Dreamy Destinations

Steve and I are always thinking ahead to our next vacation. We are lucky to have crossed a few dream destinations off of our list, but still have a long one to choose from. Below are some of our top spots to check out as we look forward to fall travel. What are we missing? And has anyone been to any of the below?  

Morocco offers an incredible package deal – breathtaking architecture, delicious food, and those markets in Marrakech! (I would have to forgo my one carryon rule for luggage to get all my desired souvenirs back).


Iceland looks like an amazing destination – the gorgeous green rolling hills and I'm all about those geothermal pools with mineral rich water that's said to be great for your skin.


Fiji reminds us of our fave spot on Earth, Bora Bora, but if there's a spot even close to similar and we haven't been there yet? I'm in.


An African safari is one of those bucket list trips. It seems like such an unparalleled experience, we've just got to do one someday (even if it does mean pumping ourselves full of vaccines for a few months – yaouch).

Photos courtesy of Pinterest

Mini Vaca

After a wonderful whirlwind wedding weekend for my sister, some family members have decided to stick around for a reunion of sorts ... so we're off to the lake for a couple days to soak up some sun, catch up, and kick off the summer. Be back soon!

Ornamental Things

Parts and Labour in Austin is an adorable shop showcasing local crafters. The back wall is all jewelry made by local artists – and it sucked me right in. I was fawning over the baubles and metalwork like a kid in a candy store. 

One brand that I couldn't get enough was Ornamental Things. The bohemian pieces had a vintage quality (I love that Eiffel Tower silhouette necklace) and I adored the whimsical touches (that Ladder necklace!). What's more, is many of these came in 30" chains, which I find hard to come by, but love the long length with breezy blouses in the summer. Below are a few of my favorite pieces, but check out their site for all of the fun jewels ... 








images courtesy of Ornamental Things

A Few Days in Austin ...

Steve and I spent a few fantastic days in Austin, Texas. It was my first time there and it did not disappoint! I knew about the famed barbecue spots, that Austin was known for their live music (and, of course, the heat), but I was pleasantly surprised to find an array of amazing (and adorable) restaurants and some of the seriously hippest little boutiques. Check out some of my fave spots in this hot town ...      

Perlas was our first stop for some beers and oysters. This spot had a gorgeous deck with lanterns, picnic tables, and delicious food.


Allens Boots was everything I imagined a western wear shop to be – the smell of rich leather greets you as soon as you walk in, and you can't leave without trying on at least a dozen cowboy hats.


Parts & Labour sells goods and gifts from local designers – from prints to tees, bags to home goods. I could not resist the amazing jewelry selection in back, and after some serious deliberation, left with an adorable gold necklace (cause I needed another).
Blackmail was one of the coolest shops I'd been in (anywhere). The shop is filled with predominantly black apparel in the coolest, edgy designs, and a smattering of amazing home goods and accessories.


Snack Bar has an awesome retro vibe on their comfortable covered patio. We loved their tasty beverages (but ogled the amazing looking dishes).


Steve and I were lucky enough to have a place to stay in Austin, but if we needed accommodations, Hotel San Jose would be it! This adorable boutique hotel has an awesome private beer garden, semi-hidden pool, and one of the coolest (and busiest) coffee shops next door.

Elizabeth Street Cafe is yet another adorable restaurant, with amazing design, and even better banh mi sandwiches. You can easily drink away a couple hours sitting in their outdoor space (like we did).


Of course two of my fave spots in Austin deal my drug of choice – sweets. Big Top Candy Shop is like heaven ... any and every type of candy you can dream up is here in this tiny shop (needless to say I ended up with a bellyache that night).
Hey Cupcake is the most adorable spot on this planet – the retro air stream deals out decadent desserts and has the most inviting retro tables on the block.


... other faves included La Barbecue for amazing (meaty) Texas eats, and Easy Tiger Beer Garden with easily the coolest outdoor space (complete with ping pong tables and strands of lights), and there are so many more recommendations I can't wait to hit up next time!

Lone Star Sight Seeing

Steve and I are taking a little spring break this week and heading to Austin, Texas. I'm excited to check out the city for the first time (and happy to have some family there to lead us in the right direction). Below are a few recommendations I'm pretty excited for ... and I'd love more!  

Elizabeth Street Cafe - this French/Vietnamese spot is supposed to have amazing banh mi and I love the decor. 

The Oasis on Lake Travis looks like quite the dining experience! It could be cool (it could be not) but something tells me there's enough space for both parties.

Hamilton Pool - a waterfall from the Hamilton Creek spills into this grotto creating an amazing pool and nature preserve and – easily – one of the most beautiful spots.

Austin is one of the best cities for live music – luckily, one of Chicago's finest, Hey Champ, will be taking the stage Thursday night (if you're around, check them out!). 

Steve and I like our BBQ spicy and have been buying Stubb's for years. I'd love to visit the actual restaurant (and pretty much every BBQ joint we come across).

What else??

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Homeward Bound

It may not have been an Alaskan adventure or Route 66, but Steve and I found hidden gems along our road trip from New Jersey home to Chicago. Legs of the trip seemed to alternate between scenic and lovely, to flat and, well, boring, but we had fun! Some highlights below ... 

 

Clockwise from top:
• Steve with our new (old) SUV. I love driving bigger cars so I was excited to take this baby out on the open road.

• Hershey, PA is exactly like my inner 6 year old imagined it – everything is chocolate related! The street lamps resembled Kisses, roads are named after the candy bars, and there is even a chocolate theme park in it's center!

• My family used to stop at Big Boy when we went up to Wisconsin, but since that one closed years ago, I hadn't spotted one since ... turns out he just moved out east a little (and west to California, and north to Michigan).

• There were covered bridges along our entire trip – sure we had to exit the expressway to spot them, but shots like this were worth it.

• Steve and I have a weakness for antique malls. We love sifting through the endless aisles of old loot to spot those gems. This time we came back with a brass bed, vintage patio furniture, and a pedestal table (good thing we picked up that SUV!)

• Many of the smaller towns we stopped in had the most adorable little buildings. A little town called Olmstead Falls restored their "downtown" to it's original glory, so sights like this amazing little house weren't uncommon. 

Have a Perfect Spring Weekend!

Remember how Steve and I were going to roadtrip from Arkansas, through Nashville, back to Chicago? Yeah, that didn't happen. New plan: We're flying to New Jersey (to pick up our new car) and roadtripping home from there. We're pretty pumped to try our first philly cheese steak in Pittsburg (and I really want to ride this!), and hit some antique malls and breweries on the way home (taking the beer to go of course, we don't drink and drive).

Also this weekend ...

• It's supposed to amazing weather Saturday in Chicago (of course we're away that day - sigh). Get yourself over to Big Star early and revel in the perfect patio day.

• Maybe you're not a perfect weather kinda person – or you have an affinity for silent films – either way, head to the Music Box for the Charlie Chaplin 100th anniversary marathon.

• Friday through Sunday, the Chicago Botanic Gardens is hosting their Antiques and Garden Fair. Lovely weather, lovely gardens, amazing antique finds? What more could you ask for?

Have a great weekend and I'll be back on TUESDAY.

Photo courtesy of Etsy

Road Trip!

So it may not be the Pacific Coast highway or a north eastern dream drive, but Steve and I are finally doing a fun road trip. We bought a car down in Little Rock and we're taking it home to Chicago in a couple of weeks. I was hoping we'd locate a car up in Alaska or down in Florida, so when Steve said he found the perfect one in Arkansas ... well, I was stumped (I mean, I know nothing about the state and I couldn't identify any bucket-list spots along our route off the top of my head). Turns out we're in for a pretty fun trip ...

We'll fly into Little Rock (1) and head over to Memphis to check out Graceland! From there we're cruisin' to Nashville (2) for the night and we can't wait to eat and shop our way through the music city. After that we're heading to southern Illinois to hit up the wineries (3). Finally, we'll swing through Champaign/Urbana, Illinois (our alma mater) on our way home to Chicago (4). 

Of course, we're open to fun suggestions or must-sees along our route and I can't wait to report back on what fun sites we see!

A Break from Winter

If there's one thing I've learned over the past month, it's that there's no better cure for these winter blues than jetting off to warmer weather. Take a queue from the old school days and take a spring break – there are plenty of destinations only a few hours away, and with spring still weeks away, a break is definitely in order. 

Of course, one needs new spring staples for a spring vacation ...

Look 1:  MSGM tricolor dress  //  Matthew Williamson floral clutch  //  Proenza Schouler pumps 

Look 2:  Derek Lam top  //  Derek Lam shorts  //   Sergio Rossi perforated boots  //  Jason Wu clutch

Look 3:  Current Elliot denim jacket  //  10 Crosby top  //  MSGM sheer maxi skirt  //  Ancient Greek Sandals  //  Sergio Rossi two-tone clutch       

Adios Polar Vortex

With this seemingly endless winter (and a dear friend celebrating her bachelorette) I'm off to Mexico for a few days. Having just come back from Puerto Rico – don't hate me, it just worked out this way – I have devised a pretty solid checklist of what to pack for a warm weather getaway. 


where to find it:
similar LBD  //  cropped denim jacket  //  similar gold disc earrings  //  crochet bikini  //  similar black top  //  nude bandage skirt  //  metallic clutch  //  similar patterned blouse  //  black mini skirt  //  gold bangles  //  silver wrap  //  turquoise sunglasses  //  cream and leather espadrilles  //  similar sheer tunic  //  similar sunhat  //  similar metallic sandals

Life's a Beach

Between Steve and me, we've been to a ton of places around the world ... but none other rivals the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. With only a handful of hotels, an nothing americanized about the island, this place is a rare untouched gem in the Caribbean. Below are some of our fave spots on the small strip of land ...

Playa Grande 
As the name suggests, it's one of the longest strips of beach. 



Playa Negra
Named for the black sand on the water's edge, this beach was worth the 20 minute hike through tropical foliage. Our reward? A few of the island's many wild horses galloping down the beach.



Blue Horizon Boutique Hotel
Our incredible accommodations included amazing food, the friendliest staff, and despite being full last week, rarely another person in view.



Sun Bay
This beach was one of the more popular spots (which means there were about 10 other people besides us) and a killer sunset view.



Secret Beach
Is just that – tucked away off a little road is the most spectacular tiny beach. 



Media Luna
This beach, named for being a half moon shape, was the most calm spot – both because of the water and the fact we were alone (and yes, you just pull your jeep right up to the sand).



Playa La Plata
One of the most beautiful spots, again no more than 3-4 other people around.    

So to recap: Isolated beaches, wild horses, amazing Caribbean food, some of the friendliest people I've ever met ... yup, Vieques takes the vaca-cake. 

Aaand We're Back

So it was 86 in Puerto Rico and it's 20 degrees in Chicago today ... just great. We jetted off to a little island off of San Juan called Vieques and let me tell you, this place is beautiful, I will share all of my favorites tomorrow (spoiler: there are wild horses!).  

The nice thing about Vieques is it's only a 4-5 hour flight from Chicago, so you don't need to take weeks off of work.

A few other nearby destinations totally worth heading to as we enter this second (!) polar vortex ...

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – this place has amazing beaches and a rich culture, you can even visit their cocoa bean plantations.

• Nassau, Bahamas – you've probably heard of the massive wonderland called The Atlantis Resort, but did you know you can stay for (much) cheaper across the street and still have full access to all of those glorious pools?

• Without leaving the states, head to the super chill/hip/beautiful Soho Beach House in Miami. Every inch of this place is perfectly rustic yet polished, with their perfectly serene pool and full service beach front (bonus points for the amazing Cowshed products throughout).

Stay warm! (or get outta town).

Away We Go

After the polar vortex had it's way with us, and with no spring in sight quite yet, Steve and I are taking off in search of a sunnier spot for a few days. While I'm away I will share my fave posts from 2013, and also let you know that this year, I plan to bring outfit posts back (at least weekly, if not more). 

Have a great weekend!

Luggage painting by Chris Stott

Have a Fantastic Weekend!

I hate to cut this week short, but Steve and I are heading to NYC this weekend for a little getaway and some Christmas shopping! I'm super excited, but bummed to miss all of these fun things going on in Chicago this weekend ...

• There's so many new places to explore ... the foodie paradise Eataly, the Marché de Noël at The French Market, and, not for the faint of wallet – I mean, heart – Saint Laurent opens today. 

• Since I'm on a home decor kick, I'm sad to miss out on the late night shopping extravaganza in Andersonville tomorrow night. Tons of shops will have special sales, snacks, sips and entertainment (my fave shop, Brimfield, will be open til midnight and offering 20% off store-wide!).

• If you still haven't completed your xmas lists after that, head to the Do-Division Holiday Fest. Not only are many local shops offering big sales, but revel in the holiday cheer with decorated windows, carolers, and hot toddies. You can also hit up the Renegade Craft Fair nearby, and the Unison Pop-Up shop party tonight for discounts, drinks, food, and fun.

Have a fantastic weekend!

La B&B (Best and Beautiful)

To complete my French vacation highlights, I have to share a little sliver of French country perfection. Our bed and breakfast in the Champagne region was better than I could've dreamt! The old four story house was impeccably decorated with a mix of French country traditional and modern elements. Steve and I sat eating croissant and café one morning and we agreed to do a mini home makeover of our place right then and there. La Parenthèse is a little slice of French heaven (complete with it's own secret garden!) which I highly recommend.