Hello lovelies! My husband and I had our 2nd annual end of the summer pool party this past weekend, and it was so so great to meet up with old friends we don't see as much now that we have moved outside of Los Angeles. Last year, we did the typical beer and wine refreshments, and this year I wanted to spice it up a bit! {C H A M P A G N E B A R} I saw this idea on buzzfeed, and decided I had to try for our party! I set up iced champagne, OJ, and a variety of fruits (I chose watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, and limes) I actually found this sign at Walmart under $2! (I would just like to say I am very rarely in Walmart...but I was so excited to find this little sign!) These glasses were 6/$4.99 at Ikea Overall it was a lot of fun, and I loved the idea! Next time, I plan on offering more juices (maybe watermelon, strawberry, etc.) Share your own fun party drink ideas in the comments below! I'm always looking for new cute ideas for acceptable day drinking. :D xo Sydney
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What do all these photos have in common...? eBay finds of course!! I've decided to start a new series where I share a quick tip every Thursday, aka Quick Tip Thursday! :) This weeks tips? Utilize the 'ending soonest' list sorting option in eBay. I typically have a list of items I am looking for, but I am waiting on the best deal. I love using the 'ending soonest' option because you would be surprised at how many sleepers go through eBay every day! This option will let you see if any items have gotten little attention and are about to end at an incredibly low price. Bid quickly and enjoy the fancy find! Have your own tips? Please share them below, or in the contact page above! xo Sydney
N O R T H C A R O L I N A From Savannah, GA, we made our way to our final destination, Wolf Laurel Ski Resort in North Carolina. My grandparents have a cabin here, and aside from a family reunion it was also my grandfather's 75th birthday! When I say cabin, I really mean the wooden house up on a mountain with no cell reception kind of cabin. While this would make any millennial an anxious mess, it was so great to spend time with family with out any distractions. We had so much fun white water rafting, exploring, and enjoying nature. So much in fact, that I forgot to take pictures of most of it! I snapped a few though, so no worries. ;) What? Doesn't everyone dress this way in nature?? On one of our days in NC, we got to venture out and meet an old friend in Asheville. Who would think such a hipster town could be found in the sprawling green mountains of North Carolina?? Not me. Downtown was ultra cute, with so many interesting restaurants choices and fun decor. I definitely recommend! outfit details: Banana Republic top [new, $10], Banana Republic jeans [new, $40], Gucci flats [new, gift], Gucci bag [second hand, hand me down], Gucci scarf [new, gift], Tiffany & Co necklace [new, gift], Rayban wayfarers [new, gift] Cool bus turned coffee shop Gwynn <3 It all flew by so fast (as most vacations do) and before we knew it, it was time to head home. Our return flight was out of Charlotte, so we left a little early to enjoy lunch in downtown before our flight. How adorable is this coffee shop?! It is called Amelie's French Bakery and Cafe, and I totally fell in love! The decor was exquisite, and the chai latte was the BEST I'VE EVER HAD. Definitely check it out! Enjoying aforementioned chai latte :) It's been so fun reliving our vacation and sharing it with all of you! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have haha. Stay tuned for more fancy finds and #ootd posts coming soon! xo Sydney
S A V A N N A H En route up the East Coast, we stopped in beautiful Savannah to break up the drive. Our original plan was to make the complete drive from Tampa, FL to North Carolina (around 11 hours of driving) in one day, but decided to use some points and book a hotel to explore this old charming town, and I am so so happy that we did! We stayed in the historic downtown district of Savannah, and were just a few blocks from the water. outfit details: Banana Republic top [new, $10], Banana Republic skirt [new, $20], Banana Republic shoes [new, $3], Rebecca Minkoff bag [new, $60] Tiffany & Co necklace [new, gift] Our route was directed towards the river walk area, but our path from the hotel brought us through old shops, boutiques, and hotels within the City Market. The buildings were old and beautiful, and everything seemed to be out of a different time. Not to mention all the amazing different types of trees! (Weird, I know...) I definitely understand the meaning of "southern charm" now. Nearly every sentence ended with a "ma'am" or "sir", and tea is served sweet. I was definitely a fan! To get to this location, we actually had to go down an incredibly steep set of stairs from the main street up above. There was actually a sign before the stairs saying that these are historic stairs, and you should DEFINITELY watch your step. They were crazy! But I so loved the original cobblestone streets. Made the walk difficult in heels, but I managed. ;) SUCH a beautiful day! We were so lucky! Adorable shops lined the streets next to the water. The Olde Pink House ( pictured above) was actually a suggestion given to me by a friend, and I was so glad we went! Aside from how incredibly photogenic the building is, the food was delicious and the interior was amazing! I mean with 4.5 stars after over 2000 reviews on yelp, how can you go wrong?! It was a great way to end our 24 hours in Savannah before returning to our trek up the coast. More soon to come on the rest of our East Coast adventure! Going through all these pictures has me ready for another vacation. :D Any suggestions? xo Sydney
F L O R I D A What a crazy past 11 days it has been!! fancy free has been a bit slow the past week... we were determined to completely enjoy and take in our much anticipated vacay, and that we did! I am so excited to share all our vacation fun, pics, and outfits along the way! Let's get started, shall we? The first leg of our adventure began when we flew into Fort Lauderdale, and quickly scooped up this fun upgrade on our rental car. We drove the coast down (through South Beach) to our hotel for the night in Miami. (If I had known how much car sickness and whiplash this car would cause me during the course of our vacation, I may have not been so eager to hop on the upgrade... the hubby is a *wannabe* race car driver.) We got to our hotel, settled in a bit, and got ready for a night out in downtown Miami. outfit details: Banana Republic white top [new, $15], Banana Republic high waisted shorts [new, $10], Banana Republic nude heels [new, $20], Rebecca Minkoff bag [new, $60] We started our night off by visiting the beautiful Mandarin Oriental (which is sadly where we did NOT stay...atleast this time), and enjoyed a few cocktails (an Aperol Spritz is pictured above) in their upscale MO Bar+Lounge. There were a number of large comfy chairs to choose from, and we sat around for an hour or so to enjoy an amazing duo (a trumpeter and a guitarist) playing and singing beautiful renditions of a variety of Spanish songs. What a way to dive into the culture of Miami! After enjoying the music and a few cocktails at MO, we headed towards downtown Miami and found a Segafredo cafe turned night club. We were greeted with a loud variety of music, and and a plethora of people sunken into big red comfy chairs smoking hookah. We found a high top table, and I had one (or two..) of their delicious mojitos. The limes were squashed with a real wooden spear, which was left in the middle of the drink (pictured above)! We got back to our hotel early morning, and slept off our cocktails for a few hours before enjoying a light breakfast at our hotel's restaurant. After that, we were off to South Beach! outfit details: Banana Republic dress [new, $40], Tommy Hilfiger wedges [new, $25], Louis Vuitton bag [secondhand, $100] Rayban wayfarers [new, gift], Michael Kors watch [new, gift] While sitting at the cafe pictured above, a man walking by stopped, got his sketch book out, and starting this amazing caricature! It's amazing how naturally talented some people just are. Also, his generosity on my features was incredibly appreciated... Love the coloring and original architecture. Feels like in you are in a different time! I'm not for knock offs, but how adorable are these Louis Vuitton and Gucci scooters?! ;) After thoroughly enjoying the coast of Miami, we started our trek to our next destination, Tampa. My "hometown"! (In quotations because I am a military brat...just one of the many places I've lived.) Our first day in Tampa was naturally spent at the beach. California is great and all, but the beaches in Florida are hands down so much better! You can actually get in the water because 1) the water is not freezing and 2) there are no waves trying to kill you (I've been taken out by so many waves in CA...) We went for the day to the luxurious beachfront Don Cesar hotel in St. Pete Beach. The Don Cesar was built in the 1920s, and is the ultimate fabulous pink castle! front of the hotel backview Can you see those beautiful storm clouds rolling in? Luckily we left before the rain struck, but it was amazing to watch, and also cooled the temperature down a bit! Before hitting the beach, we first tried out a restaurant within the hotel called the Sea Porch Restaurant. I started out with a delicious tropical cocktail (sadlycan't remember the name) with lots of flavor and a variety of liquors! (my fave...) Shrimp and crab salad...skimpy on the lettuce, just the way I like it. ;) If you can't tell, I have a thing for mojitos... After our lunch, we headed to the water. We suntanned for a bit, and then made our way into the water. We swam out to a sandbar and enjoyed the views, that is until a mystery animal touched the hubby's leg. Then it was time to swim back... We spent our remaining time in Florida visiting old friends and stomping grounds. Definitely a trip down memory lane! After two days in Florida, we packed up the Mustang and headed to our next destination, Savannah. A post on this location and all its Southern charm coming very soon! Make sure to follow on IG and Facebook (links on the homepage) to keep up to date on all ff posts! xo Sydney
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