It’s party time people, are you ready? A few weeks ago, Team Apartment 34 gathered on the loft’s rooftop deck as part of a fun little campaign to kick off the summer season – the Grand Marnier “My City, My Margarita Style” Guide to Summer. I’m so excited to get to share our rockin’ good time, and my top summer entertaining tips with you today!

I’m the first to admit that throwing parties can be stressful and sometimes seem like they’re more work than they’re worth. But you can put together a great day without a ton of hassle. When you’re pulling together a party there are a few key elements that will ensure your guests feel special, but won’t have you running in circles. These are some of my top secrets:

My first tip is to select a lovely, but simple setting. You don’t need to rearrange your house or have to worry about shoving things into closets! I’m lucky enough that we can simply climb a few flights of stairs for a stellar view of the San Francisco hills from our roof. But any deck, patio or backyard can feel festive. The key is to skip crappy patio furniture and instead get a few great pieces that will make your outdoors feel as inviting as your home. {I’m obsessing about the Bend Collection at West Elm}. Sprinkling a few big blooms – peonies are my fave – or perhaps some pots with succulents will add a beautiful detail to your tables, no fancy flower arranging required.

Secondly, don’t sweat the food. I’m sorry, but I’m a huge champion of asking for help when you need it {after learning from experience!}. You can make your life a lot easier by getting prepared foods! For our fiesta I called in the big guns – San Francisco’s famed Tacolicious, ensuring there’d be zero leftovers to clean up!

And finally create a signature cocktail! Everyone feels special when they have a fabulous looking and tasting libation in their hand and you can cut down on the hassle of having to offer a million options {not to mention save $$!}.

Nothing says summer to me more than a good margarita. But here’s the thing, so many people get them so wrong! Early on in my tequila drinking years I was schooled in proper margarita making and so I consider it my duty to pass that knowledge on to you.

There are three key things to remember:

1. Only use fresh ingredients. This means no bottled mixers allowed. Your lime juice should come straight from limes. You want to sweeten with agave, not packaged mixers.

2. Serve in a single old fashioned glass. They’re classic and chic!

3. ALWAYS include Grand Marnier. A float of Grand Marnier is the key ingredient for making your margarita extraordinary; it’s what I’ve always called the Cadillac. Your margarita will be elevated to a whole new level and you’ll never go back!

Here’s the recipe that I will be serving all summer long.

The Grand Margarita {aka The Cadillac!} 

Ingredients

3/4 oz Grand Marnier

1 ½ oz premium tequila

1/2 oz fresh lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup*

Garnish: Fresh lime wheel

Directions

In a mixing glass combine premium tequila, simple syrup* and squeeze ½ oz of fresh lime juice. Fill with ice; shake well and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass or a margarita glass. Pour in your float of Grand Marnier and stir. Garnish with a fresh lime wheel. *Can substitute a 1/4 oz of agave for simple syrup! {we also salted the rims of glasses with pink rock salt for a fun pop of color}

Feeling festive yet?? Well, check back a bit later today because we’re going to be sharing the entire team’s favorite summer style trends just in time for your Memorial Day weekend!

original photography for apartment 34 by emily scott

this post is in partnership with Grand Marnier and Lucky Magazine. thanks for supporting posts that keep Apartment 34′s doors open

Not only am I truly blessed to be living in a beautiful city that I’m kinda obsessed with, I am also lucky to have great friends who love to visit! And the first question they usually ask is, “Hey, what should I do {besides walk across the Golden Gate Bridge}?”

Instead of throwing together the usual laundry list of places to explore, I thought it’d be much easier to whip up an itinerary for them that recreates how I would spend a perfect Sunday in the city! This way, instead of hitting the usual tourist traps, they can experience San Francisco as if they were living here. I put the list together using the new app Mosey, that way my friends can access it anytime and check out what other SF natives recommend.

My perfect Sunday starts with a trip over to the recently opened coffe mecca, The Mill for my cappuccino and the most amazing gourmet version of toast you’ve ever had.

Wander a couple doors down on Divisadero to for some design eye candy at The Perish Trust {for amazing vintage pieces} or Rare Device for wonderful handmade finds.

Next, I make a beeline to Hayes Valley and do some serious window shopping. From my favorite hard to find lines at the boutique Nida, to picking up my favorite international mags at Birch, I can do some serious damage in only one block!

So much walking must be rewarded with a delicious late lunch back in our neighborhood, at the lovely Central Kitchen.

Drooling, right??

San Francisco is such a diverse city of so many micro neighborhoods, I’m dying to find out what your version {for those living here} of the perfect Sunday in SF is! Head over to Mosey to see my complete list and create your own itinerary. And since I’m always wanderlusting {New Orleans, Charleston and Chicago are topping my list} I hope those living there will share their secret spots too.

PS: If you sign up for Mosey now, you can enter to win dinner at THE French Laundry!!! {But you have to promise to take me if you win!}

original photography by emily scott for apartment 34. this post is in partnership with mosey

Have you ever been in someone’s design studio? Neither had I! What makes the Freda Salvador design studio so special is that it’s IN their store! Now you don’t need special access to see the creative process in action.

I couldn’t stop staring at all of Megan and Cristina’s tear sheets, sketches and samples! I such a kid in a fashion candy store. I was lucky enough to sit down with the dynamic Freda Salvador duo before they jetted off on a sourcing and production trip in Italy and Spain. I wanted to pick their brain about their inspiration and about being entrepreneurs.

Here’s what they had to say:

What makes your shoe collection different and special?

“We feel our line and design philosophy stands out from others because of our commitment to using high quality leather and components… and our attention to detail when it comes to fit and design.  We want our shoes to last season after season and to be our customers’ ‘go-to’ everyday shoe. Therefore, they have to look and feel great.  Our tag line is cutting edge style, versatility and wearability. We follow that mantra every time we design!”

What gave you the idea/made you want to start Freda Salvador?

“We were both working for another designer and it got frustrating to design within boundaries for another brand.  We had so many ideas for really edgy, young, fun, yet “infinitely walkable” shoes that we wanted to explore. We don’t wear sandals and were tired of ballet shoes. We wanted to create the next flat everyday shoe that, no matter how it’s worn, will always look cool and interesting. We believed there is a big open space in the market right now for this genre of shoes. Luckily, retailers, press, and women everywhere agree!”

What is it like starting a business with a friend?

“Awesome!  We started off as colleagues/peers and had such a great synergy designing together, so when we started traveling for work, we became fast friends. Now we have such a mutual respect for each other that it really is easy and FUN to work together everyday!”

If you had one piece of advice to give to fledgling entrepreneurs, or one thing you’ve learned about business that you never would have otherwise considered, what would it be? 

Only start something that you are uber passionate about!  Starting a business is literally a 24/7 job. You have to love every minute of what you are doing so when you run into obstacles, giving up is not even an option. You fight harder and want it more.  FREDA does not feel like “work” to us at all…we are really blessed that we can throw all of our energy into something that we love so much and that people are responding well to.

What would you like to tell your 25-year-old self?

Cristina: “Don’t plan a wedding and start a business at the same time!  Not smart!  Actually, I feel really lucky, I am only 28, so I wouldn’t change much.  Now, if I were talking to my 18-year-old self, that would be a long conversation!”

Megan: “To enjoy every minute with friends relaxing, traveling, working, etc.  Now that I am a mom, my time is no longer my own!  I was crazy in my 20′s…I literally moved every year.  I wouldn’t change that I did that…I would have just appreciated it more and maybe would have explored even more places!”

I cannot thank Megan and Cristina enough for inviting us into their fantastic Freda Salvador world. I hope you enjoyed it and found it as inspirational as I did!

original photography by emily scott for apartment 34