WINNER!

Thank you to all who entered my anniversary giveaway! I had a FABULOUS day and celebrated at Britney Spears tonight! SO MUCH FUN! Just as much fun as reading all your kind comments. Everyone's congratulatory comments were so very kind and as always I wish I could send you each a prize, but sadly I no can do. However, Lillyopoly is such a fantastic game and luckily it can be purchased online! Wouldn't it be fun to cook up treats from the Lilly cookbook and have the ladies over to enjoy a game while using all the new paper products?! As soon as I find a free evening I think I am going to plan on doing this! Anyway, let's get down to business and announce the winner. Once again I used a random number generator (next time I promise to hand select a name, time was short tonight though) and the lucky winner is:

Comment 22- TICKLED PINK AND GREEN

TP&G, send me your address and I will get you your new, improved and very pink and green Monopoly!

Thank you again to all who entered and look for another celebratory, Lilly giveaway next week!

ANNIVERSARY!!

"When I was one, I had just begun."

Winnie the Pooh

Honestly, where does the time go sometimes!? This year has FLOWN by and I am so happy I was able to share it with you all! I started Monograms and Manicures on a whim exactly a year ago. I had read a handful of fun blogs and thought I might was well see what the fuss was all about and start my own. I literally only had three to five readers a day (and one comment every few posts) for about the first month. However, I stuck with it and kept writing about my fun finds and things I loved and here I am today. Do not ever give up! It is so hard to believe how much I have accomplished and how much I have been given over the past year; I am so very blessed! I have made handfuls of friends (some of who I speak to daily) and been given once in a lifetime opportunities. I have shared my everyday life with you all and you have welcomed me with open arms. I have included you on my highs and lows and have followed you on yours. I have been disappointed and inspired. I have learned and maybe I have even taught. I have done so, so much thanks to each of you! I NEVER once dreamed I would say this, but at the end of the day it is hard to imagine life without Monograms and Manicures. Thank you all for welcoming me with open arms and for always being my shoulder to lean on. I hope that this next year and those that follow will be brighter (or a little more pink and green) and more exciting than this past year!

PS- Happy Anniversary to my Kappa sister JGIWC!!

Lillyopoly Anniversary Giveaway!!

Tuesday is a BIG day for Monograms and Manicures and for Hopsy! On March 31st, 2008 I took the plunge and started a blog. I never imagined it would open up so many doors or connect me with so many amazing people, but it has done that and more. So, before I get too sappy (I will save that for tomorrow's post) I want to say THANK YOU!

In honor of this big day I am of course wanting you to celebrate with me. So, I am giving a way LILLYOPOLY!

Yes, finally, you can acquire your own pink and green version of the classic American board game, complete with pink and green “boutiques” and “juice stands.” Properties include “The Vintage Vault”, “The Juice Bar” and “Lilly’s Jungle”. Tokens will be mini shifts and palm trees. The Railroads have been replaced with the Vias of Palm Beach. And players will be instructed to “Swap your Lilly Brights for Jail Stripes” and “Go directly to jail, do not pass go, you’ve been apprehended by the fashion police!” (http://www.lillypulitzer.com/) Any game that incorporates pink and green and shift dresses is for me! To enter to win LILLYOPOLY leave a comment on this post by 11:02pm Central time on Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 (this is the time my VERY FIRST post went up!). No special instructions this time so enter away fabulous readers!! Let's CELEBRATE!

Easter On A Dime!

This morning on my way home from church (which was cancelled unbeknowst to me) I ran into Michael's to look at their Easter items. I know, I know, I gave up spending money for Lent, but it was Sunday and I have been SO good so I caved... All their decor (as well as the Easter decor at Hobby Lobby) is on sale. It happened to be 40% off this week which was wonderful! I found a DARLING little moss bunny for $3.99 (pre-sale price) and a cabbage, bunny candy dish for $3.99 (also the pre-sale price). After doing the math I thought I maybe needed to invest in my very first Easter decorations.Isn't the bunny so sweet? I got home and tied a little pink polka dot ribbon around her neck and now she looks chic enough to have adorned the pages of Horchow!
The dish is sitting on the coffee table waiting to be filled with delicious treats. I am thinking I will go with wrapped candy preferably in PINK!
I am so happy with how cute both items are, but I am even more thrilled with their price. They are small, but they add a touch of festivity to my apartment. Both trinkets are traditional investments which I will be able to use for years down the road. If you take the time to look and shop around you can decorate for Easter with a $10 bill!

Lilly Warehouse Sale

Over the past few weeks I have gotten quite a few emails about the Lilly Pulitzer Spring/Summer Warehouse sale. As I have only been once I am not an expert by any means (5 Bickies was kind enough to fill me in last fall) I thought I would open up the floor for any small questions. I did also want to let those of you that are wondering about the timing know that the sale is set for June 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th, 2009 (thank you Emilie!). That means there are FOUR days of Lilly madness!! Now you can all hopefully get you PHL trips in the works for early June! I hear the June sale is twice as big as the Fall sale so in my mind it is well worth the trip. I am unsure of my summer plans as of yet, but I can assure you that if my schedule allows me to be there I will hop on a plane and jet out! If not, I will see you at the November sale where we can shop for Summer and Fall clothing!

EDITED TO ADD:

The sale is put on by Lilly Pulitzer and you no longer have to receive an invite to attend the sale.

EXCITEMENT!

Thank you for all the entries for the Kristen Pearce necklace! I was blown away that so many people entered and I LOVED reading what everyone would wear. It made me SO excited to get my spring and summer clothes on...just two more weeks! Before I announce the winner I wanted to let you in on a deal KP has made with KP:

From now until Tuesday the triple strand starfish necklace will be available in Kristen's etsy store for $100!! That is a $25 savings and on top of that she is offering FREE SHIPPING! Since so many of you mentioned it would be the perfect addition to your warm weather wardrobe I hope you will choose to add it to your collection and support a small business!

Now, without further adieu I announce the winner which I selected with a random number generator:

POSHMAMA (comment 41)

PoshMomma said...
Hi Hopsy! If I won, I would debut the beautiful necklace on Easter. This is the first year the twins and I have Lilly dresses of the same print & it is the adorable "multi party school"(I explain why I chose this print on my blog.) The starfish would be PERFECT with our "enchantment under the sea" theme! Thanks for considering me!

Wear your necklace proudly on Easter Sunday PM!

AFI Dallas

Tonight was the opening night for AFI Dallas! This is the third year for the American Film Institute festival in Dallas and of course there again are just loads of movies to choose from. I somehow got lucky and scored VIP passes again this year so I am able to attend screenings as well as hit up either of the festival lounges (I am SUPER excited about the lounges!). There are a number of films I have starred so I hope that my busy schedule allows me to attend a few. I will be sure to keep you in the loop and if you live in Dallas and are planning to attend anything we just might run into one another!

Bon Voyage!

Tonight our precious puppies leave for India! Mother drove our sweet babies down to Chicago where they were greeted by the pet transport company we engaged. It is nice to know someone will be with them until they close the cargo door and then greet them in Amsterdam tomorrow morning. They will then spend the night at the pet hotel in Amsterdam (intense I know) and leave for India on Saturday night. Father will greet them at the aiport in Dehli and hopefully all will be well. Mother did have to sign a waiver for our English Bulldog Winston, but I am confident he will be fine as will August the Westie! We love our sweet dogs!

Bubby is just the friendliest boy ever and he loves his preppy pink and green toys!

Digital Cards

While I am sure I am way behind on this, I just recently discovered Snapfish and I LOVE it! I ended up ordered my Easter cards from the site last night and they are already done and can be picked up at my local Walgreens. Talk about speedy service! I uploaded my photo, selected my card (the above card), came up with a greeting (I made mine pink) and I was ready to order. Snapfish has a great selection of cute photo cards and I was shocked by the price. I got 40 cards for just under $30! If you ever need a quick card or invite I would HIGHLY reccomend Snapfish! Here are a few of my favorite photocards: I debated ordering this card as well as the following, but my photo just looked better in the very first card. However, the rickrack and pastels are so, so cute!
We all LOVE some pink and green!

This could totally work as a preppy and retro holiday card!

I love the lime and aqua demask on this card! If you are on a smaller budget for you wedding HIT UP Snapfish, you can order all your save-the-dates for less then it would cost for a dinner out with finace!

Arent't these all cute? Oh and before I forget Snapfish also has the PREPPIEST photobook EVER! Think pink and green polka dots and grosgrain stripes on the pages. I saw it and felt called to create my first photobook. As soon as it arrives I will share pictures. I just know you will all be hooked once you see it too!

Evening

When I was home over break mother and I rent the movie Evening. I cannot believe I have not shared this with you all because we really enjoyed the film. It takes place in the 1950's and is a story of love, money, friendship, life and death. The film has an outstanding cast (Claire Danes, Meryl Streep and her daughter, Natasha Richardson- so very sad) and it at times highlights a life of privilege which can be so very intriguing! If you have not already seen the flick I think many of you would thoroughly enjoy it so rent away!

WASP Mating Rituals

Here’s the dish: Peggy Adams is comfortable in her New York life, until she makes an unusual agreement with Luke Sedgwick, the last scion of an old New England family. The deal: Stay married for a year, and the two will inherit the Sedgwick mansion in New Nineveh, a quaint, preppy Connecticut town.

But entering Luke’s world isn’t easy. Peggy must quickly learn how to pass herself off as a proper Connecticut wife and a perfect WASP. (Hint: At parties, nobody actually eats the food.) To make matters worse, she finds herself falling in love with the man she’s married to—despite that he seems to have no feelings for her.

Doesn't this book sound right up our alley?! I am SO excited to get my hands on a copy and read away. The book will be released May 29th, 2009 so we can all have copies just in time for summer reading. Stay tuned because I feel a book giveaway might be necessary to celebrate the release of this fabulous book!

*I totally forgot to note that bff Muffy (thank you for the reminder Muffy!) will also be giving FIVE copies of this book away so you have double the chances to win!

One For Me, One For You!

What could be inside these darling packages?Well, something for me and something for you of course!

I recently was recently contacted by the marvelous Kristin Pearce who so kindly offered to host a giveaway for my readers! Kristin is a very talented jewelry designer that resides in FL and someday hopes to sell her designs at Lilly boutiques. Her pieces are flirty and fun and can be worn with a casual Saturday outfit, but also out to a dinner with someone you love. The item selected for the giveaway exemplifies this. It is a triple strand pearl necklace with a lovely silver starfish. The necklace sells in Kristin's etsy store for $125 and it could be yours for FREE!!
To enter this GIVEAWAY leave a comment by 1pm EST on Friday, March 27th, 2009. Your comment MUST tell me what you would wear this necklace with (all other comments will be deleted). Would it be on a big date in the newest J Crew ensemble, to the movie with a t-shirt (a Ball and Buck tee of course) and jeans, to brunch with your Lilly sundress or would you pair it with an ultra chic all black ensemble? The possibilities are endless! SO get to thinking, spread the word and enter away! This lovely necklace could be yours just in time for spring!

Ball and Buck Discount!

As you know my trip to Martha allowed me to meet a handful of fabulous blog writers and readers, but I was also given the opportunity to meet some wonderful ladies I had never crossed paths with. I mentioned Becca in a previous post as she is friends with dear boarding school chum (I am going British on you) Ashley. Becca and her mother came to the Lilly town house event and we sat with them the next day at Martha too. I think it is safe to say our mother's hit it off and so did we!

Becca is the a co-founder of the fabulous t-shirt company Ball and Buck! "Ball and Buck is a lifestyle brand focused on upholding American traditions."

As other wonderful bloggers have mentioned at Ball and Buck you can create your own pocket tee. You select the type of shirt you want, pick you color and then a preppy fabric for your pocket and voila! I am the proud owner of a Ball and Buck shirt (as soon as I get a photo in it I will be sure to post) and I have to say that it is about the most comfortable tee ever. I am picky with clothing, but this Ball and Buck organic cotton tee is soft as can be and the fit is tres flattering. I wore it to the gym and just love it!

The Ball and Buck short sleeve shirts start at $34, but I have a surprise in store for you all: a DISCOUNT! Becca has been kind enough to extend M&M readers a 10% discount on all orders if you use the code 'KAPPAPREP' at checkout. I am going to expand my collection and stock up, I have already designed three shirts in my head! These shirts are so stylish, fun and preppy that I (and YOU too) need one for every day of the week! Head over and let the creative side of you get to work and create your Ball and Buck shirt today and SAVE! Oh, and also be sure to add the Ball and Buck blog to you reader, Becca writes some wonderful posts and she also has given readers a sneak peek into the company's Spring line!

PS- I almost forgot to mention that Becca is a Kappa too!

I Won!

I was SO excited when I checked Google Reader this morning and found out I had won the fabulous giveaway Preppy Paper Girl had hosted! I already ordered my Lilly calling cards from PPG last week so I was thrilled I had been selected to win more cards or stickers. I actually choose to get the matching stickers as my giveaway win so that I can have both items. I am hoping to have "A Gift From Me to You" printed on my stickers so that I can use them all over packages (perhaps even on my next swap package!).

I just adore the Jungle Jam cards and stickers, aren't they adorable?! If you are in the market for calling cards, gift enclosures, or gift labels be sure to stop by and check out Laurie's fabulous selection. She offers great gift items too and she is extremely fun to work with! Also, be sure to add Preppy Paper Girl to you reader so you can join in on her next giveaway!!

Great Grosgrain!

Recently a dear blogging friend inquired about where I purchased my grosgrain ribbon as liked the quality and color. Well, I used to buy from a seller on eBay, but after having a few set backs with them I decided I had to stick with Amazon. I bought two fifty yard rolls of ribbon from a store, BB Crafts, on Amazon last Spring and have found that the quality is amazing. The ribbon is easy to tie and it looks great on packages so I thought I must let you in it! About a month ago I discovered that BB Crafts has a huge website where they offer loads more ribbon then in their Amazon store. The site is easy to navigate, filled with lots of stylish options and most importantly the prices still cannot be beat (all prices noted below are for my favorite size 1 1/2)!

The colorful stripe collection is the smallest of all the grosgrain offerings, but you can still find some fun ones. PYou cannot beat getting 25 yards for just $9.99.
I just adore polka dots! You can mix polka dot ribbon with all types of wrapping and create your signature look. Pick of 50 yards for $19.99 today or check out the ten yard rolls if you do not need that much!

I know a lot of us LOVE our pink and green (there are loads of other color combinations those that do not!) and we can buy 25 yards for just $9.99!

You have to love the stripes! The zebra stripes are only $5.50 for 25 yards; what a steal! There are tons of solids to choose from, but of course the pinks always seem to call my name. You can get a 50 yard roll in your color of choice for $9.99!

BB Crafts offers loads of other ribbons types as well. Shipping is a mere $5.95 for your order so next time you are in the market be sure to check them out!

FINAL Day!

Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the special KEP Designs/Monograms and Manicures discount. Remember, you can SAVE 15% off every order through this afternoon if you enter the code 'HOPSY' at checkout! Take advantage and make one of these fabulously made and timeless accessories yours!

You can never have too many gold bangles!

This necklace would look exquisite with a Lilly or J Crew shift!

I am the the proud owner of these pave studs! They are perfect for any fancy evening!

You're Simply the BEST!

I have the BEST readers!

I know I have said it time and time again, but you all make everyday brighter! I am so honored that you all choose to read my blog let alone comment. It is so easy to feel down when you read a negative post or someone unhappy leaves a hateful comment. However, I just think back to every fabulous comment or note I have ever received and quickly forget about rudeness. Yesterday I received two comments that really made me smile and I thought it would be fun to share them.

Pink Martini said...
Hopsy, I have to tell you when I read your blog every morning I get such a kick out of seeing your reader numbers increase every day. I feel like a stage mother.."Go Hopsy!" Do you know I had never heard of Lilly before reading your blog this January? Yes, I know. Sacrilage! I'm sure there are many more this side of the Rockies so you must continue to spread the word. :) Through your blog I have come to know a new way of color, fun, and a life style message that evokes happiness, good vibes and feels like home. Often times we never know how we have made a difference to someone so I thought I would tell you. :) I have had so much fun and continue to learn so much. Thanks a bunch! xoxo :)

Always Pretty in Pink said...
I just wanted to tell you, I never wore Lilly before reading your blog. I had seen a few items for sale used, and I just always thought of them as "Mom" clothes. But since reading your blog, I have started looking at the new Lilly clothing. I love it! I'm so glad you (even though I don't know you) introduced me to it. :)

I never set out to inform people about brands or make any sort of a difference when I started my blog about a year ago. However, knowing that I have made just ONE person's day a little bit brighter and happier makes every post I have ever written worthwhile. I have been blessed abundantly with so many lifelong friends thanks to this little outlet! THANK YOU all for all you do, for helping me be a more positive person and for making me smile everyday!!

You are the cream of the crop, the brightest of the bright, you are simply the BEST!

Wedding Season

Today I got my first official wedding invitation in the mail! BFF N's sister is getting married at the Cloister in May and I CANNOT wait to attend! Our families first met at Sea Island and though we were two ship passing in the night (mother LOVES to use that term) we are BFFs now and I am so honored that I have been asked to attend D's big day! I received my Save the Date this past fall and have been looking for a perfect dress ever since. Well, of course Lilly did not let me down with their Jubilee line. The wedding is black tie so I have picked out the Elias dress in the dupioni yellow silk and silver beading.

I think dress is suitable for summer black tie, do you? It is classy, mature, timeless, dressy, the color looks great on and the fit is EXTREMELY flattering! I am debating on the shoes (I am thinking silver) and the clutch, but will be sure to keep you updated!

SHINE!

I go through phases with favorite songs. I have a permanent list of classic, favorite songs, but I also LOVE to listen to a new song I like on repeat. I know it sounds sort of odd, but it works for me! Well, one of my current favorites is Martina McBride's RIDE. I just love this song because I find it to be inspiring. It is SO easy to be consumed with the negative in your life. You can easily get mad at others in real life or in the blogging world or you can give up however, this song reminds us all to stand up tall and carry on! If you have the chance to shine, shine! Something good comes for those who are willing to take risks or stand up for what the believe in. No matter how tired I may be when I wake up (I stay up far too late watching American Dreams!) I try and put a smile on my face before I get out of bed. No matter how grim your day might seem try and find something positive about it. For instance think about that daily trip to Starbucks, calling home or visiting your favorite website over lunch. Even the smallest positive can seem like a huge treat! Have faith, stand tall, shine and cease your day today and everyday!!

You wake up from your dream and, and you don't want to face the day
and you can't find a reason to think your world will ever change.
You can hide beneath the covers
or you can run outside head up high and carry on!

Life is a roller coaster ride
Time turns the wheel and love collides
Faith is believing you can close your eyes and touch the sky.
So Shine while you have the chance to shine,
Laugh even when you want to cry
Hold on tight to what you feel inside and ride...

It brings you up slowly then shoots you like a rocket towards the ground.
It twists you and it shakes you before it turns you upside down.
You can't see what's around the corner
and You can't look back, so just live it up and feel the rush.

Life is a roller coaster ride.
Time turns the Wheel and love collides
Faith is believing you can close your eyes and touch the sky.
So shine while you have the chance to shine,
Laugh even when you want to cry,
Hold on tight to what you feel inside and ride...

Bamboo Chairs!

From the basic Chivari chairs to the more upscale ones found at Williams Sonoma Home I just LOVE bamboo chairs! I have always thought it would be fun to paint a bamboo chair to match your decor (does anyone remember when they did this in a Fall issue of Domino?) so I searched pink and green bamboo chairs and I came up with the following options.

I think either of these would make a fabulous desk chair. I actually use a gold Chivari chair at my desk, but I am starting to think I might just need to paint it pink. I also love the mahogany WSH bamboo chairs for a Dining or Breakfast room. Oh, I am such a bamboo fan! Do you love it too?

AD and Clipboards!

I apologize for being so MIA with the comments since returning from NYC. I had loads of catching up to do last week and worked all weekend. Then, this week I have been very busying clipboarding in the evenings and then living vicariously through American Dreams. I believe I have mentioned that I watch the entire series once a year and this week marks the beginning for my 2009 marathon. Gosh, the show is just too good for words! If you have never watched you really should invest in the DVDs as they can be bought for next to nothing now. Anyway, this evening I will return to commenting so watch out!

Days Come and Go, but Lilly Lasts Forever!

One week ago I was living a dream! I feel SO very blessed to have been given the opportunity to host an event at the Madison Avenue town house, attend a Jubilee Martha taping, be on camera and be a guest at a VIP after party for my very favorite clothing brand. As I mentioned last week I do feel as if the Lilly Pulitzer brand is more than just a shift dress or shopper skirt, it is a way of life. Lilly fans are so fun, happy and tend to have a great outlook on life. I love that I was surrounded by such wonderful smiling faces just one week ago. The experience I was granted is one I will never ever forget and I am so happy I was able to share it with all of you all; what a treat! Anyway, to commemorate it having been SEVEN days since the AMAZING Martha spotlights Hopsy's favorite brand I thought it would be fun to include some of my favorite desktop Lilly photos for you all! Minnies in training- you have to instill the Lilly values at a young age! These are my sweet Greystone girls dressed in my shifts. Aren't they beyond darling? Their dance was such a hit!You need to get your daughter on the Greystone waiting list ASAP!

Lilly fashion show for a Junior League of Minneapolis (look how long my hair was)! I was in charge of recruiting three Kappa friends to sport Lilly and Vineyard Vines. We had so much fun and wore our Melly clothing proudly!Father and I at the Lodge at Sea Island. Father is not sporting Lilly here, but he did send me an email today saying CEO Scott's pink suit and the reports of Emilie's hubby in a Lilly blazer are inspiring him. He thinks a pink suit might be needed for India. Yay daddy and thank goodness for my plans to attend the November warehouse sale again, I will stock up!!

Being an only child is so much fun, you get to take loads of photos alone! However, as long as I am sporting Lilly and wearing my pearls I am happy as can be and Would gladly sit for a half day shoot. Maybe someday Lilly can hire me to be a model...only in my wildest dreams, ha!

If these pink and green, flirtatious prints do not make you smile I am just not sure what will. Fill your life with happy thoughts and Lilly dresses and HAVE A FANTASTIC LILLY FILLED DAY!!

Saint Patrick!

Happy St. Patrick's day readers and friends! Did you sport you green today? I wore a green pleated shirt dress from J Crew and carried my pink Kate Spade with my Lilly Jubilee scarf so I was in the spirit, the preppy spirit that is!Today is my grandfather's 80th birthday, so happy birthday Poppy! Mother was able to celebrate with her father, mother and sister and I of course put in a call on this big day. Poppy received one of the best birthday gifts our family could have hoped for this birthday: Henry is well on the way to recovery and even has a tentative discharge date!!!
Just weeks ago Henry still had NO feeling on his left side, but as of the tail end of last week he began to stand and even walk with a walker then on his own! This just goes to show that God's people coming together in prayer can lead to healing! Gosh, I am just SO very thankful for your many prayers and emails and the button placement on your blogs. You have gone above and beyond and I will never be able to appropriately thank you each and every one of you, but please know you have touched my life as well as Henry's! When I started my blog 50 weeks ago I never once I dreamed I would make so many wonderful friends or meet so many role models nor did I ever dream that this simple site would change my life. However, your uplifting comments and posts have made me a more positive person! Thank you to ALL of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers! Also, remember that miracles DO happen so NEVER give up hope!! God is SO good!!

NYC, What Is It About You?!

Mother and Hopsy in the Towers lobby!

In honor of it having been one week since some of the best 36 hours of my NYC I thought I would to another recap for you all! Thrilling, I know!

If you have been reading for sometime you know I like to pack everything fabulous into even the shortest trip. Well, I am not alone because mother also likes to do this- thank goodness. We arrived at the Waldorf Towers around 11am, checked into our lovely suite and we were soon off!

Lounging in the room before afternoon tea! Isn't the arrangement our favorite concierge sent us divine?

We started with Smythson (mother needed a new travel wallet), Rizzoli and Bergdorf's of course! I was SO famished as I had not really eaten at all, but rather then being a wimp I bucked up and decided I could hit the UES stores before we did Payard. Mother and I popped into a dog shop on Lex to purchase raincoats for our pups. It is essential that are prepared for the India monsoon season! While on Lex we also hit up one of our very favorite shops in the entire world, William Wayne.

This photo is HORRID, but your deserve to see the blue and white that filled the WW windows!
William Wayne is full of blue and white and lots of lovely home decor. We also found out that Bernie Madoff lives (well lived) right above, but more on that to come! Mother got a few small items and I picked up some shell pink linen napkins, a silver bamboo spreader, a gift for grandmother and a pink and green rhinestone tape measure! After William Wayne we headed up towards Payard, yum! On our way we could not pass up J. McLaughlin and all their cute clothin. We finally reached Payard where we each had a salad and their delicious cheese souffle. It was the perfect size lunch and everything was just as good as ever. We grabbed a dozen flour less chocolate cookies before grabbing our coats and bags and we were off yet again.
The Frick is such a delightful museum. It is the perfect size if you only have a few hours. Of course I could easily spend and entire day there, but it is not so huge or overwhelming for someone with a time frame. We spent just over an hour admiring all the lovely works of art and the architecture. It was mid afternoon by this point so we only had an hour to squeeze in a few more stops. We decided to run to Dylan's, Bloomies and Scully and Scully.
In front of Scully and Scully!
We packed all our favorite stores and a museum in to our afternoon and even had time to have tea and take baths before dinner. We dined and had one last hurrah at our favorite La Goulue. We were so sad to hear La Goulue would be closing back in February so the timing of our Lilly trip worked out extremely well! If you live in the city do me a favor and go enjoy a meal at La Goulue before April 5th, 2009. Who knows you may even run into Oscar de la Renta or another fabulous social! After dinner we hoped in our car and were taken to the Lilly town house for an evening that is going down in the history books! What a lovely trip all around!!

KEP Code!

I have been a huge KEP Deisgns fan since my days in college. When I worked at Melly this was the fabulous jewelry line we carried so of course I had to pick a few items out for myself. KEP jewelry is SO well made and it is classic yet fun. Another MAJOR selling point for me is that almost all the KEP pieces look PERFECT with Lilly. Well, imagine my surprise when I found out the owner of KEP and another associate were at the Martha show last week! I found out that KEP used to adorn the Lilly models in their pieces before Lilly started their own line of jewels. FUN! Bekah of KEP has so very kindly extended a discount to all Monograms and Manicures readers for this week only! If you enter the code 'HOPSY' at checkout you will receive 15% off any order! How amazing is that?!

I have included some of my favorite pieces below. It was so hard to select just a handful to post because I simply adore everything, but here you go:

Pink and pearls- SO Hopsy!
This necklace reminds me of van Cleef (I someday hope to own an Alhambra necklace). It would be so darling with a tee and jeans and the best part is that it is available in several colors!

Okay, would this not look KILLER with the Lilly Andover dress? The colors are dead on!

I love this pink flower necklace! This too would look darling with a tee and a pink Lilly skirt!

Mmmm, more pink and pearls! This bracelet would look perfect with my Lilly Easter dress and sweater.

Nautical by Nature these are for you! They are $95 minus the 15% discount; treat yourself!

I LOVE the clasp on this necklace. This was a staple piece at Melly. We also had a pearl necklace with the same clasp; both are so practical and so preppy!

So whether you are needing a special piece for all those weddings you are getting ready to attend or for your bridal luncheon or preppy piece to accent you Lilly head over to KEP Designs and take advantage of this ONE WEEK ONLY 15% discount! Again, enter 'HOPSY' at the checkout and stock up!!