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Going to the beach is one of my favorite parts of any vacation. When I discovered a beach that was about a half hour drive from Miami, and had beautiful clear water and small crowds, I was thrilled. My mom and I drove here almost everyday during our trip to enjoy this beautiful beach, which is tucked away inside a state park called Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. I can see why this is one of the best beaches in America, it’s absolutely stunning and well worth a visit if you are in the Miami area. My favorite part of the park were the raccoons! They are so used to people that if you bring food, they will approach you and you can feed them. I am a huge animal lover so getting to see these cute guys up close was a memory I will never forget.

The swimsuit I am wearing is from the brand Bikini Lab and is currently on sale. I love how the sleeves of the top come off the shoulders and the front criss crosses to tie in the back. It is a very feminine swimsuit with the gorgeous floral print. The cut of the exact bottoms I am wearing are no longer available, but the same print is so I will have that linked below as well as the exact top. The one that is available is reversible, so you can still achieve the same look. I love the contrast of the white top against the black bottoms. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and thank you for reading!

https://www.buckle.com/bikini-lab-ruffle-wrap-swimwear-top/prd-55590BL8Q688/sku-3063230100?rrec=true
https://www.buckle.com/bikini-lab-floral-reversible-swimwear-bottom/prd-55590BL8Q697/sku-3063240100?rrec=true

One of my favorite things to do when I go on vacation is hunt for art murals. The fact that Miami had an entire neighborhood dedicated to art murals made me so happy. I am always amazed by how talented people are. I can’t draw to save my life so I have a great appreciating for artists. There were so many art murals, you could easily spend an entire day here. We spent about two hours exploring and got some great shots in. There was also a small indoor gallery that was air conditioned which was a nice break from the heat. There were many shops and restaurants in the area as well. My favorite was an artisan popsicle shop called Cielito. They had so many options to choose from and many of them were dairy free as well. I highly recommend a visit to this neighborhood! Thank you for reading.

xoxo

~Tanja~

The Vizcaya Museum and Garden is a true gem. It is one of my favorite things I did during my trip to Miami. It is the former villa and estate of millionaire James Peering. The landscape and architecture were influenced by Italy. The museum contains thirty-four rooms, each filled with unique antiques and treasures from around the world. The antiques reminded me of something you would see in an old English castle. The location is extremely popular for weddings an other special events such as quinceaneras.

When we first arrived we noticed several cats roaming the grounds. We stopped and spoke with one of the employees who told us that the cats lived on the premise. I have to say those are some very lucky cats as they have a lot of beautiful land to explore, and it looked like they were very well cared for. Every single corner of this beautiful place was another opportunity for a photo. It is absolutely breath-taking and something that must be seen in person in order to truly enjoy the history and beauty of this place. I don’t feel that the pictures do it justice. All the beautiful sculptures and fountains made me feel as if I had been transported back to Europe. I highly recommend a stop here on your next trip to Miami. I hope you are all having a great Sunday evening. Thanks for reading!

xoxo

~Tanja~

The Miami Design District is a neighborhood dedicated to luxury designer stores such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. This neighborhood is every fashion lovers dream. If I wasn’t a nurse, I would have definitely pursued a career in fashion. I love creating outfits and giving fashion advice. I didn’t do any actual shopping here, instead I settled for some window shopping. I also loved the architecture and design. There were so many great backdrops for photographs. I love that they dedicated an entire neighborhood for fashion, design, art, architecture, and dining. There is something for everyone to enjoy here, and the best part is that it’s free. I highly recommend downloading the map on the Miami Design District webpage prior to going, in order to ensure that you see all the attractions in your allotted time frame. Parking was a breeze and you pay per hour. I feel that two to three hours is plenty of time to see everything.

My outfit is actually a basic white bodysuit paired with this gorgeous mustard yellow skirt. I love the large white floral pattern, and the ruffles on the skirt. The skirt is lined, has a back zipper, and the best part is that it’s high waisted! Both items are from Windsor and still in stock. I will have the link for both down below. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and thank you for reading.

xoxo

~Tanja~

https://www.windsorstore.com/product/Falling-For-Floral-Mini-Skirt-064011335?nosto=categorypage-nosto-2

https://www.windsorstore.com/product/White-Decadent-Bodysuit-060018884

If you are looking for a little taste of Cuban Culture in Miami, look no further than Little Havana. The neighborhood is filled with Cuban inspired music, food, art, etc. One of the first things I noticed about this neighborhood was that it was lined with statues of roosters. From the information I gathered, roosters are a special animal in Cuban folklore. The rooster represents strength and power. There were multiple cigar shops where you could watch cigars being hand rolled. I had my taste of a cigar in Tampa, and I must say it was a one and done kind of experience for me. However, I do believe that everyone should try a cigar at least once in their lifetime. One of my favorite things inside the neighborhood was domino park. Here you will find the older Cuban residents playing dominos and checkers. I know it doesn’t sound very thrilling, but there was something so special about it to me. All the players were so engaged in the game. There was a walkway of the stars, which featured stars dedicated to famous Cuban individuals. We also made a stop in front of Azucar, which is a beautiful ice cream shop and made for some great pictures. There was also no shortage of art murals in this neighborhoods. I loved seeing local artist’s work displayed on the walls of the neighborhood. Everyone in the neighborhood was so inviting. The music and dancing spilled into the streets. I highly recommend a stop here if you are visiting Miami.

The dress featured is from Nordstrom and it’s still available for purchase. However, sizing is very limited. The bright yellow color of the dress went so well with the roosters and walls in Little Havana.  The dress is what you would call a fit and flare. It features triangular cutouts on each side. The back of the dress is my favorite as it features a beautiful open crisscross pattern. The red flowers really pop against the bright yellow. All the small details on the dress make it come together so well. For size reference I purchased a small and I will have the direct link to the dress below. I hope you are all having a great week and thank you for reading.

xoxo

~Tanja~

https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/socialite-cutout-fit-flare-dress/4821048?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FClothing%2FDresses&fashioncolor=Yellow&color=yellow%20floral

I found out about this pop up experience in Chicago through on of my favorite bloggers Olivia Rink. If you guys don’t follow her Instagram account I highly recommend that you do. She is a fashion blogger based in Chicago. The pop up experience is called Happy Place, and features a tour through a variety of rooms filled with immersions, larger than life installations, and the most Instagram worthy backdrops.  Some of the installations included are a confetti dome, 7 foot stilettos, a rubber duck room, and a giant ball pit. The Chicago experience has been extended through September 3rd so get your tickets and camera and get ready for a great time!

They experience is open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11am to 8pm and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am to 8pm. I definitely recommend a day during the week to beat the crowds. Tickets must be purchased online for a specific time slot. They allow a certain number of people inside every 30 minutes. Make sure you are on time. If you are more than 20 minutes late you will be denied entry. Most people take an average of two hours to walk through everything, but it ended up taking us four hours because if you know me, then you know I love to take pictures.

The tickets are 30 dollars for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and 35 dollars for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Valet parking is available for those interested and costs 12 dollars per vehicle. The staff is very friendly, and they were more than willing to take photos for us. My favorite part of the experience was jumping into the giant ball pit! I overall really enjoyed this experience and highly recommend it!

My shirt and skirt are both from Dry Goods. Unfortunately their website will not be back up until this fall so I won’t be able to link the items below. Both items were purchased two weeks ago, and were a new shipment that just arrived in stores so they should both be in stock. I think the yellow top matches so well with so many of the rooms inside the pop up experience. The color yellow has become one of my favorites, especially in the summer when I have a tan. The skirt has these beautiful tortoise colored buttons and white horizontal and vertical lines through it. I paired it with my favorite black heels from Charlotte Russe and a statement necklace from Charming Charlie’s.

I hope you are all having a great Monday. Thank you for reading!

xoxo

~Tanja~

If you are looking for a show stopper dress that will make you feel like a million bucks, then this green maxi is a must have. It’s currently available online from Windsor in all sizes, and the best part is that it’s only twenty-five bucks! Olive green is one of my favorite colors to wear. I think it complements just about any skin tone. What I love about this dress is that it has a high slit that goes up the left side. You can show a little leg off without being too revealing. The fabric is very soft and the dress is so comfortable. The back is another feature I really love about this dress. It has a beautiful criss cross back which you can adjust to your comfort. The dress is perfect for date night or a night out with the ladies. I am wearing an extra small for size reference. The exact link to the dress will be posted below.

I received many questions about the location of this photo shoot so I wanted to mention that in this blog post as well. The location is about 9.6 miles south of Miami at a park called Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. This park is home to a historic lighthouse that was built in 1825. The park is open year round from 8am until sundown. Entrance is $8.00 per vehicle for the entire day, which was well worth the price for such a beautiful park and beach. The beach has been names one of the Top 10 Beaches in America, and it’s easy to see why. You have a phenomenal view of a historic lighthouse, and clear blue waters. This was definitely a hidden gem!

I’m having a serious case of the Monday blues.  Does anyone else ever get those? It’s only the Mondays I work. I just felt so tired and sluggish. It’s so easy to grab a cup of coffee and call it a day. However, I gave up coffee, so I just have to push through it. It can be very difficult at times. The day was so busy that is flew by which I honestly prefer over a really slow day. I love coming home and unwinding. I always put on some music when I come home from work. How amazing would it be if we could play music at work? Wishful thinking I suppose. How do you guys unwind after a long day at work? If you are suffering from the Monday blues just remember we got through it ! Thank you all so much for reading. Look out for my next post it’s going to be a really fun one!

xoxo

~Tanja~

https://www.windsorstore.com/product/Must-Be-Summer-Love-Maxi-Dress-051023404