Etsy Everything // Holiday Cards

1canoe2

It's that time of year when the Holiday cards are pouring out the mailbox.  I have a weird confession to make, I hate getting the mail. There is way too much junk and very few fun pieces of mail on an average day.  But, the holidays are no average day! This is the one time of year I love to get the mail and filter through the junk to get to the glorious cards.  Today we have scoured the wonderful etsy world to find some pretty cool holiday cards. These are a great way to add a personal "hey, I'm thinking of you" to someone's day.

1canoe2

ellolovey

ellolovey

StationaryBakery

AshleyPahl

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Fashion // Autumn

One significant perk of living in New England is autumn. The turning leaves, pumpkin picking, apple picking, soft light, warmer textures and darker moods all come out in the clothing. People are layering up and pulling out the sweaters.  I just love fall colors and tones and really enjoy incorporating those into my outfits. 

With this outfit I sadly cannot direct you to a place to buy these pieces.  They were both thrifted and the hat is from Need Supply two years ago. I hadn't gotten a chance to wear the skirt I picked up at a second hand store in Burlington VT until our dinner party.  It's so great for fall.  I love the midi length. 

I've been pretty fascinated with dark lipsticks and nail color. The just fits with the autumn colors and earlier sunsets.  Shorter days seem to give off different light in New England. It feels moodier. 

Event // Autumn Dinner Party

Dinner Parties! We love them, you love them. They are a good time.  Hosting dinner parties was one of my favorite parts of getting an apartment in my early 20's, and it has not changed to this day. Autumn offers so much inspiration for dinner parties. The colors are richer and the textures are rougher.  It's really fun coming up with combinations for decorations.  For this dinner party we started with a lush deep green wreath Erin had made and added produce like pumpkins, carrots and pomegranates.  The colors of the fruits and veggies against the deep green looked great together. 

By using produce we were able to keep the costs of putting together the table down.  This could be a great idea for Thanksgiving, or switch out different seasonal fruits and vegetables for other seasons.

The gold plates and smoked black glasses added even more richness to the table.  We usually tend to lean on the light side of earthy, but it was really fun to have dark and moody elements.  Adding the candles kept the table moody and added some necessary light since the sunsets are getting earlier. 

What dinner party is complete without great friends?  It was so nice sharing a meal and conversation with these fantastic people. At the end of the day a dinner party is just a great excuse to see people and talk over a good meal. 

Etsy Everything // Father's Day

BartekDesigns

Father's Day is fast approaching.  I don't know about you, but I'm usually pretty stumped when it comes to what to get my dad for Father's Day. He's a pretty simple guy who isn't even sure himself when you ask him what he'd like. The one thing I knew I could get him was a bow tie, but then he went and retired.  So this year is going to be tough.  I'm hoping to make your hunt a little easier with this post.  Etsy really does have it all, thus the name "Etsy Everything" for this feature. After spending some time over there I think I got a pretty good selection for you all. First up, we have some man accessories for all those professionals or even just for fancy events. I highly recommend you checking out BarketDesigns and APRILLOOKshop.  Both of these shops have such a great selection.  So many bow ties, long ties, and handkerchiefs. 

APRILLOOKshop

For The Techy Guy

garnydesigns 

I found quite a few things for those out there with a techy dad. I love the wallet above.  I kind of think I might get it for myself.  Oh, the pitfalls of shopping for others. I usually end up finding something for myself too.  During my search I found a really cool desk stand by Terryswoodworking and a docking station by BatelierHandicraft.  Both of these would be great for anyone who's really into their smartphone, tablet etc.  They all need to be charged and stored! Might as well be in the sleek docking station.

Terryswoodworking

BatelierHandicraft

CamAndMore

For the Treky Guy

NanLawson

Ha! Get it? Star Trek. Yup, you get it.

I just really like this print.  I highly recommend taking a look at Nan Lawson's page.  There are so many great prints over there that you can get with different pop culture references. 

I hope this was helpful and everyone enjoys the day of celebrating fathers/father figures.  

Travel // Wethersfield, CT

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day!  

I had some family visiting from out of state for the week and part of the weekend and we were searching for some last minute things to do in area.  We happened to come across a festival happening in Wethersfield, CT.  I had never been to this charming town before but with some quick googling found that it is famous for being the “Ye Most Ancient Towne” in Connecticut founded 1633-1634.  

It just happened to be the "Wethersfield Heritage Weekend" which included a Revolutionary War Encampment and Revolutionary War re-enactments, so of course we jumped in our car and headed there for the day.

The encampment and re-enactment sure didn't disappoint.  We even got to walk around and speak to the "red coats", dentists and doctors of the camp.

  The doctor above was explaining in detail how he amputated limbs.

We also decided to walk around the block and check out all the homes still lived in from the 

1700's and 1800's.  

So if you are looking for a historic charming town to visit in Connecticut, check out Wethersfield!

Weekend Casuals

The weather in Connecticut is finally getting to the point where it is consistently nice. The windows are open, the shorts and dresses have been pulled out of storage. It's been a long winter and this weather is much appreciated.  

Today we are showing you my current weekend wear.  I have been wearing a variation of this outfit almost every weekend for the past couple of weeks.  It's just so comfortable and a versatile.  The shorts were boyfriend jeans that were just a little too big and not very flattering.  I was thinking about tossing them and then had the idea to cut them into shorts, inspired by Madewell's current spring/summer catalog. Well, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. These shorts are so comfortable. I love them paired with my white converse.  It's still transitioning into shorts and t-shirt weather, so I've been wearing long sleeve shirts and sweaters with the shorts when it's a little cooler. 

One thing I love about Connecticut is the woods. I grew up running around and playing in the woods and it was such a fun childhood. I still feel a bit like a kid jumping from rock to rock when I spend time out there.

Outfit Details

shorts - cut from H&M boyfriend jeans

sweater - Target

necklace - Madewell

shoes - Converse

Photos - Erin // Author - Amanda

DIY: Crocus Flower Crown

It's finally starting to warm up around our parts here in Connecticut.  Flowers are out in bloom and what a perfect time of year to make some flower crowns.  I will show you how we made our Crocus flower crowns for this photo shoot but you can use any flowers in bloom near you.

What You Need:

Floral Tape

Floral Wire

Scissors

Fresh Flowers/Greens

For our crowns we used Crocus flowers (for Crocus specifically, don't cut the leaves, they need those to grow next year) and some evergreen leaves.

Start by measuring your head using the floral wire and cut to length.  We went around twice with the wire so it was sturdy and then twisted the ends together.

Find the center of your crown and place your first flower and attach it with the floral tape.  Continue by placing the next flower or evergreen behind the first and tape it to the wire.  Do this until that side of the crown is complete.

Once the first side is complete, repeat the same process on the other side by starting in the middle and facing the two sides together.

Finish by wrapping the remaining exposed wire with floral tape.

Photo above shows the crowns half completed.

And there you have it! 

 Beautiful flower crowns to use for your photo shoots or other spring event.