Outfits

THE RAINIEST JANUARY

01.26.17

I can’t say this officially, but January 2017 may be the rainiest January to date here in Phoenix! I know, I know — it’s winter, but we’re just not used to all this rain in the un-official sunshine state! Rainy days aside, before Scott and I headed out on our Portland adventure last week (where it also rained – ha!) we did a little exploring around our own town. This darling neighborhood was a place we hung out often during our college days and holds so many good memories of coffee dates, sunny day walks to see all the darling homes and old friends who once lived in the area. It was a bit nostalgic, to say the least, but it felt good to get outside while the rain subsided and get in a walk with my favorite guy. 

This Hackwith Design sweater is a recent purchase from one of my favorite local boutiques, Phoenix General. This is the second piece from Hackwith I now own, and both items feel like a work of art. I know that might sound silly, but they’re beautiful pieces and I love that I’m investing in items that are unique, well-made and from a US designer. Pieces like this are a step in the right direction that I’ve been trying to take with my closet — pieces that are well-loved, well-made and overall just make me feel really great when I’m wearing them. It’s also a total bonus that I could pick up a gorgeous piece like this locally — best of both worlds, ya know! 

Now that January is almost over (it went by so fast!), I’m doing my best to focus on better preparing for the next few months on the blog — which I’m thinking will be quite busy and fun! My writing is often on the fly, but I have so many topics and stories I want to share (literally pages of ideas written down that I just need to share!), so I’m working on creating plan that will allow for a little more structure (while still keeping that fun flow – because I really do love quick and easy posts — like the old blogging days!). If there is anything that you would like to see more of (style, interiors, beauty, ???) — let me know! Seven and a half years into this this ‘ol blog of mine and I truly still love it as much as ever (and that’s in big thanks to you!). 

This cutie and I are gearing up for another fun weekend around here — pop-up shops, plans for coffee dates and lots of home projects. We also haven’t seen La La Land yet, so I’m thinking that might be a date-night must! Have you seen it yet? Love it? Feeling meh about it? I’ve only heard great things!

Hackwith Design Mockneck Sweater                                                                                         
Madewell High-Rise Skinny Jeans                                                                                                 Leather Watch c/o Fossil                                                                                                             Seychelles Impossible Booties

How has January been treating you? Loving it? Over it? // PS I’m on the hunt for a few new blog reads! Tell me a few of your favorites! Right now I’m loving Almost Makes Perfect, A Taste of Koko and Thoughts By Natalie! 

-Chelsea xo

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Travel

BACK TO THE DESERT

01.24.17

Hello there! After a whirlwind trip to Portland for our anniversary, Scott and I are now back in the desert feeling refreshed, fully caffeinated (we drank so much coffee!) and also a little soggy (not really, but sort of — the rain followed us back to Phoenix!). Our trip was lovely and very us — full of city wanderings, adventures in the great outdoors and all the coffee you can imagine. Promise to share more soon, but I just wanted to pop in here to say hello and share a few favorite bits about our trip while it’s fresh on my mind:

– We stayed at the Ace Hotel in downtown and loved our time there (super hip, but also a really beautiful hotel with great coffee, yummy breakfast and we even had a record player in our room!). 

– I’ve been following Dawn Photo’s beautiful and adventurous work on Instagram for awhile now, so I was SUPER excited when we were able to meet up and do a shoot together while we were in town. We shot at the most gorgeous lookout new the Gorge outside of Portland — a view I won’t soon forgot. Until we get our photos back, here’s a sneak peek!

– Salt & Straw — oh my, the hype is real! We almost skipped out on this Portland staple for fear that it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but we’re so happy that we gave it a try (not once, but twice!). 

– I was really looking forward to visiting Schoolhouse Electric while in Portland and their beautiful warehouse space certainly didn’t disappoint! I could have spent hours browsing their showroom, but settled for a good chunk of time looking through each section and picking out a few odds and ends for our home (including of their prints and the cutest brass coffee spoon). 

Ok, I’m headed out for now – but I promise to share more photos and stories soon! If you’ve visited Portland before, what was your favorite part of your trip? Cute coffee shop? Local mercantile? Hiking to the falls? PDX really has something for everyone!

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

ON OUR THIRD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

01.18.17

January 18th, 2017 — our third wedding anniversary! These past three years have been such a blessing, John Scott, and I feel so incredibly thankful to be your wife! Our third year of marriage was nothing but amazing, and I can’t wait to see what our fourth year will bring. Here’s to us, my love, and all the years and anniversaries ahead of us! Now, let’s celebrate — in Portland nonetheless!

With all of my love, Your Wife xo

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Outfits

WINTER IN THE DESERT

01.11.17

With the temperatures dipping into the low forties and grey days galore, winter is officially here in the desert. If you’ve been reading my blog for some time, you probably know that I’m a big fan of layering — winter, spring, summer, fall, I’m all about the layers! And while my layering techniques may be a bit different during the summer months (although, I’m no stranger to the summer cardigan, haha), during the fall and winter I’m all about cozy fabrics, warm hats and rich colors. Every year I seem to add in a cozy accessory or two to my winter wardrobe, because really — those are the pieces that pull the whole outfit together! This year, the Bounty hat from Rella has been just that — the perfect piece to add warmth and style to my wintery outfits. 

With our Portland anniversary trip less than a week away, Scott and I are getting really excited to do a little exploring, coffee shop hopping and maybe even a little shopping as well (I can’t wait to go Schoolhouse Electric!). Last night, I started doing a little pre-packing to make sure we have everything we need. I’m a tad concerned that it might be snowing when we land in the Pacific Northwest, so I’m packing *almost* everything warm we own, haha. My Bounty hat and new Rella snood definitely made the cut, along with a good pair of long john’s and all the hand warmers I can find! These desert folks are determined to not be freezing cold, so wish us luck! 

This little pistachio grove near our home has been looking mighty fine lately! I love watching this place change over the seasons, and definitely think the winter months might be my favorite time to be here. Although, I am a bit partial to those warm autumn days around the grove — takes me back to when Scott and I took our engagement photos here over three years ago! AWH!

Bounty Hat c/o Rella                                                                                           
Madewell Cardigan (similar – just longer!) 
Madewell Maison Button-Back Top
Madewell High-Rise Skinny Jeans                                                                                                   Weekender Watch c/o Timex                                                                                                            Nisolo Boots

If you’re in need of a few new winter wear accessories, the sweet folks over at Rella are offering 45% off your entire order + free shipping on orders over $50 through the end of the month! All of their items are super high-quality and will last you for many seasons to come! Ok, friends — be back soon! And don’t forget — I we need ALL the suggestions for Portland! We’re all ears!

-Chelsea xo

A huge thank you is in order to Rella for sponsoring this post!

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Lifestyle / Travel

PORTLAND, HERE WE COME

01.09.17

In just ten short days, Scott and I will be hopping on a jet plane headed toward the Pacific Northwest! The last time we were in the PNW, we spent time exploring Seattle and my mom’s childhood neighborhood in the suburbs (FYI — we LOVE Seattle and can’t wait to go back one day soon!). This time around, Portland is our destination and we can’t wait to spend our third wedding anniversary in this rainy and coffee-filled city! 

Now, this is the part where you come into the picture — if you have restaurants, coffee shops, stores, scenic views, or just maybe — want to grab a coffee with us, please let us know! We are SO excited to explore this beautiful city together and would really appreciate your recommendations! Thank you so much, in advance, and I’ll be back soon! Hope you’re having a great evening!

-Chelsea xo

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Outfits

ALONG THE ORCHARD

01.04.17

The first few days of the New Year have been grey and cold here in the desert, so I’m doing the best I can to dress warm and bright. It’s a funny thing, really, but it’s not until the sun isn’t shining that I realize how much it affects my mood — whether I like to admit or not, I’m a child of the desert and not having the sun shine during the day is rough! Even with the PNW in my blood (my mom is from WA and my grandma was born in Canada), my desert roots are thick and it’s tough to go too long without the sun — good thing we’re going to Portland in two weeks so I can test my theory even further, haha. All jokes aside, though, the wintery weather has been nice — gives me an excuse to pull out my sweaters, scarves and hats before the temps rise again.

With the New Year still so fresh, Scott and I have been taking things slow — opting for evenings in organizing our space (two words — junk drawers!), dessert runs to Whole Foods and mapping out our anniversary trip to Portland. I’m a tad bit worried that we’ll be f-f-freezing while we’re there, so I’m doing a little shopping (window shopping mostly) for wool socks, gloves and a raincoat for myself — if you have any suggestions for any of these items, please send them my way! This girl does not want to be cold during our trip!

While I’ve been mulling over a few thoughts for this ‘ol blog of mine in 2017 (fashion, personal, home, health, etc.), I’ve also been reading a ton of amazing blog posts that have been popping up the last few days. If you’re in need of good read — Style Bee’s 2016 Close Mission Conclusion was quite fun to read, I really loved Un-Fancy’s Year in Review (loved her thoughts on what she learned about her style this year) and truthfully — everything my pal Nicole over at Writes Like A Girl has written lately has really struck a chord with me. All amazing ladies who I’m really excited to follow along more with in 2017!

Vince Camuto Hat (similar!)                                                                                           
Asos Ripple Stich Sweater 
Leather Watch c/o Fossil
Madewell High-Rise Skinny Jeans                                                                                                       Madewell Crossbody Bag (similar!)                                                                                                        Madewell Leather Boots (similar!)

Now it’s your turn, are there any blog posts or new-to-you blogs that you’ve just been loving lately? How has the beginning of your 2017 been?

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

LOOKING BACK AT 2016

01.03.17

Happy New Year! I hope ya’ll had a wonderful and safe NYE’s celebration. Scott and I kept things pretty low-key, as we do most years, and spent the evening finally watching the new Gilmore Girls episodes (!!! is all I can say about them at this point) and munching on some take-out pizza. It’s was perfectly simple and perfectly us — we kissed at midnight and slept in the next morning as we greeted the New Year. Before we dive into 2017, though, I wanted to reflect a little on all that happened in 2016 — an incredible year for our family!

Our biggest goal and most notable milestone in 2016 was becoming homeowners! We started the New Year with the plan to make this happen and set things into motion come February. You can read more about our home buying process and why we chose a “tiny home” for our family here. Oh, and if you want to see some in-between photos — these are fun to look back on! And after all of our hard work, love and devotion to making our space feel like us — we were incredible honored to have our home featured on Design*Sponge! A dream come true for this longtime reader! 

2016 was also a year of major growth for our small business, Citizen Home Decor! Scott and I sold more Christmas ornaments than ever before, participated in eight pop-up shops and markets between August and December, created lots of new designs, launched a new collaboration with Jon Arvizu and felt more inspired than ever to take our business further and further in the coming year.  

We also spent a lot of time with our furry friends and family in 2016! You may have already guessed by my Instagram and Snapchat story snaps, but I am a huge animal lover and love nothing more than being with our family pets. Scout is usually pretty sweet and playful when I pull out the camera — he knows exactly what he’s doing, haha! 😉

Collectively, we traveled to California three times in 2016 — twice together and once by myself. Two out of the three times were to celebrate our best friends and their big day! In October, we headed to Palm Springs to not only celebrate Scott’s 28th birthday, but to all also see Courtney and Sanford get married! The wedding was beautiful and we had such a fun time in Palm Springs — we’ll definitely be going back sometime soon! Oh, and I promise that PS travel guide will be up on the blog within the next few weeks! 

Scott and I had the amazing opportunity to partner with Living Spaces during the fall season! We refreshed our space for autumn, and gave our dining area a much needed revamp. We loved working with LV, and are so happy with how our spaces turned out. I already have a spring refresh in mind, so we might be making a trip back to LV very soon!

In July, Scott and I took our annual trip to Salt Lake City to visit my folks and celebrate the fourth in a much cooler place. This year we visited the Young Living lavender fields in Mona, and boy oh boy — were they ever a sight see! 

In June, I traveled to Colorado for work (and play)! We road tripped to six cities in five days and I made some super sweet new friends along the way — Jane of A Taste of Koko, Ana of Colorful Foodie and Rachelle of The Travel Bite. I’ve broke out my trip and suggestions into three seasons — summer, fall and winter! 

At the very beginning of June, Scott and I traveled to Springfield, Missouri to see the sites and take in all that this amazing city had to offer with their local Convention and Visitors Bureau. After hearing so much about Springfield over the years and connecting with other bloggers and Instagrammers who live in the area, it was such a treat to travel there together and see it for ourselves! I shared more about our trip here, here and here! 

In May, we celebrated my 28th birthday and I took a solo trip to New York City for work! I sported this little denim number next to my favorite flower wall and felt completely myself — that’s just how good outfits are meant to make you feel, right?

I may be a little off, but we consumed close to 52 growlers worth of Peixoto iced coffee in 2016!

During March, Scott and I took a whirlwind trip for my work to Carlsbad/San Diego, California! We stuck our toes in the sand, saw the colorful flower fields of Carlsbad and spent time reconnecting on our long drives to and from our destinations. It might sound a bit sappy, but there is no one I would rather travel with than Scott — he’s my favorite co-pilot!  

While February was filled with prepping for our new home, we spent January gearing up for the New Year and celebrating our second anniversary in Nashville! We absolutely loved our time in Music City, and hope to go back in the near future (preferably during the warmer months!). Here’s a big peek into our time in Tennessee and all of our favorite places — one, two, three and four!

2016 was one for the books and we couldn’t feel more thankful for such a big year! We also couldn’t feel more grateful for you, and want to thank you all SO, SO much for following along on this crazy and beautiful journey we call life! Your sweet comments and visits to our blog mean more to us than you know! Thank you, thank you! Here’s to an incredible and adventurous 2017 — we can’t wait to see what the New Year has in store for us!

-Chelsea xo

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Outfits

MY FAVORITE PART OF TOWN

12.29.16

With the rush of the holidays, I never got around to sharing these photos from a little pre-Christmas shopping trip that Scott and I took to downtown Mesa. This little strip of the city holds such a special place in my heart, from going to shows in high school at Sweet Cakes and the Women’s Club (which is in the prettiest old white building you ever did see), to taking music lessons at Milano’s and spending time down here with Scott when were just so young and in love. Downtown Mesa holds so many good memories for me, so it’s always nice to come down here, park the car and take a little stroll (or go shopping, in this case). 

Scott and I actually came down here on a mission — to pick up an M4 for my dad at Milano’s for Christmas! When we were in SLC this past summer, my dad bought Scott and I one of these nifty little guitar/ukulele/mandolin mash-ups and we figured it was only proper to pay the favor. This nifty little guitar has been a favorite around our home, and I have a feeling that it will be around my folks’ house here soon too. It’s pretty easy to play — with just four strings, it makes it all pretty easy and fun. 

With our mission completed, Scott and I decided to have lunch at Worth Takeaway — our favorite sandwich shop in Mesa! Their homemade chips are so delicious, and their rotating soda flavors are always so yummy. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and get the veggie on greens and whatever the special is that day — promise you won’t be disappointed!

How has your post-holiday been? Relaxing, I hope! We’ve been a bit busy around here with work and a few home projects, but we’re excited go out for an actual date night tonight and see the new Star Wars. An Alamo Drafthouse just opened up not too far from our home, and since we’ve heard such good things about the one in Austin — we’re really excited to check it out. 

Madewell Maison Button-Back Top                                                                                                        Madewell Bandana                                                                                        
Free People Chunky Sweater (similar!) 
Leather Watch c/o Fossil
Madewell High-Rise Skinny Jeans                                                                                                       Anthropologie Faux Pom-Pom                                                                                                             Seychelles Booties (similar!)

Have any plans for the evening or the weekend yet? I really want to finish up the home projects we’ve been working on, and maybe take a peek at our local West Elm — I have a few home decor items in mind that I want in our home for the New Year, and I wouldn’t mind just taking a stroll around one of my favorite stores eihter. Anyways, hope ya have a great night!

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

TO ALL THE NEW YEAR BRINGS!

12.29.16

With the Christmas ornaments all packed away, the pine wreaths taken off the doors and the twinkle lights placed in their boxes, our house is now feeling back to normal (and maybe even a little bit bare). Scott and I had a really lovely Christmas — time spent with both sides of our family, exchanging of very thoughtful gifts (rose gold earrings that have been on my wishlist!) and lots of delicious food eaten until our bellies were way too full. The holidays are my jam, and while I may be feeling a bit of the post-holiday blues (it’s always over way too quick!), I really loved our first holiday season in our new home and feel very grateful for our cozy, and very Christmassy space this year. With the New Year up next, I have one last things to finally do — send out our holiday cards! 

Scott and I’s sweet friend, Rennai, shot these photos of us back in November! I had all intentions of using them for this year’s holiday cards, but was a tad behind in getting them ordered — so New Year’s cards they became! And in case you’re wondering, I ordered these from Artifact Uprising and love the quality. Anyways, we love shooting with Rennai (she shot us and our house for our Design*Sponge feature), so it was such a treat to spend some more time with her out in the beautiful desert on a gorgeous fall day. 

2017 is shaping up to be an amazing year, and while I don’t have any big goals or resolutions in mind (as of yet, anyways), I know this year has so much potential to be great. And now, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few of my favorite snaps that didn’t quite make the Christmas card, but rather all came in second place —

Here’s to the New Year, sweet friends! May it bring you something (or someone) sweet!

-Chelsea xo

All photos by Rennai Hoefer of Ten 22 Studio

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Uncategorized

AROUND OUR HOME — 06

12.27.16

“It’s such a cold December! It’s such a cold December! It’s so cold! La, la, la, La, la, la, la” — Cold December by Matt Costa // Indeed, its been such a cold December here in the desert! Over the past few years, we’ve had a very warm holiday season, but this year the Valley of the Sun kept its cool and let us desert rats have the chance to really bundle up and get the full “Southwest Winter” effect. 50 degrees and windy in the desert is no joke – ha! Now, if only some of that beautiful snow would make its way down the Superstition Mountains into town — so close, yet so far away! 

Now that the holidays are over and the New Year is on it’s way, I wanted to share a few photos from our first Christmas season in our new home. I mentioned in my last post what a special season this was to be celebrating in our very own place, and while I already have big plans for next year’s decor, I really love how cozy and warm our home felt this holiday season and will really miss all the decorations once they’re boxed up and stored away. But who am I kidding, though, I’m also really excited for a clean space to head into the New Year with! Anyone else with me?

A few peeks into our home during the holidays — 

— This faux tree has seen its fair share of Christmases around here, and while she might had looked a tad bit small in our new place — she got the job done! Also, we like an eclectic mixture of ornaments around here! 😉

— A snap from our holiday wreath decorating post! This wooden sign was a fun collaboration from last year between Scott and local creative, Katie Sterbenz — a piece that will be hanging on our holiday wreaths for years to come. 

– This DIY entryway mantle has been of my most favorite pieces that Scott built for our new home. I really enjoy dressing it up for the seasons, and Christmas was no exception. The pine garland was made from tree scraps and a bit of wire (plus nails to keep it secure) — next year I might add in a bit of holly or a dried citrus garland to add to some color to it! 

Have you already started to take down your holiday decor? What was your favorite piece this year? Did you go Christmas decoration shopping today too? It’s the best day of the year to stock up and find new pieces to love for the coming year!

Happy Holidays, sweet friends! I hope you’re having the best holiday season!

-Chelsea xo

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