Entertaining & Recipes
03.12.24

A Springtime Appetizer Board

The temps are finally warming up and I have never looked more forward to a spring season before… maybe because I have so many new interests and hobbies to explore having a yard of my own (and an outdoor entertaining space) but I am quite excited about it! On a recent warm day, I was testing out some spring appetizer recipes and put together a snack board full of a few easy favorites that just feel *so* spring to me.

Mini Ham & Cheese Croissants

Ingredients: 

12 mini croissants cut in half

¾ lb deli ham sliced

6 slices of swiss cheese (cut diagonally in 1/2)

¼ unsalted butter, at room temp

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

1 egg white

2-3 green onions, sliced

Poppy seeds to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, green onions, dijon mustard, and honey to create a spread for the croissants. 
  3. Cut croissants in half and lay in a baking dish before spreading the mixture onto each mini sandwich. 
  4. Add ham & cheese to each croissant making 12 total sandwiches.
  5. In another small bowl, mix egg white with 1 tbsp water to coat on the top of each croissant with a brush.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes and serve while warm. 

Baked Brussel Sprouts w/ Dijon Aioli Sauce

Ingredients:

Brussel sprouts, halved

½ tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt/Pepper

For the Dijon Aioli:

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup mayo

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp dijon

1 tbsp parsley, chopped (to go on top)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and evenly coat brussel sprouts with olive oil, garlic powder, salt/pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or until desired crispiness!
  2. For the aioli sauce, mix together olive oil, mayo, garlic powder, and dijon – top with parsley. 

Asparagus Tart

Ingredients:

1 lb asparagus, trimmed

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dijon mustard

3 slices of provolone OR swiss

½ cup cream cheese (softened!)

½ lemon

salt and pepper 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Add trimmed asparagus to baking sheet and evenly coat in olive oil & salt. Roast for 5 minutes. (it’ll go back in later)
  3. Carefully unfold the puff pastry onto a separate baking sheet with parchment paper. You should have 6 rectangles. 
  4. Lightly draw a border about ¼ inch into the tart using a knife. The spread will go in the center of this border.
  5. In a small bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and mustard then apply to each pastry rectangle. 
  6. Place a cheese slice on each tart then top with  3-5 asparagus spears each. 
  7. Bake for 12 minutes at 425 and sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Other recipes shown: Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers, Deviled Eggs

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Interiors
01.22.24

How I Navigate FB Marketplace

I’ve been finding some treasures on Facebook Marketplace over the last several weeks of living in our new home and I thought I’d share how I navigate the platform along with a few tips I’ve learned. The dining table shown above was listed for $159 as a “Gorgeous Solid Wood Dining Table” which doesn’t necessarily have any super specific keywords in it but I believe my recent saves helped curate my feed a bit to show something that fit my style.

This bed was listed for $100 as a “Vintage Walnut Veneer Full Size Bed”… I love bringing in wood tones, especially darker woods, so I’ll frequently search “Vintage walnut _____” for whatever I’m searching for.

Check daily and save everything you like (even if you don’t plan to purchase). 

Checking daily will give you an idea of what’s out there but also train the algorithm by using what you save to curate more items you’ll like (or it thinks you’ll like) to show at the top of your Marketplace feed.

If you’re not finding things you like within your radius, increase it just to save and teach it what you gravitate towards. 

Ideally, any items I like would be within a 40 mile radius but that definitely limits the options so I do occasionally increase the radius to be 200 miles even if it’s just to learn what is out there, what I like, and hopefully have it show me more of that in the future. I do find that when you’re closer into a city, the prices tend to be a bit higher than if you look further out. We recently found a $150 dining table but it was all the way in South Carolina (worth the drive though). 

Create a go-to list of key search terms and search frequently. 

I have some go-to search terms that I use when browsing and they include: french antique, vintage wooden ____, carved wooden ____, traditional antique, victorian, antique brass or vintage brass _____, french country. And then there are some specific architectural or furniture styles I search every now and then like King Louis XVI or Neoclassical when I’m looking for something more ornate.

This wooden buffet was listed as a “Victorian Style Wooden Buffet” and the mirror as “Antique Oval Mirror”.

I think the most important thing is checking frequently and saving all of your favorites, whether you plan on buying them or not. Plus, it’ll teach you a lot about what you like vs. don’t like. 


If you don’t have a large vehicle to pick-up items, I believe there are companies who provide services specifically for these types of purchases who will pick up on your behalf. Personally, I haven’t used them before but they could come in handy and be worth it (Lugg, DeliverEnd, and Dolly all are companies I’ve heard about). 

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Our Home
12.20.23

Floor Decisions

I jumped from “I’m never leaving this city” to “What floor stain should I use in our house?” but now that we’ve left our NYC apartment, I feel like I can finally focus more of my time on new things. The last month or so in our apartment hadn’t really felt like “ours” since the moment we started having showings nearly everyday to find a new tenant… not to mention having zero control over the price the landlord was asking. Somedays it felt like we had gotten ourselves into a mess and I learned my lesson to never sign leases for 2 years at a time because you really never know where life will take you. I’m so thankful to be past that all and we finally said our goodbyes to the apartment on Tuesday this week. The new tenant also requested we leave all of the molding, paint colors, etc. which saved us time and helped all parties involved. They also asked to buy a few furniture pieces so it really all worked out in the end.

I hope that life will feel a *tad* slower here and I look forward to putting a lot of my creative energy into this home, spending a lot more time with family (my dad came over while the movers were here yesterday and seeing him play with Brooks was something I will never take for granted), and just having a bit more peace and quiet in my brain. As much as I loved and cherished our time in NYC, I could tell it was getting more challenging by the minute with a toddler, a large dog, a car – which is basically a job in itself trying to handle parking. I’m just hoping that this move will result the feeling of more space, not just literally but mentally. 

Our house is a late 80’s home and came with a pretty wide variety of carpet upstairs. The previous owners lived here for 30 years and made it look straight out of Home Alone or Father of the Bride…. which had me sold from the moment I visited its open house. It took me back to a different time, a 90’s movie setting, and felt so nostalgic and warm as soon as I stepped inside. Since we had some time between buying this house and leaving our apartment in New York, we decided to take advantage of the timing and go ahead and remove the carpet upstairs before we moved all of our furniture in. Removing the carpet was the only large to-do that I wanted to take care of sooner rather than later. Everything else can wait and I’m in no rush! Although, I ordered probably 30 wallpaper samples the other day.

Always finding inspiration at The Met… even their floor color.

 

Found another floor color I loved at Sézane which made me consider darker options.
I basically fixated on flooring during my last weeks in NYC. This townhome in Brooklyn Heights confirmed my love for the dark railing/medium floor situation.


We decided to add the same white oak flooring that the house originally had downstairs to the upstairs and refinish the floors downstairs since there was some damage and discoloring.

BEFORE



For this entire floor process, I had some family members (thank you!!!) swing by the house to take some photos and videos so that I could choose a stain color from afar and, after seeing it in person for the first time last night, I’m pretty happy with the ones I chose.

First off, as I was doing some extensive Pinterest research, I came to the realization that I love a darker stair railing with a medium toned floor. Some inspo:

I wanted to find a stain that felt less orange/yellow than what the house had downstairs, but still not too grey. Something that felt timeless, but not too dark because apparently Pearl’s hair and dirt would show everywhere. I loved the look of no-stain too but I also didn’t want it to look too Scandinavian and not go well with all of our current furniture. 

Top Left: 50% Weathered Oak/50% Fruitwood, Bottom Left: Weathered Oak, Bottom Right: Special Walnut

I ended up settling on 50% Fruitwood and 50% Weathered Oak (both DuraSeal) with Bona Traffic HD finish. My concern with 100% fruitwood was that it might look too orange but my concern with 100% Weathered Oak was that it would look too grey. So, the result of 50/50:

I also splurged on a teensy little herringbone area at the top of the stairs to remind us of our apartment in New York. 

AFTER

For the darker stair railing, I went with Dark Walnut. Dark Walnut has to be one of my favorite wood stain colors of all time. It’s what I used for our DIY TV frame and it’s just so classic and beautiful.

My next step for this area is finding a staircase runner. I actually really loved the green trellis design on the original carpet so I’m the hunt for something similar. 


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Life in NYC
12.17.23

Paint Colors Used In Our Apartment

I’ve told myself “I’m never leaving this apartment” countless times yet here we are… moving week. Priorities can shift quickly and, while I believe we are about to be living in my favorite home yet, I will miss certain details about this apartment so dearly… the panoramic sunsets, the skyline views, the proximity to Central Park. We got so lucky finding this place at the right time. It’s a tough goodbye but I already have plenty of future city trips planned so it won’t be too long before I’m back! This city will always feel like home.

Before we leave, I wanted to write an updated list of paint colors incase you’re wondering about a room. These rooms have gone through major transformations over the last 3 years but I have to say I wouldn’t change any of these paint colors… they were perfect in here and I’m really excited that the new tenants want to keep the colors which saves us an enormous amount of time. Hope this helps!

LIVING ROOM: Ethereal Mood (Sherwin Williams)

 

DINING ROOM: Duxbury Gray (Benjamin Moore)- walls, Matchstick (F&B) – archway

 

KITCHEN: Treron (Farrow and Ball) – walls, Old White (Farrow and Ball) – cabinets/shelves

 

BEDROOM: Stony Ground (Farrow and Ball) – walls, Light Gray (Farrow and Ball) – mantle

 

NURSERY: Green Smoke (Farrow and Ball)

 

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Capsule Wardrobes
06.28.23

A Summer Dress for Every Day

We’ve officially entered the time of year where I rarely dress in anything other than a dress to get through the summer city heat. I recently went through my closet to see what all I had for the season and it made me realize that the dresses that I wear the most frequently all come from the same place… and that is Sézane. 

Sézane is, by far, one of my favorites for any high quality, uniquely designed but timeless styles so I’m excited to share a few of my top favorites from there that I’m already repeatedly wearing around the city and will be continuing to do so all summer long. You also won’t want to miss their Archives Sale happening!

 

The Pippa

The stretchiest most versatile dress in my closet that feels so flattering with the tie-waist detail is the Pippa dress. This one is a timeless classic beauty that comes in countless colors. 

The Alani 

This short-sleeved shirt dress with neutral pin-stripe details and breathable linen fabric is a summer staple in my closet. It’s another one that can be dressed up or down, layered with a sweater and belt. It comes with a removable belt so you can mix it up with your belt collection too.

 

 

The Emy

This dress has to be my most worn dress lately. It’s SO comfortable for wearing all day long… so much so that I ordered it in the green and cream color too! And we can’t forget these lightweight statement earrings that go with practically every single summer outfit. 

 

 

I find that the sizing suggestions on Sézane’s website are very accurate and helpful, if you are unsure of what size to order. Friendly reminder that they’re also running their Archives sale featuring a ton of favorite styles from over the years. 

Happy Summer!

This post is in partnership with Sézane.

 

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Travel
06.21.23

A Pet-Friendly Hotel Gem in Maine

Wildfire smoke crept up on NYC a couple of weeks ago from Canada and I was quickly reminded of how drafty our 100 year old windows are when our air purifier was giving nearly the same AQI (or Air Quality Index… a term that I now check daily) got up to the 300’s. We didn’t know how long it would last and the idea of being cooped up inside with a wild toddler and a big dog who already has a heart issue was quickly boosting my anxiety. We knew we wanted to try and get to some cleaner air since we now (thankfully) have a car here in the city. Queue the impromptu trip to a place that we have had on our bucket list since moving to Northeast – Maine! At the time, Maine was the only state that was in the “green zone” for air quality of surrounding states so we took it as a sign.

Since this was such a (literal) last-minute trip, we didn’t have any time to plan an itinerary or pack much (I sadly didn’t even pack my camera), but I will take you through where we stayed, what we did, and how it became one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. I think it might have to be an annual excursion.

Where We Stayed

We took a little bit of a chance when we left NYC at 3pm on Wednesday. I booked a reservation on Airbnb for a house in York Beach, Maine not knowing if the owner would approve it in the time it would take for us to get there (around 5.5 hours with stops). Luckily, about halfway there, we got the approval and we were set. The house was right on the water and had amazing views of the Atlantic and surrounding beaches in the town. It reminded me a lot of Newport, Rhode Island. The house was owned by a family that used it as a vacation home and came with some toys for Brooks to play with and a huge wrap-around porch (some of which was screened in) for Pearl to lounge on and look out at the ocean. One unexpected piece of entertainment for Brooks was the construction happening next door. He enjoyed watching the workers building the house and riding in on the big trucks.

With our anniversary on the weekend, we tried to extend our stay at the Airbnb but, unfortunately (and fortunately), we weren’t able to do so. So TJ and I spent a couple of hours on our last night trying to find a dog-friendly hotel that takes big Pearl-sized dogs. It was not as easy as you’d think! We finally stumbled upon The Colony Hotel, described as Maine’s most dog-friendly hotel. They don’t have any weight restrictions or breed restrictions and we were able to book a room for Pearl! It was gorgeous. It was set right outside the town center of Kennebunkport and was within walking distance to a few shops and restaurants. When they advertise that it is the most dog-friendly hotel in Maine, they mean it! Pearl was allowed to go almost anywhere on the property including in the pool area. And she got showered with love everywhere she went. Some of the other highlights of the hotel were a putting green, rolling green lawns, a heated pool, bikes, and a private beach that was about 5-minute walk.

What We Did

York Beach was a great little beach town with a lot of vacation homes. You could tell we were there a little early in the season because some of the restaurants and stores weren’t open for their full summer hours yet. There are two actual beaches – Short Sands Beach and Long Sands Beach. Short Sands is closer to the shops and town center, while Long Sands is a little more residential dotted with a couple of hotels and eateries. We stopped into the Long Sands General Store each morning for their famous breakfast “bulkies” – an egg, cheese, and meat sandwich on a Kaiser type bun. The woman cooking them said “this will make your day” and she was absolutely correct.

York also had a bunch of antique stores around the area and you know we stopped in and did a little browsing though I don’t have much space left. Some of the shops we stopped at were The Shops at Cape Neddick, York Antiques Gallery, and R. Jorgenson Antiques (which was in Wells, ME). But it felt like you couldn’t drive more than 5 minutes down the road in this area without seeing an antique shop. They were EVERYWHERE.

Once we got to Kennebunkport, there was a lot to see and do in the town. We did a little more shopping – some of our favorites were the Black Dog General Store, Ducks in the Window, and Island Treasure Toys in the Attic.  It felt like such a family and pet friendly town. In addition to all the shops in Kennebunkport, there were a bunch of great restaurants to try as well. A few of the ones that we did not make it to but looked like there were some big crowds were the Clam Shack, Baston River Brewing (which is very pet friendly), and the Mornings in Paris coffee shop. One of my favorite parts about the city was walking along the waterfront and seeing the boats, people, and animals exploring. I could have easily just stayed at the hotel though for DAYS – it was so relaxing.

Where We Ate

We didn’t have too much time to really eat at too many places or even do much research on the topic but some of the spots we did eat were really good! We stopped in at Woody’s Pizza in the town center of York Beach. It was really good NY-style pizza and had a specialty pizza called the Grandma pizza. Once we got to Kennebunkport we stopped in at H.B. Provisions for a quick lunch. They had grab-and-go deli items and some quick off-the-shelf things. They also had made-to-order lobster rolls because… Maine. We had a couple of meals at the Colony (breakfast was included in the stay) and the food was delicious. We were able to go out for dinner one night to a recommended restaurant – The Lost Fire. It was about 10 minutes away from the hotel and had South American roots. Their executive chef is from Argentina and the Latin flavors mixed with American-type BBQ was… *chef’s kiss*! Brooks even found something he liked with broccolini, mashed potatoes, and roasted chicken.

All in all it was an amazing last-minute trip and really lived up to the hype and expectations that we had. We will definitely be back, hopefully later this summer!

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Family
06.08.23

Flower Farms Outside of the City

After stopping by Long Valley Peonies this past weekend I wanted to list a round-up of some of my favorite flower fields and farms we have been to and some that we would love to go to this summer. There are so many farms and festivals within about 2 hours of New York City during the summer so hopefully this list helps you create some fun summer plans. There are a couple of places on this list that peaked in the early spring but I added them anyways so you can save for next year.

April/May

  • Wicked Tulips – Preston, CT; Exeter, RI; Johnston, RI – 2.5-3 hours from NYC
    • $20-$23 pp admission fee depending on the day of visit + 10 “you-pick” tulips, $5 for kids
    • Tickets are needed in advance and must be bought online. No pets are allowed unless they are service animals. They have other events throughout the year including Yoga in the tulips which sounds so peaceful.

Late May/Early June

  • Long Valley Peonies – Long Valley, NJ – 1.5 hours from NYC
    • $10 pp admission fee, also have peonies for sale. Closed for the season as of June 7th, but you can still purchase peonies online through this weekend. We loved visiting this farm over the weekend and it wasn’t very crowded even for it being the last weekend they were open. We will definitely be back next year. Add to your calendar for 2024!

June

  • Terhune Orchards – Princeton, NJ – 1.5 hours from NYC
    • Terhune Orchards has a lot for the whole family to do. They have a “pick-your-own” program that changes throughout the seasons. This time of year there are cherries, strawberries, hyacinths, and an assortment of herbs. There is also a farmer’s market and winery on the property.
    • No admission fee is listed on the website.

July

  • Buttonwood Farms – Griswold, CT – 2.5 hours from NYC
    • There usually is a sunflower event at the end of July as part of the Sunflower for Wishes program, but the 2023 event has not been announced. In 2022 it was from July 23-31.
    • There are also a lot of events at the farm during the fall season.
    • No admission fee to walk the sunflower field, $3 fee to walk in the “cut your own” field. They also have an ice cream shop and everything is made at the farm.
  • Lavender by the Bay – East Marion and Calverton, NY – 2.5 hours from NYC *We’ve been to this one and loved it… right outside of Greenport which is an adorable town to visit*
    • Two kinds of lavender are grown at this North Fork favorite – English and French. English blooms in mid to late June and French blooms in early July, so the best time to go is when the French lavender blooms so you get to see both. We have been to both locations, but the East Marion location is a little more scenic in my opinion. They have a small shop with a lot of different types of lavender products for sale as well.
    • $15-$20 pp admission fee
  • Hidden Spring Lavender Farm – Skillman, NJ – 1.5 hours from NYC
    • The farm is only open on Saturdays and Sundays in the summer but offers a lot of things to do, including walking through 15 different types of lavender and taking a walk with one of their many ALPACAS (!!!) on the property. They also do private events like weddings or corporate retreats.
    • No pets are allowed on the property and a reservation must be made to visit, but there is no admission fee. 
  • Stony Hill Farms – Chester, NJ – 1 hour from NYC
    • Stony Hill Farms is part of the New Jersey Sunflower Festival that runs from July to August. There are two fields of sunflowers – one where you can walk through and take photos and one where you can pick your own sunflowers. 
    • $20-$45 pp admission fee and each ticket includes live music, at least 1 sunflower, a wagon ride, and free parking. They also have fun kid’s activities like mazes and play areas.
  • Hudson Wildflower Co. – Milton, NY – 1.5 hours from NYC
    • Opening for the season July 7, 2023, this farm is less than 2 hours from NYC and allows for wildflower lovers to find and create their own bouquet in one of their signature baskets, mason jars, or metal buckets. 
    • $8 for adults and $5 for kids admission fee (kids still in strollers are free)
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DIY Projects
04.26.23

Easiest Custom DIY Frame TV Tutorial

A few weeks ago we finally updated our Frame TV frame to something that matched the gallery wall a little better. When we first got our Frame TV 3 years ago we picked the standard white bevel that Samsung offered as an option. It worked well for the gallery wall we had at the time, but over the years my style has evolved a bit. The frame just didn’t match the look that we were going for anymore. So, with all of our past projects adding molding to the walls of our apartment, we decided to give it a try ourselves rather than buying an ornate frame from a company. So here is the process we went through!

 

I first set off to find some trim that I thought would fit well in the gallery wall with the other frames. We went to one of our favorite hardware stores, Ace Hardware, and Home Depot but I couldn’t find anything that really fit what I was looking for. Finally, while browsing Wayfair’s website, I found trim that spoke to me! So after finding the trim that I loved, I applied a dark walnut stain on the molding that would go well with the other frames in the gallery wall. I found this stain color called Dark Walnut and it ended up being the perfect color after 2 coats.  I just wiped it on with an old t-shirt and then did it a second time to get the color I wanted. While that was drying I moved on to measuring how long each piece of the frame needed to be. I guess you could stain before or after cutting it but I decided to stain before cutting. 

 

Our measurements began on the inside of the TV frame because that was where our pieces would have to match up in the corners. For our 43-inch Frame TV we came out with 37 inches on the top and the bottom, and 21.5 inches for the sides. Once the stain was dry we cut the molding to our measurements. This mitre saw box has come in super handy when cutting this type of molding, especially in a smaller space and helped to get a good 45-degree angle. This is exactly the same way we’ve done all of the molding in our apartment by the way.

 

After finishing all the cuts our next step was to add the command strips. We used the same velcro-style command strips that are on a bunch of our pictures in the gallery wall. We placed them on the TV first to make sure all of the adhesives were touching both surfaces. The angles lined up perfectly and that’s it! New frame for our TV. We were also planning on adding some flat molding to the sides to cover up the gap, but you actually can’t tell unless you are looking directly from a side like I mentioned before, so we decided to leave it for now. 

 

Making this also gave us the excuse we needed to move around the gallery wall and give that an update. So the TV is a little higher and off-center than it was, but I love the way it looks when the TV is on Art mode. All the supplies are below! Let me know if you use this method and how it works out for you!

 

SUPPLIES:

WOODEN TRIM: https://shopstyle.it/l/bVuNL

DARK WALNUT STAIN: https://rstyle.me/+rKUpGyd7tK7WcDsFyt…

THE TV WE HAVE: https://amzn.to/3LsHvCs

TV ART DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://rstyle.me/+GDL8dQK1TZvpMTM8Ya…

MITRE BOX w/ SAW: https://amzn.to/41sAkQ9

COMMAND STRIPS: https://amzn.to/3ArWBli

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Family
04.20.23

Pretty in the Pines x Willow + Co. Pajamas

Over a year ago, I received an email asking if I’d be interested in collaborating with a small business, Willow + Co. (who I had already ordered several baby pajamas from) to create my own small collection of jammies! I thought it would be the most fun experience… and it was! They let me have full say on the colors, prints, concepts, everything and after many samples back and forth, they’re finally here! If you are a parent, grandparent, friend, or aunt/uncle to a little one, these would make the BEST gift. They’re the softest bamboo material I’ve ever felt and they stretch so you can hopefully use them for a long, long time! Starting with newborn sizes going up to 5T, we have them available in 2 piece sets and onesies.

SHOP THE COLLECTION HERE

Now let’s get into each one!

Park Pups

I wanted to include a classic blue/white toile print that would be timeless but FUN so we added a bunch of dogs running around a park, inspired by our many mornings of off-leash hours in Central Park. You’ll see illustrations of park benches, trees, dogs, a kid pulling a dog in a wagon, even a Pearl appearance. I wanted each print to not really be gender-specific so if you know someone who has toddlers or is expecting a baby and loves dogs… this is it! This is my life currently depicted in print-form.

SHOP IT HERE

City Days

For all the city friends in your life… some New York-inspired pajamas where you’ll find taxis, bridges, brownstones, sky-scrapers, buses, etc. We’ve lived in NYC for over 3 years now and, while it might not be our forever home, it will forever ever ever hold a very special place in our lives. I wanted a print that would include a bunch of fun city sights for your little ones to explore and a way you can bring a bit of city adventure into your home.

SHOP IT HERE 

In The Garden

Floral and botanical prints that aren’t gender-specific are hard to find! So I wanted to include one that incorporated the green hues of various fabrics in our nursery which resulted in In The Garden to welcome the spring and summer days spent outside!

SHOP IT HERE

I hope you love them as much as I do! They’ll be available to shop at 12 EST today (April 20th)!

 

 

 

 

 

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Family
04.17.23

Our First Time Traveling to Europe with a 1 Year Old

 

Our first international trip with Brooks went surprisingly smooth so I wanted to share some thoughts and items we brought that made things easier! When planning our trip to Copenhagen we knew we would need to try and keep Brooks entertained and happy on the 8-hour flight and then adjust to a new time zone. We hoped that he would sleep for most of the overnight flight, but knew we would have our hands full on the flight back to NYC during the day. Outside of the flights, we also knew we would need to bring a few of his favorite items (and snacks) for a week in a different country, especially as he enters this particular toddler phase (he’ll be 16 months in a couple of days *tears*). 

 

 

When booking our flights, we decided to book 3 economy seats in the middle of the plane (it was a 2-3-2 seat layout) and then booked 3 Delta Comfort seats on the way back (still in that middle row) that way Brooks would have his own seat even though we knew he’d want to sit in our lap for part of it. The ride over there was overnight and the ride back was during the day (7 hours and 50 minutes). I’d say the overnight one was slightly easier due to him sleeping a couple hours longer but neither were terrible. The best part about the ride back was that we were right in front of the middle bathroom so instead of seats behind us, it was just a wall. It gave us more privacy and was really nice to have. We also lucked out with nobody in the seat in front of him on the way back! 

One of the most important things we do to up our chances of a happy traveling baby (even when we’re just home and walking around NYC) is make sure that we always have food with us, or a plan for quick food. We usually try to buy a fruit cup or bananas at the airport just to have it ready to go but he also loves these applesauce pouches and they are easy to bring a few in the diaper bag. The same goes for these Cerebelly pouches and smart bars. While sightseeing we found ourselves stopping in at Joe & the Juice for their chicken pesto club sandwich (we would deconstruct it and loved the chicken and tomatoes) if he needed something quick outside of our normal eating hours. 

A few favorite items we traveled with are listed below! If you don’t travel often or live in a small space, I’d look into a renting company such as Loop! But we use these items very, very often so they’ve been so nice to have and don’t take up too much extra space. Also, my discount code for Coterie still works for new customers 20% off! It’s just SHELBY. Now for the travel items that made our life easier…

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Travel
04.15.23

Everywhere We Went in Copenhagen

What I’m Wearing

My sister moved to Copenhagen last summer for her job and, since then, it’s been on my list of European cities to visit. We decided to split up our stay by spending half the time at her home (in a town 15 minutes outside of Copenhagen) and the other half in the city at Hotel Sanders. I’m so glad we got to experience her everyday routine and ride the train into the city but also experience staying central to the city which was when we really started learning our way around more. My first impressions of Denmark were: feeling extremely safe, very kid (and parent) friendly, beautiful clean streets and stunning architecture, a lot to do and see (and SHOP and eat), especially for kids. The food was incredible and I can definitely see us revisiting during warmer months! Summer would be the perfect time to visit, in my opinion. When we were there (April 6th-April 11th), it was in the 40’s and 50’s for the high. I had brought my winter coat so it was still very enjoyable but definitely pack for cooler weather since you’ll be spending most of your time outdoors.

What I’m Wearing

 

EAT

 

Coffee Shops and Bakeries

 

Coffee Collective

There were several locations of Coffee Collective but my favorite had to have been located in this old 19th century phonebooth. I became a Cortado girl on this trip and I also loved how most cafes served a “bun with cheese and butter”… something so simple but so filling and fresh tasting. I was hooked and went every single day. 

 

Juno the Bakery

Juno, an award winning bakery especially known for their Cardamom Bun, is very well known to locals but was a somewhat longish walk away from where we stayed. We actually tried this bakery while we stayed with my sister just outside of Copenhagen and her husband picked it up and brought it back to their place before we woke up. He literally bought one of everything and it was phenomenal. I’d definitely recommend going and exploring the area it’s in too while you’re there! 

 

Farumhus

This bakery was located very close to our hotel so during our hotel portion of our trip, we frequented it! Great location and great coffee. It’s pretty close to Nyhavn too if you’re wanting some coffee while walking around that area. 

 

Conditori La Glace

If you’re wanting some of the best fluffiest cake of your life, this is your place and it’s Denmark’s oldest patisserie. Not only is it so beautiful inside but I was told that it’s the Queen’s favorite bakery. You must stop by here, even if you don’t like cake… it just felt very iconic and my mouth is watering thinking about it and knowing it’s 3,800 miles away. It was also in a very convenient location if you’re out shopping!

 

Lunch Spots

 

Torvehallerne Market

Our lunches were all very casual and spontaneous for the most part and this market/food hall was very casual (and very busy on a Saturday). If you’re hungry but not quite sure what you want to eat, this food hall had over 80 shops to choose from and everything I had was delicious. I’m a little sad we didn’t go back here a second time. It was SO fun getting to taste a variety of local businesses’ foods in one place though and I’d highly suggest adding this one to your map for an easy lunch spot. 

 

Popl

 We met some friends here for burgers one day and I don’t want to get your hopes up but I thought this was the best burger of my entire life. The staff were also incredibly friendly to Brooks (everyone in this city was, really). If you’re in the mood for a really good burger, I’d add it to your list. It’s run by the same chefs who also run Noma, which was voted the World’s Best Restaurant multiple times. We also tried the more casual famous burger chain over there, Gasoline Grill, which was also pretty good. I preferred Popl though! 

 

Huks Fluks

We popped into this place spontaneously on Easter when we were starving and I felt that it should be added to the list mainly for it’s location. It was located in what felt like a colorful courtyard of several other restaurants and seemed to be a good spot close to most of the shopping and sightseeing.

 

Dinner

 

Vækst

We had a dinner reservation here on our first night and aside from the beautiful greenhouse-inspired interiors, the food was immaculate. Most of their menu is based on fresh Nordic vegetables and herbs but they also had meat dishes, all inside of a literal greenhouse. They also serve lunch too if you’re looking for something a bit more elevated than what I listed above!

 

Bæst

If you love charcuterie and pizza, put this in your map right now! Another award winning restaurant, Bæst has housemade charcuterie and cheese and makes the best pizza using organic and sustainable ingredients.

 

Veve

If you’re feeling adventurous and up for a splurge-worthy dinner, you’ll want to make a reservation for this vegetarian restaurant. I’ve never dined at a more unique restaurant before and each course was not only a work of art, but SO tasty. I’m pretty sure Brooks was the first kid to ever dine here (wouldn’t really recommend for kids/babies but we managed). Your dining experience basically starts out in a lounge at a coffee table and you have 6-7ish courses of appetizers brought out and explained to you. After about 45 minutes, we were then taken to our dining table where we were brought 6-7 more courses for dinner. It was just the most fun dinner I’ve ever had. A major splurge but I’d say it was worth it, especially since most of our other meals were very casual. 

 

Frk. Barners Kælder

We actually did not eat here but I wanted to after our friends told us about it! It has very traditional Danish dishes so, if you’re in the mood for that, I’d add it to your list!

 

SHOP

Children Stores

 

Skovalfen

This toy store was adorable and had every felt and wooden shaped toy imaginable. I stopped in here to make a last minute Easter basket for Brooks and bought so many felt fruit toys and other unique items that he loved.

 

Red Barnet Genbrug

Right across the street from Skovalfen, is this secondhand clothing store for kids. I didn’t end up buying anything here but I could have spent an hour just sifting through all of the clothing. 

 

Miniministeriet

This store was also right beside the first toy store mentioned and definitely worth stopping into! A perfect mix of clothing, toys, and gifts.

 

Sostrene Grene

This was one of the most unique stores I’ve ever shopped at and I definitely could have spent over an hour just inside of this one store. It wasn’t a children’s store but had enough items for children to be included in this list. It also had home decor, kitchen gadgets, crafty supplies, and so much more. 

 

Other Shops Worth Visiting

 

Det Gamle Aplotek

If you’re looking for any sort of Copenhagen souvenir, I LOVED this shop. This is where I bought the ceramic houses I shared on my Instagram stories. 

 

Sostrene Grene

I mentioned this one above but I’d also add it in the home-craft-life category of shopping. If you’ve never been to one of these, it’s definitely worth stopping by! The most fun store I’ve ever been in. 

Royal Copenhagen Flagship Store


Antiques and Flea Markets

 

I had a huge list of shops to visit in this category but was sad to find them all closed since it was Easter weekend. They take their long Easter holiday weekend very seriously and close up nearly every shop for 4 days straight just FYI. I’d suggest searching ‘Antik’ or ‘Loppemarked’ in your map app to find what is nearest to you but a few that I had saved on my personal map guide are listed below:

Weekend Flea Markets

Remisen Loppemarked

Loppetorv pa Frederiksberg

Loppemarked Norrebro 

Antique Shops

Strædets Antik

Bøgebjerg Antik

GB Antiques

Antiques Maritime

There were countless others that I passed by though… they’re everywhere! 

 

SEE & PLAY 

 

Tivoli Gardens

The second oldest amusement park in the world is definitely worth visiting. It’s part gardens, part amusement park so even if you’re not a huge fan of rides, you’ll find so much beauty here! And the FOOD. Every corner of this park was so beautiful and I can definitely see why Walt Disney was inspired by this.

 

What I’m Wearing

Rosenborg Castle Gardens

If I lived here, I’d stop here daily. Surrounding the Rosenborg Castle (which is a dream), are multiple gardens inside of a big park. We came here to let Brooks run around in the grass and we all just kept thinking “we need to come back here in the summer or fall”. 

 

The Round Tower

This was a quick stop we made after dinner one night and I’d say it was worth it. We were only there for probably 30 minutes but it was really nice getting a good view of the whole city.

 

Magstræde

Just a quaint colorful quiet historic cobblestone street close to a bunch of restaurants by the water! 

What I’m Wearing

 

Nyhavn

This is what you probably envision Copenhagen looking like with all of the colorful houses lined up on the water. A pretty touristy area but 100% a must see. Highly recommend stopping by first thing in the morning before the crowds, especially on a rainy day!

Traffic Park

This was definitely a little bit out from the center of the city but a really fun place for kids to ride bikes! It’s essentially a mini traffic park that has tiny streets, pedestrian walkways, mini stoplights, and kids can learn about traffic signs, lights, etc. on their bikes! Kids can rent bikes here too. This video does a better job at describing it and is what led me to find it!

 

STAY

 

Hotel Sanders 

This is where we stayed for the last portion of our trip and it was a 10/10 experience. It’s a small, boutique hotel and they’ve clearly put attention into every little detail imaginable. It’s cozy but elevated and feels like a home away from home! However, I did want to list a couple of other options in case this one is booked for when you’re visiting. I’ve also heard incredible things about Villa Copenhagen and Hotel d’Angleterre! 

What I’m Wearing

 

I think that wraps up my recommendations for visiting Copenhagen. It’s SUCH a special city and I really miss it as I’m writing this. If you’re wanting to take your baby or children to Europe but not sure of where to start, this city was a great first trip! I will never get over how friendly everyone was and the trust the country has with eachother was unlike anything I’d ever seen… it wasn’t uncommon to leave your baby napping outside of a cafe which I had heard about but was wild to see in person! And if you don’t have kids, it’s still a beautiful city and incredible food and architecture to soak in! 

 

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NYC Apartment
03.29.23

Spring Home Updates

Although it doesn’t quite feel like spring in New York just yet, I’ve been experimenting with ways to make it feel more vibrant and warm indoors. I recently added floral fabric to our headboard and a tiny shelf for herbs in the kitchen window. Sharing all the details in the latest youtube video.

Happy Spring!

xo, Shelby

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