What a b-e-a-Utiful weekend it was in the city. Saturday was a bit chilly but totally sunny and Sunday was perfect. It was so nice to have my windows open and enjoy a true Sunday in the apartment. I'm totally in the spring mentality so I broke out the white pants and sandals and we went out! Check out more below.
Andrew and I spent most of Saturday exploring the city. We walked around Washington Square park and then walked around the Village. One of my favorite blocks in the area includes these colorful townhomes. On one side of the street you have amazing colored houses and on the other some really yummy food!
We decided to venture into Cafe Dante for lunch in between shooting photos and man was it so so good! I had been to Mermaid Oyster bar (next door) more than a handful of times but never even noticed Dante until this weekend.
Andrew and I split the salmon avocado toast and the pumpernickel french toast. Both were so delicious but I think we both wish we could have had more of the toast! We'll just have to go back soon :)
It was extremely comfortable and really fits nicely. I know we're all trying to find the best priced chambray shirt but I really do believe this one is worth the cost! It's the perfect wash, has a really flattering cut and is pretty stretchy. I'm wearing a 6 for reference.
PS - how CUTE is this new crossbody from Henri Bendel?? I personally love the suede olive color for spring but it also comes in black. I'm all about cross-bodies these days.
Man this week flew by! I hate that everything moves in hyper speed as you get older. I mean we're already almost in MARCH. How crazy is that?? If we could just press pause for a second that would be awesome. k thx!
So if you know me you know I love, love, love MTV's The Challenge. I've been watching it since it first came out (27 seasons ago) and I'm even in the process of re-watching old seasons on Hulu. It's an addicting show and there are also a good amount of people at work who are into it too.
So we decided to make a fake office challenge and I'm secretly pretty hyped. We drew names out of a hat and I'm in the process of thinking of fun games to play. Think Minute to Win It type of challenges. Let's hope this goes well! So random to tell you guys, but that's totally where my mind was all day yesterday so I thought it would be fun to include!
I've been totally obsessing over these Steve Madden heels. I don't know what it is about them but they are just so good looking! I was debating between the blue and the sand but after seeing these I think I've made up my mind :) How can you say no?
I have a couple warm weather trips coming up and I'm starting to shop around for new clothes! I of course head to Lilly first because they never let me down. I currently have this fringe sweater in my cart just waiting to pull the trigger. Thoughts? I'm thinking it's the perfect spring/summer item . You can wear it with shorts or pants and you're good to go!
FIVE / Blogging Better Series
I just started a new series this week called Blogging Better and I would love to hear some topics you want covered over the next few weeks! This series is 100% for you guys so any input is greatly welcomed :) Feel free to comment below or email me!
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Weekend Plans: Tonight, Andrew and I are out celebrating his birthday at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Mercato. It's this amazing little hole-in-the-wall place that is super authentic and so, so yummy. Other than that, it's Oscar Sunday! SO excited. Every year I see all the Best Picture nominees (which is so fun) and I think The Revenant is going to take home the win!
Recent Purchases: Snagged the most comfortable and best fitting chambray shirt yesterday from J. Crew and I'm pretty obsessed with it. I've had a ton of chambray tops over the years but this is by far and away going to be my favorite one. Also waiting for this pretty gingham dress to arrive at my door! It's so so cute!!
I'm here to finally recap our stay in Jamaica! As most of you remember, Andrew and I went there over New Year's break and had a blast. We went zip lining, kayaking, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, rode a sailboat, swam in a luminous lagoon and had the time of our lives!
So today I thought I would share the amazing place that made all of this happen: our hotel! Read more below!
We found this hotel through TripAdvisor when we were trying to decide on a place to travel. It was between Turks and Caicos and Jamaica and we found it easier to go to Jamaica (hotels in Turks fill up quickly). The resort had a ton of really amazing reviews and won a couple awards for excellence so we decided, "why not!?" and booked it.
I can totally see why after going. It was awesome! It was an adults-only all-inclusive resort and you don't realize how amazing that is until you've experienced it. The staff was so friendly, the food was killer and there was an endless list of things to do.
LOCATION:
The resort was about an hour away from the Montego Bay airport and when you get in late at night and haven't slept much, it's a total pain but in reality it's not all that bad. You're in a secluded part of the island and you find yourself surrounded by private properties. I liked that part a lot because you really felt like you were on vacation!
The name does ring true: Paradise Cove. The beach area was small and it was really just a little cove they had surrounded by a ton of rock. I thought I wouldn't like it as much but I really didn't mind it. The water was calmer and clearer, it made it feel more exclusive. There was just enough beach to get your fill.
THE ROOM:
So I completely forgot to take photos of the room, but it's ok! They were nice and for the most part pretty average, run-of-the-mill new hotel rooms. Our bathroom was nice and updated, the bed was big, the closet had enough hangers, the balcony overlooked one of the pools -- it was nice.
AMENITIES:
I think one of the major aspects of the hotel I really loved was all the amenities offered. Since it is an all-inclusive they understand that there needs to be a lot to do at the resort. They have a whole area for watersports that include kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, paddle boats. They also offered sail boat rides, snorkeling and scuba diving (they'll even certify you!)
For the rest of the resort, there were three pools all with swim-up bars, a really fun water slide, ping pong tables, shuffleboard, pool and a bunch of board games. There were also a ton of different actives and classes you could join and be apart of during the day.
There was also no shortage of off-site adventures (excursions). There were two that were offered free through the hotel and those were Konoko Falls and a Sunset Sail both of which were really fun. We also signed up for two other off-site excursions: Zip Lining and the Luminous Lagoon. It was a really fun way to spend some time outside the resort.
FOOD:
The food! Ah! It was SO good. I never expect much from an all-inclusive (I don't know why) but -- wow -- was this place awesome. They had four different restaurants, five different bars and an area for a buffet (not my favorite). Our plan was to hit a different restaurant each night but one of our excursions got in the way so we missed out on the hibachi night.
You can read about each of the restaurants here. There was a really fancy restaurant (attire and all) called Platinum, a hibachi/sushi bar called Jade Samurai that required reservations. Moonstone (which was Coral Cafe by Day) and the Aquamarine Grill which was a poolside bar that served during all hours.
My favorite (and one we ate at three times -- sometimes for dessert after another meal) was Moonstone. They had the BEST food and since it was all basically free I made sure to order two things for dinner and just enjoy vacation. I mean, calories don't count right?
THE RESORT:
The resort overall was really awesome. It was a big property but the resort felt small (in a good way). It felt cozy and comfortable. I loved that all of it was on the water and you can see the waves hitting the rocks as you walked along. There were also hammocks everywhere so it was fun to just relax (even more) from time to time.
There were two beaches. One was more secluded and didn't have the best sun for half the day and the other was the main beach (seen above). There was never any problem finding a chair of getting a towel. There was always someone walking around taking drink orders and the staff was so friendly. I can't tell you how many times they opened up the water slide for Andrew and I!
OVERALL MY EXPERIENCE WAS...
AWESOME! Andrew and I left talking about how great this trip was. It's a totally underrated hotel and I will tell anyone and everyone I know to go here. It really was that great -- no cons about the trip at all! Well, actually maybe that the buffet wasn't very good (but Andrew disagrees!) If I could go back again I would in a heart beat. Make sure to check it out if you're ever heading to Jamaica!
And of course here's a short little video from our trip. Enjoy!
Welcome to my new series: Blogging Better! Each week I hope to come up with relevant and fun topics to help you become a better blogger. I originally started this series in my weekly newsletter but I thought it would be more fun to open it up to all blog readers.
We’ll start today’s topic where most people start all endeavors: at the beginning. I get so many questions about advice on how to start a blog and now I'm here to help.So you want to be a blogger? Let me walk you through some important tips and tricks to help below!
1. Decide On Your Content Vertical
The first step to starting a blog is deciding what you want to write about. The more common topics are fashion, lifestyle, family, travel, food, etc. You could also get more specific like NYC living, luxury travel, work-appropriate fashion or even the uber-specific like best Bloody Mary’s and French toast in Manhattan (I would write this as a second blog).
When deciding your main verticals for the blog try and think what makes you different. Why would people want to read your blog over someone else’s? What makes you stand out? What can you bring that has yet been brought? Things like this are really important in today’s blogging landscape. The market is totallyoversaturated and therefore a lot of blogs are the same. But as a reader, no one wants that!
2. Name Your Blog
Ah the ever-so-important name! This is an overlooked but highly important part of the blog process. You want a name that can grow with you, that is easily brandable and something that will never go out of style. My personal recommendation at all times is to use your name or use a play on words for your name.
Your name is great because it’s unique to you, it’s easier for you to brand yourself and your image and it’s something that will never be taken away from you! Girls who I think do a great job at this are Lauren and Jane. The worst thing you can do is a generic “noun & noun” name. It’s SO overdone and super easy to get mixed up with other blogs by similar nouns.
The last thing you want to do is redesign/rebrand after a couple good years. It’s a lot of stress and time that could easily be avoided if you start out with a strong name.
3. Find a Platform Best For You There are a ton of different sites to host your blog on. I personally have found the two most popular ones are WordPress and Blogger. There are pros and cons to each of them and I constantly go back and forth on the struggle of deciding between the two as well.
Since day one I’ve been on Blogger. I think that’s where a lot of girls first start out because it’s free, it’s easy to use and it’s an established platform. I personally like it also because it’s hosted by Google which basically controls the internet and they love to promote their own product.
I can’t speak much to WordPress because I’ve never used it but I’ve almost switched over a few times. They have a lot of really appealing plug-ins that make your site a lot more interactive, SEO friendly and a better user experience.
If I had to do it all over again with the knowledge I have now, I would start out with WordPress but I always suggest new bloggers to start on Blogger. It's a good way to get your feet wet without committing a lot to the process. That and you’re not aware how invested you’ll be in the blog, so you don’t want to start by spending too much money!
4. Design/Mock Up What The Blog Looks Like The good thing about everyone and their mother being a blogger is that there are a ton of places to get a good blog design created. When I started, designers were few and far between and a lot of times your only option was an Etsy pre-made blogger template. When I started, I personally wanted to challenge myself to build my own blog and learn to code. Which I did, and it lasted about a year before I really invested in some blog work.
What’s so great about the internet is that you can Google anything you want to learn – how to put “pin now” pop ups on your photos, how to create a drop down, how to enrich your SEO... everything! There are so many great resources for you to learn about whatever platform you’re on.
When I did my most recent blog redesign, I went to my favorite bloggers and took notes of different things I liked/didn’t’ like from each site. I liked that one blogger had this feature, or that another blogger did something fun with sorting content, etc. So when I helped design my site, I generally knew what I wanted.
The whole process took about six months and it was a pain. It was a lot of back and forth but the good thing is that once you get the big things done, you can help edit the little things going forward. So be sure to research, design, sketch, take notes, be patient and be thorough.
5. Create Quality Content
Now that you have everything in place, your blog is officially named, designed and made! You’re good to go, right? Well now you just need to create some content. Start out strong and let people know you have arrived! I always suggest quality over quantity so really make sure to publish good and strong quality content that will have your readers coming back for more.
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Check back next week for part two of Blogging Better: Starting Your Blog, where I go over the last five tips. If you have any questions or topics you'd like covered in this series, please let me know down below!
If you know one thing about me it's that I'm a sucker for a good skirt. They're just the perfect thing for my body and pretty much for any occasion in my life right now. Check out more below!
I have the wonderful "problem" of having an Anthropologie downstairs from my office. So of course I pass by their windows multiple times a day and always see whats new. It's honestly a blessing and a curse because I just want to shop all the time!
Case in point: this skirt. I saw it in the windows early last week and I loved the shape of it. It's the shape I know fits my body the best and the color was just so perfect for spring! After work last week, I stopped in store and tried it on. The 6 fit like a glove and I was sold. I even loved the little buttons on the front, it was just a great touch.
I also totally forgot to take a snap of the back, which is another little fun part of the skirt. It's a bit pricey for a simple coral skirt but this is going to be a closet staple of mine so I didn't mind spending a little more! I've already worn it to work and out with friends for a drink. It's perfect for every occasion! Now if they could just make it in navy we'd really be talking!
I know I know everyone has spring on their mind already but give me one more day to enjoy the cold weather! I love big sweaters and booties, can you blame me??
Going to keep today's post short and sweet. This outfit was from a few weeks ago and I honestly forgot to post it (oops) but thought it was worth sharing because I have my first pair of black jeans! Is that crazy that it's taken so long? Of course they're AG. AG are my ride or die jean brand-- they're seriously the best!!
I'm just not a huge fan of all black items (especially when it comes to shoes) but I'm trying to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. I think these will be great with a white tank and heels for spring!
