Last weekend, we drove up to New Hampshire for the holiday. Although it rained for most of the time we were there, Monday morning was bright and sunny so we went into town to eat and shop. I wore my new navy shorts that remind me of a fancier pair of Soffes (remember those?!). They’re pretty incredible.

They recently opened a J.Crew in my Hometown and they were having an incredible sale where I bought this top (currently on sale!) and the aforementioned shorts. I paired them with my new yellow bag that my friend Shannon picked up for me at a Target upstate. I love the tortoise shell detail! Adding a yellow and navy bracelet brought the whole look together, don’t you think?

Photos by Anel.

My sister bought a Le Sportsac backpack last year and I remember thinking it was kind of strange. I haven’t worn a backpack since elementary school (If you’re wondering, it was LL Bean with my initials embroidered into it). But she sparked something in me and now I really feel like I need one especially since I work from home and have to travel to meetings and coffee shops with my lap top. I looked around and here are my picks for the best backpacks for grown ups.

I’m loving this Madewell leather rucksack and the nautical stripes from Tory Burch.

In creating this post, I couldn’t stop thinking about the line from 10 Things I Hate About You, “There’s a difference between like and love. Because, I like my Skechers, but I love my Prada backpack.” How amazing was that movie? I think it’s time for a viewing.

1. Tory Burch Viva backpack
2. Stela 9 Diego backpack
3. Bank Fashion floral backpack
4. Madewell leather rucksack
5. Bank Fashion Libby Backpack
6. Bop Basics raffia crochet backpack
7. Prada Vela backpack
8. Tory Burch Pierson backpack
9. Le Sportsac basic backpack in Yacht Club print

If you remember from last week, I recently spent a day in the Hamptons with C.Wonder to take a peek at their pop up shop in Southampton. One of the stops on our trip was a luncheon at Chris Burch’s Southampton estate (yes as in Tory’s ex husband!). It was ridiculously gorge, featuring many incredible amenities including a grass tennis court. Kat and I decided to take some photos in this stunning setting.

I’ve been wearing this striped blazer a little too often lately but it goes perfectly with everything! Last seen on the blog with a sparkly collar and pink pants here.

Obvi I had to get out the yellow croquet set to match my outfit. Mackenzie and Carly rocked their matching colors too (see our coordinated feet below!).

Photos by Kat Tanita.

These week it has finally started to feel like summer. Super hot days and sleepless warm nights. We are putting in our A.C.s this weekend for real! In the meantime, we’re headed to New Hampshire tomorrow to spend Memorial Day weekend with friends and family in my home town. I look forward to getting away from the city noises and smells and into some nature. I hope to sleep 13 hour nights and come back rejuvenated and relaxed next week.

Now that Memorial Day is around the corner and summer is on my mind, I thought I’d put together my wish list for the season. I’m in love with these LemLem striped shorts for the beach and would pair them with this fab Equiptment silk camisole for a more put together look. What’s on your wish list this summer?

1. Westward Leaning Color Revolution sunglasses
2. LemLem Elsa shorts
3. Loren Hope Maya necklace
4. J.Crew Punk Floral bandeau top and hipster bottom
5. Pearl Starfish earrings
6. Zuma Scarf
7. Joie A La Plage Sable Slides
8. Lavett & Chin Sea Salt texturizing mist
9. NineSpace for J.Crew beach towel
10. Sensi Studio straw hat
11. Equiptment silk camisole
12. Alex Cuff
13. Tory Burch Sofia tote
14. Madewell Stucco dress (on sale!)
15. J.Crew passport cover
16. My fave book for beach reading

In our third installment of “Styled 2 Ways”, Amanda (The Fashionable Hostess herself) and I styled a shirt that we’re both obsessed with. Seriously, I wear this Zara striped blouse at least once (let’s be real, more like twice) every week. It is so summery, comfy, cute and goes with everything. Plus it’s striped so obvi it’s my fave.

Of course my look ended up looking super preppy with pops of color (a great night time look) wheras Amanda’s is a tad more neutral and day time appropriate. Check out her full post for more photos plus a look at her adorable baby! How would YOU style this shirt?

Photos by Rebecca. Make up by Ashley.

Memorial Day is around the corner and many of you probably have a BBQ, party, or some sort of gathering to attend. If so, whip up a batch of these bad boys and everyone will thank you. Not only are they gluten AND dairy free, but they’re, like, incredibly delicious. I’m not eating sugar for the month of May so I only had a tiny nibble but boy was it tasty.

My husband can attest to the fact that an entire cupcake (or a full dozen, whatever you prefer) is fabulous. He ate 4 in his first sitting with them . . . Awkward. They literally do not taste gluten free at all. I used coconut flour as the base and because of the grapeseed oil, they are remarkably (hate the word but have to use it) moist.

Here is the recipe pulled from Elana’s Pantry for gluten free blueberry cupcakes. The frosting I used did have butter but I used almond milk in place of milk and you could always use coconut oil or Earth Balance in place of the butter. I’m sure, however, that there are healthier frosting recipes. If you know any, please pass them along!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 tspn celtic sea salt
- 1/4 tspn baking soda
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar or honey)
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 1 tblspn vanilla extract
- 1 cup frozen blueberries (for cupcakes)
- Fresh blueberries (for decorating)
- Unsweetened coconut flakes (for decorating)
- Buttercream frosting (made with almond milk) recipe

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, agave/honey/maple syrup, grapeseed oil and vanilla and blend well with a hand blender
- Mix dry ingredients into wet, blending with a hand mixer
- Gently fold in frozen blueberries
- Scoop batter a paper-lined 12 cup muffin pan
-Bake for 20-25 minutes
- Cool for about an hour and then top frosting
- Top with unsweetened coconut flakes
- Decorate each cupcake with 4-5 fresh blueberries (place on top of frosting and coconut)
- Enjoy!

On Friday, I ventured out to Southhampton with C. Wonder to check out their Southampton pop up shop. The 2-hour ride on our super colorful bus was well worth it once we arrived in what was seemingly paradise. We lunched at Chris Burch’s (yep, Tory’s ex) Southampton breathtaking mansion, eating lobster rolls and sipping on mint lemonade in the shade, followed by a full s’mores set up. You probably saw me going a little overboard with the Instagrams.

Then the fun really began as we roamed the property, taking photos, playing croquet, and even testing out our paddle ball skills. (Justine from SheFinds and I killed it!). Kat and I took some outfit photos on the incredibly luscious grass tennis court and we were back on the bus.

We headed to C. Wonder’s pop up shop downtown where we were all gifted some sunglasses and I actually won a gorgeous sparkling necklace (see below). All in all it was a fabulous and colorful Friday, full of new friends, yummy food, and a bright sunshiny day. Thank you, C. Wonder! Check out my Facebook page to see even more photos from this weekend and more.

Our transportation for the day . . .

Delish refreshments: Lobster rolls, lemonade, and s’mores

Chris Burch’s stunning estate

The C.Wonder pop up shop

Blogger fun!

I realize I just posted a few looks with this dress last week so forgive me for the double feature. Yesterday I did a photoshoot for Makeup.com and the photos came out so cute I had to include a little preview today. Stay tuned for even more photos and details on that later this week!

In other news, I’ve recently fallen in love with this shiny and fab necklace made by Jojo Loves You just for me! I wore it here too. It’s the perfect statement piece for bright and cheery summer looks. You like it? Win it today . . .

To win the necklace, just follow the super simple instructions below and hopefully your neck will be adorned with this stunna’ in no time. Good luck, peeps! Make sure to enter before tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5:30pm EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway