Life is Better with Sprinkles

Guess where Sprinkles Cupcakes decided to open their very first store in Florida? In Tampa! Not only is the new store, complete with ATM, located in my home town, it is a 10 minute walk from my house! Dreams do come true. Although I am concerned for my waistline.

Tuesday the store invited local bloggers and media professionals to come by and see the new store and, naturally, indulge in some sweets. We even got to make and decorate our very own cupcakes. I went with pink and high heels, of course. Kelly and I had a blast and went home with a half dozen new flavors to try. My favorites are the pumpkin and cuban coffee, which is fitting for Tampa. Our store also features ice cream, homemade cones, and cookies. So many sweets, so little time.

The store officially opens today! And the cupcake ATM will be functional next week. Sprinkles is just one of many exciting new additions to my favorite part of town, Hyde Park Village. When I first moved to Tampa, the Village was filled with little local boutiques and a coffee house everyone just hung out in and played board games. Sadly, at some point new management took over and the Village took a turn for the worse. Thanks to soaring rents, the Village became a bit of a ghost town for a while. But now, thanks to a new owner/investor, the area is going through something of a renaissance and returning to its former glory. New stores and restaurants like Bar Taco, Sprinkles and Kendra Scott are moving in, there is a food truck fair and farmer's market the first Sunday of every month, and a fresh flower market and doggie play area are in the works. If you ever find yourself in Tampa, Hyde Park Village is definitely worth a visit.

If you ever need to find me in Tampa, I will likely be walking to the cupcake ATM.

Shhhh... It's a Secret

hat (old, love this one) // sunnies // top // jacket // skirt // bag // espadrilles (super old, similar and a great price)

There are two things that I love, secrets and tacos! The only thing better than secrets and tacos is a secret taco. And it's no secret that Bar Taco is one of my favorite restaurants in Tampa. So when they invited me to try their secret taco, I couldn't say yes fast enough. Kelly was invited as well so we made a girl's day out of it.

Every month Bar Taco has an off-the-menu secret taco. But if you want to try it, you have to ask for it. This month's taco is a crispy avocado. I thought the cauliflower taco was my favorite until I tried this one. Delicious is an understatement. It's a lightly fried slice of fresh avocado over tangy cabbage and topped with a slightly spicy sauce. Next time you hit up Bar Taco with your friends (they have locations in CT, NY, VA, TN, GA, and of course, FL) you can impress everyone by ordering the secret taco.

Also, it is worth noting that Bar Taco totally gets Kelly and I, they brought us tacos to photograph and then fresh, warm tacos to eat (plus and all of the staff wear gingham).

After eating our body weight in tacos, guac, and churros (#sorrynotsorry), Kelly and I strolled Hyde Park and grabbed a coffee from the Buddy Brew brew truck. It was an absolutely gorgeous spring day so I wore an airy striped pleated skirt, lace cropped top, and denim jacket. I added some red accents with my bag and espadrilles. I topped the look off with my favorite hat that I recently refreshed by adding a wide navy ribbon and bow. It was so easy and really transformed the hat (you can see the before here).

I am so enjoying these lovely spring days (Britt and I had the most delightful picnic yesterday) and I hope they hang around for a while!

Happy Monday!

SHOP THE POST

Outfit: Tampa River Walk

Is anyone else super jealous of Taylor Swift's squad (#squadgoals)? Well, I am. In fact, Britt and I have long discussed our desire to assemble our own squad of amazing, empowered women (why is it so hard to make female friends as you age?). Fortunately, we have made some serious headway on this. First, I met Jen in Florence. Then we added Jess. And now we have found another kindred spirit (who is actually local!) - Kelly! Not only does Kelly have a fab fashion and lifestyle blog, but she also designs a line of super-soft and charming tees and sweatshirts. Our squad is really coming together nicely, now if we could all live in the same city.

Last Tuesday before I left, the 3/5 of the squad that was local ventured out to the "new" Tampa Riverwalk. I had not seen it since it was officially completed. I feel like the Riverwalk has been in the works since I first moved to Tampa (ages ago), so it was nice to see the finished product. It is basically a long trail along the Hillsborough River that you can bike or walk with several parks and art/sculpture displays disbursed along the way. It was especially hot when we went, so we didn't stay long, but I am sure that when I return home in December, I will be spending a lot more time along the Riverwalk (which also has a bike share station, who does like bike rides along the river?).

This red gingham skirt was one of the first things I purchased when I returned home. I don't normally shop at the Limited, but I couldn't resist it. Sadly, the skirt is almost completely sold out (only extra smalls left), but I did find a similar version, although fair warning it is from Chicwish (you can read my review of Chicwish here).

I must admit that I struggled to find a top to pair with the skirt (white tops are not a busty lady's friend). I finally stumbled upon this ruffled eyelet top, which I realized I could pair with my new favorite flats. These are definitely the "it" flats for fall, I feel like I have seen them everywhere. But I couldn't help myself, I loved them. Plus they are comfortable enough for walking around Florence in. I have linked a couple options, since they too seem to be selling out fast!

I am probably arriving in Italy as you read this. Hopefully I will be able to recover form my jet lag quickly, especially since I have to work tomorrow! It was harder than expected to leave Tampa. I figured I would be itching to get back to Italy, but I stayed just long enough to settle back into my old routines and feel like I was home. I am sure once I arrive in Florence, however, I will fall right back into my old routines there as well.

SHOP THE POST

Beach Bum

One of the best parts about being home is visiting some of my favorite Florida beaches. I really missed the white sandy beaches I am used to. Italian beaches are gorgeous, but super rocky. Earlier this week I spent a couple days at two of my favorite beaches - Siesta Key and Clearwater Beach.

Siesta Key is a gorgeous more "untouched" beach just south of Sarasota. Because it is an outlying island (or key as we call it), it has the most incredible white and fluffy sand. It feels like velvet between your tows. In fact, it is a 99% pure quartz beach. This special sand actually keeps the beach cooler than other normal sand (i.e. pulverized coral) beaches. In addition to having the whitest and most gorgeous sand in Florida (and perhaps much of the world), it is also clear and shallow, making it very safe. Although I did see a dead baby hammerhead shark washed up on the beach (poor little guy). The combination of super-white sand and shallow green and blue water make for some gorgeous pictures (as you can see).

Unlike Siesta Key Beach, Clearwater is closer to Tampa and much more developed and commercialized, but it is definitely our go-to beach around here. Clearwater doesn't naturally have particularly good sand, but not to worry, the city is resourceful and actually imports soft, white sand. There is much more to do on Clearwater Beach, you can relax under umbrellas and cabanas, rent paddle boats and jet skies, or hang out on Pier 60.

Have you been to Siesta Key or Clearwater before?

SHOP THE POST