Navy Necessities.

It's no secret that I am a tad obsessed with the color navy; just take a look at my Instagram and you'll find something navy in just about every post! The color is timeless and classic and works with every season of the year. It's easy to see why I am drawn to anything and everything navy!

For todays post I have rounded up a few of my favorite navy necessities that I came across while shopping online. A lot of these pieces have me thinking of spring! I am so ready for some warmer weather! 

Happy shopping!

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen

Winter Picnic.

Joe and I woke up early last week and decided it was the perfect morning for a little winter picnic at the lake! We brewed some coffee, packed some snacks in our picnic basket, laced up our Bean Boots and headed off to Memorial Lake (see our last post at the lake here!) After picking the perfect spot out on the edge of the snow covered lake, we poured ourselves some hot coffee out of our plaid thermos and watched the ice fishermen at work. It was the perfect winter morning with my love.

What I'm wearing: Bean Boots | Parka (sold out from J Crew Factory) | Sunglasses | Scarf | Jeans

What Joe is wearing : Bean Boots | Similar Parka | Sweater | Cords

Updated: How I Edit my Instagram Photos.

This has been one of my most requested blog posts for a while now! The last time I shared how I edit my Instagram photos was almost two years ago (see post here.) I still use a lot of the same editing methods that I did back in 2017, I just tweaked a few things to achieve more bold colors while still having that same bright and airy look that I've always loved. Down below you will find a step by step guide to how I edit my iPhone photos using the VSCO app and Instagram! I would love to see how your photos look using my editing so make sure to tag me on Instagram!

Before & After

VSCO

First I open the photo I want to post in the VSCO app. I have been using the C1 filter because I love how saturated the colors look once applied. Here is my "editing recipe" for VSCO:

1.) Use the C1 filter and set it to about +5.5

2.) Next up the contrast to about +0.8

3.) Up the exposure to at least +0.8 (sometimes I do more depending on how dark the photo is)

4.) Sharpen the photo to about +1.3

5.) Next up the temperature to +0.4

6.) Lastly turn the saturation up to +0.8

7.) Save the photo to camera roll

Instagram

After I edit the photo in VSCO I will tweak it a little on Instagram using the editing tools. Here I use the Gingham filter to soften the photo and I enhance the brightness even more. Down below you'll find my "editing recipe" for Instagram:

1.) Apply the Gingham filter to about 13

2.) Next up the contrast to +15

3.) Then up the brightness to about +10 (same thing as VSCO, sometimes I do more depending on the photo.)

4.) Using the color tool, add pink highlights to the photo at about +12

5.) Next adjust the highlights to +12 

6.) Then adjust the shadows to -20 (or less, again, it all depends on the photo)

7.) Next sharpen the photo to about +13

8.) Using the warmth tool adjust the photo to about -5

9.) Then up the saturation to +8 (or more)

10.) Next adjust the structure tool to +5

11.) Lastly adjust the lux to about -4

And voila! I hope you enjoyed this post, please don't hesitate to ask any questions! Here are a few last minutes tips to achieving a nice Instagram feed:

-take photos in natural sunlight

-try and edit all of your photos the same to achieve a cohesive theme

-change up your photo backgrounds and shoot locations for diversity

-be you! Don't try and copy anyones feed. Just have fun with it and use Instagram as your creative outlet!

Snow Day at the Lake.

Last weekend we got quite a bit of snow in PA! Joe and I bundled up and headed to Memorial Lake to take in all of the winter beauty! The snow crunched under my Bean Boots as we walked hand and hand around the frozen lake. It was extremely cold out so I was happy that I wore my new parka from J Crew Factory! I recently bought the navy version and loved it so much that I just had to have it in the camel color too! 

Bean Boots | Parka | Sunglasses | Vest | Beanie old from Aerie | Similar Men's Parka

Bean Boots & Ice Skates.

Hello there, first blog post of 2019! On January 1st I woke up feeling so fresh and motivated- I couldn't wait to get up and start creating content for the new year! I slipped into my new bean boots (full review on them coming soon!!) and headed out the door. My husband and I grabbed some Starbucks and made our way to Lancaster to do a little shopping and we just happened to come across this darling little covered bridge on a back country road. We pulled over, hopped out of the car and snapped a few pictures on my iPhone. Normally I wouldn't make a whole blog post with just iPhone pictures but I figured why not!? I love these photos and my outfit so who cares! Sidenote: no, I did not go iceskating... I just thought these vintage skates made for a cute prop ;) 

You can find all of my outfit details at the bottom of this post!

Bean Boots | Coat | Skirt | Sunglasses | Socks | Hat (old from Anthropologie) | Scarf (old from J. Crew)

Newport, Rhode Island

At the end of September, Joe and I headed up to Newport, RI to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary! I had been to Newport years ago (maybe when I was like 6 years old lol!) and had wanted to revisit for the longest time. We took a long weekend and had ourselves the loveliest time exploring this quaint New England town. Down below you can find details on what we did each day. Enjoy!

Day One:

Our drive from central PA to Newport, RI wasn't bad at all, maybe 6 hours or so. We set off in the morning and arrived right around 4. After checking into our hotel, we freshened up and headed over to Castle Hill Inn. I had all the intentions of getting drinks there and sitting out on the lawn all evening as the boats sailed by, but it was SO busy when we got there. After waiting a while, a pair of chairs opened up and we were able to sit and relax for a bit before heading to dinner downtown at a restaurant called Scales & Shells. Joe has family in the area so we met up with them and had a wonderful evening catching up over lobster tails and shrimp scampi. We ended the night with some Ben & Jerry's, of course.

Day Two:

The next morning we woke up bright and early and headed downtown. We grabbed some donuts at Liberty Donuts (s'mores for me, and I can't remember what Joe had but they were delish!) and then we made our way over to The Breakers Mansion for a tour. The Breakers is absolutely stunning and is a must-see if you are ever in Newport! After that, we had reservations for brunch at the Grace Vanderbilt Hotel where we indulged in glasses of rose` and lobster benedict. I would highly recommend. We were extremely full after this so we decided to walk off our brunch by doing a little shopping downtown. First stop was the KJP store, of course. The store was so charming and was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Side note: I have been following KJP and his wife SarahKJP on Instagram for years now, so actually being in their store was a dream come true!! After shopping we headed back to our hotel to nap and freshen up before going out again. We made our way to the Cliff Walk, another must-see in Newport, and we walked a good bit of it. For dinner we had burgers at a place downtown and then we finished off the evening with  "Awful Awful" milkshakes from the Newport Creamery.

Day Three:

On our last full day in Newport we wanted to do a lot of sightseeing. We ate breakfast at our hotel and headed downtown for some coffee at The Coffee Grinder. We sipped on our lattes and popped in and out of a few local shops at the wharf just before setting sail on a harbor tour that I had made reservations for. This was my first time on a sailboat and I loved it! My only complaint was that it was absolutely freezing, I clearly did not wear enough layers. After our hour long sailboat tour, we freshened up, ate lunch and headed over to a nearby town called Jamestown to have a look at the old windmill and the Beavertail lighthouse. We strolled around the state park there for a while and then went back to Castle Hill Inn in Newport to take a look at their lighthouse because we somehow missed it the first night we were there. This lighthouse is so mysterious and magical looking and is by far my favorite lighthouse that I have ever seen! It was a great way to end our little getaway to Newport, RI. 

The Covered Bridge.

Hi, friends! I just wanted to pop in quick and share this outfit that I wore a few weekends ago while visiting my grandparents. It was a lovely fall day so I broke out my favorite houndstooth skirt and paired it with a classic burgundy bow sweater and my riding boots for a quick stop at a nearby covered bridge. This skirt has been on repeat all autumn long and I know I will be wearing it all throughout winter as well. It pairs so beautifully with everything from sweaters and ballet flats to jean jackets and Hunter boots. If you buy one skirt this season it should be this one for sure!

You can find all the links to my outfit down below.

Skirt | Sweater (sold out from J Crew Factory) | Riding Boots | Watch c/o | Bag