wedding shoes

Wedding shoes are such a fun way to add personality to your bridal get-up. While wedding dresses can be beautiful and personal, they can tend to look fairly similar across the board. Shoes, however, can be colorful, patterned, embellished, classic, high, low, or anything you want them to be. They are a perfect way to interject personal style into a bride's ensemble. I knew I wanted my shoes to scream "Jordan", and I really think they do; they're colorful, whimsical, vintage-inspired, and all around fun. I've found a lot of beautiful shoes along they way though, and just wanted to share them with those of you who (like me) just like looking at pretty things.

The new classic

Badgley Mischka

Something sparlky

Bhldn

Something blue

Bhldn

Blush blooms

Badgley Mischka

Strappy statement

Badgley Mischka

And last, but definitely not least, my "Jordan" shoes...

Bhldn

winter citrus margarita

I am so excited to share this homemade recipe with you, because it was easily the best cocktail I've ever made. It couldn't have possibly been more fresh or flavorful, containing only natural fruit juices and my good friend tequila. Tequila has a special place in my heart, just ask my friends from college... on second thought, don't do that. I think it's some kind of magical gift that the coldest, darkest season of the year brings us the brightest of fruits.You could really make this with any of winter's abundant citrus fruit, including blood oranges which my store was out of, but this mix was a perfect blend of tart and sweet. It was the perfect transition from winter into the warm Spring months.

Winter Citrus Margarita

Serves: 2-3
1 pink cara cara orange
1 temple orange
1/4 grapefruit
1/2 lime
1/2 Meyer lemon
4 oz. tequila
Agave nectar or simple syrup, optional


Juice all fruits into a cocktail shaker, and shake with ice and tequila. If desired, add simple syrup or agave nectar to taste, but I didn't find that my margaritas needed extra sweetener. Rim with salt if you'd like, but I was too lazy... and honestly just wanted a drink.

aztec safari

Tribal or Aztec prints are big again for spring, and there are endless ways to make it work for anyone. As I was making this collage, I realized these pieces look absolutely terrible together, and there's no getting around that. These eye-catching items are obviously not mix-and-match material, but that makes the trend even better. Why? You can wear just one piece, pair it with solid neutrals from the back of your closet, and have a completely updated look. I've been having a bit of a shoe fetish lately, and am absolutely loving both Aztec adornments above.

1. Aztec Body Suit, ASOS, $39

2. Python Collar Necklace, Sabine, Piperlime, $40

3. Montezuma's Reign Ring, Lulu's, $11

4. Uma Flat, Rebecca Minkoff, Piperlime, $195

5. Mixed Print Dress, Sabine, Piperlime, $79

6. Totem Pole Earrings, House of Harlow 1960, $65

7. Embellished Sequin Mini, Express, $60

8. Reeba Wedge, Piperlime, $59

smoked salmon & lemon-dill bites

As I mentioned last week, my quest to build a bank of easy appetizer ideas is never-ending. You can't get much easier than these tasty little bites, which seem fancy and special despite their simplicity. I started with sesame flat bread crackers, topped them with a torn piece of smoked salmon, and whipped up a lemon-dill mayonnaise. For once, I actually kept track of the measurements I used when creating my own "recipe", which you can find below.

Lemon-Dill Mayonnaise

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1.5 t. lemon zest
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. finely chopped dill
Generous pinch of pepper

mara hoffman swim

All styles found at ASOS

Ever since Adam and I tentatively decided on a tropical honeymoon locale (more info to come soon), I've been dreaming of a luxury island getaway. I've also been cursing my expensive tastes, as I always seem to set my eyes on things a bit out of my wallet's range. Enter Mara Hoffman swimwear, and I'm swooning. This NY based designer is all over the latest spring trends (especially tribal and mixed prints) and makes them look so effortlessly cool. I can't help but kind of want to be one of the people who wears this kind of fabulousness. Moral of this story is: I can't wait to have a job and make money. Enjoy!

All styles found at Shopbop

baked fontina

Every time I decide to entertain, I find myself looking up the same Google search time and time again: "easy appetizers". When you're preparing a meal by your lonesome, it's hard to keep everything going at once; serving an easy pre-assembled appetizer relieves some of the burden. I didn't even make this Baked Fontina properly (if you have a cast iron skillet, use it as it helps retain heat for a long time), and it was still delicious. I also used some fresh and some dried herbs to make it even simpler. It was flavorful, decadent and oh-so-cheesy.

gingersnaps is one!

I can't believe it's been a year since I started Gingersnaps. I distinctly remember being up all night in London with painful chipmunk cheeks, thinking OK maybe I should do this... and here we are. It's been a fun year, full of amazing days, surprises, and a lot of changes. I started writing captions for the photos below, then realized it sounded like a poem, haha. I hate poetry, but it made me laugh. Cheers to this year being even better than the last!

We shopped a bit...

cooked and baked...

got engaged and set a date...

traveled around the globe...

and watched our little family grow. No, I'm not pregnant. It's Oliver.

Chocolate Peppermint Cake Balls

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As usual, I had high hopes of making endless holiday-themed treats to share here on Gingersnaps... and I actually got to making one of them. But at least they're cute. I've gone over the steps to making cake balls before (here), and I used those same steps to customize a themed treat. For this version, I used devil's food cake mix, chocolate icing, and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil or extract to make the cake. The coating is white chocolate mixed with a few drops of peppermint oil and food coloring. They tasted just like thin mints, but with a refreshing white chocolate coating. Authentic Irish cuisine? Not quite, but did I mention they're cute?

St. Patrick's Day Treats

Shamrock Peppermint Creams

I'll be making some St. Patty's Day treats of my own over the next couple days, but I also wanted to share these gorgeous and tasty-looking indulgences from around the blog world. Plus, maybe you'll even have time to head to the grocery store to make them yourself. We all know mine won't get posted until Friday at the earliest.

Peppermint Cookies & Cream Fudge Brownies

Brown Butter Soda Bread

Irish Coffee

my goodness, my guinness

You just cannot properly celebrate St. Patrick's day without a well-poured pint of Guinness, and that's a fact. There are few places, if any, more spectacular at which to enjoy said pint than at the top of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, with a 360 degree view of the city. Ireland's number one tourist attraction, this shrine to the Irish stout is more of a beautifully built museum than a brewery (in fact, Guinness is no longer brewed there), and was an amazing way to spend a long afternoon. But since flying to Dublin on a last-minute whim is likely out of the question, here are some pics to inspire you to pop out for a pint this weekend.

trinity college

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, this feels like a perfect time to unleash more of my Ireland photos onto my Gingersnaps readers. Since this is such an awesome and gratuitously beer-centric holiday, this week's post will definitely be festive and themed. While our dental internship at Trinity College involved very little dentistry, the college setting was so picturesque that we spent a good deal of time there anyhow. Located in the heart of Dublin, Trinity College was founded in 1592 and remains Ireland's most prestigious university to this day. While I got scolded by an angry Irishman for attempting an iPhone pic in Trinity's famous library, I did take plenty of photos of the beautiful buildings and grounds.