My Favorite Summer Wines

Happy Saturday!

A glass of wine in the late afternoon light is what summer dreams are made of. My father’s side of the family is Italian, and I grew up spending summers in the town my grandmother grew up in. This little town called Filetto is southeast of Rome up in the mountains near the coast. What you can find in this quaint little town is old world charm, a culture of community and a strict adherence to the afternoon siesta schedule. You’ll also find acres and acres of grape vines.

I grew up with a love and appreciation of wine, how it’s made, and how it’s best enjoyed. My grandfather has been growing his own grapes and making his own wine his whole life. Even after moving to the states, he has kept the tradition alive. While wine is something my family believes can be consumed year round, I am especially found of the light summer whites and rosés that cool you down on a hot day.

Now, growing up surrounded by some of the best wines, I can be a bit particular in my choices; however, I’m firm in my belief that good wine can be found in any region and at any price point. I’m also a gal on a budget, so the wines I’ll be sharing today are all budget friendly, and of course, delicious!

Ruby Red Blood Orange Rosé

I found this slightly sweet rosé at my local liquor store, but you can check it out here. I like that its light, fruity, and refreshing. I’ve also tried the grapefruit version as well, which I also love. The flavor of both is unique and I almost feel like would go great in a sangria or homemade cocktail concoction!

Voga Italia Pinot Grigio

I love a good pinot (Grigio and noir) and as soon as summer rolls around it quickly becomes my drink of choice. This one is another local liquor store find that has quickly become a staple. I love how light it is, it’s really no wonder it’s award winning!

Strawberry & Raspberry Rossini

This wine tastes like a Bellini in a bottle. It’s prefect all day long, from brunch to dinner, just pick up a bottle at your local Trader Joe’s. It is very sweet, so if that’s not your thing then maybe stick to the plain Prosecco. I, however, have a wicked sweet tooth and can’t get enough of this fruity drink.

The Delicious Monster

Another great Trader Joe’s find, this wine is from South Africa. I’m not going to lie, I base most of my wine trying decisions based off the label. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but before you taste that first sip, I find it’s pretty hard to go by much else. I love the palm print of this wine, but honestly I love the wine itself even more! Even better, it’s under $10, it’s a wine-win-win!

Anything from Chloe Wines

Unfortunately, I was fresh out of my favorite wine brand for this shoot – I literally cannot seem to keep a bottle in my house for a week without it disappearing – but here’s a fun throwback from last summer when Luca was a bitty baby pup. Some of my favorites are the Pinot Grigio, Rosé, and Prosecco. They’re all amazing and can be found at your local liquor store for under $15!

If you guys try any of these let me know what you think! I’m also always looking for new ones to try, so comment your favorites below!

Decorating My New Apartment

It sometimes feels like I’m in a constant state of packing and unpacking, moving and settling in. I’ve been moving in and out of student housing since I was fifteen, and after finally moving back home for a year, it’s time to move once again. As most of you know, I will be moving to North Carolina in August to start law school at Duke! As many times as I’ve moved, this time feels unique in a couple of ways. First, it’s a much bigger move. Before, I had roommates who would bring things, so I usually only had to furnish my own bedroom. Now I’m going in with a clean slate and will have to furnish an entire apartment. Second, the distance is a lot further this time. I was always under 2 hours away, so moving was just a matter of taking a few car trips. Now I have a twelve hour drive, which feels a bit more daunting. There a few other difference as well, like the fact that my brother is my roommate instead of a group of girls, or that i now have to also think of my pup, Luca, and how he fits into the mix. I’m getting a little dizzy just thinking of all this now, but mostly I’m just really excited to begin this new adventure!

The thing about moving so far is that the cost of getting my furniture all packed up and moved is about as much as it costs to buy new stuff (at least that seems to be the case for me and my Salvation Army bed frame). I’m not too upset though, because I get to decorate all over again! Since before I even signed the lease, I’ve been on the hunt for cute pieces to make my new home feel, well like a home. I’ve found some amazing pieces to fill my space (without breaking my budget), so today I wanted to share them with you!

Bedroom

My decor style is pretty simple, I like light white pieces and gold accents. My style for my bedroom would best be described as feminine, modern, and glam. I like clean lines. Lots of white and gold accents. Here are some of what I’ve bought for my bedroom so far:

 

Bed: I love this sleigh bed. I was debating getting an upholstered bed, but i really likes the simple, feminine style of this one. I also like that its wood, so I can always repaint or strip it down and stain it if I need to.

 

Nightstands: Something that I was so insistent on was having two nightstands. I’ve always only had one, but I love the symmetry of having two. I absolutely feel in love with these when I say them and couldn’t be happier with my choice. The drawers are a pretty decent size as well, so I plan to use them for extra storage.

 

Bookshelf: As much as I love white furniture, I wanted to make sure that I had a little more golden glam in the mix. I really like the way I’ve seen gold etagere bookshelves styled, so I got this one to put my favorite pictures and little treasures on display.

 

Golden Makeup Organizer: I got these organizers to use in my room and my bathroom. I love how they fit so perfectly with the theme. They’ll perfect for my makeup and jewelry too! I ordered mine from Wayfair, but they don’t appear to be available anymore. The ones linked are identical ones from Amazon.

Blue

Pink

Lamps: I’ve been seeing ginger jars all over some of my favorite decor spaces. I wanted to add some more color into the space and these lamps are perfect. I still haven’t decided which to get but these are my top choices:

Rug: My apartment is all hard flooring, so an area rug was a must for my room. I debated getting something with more color, but I like that this one is so versatile and will be able to work in any space.

 

Living Room

If it was just me, my living room would be filled with a lot more white and gold; however, my brother doesn’t share my same love of gold bar carts and pops of pink. Instead, I went with a coastal farmhouse vibe for our shared space, and I actually love how well everything seems to be coming together so far.

Couch: I was dead set on getting a white couch, but the maintenance to keep it freshly white would be a nightmare. I decided to save the couch of my dreams for when I’m fully on my own and instead got this lovely light sand colored one. It’s a little more gray than beige but the color matches perfectly with all of the other upholstery we got.

Ranck Sky Blue/Light Gray Area Rug

Kalil Blue/Beige Area Rug

Rug: I’m actually using the rug I bought two years ago in the living room. I got it at Homegoods, but will link some similar ones I also love.

Ottoman: I also bought this at Homegoods, I love the weather wood look and it matches the couch perfectly.

TV Stand: I like how this tv console warms up the space with a wooden tone. The sliding doors are perfect for storage and really add to the farmhouse feel.

 

Kitchen

Table: I looked all over for a table and ultimately just bought one for $20 at salvation army. I was originally hoping for a more beachwood look, but the one we got is a darker color. I actually think it will help add some contrast to the space, so I’ll keep you guys posted on that.

Chairs: We went with these classic looking chairs for the space I think they’ll look really cool never to the darker table

Settee: A challenge with furnishing a lived in space is finding the balance between aesthetic and function. I want our living space to be somewhere we can hangout and entertain, but there really want room for more than just a couch in the space so we had to get creative. I chose this settee for the dining area because it will double as additional seating in the living room if we need. The two spaces are open and connected, so it works out really well.

Bar stools: I saw these stools and though they were the perfect way to tie everything together, The bluish gray stripes on the upholstery tie in nicely with the pillows we picked out for the living room. I also love the light wood.

 

I still have a few things here and there that I need to get, but this is the bulk of it. I’m so excited to see how it all comes together when we finally get to move in!

Cozy Fall Home Decor

Happy Fall Y’all!

If you’ve been reading my posts lately, then you know how much I love all things fall! This season I really worked to clean up my space a little better in my living room. I reorganized how and where I store things and it just feels so much less cluttered now. Hopefully next season I’ll get to my closet (ha!).

Today’s post is all about how I decorated for fall this year. Cooler weather outside calls for making it feel as cozy and warm inside as possible. I always love making spaces my own. For me, nothing compares to the feeling of coming home after a long day and I really strive to create a space that feels welcoming and homey. I never grow tired of the familiar smells as I walk through the door or the sight of a cozy couch asking to be curled up on while I unwind. The biggest decor lesson I have learned is to make whatever space you’re working with feel like it’s yours. Sometimes I find myself scrolling through Pinterest for hours loving images of beautiful spaces, but when I try and recreate the look I realize it doesn’t really fit with my space or my style.

Fall decor is a perfect example of this. My decor style is all about light spaces, lots of whites, and cooler tones. Traditional fall decor focused more on deeper, warmer hues. While I love the look of a cozy autumn cottage in the mountains, or a warm rustic farm house, those looks would just look out of place in my space. The challenge for myself this season was to find a way to incorporate all the things I love about fall in my space, while balancing them with my style. Follow along to see how I tackled fall seasonal decor.

When I think of traditional fall colors I think of warmer hues and a lot of orange. I was nervous that too much of this would feel out of place in my living room, especially since my rug is white and blue. Searching through Pinterest, I found a lot of inspiration for shaking up traditional fall decor by mixing up the traditional color scheme. I focused on working with my cooler tones but still incorporating warm colors as well. The blankets I used on my couch and chair are actually scarves but they were perfect as decorative accents so I just ran with it.

 

I love pumpkins, especially small little ones (though I think they’re technically gourds). I used them to add little touches of fall to the space. I found the gold ‘thankful’ embroidered pillow at HomeGoods and loved how it fit. For other decorative accents, I found some festive little wooden signs in the Target dollar section which went nicely with the mantle. I also found these fabric pumpkins at target. They were a great way to stay true to the fall theme while still tying the space together.

I really love how my space turned out, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t switched a few things around. I’m always changing things up because this is all so new to me. I have learned a lot so far and feel even more prepared to tackle holiday decorations in a month or so! For now though, I think I’ll just sit back with my pups and relaxin my cozy fall home.

How do you decorate your home for fall? Comment below!