Outfits

HEY THERE, SEPTEMBER

09.03.16

Happy September, friends! The unofficial start to my favorite season is finally here and you can bet that I’ve already started to pull out bits and pieces of my autumn décor, wardrobe and of course – have already treated myself to a pumpkin spice latte! It may still be in the 100’s here during the day, but the mornings and nights are getting cooler as the days go on, and my urge to layer-up and pull out my favorite coats and sweaters is getting stronger and stronger! What can I say – I’m way too ready for those fall vibes, haha! 

Anyways, Scott and I recently went on a little date night and I decided it was the perfect evening to pull out this new bomber jacket that I recently received from Banana Republic. The bomber jacket trend is big for fall, and I love how this one is lightweight and sports a fun, classic pattern. I paired it with my favorite pair of skinny jeans, a white tee and a pair of pointy black flats, which is my usual go-to look when I want to feel pulled together, but not too dressy! 

Outfit Details:
Pinstripe Bomber Jacket c/o Banana Republic
Everlane Line T-Shirt                                                                                              
Madewell High Rise Skinny Jeans                                                                                                      Madewell Crossbody Bag (similar!) 
Madewell Flats (similar!)   

Scott and I are kicking off the long weekend by taking a road-trip up north to take in the cooler temps and spend some time with family and a few friends! We’re not exactly camping, but I’m pretty stoked to pull out a sweater, drink some hot coffee and maybe even sit by a bonfire! Do you have any plans for the holiday weekend? Have you had your first PSL yet? 

Be back soon, friends!
-Chelsea xo

Thank you to Banana Republic for sponsoring this post! 

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Lifestyle

SUNDAY BRUNCH AT PEIXOTO COFFEE

08.30.16

We all know it’s true — the weekends were made for brunch dates! A few weeks back, Scott and I stopped in at Peixoto Coffee for their Sunday brunch pop-up with Ennoble AZ! The folks from Ennoble are well known for their delicious pancakes, so we couldn’t pass up a brunch date at our favorite place. After snoozing in a bit, we headed down to Peixoto to claim a seat at the window before it got too busy. We placed our orders for breakfast, and sipped on some iced coffee while we waited! 

Scott had one of Ennoble’s speciality pancakes, carrot cake with goat cheese frosting, and I opted for an acai bowl with gluten-free granola from Chop Shop right around the corner. I’ve been eating primarily gluten-free since October of last year, after being recommended the Low FODMAP Diet after having my gallbladder removed — and while I LOVE pancakes, I usually stick to the GF option and have a tiny bite of Scott’s if I just have to try it. Anyone else feel my pain, haha? Anyways, it was the perfect Sunday brunch date with lots of good food, good coffee and sweet friends! 

Fast forward to this Sunday — we took a last-minute trip to visit my folks and family pups up in Northern Arizona. The temps were in the 60’s, and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day — complete with lots of car sing-alongs, too many french friends and time spent walking through the woods! On top of all of that, I also got to celebrate my best friend this weekend who is getting married in October — so I guess you could truly say it was the most perfect weekend (more on that soon, I promise!). 

How was your weekend? Do you have a favorite brunch spot? What’s your go-to dish?

PS I’m wearing my favorite Madewell Courier Button-Back Shirt here — the cut and pattern are just perfect! 

-Chelsea xo

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Outfits

SUMMER AT THE ORCHARD

08.25.16

As a summer storm rolled through our side of town this evening, I did my best to soak in what will (hopefully) be the last of monsoon season. September is right around the corner, and I couldn’t be looking forward to cooler days, autumn getaways and all of the celebrations the month will bring. In the meantime, I’ll be here feeling extra thankful for only 100 degree days, my sweet husband who always, always supports my dreams (including my little corner here, in blogosphere) and an incredible best friend who I get to shower with lots of love this weekend — she’s getting married in October! 

This week has been one of those where the days have seem to go by slowly and fast all at once. Scott and I have been spending time relaxing and working at home in the evenings, meeting up with new friends and prepping for Court’s shower this weekend! Oh, and watching a few episodes of Gilmore Girls here and there — we’re planning on being fully prepped before the revival airs in November! Any GG fans out there? Raise your hand if you’re Team Jess (ok, ok — and if you’re Team Dean or Logan too, haha). 

This linen dress was a favorite last summer, and I have no idea why it took me so long to pull it out this season! It has the sweetest, criss-cross cut-out in the back and is super easy to wear (breathable + lightweight). Linen has seem to make a strong come back in the last year, and now I have my eye on a few pieces from Elizabeth Suzann and Pyne and Smith who both rock at making beautiful linen pieces that would transition so well into the autumn and winter seasons. This dress is on my wishlist for fall — paired with a cozy cardigan and boots, it would make for the perfect date-night look! 

Outfit Details:
Madewell Mesa Hat (on sale!)
Madewell Coinmix Pendant Necklace                                                                                                 
Madewell Linen Dress (similar!)                                                                                                   Vintage Muse Watch c/o Fossil
Nisolo Huarache Sandal   

I hope ya’ll have a lovely rest of your week! I’ll be getting ready for Court’s shower and checking out the Painted Pretty Pop Up shop to see our good friends, Mom Shirt Co rock their first market! If you’re local, be sure to stop by on Friday night!

-Chelsea xo                                                                                      

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Lifestyle

CITIZEN HOME DECOR: FEATURED + FLEA AFTER DARK

08.23.16

I have some very exciting news — Citizen Home Decor is featured on the Arizona Foothills Magazine website today! Over the past three years, Scott has worked tremendously hard and has poured his heart and passion into his wood working to bring Citizen HD to life. Oftentimes, it’s a family affair — you can find my mom and I stringing ornaments and tying up coasters during the autumn and winter craft season months, but this business truly wouldn’t be what it is without Scott’s desire to create and be involved in our local community, and I honestly couldn’t be more proud of him for his dedication and persistence in finding something that he loves and just going for it! 

Aside for today’s exciting news, I wanted to share a few photos from our first market of the season — Flea After Dark! Leading up to the weeks and days before the flea, Scott put so much time and effort into not only creating and designing new pieces, but also designing and building a totally new booth for the season ahead! Along with selling his state pride plaques, ornaments and coaster, Scott has also added wood and brass serving trays, geometric cutting boards and more entertaining focused items to the shop. These new pieces are a labor of love, and would make the perfect addition to anyone’s home — if I do say so myself! 😉 

Scott just updated his online shop with a few of his new pieces, including geometric and long-handled cutting boards, brass + wood serving trays & more, and we would love if you gave the shop a good peek — let us know what you’re loving and would like to see more of! Oh, and If you’re local to the Phoenix area, our next market is at Pineapple Triangle on Saturday, October 15th! Hope to see so many of you there!

I’ll be back soon, but I hope everyone’s week is off to an amazing start!

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

ON A STORMY SUNDAY

08.22.16

Feeling inspired from my recent Instagram post, I thought I would share here (just in case you were enjoying your own stormy Sunday). I believe that rainy afternoons call for magazines and autumn candy! This bag of candy corn is my first of the season, and while it may seem a little too soon to be celebrating autumn — this desert gal just can’t help herself and is so ready for days that are not 100+ degrees, and to finally being able to wear her beloved boots and scarves once again. So tell me, what’s you favorite fall treat? I LOVE candy corn, caramel apple suckers and PSLs!

Other than dreaming of fall, Scott and I have been enjoying a quiet day and evening at home — cleaning, creating and resting before the week ahead. Is it just me, or do Sundays always seem to go by way too fast? And If you’re curious —

– this blog post really sparked my interest this weekend.

– i can’t stop watching reruns of Fixer Upper. 

– i recently purchased this Madewell top and think it’ll be a perfect, transitional piece for summer to autumn.

Hope you have a great rest of your evening, friends!

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

A DUSTY SUNSET

08.18.16

As the month goes on, our days are beginning to feel shorter — with the sun setting earlier, and earlier each day. I’m always slightly surprised when this begins to happen, even though we go through this every year. For now, though, I’m going to try and savor these last few weeks of long summer days and pretend darker days aren’t on the horizon (ok — that sounds a bit much, but I seriously have such a problem when the sun sets at 5pm — it just doesn’t feel right). Sunsets aside, our monsoon season is still in full swing around here and we’ve been having the dustiest of days. Our “haboobs” always seem to make the national news, and our home sits right at the beginning of where the wall of dust usual starts — making for a terrifying view that feels like something straight out of the mummy, and also the most beautiful of sunsets as the dust swirls around and colors the clouds the most beautiful shades of orange, red, purple and grey. If you’ve never experience a haboob before, I wouldn’t say you’re missing out — but it’s quite the sight to see!

Aside from these stormy days, things have been pretty low-key around here. Scott and I have spending our evenings going on walks and trying to stick to a work-out routine — nothing too crazy, but we’ve been having fun trying out different apps and figuring out ways to keep each other motivated. During the summertime, our level of activity tends to go way down because it’s just too hot to be outside. We’ve tried going the gym route, but we both just like to do our own thing and have fun sweating it out together at our local park or even in our backyard. If you have any app suggestions, we would love to hear them — so far the Seven app has been our favorite.

This combo of a cargo green vest (or jacket for the office), mixed with a black/white top, dark denim and my Nisolo Huarache Sandals has been my uniform as of lately. I work in a pretty laid-back office three days a week (and two days at home), and while I want to feel pulled together and professional around my teammates, I also want to feel comfortable — so having a “uniform” for those days that I know will always look nice and be easy to pull together in the rush of running out the door is a huge bonus for me! I’m not big into labels, but I feel like the idea of a capsule wardrobe could easily apply to my work week wardrobe (and who am I kidding — probably even my weekend wardrobe too – although, I do have a better mixture of dresses and giant hats mixed into that bunch — ha!). Do you relate to the capsule wardrobe concept? Sometimes I worry it may make me feel too limited in my wardrobe, while other times it feels like exactly what I need and where I want my style to be! Ok — I might be rambling at this point, but I would love to know your thoughts! 

Old Navy Cargo Vest (similiar!) 
Madewell High-Riser Skinny Jeans
Black Blakeslee Embroidered Top c/o Francescas
Nisolo Huarache Sandal                                                                                                           Madewell Zipper Transport Bag  

Be back soon, sweet friends! 

-Chelsea xo

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Outfits

OUR DOWNTOWN

08.16.16

Happy Monday, friends! After a very restful weekend I’m stoked to be back here, blogging and focusing more time into this little space of mine in the blogosphere. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m terrible at resting. I constantly feel like I need to “go, go, go” — which I’ve learned is a blessing and a curse — but this weekend just felt like the best time to take a rest and get recharged for the rest of the month ahead of us! While Scott and I didn’t venture out too much, a stop in at our favorite local coffee shop in our darling downtown was a must. 

At least once (and sometimes twice) a week, Scott and I carry our one gallon growler down to Peixoto Coffee for a refill. During the wintertime, we usually make hot coffee at home — but in the summer, iced coffee is a must and we try never to let our growler go empty. It’s actually a pretty cost effective way for us to get our daily coffee in, and while we definitely could make our own own cold brew at home — we would miss going into Peixoto way too much. For us, coffee is more than just a drink — it’s a community, and one that we’re incredibly thankful for in our little downtown area. 

Now that we’re well into August and through most of the summer months, I’m really feeling the itch to switch up my wardrobe. While warm weather clothing is a necessary in the desert (almost always), I keep grabbing for a few of my fall favorites and just wishing it was cool enough to wear them longer than five minutes outside in this heat. Is anyone else starting to feel this itch? Recently, I picked up this shirt at Madewell on a whim and its become my new go-to (seriously, I just took outfit photos in it two weeks in a row and didn’t even realize it until I pulled up the photos on my computer, haha). I love the cut, how lightweight the fabric is and that the print is just summery enough, but could also work well in the fall paired with a chunky sweater. Madewell has made a few different versions of this shirt, and I think the plaid version is next up on my fall wishlist. Anyone else buy the same piece of clothing in different colors? Guilty as charged over here! 

This guy has been working so hard lately on his handmade business, Citizen Home Decor, in prep for the upcoming craft season, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. The Flea After Dark was a great way to kick off the season, and now he’s gearing up for his next market in October — Pineapple Triangle! In the meantime, we’ll be selling his handmade pieces wholesale and online — promise to share when all of his new items are live in the shop! You’re going to need one of his brass and wood cheese boards for all of your autumn get-togethers, I promise! 😉

Madewell Courier Button-Back Shirt
Madewell High-Riser Skinny Jeans
Vince Camuto Remme Sandal 
Original Boyfriend Sport Chronograph Watch c/o Fossil                                                                     Madewell Zipper Transport Bag

I hope your week is off to a great start, friends! Scott and I are currently sitting side by side, both working on our computers and listening to a very sleep kitty snore between us. I swear, our kitty Peter has become more and more snuggly in recent months. I’m a big animal lover (I’m sure you’ve figured that out now from my Insta stories, haha!), and it warms my heart to have him be so loving. Ok, this sap is out, but I’ll be back soon!

-Chelsea xo

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Lifestyle

AROUND OUR HOME — 02

08.11.16

August is already flying by and our days have been just filled to the brim — no complaining here, though, this month has brought so much joy into our life. From celebrating with good friends, working hard on our home, selling for Citizen Home Decor at PHX Flea and so much more — August is shaping up to be the best summer month yet.

Lately, my honey-do list for Scott has been extra long — with custom shelves, benches and potted plants in my requests. I’ve been feeling extra inspired in our home, though, and snapping silly photos here and there each day. We still have so much work to do, but this place is really shaping up. I think our little kitty, Boots, would agree! 😉 

– I’m loving these brass brackets that we picked up at World Market recently — they make the perfect addition to our new entryway shelf! 

– We just hung this peg rack in our office space and I’m loving the style (and storage) it brings to the space. 

– This handmade, woven basket that I picked up during our trip to Utah in July has been the perfect farmers market companion — last week I filled it with fresh veggies and gluten-free bread!

How has August been treating you? I’m excited to keep working on our home, (hopefully) host a dinner party very soon, and spoil my bestie in celebration of her upcoming wedding toward the end of the month! What are you looking forward to this month?

-Chelsea xo

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Outfits / Travel

DAYTRIPPIN’ – FLAGSTAFF, AZ

08.09.16

When the daily temperatures in Phoenix become unbearable during the summertime, us locals like to escape the heat and head up north for the day — which is exactly what Scott and I did a few weekends back when we just couldn’t handle the heat anymore! We got up early on a Saturday, grabbed a quick breakfast and then headed out on the road. We had every intention of stopping in Sedona and spending the day venturing around the tiny town, but as we got closer to the exit and saw that it was still going to be 95+, we decided to keep driving and make our way to Flagstaff where it was a cool 85 degrees (sweater weather for us desert rats — 😉 ). 

Once we arrived in Flag, we parked in our usual spot near the train tracks and headed to Macy’s for lunch. Scott and I had our favorite — grilled cheese with soup and salad (the best combo at Macy’s — says anyone)! We scored a seat outside and enjoyed our lunch in the shade along the front of the building — enjoying the nice weather and deciding on where to head to next.

After we finished up lunch, we decided to leave the car and make the walk toward downtown Flagstaff to take a look through a few of our favorite shops and grab some coffee. It was such a beautiful day, and Scott and I were both feeling super thankful that we made the last minute decision to hop in the car and head north for the day. 

This little alley way is one of my favorites in the city, as it leads right into the cutest shopping area with a darling clothing boutique, sandwich shop, coffee house and tons of other quaint little shops. There’s actually a giant mural just to the left that we usually snap photos in front of when we come through this part of town, but the light streaming in through the alley way was just too pretty to pass up. 

After spending some time wandering around downtown, we decided to grab a few iced coffees and hit the road. Our plan was to stop in at Slide Rock on our way back to Phoenix, which we did — but it was so crazy busy there that I barely snapped any photos! If you’ve never been, Slide Rock is a state park between Flagstaff and Sedona, which gets its name from its natural water slide that was formed by the slippery bed of Oak Creek. It’s truly so beautiful there, with its red rocks and rushing water — but man, Saturdays in July are not the time to go down there (now we know, for next time at least). Scott and I did both have a little dip in the water, and he road the slide down the slick path past me as I sat soaking in the sun and trying my hardest not to get sunburned — I didn’t want to look like a cherry red tomato the next day, haha! 

Outfit Details:
Madewell Mesa Hat (on sale!)
Madewell Denim Vest (similar!)                                                                                                    Target Who What Wear Peplum Top (similar!)
Madewell High-Riser Skinny Jeans
Black Saltwater Sandals
Madewell Transport Tote

As a few storm clouds started to roll in, we packed up our things and started the drive back home. We were both feeling pretty tired from the sun and heat at Slide Rock, so we decided to skip stopping in at Sedona and opted for a quick break at our favorite pie place on our way back into town. It was the perfect day trip and I’m already dreaming of our next one — maybe to Tucson, but it will definitely not be any cooler there, haha! Where’s your favorite place to take a day trip to? Have a great week, sweet friends! 

-Chelsea xo

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Travel

THE PROVO FARMERS MARKET

08.04.16

I’ve said it before and I’ll said it again — farmers markets are my jam! When we were in Utah last month, we had the chance to stop by Provo’s farmers market on a beautiful Saturday morning. Summer is not the ideal time of year for outdoor markets in Arizona, so it was so nice to be able to take a stroll through the booths, grab an iced coffee and enjoy the cool weather while we did a bit of shopping.

This farmers market had a great mix of fresh fruits and produce, plants, handmade goods, flowers and delicious treats. I’m a big fan of summer fruits, so I loved grabbing a big bag of these sweet cherries and eating them as we walked around the market.

Scott was really into these handmade wooden spoons and utensils that a really sweet older man was selling. Scott has been trying his hand at carving spoons lately, so it was fun to see him chat with the man about his technique and any tips and tricks he had for getting each piece just right. Scott ended up picking out a spoon made out of walnut for us to bring back home — a sweet, non-touristy souvenir that has become a bit of a tradition for us since we picked up a set back in Springfield early on in the summer!

After spotting this handmade, woven basket in a nearby booth — I knew this would be my  souvenir. I love a good market bag, and this one seemed perfect to carry around at our own local farmers market in the fall. I actually just spotted a similar one on Etsy, so if you’re in the market — this one is super cute! Anyways, I really enjoyed the Provo Farmers Market and look forward to going back next year. In the meantime, our FM season is just gearing up around here and I’m really excited to start shopping at our local market on a regularly basis again — we’re probably going to miss it this weekend, but I’m really excited for our booth at Phoenix Flea in the evening on Saturday. Hope to see all of you local folks there! Chelsea xo

Outfit Details:
Madewell Mesa Hat (on sale!)
Lucky Brand Embroidered Top (on sale!)
Madewell High-Riser Skinny Jeans
Madewell Boardwalk Sandals (on sale!)
Wicker Farmer’s Market Bag (super similar!)       

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