i am dying over these images from instyle mag.
the stars of divergent are beyond chic in every possible way.
take a peak.
how stunning are they?
and that backdrop ain't too shabby either.
love. love. love.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
winter retreat.
i am dreaming of a winter getaway this morning.
while the weather is a tad bit cooler here in our parts.
i catch myself longing for a true wintery. blustery. day.
you know.
the kind of day where you drink hot cocoa. & chili simmers on the stove.
you play games. like scrabble. and lounge by a crackling fire.
you steal kisses from your lovie & he steals your heart all over again.
so. in my cozy little home. we play make believe.
we cozy up on our overstuffed leather couch. snuggled up in a fur blanket.
still in our jam jams. cup of piping hot tea in hand.
cinnamon candle burning. andrea bocelli singing in the background.
and i imagine that i am tucked away in one of these little gems.
who wants to join us?
a couples winter wonderland retreat sounds divine.
a girl can daydream.
the lollicake queen.
in a quaint little area of sarasota.
there is a little walking neighborhood.
with little shopping plazas.
and in this little neighborhood.
there is a darling little cake pop shop.
with an impossibly sweet baker behind the counter.
allow me the pleasure of introducing you to
the lollicake queen.
where every girl gets her crown. gets her cake. & gets to eat it. too.
how sweet is that?!
the glass window display boasts the most beautiful cake pops i have ever laid eyes on.
with the most scrumptious of all flavors you could ever imagine.
like banana bread. & sugar cookie. & key lime pie. & coconut macaroon.
cookies & cream. & strawberry. & chocolate. too.
some baked with the goodness of old family recipes.
while others are new creations worthy of praise.
aren't they just the most lovely pops ever?
too pretty to eat.
well . . . almost.
it is quite impressive. every single pop is exactly the same size. same shape.
they have mastered the art of rolling the pops to perfection.
that may seem like a silly little thing . . .
but it is all about the details.
it is the little things that make such a huge difference.
. . . like packaging. and bows.
which the queen has also perfected.
the little cellophane wrappers. pink bows. & crown tags. are just precious.
they would surely make for a beautiful presentation as a gift to a faraway friend.
oh! which reminds me.
the lollicake queen will ship her pretty little pops.
yahoo! yippee! woo-hoo!
by the end of our adventure to sarasota we had eaten every last morsel.
literally. we ate like eight cake pops.
{baby patrick had his eye on the snickerdoodle pop. but grandma beat him to it}
so if you are in need of a sweet treat delivery to a deserving friend.
keep the lollicake queen in mind. she will make it happen.
but more importantly.
if you are close by. take a little afternoon trip to the shop.
you will be oh. so. happy. that you did!
thanks for the sweets little miss lollicake queen.
vintage glam.
be still my little glam loving heart.
i am dying. simply dying. over the latest feature in matchbook magazine.
it shines the light upon a vintage new york city bride.
and. she. is. just. fantastically. glamorous.
traipsing along the streets of manhattan's neighborhoods.
absolutely stunning.
channeling audrey hepburn.
{who i am certain i would be besties with if had the chance}
oh. to stroll the streets of manhattan under the cover of a parasol.
that dress. the lace. those earrings. ahhh!
this has my name all over it.
this outfit is just out of this world perfect.
love the top knot bun. love the jeweled peter pan collar. love the shift dress.
love the mod earrings. love the dramatic lashes.
i. need. this. entire. ensemble.
so chic. so elegant. so retro its just not right.
swooning over that pearl clutch.
if i were to ever be a new york city bride.
i would certainly hope to be as impossibly chic as she.
hop on over to matchbook mag to view the entire feature.
you will be left in awe of the mega-watt glam factor.
nyc bound.
alright my little lovelies.
i need some guidance from all of you.
mom. dad. & i booked a last minute trip up to new york city.
we leave next saturday. & will be there for three short days.
i can hardly stand my excitement.
as i have been longing to visit that little island.
{manhattan will always have a little piece of this gals heart}
while in the city. we have nothing on the agenda except
shopping. park strolling. museum hopping.
a little more shopping. eating great food. & some more shopping.
a. perfect. fall. weekend. in. the. crisp. nyc. air.
so.
i want to hear your all-time fave places to eat in the city.
after living in nyc for two years. i certainly have my faves.
but i want to hear about yours.
fancy. casual. modern. hole in the wall. ethnic. finger foods. seven course meals.
any kind of food will do.
as long as it is well worth the trip.
do tell.
if you had one day in the city.
where would you stop for breakfast? lunch? dinner?
xoxo
carolina in my mind.
today. if only for the moment. in my mind i'm gone to carolina.
and anticipating this fall when my lovie & i will really be in carolina
my heart fills with an abundance of joy.
you see.
having gone to school in north carolina.
and my lovie's family being from north carolina.
a piece of our hearts will always be in that charming state.
whether at the outer banks. wandering the islands beside the wild horses.
or tucked away in the mountains. hiking & biking through the scenic landscape.
there are few places more lovely than sweet, sweet north carolina.
in a few months my lovie & i are headed up to stay in the great smoky mountains.
we will be cozied up in this charming cabin overlooking the nantahala gorge.
how impossibly quaint & sweet is this cabin?
the perfect little getaway for my lovie & some of our dearest friends.
i can already see us spending hours exploring the mountains by day.
and then sitting around the campfire.
drinking spiked apple cider & roasting marshmallows by night.
we have just started to plan our little trip & are counting down the days months.
there are so many activities that we can hardly wait to take part in.
white water rafting. hiking. lake boating. fly fishing. mountain biking.
ahh how fun is this going to be?!
{not to mention. the local towns are sprinkled with fabulous antique shopping}
believe it or not. i have already started planning out my camping attire.
i am going for cabin-chic. woodsy-wowser. rustic-glam.
hello, mountain hideaway must-haves.
this is perfect for the days spent antiquing & wandering small towns.
love the layered chambray. sweater. & vest.
and how about those shoes?!
love. love. love.
burnt orange pants? tartan button down? charcoal vest?
yes, please!
i have a feeling this will be my everyday hair-do for our cabin retreat.
a perfectly messy french braid. it just seems so terribly romantic.
i cannot wait to share our adventures with you.
i will be certain to take a ton of pictures of our great smoky mountain adventure.
if you are looking for a fall getaway. even just a long weekend vacay.
you should definitely look into staying at the nantahala overlook cabin.
it is so wonderfully charming.
{images courtesy of nantahala overlook cabin. rikshaw design}
scoot. scoot.
alright, you seekers of adventure & lovers of excitement.
i have got such a fun story to share with you.
a stay in florence simply is not complete without a scooter tour.
oh yes, a vespa scoot-scoot ride through the countryside of florence.
hands-down the most thrilling way to view the scenery.
and the helmets are actually quite cute to boot, too.
in our short stay in florence we called up keith and andy of tuscany bike tours.
we had heard rave reviews from friends who have done this tour in the past,
so we just knew it was a must-do on our day trip.
and oh my, these boys do not disappoint.
it quite possibly was the best day of our italian vacay.
we started the day off with some pastries from an authentic little bakery
just down the road from tuscany bike tours home office.
we highly recommend the chocolate croissants.
they are the perfect source of energy for a highly active day.
after fueling up for our tour, we headed on out to the countryside.
the views in every direction were simply stunning.
keith and andy start the adventure by guiding a tour of this sweet little town.
the town is owned by a count & countess... which added a new goal to my list of to-dos.
become a countess & live in a castle upon a tall hill.
this town is the home to a lovely winery that happens to make fabulous wines.
after touring that winery, we headed to the tippy-top of the castle.
where we stumbled upon these most beautiful views.
an italian cypress lined drive? yes, please.
magnifico, right?!
the town chapel. so sweet.
absolutely lovely.
after taking in the views. & the wine.
it was go time.
we started off by practicing driving in circles.
i felt really good about my scoot-scoot skills the first lap or two.
and then it went downhill from there.
i totally froze.
like the big weenie baby i am.
i may look like a real pro in this picture, but don't be fooled.
minutes after this i quickly decided that i would rather be a rider than a driver.
thankfully, our guide didn't laugh at me. too much.
and he kindly allowed me to be the passenger on his bike.
i showed my appreciation by volunteering to do all the proper bike signals.
i am pretty sure i was a real big helper for him.
after everyone else was warmed up, we were off on our way.
slowing down only for views like this one.
and this one.
and this one.
it was so amazing to drive the winding hill streets of florence.
the wind in our hair. the sun on our shoulders.
on top of the world.
surrounded by wild flowers.
and majestic castles.
super studly scooter boy.
i clearly did not want to take my helmet off.
safety first, friends.
keith and andy planned the most perfect day for us.
i highly recommend that if you are in the florence area
you make this bike tour top on your list of things to do.
you will have a boat load of fun. lots of laughs. and unforgettable memories.
a day of adventure that trumps all others.
thanks tuscany bike tours!
civita di bagnoregio.
civita may be my all time fave town in italy.
a quaint & ancient town that boasts the talents of sweetly doing nothing.
a town that very few get the pleasure of seeing. and even fewer greatly appreciate.
sitting on its great pedestal, civita is perched high in the clouds on top of a great rock.
only accessible by foot, one crosses the long bridge to enter the romanesque arches
carved out by the etruscan population 2,500 years ago.
civita is a remarkable witness of history.
while i am a city girl through & through,
i found an overwhelming amount of pleasure strolling these empty streets.
there are no museums. no shops. no tours.
no attractions for the usual tourist.
there are simply tiny roads, puzzle pieced together.
and family eateries, where mother. father. & children work together.
and homes that are populated by those who appreciate a true tuscan getaway.
the getaway that fills your days with drinking wine. eating food. and sitting the day away.
all the while overlooking the tuscany countryside surrounding.
join me for a stroll through civita.
a true italian gem.
isn't it just magnificent?
the way the sun reflects golden hues is simply stunning.
{that is us hiking the long, steep bridge that connects civita to outside towns}
i could absolutely come home to this sweet little door stoop.
everywhere you look. every street you turn down.
every one is lovelier than the last.
i adore all the rich textures that make up this town.
the stones. the clay. the woods.
they all boast so much character & charm.
that view is amazing.
God sure knows how to make this world a beautiful one.
i could not get enough of the architectural brilliance.
we had the most amazing dinner in this wine cellar cave.
absolutely amazing in every way. and the food was hugely superb.
love my little lovie.
our little noses are pink from days spent beneath the tuscan sun.
drew baby. looking dapper as can be.
a toast to an amazing trip with even more amazing friends.
italy 2012 was more fabulous than i had ever imagined.
if you ever have the chance to visit civita. you must do so.
simply stroll through the town & rest in the piazza.
it will provide the most abundant of all joys.
xoxo.
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