Spring Is Here!! Wait… Is It?

May 11, 2018May 11, 2018Leave a comment

My favorite thing I look forward to living in downtown Baltimore, Federal Hill area is when the weather warms, the flowers bloom, the spring street festivals begin and everyone officially comes out of hibernation from the winter. While we had a beautiful, 80 degree weather day prior to this, you’d never guess we would be bundled in jeans, jackets and scarves just one day later. It’s hard to believe the drastic weather swings we get here in Maryland.

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BUT – a little chilly weather sure didn’t stop us having a good Sunday Funday for the 2018 Federal hill Spring Block Party!! Beginning at our usual spot, Don’t Know Tavern (P.S. they have BOTTOMLESS mimosas and bloodies every Saturday & Sunday for just $12 til 2!!), then migrating to Blue Agave for brunch, we indulged in BYO Avocado Toast. YES. You heard right … I said BUILD YOUR OWN AVOCADO TOAST and it was AH-MAZING!!! Little crispy thick Texas toast squares are served to you, with a huge personal bowl of guac, along with an array of fresh toppings: cilantro, onions, diced tomatoes (OH MY!) and whatever else your little heart desires!! You’ve gotta check it out (and their margaritas, of course 😉 )

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// blue agave //

At the street festival, we kicked off with bevvies at Social Pub & Pie and enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon filled with great food, drinks, live local music and some of Baltimore’s best arts and crafts vendors before we wrapped up with a little bubbly at the beautiful new spot, The Charles (it’s the old Mad River if you’re a seasoned Federal Hill-er). I even got a new pair of Fed Thrills (not that I need another pair…). BUT, they will be the perfect accessory for Ravens season! 🙂

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// fed thrill //

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// essential shoulder bag in visetos original // converse chuck taylor all star low top // ray-ban aviators // 620 mid-rise super skinny in belladonna // fed thrill purple aviators // michael kors kelsey large nylon crossbody // pink striped keds // bb dakota black leather jacket // lyon distilling co signature hat //

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// the charles //

Cheers to fun days, good friends and more sunny days! !
Xoxo
Brittany

Welcoming Four New Paws and One Wet Nose to the Fam!

May 9, 2018April 20, 2023Leave a comment

WHEW! We experienced a little radio silence for a while there. That’s because… we grew our little family byyyy… no, not what you’re thinking… not what you’re thinking AT ALL. We grew by four little paws and one wet puppy nose! Welcome Lizzy to the Cheery & Charming blog!

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With the wedding and planning over, the New Year coasting along and Samson coming up on 2 ½ years old, we knew we needed to re-introduce a little craziness to our lives. That’s how we function best! Lizzy comes to us from Saving Grace Animal Rescue and we couldn’t be happier with her! She’s a brindle Mountain Cur Lab Mix (that looks dangerously close to Samson!). She’s a quirky, quick, smart learner, and as ornery little brat at times, but it’s all forgiven because shes’s a total lovebug!!! Coming to us, she barely even knew how to give kisses – and now that’s her favorite thing! Although she does squeeze in an accidental nibble here and there… she’s getting better!

Everyday, she blends in more and more with our family and is gradually learning the do’s and don’ts of city living. The best part? Samson and Lizzy absolutely LOVE each other. It melts my heart how quickly he took to her. They do everything together.

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It’s as if she’s been here since the very beginning! Although… we do have a few lessons we need to learn first…

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Eeeekkkk!!! Stay tuned for more regular posting and all the things I need to catch up on!! With spring upon us and warm, sunny weather ahead, it’s time to turn on the cute outfits and turn up the shopping!!

Cheers!

xoxo
Brittany

Who Doesn’t Love A Fake Wedding?

March 10, 2018March 10, 2018Leave a comment

Who doesn’t like a good wedding? I do!! This year, we joined friends from Volunteering Untapped as they hosted this year’s Black Tie Baltimore’s Fake Wedding. It was essentially an excuse to get some nice duds on and go hang out at one of the coolest venues in town, the Baltimore Museum of Industry. 4fcb7e67-7b69-4c88-be7e-39e211e24e3d-2V7A7611 Image by dcrefined

We saw some friendly faces, met some new ones, and hit the dance floor like our best friend just got married. Delicious food & libations were included in the ticket price and a live band kept the dance floor full all night! I highly recommend checking this out next year if you missed!

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All proceeds benefited the charity partner, Volunteering Untapped (VU) so they can expand the amazing work they’re doing every month bringing charities and hundreds of volunteers together, creating impact, and making it all so easy! If you haven’t heard of Volunteering Untapped previously, definitely check them out!! They’re connecting volunteers with charities and each other in a way no one else is by organizing volunteering events at different charities around Baltimore on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10:00AM – 1:00PM with an awesome after party. See tomorrow’s volunteering opportunity here!

Check out their homepage www.volunteeringuntapped.org to see what they’re up to. Maybe you’ll even sign up for their super protected email listserv to hear about upcoming events (no spam!).

It was a super fun date-night evening! Personally, I’m always pressed to find new sites with stylish dresses at affordable prices, so I thought I would share this one with you. This subtly cross-thatch/polka dot patterned navy plunge dress is from Hello Molly! I also love that when you click on their dresses, there’s s typically a video of a model wearing the dress so you can better see how it flows, falls, etc.

// chalet girl maxi dress navy // cole haan crowns of light necklace // loveliness nude ankle strap heels // brooks brothers plaid stretch wool jacket // brooks brothers slim-fit stretch wool suit trousers //
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Talk soon!

xoxo Brittany

Life Ain’t Always Perfect, but It’s A Beautiful Life

February 12, 2018February 12, 20182 Comments

SUPERBOWL! One of the days I look forward to the most each year. Everyone is excited, people are giddy to see the newly debuted commercials, food prep is in motion, Super Bowl pulls are flowing, and the pressure to wear a cute outfit to the Super Bowl party is on! Here’s a sneak peek of (what I thought 🙂 ) was my casual, perfect outfit of the day!

HALOGEN® Long Sleeve Knit Tunic // LEVI’S Denim Overalls // Kari Layered Necklace // Shiraleah Quilted Hobo Bag // Vans Classic DX Slip-On Sneaker

This HALOGEN® Long Sleeve Knit Tunic is only $39 and fit slimly and comfortably under these adorable, light and distressed wash LEVI’S Denim Overalls.
I chose to wear it with a black long sleeve, given the season and time of year, but would be equally as cute with a white tee or cropped top in the spring and summer months! Super excited to update with that look when the weather begins to defrost. I’ve never been one for overalls in the past, but the jean material was surprisingly super comfy and they fit really well!

Okay, moving onto all of our fun festivities that were planned for the day! Leaving our little Samson at home …

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We ventured down the street (absolutely love how close all of our near-and-dear city folk are to us), to our friend Matt’s house to help prep for the day and delight in a few libations.

Seriously … how cool is his little under the stairs bar area for a lofty condo or apartment for space conservation?! So chic and I love the fun, extra touch of the LED lights! (not to mention the gorgeous back splash!)
Love that the boys have this quirky little tradition of new, crazy golf pants each year for Super Bowl. Adds a little goofiness and spunk to the day!

Next… FOOD!!! From freshly shucked oysters… to salty prosciutto… to savory brie… and homemade jalapeno poppers, it was truly an awesome day shared with friends!

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Then… I decided to jet home to let our little furball out before the game started. Then disaster struck. What had begun as a beautiful Sunday, quickly turned into a yucky, rainy, nightmare of a day when I arrived home to our condo with a gushing water main break around the rear of our building. Having a “terrace level unit,” which I love dearly, was suddenly not ideal. Water was rushing into our back patio, quickly flooding, as the clogged, storm drain on our patio worsened. As the water rose, nearly flooding into our home, the flowing water was simultaneously ambushing a nearby storage room that housed our seasonal clothes and other personal items.

Needless to say, everything in storage has been ruined by Baltimore city water gook – all of my clothing favorites and a number of new, personal wedding treasures… destroyed. While we await next steps from insurance adjusters, I’m left with nearly no clothes for this upcoming spring, much less summer. (So bear with me in future blog posts as I work to rebuild a wardrobe – bleh!)

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What an end to a day. What we can be extremely grateful for is that we didn’t have substantial, if any, overall damage inside our home. Our general belongings are spared. I know… while it may be a frustrating experience and process, we have so much to look around and feel fortunate we still have! There’s always something to be thankful for 🙂

Welp – until next time!

Stay tuned for my next post – our trip to Miami where I attempt to figure out this clothing sitch’ for our trip in the most creative way possible!!!

xoxox
Brittany

Weekend Roundup

January 30, 2018January 30, 2018Leave a comment

This was a weekend made for a busy, busy bee!

Friday

A little over four years ago, I would have my first happy hour at Don’t Know Tavern with John over some live music (of which I do not remember the band). BUT – what I would remember was that it was that night I would meet a lovely lady, on her second shift, that I had no idea would become one of my dearest friends today. Many birthdays, date nights, my bachelorette party and years later…

gingham dress

fed thrill shades

On Friday, Lexi celebrated hanging up her bar rag and working her final bartending shift at Don’t Know Tavern. Throwing on my favorite camo bomber jacket, I headed to DK for the evening!

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house of harlow pendant necklace // kari layered necklace // satin camo bomber jacket // j brand jeans // steve madden slips

Filled with friends, libations, love, a LOT of singing and dancing (courtesy of fan-favorite, Chris Diller) as well as reminiscing, I’m so excited, happy and thrilled that I now get to sit on the other side of the bar with this sweet girl!

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Saturday

Some days I walk outside and can’t believe we’re still in January! Blessed with a warm 62 degree, sunny day, I whipped out the spring clothes and we headed to brunch at a local spot called Minnow for a bubbly, boozy brunch! (Let’s be honest – what else is better to do on a beautiful break in the weather day in the city?!) Along the way, we stopped in John’s bar, Don’t Know Tavern (literally his – fun fact: *bar owners wife = a crazy life*) where we met Logan, his bouncer’s baby blue pit pictured below. TALK ABOUT PUPPY FEVER!! I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that getting Samson (our brindle lab-mastiff mix) a furry little brother didn’t cross my mind from time to time!

open back sweater // american eagle jeans

Warm sun on my face, cool breeze… Is spring here yet?! We headed out the door and over to Minnow (I absolutely love that we can walk so many places!). A trendy and adorable spot near us in South Baltimore, close to Riverside Park, Minnow is decorated with schools of yellow fish daintily painted along the windows. The restaurant truly captures the saltwater seafood theme through uniquely hanging tackle box décor with touches of rustic-modern furniture and a fun and friendly staff.
With ever-changing farm-to-table menu options and cocktail options, it’s a place you can visit and never tire of. There’s always something fresh and new on the menu – literally!
I decided to try their seasonally specialty gin cocktail (pictured here), followed by a 3-course restaurant week meal. Simply delicious! First course consisted of Frisee with bacon, la peral, and a soft poached egg. Okay, okay… so I might have went without the egg because I’m not a poached fan (I’m a hard boiled girl, myself!), but I heard it was delicious! Main course of French toast ensued with spiced apple compote, candied pecans, and finally closing our meal with a Snow White cake topped with cherry preserve, and creme fraiche swiss buttercream. I also mayyyy have dabbled a little in John’s chocolate tart with mille-feuille, almond frangipane, chocolate ganache for dessert. I wish I had amazing food pictures to share, but I’m still improving in that department. For now, it’s just my cocktail 🙂

Sunday

Rain. Rain. … and even more rain.

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BUT – its date adventure day! On Sunday, we ventured out of the city to the county, (very near and dear to where I grew up actually) to check out a monthly antiquing and vintage tag sale hosted by The Vintage Tin Can, The Painted Mill and Farmhouse Design District! A little like walking through grandma’s attic, never have I ever seen so many unique and exciting pieces I wish I had in my own home all at once! From one-of-a-kind doors and shutter accents to matchlessly designed rustic-modern décor, there were new surprises around every corner! I’ve included a few of my favorite dream pieces here!

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Working up quite an appetite post-antiquing, we decided to extend date day a little longer with a pit stop in Fells Point…

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We chose to spoil ourselves at one of our FAVORITE spots – Thames Street Oyster House! If you haven’t been to Baltimore, or live near Baltimore and haven’t made it to this charming little spot, it’s a MUST. Their food is incredible, namely their lobster roll which is absolutely to die for (pictured here)! Plus, there’s always a fresh raw bar menu (we delighted in freshly shucked oysters, shrimp cocktail and Alaskan crab legs – YUMMY!)

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Stay tuned because we have a magic show tomorrow, Super Bowl next weekend AND a special Cider Dinner on Wednesday!

PLUS – I can’t wait to start sharing our guest room transformation progress 🙂

xoxo Brittany

The Journey Begins

January 25, 2018April 20, 2023Leave a comment

As excited as I was (and am) to be starting my own little blog, I’m feeling the stress and pressure I’m sure anyone else would – “Where the heck do I start?!” Well… after painlessly pulling through article after article on how to start your blog, I’m going to take my favorite advice I read, and that’s just to jump right in!

Well, happy Thursday, everyone! Today, my heart is so full. I’m celebrating an official 2-months newlywed to my hubby, John. I get it… get over myself… it’s only been two months… you have a lifetime (quite literally) to go, but to us that’s huge! I get asked all the time, “How’s married life? Different??” Well, married life hasn’t been much different than dating and engagement life before hand, but it’s significantly more special. Everything we do, everything we save for, everything we plan, now has a different meaning, a different intention. There’s an almost even more of an importance and emphasis given to being the best we can be to one another and enhancing our lives to come as a new union.

I’m grateful for everything we have and everything we share. Especially, for moments captured like the one pictured below. This snaps a moment during our ceremony while reading our personally written vows to one another. After John completed his, he leaned in for a very standard, normal, routine and habitual, but HIGHLY WAY TO EARLY IN THE CEREMONY quick kiss, to which I somewhat accidentally violently shoved him away and our friends and family burst into laughter. #almostepicfail

I’m especially grateful for the love and support he’s given me to start and pursue my long adored hobby of writing, never-ending photo taking and documenting it through blogging. My posts may not be for everyone (and that’s totally okay!) but I’m excited to share my life and experiences through the view of my rose colored glasses. Enjoying food, fitness, fashion, moments with girlfriends, events, new challenges, healthy living and more!
The simple things that make life simply awesome.

I hope you continue to follow and (and chime in!) on my little Cheery & Charming journey. Cheers!

xoxo, Brittany