Winning London: Part 1

You might be pretty excited by the title, but I’m not talking about the Mary Kate and Ashley movie from the early 2000’s today. Waah waaahhhh. Although, shout-out to them for making a really great movie, not to mention they were the original fashion icons of my generation. Their outfits during that entire movie were so classy and amazing.

Well, look at me, maybe we will talk a little bit about the movie! Anywho….. I am actually going to take you on a quick trip around beautiful London, England! We are going to hit some of the hotspots, then wrap it up for the day!

Your first stop should 100% be Westminster Abbey. It is an absolutely gorgeous building, inside and out! One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new larger city is look at the cathedrals, because you really get a taste of the incredible architecture. I have rarely seen a cathedral that was disappointing.

Westminster Abbey stands tall in the city, and it’s hard to miss because it really is in the center of everything. I have to hand it to London, most of the major tourist hot-spots are all in the same area, making it very easy to walk and see a lot! When you go into Westminster Abbey you are not really allowed to take photos inside, which was a major bummer for me. I guess they want to keep the allure, which I suppose I understand. I will warn you, it is very expensive to get inside, but in my opinion it was well worth the cost for the experience and the history! You have years and years  of famous monarchs getting married, crowned, and buried in Westminster Abbey. It’s incredible to see all of the people who are buried there like Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, Jane Seymor, most of the Henry kings!! Incredible! AND! They have a large corner called the Bard’s Corner that pays tribute to authors like Shakespeare (heard of him?) and Jane Austen!! So much history in one building.

I also highly suggest coming back at night and looking at it then! The way they light up Westminster at night is so beautiful and almost haunting, especially on a rainy London night. Make sure to explore all areas that you can! We loved this corridor that leads to a beautiful courtyard in the back! It kind of reminded me of Hogwarts!

After you have explored Westminster Abbey till your heart is content, your next stop should be Big Ben and Parliament. Westminster Abbey is next door neighbors to the Parliament building! Again, I love how close everything is in London!

Did you know that Big Ben is actually the nickname of the clock itself, not including the tower? The tower is called the Elizabeth Tower; it was renamed in 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee! Also, can we just take a moment here and talk about how adorable  the Queen is?! I’m not sure if it’s because she reminds me of my Grandma, but I just think she is the cutest little lady!

Ok, back to London. One of my favorite views of Parliament and the tower is from Westminster Bridge. You can walk out on the bridge (or even cross over to the other side of the Thames) and get a great view of the building! One of my favorite parts of walking around London was hearing the chimes of Big Ben. When we went, it was the last time Big Ben was going to ring for awhile because they were doing some restoration on it, so that was really special.

Another super cool thing we got to see was Parliament letting out of session! At one point we walked around the corner and all these men and women were dressed in old clothing and had powdered wigs on!! It was both fantastic and hilarious. Jackson, being the fearless guy that he is, walked up to one of the younger looking Parliament members and asked if we could take a selfie with him. Yes, I know that this was the most American thing we could have possibly done, but looking back on it now it’s one of the funnier moments in my life. Turned out the member we selfied with had just begun his time serving, and he thought we were hilarious….so…. we were Parliament approved.

There is so much to do and see in London that I could hardly cover all of it in one blog post. I thought I would start with two of my favorite places, then eventually I will put out the second half. I hope that if you ever get the chance to go across the pond, you take it! London is a neat city, and one that I hope to visit again in the future!

❤ Abbie

P.s. This should go without saying, but I did not take the photo of Mary Kate and Ashley or the photo of the Queen. Everything else was taken by me. Obviously.

Feelin’ 25… I Guess…

Hi friends! So I recently celebrated my 25th birthday… which feels unreal. For some reason I feel like I am more like 20. Young at heart, I guess. I have some advice if you’re turning 25, just tell everyone you are excited to rent a car for your birthday. They will look at you strangely and ask “why?” To which you reply- “Because I can!” Trust me, it cracks people up. I don’t know why, but the age restriction on car rentals has always stuck with me as some sort of goal. I’m weird, I know.

Today I get to share one of my loveliest birthday gifts from my sweet Momma! I had my eye on this beautiful Piper and Scoot dress for awhile, so my Mom bought it for me! I’ll tell you what, if you haven’t checked out Piper and Scoot you are really missing out! They make some of the most beautiful (and modest!) dresses out there! They have a ton of other really cute clothes too, but I’ve recently been in love with the dresses! This dress is called The Parkland Dress.

Ok, aren’t you just dying!?! I love it so much! They make this dress in beautiful mauve and charcoal colors as well!

I adore all of the embroidered detail! It’s so feminine!

I wore my wedge sandals as a good neutral.

I also wore my wedding earrings that are made out of old buttons.

A huge shout out goes to my Momma for this lovely dress! THANK YOU!!! Another shout out goes to my husband who rocks at photography and never ceases to amaze me at his skill! Love you handsome!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I’m looking forward to having a fantastic girls weekend with my Mom!! To say I’m SO EXCITED is an understatement! Goodbye lovelies!

❤ Abbie

Wandering Norwalk, OH

Growing up I visited Norwalk, OH often. My dad and I would drive down the tree lined streets and choose which incredible historic home we wanted to own. We went in the antique stores trying to find the next cool thing. We would go drink the best milkshakes and eat delicious BLTs at Berry’s Restaurant. Norwalk is always so welcoming, so I thought I would welcome you to this adorable town today.

Pretty much everything cool happens down Main Street. There are about three or four different antique shops that line the strip. My favorite is the Northern Ohio Antique Mall. There are tons of booths filled with cool antiques. I’m not talking the kitschy kind, I’m talking super old and awesome kind. Their prices are pretty fair too, which is hard to come by with antique stores.

There are two other shops I’d like to shout out that have just come around in the last few years. The first is Patina46, which is this super hip repurposed home decor shop. They have some really neat salvaged furniture and home decor pieces. I swear every time I go in the store I leave wanting to buy like ten things.

The other shop I want to shout out is called When Pigs Fly. This shop is so adorable and they have a great purpose! They are an upscale resale and retail shop whose proceeds go to help make life normalize for the children who may have a member in their family dealing with a major illness. Everyone in the shop is so sweet and helpful! I highly recommend stopping in! (They do accept donations, whether that be something you made artistically or some new or slightly used household items.)

As I mentioned before, my dad and I love driving (or walking) around Norwalk and looking at all the beautiful old houses! Below I’m just going to post some of my favorites for you to scroll through and admire!

Beautiful right? I saved my absolute favorite for the end, so you’ll have to keep scrolling to see that one! And do you know the best way to end the day? It’s with a BLTO (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Onion- my personal favorite) and a milkshake! Head over to Berry’s Restaurant! It has gorgeous Victorian style restaurant and soda shop decor, not to mention the food is fantastic! It’s the perfect way to end the day in lovely Norwalk!

Have a lovely evening!

❤ Abbie

Ps. If you want to buy me the house below I will gladly take it.

Please Respect

Hello lovelies! It’s been a bit since I’ve written. To be honest, I’ve been lacking motivation and time so sometimes these things get pushed to the side. This past weekend I traveled into Atlanta and got to explore around Krog Street tunnel and the market! Both will be on another wandering post, so stay tuned! It was such a nice day outside! Here in Georgia it’s starting to feel a lot like fall and my little heart is ecstatic! The mornings and the evenings have been in the 60s and it warms up during the day. In my last fashion post I talked about how to manage the hot/cold temperatures of the workplace, and for this post I’m taking some of that inspiration!

I was so excited to wear this outfit because it’s really easy, comfortable, and works with several different temperatures! I just got these black jeans from Target for $15! They really are a dream. When it comes to black jeans it’s almost impossible to find any that are truly black, most of the time they are faded. I bought these jeans because the tag said that after washing they would still stay solid black, so I thought I would give them a try. I’m happy to announce that they did stay solid black after washing!! So if you are looking for solid black jeans (that aren’t leggings) check out Target! I rolled these jeans because during the day it was warm, but in the evening when my ankles start to get cold I could just unroll them!

I adore this grey striped t-shirt from Aerie! Grey is just the best color, don’t you think?? It goes with everything and it’s just a very flattering color! I tied my chambray shirt around my waist because I knew in the evening my t-shirt just wasn’t going to be warm enough. I have to say that tying shirts around your waist is one thing from the 90s that I’m actually glad came back! It’s easy for girls who get chilly like I do!

I wore a simple statement necklace to dress up my t-shirt. I also wore my favorite red tennis shoes, also from Target. Sometimes when you have a very monochrome outfit adding a pop of color really helps! I love my red tennis shoes for that very purpose!

I had such a fun day walking around the graffiti tunnel of Krog Street! I can’t wait to share it with y’all! Have a super weekend!!

❤ Abbie

Ps- 20 points goes out to whoever figures out why my post is titled this way! 😉

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Atlanta is a busy place. Everyone seems to be going 24/7 and sometimes it seems hard to slow down. However, right outside the city is a sanctuary perfect for slowing down, Sweetwater Creek State Park.

The park is full of beautiful hiking trails and a large creek that flows near the ruins of an old mill! We started out walking the Red History trail. This trail runs right down the creek and goes to the mill.

The creek has many rapids along the way. There are lots of big rocks scattered around that are perfect for crossing from one side of the creek to the other. We enjoyed sitting on the rocks and watching the beauty of the area (also watching people slip off the rocks and fall into the water! Hah!)

New Manchester Manufacturing Company was a textile mill that burned during the Civil War. The remains are in the park today! You might recognize the exterior from “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.” Katniss and Gale are out hunting in District 13, and they show the remains of the old mill!

Sweetwater is such a beautiful park and we can’t wait to go explore more in the future!

❤ Abbie

A Stroll Through Notting Hill

When traveling to London, I don’t feel like many people say, “Hey! Let’s go to Notting Hill today!” There are so many other “typical London” things to do that I feel like someplace as adorable and Instaworthy as Notting Hill gets shoved to the back-burner. But, the blogger in me couldn’t miss out on that opportunity! Especially since about 4 months prior I started following some amazing London bloggers/Instagrammers (which I’ll tag below) and most of my favorite posts were in Notting Hill. So, Jackson and I meandered over to Notting Hill for some pretty strolls and antiquing on Portobello Road!

The first stop was food. Portobello Road holds the UK’s largest antiques market, some yummy restaurants, and some adorable shops. We stopped for lunch at Arancina, an adorable Sicilian pizza restaurant. How could you not stop with a window as adorable as this??

We chowed down on some yummy pizza and a coke! I highly recommend Arancina!

Next, we walked around Notting Hill to look at all the gorgeous row houses! The good part of Notting Hill is that it is all pretty centrally located. You don’t really have to walk a million miles to see some pretty things!

Now to the biggest bummer of the day. Make sure to pay attention to the day you go walk around because some of the shops might be closed! I was really excited to go to Alice’s Antique Shop, but alas, it was closed. Most of Portobello Market was closed also. There were still some small antique shops open, so the antiquing part wasn’t a total bust.

All in all, Notting Hill was definitely beautiful and good for a nice stroll! I would say if you have some time to spend in London, you should definitely check it out!

If you’re not in London, but you want to add a little bit of beauty to your Instagram feed, you should check out the following Instagrammers:

@siobhaise // @prettycitylondon // @clairemenary

You won’t be disappointed! Have a great day dreaming of London!

❤ Abbie

Wanderings: Arthur’s Seat, Scotland

An actual Europe post?!?! WHAT?!?! Look who is being productive!! I thought this would be a great first post on our incredible Europe trip! Hiking Arthur’s Seat was one of my favorite (and most sweaty) parts of our Edinburgh stay! I would say that this should be top priority on everyone’s Edinburgh bucket list!! Also, one of my best friends, Adele, is heading to Edinburgh next week so I thought I would give her yet another thing to look forward to!! So Adele, this one’s for you! Today we will be making the trek up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland!

Now from the bottom this thing looks like a mountain (while hiking it also feels like a mountain) but it is technically considered a hill. It is located next to Holyrood Palace, which is where the Queen stays when she comes to visit Scotland. It’s a beautiful house and you can tour it when she isn’t visiting!

You can start the trek by going left or right to get up to Arthur’s seat. Left is quicker and less of a trek. Right takes you on a bit of a wander around the base and middle of the hill (which is also scenic). Really either way you go you are in for a treat! I suggest left, because we went right first and were a bit confused on how to actually get to the top! (Side Note: If you want to click on any of the photos in the galleries below it should blow them up to normal size for you. It’s just impossible to have all of the full size pictures in one blog post. It would be insanely long! So please click away!)

I probably should have said this sooner, but I definitely suggest wearing hiking boots. The way up and the top tends to be a bit slippery, so you will definitely want some traction. I also suggest not wearing a ton of layers, even if it is 40°F. That hike up there can get a bit sweaty, trust me! I had 4 layers on and was dying.

The views while going up the hill are incredible.

You can see all of Edinburgh laid out beneath you! You can see the hill that Edinburgh castle sits on. You can hear church bells ringing off in the distance. It really is a dream and pictures just do not do it justice.

❤ My adventure partner

There are several places to sit once you are near the top. If you are really feeling fancy, try to bring a picnic basket with you and have a picnic! You’ll have the best view in the whole city!

Once at the top I suggest you just take it in. To this day sitting at the top of Arthur’s Seat is one of my fondest memories of our whole trip. Enjoy every moment.

❤ Abbie

P.S. Another huge “thank you” is in order to my husband Jackson for taking some killer shots of me. He really is the best.

So What’s the Deal with AirBnB?

AirBnb seems to be one of the newest trends in travel. If you are unfamiliar with it, let me fill you in! AirBnB is a service where you can rent nights in people’s homes, instead of staying in a hotel. The idea is genius, but is the execution as good as the thought? Today, I’m going to share our AirBnB experiences and hopefully this will help you make your decision about using this service!

Courtyard of our AirBnB in Edinburgh, Scotland.

So how does it work?

First, sign up with the site and make a personal profile. You can’t rent anything until you complete your profile. Once you’ve done that, you can choose your location, dates, and room sizes. The really cool option is that you can rent anything from a couch to an entire home. The price of the location is on the main page to make sure it’s within your budget. Once you choose your place to stay and dates, you can request to book your stay. The owner of the location will email you giving you all the information you need to know about the home and the approval to stay. You can also email back and tell them a little about you! Then you are all set!

What makes this different than staying in a hotel?

Staying with AirBnB is always a unique experience. You are literally staying with normal people (who know the location well, because they live there) and in regular houses. The stay feels more like home, in our experiences. You also will pay (9 times out of 10) less than you would for a hotel. We would find homes for rent right in the middle of big cities for almost half than a price of a hotel in the same location.

Inside our AirBnB in London, England.

What are some perks that are unique to AirBnB?

The hosts are a huge help. All of our hosts were very friendly and informative. In almost every occasion, our hosts gave us maps, pamphlets, and advice on what to see in their city! Locals know better than anyone what to see, where to eat, and how to get around! That alone, was enough to make each trip a success! You also get the perks of staying in a home. Whether you rent an entire place or just a room, you get privacy. Most places allow you to use their appliances as well. When we were staying in Cork, Ireland we needed to use a washer and dryer, and our AirBnB hosts let us use theirs! We used the kitchen when staying in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can save a lot of money by using the kitchen provided, rather than eating out! Those are just some of our favorite perks!

Free breakfast in our London stay.

Is it safe staying with people you don’t know?

We never felt unsafe at any of our AirBnB homes. While AirBnB doesn’t preform background checks on all hosts or guests, they do allow you to see past guests’ comments which can allow you to weed through the homes. Reading comments and ratings is actually one of my biggest suggestions! Guests are required to leave comments after every stay, so you really get to see what it was like! Trust me, in my searching I’ve seen stellar comments to scathing comments; at least people are honest! You can also check out the neighborhood guides on the hosts page to see what it would be like to stay where they live! Also, it’s way safer than staying in a hostel. I never felt nervous or anything about leaving our stuff (including expensive camera equipment) in our room while we weren’t there. It’s more expensive than a hostel, but you’ll feel much safer in the long run.

View from our AirBnB in Cork, Ireland.

Are there any downsides to choosing AirBnB?

The only downside we experienced was in Paris, when we rented an entire loft. Our host kept changing plans on how to get the apartment key and give the key to back after our stay. It wasn’t awful, but it was a tad inconvenient. So, I guess the only inconvenience is in the arranging of arrival and departure. However, we only had an issue at one out of the four locations we stayed.

View from our AirBnB in Paris, France.

Would I recommend AirBnB?

Absolutely. To be honest, in all of our experiences we had a fantastic stay! It was great to be able to meet new people and stay in cool places! We also saved a ton of money by choosing AirBnB. Our stays ranged from $50-$70/night, where a hotel would have cost us at least $100+/night. Overall, I would 100% recommend AirBnB!

Behind our AirBnB in Dean Villiage in Edinburgh, Scotland.

I hope this has been a helpful guide! Have a fantastic day!

❤ Abbie

That’s Fall Folks!

These punny titles are becoming harder and harder to come up with! I hope y’all are having a lovely Friday! Today I’ll be sharing one of my favorite fall looks! I had so much fun setting up this mini shoot, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love fall? You get to mix leather and suede, plaid is everywhere and hats are all the rage. It’s literally the best time of year. So let’s enjoy this cozy picnic-inspired Fashion Friday!

First things first, I’m dying over this lipstick. It’s currently my favorite shade I own! It’s called “Verve” by Mac. Their matte lipsticks are amazing! I’m also really into statement necklaces lately. They really can spice up an outfit! Mine was given to me by my wonderful Mother-in-Law! I just love it!!

I was going for a boho-chic look. I love the long vest over a chambray button down. The vest is from Aerie. I’m also loving my burnt orange hat from American Eagle. It seems like the perfect shade for fall!

I wore my new chukka boots to kinda make this look more outdoorsy. With some cute booties you could easily dress this outfit up for a date night. My chukka boots are off Amazon by a company called Sebago. You will definitely be seeing more of these boots!

Here’s my little picnic basket! It broke while I was taking the picture…  wahh waahh.

Jackson got this mug from a Poler pop-up shop while we were in New York on our honeymoon. It’s the perfect little tin cup! Definitely check out their other stuff too, it’s super adorable and perfect for the outdoors! You can find them at http://www.polerstuff.com

I seriously loved doing this mini fall shoot. I wish I were able to do shoots like this more often! I hope you enjoyed it and get to go on a little fall adventure of your own!

❤ Abbie

Wandering Wednesday: Jekyll Island

One of my favorite things to do is to take a little more time on a road trip. That might sound counterproductive, but I find that when we take some extra time it leads to exploring. So that extra hour of time that we gained by leaving early can be useful for stopping at a cute restaurant or checking out a cool park! Some of my favorite places were found by just driving by and deciding to stop! For example, when we found this insanely beautiful little park in the middle of nowhere in Georgia! Happy accident!

Today, I’m going to share with you another place we decided to just wander around, Jekyll Island! You can find this adorable little island off the coast of Georgia. You drive down this seven mile strip of road with beautiful swamp areas surrounding you. There are signs warning of sea turtle crossing as you journey along. You do have to pay $5 to get onto the island, but it is well worth the money. As you get onto the island we were pleasantly surprised to find an adorable little community. Tons of cute houses and small hotels dot the tree-covered island. There are many different places to see, and I hope in the future I can do a more thorough post on this adorable little place.

We mostly stopped for the famous driftwood beach. After a little bit of driving around, we finally found the beach. You have to pull off to the side of the road and walk through the woods a little, but on the other side is an incredible sight.

Hundreds of huge pieces of driftwood are embedded into the Georgia shore. Some of these pieces are at least 10 feet tall.

The driftwood stands like pieces of art. It is a beautiful sight.

I wish we could have stayed longer and enjoyed the view. We plan to someday travel back when we have more time and can explore the island even more! However, this just goes to show that wandering can often lead to something beautiful!

Hope you have a dreamy Wednesday! Go wander!

❤

Abbie