January 18th, 2017 marked three years as husband and wife! Every year for our anniversary Scott and I take a trip to celebrate our love, marriage and passion for having new experiences together. This year, Portland, Oregon made the cut — a city that had been on our list to visit together for years and years now. Once our tickets were booked, I reached out to Dawn of Dawn Photography — an amazing PNW-based photographer whose work I’d been admiring for months after seeing her photos of Tonya from The Moptop and Jeremy and Audrey Roloff (among many other bloggers and gorgeous couples!).
With the forecast full of snow and sleet the day we arrived, I chatted with Dawn in a bit of a panic that our shoot wouldn’t go as planned. However, it seems that we brought the sunshine with us and our second day in Oregon was sunny, warm and snow-free! After meeting up with Dawn for our shoot, we hopped in the car and drove toward the Columbia Rive Gorge for a morning of adventure and the most beautiful Pacific Northwest views!
Having the opportunity to take fun and unique photos together is something both Scott and I cherish. I know many couples only have professional photos taken leading up to and during their wedding, but for us — having someone capture our love throughout the years of our relationship feels just as important. I know we’ll be looking back on these photos for years to come and will be able to remember exactly how we felt and what our life was like back then — ten years together, three years married and so in love with one another (awwwww!).
On our way back to Portland, we spotted this cabbage patch and had to pull over! The smell was something I never care to describe again, but it sure felt quirky and unique to be standing in a field of rotting cabbages in the Oregon countryside.
If you’re ever in the Portland or Eugene areas of Oregon, be sure and reach out to our new friend Dawn for a shoot with you and your loved one — she’ll make you feel like a million bucks and take you on quiet an adventure! And now to pick out which photos I want to frame — the very first photo is my absolute fav, but I think having a photo of us standing in a rotting cabbage patch would be quite a conversation piece, don’t ya think! 😉 Hope you have a great day, friends!
We all have those staple pieces in our wardrobes — those unsung heroes that we reach for time and time again that help make an outfit feel complete (or really just go with everything). Over the past few years I’ve been noticing a pattern in my closet — five pieces that I reach for almost daily. If you been reading my blog or following me on Instagram for any amount of time, I’m sure you have a hunch about my top five, but in case you’re curious (or in need of a few new staple pieces in your own wardrobe) —
1. Madewell Fleet Jacket – I LOVE this jacket! I wear it SO often that the sweet folks over at Madewell have even featured me wearing it on their website! The Fleet Jacket is the perfect shade of green and is lightweight enough that I can wear it even during the summer in AZ. In the warmer months, I wear it to work almost every single day — seriously, ask my coworkers! They make this jacket in a few different shades of green, sometimes a grey and khaki color too. Even with so much wear, this jacket has held up great and looks even better than the day I bought it (a little more broken in and relaxed fitting). Truth be told — this is my most worn item in my closet and is well worth the investment!
2. Straw Hats – Ya’ll know I’m a hat girl through and through, and while I love a good wool or felt fedora — neither of these fabrics cut it during the summertime! That’s why straw hats are a staple in my wardrobe! The one pictured above is a boater style hat from Forever 21, but my absolute favorite (thus far) is a straw fedora from Madewell (the one I have isn’t available anymore, but this one is similar)! I’ve heard great things about Janessa Leone’s straw hats as well, and I already have my eye on of her beautiful pieces for this upcoming summer!
3. Madewell Washed Leather Motorcycle Jacket – I have wanted a real leather jacket for years and years, and when Scott surprised me with this beaut for Christmas it was love at first sight! As someone who has gone through many “leather” jackets in their life, I can tell you that the cut and fit of this one is just right (not too short in the back, and not too bulky overall). Lately, this has been my go-to piece for dressing up my date night looks, and adding in a bit of edge to my everyday style. I know this is quite an investment piece, but trust me when I say that you won’t need to buy a new leather jacket for years and years to come after you introduce this one into your wardrobe.
4. Madewell Transport Satchel – Ya’ll know how much I love the whole Transport line from Madewell, but the Satchel just might be my favorite! I’m a crossbody bag kind of gal, and this one is just the right size and goes with just about everything! I have it in the black and brown combo as well, and love how well they’ve both worn over the past few years. The monogramming Madewell offers is kind of fun too — I have my initials on my black and brown satchel!
5. Madewell Billie Boot – I had a pair of the Billie Boots in my online cart for ages, but was hesitant to pull the trigger because of the heel (I’m more of a flat boots kind of girl). After receiving the true black shade as a gift, I knew that I would be adding the english saddle color into my wardrobe sometime in the near future. I love how easy these are to walk in, and how they can instantly dress up any outfit you’re rocking. These boots are probably my most worn this season, and I’m sure that I’ll find myself pulling them out year after year — they’re just so classic!
And there you have it! My 5 Wardrobe Staples – which happen to almost all be from Madewell! I swear I didn’t plan this when I first started writing this post, but truth be told — I love a good piece from Madewell! I would love to hear — what are your 5 wardrobe staples? Do we have any of the same ones? Are you currently shopping for any staples as we speak? I have my eye on this Sézane Messenger Bag and think it would work nicely with my whole wardrobe!
If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, I’m sure you’re fully aware of how much I love coffee. This caffeinated drink has been intertwined into my daily life as long I can remember, and even plays a big part in Scott and I’s love story. On my Instagram, you’ll usually catch an iced coffee in my hand (beats that desert heat!), but my heart equally sings for a hot cup of coffee. Our favorite local coffee shop, Peixoto Coffee, sells 1 gallon, re-fillable iced coffee growlers that Scott and I refill once a week (makes getting ready for work super easy!). However, when it comes to the weekend — we can often be found making a hot cuppa with our Chemex or Aeropress at home.
We usually have a bag of whole beans from Peixoto or a coffee shop we visited during our travels on hand, and tend to grind the beans right before we make our coffee (it’s all in the process, right?). While we’ve got our eye on a fancy hand grinder, we’ve been using the same electric coffee bean grinder for years now (this one in case you’re in the market). Lately, our Aeropress has been our coffee method of choice — makes the perfect cup, but we do have to use it twice! We’re big fans, though, of how simple the clean-up process is for this (so much better than cleaning a french press). If we’re wanting to make more coffee at once, using our Chemex is our best bet. I picked up our current one from a vintage shop in Denver around six or seven years ago (it’s from the 1960’s), but you can pick up a new one online and in many coffee shops nowadays.
Collecting coffee making tools has also become a hobby of ours — the copper water kettle pictured above was a gift I gave to Scott for our second wedding anniversary, and the brass scoop is something we picked up during our trip to Schoolhouse Electric in Portland. I know I’ve said this before, but for us — coffee is so much more! It’s about an experience, time together and the memories that we’ve made over a cup of coffee. Now that you know our weekend coffee routine, I would love to hear your coffee story — are you an iced or hot coffee kind of person? Pick-up, or make at home? Favorite coffee shop? Favorite coffee beans?
Hi friends! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine’s Day! While i’m a big fan of any holiday where we get to celebrate our loved ones, Scott and I like to keep things pretty low-key. This year. though, we decided try out a new-to-us restaurant, Pomo Pizzeria, that we heard had super yummy gf pasta and pizza! After dinner, we had a little ice cream date and called it an early night — just our speed! Since Scott’s surgery, we’ve been trying to get in as much rest and relaxation as we can since we really want to give his hand the best chance to heal properly. Scott and I both want to thank ya’ll so much for all of your kind words and well wishes regarding his injury and surgery — we feel so lucky to have so many positive vibes being sent his way! Ya’ll truly are the best! xo
Now that the days our a little longer, getting photos in has become a lot easier — thank goodness, because those short, dark days of winter were tough! We actually shot these a couple of weeks ago at the prettiest park near our home when the sun was close to setting and beautiful golden light was coming into full focus. This outfit felt really fun to wear, and while my everyday look is usually jeans, boots and a sweater (well, t-shirt lately with these 70+ degree temps we’ve been having), I’m trying to be better about pushing myself outside of my winter uniform and into something that feels a little lighter (because spring is on its way ya’ll!).
I have a few items in my spring wishlist that I’m currently lusting over, a new Free People dress being one of them, but I’m wanting to take it one piece at a time and be really intentional about my wardrobe. My sweet gal pal, Tieka, has been talking a lot about her own personal style lately and she has me really thinking about my own. So much has changed since I first started sharing my outfits here all those years ago! What about you? Have you noticed your style changing over the years? Or even just recently? I definitely wear less dresses nowadays, and I’m not as adventurous with my color choices + accessories, but ya know what — I’m ok with that! It’s all in the journey, right? 🙂
The weekend is almost here and Scott and I have plans to celebrate one of our sweet friends’ birthday at a local restaurant on Friday night! We also have Phoenix Flea coming up in a few short weeks, so we’ll be starting to prep for that the best we can together (watch out — I’ll be using the laser cutter this time, haha). I hope ya’ll have a wonderful rest of your week! -Chelsea xo
Last week, I shared a few personal thoughts that had been on my mind due to a pretty rough and stressful week. Today, Scott and I both shared a little more about what’s been going on in our world as of lately. I know that a few of you might have already read this on Instagram, but continuing on in my effort to be more personal here — I wanted to share.
A little over two weeks ago Scott had a bit of an accident that resulted in a late-night trip to the ER (with a very panicked wife who had to put on her brave face and push away her fear of hospitals). The result — stitches and a damaged nerve in his right hand. After two specialist appointments, Scott went in for surgery last Thursday to repair the nerve (which affected all of the feeling in his right pinky/side of his hand). We are super, super thankful to say that the surgery was a success and he’s now on the mend! I know that I had asked for your good thoughts earlier last week and we both want to say thank you, thank you so much for all of the love you’ve sent our way. We could definitely still use your positive thoughts (we’ll have a better idea of exactly how his nerve is doing in a week and a half once he gets his splint/wrap off post-surgery), and I promise to keep ya’ll updated!
On a side note, the sweet photo above is from our anniversary shoot in Oregon with the amazing Dawn Photo! It reminds me of one of our wedding photos by Arrow and Apple and it’s just the sweetest thing. Will share more of our shoot soon!
Back again, and two days in a row? That mid-afternoon coffee must have really made a difference! 😉 While I’m only sort of joking about this, I am feeling extra thankful for all of your kind words and thoughts on yesterday’s posts. Sometimes it feels really hard to put yourself out there and share your stresses and faults, but the truth is — we’re all human and feel the same things. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s just nice to read that someone else is feeling the same way you are and to let you know that you’re not alone — wouldn’t you agree? On that note, I wanted to share a few more positive thoughts here today to keep the week of good thoughts rolling. I have a new found love for the color blush, and for a gal who admittedly hasn’t worn any hue of pink in years and years — this is big news!
I picked up this sweater at Madewell on a whim toward the beginning of fall. The cut is just my style, but the color felt out of my normal territory and something different and unique. I know blush has been a big trend the past few years, and while this blush hue is darker than most — I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see how much wear I’ve gotten out of it. I guess you can say that I’m my love for blush now runs past my favorite makeup product! 😉
Now that the days are beginning to get a little longer, Scott and I have been able to squeeze in a few more daily outfit photos this past week. I’m always so excited when fall rolls around and the days get cooler, but it’s safe to say that I’m equally (if not more) excited when spring comes early and the days get longer once again. Who else is loving these longer days? Is it starting to feel like spring in your hometown? Punxsutawney Phil said six more weeks of winter, so I’ll guess we’ll see!
This sweet guy and I have a big day tomorrow and would really love your good thoughts and positive vibes! I kind of adore this photo of him — watching his hair blow in the wind and laughing as I try and get the perfect shot. He’ll forever be my high school sweetheart , even if he was the one who was still in high school when we met — haha!
Hello! Tonight I had a bit of a different post planned out, but earlier I shared this photo + a few of the words below on Instagram and in light of truly wanting to share more personal thoughts on here (something that has never been my strong suit in my almost 8 years of blogging in this space) I wanted to share them here too. In all honesty, Scott and I are having a bit of a rough week — and not too leave ya’ll hanging, but I promise I’ll share more soon — and in the end, all is well but we would definitely appreciate your thoughts + good energy throughout the rest of the week.
While it’s all too easy to look at the negative and let the worrying + fear take over your thoughts, today I decided that I wanted to share a few things that I’m thankful for (and hopefully I can inspire you to do the same, because after all — combating negative thoughts with positive ones is always the best medicine). I’m continually thankful for — our health, love, happiness, my partner in crime, iced coffee, feeling the sunshine on my shoulders, weekend getaways, our amazing friends, minty gum, having a home of our very own, our family that supports us endlessly and you — yes, you — for making this space a brighter one each and every day!
Happy February! The coldest month of the year is now over and I can see spring on the horizon (even if it doesn’t technically start until March 20th). With warming weather calling my name, I’ve been dreaming of sprucing my home (and wardrobe) up with a few pops of spring inspiration — lighter materials, brighter colors and new plant babies all around our home. Scott and I recently stopped by Dig It, a local garden and urban nursery that’s nestled away in Central Phoenix. Scott and I had first came here a few months back when it was scorching hot outside and almost melted when we stepped into their muggy greenhouse, but on this day — it was a bit chilly outside and the greenhouse was a nice warm escape.
Dig It has tons of plants — from your everyday succulents, to ones that look like they came straight out of a Harry Potter movie (you’ll see what I’m saying below). Their staff is super knowledgeable as well, and they even offer the occasional class — I’m now feeling a bit bad that I missed their last one, Succulent Success! Scott and I went into Dig It with a few things we wanted in mind, but really enjoyed just exploring the grounds and learning more about caring for our plants from the rad employees.
After spending way too much in the greenhouse (I just loved it in there), we made our way outside to look at some of their outdoor plants, including a GIANT fiddle leaf fig, and then inside to check out their pottery, plant food and air plants. We left with quite a haul, and now our home is feeling a bit more springy and green. If you’re local to the Phoenix area, I would highly suggest checking out Dig It — it’s the cutest urban garden shop you’ve ever seen.
Now that our house is feeling extra green, we’re ready to move onto more projects — my spring wardrobe, and our hallway closet that is almost complete! Scott recently built a few cabinets and put them above our washer and dryer — some much needed storage space that I’m really excited to now have. What about you, what’s on your pre-spring cleaning + honey-do list?
Don’t these remind you of the squealing Mandrakes in Harry Potter? After I saw the one on the far right I couldn’t stop thinking it would start shrieking at me if I tried to pick it up — haha!
The weekend is almost here and I’m really excited to celebrate our nephew’s second birthday, work on more home projects and just rest (something that I’m not always great at doing — I have that go, go, go kind of personality). What are you looking forward to this weekend? PS if you’re in need of a good read, might I suggest Steffy’s Pros and Cons — I’ve been reading her blog for years and today she did the best Instagram Live!
Our Palm Springs Travel Guide is finally here! I know I’ve been promising this for months, but I promise that it was worth the wait. Back in October, Scott and I headed down to PS to celebrate his 28th birthday and our best friends’ desert wedding. This was our first time visiting as adults (I grew up stopping in the area on road trips), and since we had heard so many good things about Palm Springs over the past few years we were both really excited to visit. The drive from Phoenix is around four hours, so after packing up the rental car and grabbing a couple of iced coffees — we high-tailed it out of Arizona for a long California weekend!
The last weekend in October is a super popular weekend in Palm Springs, so we ended up booking our AirBnB a few months in advance. We toyed with the idea of staying at of one PS’s many boutique hotels (more on those later!), but we felt that we got a better bang for our buck this trip with a super cute apartment that was centrally located and close to where our group of friends were staying. If you’re curious, this is the AirBnB we stayed in and we would definitely recommend it — super clean, cute and in a quiet neighborhood.
COFFEE — Who knew this little city had so many great coffee shops! Before driving out to PS, we asked for coffee shop recommendations on Instagram and got so many responses!
Ernest Coffee Co. – This cute shop reminded me of my beloved Peixoto and came highly recommended. We ended up stopping in here twice, and both times we had iced coffee + a few of their delicious pastries (they even had GF options).
Stumptown at Ace Hotel & Swim Club – You can never go wrong with Stumptown, and the coffee bar at the Ace is the perfect stop to grab a cold brew before taking a stroll around this uber hip (and cute!) hotel.
Customs Coffee – This little spot is in the Arrive Hotel and has delicious cold brew! We stopped here on our way out of town and wish we would have stopped sooner.
Koffi Coffee – This coffee shop is a PS staple and they have tons of locations around the city. Scott and I didn’t end up trying the coffee at Koffi during our last trip, but we hear it’s worth a stop!
EAT — PS is chock full of delicious restaurants and bars! From pizza to Mexican, brunch, dessert and more – there is something for everyone!
Birba – Our first night in Palm Springs was extra special because it was Scott’s 28th birthday, so we decided to check out Birba, a modern spot for pizza and small plates. We started off with their roasted cauliflower as a started, and each had our own pizza’s – both of which were so delicious (mine was GF too!). Their patio is also really nice and cozy too, twinkle lights included.
Chicken Ranch – During a busy day in Palm Springs, we made a quick, easy and delicious stop at Chicken Ranch for lunch. It was a beautiful day, so we sat outside on their patio and enjoyed our salad and sandwich al fresco!
King’s Highway – We had one of my most favorite meals at the restaurant at the Ace — King’s Highway! They serve an American-fare in a quirky old diner, which I’m sure is one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in PS!
Our sweet friend, Jill, who we ran into while having brunch at KH’s snapped this photo of us — it’s one of my favorite from the whole trip! Happy and tired from dancing too much the night before during my best friend’s wedding (and the after party at the Ace!).
KH’s has an excellent brunch! Scott had the chilaquiles and I had a classic breakfast with a bit of a British twist! If you’re in the mood for more of a sweet dish, definitely get their lemon ricotta pancakes (had them at the Ace in LA and they were DELICIOUS!).
Cheeky’s – Another PS staple that we hear everyone loves! We didn’t get to try it out this time around (it was super packed every day we drove by), but Elsie from ABM speaks highly of this cute and quirky brunch joint (and their bacon too!).
WANDER — PS is beautiful, eclectic and has so much to see! There is definitely a few places you have to see, but I swear that just driving or walking around the city is an experience in itself. The Mid-Century Modern influence here is strong, so your bound to see something interesting and unique wherever you may go!
#ThatPinkDoor – you knew that one was coming, right? Visiting this incredibly instagrammable pink door was high on my must-see list (PS priorities, HA!), and I don’t think we could have picked a better day — we were the only ones there! From what I read, the owners are totally cool with people coming and taking photos in front of their bubble gum pink door, but their home is located in a quiet residential area (and I’m sure by now they’re used to lots of visitors).
Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium – Oh my! I could seriously go on and on about how much I loved visiting Moorten’s! Lucky me, my best friend’s wedding was held in this gorgeous space and we got to spend lots of time here during our PS weekend. I actually have plans to do an entire post on Moorten’s, but for now just know that visiting here is an absolute must!
Moorten’s is home to the very first cactarium and has every kind of cactus you could ever dream of! This gorgeous greenhouse is by far the most popular stop in the garden, but don’t forget to take a walk around the entire grounds to see their full botanical garden, desert turtles and garden shop!
Take a stroll – PS is surrounded by beautiful mountains, palm trees and a desert landscape, so don’t forget to park the car, go for a stroll through and just take it all in. Oh, and it gets really hot there too, so bring your sunnies, sunscreen and stand in the shade when possible! 😉
Palm Springs Art Museum + Architecture and Design Center – Whenever we travel, Scott and I love to check out the local art museum (we explored de Young in San Francisco on our honeymoon!). We’ve heard great things about the collection at the PS art museum (lot’s of odes to Modernism there), and while we didn’t have time for the main building — we did stop in at the architecture and design center downtown to see their current exhibit, MetaModern, and check out the beautiful old bank building the center currently sits in. If you love artchitecture, design and have a little time — definitely check out both art-filled buildings!
STAY — While Scott and I choose to stay in an AirBnB for this trip, PS has some amazing boutique hotel options! All of them are incredibly picturesque, so you really can’t go wrong with which one you choose!
Ace Hotel & Swim Club – The Ace is super hip and a fun place to check out! During our trip to PS, we ended up here a few times — first for a late night coffee and photobooth pictures, then for the after party of my best friend’s wedding (which fell on the same night as their Halloween party — and as you can imagine, it was a bit of a wild night!) and then finally for brunch the next day! Scott and I stayed at the Ace in Portland and loved it! Definitely want to stay here next time!
The Saguaro – We have a Saguaro in Scottsdale and I love their ultra-colorful vibe! Knowing this hotel is a bit of a party place back home, I can only imagine it’s a bit of the same in PS. They usually have delicious restaurants, though, so it’s for sure worth checking out!
The Parker – If you love Jonathan Adler, than you’re going to love this hotel! I’ll admit, though — it’s quite fancy (but also so, so beautiful!).
AirBnB – With the rise of boutique hotels, there has also been an uptick in hip AirBnB’s that cater to the Midcentury Modern aesthetic and laid back desert vibe in PS. I’ve heard great things about The Amado, but there are tons of amazing homes, apartments, rooms, etc. to rent in the area!
Want to know what was the best part of our PS getaway? Celebrating this guys 28th birthday! Birthdays are big in our home, so it felt extra special to be celebrating in such a beautiful, fun and unique place with my equally unique, fun and handsome guy! AWH!
And that’s it — well, for now! I hope you guys enjoyed this travel guide — I had a lot of fun putting it together! If you did, let me know and I’ll keep making them! Also, if you’re wondering if PS is really “that cool” like everyone on Instagram makes it out to be — it is, it really is!
If you’ve been to Palm Springs before and have any suggestions that I missed, I would love to hear them (gotta start planning my next trip!). Thanks in advance for sharing!
The gloomy days of January are almost gone and pre-spring days of our desert winter are getting closer and closer. January 2017 really surprised us by being extra dark and grey (which seems normal elsewhere, but just not right here in Central AZ). This month also seem to go by in a flash — wasn’t it just the first of the year? Either way, January always feels pretty special with our wedding anniversary on the 18th, and the memories of planning and prepping for our wedding three years ago still so fresh in my mind. Scott and I love getting away for our anniversary, and this year Portland was our destination of choice! We spent five days in the city of roses adventuring together and drinking all the coffee we could get our hands on — it was a perfect trip! And now here we are — wrapping up the first month of the year and making plans for all we want to do and accomplish in 2017. Anyone else feeling that new year surge of inspiration? Here’s to keeping it going all year long!
Ready for a few peeks into our home during the month of January? Here they are —
— It’s true, Citizen Home Decor does love you [and me too — 😉 ] =. This Letterfolk board was a Black Friday buy and is such a quirky and fun piece to have in our home. We have a smaller one in our living room that I just don’t have the heart to change the quote on — January 18, 2014 (our wedding date!).
— I know I often feature our DIY entryway mantle, but it’s just so fun to redecorate! This yellow sweater was also a Christmas present from my folks and is bringing some much needed color into my winter wardrobe. Anyone else guilty of wearing all dark colors during the winter?
– This photo of our kitty, Peter, just kills me! I promise he’s yawning and not hissing at me — he’s the most gentle giant! This DIY windowsill bench is one of my most favorite projects Scott completed for our house when we first moved in — it’s the perfect spot for our kitties to watch the birds on a sunny day!
How has your January been? Feeling that mid-winter itch yet? Was it crazy cold or grey in your part of town this month? Feel prepped and ready for a big year ahead?
Happy Saturday, friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!
