. And the best part is you don’t have to buy them already made! They are easy to make yourself using a variety of materials that are both easy-to-find and inexpensive. Here are a couple of ideas using everything from balloons to ribbon to even cupcake liners!

1. You can make this lovely wreath easily by wrapping silk ribbon around a styrofoam ring and adding adorable little felt rosettes.   It’s perfect for a little girl’s room!
2. This rose-covered wreath takes a little time to make each flower, but the end result is so worth it.   What an amazing decoration for the front door!
3. If you attach cupcake liners with pins to a styrofoam wreath you end up with this gorgeous decoration!  It would look fantastic in any color (how about white?!).
4. This balloon wreath is made simply by pinning balloons to a straw wreath form.  The great thing about this wreath is how you can match the balloon colors to your celebration!

Jillian Tohber Leslie decided to “get her party on” and launched Catch My Party in 2009, as the place to share party ideas, tips, and photos, and to celebrated the entertainer in all of us! Jillian received her BA and MBA from Stanford University. Jillian currently resides in Palo Alto, California, with her husband, David, daughter, Lainey, and company mascot, Gertie, their nine-year-old Tibetan Terrier. In her spare time, Jillian loves to cook, craft, entertain, style parties, and take photographs. To learn more about Jillian check out her Catch My Party blog, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.