There are so many great things going on right now that I have to give a shout out! First of all congratulations to a great day one and to the success of Inside the Tents which is bringing all the stories of Fashion Week together! In addition, I also want to say congrats to all the bloggers that were included with NBC's look of Fashion Bloggers. Kitten Lounge was considered as one of the blogs and there are images of us up there so check it out! In addition, Sarah Conley's On the Plus Side is providing a lot of buzz around the Internet, as of last night she had hit 6,000 views of her video which is amazing.

Yes we are in day two of Fashion Week but if there is one thing that you notice besides the clothes, it's the music. I will be tracking down the playlist of most of these shows as I have really enjoyed hearing it! A few days ago Girls on Film contacted me wanting to be included in this week's Sippin' Saturdays focus on indie artists! I love that this female group is all about style and is a blend of new wave, dance tracks, 80's pop. It's quite a combination and a lot of fun to listen to as well. I am sad to hear that they don't tour a lot up here but if you're in Florida, you stand a very good chance at hearing them sing! One of my favorite songs, is Distressed. Very fun song and you can click to hear a snippet. It definitely gets you moving and it iPod worthy as well. Check out the various CD's they have released and their site as well!

LISTEN ~ VERTIGO

If you have known me since I have been out in the East Coast, you know that I began working in music and of course with those that were indie's. I have always had a passion for this and although I have spent a large time of my years here in fashion, I never lost site of that other portion of my creative side. The original Kitten Lounge that started years ago, was an Internet radio show that blended my love for music with fashion tips for 6 seasons. When I launched Kitten Lounge in the blog form, I wanted it to be a great platform for fashion, entertainment, food and so much more. Sippin Saturdays has now completed yet another element of my vision for Kitten Lounge, performing artists! Each Saturday you will find who I think is amazing on these posts with links to find out more information about them. In addition, keep your eyes on the sidebar to see which artists I have on my iPod as well so that you can add to your Kitten Playlist!

Rachael Sage released Chandelier after the success of 8 previous solo albums, on June 10th, 2008. With a fanbase that's continues to grow, I was very interested in getting introduced to her sound and vibe. Currently, Vertigo is available as a free download and I have to say that within the first bars of the song, I was hooked! Rachael Sage is an NYC artist whose newest CD is self-produced and is billed as a mix of Torri Amos, Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles and Alanis Morissette to name a few. I have to say that she even reminded me of the She as in She and Him and also had elements of Kate Nash. I love that she is a great blend of rock, pop and folk sound that is easy on the ear; moreover, listening to her lyrics she has the ability to talk about life's bumps along the way without depressing her listeners. Take some time to check out Rachael Sage and to get acquainted with her previous albums. Sign up on her email list as well and I also suggest to look at the video for Vertigo as well! To kick off our music segments, we will have a giveaway that includes 2 Rachael Sage Gift Packs which include her current CD and also Blistering Sun in addition to a lot of other goodies. We will kick this off in the next few days - stay tuned for details.

So with one of the biggest holidays coming up, all I can think about is what would be an amazing sweet treat to have as a compliment to an amazing Crawfish dinner! Well I had to visit Cocktail Times -  now I know that many of you may know of it as a place to go to figure out amazing drinks; however, it is a great source to find meals that you can cook which incorporates alcohol as well. I came upon this Watermelon Hawaiian Salad that looks decadent, easy and really good. It definitely seems easy to prepare and uses coconut rum as well as various tasty fruits and can you beat presentation as you bring this out on a platter or you have them out on a nice sheet of sorts?

Watermelon Hawaiian Pina Salad
Ingredients: (Serves 8 to 12)
1 oz coconut rum
1 cup macadamia nuts
2 bananas
1 small papaya
Juice from 4 fresh limes
3 cups seedless watermelon balls or small squares
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup freshly grated or unsweetened coconut
3 cups low-fat vanilla flavored yogurt
1/3 cup papaya seeds

Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse them a couple of times just to chop them into large pieces. Then, place them in a non-stick heavy sautŽ pan and toast them over medium heat just until they turn golden, stirring constantly. Remove them to a heatproof dish or bowl and allow them to cool.

Peel and cut the bananas and papaya flesh into small chunks and toss them in the lime juice. Place the banana and the papaya chunks in a large glass bowl with the watermelon, pineapple and coconut. In another bowl mix together the yogurt and the papaya seeds. Pour over the fruit and coconut. Toss to combine. Place in a serving bowl or coconut shells. Sprinkle the toasted macadamia nuts over the top and serve immediately.

I love when you begin working on a new project! Yes it is a lot of hard work but when you think about what it means in terms of the enjoyment and long term effects, you stop thinking about how long it will be. Well last night, I attended an event that reminded me that I would have to find time to do something that I don't know how I will find the time, but it is well worth it. Although I can't reveal details this second, know that you will be able to enjoy many of the things that you have come to enjoy about this site and it will be enhanced! Kudos to Golf Girl who turned my attention to this fun site where you can play a game of words and it makes a nice little arrangement of selected words whether it is your feed, words you chose (as I did) or more. Take some time to visit the galleries and to find out a lot more about Wordle.

The responses were amazing! I am so glad that you guys shared your favorite scents when it comes to soaps. We have four winners and I have to say that I truly wish that I had more to provide you but each of you will receive a very fragrant bar of soap. I will contact you this weekend to get your mailing addresses. For those that didn't win or have yet to visit Mistral Soaps, check the site out and their soap for the week which is only $6 (as opposed to $8) is Milk, pictured here!  I also agree that with the holidays coming up, yes we have to begin thinkin about them, I will definitely make some baskets from goodies on this site.

And now for our winners which I also loved checking out their blogs/site as well: Cindy S, Anna (of Shoe Smitten Blog), Nicole and Juliet (of JulRe Designs)!

Anytime I am stumped on a drink or simply want to try something completely new, I head over to Cocktail Times.com to see what amazing beverage they have! Today, I was on the hunt for something exotic and as always, they didn't disappoint! I introduce to you the Gvine Orchid! Not only does this look refreshing with the orchids being included within this drink that's perfect for the summer time or for a vacation but I love that it includes Champagne and also grapefruit juice. The citrus blend of this drink is definitely a refreshin thing! Below, I have included the recipe, let me know if you enjoyed this.

Gvine Orchid
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz G'vine gin
- 1 1/2 oz pink grapefruit juice
- 1/2 oz elderflower syrup
- 1 1/2 oz Brut Champagne
Garnish: orchid

Put the pink grapefruit juice, the elderflower syrup and gin in a shaker, add ice, shake and serve in a high ball glass. Before pouring the drink into the highball, add the Champagne so that it mixes with the rest of the ingredients. Garnish it with an orchid if available. 

Today was hot and absolutely amazing! Today I started early in the afternoon at the Big Apple BBQ Fest which took place in Madison Park today and tomorrow! Not only was it hot but it was a lot of fun to see food, music, hear seminars and to hear happy people getting excited about BBQ. I have to say that I was a BBQ novice but after a recent visit to Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem, I had a renewed respect (yes how does a Midwestern girl not get into BBQ until a late age - I don't know but I am definitely interested and got a lot of information). After picking up my press passes (thanks Katy) I went to the seminars first. Sponsored by Snapple and Every Day With Rachael Ray, I really wanted to see what was going on and sit in on a few demos if possible. I had the luxury of making it in to my first cooking demo "On the Side". This was lead by two Food Editors of my favorite magazine - Every Day with Rachael Ray. Pamela Mitchell and Teri Tsang Barrett shared interesting sides that you can include on your barbecue which are just as important as the main attraction! I came in right when they handed out the amazing golden sweet tea and I also sampled the hush puppies that I hadn't had in quite some time. This video clip includes the segment about the hush puppies. Teri is on the right and Pamela is on the left! These ladies were a lot of fun to listen to and was a great way to introduce me to my day!