For the past three years I have been spending my birthday weekend in Sedona, Arizona, it’s become my happy place. There are so many reasons I feel so connected to this place, you will see in the pictures below, but it’s the nature and energy that top the list.

This year we stayed at the Enchantment Resort and visited the Mi Amo Spa. I felt so relaxed and peaceful, I couldn’t have had a better birthday. As the years pass, I find that spending time alone with my husband feels right instead of a huge party.

Most of my design inspiration comes from nature and travel, and for a while now Sedona has been the source of that. The colors, the textures, the composition of the land, everything sparks my creative spirit.

Ok, enough of my rambling, check out the images I took from my last trip and enjoy the beauty that has become my home away from home.

A couple of weeks ago, Anthony and I took a little trip to the west coast of Florida for a secret project we’ve been working on. I wasn’t able to share it until now. As you can guess by the title of this blog, we launched a new collection exclusively for HSN, Stephanie by Stephanie Kantis.

The Home Shopping Network is a place that most brands dream of being a part of. When we got the call that they wanted to collaborate, I couldn’t turn it down. But then I realized, this isn’t just about me creating a new collection but also getting in front of millions of people to sell on live TV, whoa!

When the time came we headed over to St. Petersburg, FL and made a beautiful trip out of it. We stayed at the charming and peaceful Vinoy Hotel, which helped calm my nerves. When we got to the studio everything fell into place beautifully. The team at HSN made me feel so at ease every step of the way.

Below I have attached the link to the video and some of the pieces from the collection. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Til Next Time,

Also, CLICK HERE to the see the collection online.

Just in case you haven’t heard or seen, the statement earring is the jewelry trend of 2017 and 2016 and even maybe a little of 2015. In short, if you haven't perfected your earring game you’re missing the boat.

I love this trend because it’s easy and uh so feminine. Earrings frame the face and bring attention to the neck, which I feel is one of the sexiest parts of the female body. I think a lot of people agree because this trend is going strong and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

One of the ways this trend has morphed in past seasons is the mismatch earring. Trend setters are wearing pieces that have a similar theme to unite them but are obviously so completely different.

I do this with some of the earrings I already own and it feels like I have a new piece of jewelry, which is awesome. I thought it would be fun to show you how I would mismatch some of the new Spring Collection earrings. Would love to hear what you think below.

Til Next Week,

Yes ladies and gentleman we are almost at the end of the third month of 2017. Can you believe it’s March?! And more unbelievable that it’s almost over?! If you’re anything like me, these past few months have flown by. I always make a little reminder in my calendar to take a beat around this time to conduct a little check-in.

I want to review my goals that I set in the first of the year, see where I am at. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day actions and routines that we have created. I have to look at what has been working for me and what hasn’t. Some of the questions I ask are:

Am I making any progress towards my goals?

What kind of progress?

Are my goals making me feel overwhelmed?

Do I still want to accomplish these goals?

It’s important to ask these questions, I have found, because in January we are all filled with hope and huge amounts of motivation. But now that we have settled into the year a little we can get a better grasp of how and if we can truly accomplish everything we set out to do. 

A huge thing to remember here is not to beat yourself up about where you are with your resolutions. The awesome part about this little check-up is that it’s only March! You have nine more months to get your butt in gear and make those goals a reality. If you need some motivation to get that second wind below is a little video I found that has some great points about setting goals.

Enjoy!

One of my favorite trips I take during the year is by far the annual gem show in Tucson, Arizona. It feels like the city is transformed into the biggest treasure hunt in the world. Everyone in the industry comes together to find the most exciting natural resources this planet has to offer.

You can see the jewelry trends happening a year before the pieces are even created. For me seeing all the raw unaltered stones sparks my creativity in very special ways. It’s at this show every year that I get some of my best ideas.

As Spring 2017 is here I thought I would tell you a little about the stones. Each one was picked for a special reason and it’s unique look. This collection wouldn’t have been possible without the following:

Blue Turquoise Howlite

Rose Quartz

White Howlite

When I knew my inspiration for this collection, I knew I had to find the most exquisite White Howlite to represent the water elements of the Asian Fusion. I think I found it.

Red Sponge Coral

I bet you think this blog is about fashion trends, but I’m going to switch it up on you. As I shared a few weeks back, I’m really into seasonal cooking and finding the freshest and locally available produce to cook for my husband and myself. I love going to the farmer’s markets that take place this time of year and being a part of the cooking process from farm to table.

I have been learning a lot about what fruits and veggies are best for what season. This has made my meals so much more delicious because when you are eating foods at their peak, the flavor is unmatchable.

We tend to know the big names like Strawberries, Corn and Peas but what about the other lesser known guys? Adding more variety to your plate really helps to keep eating well more exciting and less of a chore. Check out some of my favorites below and my go-to salad recipe for this time of year.

My Favorite In-Season Produce (March, April and May)

• Apricots
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Butter lettuce
• Chives
• Collard Greens
• Fennel
• Mango
• Radicchio
• Ramps
• Rhubarb
• Vidalia Onions
• Watercress
• White Asparagus

My Go-To Spring Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head of Butter lettuce
• A few handfuls of Radicchio
• A few handfuls of watercress
• ½ cup of chopped White Asparagus
• ½ cup of chopped Fennel
• ½ cup of Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 2 teaspoons of Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup of Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons of Chives

For the Salad:

1. Chop up the Butter Lettuce, Radicchio, and Watercress put in a bowl
2. Boil water in a medium sized saucepan and add the Fennel and White Asparagus. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until tender. Drain the water and let the veggies cool. Add to lettuces.
3. Add your favorite protein if you like. I love to use Salmon for this but Chicken and most White Fish work well too.
4. Dress the salad with as much or as little dressing as you like.

For Dressing:

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running add the oil slowly. Finish it off with the chives by mixing them in. Save the reminder of dressing for the week.

I know I may be jumping the gun a little bit here but I love to plan ahead especially when we're talking about Spring Vacation. While, for most of the time, I live in the always sunny south Florida, I do remember what it’s like to live in colder climates. Where just the idea of Spring Break can warm your heart when it’s snowing outside.

One thing that can put a damper on Spring Vacation is not planning ahead of time. There are so many places to visit and adventures to take, but last minute planning can take all the joy out of it.  I have had the honor of traveling a lot and love to experience new places.

I have been keeping a list of my favorite places and best advice depending on what you want to experience. I thought it might help some of you to decide where to spend your time this Spring. Check out my ideas below and if you have some of your own ideas include them in the comments. Sharing is caring.

Til Next Week,

Adventure

• Yosemite National Park (Hiking, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Paragliding)
• Hood River, Oregon (For Windsurfing, Paddle boarding)
• Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina (For Windsurfing, Paddle boarding)
• Red River Gorge, Kentucky (For Rock Climbing)
• TransAmerica Trail (For Cycling)
• Colorado River in the Grand Canyon (For Kayaking, Whitewater Rafting and Scuba Diving)
• Appalachian Trail (For Backpacking)

International

• Krakow, Poland (Old World Charm and Cultural Attractions)
• Cartagena, Columbia (Awesome beach town, beautiful city)
• Budapest, Hungry (Known as the more affordable Paris)
• Barcelona, Spain (Big coastal city with amazing art scene)
• Nicaragua (Known as Costa Rica without the crowds)

Beach

• Sanibel Island, Florida (Beautiful beaches without the crowds and best shell gathering)
• Ocean City, New Jersey (Great for kids with a boardwalk, an amusement park, and water park)
• Perdido Key State Park, Florida (Has some of the whitest sand and emerald-green water)
• Kiawah Beachwalker Park, South Carolina (Known as Charleston’s best beach)
• Capinteria, California (Heralded as the world’s safest beach)

Historical

• Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (Location of the turning point of the Civil war)
• San Antonio, Texas (Battle of the Alamo happened here)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (The constitution was signed here)
• Washington D.C (An obvious addition)
• Boston, Massachusetts (You can walk the Freedom Trail and visit Paul Revere’s house)
• Williamsburg, Virginia (Part of America’s Historical Triangle along with Jamestown and Yorktown)

New York Fashion Week has just about ended and this happens to be one of my favorite times of the year. This month we will see the big four (NY, London, Milan and Paris) host Fall 2017 Fashion Weeks. While I love spring fashion and weather, I also love all the richness and layers that fall brings. The accessories are always so exciting, because there is so much more room for options, like fur, gloves and boots, oh my!

I was watching closely (as I do) and have pulled out my top four trends to watch out for in Fall 2017. It’s so helpful to know what’s about to come into fashion because then you can also start keeping an eye out. You never know where inspiration might strike.

Let me know what you think, what’s your favorites and if you loved a trend I didn’t mention.

Until Next Week,

The Thin Neck Scarf

This trend has carried over from the past season but I still can’t get enough and it’s perfect for fall. It’s a great and easy way to update any sweater or dress without a huge investment. My favorites were from DVF and J. Crew. (P.S. The styling for the J. Crew show was so fabulous).

Feminine Tough Boots

Boots are obvious this season but the tough lady-like boot we saw on the runway was a great new take. I love details on boots and the options at Altuzarra and Alex Wang were on-point.

Statement Earring

Yes, that’s right ladies the statement earring is here to stay. We saw them bigger and bolder but also subtler more delicate versions. I think any larger scale earring is gonna work, the message here is invest in some statement earrings, this trend isn’t going anywhere. Check out Jason Wu, and Tome for inspiration.

Chain-Detailed Bags

Whether you are staying in for a cozy romantic dinner-for-two or planning a girls night out with your fellow lady bosses we have some ideas for what to wear on the 14th. There is enough to worry about on Valentine’s Day we thought it might be helpful to take all the guess work out of the perfect accessories.

Sending you lots of love and chocolate,

Romantic Dinner-In

You aren’t going out, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to put a lot of thought into your outfit. You want to look your best while not going over board.

Girls Night

These are your girls and you don’t want to disappoint. This is the time to take style chances and go for that trendy piece you have been dying to try.

First Time Valentine’s Day Casual

You want to come across as confident and totally comfortable. You aren’t sure where this is going but you know you want to make a statement about who you really are.

Classic Formal Night Out

This is your chance to go all out. This is the time to try that statement necklace or cocktail ring, the sky’s the limit.

I know it’s only the first week of February but I can’t help getting excited for Spring and all the new beginnings it represents. I thought I would share with you guys a little sneak peak into the Stephanie Kantis Spring 2017 Collection. Before every collection I do a ton of inspiration research and then create a mood board that can be a reference point during the whole design process.

This Spring it is all about Asian Fusion for the brand. I am inspired by nature and manmade beauty. My focus was on Asian culture and more specially Japanese culture including gardens, lanterns, planks, screens, bridges and more. The materials we chose are mixtures of gold and silver, Jade, Rose Quartz, just to name a few. I wanted to share with you our mood board in hopes it brings a little warmth to your day. I can’t wait to show you the full collection, just a few weeks away, stay tuned!

Till Next Week,