Notes 11.

A book I loved, planning my Cowboy Carter tour look, and a picnic surprise

Welcome to Notes, my biweekly round-up of the books on my nightstand, the outfits I’m styling, musings from my journal, and snippets of my adventures around the city.

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For my romance lovers out there, isn’t it wonderful when you read a romance book that makes you smile and giggle and kick your feet with glee? That’s exactly how I felt reading THIS COULD BE FOREVER by Ebony LaDelle* (out 5/20).

This is a romance novel about a Black American girl and a Nepali American boy who start to fall in love while also trying to figure out how to navigate the cultural differences between their families. I was so impressed to see these characters having real conversations about race and prejudice on the page. As someone who’s married to someone with a different cultural background, I felt so seen!

If you can’t tell, I really loved this book, and I can’t wait for more people to pick it up when it comes out next month!

*Gifted by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Florals for Spring 🌸

Up until this past weekend, the weather has not really been giving spring! I’ve been trying to fight back though by wearing springy clothes, even when it hasn’t been that warm.

I really love the ditsy floral print of this Frankies Bikinis dress that I rented via Nuuly, although I’m not sure about the drop waist silhoutte on me. I paired it with this new off-white cardigan from Old Navy which I now have in three colors since it’s the perfect lightweight cardigan for those chilly spring nights.

Old Navy Haul 🛍️

Speaking of Old Navy, I’ve been singing their praises for the last year or so because I think they’re back in a big way! They have stylish, affordable pieces, and they’re always having sales. I placed an order recently and scored some really cute clothes, including these floral embroidered jeans, this matching set (top and shorts) that just screams vacation to me, and these tomato red ballet flats.

Cowboy Carter Fit 🤠

Style-wise, the next thing on my mind is figuring out my outfit for the Cowboy Carter concert next month. I am out of my mind excited to see Beyoncé, but I have no idea what I’m wearing yet!

I feel like May weather in New York can be really unpredictable, so I’m not sure if it will be hot, cold, or temperate. But my initial thoughts are maybe a denim on denim look with some cowboy boots?

I do not own anything cowboy or western-related (it’s not my typical style at all, but for Beyoncé I will be a cowgirl for a night!), so I’ve got some shopping to do. I’m hoping I can either thrift some things and/or get them relatively cheap.

I’m also toying around with the idea of DIY to customize my look a bit. Basically I’m all over the place. I think first I need to see if I can figure out the weather and then gather some inspo to really hone in on the look I’m going for.

Why yes, I am obsessed with butter yellow at the moment!

A couple Fridays ago, I went to my first Swap & Scrap event at The Craft Nook and it was so much fun! It was hosted by Art Gurl and it was an opportunity to journal together with people + swap stickers and other journal supplies.

As you know, I’ve hosted a few events now for my own craft club, NYC Craft Club, but this time it was nice to just be an attendee! I actually made decent progress on a spread while I was there (see above) and I got to meet some lovely journal people. I definitely want to go to another crafty workshop soon!

I can’t tell you how much the 80 degree weather on Saturday + time with my girls healed me!!!

My book bestie S is getting married very soon and we surprised her with a little bridal/girlie picnic before she heads off for her big day! The weather could not have been any more perfect and we had the cutest picnic setup.

I feel like New York (and I) really needed a nice day like that. So many people were out and about this weekend and you could just tell that everyone was feeling happier.

If the weather gods are reading this, more days like that very soon, please!

I thought I’d try adding a new section this week! Here’s my round-up of a few recent posts on social that you might have missed:

• Reviewing the Las Leonas series by Adriana Herrera

• A Spring Nuuly try-on

• This and nobody rushing me

I can’t believe there’s only one week left in April! I am so excited for May though. It’s going to be a jam-packed month, kicking off with my first vacation/time off of the year!

How’s April been treating you so far? Do you have any fun things planned for May? Let me know in the comments!