Carrie Bradshaw Lied

A Trip to Napa Valley

Oh what a start to this trip we had! To try to make a long story short – I miswrote the day we were departing OC for Napa in my planner (which is like my guide map to my life). I thought we were leaving on Wednesday… turns out we were actually booked on a 12:15PM flight on Tuesday!! Thank God for my amazing girlfriend Miriam. She called me around 9:15AM to ask what time I was getting to the airport… while I was sipping coffee in my robe, answering emails.

I threw some outfits in my carryon, hoped for the best and hopped in an uber to head to the airport! My incredibly sweet and positive uber driver was determined to get me to the airport in time and he did!!! I did manage to leave behind my wedding rings and camera (which is clearly very important when you are a blogger, #fail), but I managed to actually bring everything else! A huge thank you to Miriam and Danielle Navratil Photography for providing the majority of the images in this post!

Where we stayed: The Meritage Resort & Solage Calistoga

Two beautiful spots and really different – Miriam and I spent one night at Meritage and then met up with Erika for two nights at Solage. We had an incredible view of the vineyards at Meritage, and we had our own rooms with a private spa-like patio at the Solage. The meals at both resorts where absolutely delicious (the Solage brunch empanada alone – pictured below – was worth flying back to Napa for, seriously!), and the ambiance was the kind of romantic wine country setting you dream of.

The rooms in Calistoga are like individual cottages (you’ll see me in front of #48 below!), which were so spacious and lovely. I felt so spoiled hogging my cottage all to myself… it really made it so hard to leave!

Vineyards we visited: Davis Estates + Sherwin Family Vineyards

I’ve visited Napa and Sonoma before, but this trip was extra special because we spent a lot of time at each vineyard, touring the property, tasting from barrels and meeting with the owners. It was such a privilege to get to know more about each vineyard, and these two spots were incredibly beautiful and totally different. The Solage arranged our visits for us, and they didn’t miss a single detail.

What we ate: Evangeline, Solbar, Siena, Crush

I always find the food in Northern California to be exceptionally great, but my favorite dishes would have to be the etouffee at Evangeline, the empanada at Solbar and the queso at Crush because… you know I love queso.

Activities: Calistoga Balloons, Spa at Solage Calistoga

We all wanted to try a hot air balloon ride for the first time, so we woke up at 4:30AM to catch a ride with Calistoga Balloons. WOW – what an experience! We were in a group balloon basket, and it was so fun getting to know the other people in your group. We were all new to the balloon, and we had quite a few who were afraid of heights. If you’re that way – trust me, it’s the smoothest ride, smoother than any airplane I’ve ever been on. If I wasn’t looking around, I wouldn’t have even known we left the ground! There aren’t many things I wake up before sunrise for, but this is a bucket list experience that I would totally recommend if you’re planning a long weekend in wine country.

We visited the spa at the Solage, and it was absolutely stunning. I could honestly just hang at the spa lounge all day – so gorgeous and peaceful! The hotel has multiple pools at different temperatures, and the service was top notch. I kept joking that I felt like I was on a honeymoon with girlfriends – walking around the property in robes with champagne. Is this real life!?

dress | bag | similar mules here and here | similar earrings | scarf

top – same top in white and blue | similar shorts here | scarf | sandals | bag

similar cami | similar denim, and here | scarf | bag

L to R: yours truly, Erika, Miriam | swimsuit here and here

coverup

dress, same print here and here | heels | scarf

Thank you for all of your tips and recommendations while we were there! Each time I’ve visited Napa it’s only been for about two days… which is great because it always gives me a reason to go back, right!?

XO –

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Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale

1 20% off in 8 colors | 2 40% off | 3 marked down $700 | 4 40% off | 5 under $30 | 6 30% off | 7 40% off | 8 15% off in 7 colors | 9 40% off | 10 40% off

A few days ago I shared some of my picks from all of the holiday sales going on here, BUT there are still some amazing sales happening! Nordstrom’s Half-Annual Yearly Sale is still in full effect, and Net-A-Porter is offering up to 50% off on some major designer sales.

When you can get everything from a phone case to a designer handbag or pair of sunglasses at a discount!? #score. If you snagged anything fab over the weekend, I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading – XO –

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Home Refresh with Marks & Spencer

I love a home refresh, especially at the start of a new season! So when I was introduced to Marks & Spencer, it was the perfect time to select a few items that brightened up our townhouse as summer begins. When I find a site that offers clothing, home decor, men, kids items… it’s like hitting the jackpot!

I chose three light blue, plush velvet pillows, the cutest pom pom throw blanket and a teacup candle that smells like white jasmine – you catch its scent even when it’s not lit. I also added a lightweight and crisp white quilt to the foot of our bed (replacing a fur throw from earlier this year), in addition to the softest 100% cotton mattress topper for our new mattress!

I snagged the sweetest floral china plates (that are actually mega lightweight and plastic, so I’ll be adding those to my picnic basket!) and picked up a new baking sheet that is nonstick with a lip on the edges. It’s much needed in our house – we roast vegetables almost every night. For our patio we chose a distressed wooden lantern with a large pillar candle that now hangs above our patio table and adds such a dreamy ambiance. Just in time for patio barbecues – I’m ready!

Now… who’s coming over for some coffee and cookies!?

Thank you so much for reading! I love inviting you guys into our home. Feel free to see more in the “home” category of CBL, including links to other items in our townhouse! XO –

Brought to you by Marks & Spencer

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Best Memorial Weekend SALES

1 | 2 under $14 | 3 40% off | 4 40% off | 5 20% off with code HISUMMER | 6 40% off | 7 40% off | 8 33% off | 9 20% off with code HISUMMER

So many amazing deals going on this weekend! Above are some of my favorite picks from the markdowns I’ve seen, and trust – there are so many more –

ANN TAYLOR | 50% Off Full-Price Purchase & Extra 40% Off Sale Styles | CODE(S): SUMMER50 | ends 5/31

ASOS | 20% Off | CODE(S): HISUMMER | ends 5/30

BANANA REPUBLIC | Extra 40% Off | CODE(S): BRTAKE40 | ends 5/30

BLOOMINGDALES | Take an extra 20% off select sale & clearance items for savings up to 65% off | CODE(S):BROWNBAG | ends 5/30

BLUEFLY | Extra 20% Off Your Order |CODE(S): MDW20 | ends 5/31

Express | 40% OFF site wide (some exclusions apply) | no code needed!

Gigi New York | 20% OFF site wide + FREE Shipping + a gift with purchase when you spend $200+ & 50% OFF Poppy! (no code needed)

J. CREW | 30% Off Your Purchase | CODE(S): WEEKEND | ends 5/31

Lilly Pulitzer | Gifts with purchase | ends 5/30

LOFT | 60% Off Summer Faves & All Sale Styles + 40% Off New Arrivals | ends 5/31

LORD AND TAYLOR | Take 25% Off Almost Everything | Code: GIVE | ends 5/31

Lulu & Georgia | 15% OFF $250+ w/ code: MEMORIAL15 | 20% OFF $500+ w/ code: MEMORIAL20 | 25% OFF $1,000+ w/ code: MEMORIAL25 | ends 5/30

MACY’S | Extra 20% off Memorial Day Sale + Free Shipping at $50 | Code: MEMDAY | ends 5/30

MODCLOTH | Up to 40% Off + Extra 20% OFF All Sale Styles | Code: SOHOT | ends 5/30

NORDSTROM | Up to 40% Off | ends 6/7

OLD NAVY | Extra 50% Off Select Styles (Tanks, Tees, Shorts & Swim) | ends 5/30

POTTERY BARN | Up to 25% Off | CODE(S): SAVEMORE | ends 5/30

SAM EDELMAN | 30% Off Sitewide | CODE(S): VIPSUMMER | ends MAY 30

SERENA AND LILY | Save 20% Off Serena and Lily’s Memorial Day Sale | CODE(S): HEREWEGO | ends 5/31

SOLE SOCIETY | 50% Off Select Styles on SoleSociety.com | ends 5/30

Splendid | 30% OFF Everything include SALE | code: MEMDAY16

URBAN OUTFITTERS | Long Weekend Sale – 25% Off Shorts + 25% Off Graphic Tees | end 5/30

World Market | Take Extra 15% OFF entire purchase + FREE Shipping on $150+ | code: WORLD15

Yumi Kim | Take 20% OFF site wide | code: BBQ20 | ends 5/31

Hope you guys have a fun and safe weekend planned! And an enormous and endless thank you to everyone who has served for this country and dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom.

Thanks so much for reading – XO

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Lilly Pulitzer SALE

Rompers are a summer favorite of mine, and this pretty blue number is no exception. The tie waist gives it some shape, and I think a boyfriend blazer adds some nice coverage for those May gray days! AND Lilly Pulitzer is having an amazing sale for the holiday weekend and offering so many fun gifts with purchase this weekend that you definitely don’t want to miss! I’m sharing more info at the bottom of the post (and my favorite Lilly pieces for summer)!

My Dad snapped these photos for me when he and my mom were in town visiting last week, and I love having them in town for a hundred more reasons than just putting them to work when I need their help – ha! They honestly have so much fun together traveling and taking fun trips now that all of their kids are off of their hands and having their own kids, and it’s really fun to watch your parents in that phase of life. Kudos to them – they more than deserve it! But let’s be real… how great is my Dad with the camera?

photos by my Dad

Lilly Pulitzer’s holiday sale including multiple gifts with purchase – including beach balls, bracelets, beach towels and umbrellas and even beach chairs and hammocks! And yes, I said hammocks – and yes, I really, really want one.

Yumi Kim is also having a great sale this weekend and offering 20% off site-wide with code BBQ20! The Nordstrom half-yearly sale is still going on and it’s no joke, so put your shopping hat on, park it by the pool and #treatyoself.

Thanks for reading! I hope all of you have a beautiful and safe weekend. We’ll be in Los Olivos with my brother’s family in a super fun rental house – so follow along on Snapchat (CBLied) and Instagram if you’d like to see more of that! XO –

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California Republic Tee

I might be from Mississippi… but I can’t resist a California Republic tee, and when it’s a crop top? Game over.

When I worked in marketing for a bank in Mississippi (best job ever, and I’m not kidding – I freaking loved that place), my coworker was always snagging cute things for her daughters on Zazzle. Well now that I realize how much I was missing out because there are custom tees and all kinds of amazing pieces that vary in multiple types of cuts – tank top, crop top, tee, sweatshirt… your tee is your oyster.

Not only that – there are phone cases, posters, mugs, doormats, cards, pillows… basically everything. How have I missed this for so long? I can think of 198743478 bachelorette parties that I could have been #1 bridesmaid in if I had known about this place, so it’s not fair if I don’t spread the word! Let’s be real.

So I need to know, if you were to get your own custom tee – what would be? Luckily for you all purchases are 25% off right now, so I say #liveyourdream.

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

Brought to you by Zazzle

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Summer Beauty Favorites

1 comes in 6 shades| 2 | 3 3x award-winning | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 has four shades | 8 comes in 10 finishes | 9 comes in 4 shades | 10 | 11 | 12

I knew I had to share a beauty post with you guys because I’ve been trying out so many new things and have some serious favorites, just in time for a summer beauty roundup!

As for skincare, oh em geeeeeee – this Goop Beauty loot is no joke. I do have a lot of respect for Gwyneth Paltrow, but I’m going to be honest, I kind of thought this stuff would be so-so. All the contrary. It’s organic (more about that here), and honestly it makes your skin feel like butter. I can’t say enough good stuff about it. I linked my favorite two products I’ve tried so far above!

First Aid Beauty has been a favorite of mine for quite time, and the eye oil and night cream linked above are pretty amazing. I’ve been using them regularly and definitely packed them with me on this week’s trip to Napa! This face oil is perfect for mixing with your daytime moisturizer, not too much but just enough.

As for makeup, some of the items above I’ve talked about before, but please check them out because seriously – you won’t be disappointed.

A few great designer sales to know about –

NORDSTROM – half yearly sale and up to 40% off on like… all the good stuff (insert happy dance)

Serena & Lily – offering $25 off $100 or more with code SSTYLE25

Barneys – major sale on designer items, up to 40% off

Ssense – some great designer sales, up to 50% off

Saks – designer sales up to 40% off

We just arrived in Napa yesterday (if you follow along on Snapchat: CBLied or Instagram, you saw I nearly missed my flight because I thought it was today and not yesterday, #whoops), and it’s just breathtaking. The weather is beautiful, the vines are full, and I’m just trying to take it all in. Thankfully I’m with my girlfriend Miriam, and she is so calm, cool and collected that after a few hours of chaos her amazing attitude has made the trip hilarious and so much fun already! I’ll be sharing our Napa and Sonoma experience on the blog soon, but feel free to follow along on Instagram and Snapchat if you want to see what we’re sipping and up to!

If you have any wine country recommendations, we’d love to hear. Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Guide to Bermuda

Last week I shared my experience on my first cruise here, but I wanted to share a second post with more details on our two days spent docked in Bermuda, what we did, what we ate and what I would recommend to anyone making the trip!

One of my readers shared with me her awesome blog post here, which we all appreciated when we discovered Jobson’s Cove. I mean… beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe this gorgeous and private beach. We held the pink sand and wandered into all the private nooks of the beach… it reminded me of our recent trip to Hawaii!

We walked over to Horseshoe Bay as well, which was also beautiful but a little bit more crowded. We had lunch at Bonefish that day and some grabbed a drink at Calico Jack’s – a bar on a boat, how cute is that?

The next day we all hopped on a ferry to Hamilton, the area of Bermuda with many shops, colorful buildings and restaurants. We had so much fun walking around and checking out all of the cheerful architecture – it is such a happy vacation spot! I can’t for the life of me remember where we had lunch that second day (I even tried to find the receipt before paying in cash!), but I had fish tacos and Corona Lights, which is pretty much my dream lunch.

I wish we had more time to play in Bermuda, but we had so much fun wandering the beaches and town village – and you know I always love a good reason to return!

swimsuit, also available here |sarong| hat | similar sunglasses

hat | sunglasses | romper, also available here | bag, also love this one

coverup, also love this version and this one | swimsuit, also available here | beach bag | hat | earrings

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Suede Moto Jacket, Two Ways

Last week I shared this moto jacket in a more polished look, and today I wanted to style the same jacket in what I would call a more cool-girl-style (I am forever trying to attain this style that I admire in California girls, #goals). I wore this to my friend’s birthday lunch at Fashion Island and was amazed at all of the compliments I got on this simple and edgy outfit.

Last year I wore my blue denim cutoffs so much that I knew I needed to invest in more denim cutoffs for 2016. I recently add this pair (if you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me wear them quite a bit), a white pair and black pair. I’ve already worn all three so much and am so glad I expanded my shorts collection! If you live somewhere warm and can utilize multiple pairs, it’s great to have a loose, boyfriend fit and a more sleek pair. Both can be really versatile for different kinds of looks.

So now the final verdict… which look do you like better, last week’s or this week’s? I wore this jacket with denim both times, but it’s also so cute layered over a dress – a sundress or maxi dress.

Thanks so much for reading and sharing! Hope your Monday is off to a fresh start -XO –

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Friday’s Five

– a morning visit to the pier –

– the perks of going to the groomers –

– trying out some indoor herbs –

– my slight obsession with this new slip nightie –

– a fun local article including some of my girlfriends and yours truly –

This has been such a fun week, and honestly… I’m a little sad to see the weekend already. Is that so weird to say? Yes, totally. BUT, on Monday I crossed off a major bucket list moment. When we first moved to California three years ago, Christian and I made a list of all the things we hoped to do. One of mine was to see Chelsea Handler at the Chelsea Lately show on E!. Shortly after we moved here, she stopped hosting her show, so I assumed I would never see her in that capacity. BUT, once I saw her Netflix show had begun, I scored tickets to participate in her audience and was on the moon!

My parents were in LA on Monday, so I tried to convince both my sis-in-law and my mom to come with me, but they had other plans so no problem – I was fine going solo. I drove to LA and en route, a reader of mine contacted me who actually works for Netflix! Long story short, her name is Caitlin and she is the BEST. We met up after the show (Gwen Stefani was the guest – you can watch the episode on Netflix!), and she ended up introducing me to Chelsea. I mustered all of my strength to not act like a total crazy crazy, and told her what a privilege it was to meet her and how I’ve been such a huge fan of hers for years. She was beyond lovely, kind, polite and professional – and my love and respect for her is now through the roof! You can see the photo we snapped here!

SO major thanks to Caitlin for taking my bucket list moment and making it 2979847x better. After the show I went to my brother and sis-in-law’s house to hang out with their family (soon to be 5 in July) + my parents, and we had dinner at the coolest spot in Silverlake, Cliff’s Edge. Would definitely recommend if you’re in that area! Now my parents are hanging with me, and it’s always so fun to have them in town!

I hope y’all have a beautiful weekend – and if you have a celebrity encounter/moment that left you start-struck, please share! Thanks so much for reading – XO –

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ModCloth Swim

Giant watermelon slice in the hooouuuuusseee! Lately Christian and I have made it a habit to try to make it to the beach on Sundays, and this past Sunday we definitely called some attention to ourselves as we walked to the beach with a giant watermelon pool float (“whoa – look at that huge piece of watermelon!”). God bless dearest Christian, he’s such a good sport! I look forward to floating on this adorable melon all summer long.

But let’s talk about this ModCloth swimsuit, shall we? I’ve been all about the one-piece this year. I am a huge Pilates-lover, but all my favorite studios are in Costa Mesa and Newport where I used to work. Now that I’m working from home, it’s a little too far to go (mostly because of traffic) just to exercise. I can’t seem to find a studio I love here in Orange SO that means the majority of my exercise this year has been walking Bailey while listening to podcasts.

Thanks to this year’s wave of adorable one-pieces, I can feel confident and stylish in something that fits my lifestyle while still being super fun. Shopping for a swimsuit isn’t easy, but when you have a versatile selection of styles, it makes a huge difference, and ModCloth has you covered! I love how many unique styles and patterns they have, not to mention their size charts offer something for nearly everyone (insert praise hands).

swimsuit (true to size), really love this one, this one and this one, watermelon float – so many cute summer accessories here, seashell coverup (40% off!), towel, love this one and this one – c/o ModCloth

So who else is addicted to the lifeguard-style swimsuit? I now want one in every color. This is not a drill. Thank you guys so much for reading! XO –

Brought to you by ShopStyle and ModCloth

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Suede Moto Jacket

I recently added this jacket to my closet, and I have already worn it so many more times than I realized I would! It’s such a great layering piece, lightweight with just enough warmth and racks up compliments every time I wear it. Turns out it’s currently 33% off, and if that’s not a sign… I don’t know what is.

SO, I’m going to be styling it two different ways – the second coming to you next week! I wore this outfit to church in Costa Mesa and then to lunch in Newport with Christian a few weekends ago. California is known to have “May gray” and “June gloom,” but I actually really enjoy the cool, overcast weeks before summer hits in full force. It lets me squeeze in a few more weeks of some of my favorite spring pieces, and this jacket is most definitely one of them!