Our Home

Landscaping Projects and Garden Decor

This post is in collaboration with Chase Freedom Unlimited.

I can’t believe we’re already so far into summer! Fall is already on my mind these days but I’m trying to soak in the last couple of months of summer and get as much done to our yard as possible. If you’ve been following along on Instagram or on the blog, I set a goal for myself a couple of months ago to learn more about landscaping, gardening, and turn our backyard into an oasis one plant project at a time. I will be documenting the entire journey on here and what resources I use to help us reach that goal. So far, I’ve completed the book Southeast Home Landscaping which has taught me SO much, mapped out what we would like for our backyard to look like, selected some plants and where they will go, and booked a visit to my all-time favorite botanical garden in the next couple of months for more fine gardening and garden decor inspiration. I’m collaborating with Chase Freedom Unlimited, so that I’m always earning while getting closer to my goal. My cash back credit card allows me to earn 1.5% cash back on every single purchase.

The first step of this goal was education focused. I purchased some landscaping books a while back where I learned about what types of bushes and flowers grow the best in our zone. After learning more about specific plants that would thrive in the Southeast and reviewing a portfolio of landscaping designs, TJ and I mapped out a few different upcoming projects including: planting climbing roses against our back fence, growing climbing jasmine vines along our privacy fence, building stone paths leading from our gate to the patio, and eventually, growing grass back there which will be our biggest challenge. Since we’re earning on every purchase with Chase Freedom Unlimited, we’ve been able to plan a few extra bonus projects as well including an arbor and a class at my favorite botanical garden.

I’ve also been soaking up all the plant knowledge I can like a sponge and went plant shopping with my mom last weekend. I’ll have to share her landscaping sometime soon, but her yard is beautiful and she’s so knowledgeable when it comes to landscaping. We picked up a few of my personal favorite, pink Crape Myrtles, to plant alongside our deck, along with a few more roses.

July was a big month of travel, which was great for more gardening inspo, but I’m also excited to share our jasmine, roses, and arbor in the next few weeks! Hopefully we’ll see a lot more growth between now and then which will make for some great before and after photos!

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Skincare & Beauty

08.01.19

Microblading Q&A

*This was taken 15 days after initial appointment.

At the very end of June/beginning of July, I scheduled an appointment to have my eyebrows microbladed after doing some research on the process and the options of where to get it done in the Raleigh area. Back in college, I never even filled my eyebrows in or anything. It wasn’t until after college when I learned the magic of eyebrow pencils lol… and was able to really give my brows some shape and depth! Within the past few years or so, microblading has become really popular and it has been something I wanted to do for a few reasons: 1) It saves time. You don’t have to put any makeup on them or do any filling in. You wake up and your brows are ready to take on the day. I also won’t be buying any brow products for a long time… or maybe ever. 2) The results can last up to 3 years and 3) They can make your eyebrows look more identical, even, thicker, or darker.

I decided to answer a few questions about my experience incase you have also been considering it!

Q: What IS microblading?

A: Microblading is a semi-permanent technique of tattooing eyebrow stokes that are made to create the look of natural, full brows. I’ve never had a real tattoo before but this process is supposedly way, way less intense than a real tattoo. You can see more before/after photos of others’ results here.

Q: Is it permanent or something you have to keep doing?

A: It can last anywhere from 1-3 years! After your initial session, they recommend a “color boost” every 1-3 years.

Q: How much did you pay and how long will it last?

A: I paid $400 and it should last hopefully 3 years but I will most likely get a color boost before then. I’ve heard that some places can cost anywhere from $300-800.

Q: Did you get microblading and colorshading or just microblading?

A: I only did microblading! There is another technique called “powder brows” and you can also choose to have a combination of both of those. The results of the powder technique make your brows look even more full than regular microblading.

Q: Where did you go and who did it?

A: A couple of months ago I asked for microblading recommendations around the Raleigh area and the most popular suggestion was Altered Aesthetics in North Raleigh. One of my best friends had hers done here 1.5 years ago so I was very familiar with the name already. At the time, the owner, Jen was completely booked up so I decided to schedule an appointment with Kimi and I paid $400 for the service. Kimi was so great and I highly recommend Altered Aesthetics if you are looking to have microblading done! You can book Kimi here or look through her “brow gallery” for photos! If you’re looking for a good place but aren’t located near Raleigh, I would be sure to look at a lot of before and after photos of whoever you decide to go to.

Q: Why is it a “process” and not one and done?

A: I can only speak from my experience with where I went but I had to go in for an initial appointment and then again 5-6 weeks later for a “perfecting session”. The first session was more for creating the foundation of the brows where they mapped them all out (before starting), did a few passes of strokes, and then the second time around she touched them up and made them a tad bit darker. She also added more strokes around the head of the brows. There is also a healing process and after-care instructions to follow including keeping them moisturized and clean for the 7 days following.

Q: Does it hurt?

A: This was 100x easier than I thought it would be. It didn’t hurt and definitely didn’t feel like needles at all. They apply topical numbing cream to the area before starting and let it sit for about 20 minutes which makes this process a piece of cake. You may feel some pressure and, if it does start to be uncomfortable, they’ll add more numbing cream/gel/whatever it is they use. I watched a movie on my phone the entire time. It was actually a very comfortable and relaxing couple of hours, in my opinion.

Q: Do you have a before and after photo?

A: I think the best before/after photo is probably the one that is on Kimi’s instagram. If you want to see more before/after, you can watch my recent stories from when I had a hydrafacial and had no makeup on and compare it to stories from yesterday or recently.

Q: What was the healing process like? Any scabbing?

A: I had a little bit of “flaking” but no scabbing! I just made sure to follow their aftercare instructions for 7 days following. It wasn’t bad at all. My eyebrows were really dark the first couple of days though and then they faded back to a more natural looking color.

I am so glad I decided to have this done and love how natural-looking and low maintenance they are now. I’ll still have to get rid of a few straggling hairs with tweezers every now and then. I love that these types of beauty services exist these days, especially for women who may be experiencing alopecia or other hair loss causes (or even if you are just a recovering overplucker). If you have any other questions, let me know!

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Europe

07.30.19

South of France Travel Diary, Part 1

Every time I sit down to write this post I find myself getting distracted looking back at all of the photos of the stunning villages and coastal views so it has taken me much longer than expected to write this! About a year and a half ago, TJ and I decided to plan a trip to the South of France. We knew from the beginning we would go in July but it wasn’t until April/Mayish when we started to book everything and we somehow lucked out even for waiting semi-last minute with all of our places to stay, especially the budget-friendly Airbnbs! I knew I always wanted to visit Italy and France but, for some reason, I decided that our first trip to Europe would be the South of France and I am so glad we decided on that, although I am pretty confident that I’d be in love with Italy as well. If we were to go to Italy, I would want at least 10 days though and we didn’t have that for this trip. I also remember being really inspired by the movie, “A Good Year”, and immediately ordered this book on Amazon to learn more about the area.

Our flight over there wasn’t too bad… about 6-7 hours to London and then 2.5ish from London to Nice. We flew out of JFK though so it ended up being quite a long travel day. We didn’t sleep on the overnight flight getting there (we were too excited) so when we finally arrived in Nice, we picked up our rental car, and headed to our first of three stops. I thought it would be easier for me to break these posts up into 3 parts: our first, second, and third stop. We decided to splurge the first two nights and stay in a hotel, La Bastide d’Antoine, right outside of St. Tropez in a town called Gassin.

When planning a trip to the South of France, it’s incredibly hard to narrow it down to the different towns you want to see. I knew that I wanted to spend half of our time by the coast and half of our time in the countryside. If we could do it again, we would have stayed at least 3 days longer than we did so that could have just one day to relax at each destination. There was very little relaxation on this trip… there was just way too much to see and do and not enough time! However, it was still such a fun and adventurous trip that I’ll never forget. I’m honestly already trying to figure out how I can go again. If I could go again, I would visit completely different spots and it would feel like a whole new experience. Everywhere was just so beautiful and unique.

Once we arrived to our hotel for the first 2 nights, La Bastide d’Antoine in Gassin/St. Tropez, we checked-in, ordered some rosé, bread, and cheese by the pool and the largest caprese salad I’d ever seen. It was in that moment when I knew this trip was about to be a dream. After our snack/dinner at our hotel, we drove into St. Tropez to explore. TIP: If you plan on renting a car, prepare to spend some time finding parking in the busier towns, unless your car is really small. If you’re able to ask for a compact car, do it! Or else you’ll find yourself in a tiny little parking garage trying doing 20 point turns to get out like we did. The car rental company gave us a hatchback that for some reason was the longest car ever.

St. Tropez was the first city we visited and it was pretty much what I expected it to be, but more crowded. It was absolutely beautiful, though, and we loved getting lost in Old Town, finding endless colorful secret alleyways. We found a glace (ice-cream) stand and ordered some lemon glace and headed back to our hotel to finally get some sleep.

When we woke up the next day we drove to a smaller town that was close-by called Grimaud, about 20 minutes outside of St. Tropez, which might have been one of my personal favorite days of the whole trip. Every inch of this town was so dreamy; I couldn’t believe it was real. We found a small cafe called La Bou Bou and ordered omelets before exploring more of the town. We actually dined outside the entire week, because that’s apparently the norm over there, and I was more than okay with that! This trip was just my dreams coming true. The food was absolutely delicious and the cafe filled up quickly after we sat down under the umbrellas. Once finished with brunch, we began walking the town, exploring the small, fashionable shops, centuries old architecture, and observing the residents and tourists. The town had rolling hills, a very cute “centre ville”, and great quiet spots to record Beauty and the Beast sing-along videos. One thing we began to notice was how the cafes and restaurants were closed in the middle of the afternoon. It was tough trying to find a place to just buy a couple bottles of water. Definitely be prepared for that as you plan out your trip. One thing we just missed was their market in the middle of the village. They were packing up as we got there, but we were determined to find another one among the villages we were planning to go visit (more on that in part 2). We ended up spending about 3-4 hours in Grimaud and then headed over to centre ville Gassin.

We could have spent all day in Grimaud, but had other places to go see. Gassin, which is a tiny town on top of a huge hill with 360 degree views. It was beautiful. The town was very quiet during the day but it was poppin’ by dinner time. And when I say quiet… I mean dead. We barely saw anyone out of the street. We decided to go back to the hotel before dinner and relax by the pool for a bit before heading back out to Gassin for dinner at Le Micocoulier.

This was one of mine and TJ’s favorite dinners of the week. Delicious food, incredible atmosphere, great service, and great views. Another tip for folks who have not been to Europe before: dinner is an all night affair. In America, we are used to having tables turnover 2 or 3, even 4 times a night. In France (and other parts of Europe) you get your table for the entire evening. This is one reason they especially like that you make a reservation. You could go to 2 or 3 restaurants and not find an open spot. At Le Micocoulier, we split the cutest bottle of rose, which came in 50cl, which is the perfect amount for 2 people to share, and appetizer of steamed artichoke hearts. For our entrees, I got the vegetarian risotto and TJ got the grilled sea bream. All of it was beyond delicious.

Once our dinner was over, we headed back to the hotel for a late evening by the pool. We had a dessert of fruit and whipped cream as we sat and talked about the day. We prepared for the next leg of trip, which we knew included about 3 hours of driving and headed to bed. The next morning we spent some time by the hotel before checking out and picked up some croissants in St. Tropez for the road!

SHOP ART PRINTS FROM THE TRIP:

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In My Suitcase

07.23.19

What’s In My Beach Bag

As I was going through photos from last week, it had me thinking of our beach day and how prepared we were for our unplanned day by the water. I had packed up a big straw backpack for our hike (that ended up being closed) and was prepared with everything including all the beach necessities. Our hike was supposed to end up at a small beach anyways but, since it was closed due to fire risks, we ended up finding a giant flat rock area and had a picnic by the water instead!

I felt super prepared with our beach bag packing situation so I wanted to share a few of my favorite items that I love to take with us to the beach in addition to snacks and drinks, of course!

XL BEACH TOWEL

My personal favorite beach towels are these striped Capri Fouta Beach Towels. They’re a little pricier than the average towel you’ll find but this towel ain’t average! It’s huge, soft, beautiful, and the best quality you’ll find! Plus, it comes in so many colors to choose from. I actually ordered a set of 4 and have been so pleased all summer long with them. Every single time we use them, we both mention something about how happy we are with them. They’ll hopefully last for a long, long time and be the only beach towels we need.

SLIDE SANDALS

Now that stores are beginning to stock all their fall arrivals, you’ll find a lot of great summer sandals on sale! The pair I’ve been wearing for the past month or so are these, which match practically everything I own! They’re really comfy and easy to get on and off quickly when you’re trying to not burn your feet on the hot sand.

THE BEST FACE SUNSCREEN AROUND

I’ve talked about this stuff before but THIS is the best sunscreen for the face that I’ve ever used. It feels like pure silk when you rub it in and it rubs in so quickly and easily. It’s a clear-ish gel cream substance so you don’t have to worry about rubbing in until your face isn’t white. I highly recommend and never visit the beach without it! I brought it to the beach for July 4th this year and made my entire family try it – everyone was like “whoa”.

SUNGLASSES

This one is an obvious one but gave me an excuse to share a few of my favorite sunglasses currently! I took this pair on vacation with me and I loved how much chicness the pop of color adds to any outfit.

VISOR or HAT

Another obvious but necessary item. I rarely go outside anymore without a hat. Personally, I have a family history of skin cancer, my skin is very fair, and I can’t afford to not protect my face. Plus, hats are just really cute and complete a look while helping prevent wrinkles! I switched things up lately and have been wearing this straw visor but my other favorite is this woven seagrass fedora.

TINTED LIP BALM w/ SPF

People tend to forget about their lips when it comes to the sun! I’ll never forget a time when one of my sisters got a sun spot on her lip (sorry, Kylie) and it forever reminded me to not skip the lips! I absolutely LOVE this specific tinted lip balm with SPF (in the Bloom shimmer finish)! It has over 9k reviews on Sephora’s website if that tells you anything.

COVER-UP

The white linen cover-up shirt I’m wearing in these photos was from a shop in St. Tropez but I rounded up a few of my other favorite cover-ups below. I love anything loose, linen and breathable when it comes to a cover-up.

WATER BOTTLE

Nobody wants a headache after a day at the beach so I always remember to have water with me, even when I’m just at home and inside, but especially out in the sun.

SCRUNCHIE

Getting to the beach and not having a scrunchie with you is the worst. I recently ordered a pack of these quick drying scrunchies to prevent that from ever happening again!

A few other items worth mentioning really quickly: a waterproof portable bluetooth speaker, a good book or magazine, and snacks! I personally love to get the “Simply” individual sized bags of chips.

Hope you all are having a great week! It’s pouring rain all day today but much needed for all our plants so I’m not complaining! Here are a few more photos from the spot we found in Cassis, France!

PS If you’re interested in seeing what else I packed for France, you can find it all here.

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In My Suitcase

07.09.19

What I Packed for France

We’re on our way to the South of France and it’ll be our first time ever visiting Europe so we are excited! The last “big” trip we went on was Banff in October of last year so it’s been a while since we’ve explored a completely new area for a week. When packing for this trip, my goal was to mainly pack easy, light dresses and jumpsuits just to simplify getting ready each day along with a couple pairs of neutral shorts that I can mix and match with breezy tops because it can get hot over there in July! In case you’re planning or packing for an upcoming summer vacation somewhere warm, I wanted to share what I packed! Most items are under $100 or on major sale and I love each one of these.

SHOES

DRESSES

JUMPSUITS

SHORTS

TOPS

OTHER

TRAVEL

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Uncategorized

07.08.19

Our Landscaping Plans

This post was made in collaboration with Chase Freedom Unlimited.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how one of our 2019 goals was to learn more about landscaping and gardening. We’ve put in a lot of work with our patio and deck area, but our backyard is in major need of some landscape design! I mentioned that we were working with Chase Freedom Unlimited to share our learning experience and the resources we use to improve our skills and knowledge of this topic and achieve our goal. If you’re unfamiliar with Chase Freedom Unlimited rewards, it is a cash back credit card currently offering new cardmembers 3% cash back on all purchases for the first year, up to $20,000. In honor of that special offer, I’m dedicating 3% of my day towards reaching this goal of mine, reading up on the best plants and flowers for our area along with all of the options for landscape design. 3% is technically only 43 minutes of each day and I’ve ordered a book called Southeast Home Landscaping as a starting point. I’ve been spending time out on the front porch swing diving into this book and learning as much as I can while we have been making plans for our backyard. Here is an aerial shot of our backyard (our grass situation is tragic, I know), along with some features we plan to add. We’ll also be adding in a vegetable garden in between the deck and back fence.

Another recent purchase I’ve made was pink climbing roses! They’re pretty small right now but one day, my hope is for them to climb along our back fence. The next step of our backyard landscaping project is creating a border around the area where all of the roses will be planted.

Here is the fence area where the roses will be planted. This entire fence will be lined with a mulch area bordered with stone and we’ll be planting another type of plant in front of the roses. I’m currently doing research to figure out the best option for the sun/shade in this area.

The best part about using Chase Freedom Unlimited is that you are truly unlimited in how you can get cash back… so no matter the purchase, you’re always earning whether it’s a book from the bookstore, roses, or mulch.

This corner will be filled with flowering bushes and mulch, along with a stone border. Stay tuned to my Instagram stories to see which bushes we end up finding for this spot!

Overall, I’ve learned a lot just from reading and researching over the past month, but I still have so much more to learn. I’ve learned a lot of basic information about our zone 7, along with a lot of general design ideas. My knowledge of different types of Southeastern plants and flowers has also improved so much, yet there are still so many to familiarize myself with. I’ll keep you updated next month on what our backyard is looking like and what bushes we decided to go with!

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Entertaining & Recipes

06.28.19

5 Refreshing & Easy Summer Salads

Cool and refreshing salads are one of the things I look forward to most about the summer months. Some of the best fruits and vegetables are in season and side dishes are where it’s at! When I was younger, I was on my neighborhood’s swim team and honestly my most memorable part of it was this mom’s pasta salad she would bring every Saturday for the team… wow, it was delicious and I still regret not asking for that recipe or finding out who’s mom it was. When it’s almost 100 degrees outside, I normally crave juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and any cold pasta salad you can think of.

I’m excited to share a few delicious salad recipes we tried out the other day! One similarity they all share is that they all use one special ingredient: a Vidalia onion! Vidalia onions are such a great addition to just about any summer recipe; they’re inexpensive and delicious but they have a pretty short season (April to August) due to their specific ideal growing conditions in southern Georgia.

While these are all delicious by themselves, some definitely go well with toasted bread or tortilla chips.

Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad

This recipe is one of the easiest with the dressing taking up most of the prep work: ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons of fresh dill! Once this dressing is made, all you do is add to the pasta, chopped cucumbers, and chopped sweet white onions. Add pepper to taste. While I mix the dressing with the pasta, I just put in a little dressing at a time and mix so that I know I’m not adding too much, depending on the pasta amount.

Once everything is mixed together, let it chill in the fridge for 30ish minutes and then it’s good to go! This one is probably my favorite.

Avocado & Chickpea Salad

This one is another super quick one. You basically just get the following ingredients and combine in a bowl: 1 can of drained chickpeas, 2 avocados chopped, ⅓ cup of cilantro, lime juice, ⅓ cup feta cheese, 2 tablespoons of green onion, and chopped sweet white onion. Just stir all of the ingredients together and then add salt and pepper as needed.

Grilled Vegetable Caprese Salad

If you’re craving some grilled veggies, this one is for you!

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini and 2 medium squash (slices into ¼ in. long rectangles)

1 or 2 vidalia onions (I love these so I like more)

2 sweet bell peppers

1 large tomato cut into slices

1 large ball of mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil
5ish leaves of fresh basil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or glaze (I used glaze)

Heat up the grill (about 425) and brush all of the veggies with olive oil! Place them on the grill once it’s heated up and cook each slide for about 3 minutes each. After their cooked, transfer them to a sheet pan. This is when you’ll slice the mozzarella into rounds, place everything on a platter, stack the basil, and drizzle the balsamic!

Cowboy Caviar

This recipe uses a long of ingredients but the instructions are simple: combine in a bowl. You can use this as a salsa with chips, top over chicken or fish, or use with tacos/quesadillas!

Ingredients:

1 can Black Beans

1 can Blackeye Peas

1 can Corn

1 bell pepper diced

1 large white onion diced

1 Heirloom tomato diced

1 cup cilantro chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey or agave

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Chopped Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad

Another very easy recipe. Chop 1 large heirloom tomato, 1 large sweet Vidalia onion, and English cucumber and combine. Sprinkle 1 cup of freshly chopped parsley on top of veggies and set aside. The dressing on this salad is where it’s at! Whisk together lemon juice/vinegar (who used lemon juice for ours), olive oil, mustard, and honey in a medium sized bowl until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. It will keep for up to 3 days, but is much better freshly made.

Ingredients:

1 long English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped small

1 pound tomatoes, chopped small

1/4 large sweet onion, chopped small (1 cup chopped)

1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons vinegar, lemon juice or a combination

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon honey, optional

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

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Wellness

06.26.19

Meeting Friends as an Adult 101

I’ve been out of college so long now that I’ve officially lost count. It’s either 6 or 7 years at this point, which is mind-blowing. They say college years fly by, which they do, but I feel like the years in your 20’s fly by even faster. Luckily, I’ve lived in the same general area for all of those years so I haven’t had to really start fresh in a new town with making friends; although, I will say my college friend list (who I would regularly keep in touch with) went from like 12 to like 3 or 4. I also started my blog 5 years ago and a lot of my newer adulthood friends came from that… not necessarily just “bloggers”, but photographers and other people who have similar interests and hobbies. I don’t think there’s an age where you can stop making best friends. You can make a new best friend at age 80 and you can drift apart from a friend at age 25.

I know of a lot of people who move to new cities though and don’t know a soul and, unlike college years where friend-meeting happens naturally, it can be challenging and feel a little awk to develop new friendships in your 20’s, especially if you’re more introverted. I think you pretty much have to realize that most people are in the same boat with making friends at this age (or really any age over 22) and get over the idea that it’s awkward. It’s not really awkward, it’s just how it is as an adult.. it’s normal to feel uncomfortable! Great things never came from comfort zones. I truly feel like a better person and more filled up after spending time with other people and that is coming from someone who is able to go days without seeing anyone other than my husband. I love alone time so much and need it very, very often but I’ve also realized that I feel healthiest and happiest with some social balance.

I’m going to share a list of ways that I have made new friends in my 20’s and also some ways that you all told me you’ve had luck making new friends. The best part is, when you’re in your 20’s, you can be picky about your friendships but it’s also important to be open minded and really get to know someone without quick judgement. There’s no more going to organic chem class with people you don’t connect with or going to sorority events where you might experience cliques or feel left out… you truly can choose who is in your life and who isn’t. You just have to be willing to invest time into those people. I’m far from perfect at this and I can be the type of person that loves cancelled plans but I have met a lot of people in my late twenties. In fact, most of my friends currently are ones that I met post-college.

Ways To Meet Friends:

Through Your Pets. Seriously, get a dog and take your dog places.
Apartment complex dog parks are gold mines for adult friendships. When we lived in apartments, we met people who were around our age, had similar interests (dogs, duh), and even met people who we didn’t know we worked with. Even as homeowners now, we’ve met neighbors through our dogs, people at farmer’s markets through our dogs, we petsat someone’s dog through the Rover app and then the owners asked us to hang out with them. It’s just way more comfortable to go up to someone and be like “Can my dog say hi?”. Literally, TJ says that every day. Sometimes I’ll see couples with dogs at our local farmer’s market and want to meet them and, honestly, Colbie is the best wingman/girl. Find dog friendly bars too! And then eventually ask for their number. Bonus points if you have a puppy. At that point, you’re just a friend magnet.

Through New Hobbies
I met most of my friends in my 20’s this way. There’s pretty much a facebook group for anything these days. I joined a group a while back called “Raleigh Bloggers” or something and I met a few girls that way. Then, as I got more and more into blogging, I attended conferences, went to more events, met creative people of all kinds: event planners, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, food bloggers, fashion bloggers, travel bloggers, wardrobe stylists, owners of boutiques and shops, website designers. My blog has evolved some since I started it and now I’ve met more home-focused bloggers and will be attending a DIY conference this summer. Once you find something you enjoy doing, you’ll find more and more opportunities for meet-ups and events with like-minded people.

Instagram and Facebook
It goes down in the DM’s. Speaking of the above, even if you don’t necessarily have a blog, you can still meet like-minded people on Instagram. I’ve heard from a lot of you that you’ve made friends on Instagram with other new mom’s in the area. Join a local Facebook group or even join a Facebook group of a podcast you love to listen to. There are usually subgroups within those groups for local areas where you’ll find info about events and meet-ups. Some people you might follow on Instagram have community facebook groups where you can find others who live near you. Someone yesterday told me that they moved to a rural area where there weren’t any Facebook groups so she just started one herself and have met a lot of people through that.

At Workout Classes or Rec Sports Leagues
This is a popular way for meeting friends as an adult. Find a fitness studio or rec sports league that you love and just start going regularly. I’ve heard of a lot of friendships starting at Burn Bootcamp, Orange Theory, Pure Barre, Camp Gladiator, and through Premiere League or Tri-Sports (if you’re more into volleyball, kickball, or softball, etc).

At Work (if you’re lucky)
This is another most popular way to make friends, but only if you’re lucky. I’ve had jobs where I worked with older people who I probably wouldn’t hang out with outside of work and I’ve had jobs where I was obsessed with every person I worked with and they became my best friends during that time. I’ve met wives or girlfriends of people that TJ works with and he has met husbands/bf’s of girls who I’ve met. If you’re more introverted, make friends with a social butterfly who can then introduce you to his/her friends and invite you to things where you can meet more people.

Neighbors or Community Events
When we moved into our neighborhood, we were like 10 years-ish younger than most families. Now, there are more people our age moving in which is exciting but we do have this neighbor who we LOVE and he is about to become my website hosting guy and we might even make some youtube DIY/home improvement vids with him in the future. You never know how much in common you’ll share with your neighbors so take every opportunity to get to know them if you can. Most neighborhoods will host events at the pool during the summer which is a great way to get to know your neighbors without having to go out of your way. Halloween/trick-or-treating is actually also a great time to take advantage of getting to know your neighbors.

Friends of Friends
When a friend of yours invites you to a baby shower, bridal shower, or gathering of any kind, say yes. Those are great ways to meet new people who might live in your area and chances are you will get along great since you both like the same person!

Local Run Clubs
There is a local run club near us that I always see drinking at the bar inside of the grocery store (lols) and TJ is always jealous. The only way I know it’s a run club is because of their t-shirts. He could easily just go up to them and say, “Hey, can I join your run club?”. Anyways, you can find run clubs through Facebook.

Church or Small Groups
If this intimidates you, you can start small and just start going to a church where you feel welcome. Eventually, you can sign up for any young adult groups they have where you can meet someone you like. Then, you can learn more about their small groups. Or, you can just dive right in and show up to a small group. Most churches have ways to find small groups that are a good fit for you, especially the larger churches like Hope.

Offline Premium

If you’re in Raleigh or Durham and you love trying new restaurants, you can sign up for Offline Premium (12ish/mo) where you will gain access to preview parties, get gift-cards to try out new restaurants, and have opportunities to connect with others who have this same interest. I love Offline’s mission of “helping us rediscover and reconnect with the amazing world around us”.

Mom Groups, Playgrounds.
Okay, I’m not a mom but apparently motherhood is very welcoming and community-focused. I’ve heard from SO many of you that you made so many friends since becoming a mom whether it was at playgrounds or mom groups. One of my friends recently joined a mom group where they meet at different local parks and walk/exercise together and she said it was the greatest change she has ever made.

Junior League
One of the most popular ways that I’ve heard people make friends in their 20’s/30’s is joining your local Junior League. I’m not a part of the Raleigh Junior League but after I graduated, I strongly considered joining when I felt a lack of community in my life. They are always planning events in the community, there are so many volunteer opportunities, and it sounds like a great organization.

Bumble BFF

I’ve heard SUCH good things about Bumble BFF. One of my friends mentioned she recently moved to Charlotte and struggled with making friends up until she started using Bumble BFF and that changed everything. The great thing about this app is that everyone on it has a desire to make new friends just as much as you so the awk factor isn’t really there.

Coworking spaces.

If you do freelance work or just have a work-from-home job, I definitely know how lonely it can feel. More and more coworking spaces are popping up which I think is so cool and such a great place to meet others who clearly are interested in meeting people. Some coworking spaces in Raleigh area include: Spaces, HQ Raleigh, Loading Dock Raleigh, The Locality (for women entrepreneurs).

Going to local places regularly.

If there is a local coffee shop near you, go to it regularly. As soon as we moved 1.5 years ago, I started going to a local coffee shop and it immediately felt like home. Now, I’m actually working every day with one of the girls who work there (she joined me last week to work for PITP!) so you never know what will come from those places.

Other ways:

A few other ways that come to mind are: college alumni groups, friends of family members (my cousin has the coolest cul-de-sac on the block), start a blog about anything (the blogging community is honestly so welcoming), and just start saying yes to things that scare you.

If you have any questions or stories or if I missed something, let me know! I’ll go in and edit this as time goes on. Just remember, you’re not alone at all if you feel like you don’t have as many friends as you did years ago, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to connect with others.

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In My Suitcase

06.20.19

10 Items To Travel More Comfortably

I’ll be going on my first flight to Europe in a few weeks and I’ve started packing mentally. After a super quick trip to Chicago last week, it got me thinking of how I can ease the entire process of traveling because sometimes it can get uncomfortable and a little crazy. I rounded up a few items that have either totally changed my travel game or are in my cart for our next trip. If you have any items that have eased your traveling, let me know!

COMFORTABLE JUMPSUIT

I recently ordered this and this jumpsuit and they are life-changing. This one shown above is actually on sale today so, if you’re interested, get it while sizes are in stock! IT IS THE BEST and so worth every penny. Dressing in a comfortable stretchy jumpsuit that is easy to get off and on is my favorite way to travel… basically, something that feels like pajamas that does look like it. I own these three jumpsuits and they all have my stamp of approval:

MACHINE WASHABLE & ZIPPABLE TOTE BAG

I recently was introduced to Logan and Lenora bags which are made of high quality performance materials in Denver and they’re machine-washable with a waterproof inside and a water-resistant outside. When you’re sliding your bags underneath seats on the plane, you want something that will be easy to clean and this is exactly that! I also love that it zips, has multiple compartments, and can slide on and off of a suitcase. For 15% off, use the code PRETTYINTHEPINES. They also have beach totes, weekender bags, pouches, and so much more.

TRAVEL BEAUTY KIT

I used to visit Target’s travel-size section at the last minute and pick up whatever I could find to make due for my face wash, etc. These days, I can’t travel without either my TULA travel kit or Bioclarity travel kit. Both are such great products with the Bioclarity being a little bit more affordable than the TULA; although if I had to go with one, I’d probably go with TULA. Both have a travel size cleanser, moisturizer, and a few other products with great ingredients that you can’t find last minute in Target. No more settling when it comes to your travel skincare routine! For 20% off TULA, use the code SHELBY20. For Bioclarity, use PINES.

SILK EYE MASK

You never really know what the lighting situation will be when you’re at your destination and I’ve learned to always bring an eye mask with me to help ensure I can get the best sleep as possible. Recently, I’ve splurged on the Slip brand pillowcase and eye mask and have no regrets… most luxurious feeling thing ever and has so many anti-aging benefits!

HANGING ORGANIZER

I’ve been using this exact hanging organizer for at least 3-4 years now and it’s made traveling so much easier. You can use it to organize jewelry, toiletries, cosmetics, but I have always used it for my toiletries and make-up. There are so many compartments and it has held up so well… I was so happy to see it on Amazon Prime!

MOWELLEN’S INNER PEACE

Back in February, I used this before our flight to help with anxiety. If you’ve never used CBD oil, I would do some research and, if you’re taking other medications, definitely talk to your doctor before taking because it can supposedly interfere with some meds. However, I used it and it 100000% helped get rid of any anxious feelings I had about traveling. I haven’t used it since then but I still think about how surprised I was with how calm I felt. It may sound pricey but this bottle will last you a long, long time because you only use a drop or 2 at a time and you can mix it in with what you’re eating or drinking. You can read reviews before ordering but I was impressed.

BLUETOOTH NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

I’ve had a pair of Bose headphones since I was in college and I think they’re definitely worth the splurge. My current ones aren’t Bluetooth though so I’m in the market for a new pair and these are what I’m leaning towards.

LIGHTWEIGHT NEUTRAL SNEAKERS

For my past few trips, I’ve been wearing these lightweight white sneakers and I love them for their comfort and versatility. The only thing I would maybe change is that I wish they were slip ons to make it easier for going through security. Plus, once you arrive to your destination, you have a shoe that will go with hopefully several outfits. I’ve been eyeing these.

NECK PILLOW

For long flights, this is a must for me and I am still trying to find the best rated neck pillow out there because I 100% need it for our flight to Europe. If anybody knows, let me know!

MINIMERGENCY KIT

This is a kit that our wedding planner gifted me a while back and I’ve kept it in my suitcase ever since! It’s technically for brides but it includes ALL of the random things that you might need: advil, blister balm, bobbi pins, and so much more! There have been several times that I was so thankful I had it with me.

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Uncategorized

06.19.19

A Gardening Goal

This post is in partnership with Chase Freedom Unlimited. All opinions are my own.

Let’s discuss goals! Can you think of something that you want to be better at or something you want to learn more about but don’t know where to begin? Personally, I have a few goals that comes to mind but today I’m going to focus on one specific goal that I plan to work on for the rest of the year and then ultimately the rest of my life.

I’ve always admired other women in my family who are so knowledgeable about gardening, landscaping, and plants in general. My parents’ yard is one of the most lush and beautiful yards I’ve ever seen and I used to wonder “why do they go to plant shopping every single weekend?”. I totally understand now and I think I’m at that stage in life where I am turning into my parents. Our yard on the other hand needs a lot of TLC. I just have so much to learn when it comes to plants. We have bushes to replace, grass to grow, flowers to plant, and I would love to have a small vegetable garden in our backyard. In the past, I kind of just selected the prettiest bushes and hoped for the best. But there are actually a lot of really great resources out there, classes to take, gardens to visit, and so much to help you gain more knowledge about this topic. I’m also excited to be partnering with Chase Freedom Unlimited to share my #AlwaysEarning journey.

With this goal that I have, I’ve researched specific workshops to take, popular botanical gardens to visit, DIY projects to do, and books to read which will help me little by little reach my goal of learning more about landscaping and becoming a better gardener. Each month, I’ll update you all on my journey and how much I’ve learned. I’m also specifically excited to partner with Chase on this because my Chase Freedom Unlimited (my personal favorite credit card) card allows me to earn 1.5% cash back on every purchase (and 3% cash back for the first year). I’m not a huge credit card person but when I am looking for the right one, I look for no annual fees, easy cash back programs, and 0% APR for at least 12-15 months. This one has ALL of those so I’m a big fan.

Anyways, I’m excited to learn more about this topic and hope to one day be as skilled as my mom and grandma are. We have a lot of backyard goals this year in terms of landscaping so I can’t wait to share all the progress as we dive into something new!

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Capsule Wardrobes

06.11.19

A Casual Summer Capsule Wardrobe

If you follow along on Instagram, you’ll see that I frequently wear the same pieces over and over again. I’ve been pretty particular with my shopping lately and have wanted to build a summer wardrobe that is cute, easy, and efficient when getting ready. This specific wardrobe is definitely casual (mainly for weekends or if you work at home) but there are definitely some outfits that can be worn to a casual office (pants, skirt, tops). I’ve included each outfit below with all outfit details. I’ve been building this for a while now so hopefully most items are still in stock (and on sale!).

UPDATE (6/19/19): Exact white pleated midi skirt has been added online.

The 17 items consisted of the following:

DENIM JACKET

This is a year-round staple that ties together any casual outfit but my favorite denim jacket would have to be either the one in this video (this one) or this lighter wash boyfriend fit jacket (not included in video). The one in the video is by Madewell and is the highest quality!

STRIPED MAXI DRESS

Blue and white stripes are basically considered a “neutral” when it comes to summertime. You can layer other shirts over top of this maxi dress to make it look like a skirt and I’ve linked a few other great options below:

DENIM SHORTS

Denim shorts are a summer casual must-have and these are my favorite ones I’ve found. Wearing a 25 for reference.

TAN SHORTS

These are my favorite and I love that they come with a built-in tie waist belt! On sale for $35 today (6/11/19)

WHITE BUTTON DOWN SHIRT

STRIPED BUTTON DOWN SHIRT

OLIVE V-NECK TEE

BLUSH CREW NECK TEE

CHAMBRAY SHIRT

BELTED JOGGERS (Grey or Khaki)

NEUTRAL STRIPED SKIRT

DENIM OVERALL DRESS

WHITE PLEATED MIDI SKIRT

My exact skirt I’m wearing in the video (from here) is sold out I believe (UPDATE: exact skirt has been restocked and can be found here) so I’m linking a few similar ones below:

BASKETWEAVE BAG

3 PAIRS OF SHOES

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DIY Projects

06.07.19

Painting Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

This is way overdue but I’ve been meaning to write about how we painted our kitchen cabinets since… January. As part of our kitchen renovation we knew we wanted to give our cabinets a major refresh. We weren’t that big of fans of the original color and knew they would match better with the rest of our kitchen if we painted them a solid color. Painting cabinets yourself can seem very daunting, especially when you look at all the steps involved, but it can save a lot of money! Typically companies charge per “door” that is painted and it can be upward of $2,000-$3,000 for hiring a painter. This was the route I thought we were going to take until one day we were just like “let’s try it ourselves”. We knew we could save some money to use elsewhere and set aside about 3 days to get them completed. And I’m so glad we did!

The first step for us was to decide what color we wanted to paint the cabinets. Ultimately, we wanted a 2 tone look, with the top cabinets one color and the bottom a different. We ended up choosing “Pure White” for the remaining top cabinets and Rhino by Behr for the lower cabinets. We picked up the highest quality Behr paint, Marquee, because the kitchen cabinets are one of the highest traffic areas in the house. Think about how many times those doors are opened and closed and the sauces and oils that splatter all over them over the years. A full list of supplies we made sure we had before starting is below:

Paint (get the highest quality possible in satin or semigloss finish)

Primer (we used this water-based one)

Medium grit sandpaper

Fine grit sandpaper

Vinegar and water mixture (to clean cabinets before anything)

Sponge (also for cleaning)

Painter’s Tape

Tack cloth (for wiping after sanding and getting all wood dust off)

Paint Sprayer (optional but makes things easier – NOT necessary though – we did not use this)

Sponge brush

Paint rollers (make sure to get the half size)

Angled brush

Power screwdriver (to remove doors)

1. Prep your cabinets by cleaning them thoroughly.

The first step is to make sure the cabinets are thoroughly cleaned. The kitchen area has a tremendous build-up of oil and grease, substances that will not be conducive to having your new paint stick to the wood. There are a couple options for cleaning the doors to remove the grease. You can opt for a cleaner like Spray Nine, or you can just use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. To get tough on grease, use a kitchen sponge to scrub the doors and cabinet structure. Wipe them dry afterwards.

2. Remove cabinet doors.

Once the doors and cabinet structure was clean and dried, we removed our doors. The easiest way to do this is with a power screwdriver. We had 17 doors that needed to be removed, some anchored with 3 separate screws. It would have been very time consuming and difficult if we were using a hand screwdriver to remove the screws. One thing to be sure to do is make sure you know which doors go where to help with putting the doors back. We labeled the back of the doors with sharpie. For example, starting from the left side of the kitchen, we numbered the top in order (T1, T2, etc.). We did the same with the bottom doors (B1, B2, etc.).

3. Set up sand, paint, and drying station.

With 17 doors that needed to be painted, we had to have an area where all the doors could be sanded, painted, and where they could sit for a while and dry. We ended up using our fire pit stones in the backyard along with the railing to our deck. This enabled us to have a flat surface with which to work and we didn’t have to worry about paint getting places it shouldn’t. We saw other setups where people used 2×4’s hung between ladder rungs. It doesn’t really matter what you use, just something where the cabinet doors can sit so that you can paint all edges of it. I even used some stacks of books when I ran out of space outside.

4. Sand cabinet doors.

Our cabinets were manufactured with natural wood stain. We knew that they would have to be sanded well to make sure the paint was going to stick to the wood. We sanded by hand to get into the crevices as much as possible, but if you have flatter cabinet faces you may be able to use an electric sander. For this first pass of sanding we used a medium grit paper. Use a tack cloth to rub down the cabinets and cabinet structure to get rid of any excess wood dust that may have accumulated. Don’t sand too much that it makes the surfaces uneven, just enough so that the wood will accept the new paint. This was our least favorite and most tedious part, but one that is most important.

5. Prime cabinet doors.

To make sure the paint stuck and covered the wood grain on the cabinets and cabinet structure, we started out with white primer. There are a couple of ways to paint the cabinets. The most efficient way is to use a paint sprayer. We do not own a sprayer, and it was not in the budget to buy one for the project (they can be anywhere from $150-$350). Instead we used a mixture of sponge brushes, angled brushes, and mini rollers (mini rollers are where it’s at). The angled brushes were effective in getting the edges and corners of the doors, the sponge brush worked well to get smaller grooves in the doors, and the mini roller helped with the flat door surface and the cabinet structure.

6. Sand cabinet doors again.

Once the doors have dried from the primer, it is time for another thorough sanding. Yep, again, but lightly! Go for the fine grit sandpaper on this step. The goal is not to remove the primer, but to create as smooth a surface as possible for the next coat of paint. Work lighter and then apply more pressure as needed. Use a tack cloth to remove excess wood dust (make sure to buy several of these).

7. Paint cabinets with first coat of color of choice.

Finally! Time for some color. Using the same techniques that worked for the primer (roller, brushes, sponges), apply the first coat of paint to the doors and cabinet structure. We made sure to apply the paint generously to keep any of the wood grain from showing up after the drying process.

8. Sand cabinet doors once more, paint second coat.

Repeat steps 6 and 7 for the doors and cabinet structure.

9. Screw doors back into original places.

Once everything dries, you can add the doors back to the cabinets utilizing the labels that were made when taking off the doors. As we were adding the doors back, there seemed to be a couple gaps between the doors that we had to fix. This was relatively easy by ensuring the doors were straight and level when reinstalling.

Woohoooo! It’s really not THAT bad. The worst part is just how long each step takes but the steps themselves aren’t bad, just tedious, especially if you have a lot of doors and drawers.

Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any other questions!

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