scenes from my weekend.

This weekend: lots of rain, grading tests, tea time, 

a little get-together/Arbonne party, and an all-girls breakfast. 

OH! and a drastic haircut for me {drastic meaning ~3"}. 

Also from the weekend: crazy wanderlusting,

dreaaaaming/begging for springtime weather,

getting excited for my birthday (soon!),

and having margaritas with good old friends.

So even though there aren't many pictures to show it, 

what a great weekend! If it weren't for all the rain, I would've probably gone out

and taken more photos, but it was kind of nice to know that it's actually rain and not snow 

going on outside. A big sigh of relief :)

ciao, xo

s&t go to italy

The rush of scurrying about Italy for a summer leaves me breathlessly nostalgic. One highlight of the summer was S's turn to visit Italy - his first ever time - and watching the absolute magic of the cities, sights, and foods sink into him. We had an (almost) impossibly long to do list, but I proudly can say that we checked most things off. I was proud because I was kind of an unofficial tour guide, cappo di gruppo, for a week - which had its trying times. For instance my stupid idea to tackle Rome in only one day left me exhausted and frazzled to say the least. Other times were much less rigorous and molto relassante. Such as our beautiful nights in Florence. Wine tasting in Montalcino and Montepulciano. I think my love obsession for Tuscany rubbed off on S.

And so, I give you, a little taste of our Italian travels!

ciao, xo

bellagio | como lago

Judging by these photos, I think in Bellagio I was feeling the tabletops, wisteria and duck shots. 

It was such a fine, beautiful and misty day. I can remember the train ride well.

Straining my eyes to see the swiss alps - but ah, just one too many clouds to block the view.

It was okay, I had my best friends with me and we had met a friendly duck.

We dined at a fancy hotel in Bellagio and I ordered my first ever margarita.

It was strong. Only a year later did my friend and I admit to feeling the effects of that one... :)
Everyone suspected but we happily denied it and just took in the views.

But it led to some mindless and utterly blissful walks through the streets of Bellagio,

scenic shots of the bluest water, truest green mountains, punctuated with pockets of golden rooftops.

I could feel George Clooney's presence that day...somewhere was his villa. Maybe the one above.
Calling my name...

Our day ended in a perfectly time, perfectly violent and crazy hailstorm. The day itself was perfect.

The hailstorm added a bit of frenzy that made us laugh, 

and I can giggle again even thinking about how amazed I was by it.

Was I even here to see those pastel colored houses and luscious hydrangeas?

Or the lightning storm over como lago with the boat on skis?

ah, another life it seems.

from guigno 2011.

ciao, xo

scenes from my weekend

check out my sister's illustrations || twitter

Why can't it just get warm, and stay warm!? 

This weekend was such a tease in that regard. 

One day was perfect for smoothie stops and a light coat, 

and the next was a chilly, blustery day where going without gloves was unthinkable.

The weekend was packed with food (as you can see), poking around some awesome shops and

good old quality family time. 

My little sister was featured in a gallery art show and we got to see her work

and meet her colleagues - how awesome is she?!

It's pretty fantastic to see the stuff she comes up with. I am beyond envious of her talent!

{check out her other illustrations}

So our artsy-fartsy afternoon brought us into the city which was quite fun for me - 

I am always up for a little time in the city of brotherly love...

because it means I get to grab a latte from here! (my fave in the city).

Cookies from insomnia were a delicious, indulgent addition...mmm.

Clearly we went overboard. No complaints here :)

ciao, xo

ps. check out my post featuring a dress from eShakti! use the code ANTCPNBLOG to save 10% off your order. :)

light blue

Florence dress eShakti c/o | cardigan LOFT | sunnies Anthropologie | purse Pratesi | shoes Nine West (similar)

I squealed with glee when I upwrapped my light blue Florence dress (how apropos)  from eShakti. It was absolutely gorgeous off the hanger, and I couldn't wait to try it on. I love the pastel chiffon and the carefully stitched heart details all around the dress - from far away they look like polka dots! This weekend we had a gorgeous 60 degree day and I couldn't think of a better occasion to wear this flouncy, chiffon dress. The great thing about eShakti is that this dress was 100% customized to my shape. I chose the shorter length (with pockets!!!) and a sleeveless scoop neck. It fits my body perfectly, and eShakti took into account everything that I requested according to my height and shape.

My favorite thing about eShakti was the rapid and completely true-to-size results. I received my dress so soon, and it is exactly how I dreamed it would turn out. Anything you select from eShakti is transformed into exactly what you want, how you want it to fit.

off to running around town in my dress!

ps. use the code ANTCPNBLOG to save 10% on your eShakti order. :)

the spring list

it is officially SPRING! 

this is the moment I have been waiting for, and for a long time.

so today's post is dedicated to all that I am, and have been, excited for:

 boxes of baby plants ready to be potted and watered.

bags of whoppers easter eggs

 my birthday! (april!)

that hint of excitement once the days get longer.

 wearing light scarves over a long sleeved cotton tee.

sitting to eat al fresco for the first time in months!

shedding the coat for the first time, even if it is a little premature...

fresh buds on the trees!

the smell of hyacinths...intoxicating.

magnolia blooms.

seeing the trees that line the streets turning green.

morning coffee dates

 pastels!

reese's eggs.

making summer plans.

visiting the tree in the park with S. :)

bulbs!

painting outside on a first warm day.

lunch dates in the city.

flea markets.

 walking outside with coffee in hand.

noticing it gets dark a little bit later... :)

brunch + shopping afternoons.

what are you excited for? what makes spring spring for you?
ciao! xo

scenes from my weekend

kitty-corner sunnies, anthropologie

sunnies anthro | tote old navy old, but see this year's totes | flats dr. scholl's (sale!) 

journal moleskine  | cross body bag coach (old-see selections)

a few of my prettier snapshots from the weekend...

Slept late, woke up and fiiiinally cleaned my car after such an awful winter of ice and snow and road salt. It was so nice to wax off that final layer and see my lovely car shining! Then I packed a bag and  drove off to meet my best friend for a relaxing day of shopping and pretty much lounging around over music and magazines. perfect. I bought a new pair of sunnies from anthro,  yaaay! it made me a lot happier than it should have. And also I left with my wish-list tripled in size...everything in there, I want! The rest of the weekend included finding small but little happy bursts of flowers from the lawn, my leaning tower of hyacinth (honestly the most crooked bloom EVER - you can't tell from this strategic photo), walks with Scout, and bumming it to watch the flyers' game with S. Also: a new obsession of mine that will probably turn into lunch each day this week: black rice! 

spring is closer and closer!

ps. do you like the teeny tiny layout changes on the blog? can you even notice? hehe.

ciao, xo!

insta-lately

{  yearning for italian breakfasts; dreaming of spring;

a bunch of tulips for my table; a sunny but freezing cabin weekend  }

{  new vans! and a road trip; a really old selfie which makes me want to wear skirts...;

a latte from this cafe; bunches of lilies brightening up the living room;

a last glimpse at the snow; standing in the middle of long beach boulevard  }

- - -

for the record - last week I smelled spring.

everyone has this moment. when they walk outside on that

chilly yet almost-spring-sunny day...

and you can smell the thaw. the combination of

birds chirping, the angle of the rays of sun...

builds up to that audio-visual hint of spring.

add that smell - i can't describe it - and the fever starts.

if you follow my instagram (@tmango77)

 you can probably tell that I am way too excited

for the warmer weather. :) no shame!

happy monday + have a great week! (hope it's warm)

ciao, xo

ps. oh! and happy st. patrick's day! 

happy birthday, scoutie!

Scout turned one last week and we completely missed it! so sorry, Scoutie! 
She doesn't mind - she is the sweetest.

to the pup who is scared of the ceiling fan,

loveeeees walks in the park,

has a stumpy tail, chases ice cubes,

and has a silent bark (seriously)

we think you're the best aussie around and hope you have had an amazing year being our Scoutie.

love you! 

cabin weekend.

Spring wants to return so bad; the days are alternating in the 20's and 50's every other day or so...the inconsistency is such a tease. Not only that but it's incredibly hard to dress. The florals and light cottons in the stores are so tantalizing...But a weekend at S's cabin was more of a good excuse to pack up some flannels and fleeces and a good book. Aside from the chill outside, it was nice to hole up in the woods and watch the snow kind of melt with a particularly feisty yellow lab, Tanner. :) Other good things: I got to break in my new vans on a walk through State College, PA...went poking about some stores but disciplined myself...and successfully packed light, woo! This whole 'winter-is-nearly-over' transition is getting me so antsy for bright colors, a tan (which I desperately need) and longer days. 

ciao! xo