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Amy Marie

Life + Style

Fall in Connecticut: A Travel Guide

The leaves have started changing here in Connecticut and I couldn’t be more excited for fall activities. Connecticut is full of places to visit during this time of year and I love visiting new places each Fall. I am lucky to live in the center of Connecticut where I have access to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, great hikes and more! Here is a list of places I have visited and hope to visit this Fall.

  1. Lyman Orchard
  2. March Farms
  3. Rogers Orchard
  4. Bishops Orchard
  5. Lovers Leap, New Milford
  6. Chauncey Peak Trial, Meriden
  7. Chapman Falls, East Haddam
  8. Farmington Canal State Park, Hamden & Cheshire
  9. Lantern Hill Trail, Ledyard
  10. Southford Falls Park Trail, Southbury
  11. Peak Mountain, East Grandby
  12. West Cornwall, Covered Bridge
  13. Connecticut Cider Map & Directory
  14. Connecticut Beer Trail
  15. Buttonwood Farm
  16. Connecticut Wine Trail

Have you visited any of these places? What are some places you have visited that are not on the list?

Currently (Vol. 1)

Vineyard Vines (similar) | KJP

I would like to start a new little thing here on the blog where every once and a while I share an unstructured post of my current favorites/interests/etc.

  1. I was in the Fall 2017 Vineyard Vines catalog with the photo from above. It was such a great surprise! Thank you Vineyard Vines! Also shout out to the VV in Farmington, CT for all the stickers when they realized I was in the magazine! 
  2. I have been obsessed with using Spotify recently. Justin and I have been obsessing over making our own playlists and sharing them with friends! Heres our favorite playlist! Also my favorite song currently!
  3. This quote … “You have been assigned this mountain to show others that it can be moved.”
  4. This top from J.Crew
  5. Fat Orange Cat brewery which Justin and I just discovered in East Hampton, Ct – dog friendly and great beer!

What have you been currently obsessing over?

5 Ted Talks to Inspire

Ted Talks are one of my favorite things to listen to. I use them to inspire myself and sometimes for a good laugh. There are a ton of amazing Ted Talks out there, but there are a few I keep going back to. Here are my top 5 Ted Talks I keep going back to when I need to be inspired! Enjoy!

  1. I got 99 problems … Palsy is just one | Mason Zayid
  2. How do you define yourself? | Lizzie Velasquez
  3. Your body language may shape who you are | Amy Cuddy
  4. The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  5. Why I live a zero waste life | Lauren Singer

What are some of your favorite Ted Talks? Share below!

Let’s Chat: Blogging for Me

I keep deleting every sentence I type so I am just going to keep typing and press publish when I am done. OK, so I haven’t blogged since June, and have had little activity on my social media accounts. Why? Well I have had no inspiration. I know any fellow blogger who reads this will know exactly where I am at. I started blogging in 2013 on a blog called Champagne and Pearls. I blogged every single day. I blogged mainly about myself. Things I liked, my feelings, my experiences, etc. After months of this I became hungry. Hungry for money. So, I started to blog for brands, about brands, etc. Then something changed. I lost inspiration and then stopped blogging all together. In 2016 I deleted my blog. I found it to be a useless space on the internet and I hated it lurking there. But, I really wanted to be serious about blogging so I started again. I thought a fresh space would help me and it didn’t. Why? Well because I was blogging for others again and not me! I like that people can come to my blog to learn something new or gain information, but at some point I need to do what makes me happy. My mental health is so much better when I get to just type out what I feel, talk about my passion projects, and share my interest. So what does this mean? Well I am going to make a big effort to once a week “chat” with you all about something I am passionate about, interested in, want to know more about etc. I hope this will help with my desire to blog and bring more inspiration to me 🙂

Lilly Pulitzer on a budget! (How to find deals!)

Happy National Wear Your Lilly day! #NWYLD I wanted to share today where I find great Lilly Pulitzer deals. For example, the dress above is a vintage Lilly (white label) that I got on Ebay for $20! I love the high neckline on this dress and the scallop detail on the bottom. But, Ebay is no the only place to find Lilly at; here are my favorite places I find Lilly Pulitzer.

  1. The After Party Sale: Every year Lilly Pulitzer host a huge sale. This is the best time to buy Lilly and save money. The APS can be tricky, but if you are patient and prepared you can get some great deals.
  2. Ebay: As mention above, I love Ebay. This is another website where you have to be patient. I check Ebay every once and a while. I also pay close attention to when the close of bidding is and I try to put my final bid in as close to final time. This has helped me get items that I had really wanted.
  3. Poshmark: This is great app that is easy to navigate. I have been able to find good deals here, but not as great as Ebay. Poshmark takes a percentage of the sale so I find these prices to be a bit higher.
  4. Re-Lilly: I am apart of a few re-lilly groups on Facebook and found this to be a great place to find affordable Lilly Pulitzer.
  5. Instagram: Similar to re-lilly groups on Facebook, they are on Instagram too. I usually use the hashtag #relilly to find sellers. I have bought off of Instagram before and have had a great expereience.
  6. Goodwill: I have had so much luck at the Goodwill. I have found: shorts, skirts and sweaters! This is probably my favorite place to find Lilly deals!

Final tips for success:

  1. Be respectful of sellers by making appropriate bids on items. If you do not think the item is appropriately priced and the seller strict on the prices, don’t bid.
  2. Be respectful of other shoppers, some girls take their Lilly very seriously, but there is no reason to get in a fight over a dress.

Where do you find Lilly Pulitzer deals? Link your Instagram below, I want to see how you are wearing your Lilly today!

Summer Reading 2017

Hello everyone! The last day of school is June 21 and I anxiously counting down. Although I have to work summer school I do have a couple weeks off and shortened hours. I look forward to having some extra time to relax, work on some projects, and read. I have a couple books I have been collecting since the first of the year. Some are gifts from the holidays and some I picked up. I have been trying to sit down and read, but just haven’t had the chance. I am so ready to sit outside and read this summer! Here is the list of books I have on the shelf to read. My goal is to finish these this summer and buy more #bookaddict 🙂

There it is, these are all the books I hope to read this summer. What books are you reading/what is on your list?

The Best Summer Drink

Growing up in Florida, I am kind of obsessed with cold drinks. Seriously, I put ice in everything and I am always looking for something cold to drink on an incredibly hot, humid day.

When I was younger, my mom and I would make these smoothies for my dad and grandfather when they were working in the yard. Back then the famous chain that you see in malls accompanied by Dairy Queen wasn’t a thing. This Orange Julius recipe is a family one that has been passed down for a while. I am a huge fan of it because it isn’t as sweet as those mall ones, which I cannot drink — too much sugar.

Let me know if y’all like them, I sure do! -xoxo darling, Hayden

Recipe:

3 oz. Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate

½ cup of Water

½ cup of Milk

½ teaspoon of Vanilla

¼ cup of Sugar

5 or 6 Ice Cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender, cover and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Makes about 3 cups worth, but it can easily be doubled. When making, don’t double the sugar if you don’t want it to be too sweet.

Summer Outfit: Hayden

We are getting so incredibly close to summer so I thought I would share one of my go-to outfits for when I want to look reasonably cute without dying of heat stroke. I live in south Florida so wearing anything with sleeves is not always a good idea but I love these Lands End oxford shirts because they breathe easily. Also, I cannot get over the bandana trend? Is it even a trend if the bandana has been around for forever? I have always been a big believer in styling outfits with bandanas because they are like scarves but they don’t add heat and you can always use them to wick up moisture. I purchased my hat after I became obsessed with The Great Gatsby in high school; a good boater never goes out of style. The wicker pocketbook was actually my grandmother’s and it is the perfect little purse for summer. There are tons of options just like it in basically every store this summer.

See y’all next week-xoxo darling, Hayden.
Blog – Instagram

Summer’s Hottest Swimsuits

Happy Friday! I am excited to announce that on Fridays I will switching blogs with Hayden from Haute Table. Check out Hayden blog to see what I am sharing over there today!

Summer is quickly approaching; can y’all believe Memorial Day is less than two weeks away? Summer means it’s time for beach days, laying out by the pool and just general outdoor activities…and that means it’s time for the best swimsuits we can find! Below are my favorite picks from around the web, some from Anthropologie, some from Vineyard Vines and many others. Let me know what y’all’s favorites are

-xoxo darling, Hayden.

Anthropologie: One, Two, Three, Four

J Crew: One, Two, Three, Four

Lands End: One, Two, Three, Four

Target: One, Two, Three, Four

Vineyard Vines: One, Two, Three, Four

Where to Drink in St.Louis

There are a ton of amazing bars in STL, if you saw my Instagram (@amymarieblog) you will know I spent a lot of time at Start bar, I mean I couldn’t get enough of the vintage games and slushies. However, today I am just focusing on the breweries I visited during my week in STL.

Anheuser – Bush 

AB used to rule the beer world in STL. Although we all have had a drink produced by AB before it is still worth going on the free tour and getting a free beer. Who doesn’t love free beer? Its a beautiful place and has a lot of history. Definitely reminded me of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory!

Schlafly Bottleworks

Attend there free beer school and get to taste 5 of their current beers on tap. The beer school here had so much information, and it was cool learn how Schlafly flipped the script in STL. They made it possible for people to open breweries in the city and start selling craft beer. A certain someone used to run the game, but Schlafy is working there way up.

Urban Chestnut

No tours available here, but still a great place to visit. They are open late most nights, so instead of going to a bar, this is a good option. They have a large tasting room and the building is super cool.

4 Hands

Another cool place to stop by, they have a yummy snack shop inside, and games upstairs! Who doesn’t love games. This is great place to go for a drink after work.

Heavy Riff

Located in Dogtown, Heavy Riff is a fun place to visit. This place is run by two brothers with a love for music. Great decor and sometimes known for hosting guest taps.

Alpha

Alpha loves their drinking crew. If you join their Sipster club be prepared to be treated well! They often provide free food for their Sipsters. This was a close knit community of beer drinkers. It was a great environment with great beer!

2nd Shift

Let me just start by saying this…. they have a cat. A cat that lives at the brewery and loves attention. A big taste room and a friendly environment made for a great visit.

Side Project

Sour beer! If you haven’t tried sour beer before it is an experience. Sour beer is a very different taste, but Side Project does it well. They are known for teaming up with other craft breweries to create one of a kind beers.

Cheers!