Barn Sale

On Sunday I stopped in at a barn sale in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. I had heard about this fun event that is held every so often at Three Potato Four but was never able to go. So when I was going to be around this time I jumped at the opportunity. It was inspiring to see all the fun things they had for sale and how they displayed everything. Here are some pictures from the outing. xoxo

Rival Bros coffee truck was in the courtyard for your caffeine needs.

Love the address font on their door.

Fun finds...

Atlantic City Attire

When we were in Atlantic City I wore this for our Friday night stroll along the boardwalk and to dinner at Revel. Happy hump day! xoxo

Sweater:Forever 21, Cropped Pants:H&M, Wedges:Charlotte Russ, Tank Top:Old Navy, Earrings:Forever 21, Clutch:H&M 

Atlantic City

Last weekend Ben and I headed down to Atlantic City, NJ for a little getaway. We stayed at the Chelsea...'the Chelsea captures imaginations by conjuring the long-lost glamour and sophistication of this seaside resort town'. Here are a few pictures of our weekend retreat. xoxo

The black and white stripe pool cabanas were simply stunning.

Fun finds at the Chelsea (clockwise from top left) The best cocktail I have had in a while, the Ginger Pear Man; fun graphic design for our hotel key envelope; Jack and Jill signs for the bathrooms; the retro headboard and lamp in our room.

Walking the famous boardwalk at night.

Getting dinner at the latest and greatest Atlantic City addition: the grand REVEL.

A morning walk on the beach right outside our hotel.

Planters

Happy Monday! We spent most of the weekend in the wilderness camping and hiking with friends. And on Sunday I hit up a barn sale which I am excited to post about soon! Hope you had a great weekend as well.

Our new loft has large warehouse doors that open up onto our cobblestone street. We love the easy access with Berlin (our dog) but the entrance is somewhat bland so I thought I would spice things up with planters. I started my search...wanting 4+ foot tall planters to flank the large doors but once I started searching I realized they were way more expensive then I wanted to spend for our rental loft. So I went to look for other large planter options. I found these great plastic tubs for $4.99 which looked exactly like some $60 planters I loved. Here is my process...xoxo.

The materials; 2 tubs, potting soil and 4 large bricks.

We made holes in the bottom of the tubs for drainage and cut off the handles so that it would look more like a planter then a tub.

I put 2 large bricks in the bottom of the tubs before pouring the soil over them to make them heavy and less likely to get stolen:)

Before and after with Berlin checking things out.

And the finished product with the grass growing in them. I opted for grass seed rather then potted plants since I usually can't keep flowers alive:)

Favorite Four

It's finally Friday! I don't have to work today so we are heading out early for a weekend of camping with friends. I am excited to be in the wilderness for a few days.

My favorite four from this week (clockwise from top left) 1-It was so cool outside this week compared to the 90 degrees we had last week so we spent lots of time outside, this picture is of a park near our house we walked through to get ice cream. 2-Getting to do some sidewalk chalk with the little girls I nanny...this particular design was Pinterest inspired:) 3-We tried out the popular new outdoor restaurant in our city. It is a great atmosphere and beautiful setting right on the river next to the Ben Franklin Bridge. 4-Fresh fruit is a delicious sign of summer. Here I had cut up some fruit to make sangria...yum!

Have  a great weekend! xoxo

Stationary Finds

Being a graphic designer I get super excited about stationary. So every once in a while I love to share my finds with you. These 4 pieces are all from my time in Boston's South End last month. Have a great Thursday! xoxo

Gorgeous Gracie Finn letterpress postcards. For many more options and to buy online click here.

I have so many people in my life having babies so I stock up on cards whenever I find a fun one.  I found these two at the beautiful M. Flynn boutique. For more Pinkerton designs and 

where to buy click here.

This Ecka & Pecka card totally cracked me up...check out the inside on the right. I also found this at M. Flynn but click here for a location near you.

New York City Attire

It's always a challenge for me to figure out what I should wear to NYC. I want to look somewhat fashionable but most importantly comfortable and practical with all of the walking we do. These gold shoes are some of my most comfortable and a cross body purse is practical so this is what I figured out for this trip to NYC. Thanks for taking the photos Charis! xoxo

Shoes:Famous Footwear, Purse:H&M, Shirt:LOFT via thrift store, Shorts:Old Navy, Sunglasses:Charming Charlie, Bracelet:Vintage, Earrings:NYC street vendor.

New York City

Last weekend I headed to NYC for the day with 2 of my girlfriends. It is one of my favorite places and I take every opportunity I can to get up there.  Here are some of the spots we stopped on this trip to the Big Apple. xoxo

 So many markets...here is the Union Square Market and a 10+ block market on Lexington Ave. 

My new favorite NYC find...Fishers Eddy...such a fun store!

First trip to the popular indoor Eataly Market.

 Fun in Madison Square; the market filled with bright Marimekko umbrellas, the famous Shake Shack and New Yorkers sunning themselves. 

 A stop in at the Marimekko store...so bright and colorful...always love a stop in there. 

 Walking the Highline...it is probably my favorite place in NYC.

 Grand Central Station.

 No stop to the city is complete with out a little shopping in SOHO.

Riding the Staten Island Ferry back to our car...goodnight Lady Liberty.

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Hope you had a great weekend! Ben and I had a relaxing time at the shore...I will be posting about it soon. We also spent the majority of Sunday afternoon picnicking and relaxing at the park. Picnics are one of my favorite warm weather activities.  Antipasto pasta salad is my go to picnic meal. I have seen many delicious recipes for this salad but below is the one I have made up based on this one. Mine has a few tweeks in an effort to keep it reasonably priced...I think it is pretty delicious. Enjoy...xoxo!

Ingredients:

1 pound rotini pasta

1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped

1/2 pound swiss cheese, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1-Cook the pasta. Drain, and cool under cold water. 2-In a large bowl, combine the pasta, pepperoni, swiss cheese, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour. 3-To prepare the dressing whisk together the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.

All the ingredients.

All the chopping.

Once I have mixed the ingredients I add the dry italian dressing, cover and refrigerate.

Adding the dressing and parmesan cheese.

Ready to eat...I serve it with kettle chips and a blood orange soda...yum!

Favorite Four

Happy Friday! Ben and I are headed out for a little getaway to Atlantic City this weekend, thanks to a great Living Social deal.

This week's favorite four (clockwise from top left) 1-We had friends in town for part of the long weekend and we were able to show them many of the sites Philly has to offer. It was extremely hot when they were here and we needed a break from the heat so we, along with many others, put our feet in the LOVE Park fountain. I have to say it was pretty awesome...such a fun memory. 2-An iced mocha is my new favorite summer drink...it definitely hits the spot on these warm days.  3-My mom sent me running shoes this week wrapped up in these fun bows. Love her! 4-Last weekend I took a day trip to NYC with my girlfriends. We were excited to get burgers and fries at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, however the line was at least 45 min long so we hit up another burger joint to satisfy our craving...yum! Have a great weekend...xoxo.