Life

13 Before 30

- Sarah Leave a comment

Hello friends! I can’t believe fall is almost here, but a pretty great way I get to end summer is by celebrating my birthday. I turned 29 on the 13th, so I guess I can’t deny that I’m in my late twenties now! It’s pretty wild when I look back and see how different my life is now compared to a year ago. I loved being 28 — it was a landmark year in a lot of ways, and hopefully 29 is just as wonderful.

Because I a) love lists and b) I’m a blogger who has to overshare, I decided to put together a list of things I want to accomplish before I say good-bye to my twenties. Why 13 instead of 30 before 30? Well, I couldn’t come up with 30 things and also Jenna Rink.

In no particular order, in the next year I hope to…

  1. Get a tattoo. I got my first a week before 28, and another one after I moved into my house. I’ve been itching for another one since!
  2. Pay off my credit cards. Or at least a credit card? Post-closing expenses add up quick. I don’t even want to talk about this, being a responsible adult can be annoying.
  3. Visit a new city. Getting settled in a new place and going to a lot of weddings meant there wasn’t a lot of time for exploring this last year. Hopefully this will change soon!
  4. Go abroad. I try to get out of the country once a year — I just feel like it’s good for me! Chances are though if I manage to visit another country this year, it’ll be one I’ve been to before though, like Canada or Costa Rica (where my dad lives).
  5. Go camping. So I’ve never been camping, but it’s something my partner really loves. I don’t come from an outdoorsy family, but I’ve grown to like hikes so maybe I’m ready to sleep outdoors?
  6. Foster a dog. We fostered a sweet senior pup this summer, and we were close to “foster failing” and adopting him. Luckily, he found a great home and I’m sure we’ll foster again once things slow down.
  7. Have a girls’ weekend. This is actually my plan for my 30th birthday. I’d love to celebrate with my friends who are across the East Coast and have them all in one place.
  8. Donate blood. I hate needles and I hate blood, so I always told myself if I got a tattoo, I’d have to donate blood first. Well, that didn’t exactly happen (see #1), but better late than never right?
  9. Learn how to ride a bike (again). Listen, whoever said you never forget how to ride a bike did not go 15+ years without riding a bike! My new neighborhood is less walkable, but I’d love to learn again so I wouldn’t have to rely on my car so much. (It’s a Prius, but I still feel guilty every time!)
  10. Get a facial. In the words of Donna Meagle, “treat yo’ self.”
  11. Go to the shore. I went once this summer, and no boardwalk ice cream was involved. A travesty that must be corrected.
  12. Be a bridesmaid. One of my dear friends, Cortney, is getting married next August, and I’m lucky enough to be a bridesmaid. I’m very excited to be a small part of this special day!
  13. Celebrate 10 years blogging! Dude, I don’t even know where the last decade has gone! I’m awful at keeping up hobbies, and my interest blogging has definitely ebbed and flowed. Still, ten years is a big deal!

And that’s it! We’ll see how this year shapes up, but I think this list is pretty doable. I’m all ears for any advice though — being in your twenties is a total roller coaster, but I’m excited about the next chapter.

~ Sarah

P.S. Thank you Camille for these snaps!

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Wrap: Five Below | Tank: Kohl’s | Shorts: Target | Sneakers: Old Navy | Earrings: Lou Lou’s | Bag: eternally borrowed from my mother

Wedding Season Checklist

- Sarah Leave a comment
Celebrating with my friends Liz and Mike this weekend!

As summer hits its halfway point, I’m mentally preparing for the peak of wedding season – two weddings down, five to go, plus the bachelorettes and showers on my calendar.

I’m not complaining – every time I get invited to a wedding, I’m touched that my friends thought to include me on their special day. Still, without being in any of the bridal parties, it’s a lot to keep track of between dates, locations, gifts and outfits. (Honestly, I’m surprised that I’ve only lost one RSVP card so far.)

To stay on top of everything, I’ve relied on a spreadsheet. I’m not exactly known for my organizational skills, so this is a big deal to me. You can even download it here, because no one wants to be that friend who forgets a wedding gift, or worse, the actual wedding.

I keep my spreadsheet organized by date, instead of events related to a couple. For me, the key to actually using a checklist or spreadsheet is not having too many categories. Here are some of the ones I’ve found most helpful:

  • Website: because no one has time to figure out if a couple is registered on The Knot, Zola or elsewhere every single time they need to look up wedding info.
  • Where: this will help determine if you need to book accommodations, transportation and other details.
  • Gift Purchase & Value: If you’re looking for advice on how to determine how much to spend on wedding gifts, I can’t help you with that. Sometimes I do write out a check, but when I buy off a registry, it can happen months in advance. I mark this down, along with the value of a gift. I find this important in case you buy something on sale, you’re buying multiple, smaller gifts or even gifting a service.
  • Dress Code: When you have three black-tie optional weddings in a row, you might want to make sure you’re not wearing the same dress back-to-back. Or maybe that’s just me 🙃

Download the wedding season checklist here.

Next up, I have a bridal shower and then two weddings in August! There is some constant spreadsheet updating happening. I hope it was helpful for someone – you can download it here, no email address required! Tell me, are there a lot of weddings and celebrations on your social calendar?

~ Sarah

My First Philadelphia Apartment

- Sarah Leave a comment

Small Apartment Living Room | Shades of Sarah

Even though I’ve been living in my house for six months now, I still occasionally find myself nostalgic for my apartment. It was the first place I ever lived in by myself. When I moved in, I had an idea it would be the last place I’d live before I bought I house — I just didn’t expect that to be less than 2 years later!

Before I moved out, I made sure to take some photos of the apartment. Living there definitely came with highs and lows, but I enjoyed making the space my own. Hopefully some of these photos can give you some inspiration if you’re also decorating or organizing a small apartment!

Some details about my old apartment: it is a third-floor walkup in a dog-friendly building that was recently updated, but originally built at the turn of the 20th century. I also rented a corner unit, which meant the natural lighting in the kitchen and bedroom is 💯 I lived in East Kensington, near a coffee/comic book shop and tattoo parlor, and really enjoyed my time in the neighborhood.

For additional context, I moved in following a breakup in which my former partner and I shared a large house, so unlike most twenty-somethings, I was attempting to downsize. Anyway, here’s a brief walkthrough of the apartment:

Living Room

Small Apartment Living Room | Shades of Sarah

My apartment door opened up to my living room. For seating, I bought a gray sleeper sofa from Wayfair and green wingback chair (a hand-me-down, but originally from Target). Above, I hung some of my favorite photographs I’ve taken around Philadelphia, but printed them in black-and-white. My mom garbage-picked the side table and painted it white — it’s one of my favorite pieces. For extra storage in the living room, I used a white Kmart dresser as a tv stand. I acquired an IKEA shoe rack through my local Buy Nothing group. To accommodate it, I disassembled my coat rack and bought this accordion rack from Amazon.

Small Apartment Bookcase | Shades of Sarah

The living room also had a crazy crowded white IKEA bookcase. I was blessed with high ceilings, so I placed a large framed front page from the 2003 World Series, originally from my dad, on top of the bookcase. This was the darkest corner of my entire apartment, but I still had enough light during the day for a silver pothos on the bookcase. Clearly, there was a bit of a green/teal color scheme happening.

Bedroom

When I think about it, my bedroom was actually pretty spacious! But I tried to cram way too many things inside — partly because of the lack of storage space, partly because I’m stubborn. Somehow I managed to fit in: a queen-sized bed, a side table, a chest of drawers and (another) small sleeper sofa. The side table, chest and sofa were all hand-me-downs from friends, because my friends are the best.

Small Apartment Bedroom | Shades of Sarah

I tried a comforter and a duvet set before settling on an all-white quilt for the room. The comforter was just too much work to take to the laundromat (#glamorous), and the quilt was plain on both sides, therefore reversible and easy to bleach. For extra comfort, I added IKEA throw pillows and fuzzy husband from Target. I never got around to adding more decor to the walls by my bed, so it was just a canvas painting from a Paint Nite event on a large wall.

Small Apartment Bedroom | Shades of Sarah

My mom and I hung a matching mirror above the chest, and on top of it I kept jewelry boxes, a picture frame, some small plants and a salt lamp. A mini-gallery wall took shape with a framed map of Colombia (my mom’s native country), a wooden map of Philadelphia and another small mirror and Aztec-inspired plate.

This blue sleeper sofa was my original couch, and I moved into my bedroom once I bought my gray Wayfair one. When it wasn’t covered by my laundry, it was another space for me or Arya (or any of our other dog visitors) to lounge. Above the sofa, we hung another small gallery wall and a larger framed print from Minted (you can read about both here).

Kitchen

My kitchen wasn’t too exciting, but I did love the two windows and I had a decent amount of counter space. While living in my apartment, I started to get into plants more (you may or may not have noticed), and most lived in the kitchen.

Small Apartment Kitchen | Shades of Sarah

To take advantage of the light while maintaining privacy, I used cafe panels instead of longer curtains for my tall windows. A friend gave me papel picado (I love Mexican and other Latin American decor), which I hung in the kitchen for extra color.

Bathroom

Even less exciting than the kitchen, but hey, more plants! I made the macrame hanger for my pothos. Above the toilet, my mom and I hung frames I had in my teenage bedroom. They’e actually small puzzles of famous artworks that we put together and then glued to matting.

Small Apartment Bathroom | Shades of Sarah

For extra storage, I added a corner shelf next to the sink. I picked it up sometime in college, and it has been essential in different living situations. Highly recommend picking one up, like this one from Amazon!

That’s about it. It was fun going back through these photos, because I kept almost everything from my apartment but found new ways to arrange and organize things in my house. Things are still coming together, but I see some room tours in this blog’s future! I hope this helps someone who is looking to decorate their first city apartment!

~ Sarah