Ruffles + Coffee

Did I mention the sun came out this week ... and I may have run right out and worked outside.  It was freezing, but it was so worth it to get some vitamin D.  I had been dying to try the new Valor coffee in Alpharetta and the combination of the shining sun + a lavender latte was calling my name.  Valor started as a cart inside a work space and has expanded into a full size coffee shop and it was truly standing room only inside.  That is fine with me, I braved the chill and had my coffee outside in the sun.

All The Green Please

image

Anyone else need some serious green this week?  I don't know about the weather where you are but for us its grey, foggy, cold and not very green.  I am so very ready for spring.  I asked for ideas a week or so ago on Instagram while sourcing for green for a photo shoot this weekend.  As usual, you delivered ... oh and so well.

I knew I must share, you all sent me such beautiful ideas!

Lavender + Navy

You may have heard me mention it before and if you know me in real life you know for sure I do not care for purple.  Nope, not one single bit and have for many years.  When I was a teenager and I was just learning to wear makeup the only palettes available at the beauty stores for green eyes always included hues of purple.  Why in the heavens would I want to wear purple eye shadow?  I recall thinking if only I could choose the blue eyed palette or why oh why couldn't I wear another color combination.  Yes, I realize how silly this sounds now but when you are 16 and the palettes at Eckerds say for green eyes you are more than sure this is your only option.  I think at that point I started to revolt against all things purple and for the most part I am still the same way.  With the exception of lavender.  I love the smell of it, the color, and even the word.  Over the years I have owned a few pieces of lavender clothing but I had not completely embraced it until a few weeks ago when my cute girls at Willow Park Boutique showed me a darling top in lavender.  I decided it was time to make it happen for myself.  I would be wearing it and loving it!  

In The Trench

I have been hunting for an amazing trench coat for years.  It is one of those items that I knew my closet needed and I would check out every single trench coat I saw and try it on only to find out it did not meet my requirements.  I wanted something that fit perfectly, wasn't trendy (classic prep to the core), wasn't going to break my budget, and something that was well made.  There have been many over the years that were really good ... but every single time I would decide on it something would fall short and usually it was the cost.  I had my eye on a really good gingham one a few years ago and I was waiting for the sale price to hit and as soon as it did my size was sold out.  The gamble did not pay off and I think I will always be sad about that one.

Cocktails At The Park

I have the best recipe for you for a fabulous day.  I don't know when you will be able to use it, and you can totally break it down into the pieces that work for you, but you need to do this!  Pinky swear! While I was in Sea Island for Summit I was so excited to catch up with my dear friend Krystine who is just so special to me.  We have not seen each other since March (you know, life) and this time together was so good for both of us.  Early mornings + late nights chatting were truly the best. ❤

After the shopping event on Thursday we snuck out to our boutique motel for some down time and a cocktail or two. I changed into a fun caftan and we took our drinks out to the darling pool area.  As you can see we were completely alone (except for Angie) and we hung out, laughed, and sipped drinks.  That hour was so good for me and so fun to just sit and be with her.  There is no one that can make me laugh harder and most times at myself. 

Isn't that just so good for your soul?

I don't have a unique recipe for the drinks I made, I used what I had and I am happy to share.  I had left over orange juice (50 calorie option) + left over mint + berries and I used Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka. I smooshed some of the berries + chopped mint in the bottom of the glass and then added the juice + a shot of vodka and topped it off with more berries and a mint sprig.  It was so good and simple and I really loved it and will totally do it again.   Add in a cute straw and a darling swizzle stick and you truly can not go wrong.

Can you even get over how darling The Park is, the grounds are just so charming.  I equate it to a cross between Melrose Place + Palm Beach + Palm Springs.  I loved all the pink touches, the classic of the black + white and all the adorable details.  As a single girl I would have wanted to move right in and live forever.

I brought my favorite cocktail extras from home to make sure when it was time to enjoy one with my roommates I would be able to make them something fun.  I added in two bottles of Cathead Vodka, both regular + honeysuckle, a bottle of Aperol, some Prosecco, my monogram napkins, fun straws, mint, limes and a collection of Acrylic Sticks.  Truth be told we only used a little bit of everything but it was still ready to go and looked so cute just in case. 😉

I could not resist this caftan after a long day of heels + a cute business outfit.  I just wanted to pull this on and relax for an hour and it was truly perfect.  You can shop it here, it comes both with a tie and without, mine is without.

We laugh so hard together and truly I can't even remember why I was laughing here, and it doesn't matter.  There is something about the way she loves me and supports me that just makes me so happy.  I am sure she told me some crazy thing she did or reminded me of the time I rode my bike into a hedge in Palm Beach to avoid a bird dive bombing me or the day she defined something she was describing to me with photos on her phone and I may have peed a little.  There is something about us together that just works so well.  I can't tell you how much I adore this girl I met six years ago via Instagram.  Can you even believe it, social media has brought such special people to my life.

Once again, who knows what I said ... but clearly it was funny! 🤣

Can we go back immediately?  I could use some sun + sea air right about now as it is about 34 degrees outside and we are on schedule for more rain tomorrow.  I will be soaking up all the sun I can today for sure.

I hope your Friday is truly ah-mazing!

Images by Angie Webb Photo

Glossier In Atlanta

A few weeks ago I received an email with some exciting news ... Glossier was coming to Atlanta.  I was introduced to Glossier by a fellow blogger two summers ago when she was talking about the orange blossom products.   As soon as this Florida girl heard the words orange + blossom I ordered them and have loved them since.  I own both the Daily Oil Wash and Daily Perfecting Cream and I use them daily in the shower and immediately after.  I love the scent and they leave my skin looking refreshed and moisturized in this crazy winter season we are in.  Plus ... having that amazing orange blossom scent in the bathroom almost eliminates the grey days outside.

More Pink For Your Life

Pink is just the happiest color in the crayon box and I would choose it every single day all day no matter what!!  And since this is the month where we are all embracing all the pink all day every day I have a second edition of all things pink for you.  I can tell you it was not hard one single second of the scouting I did for this post, or the last one, I am happy to hunt down the cutest pink things for all of us!

Lake Pajamas ... On Sale

I never post twice in one day ... but ... I missed out on the notice that the Lake Pajamas annual sale started so that was most definitely worth a double post.  Lake Pajamas is one of those brands that have a cult following.  If you know, you know.  They are the softest pajamas and seem to only get softer with every single wash.  I love mine, wear them all the time and swear by them.  Last year I branched out and bought a gown and, it to, is the most comfortable thing. This sale only happens once a year and is most definitely worth shouting from the roof tops.  It is that good.