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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DIY Projects
02.16.23

Faux Fireplace Project | Renter Friendly

Talking all things faux fireplaces in today’s video! We have a couple of faux fireplaces in our apartment and we have tried to make them a seamless part of our apartment but also provide a seasonal statement. The fireplace surround in our bedroom was a really lucky Facebook Marketplace find – using the search term “fireplace surround”. The other fireplace in our living room is one we bought a few years ago online and had in our previous apartment as well. We have been trying to find a way to make this mantle look a little more real and have a little more character.

We decided to add a faux brick interior with a stone-like hearth around the brick inside the mantle. It was fairly easy and the materials we used are linked below. We wanted the fireplace panels to have a stone-like facade around the faux brick interior/faux insert. To get this look we used ¼ inch MDF board, a couple of pieces of trim and roman clay. The faux brick was peel and stick so after applying that we began to work on the outer panel area. We cut the MDF board into 3 pieces – 2 vertical for the sides and 1 horizontal piece that went over the top middle. Wood filler is a great option for covering the seams.

After a quick priming, we applied roman clay for a natural-looking stone-like finish. If you haven’t used roman clay before, you typically apply it with a sculpting knife or putty knife and repeatedly scrape over the entire area. The finishing touches were a couple of pieces of very thin trim around the opening.

See more on Instagram and TikTok @prettyinthepines

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