Using Travel Pictures Wisely

(From our beach camping trip over the Summer)

We've all heard this saying, haven't we? In this day and age, it seems that everything is about commemorating snapshots of our lives using our cameras, in particular, our cellphone's camera. When we went on our trip a couple weeks ago, we used our phones to take pictures instead of our more professional DSLR. Using our phones was more convenient than pulling out a bigger, heavier camera that could prove to be cumbersome.

I've been bitten by the travel bug lately too. In just a few short weeks, my best friend and I are going to a destination wedding in Hawaii. I've never been to the island of Oahu, so I am extremely excited to explore the city, offset by beautiful ocean. And next Spring Godwilling, Nate and I are going to try our very hardest to make a European vacation happen. I think we are realizing that starting a family is within reach, and we want to see and do as much as possible before babies come into the picture.

In thinking about all of this travel and wanderlust, I stopped and pondered why we haven't yet made good use of these pictures. Even from our wedding and honeymoon last year, our phones and SD cards are filled with undeveloped photos that we could print and use as thank-you cards, Christmas presents, birthday gifts, and for decorating our barren condo walls. I really want our travel to be documented and looked at in a meaningful way, so I've come up with some solutions that I plan on using in the coming months. I hope these tips can help many of you as well!

1. Unload your phone's camera and PRINT them! Easy enough right? Most stores have kiosk stations where you can touch up blurry photos, make them more vibrant in color, or forgo color altogether for that beautiful vintage black and white look.

2. Turn your travel photos into a book. Artifact Uprising is probably my favorite company to use and recommend. Photo books are great because you can set them on your coffee table and they are great conversation starters for your party guests. The best part is reliving those special moments with others. Printing your Instagram photos and using them as prints in your home is also great for guests to look at.

3. Now that the Holidays are upon us, why not use your travel photos as gifts to friends and family? My grandmother loves to travel, and each year when we would gather for Christmas, she would bring her photos for us all to ooh and ah over. Take it a step further and actually use these photos as gifts and thank-you cards. Treat by Shutterfly is what I'll be using within the next few months. Personalized cards are so much more thoughtful than store bought cards, and they are always good to keep around for last minute gifts.

I hope this is helpful ladies! It's time to stop stockpiling these beautiful memories and start putting them to use! Let me know if you enjoy this type of post, I may do more in the future that are different from my normal fashion and beauty blurbs.

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One of the boys

Wearing //

Loft plaid shirt and moto jeans

J.Crew pumps, love these

MK bag

Essie polish

I know plaid shirts, coats, and scarves are a huge trend right now, but I've actually been a bit leery of trying them on myself. Plaid is such a classic print, so I don't know where my reservation comes from. I do own a beautiful plaid coat that I am determined to wear again this year, but other than that, my wardrobe is comprised of mostly solids. I was thinking about why I don't gravitate towards it, and I think I found the reason. Every single guy I know, my husband included, wears plaid button-downs. I feel like a boy in plaid! There, I said it. Even looking at these pictures, I feel very "boyish". The heels help of course, and maybe the lipstick too. Nate loved it! In fact, he's never complimented me so honestly as he did when I wore this shirt over the weekend. Go figure.

Before I wish you all a happy Wednesday, I'd like you to check out a survey I participated in on Gina's blog regarding trends in my area. Other ladies from across the country did the same, and it's really fun to read. Link here!

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Leaves and Leggings

Wearing // 

Mostly Express (Cami, Leggings, cover-up)

Sole Society booties, last year

MK bag

Essie "smokin hot" nails

This is the "undocumented" outfit that I mentioned wearing during our road trip. It finally felt chilly enough this weekend for booties and sweater leggings, so I decided to create the exact look that my husband and I forgot to take pictures of when we were up in Paso Robles. I love the comfort and ease of it, while still feeling on-trend. Not to mention that it's basically a walking billboard for Express! I can hear Gina chuckling as I type this. Note the fallen leaves around my cognac booties too. It's officially Autumn in California my friends ;)

Linking up with both Gina and Carylee today. Happy Monday!

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California Love

Writing about a trip is always so difficult for me because it's almost impossible to truly capture the experience in words. For me, travel has more to do with a feeling than it does anything else. When I travel anywhere, even if it's just a few miles down the road outside of my hometown, I feel a sense of freedom and curiosity. Let's face it - daily life can be monotonous. Travel is the cure.

 My husband and I bought a new car over the Summer, and we immediately knew that we wanted to take it out and put it to good use. As I said before, we didn't necessarily have a plan. We knew San Francisco was the ultimate destination, but we weren't sure about what the journey would really look like. So we hopped in our car and drove. This was my first real "road trip".

(left to right, top to bottom)

1. Our first stop was in Los Angeles. Although we've both been there many times (I was born there), we had never been to Canter's deli and wanted to stop and get some grub on our way out of the city. We split a reuben sandwich that can only be described as worth the exorbitant amount of calories. I am still recovering from all of the rich food we indulged in on this trip! Again, worth it though.

2. After leaving L.A., we took the 5 freeway and ended up at Pyramid Lake. The visitor's center offers information on California's water supply. This was a completely random little pit-stop, but my husband and I are always drawn to water and we had to take a look at the gorgeous views. 

3. We've had family members rave about their trips to Paso Robles. My brother-in-law brews his own beer, and everyone in our family loves their wine. Living near Temecula wine country, we felt it was our duty to stop and "test" the wines in Paso Robles. We wound up at Castoro Cellars, and had an amazing experience. The service was perfect, and so were the wines. We received the whole treatment on how to properly taste each variation, from dry whites to full-bodied reds. The verdict? Definitely better than Temecula. Firestone Brewery (pictured last) was so good, that we stopped again on our way home from S.F!

4,5,6. Monterey was probably my favorite stop on the trip. It's such a quaint little sea-side town with so much history and character. I wish we could have stayed longer. 

The rest...

We ate and walked our way through San Francisco. We stopped at the typical tourist spots: Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Lombard street, Haight Ashbury, the Marina District. But we also ventured off the beaten path quite a bit too (and sadly have no pictures to show for it). I think my favorite area was North Beach. Plenty of little Italian delis and pizza shops, with lots of charm to match. We walked so much that I was sore for two days upon our return. Which really says more about my fitness than anything else ;)

Overall, I loved being on the road. For once I didn't care to pull out my phone too often or check messages. My husband and I talked, sang our favorite tunes, and just kept on driving. California is a wonderfully diverse state, and I'm happy to call it home. 

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Road Trip Ready

I'm back from our little tour of California! To say it was beautiful, refreshing, and exactly what I needed would be an understatement. I love to travel, but don't often get the chance. It's mostly due to money, but I'm learning that's really no excuse. Where there's a will, there's always a way. I don't need to be fancy about it either. Just give me a soft pillow and some music to listen to and I can sleep (almost) anywhere.

These are some of the outfits I wore on our trip. I had originally planned to take some pictures with our Canon, but we sadly left it in our room most of the time and resorted to our phones. I packed very lightly. Two pairs of jeans, a pair of leggings, two coats, two cardigans, my moto jacket, and my Barcelona camis. I did have one "going out" look that you'll see below, but for the most part, I stuck to the essentials and dressed casually. The weather was so beautiful that I didn't need much other than a light jacket, and even then, I got hot while walking around the bustling streets of San Francisco.

Day 1, before we left:

Wearing //

Loft jeans, similar

Express moto jacket and cami (comes in so many colors)

Steve Madden Flats

MK satchel

Gorjana cuff and necklace, similar

S&D rebel pendant

Day 2 was undocumented, but I plan on wearing that outfit this weekend because it's actually chilly enough to do so. Stay tuned :)

Day 3: (Going out for dinner)

Wearing //

Sole Society pumps

Loft coat (old)

Express cami (linked above)

Topshop skirt

Jewelry I packed and never really took off. 

Traveling gives you an honest opinion about what you truly love, and I'm realizing these pieces are definitely my favorites in my collection. They aren't cumbersome, they look great with any outfit, they layer well, and they travel easily.

I didn't do much shopping, but I did pop into a couple stores around Union Square. I bought this Gatsby-inspired bracelet at Banana Republic.

Banana Republic silver deco bracelet

More pictures from our trip coming soon! 

How are you pretty ladies doing? I always feel so disconnected after a trip!

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Spring Into Fall

Wearing //

Loft top

Topshop midi skirt, pretty options here, here and for petites

J.Crew Valentina pumps

Kate Spade bag, similar color (love), and similar style (also love)

Baublebar necklace, similar

Beauty //

Dior Addict Lipstick in Diablotine

Chanel Graphite nails

I hate the time change. It was wonderful getting an extra hour of sleep last Sunday, and I do appreciate coming home and immediately slipping into cozy pajamas and lighting five candles that make our house smell like grandma's kitchen. But man is it hard to photograph outfits! My husband and I both work, so I really don't understand how people manage to get the timing right now that the sun goes down before five o'clock. By the time we do get home each day, the sun is gone.These were taken at eleven on Tuesday, and the sun was extremely bright. I'll admit we are pretty lazy with learning more about the ins and outs of photography. We know very little actually. I get dressed, we head outside (usually rushing off somewhere), he points and shoots for a solid three minutes before we both start getting annoyed, and that's about it. 

I am however absolutely loving lighter neutrals and pastels for this Fall and Winter. I think it throws people off a little, but when you live in a place where there aren't any real seasons, your brain gets confused. I used to try so desperately to dress for the season. I wanted to wear giant luxurious coats and leather boots. But the weather tells me differently most of the time, and I've come to the strong realization that it's so much easier to just give in and dress for the climate in which you live, rather then what the season is supposed to look like. I don't live in New England, so why try to pretend I do and sweat my arse off, all the while looking like a total moron? I think I'm starting to get it, guys. This blogging thing has helped me in more ways than I thought!

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