Ingredients

1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
8 maraschino cherries
2 cups carbonated water (optional)

Directions

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

~ Kathy

Crystal (left) wearing the Lucy Dots Lucille Dress and me (right) wearing the 5th Avenue Floral Annette Mini Dress.

Wanda!!

~ Lauren

If you lived in New Orleans in the early 80’s, and if you were into New Wave music, then you definitely were a fan of The Cold. The members of the band included Barbara Menendez, Vance Degeneres, Kevin Radecker, Bert Smith and Chris Luckette. Their music is reminiscent of Blondie, the Buzzcocks, and the Rezillos, punky, poppy, upbeat goodness. I found this amazing Youtube video of their reunion show in 1984 which was broadcasted on a local show called Music City, which is unfortunately no longer on the air.

As a singer and front person in an 80’s cover band, I truly idolize Barbara Menendez. Her energy on stage is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. She was a wild woman! Her barley there mini skirts and her sexually charged antsy stage antics. Watching her on stage, it seems as if she’s possessed by the music and just can’t control herself. Of course I never got the chance to see The Cold in person because I was just a baby and my parents were older and not exactly “with it” especially in the New Orleans music scene. But had I been there, I would have been their number 1 fan.

Apparently Barbara Mendendez is still around and now playing in a band called The Help, which I plan on seeing as soon as possible. I checked to see if there were any show dates coming up and everything I saw was from last year. I’ll just plan on continuing to listen to WWOZ for the “livewire” to let me know when I’ll have the chance to see Barbara Menendez in action, in person.

Hope you enjoyed this little taste of New Orleans music history.

Xoxoxox

~ Tiffany

Blogger Emma of The Fiercest Lilliputian recently posted pictures of herself wearing the Day Dress in Pearl Harbor. (Worn with a corset underneath!) Be sure to stop by her blog for more pictures of her adorable retro style!

Step 1
Start with 2 coats of your blue base color:

Step 2
Depending on the size of the dots you want, you can use any kind of dotting tool. A toothpick, a pen, an end of a makeup brush, etc. I used a straight pin:

Step 3
Pour out some white polish to dip your tool in:

Step 4
Dip and start evenly dotting away. Don’t let the polish get tacky:

Step 5
Let it dry & finish with a topcoat:

Step 6
Put on your Lucy Dots dress & look fabulous!

Check back next week for another Nail Art Tutorial, on how to do a 5th Avenue Floral manicure!!

~ Lindsay

Check out her post with many more photos here!

~ Mallory

messy closet, image by k barker via Flickr

The best articles were from Apartment Therapy and Real Simple.

Below are the tips I found most useful on organizing your closet:

1. Once a year separate your closet contents into 5 categories: To Keep, To Donate, To Mend, Convert to Rags and Throw Away.
2. Keep seasonally appropriate items toward the front and eye level. Store the rest high or low, and toward the back.
3. Organize clothing by type and color.
4. Store accessories (like shoes, belts, scarves, hats, purses, etc.) in clear storage boxes – containing and making them easy to spot, and therefore more frequently worn.
5. Nestle suitcases inside each other and store seasonal linens (or other rarely used items) inside the smallest one.

What kind of space-savers and organization do you utilize in your closet?

~ Lauren

Here’s a photo of Rachel and me showing off our new Trashy Diva Lucy Dots print dresses. I (left) am wearing the Friday Dress paired with my Irregular Choice sparkly red pumps and Rachel (right) is wearing the Dixie Dress with her Miss L Fire Homemaker wedges.

Fleur de Tease’s season finale is Sunday, June 3rd. I highly recommend checking them out for a fun date or girls’ night out!

~ Lauren

Topping it all off: swing music from Meschiya Lake and her Little Big Quartet. Don’t be a wallflower — a mini class on swing dancing will take place during the first thirty minutes of the bash. (Taught by our very own Amanda!) And here’s an instructional video that’ll really show you how to shimmy:

After you’ve wiggled your tail and worked up an appetite, graze on food from local restaurants, including Arnaud’s, MiLa, and Café Adelaide. Prizes will be given for the best swing-era costume and if you wear our Doris Dress in Red and Re-Mix Kate and you’ll be sure to win!

The Swing Ball runs from 6-9 p.m. The Museum of the American Cocktail is located within the Southern Food and Beverage Museum down on the Riverwalk. Tickets are $30 now, $40 at the door. To purchase tickets, visit www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org.

~ Leah

Immersed In Ink Tattoo & Arts Festival is a traveling event, and its next stop will be here in NOLA June 15-17, 2012 at the Harrah’s Casino Convention Center. They’ve got details on their website on how to get entered to win a free tattoo via their Facebook page! Check it out!

~ Mallory