Category: Lifestyle

Guide to New England Wines

~ teawithtinablog ~ Leave a comment

When most people think wine vineyards they think of Napa Valley, but if you’re from the New England area you know traveling out west can cost you a pretty penny. Lucky for all you wine lovers on the east coast, New England boasts over 20 wineries perfect for wedding venues, weekend getaways or day trips! Check out my top three picks below:

Truro Vineyards: Wine & spirit tastings, food trucks, and cape cod how much better could it get? Open daily Monday – Saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday noon – 5 pm enjoy five of the vineyards 10 wines or partner up with a friend and try all 10! Tastings are  $10 and are held every half-hour in their outdoor pavilion and include a survivor glass. Pro tip: don’t pack up your glass too soon. After the tasting, if you want to continue drinking use the same glass for a discount!

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Truro Vineyards: 11 Shore Rd, North Truro, MA 02652

Russell Orchards: Located on the North Shore, wine lovers can spend the day picking fruit then head over to the barn to sample some incredible wines. Russell Orchards produces over 25 award winning wines, which are all fruit base and grown at the farm. Recently their Perry cider won Best Cider in Massachusettes at the BIG E Gold Cider Competition. For $5 guest over 21 get a wine glass and the opportunity to taste 4 wines. Tastings are held Friday -Sunday from noon till 5:30 pm.

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Russell Orchards: 143 Argilla Rd, Ipswich, MA 01938 

Newport Vineyards: Settled along the coast of the Ocean State sits over 60 archers devoted to producing some of the best wines in New England. Locals and tourist alike can enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting followed by sharing a bottle on the outdoor terrace. Newport Vineyards produces a wide selection of wines including Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio. With a slogan, “Bring the Napa experience to New England” you know this place is the real deal!

 

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Newport Vineyards: 909 E. Main Rd, Middletown, RI 02842

 

Blackbird Doughnuts a Local Favorite

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Located at 492 Tremont St, in Boston’s South End is a local favorite serving up fresh donuts and coffee.

If you love your morning Joe paired with a fresh donut then this is the place for you. Blackbird serves up unique gourmet donuts from scratch with all natural and local ingredients. It’s signature fluffy texture comes in a variety of flavors including Vanilla Glazed, Chocolate Sprinkle, Boston Cream, and more. If you’re more of a cake lover try one of their cake donuts. My favorites include The Blackbird, Blueberry Cake, and Mocha Chip. You can find the full menu here!

What’s really unique about Blackbird is they are a true Boston brand as they create special donuts around Boston holidays and sport’s teams. All while serving up their traditional flavors.

If you’re a die-hard foodie then this is a must stop location as Blackbird’s menu includes doughnut ice cream sandwiches. Yes, you read right – DOUGHNUT ICE CREAM SANDWHICIES! Customers can choose from any of the day’s doughnut selection then add vanilla, chocolate or swirl ice cream! Talk about the ultimate Instagram pic, right?!

Open daily Monday – Friday 7 AM – 6 PM and Saturday – Sunday 8 AM – 6 PM.

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Boho-Chic Pants Are Saving the Elephants

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You may have seen Elephant Pants make its debut on Season 8 of Shark Tank, but the brand has been around since 2014 with an incredible mission. The boho inspired pants have been popping up across the U.S. over the past year with a goal to donate a portion of every sale to the International Elephant Foundation to create a sustainable future for the elephants. Today, the brand has raised over $100,000 in the effort to save the elephants.

With elephants being my favorite animal I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to help save the elephants. I found out about the brand last spring and quickly ordered myself a pair. Guess what? I love them!

Made from wood pulp in Bangkok, Thailand. The lightweight material makes it perfect for summer nights, traveling, yoga or a lazy Sunday. The company recommends hand washing, however, I’ve machined washed in cold water and their just fine.

Since last year the brand has expanded its merchandise to a wider selection of pants with their harem pants (their original pants) being their number one seller. The brand now sells tops, accessories and kid sizes.

Ready to become part of the movement? It’s easy as purchasing your first pair of pants here!

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What’s in My Bag?

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Some girls like small bags, others like cross bags, and some don’t like to carry a bag at all. As for me, I love big tote bags. The tote bag style is something I have grown up with, from high school through college it was always easy to just throw things in and go. Now as a working professional it still holds true! Here are just a few items I always have on me:

  • Agenda, because I’m a planner
  • Lip bum/ chapstick
  • Pens
  • Tide to Go (just in case)
  • Sunglasses
  • Work ID
  • Umbrella, perfect for all seasons!
  • Wallet
  • Gum
  • Headphones
  • Face wipes

What are your must-have items in your bag?

Favorite Bloggers + Influencers

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I don’t know if many of you know, but it’s tough being a part-time blogger. Between paying for a platform, coming up with content, finding time between my full-time job and posts to visit places to review, then writing the content. It’s not all as glamorous as it sounds – its hard work!

I wanted to take this blog post to recognize some of my favorite bloggers and influencers who keep me inspired to keep writing, push myself to be a blog better blogger and writer with the hope to day be as big as they’ve become. Go check them out!

Rosie – The Londoner

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Always a Clothes Call

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Color me Courtney

Color me courtnry

 The A-Lyst

The A-Lyst

Thanks for the inspiration ladies!

ClassPass Offers Luxury Gym Experience

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Tired of your gym, but can’t afford the luxury of going to yoga, spin and barre studios all in the same month? Now you can with ClassPass. With over 20 cities within the U.S. and eight cities international offering ClassPass, fitness gurus can now travel within their own city to different studios – allowing a variety of fitness options.

ClassPass is a monthly membership that connects members to over 1,000+ of the best fitness studios in your area. Allowing members to not only try new gyms but also enhance daily workout routines at any fitness level.

The ClassPass app allows members to view available classes through the upcoming week and book classes in advance or as late as an hour before a class. Classes offered include yoga, cycling, barre, pilates, strength training, dance, martial arts, boxing and more.

A great feature to ClassPass is members have the luxury of not only using their classes in their home city but as well as while they travel. (Giving members no excuse to not get their sweat on!)

ClassPass varies in price depending on your location and offers three class packages that get renewed monthly. Packages include 3 classes, 5 classes, and 10 classes with the option to add an additional three classes if individuals finish before a month is up. Keep in mind these packages can be changed on how frequent each individual is attending classes.

As a member of ClassPass, I really enjoy the luxury of having the option to bounce from studio to studio in addition to my regular gym membership. ClassPass gives me the opportunity to make my workouts more diverse and fun! Overall, I enjoy this program, the flexibility, and the price. If you’re looking to include diversity or an extra challenge into your workout routine I highly recommend joining. Pro tip: I do the 5 class package and feel it offers the perfect amount of classes per month with the option to travel to studios twice within a cycle.

Interested in becoming a member? Learn more here.

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Valentines Day DIY Ideas

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With Valentines Day weekend upon us, you may be wondering, “what do I get my sweetie?” The good news is everyone loves homemade DIYs. If you’re one of the many looking for last minute ideas, try one of these ideas.

  1. Decorate a beer (or soda) package with red wrapping paper/ hearts.
  2. Chinese take out carton filled with his/her favorite sweets
  3. Valentines themed vase
  4. Sharpie mugs – quick, easy, and cute
  5. Homemade cookies, cupcakes, or brownies – everyone loves baked goods!
  6. DIY brunch –heart shaped pancakes + mimosas
  7. At home movie theater – popcorn, movie, blankets, pillows, candles
  8. Deck of cards – write a fact you like about him/her on each card (can you think of 52?!)

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