Scribner's Catskill Lodge Getaway

I had a week last week that made me wonder, "how is Mercury not in retrograde?"  The week culminated on Friday when I managed to slice open two fingers trying to open an Amazon package, and found myself in the emergency room getting six stitches.  Le sigh- there's never a dull moment!  Thankfully, I was able to escape to Scribner's Lodge in the Catskills this past weekend to decompress and relax with my girl Gabby.  Madewell x Parachute hosted the weekend, properly pitched as "The Coziest Weekend Ever", and it was lovely.  We meditated, we did yoga, we knitted, we drank lots of negronis by the fire, we roasted marshmellows.  It felt a little like being back at girl's summer camp, but in a much more plush atmosphere.  If you get the chance, I highly recommend checking out Scribner's.  As I noted on my instagram post, the vibe is very 70s Abercrombie chic.  While the lodge itself has existed since 1966, things got a hell-of-a-lot more chic in the fall of 2016, when Scribner's got a facelift by the fab Studio Tack:

Here's what was on my packing list:

From top to bottom, left to right:

Donegal Kent Beanie $19.99/Indio Sunglasses $55/Madewell x Vans Unisex Sneakers $70/Maroon Blanket Scarf $19/Fleece Jogger Pants $44/ThermoBall North Face Puffer $199/Merino Travel Kit $169/Georgina Snow Boots, $160/

Hope everyone has a good week- I'm counting down the days til I can get these damn stitches out! :)

XO,

Sam

Weekend Recap

Last weekend one of my best friends came to visit me in New York, and we had such a great time that I have to document it in a recap post.  Grace and I met in undergrad at OU and have been virtually inseparable since then.  When I made the move here a few months ago, I made her promise to visit me as soon as she could.  We've been on many vacations and weekend jaunts together, and in 2010 we spent New Years Eve in Times Square.  I was so looking forward to being reunited in a place we both love, and her stay, albeit short, did not disappoint.  Friday we went to dinner at Balthazar  (my favorite) and stayed for a few cocktails at the bar.  Saturday, we grabbed a quick brunch at The Penrose and avoided the rain by going to the matinee of Wicked.

Before you write this off as "2 Basic Girls Do NYC," let me tell you about our dinner experience.  I'd been dying to try Beauty & Essex, but could only manage to get us a 5:45 pm reservation even two weeks in advance. So after the show, we headed to the Lower East Side for dinner with the rest of the senior citizens.  Walking in to Beauty & Essex was a bit confusing, as the entry is a thrift shop.  However, once you walk in to the restaurant itself, the atmosphere is dark, sexy Art Deco glam.  Even at 6 pm, the restaurant and bar were hopping, and we soon understood why.  The cocktails were truly works of art.  I had a St. Germain cocktail and Grace had the Old Dirty bramble (tequila, smoked blueberries, honey ginger, and lime).  They also brought us an amuse bouche of pureed beet on brioche: 

For dinner, we shared the tuna poke wonton tacos, chile relleno empanadas, thai style deep-fried shrimp, and lobster mac and cheese. No calorie was spared. After we finished eating, we walked over to the Ludlow Hotel for a drink, and the atmosphere there did not disappoint either. There was a man in a dramatic kimono parading around for most of the night, and neither of us could figure out if he worked for the hotel or was just an entitled guest.  It takes all kinds, I suppose.   The sun finally shone a bit on Sunday, so we went for a quick brunch near my apartment in the Upper East Side at The Writing Room before heading to Central Park.  I loved the industrial lighting and the plethora of books:

My brunch date was so in to our conversation.

While gallivanting through Central Park, we stopped for a few selfie opportunities.

And we rowed our way around the lake.  Or, I should say, I convinced Grace to row me around while I laid back and got some sun. 

I love this girl! Thanks for the visit, G!  Now I'm off to Texas for Austin City Limits.  I can't wait!

Travel Guide: Tulum

It seems like Tulum has become the trendy place to escape to in Mexico, and now I understand why.  It only took me 3 days to completely fall in love with the laid back, bohemian town.  Two weekends ago, I checked in to Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa with 3 of my girlfriends for a girls getaway. We ate well, we drank well, and we relaxed well.  

I became familiar with two of Tulum's hottest boutique hotels, Be Tulum and Coqui Coqui, while perusing Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  However, my friends and I love a good deal, so we chose to stay at an all-inclusive resort right on the beach.  While typically I enjoy the unlimited drinks an all-inclusive  hotel provides, the food usually leaves a lot to be desired.  However, we were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of food, drinks, and service at Dreams.  They even had an amazing coffee bar we visited every morning on the way to claim our lounge chairs by the pool.

 

Having heard fabulous things about Hartwood, we decided to head over Friday night for dinner.  But when we pulled up in the taxi, we sadly discovered the restaurant was closed until November for renovations! Luckily, our second choice for dinner- Gitano- was a short walk away.  

{the chic restaurant entrance, with Linds in the background!}

Our dinner experience was unforgettable. If you visit Tulum, you MUST go to Gitano and get a Kisses in the Car cocktail- Mezcal, Passion Fruit, Tangerine, Habanero.  It is out-of-this-world delicious.   For dinner, we shared small plates, including the truffle mushroom and black bean avocado tacos.  Throughout the evening, the staff would walk around spreading incense.  Tiki torches, tea light candles, and a disco ball glittered in the night. It was truly magical.

Saturday, Lindsay and I headed over to Coqui Coqui for a deep-tissue massage. Even if we didn't stay at the resort, we definitely wanted to experience it's beauty.

We climbed 3 flights of stone stairs up to a beautiful indoor cabana that overlooked the ocean for our massages.  It was perfect.

Coqui Coqui also has a perfumery and boutique, and you can also buy their covetable candles on Net-a-Porter.  I couldn't leave the boutique without purchasing the Floplum scent, which combines notes of jasmine and orange blossom, and have been burning it after work in my NYC apartment.  The scent always puts me in a good mood as I remember our time in Tulum.

After our massages, Lindsay and I walked down the beach to Taqueria La Eufemia, a cute taco shack on the beach.  It's slogan, "Relax and Enjoy Some Fucking Tacos", could honestly be my life motto.  The restaurant's baja-style fish tacos and pina coladas were delicious.   Later that day, we all walked around the shopping strip in the main part of town and were drawn in to a small open-air bar that served coconut cocktails.

Our bartender even went so far as to create faces on our coconuts out of fruits and veggies before serving them to us!

Our last night, we stayed at the resort and enjoyed a delicious French dinner.  I got in to the boho spirit with this Mara Hoffman crop top and skirt:

 I wish we had had one more day so we could explore the Mayan ruins, but there just wasn't enough time.  At least that gives me an excuse to go back!  Until next time, Tulum.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday my friends!  Did you all have a good weekend?  I had such a busy week of work that I kept my weekend pretty low-key and focused on getting a few things done around my house.  I'm still trying to finish up redecorating my bedroom, and my new dresser from Jasper Kane Designs finally arrived!  If you recall from this post, I updated the paint color to Benjamin Moore's Soft Chamois (OC 13) cut 50% and had the cracks and imperfections touched up.  For $400, I definitely feel I got a great piece!

 I accessorized the dresser with Aerin Lauder's Morton Table Lamp in Burnished Silver, a few coffee table books and framed pictures, and a vase from Area.   It was rainy most of the weekend here in Houston, so I had to pick up some fresh flowers for around the house.  I added these pretty hydrangeas to my bedside table (vase is from Target, but I bought it a long time ago):

 I also popped in to a few decor store this weekend, and was pleasantly surprised to see some great things in West Elm.  I'm usually not that impressed with their offerings, and feel like their furniture really only caters to the mid-century modern crowd.  However, I was delighted to find these cute pom pom pillows, and had to grab a few in the turquoise color:

 {Jay Street Ashti Pom Pom Pillow in Pale Harbor $54}

They come in other fun colors too, though!

{Jay Street Ashti Pom Pom Pillow in Platinum $54}

 {Jay Street Ashti Pom Pom Pillow in Rose Bique $54}

While out and about, I also stopped by Buffalo Exchange and sold some clothes I no longer wear or want.  While I was waiting for them to go through my bags of clothes to trade-in, I took a look around the store and was surprised to find some cute pieces!  I walked away with this Express romper and these Zara heels for free- thanks to my trade-in cash!  To add a little color, I paired the outfit with my favorite Design Darling tassel earrings:

Saturday night I had a few friends over and then we went out to check out a new bar in downtown Houston called Bovine & Barley.

 I loved this neon-lit Edgar Allan Poe sign inside the bar.

How was your weekend??  Did you do anything fun?

Weekend Recap

Happy (belated) Easter!!  I hope everyone had a great weekend celebrating with family and friends.  I spent the weekend back in OKC with my family, and it was so nice to be home for the first time since Christmas.  I try to go home as much as possible these days because my adorable niece, Lily, is growing up so fast!  She is 16 months now, and did her first Easter egg hunt this year.

As you can tell from her face, she wasn't enthused about me trying to take our picture at 7:45 am!  Watching her hunt for eggs was about the cutest thing ever, though.  She learned really quickly what the point was and that her favorite snacks were in each egg, so she would immediately open each one once she found it:

I still love this yellow sofa + leopard coffee table combo we did in my parent's master sitting room.  The throw pillows are by Martyn Lawrence Bullard for Schumacher. 

 While doing some shopping around town (I finally got to visit Lush Fashion Boutique!), I passed by the Flaming Lip's new store, Made by Freaks with Love.  Naturally, I had to take a snap of the crazy painted exterior-

It was so hard to say good bye to my family and Okie friends, but with a full week ahead in Houston and Lindsay coming to visit this weekend, it's good to be back home.

Did you have a good Easter?

Weekend Recap

I had the best time visiting my BFF Lindsay in Kansas City this past weekend.  As a Midwesterner through and through, nothing makes me happier than traveling to a state so sprawling that it takes a 30-minute car ride to get anywhere.  Linds has the most adorable home (as you probably already know), so I love staying with her and seeing her latest decor updates.  Like this settee she originally found on Craigslist and had reupholstered in a punchy pink (and added tufting!):

Isn't her inspiration board fun, too?  The first thing on my KC to-list was to buy some new shades, after discovering I had lost my trusty Raybans.  As I've talked about before, I have probably had 25 pairs of Rayban Aviators in my lifetime.  I always end up losing them, and I try for a bit to be happy with cheap alternatives.  Nevertheless, I always eventually go back and buy another pair of Aviators because I love them so much.

This time, I went with the blue-tinted glasses, and love them!  Friday night, we went out and caught up over sushi and cocktails on The Plaza.  Saturday, we had the most delicious Italian lunch at North.  I had the fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto pizza (sans the prosciutto, since I'm a pescatarian).  It was TO DIE FOR.  Are you getting the point of our weekend?  Food and drink. :)  That afternoon , we went to one of our favorite spots- Imperial Massage.  Linds will probably get mad at me when I let her secret spot out, but I have to share.  This massage spot is so incredible.  However, the set up is kind of weird and might alarm you if I don't warn you.  Basically, it's a dark, open room with several reclining chairs.  For a 1-hour massage (don't worry, you keep your clothes on) it's only $30!  And it is a good massage.  Just read these reviews.  Anyway, I am not ashamed to admit I asked if we could go back Sunday, too.  It's that relaxing!  After our massages, we did a little shopping.  My favorite decor store in KC is Nell Hills, so we went there first.  The prices are incredible!  I loved this brass lamp with a snakeskin-textured shade:

Saturday night, we went to La Bodega to have a few cocktails and tapas. 

{wearing a Nasty Gal One Wish Dress, Lip Gloss is NARS Turkish Delight}

Two of Lindsay's KC friends, Erika and Kate, came out with us too!  After sweating profusely on the patio at La Bodega, we walked over to Port Fonda for a few drinks. 

I LOVE this place.  Every time I visit Linds, I make her take me here at least once. Port Fonda is a contemporary Mexican restaurant that started in an airstream trailer (as all good Mexican restaurants do), and is now one of KC's hot spots.  

I love the light-up letters in their main dining area:

Sunday morning, we went back to Port Fonda for brunch.  The bloody mary bar there was insane.  I am not the brightest bulb in the box, and didn't realize those toppers were pork-rinds til I filled my drink with them (waa waa):

{Wearing "French Quarter for Your Thoughts" Nailpolish by OPI}

After brunch, we did a little antiquing.  Unfortunately, neither of us found anything we couldn't live without.  However, we did visit a junk shop and this sign cracked me up:

I need a home.  Any takers? ;)

Sadly, this will probably be my last visit to KC.  Lindsay is moving to Dallas in a few months for work, and I couldn't be more excited to have her several miles closer to me in Houston.  I predict regular weekend visits in my near future.  As always, thank you Lindsay for being the best host and friend in general!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday and Happy Summer!  June 21 marked the official start to my favorite season and the longest day of the year, and I was thrilled to spend it in Oklahoma City with my family.  With the wedding craziness and a busy quarter at school, I hadn't gotten to travel home since Christmas!  Spending time with my baby niece was my top priority.  She will be 7 months old on June 26, and is cuter than anything or anyone I've ever seen (totally non-biased aunt talking right here).

{Baby Lily in her Sunday best for church}

{Sunday, I spent the day by the pool, catching up on my favorite glossies}

{A trip to OKC wouldn't be complete without a club special- 1 part vodka, 1 part lime juice, 2 parts Sprite, fill with soda and garnish with a lime wedge.  The club special was started at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.  I always love having them when I come home because no one makes them as good as Oklahomans do!} 

{While home, I stopped by my Rose Creek Project because I am planning to do a few more items for the client!  I couldn't help snapping a pic of the custom barstools I did for their kitchen.  I worked with Boxwood Interiors to create these beauties}

 {Sunday night, our family went to eat dinner at OKC Thunder player Kevin Durant's new restaurant in Bricktown}

{We got to hold some of his shoes, and look at the size of his foot compared to Baby Lily!  Ridiculous!}

Spending the weekend with the fam was the perfect post-finals recipe.  It was nice having a relaxing weekend with no set plans or commitments.  We all need those weekends every now and then, don't we?!