AZ >> The Farm

I'm so exited to welcome back Katrina 

for another Arizona-esque post, take it away Katrina...

The Farm at South Mountain is by far my favorite place in the Valley. The ten acre farm is ensconced in the middle of all the urban clamor of Phoenix. It is a wonderful place to smugly wear spring dresses and sandals in February while most of the country is dealing with the fallout of having actual seasons.

As the name indicates, there is indeed a farm here, Maya's Farm. Here you will find evolving crops and have the opportunity to gardening classes or learn to grow your own produce.

The Farm has three different resturants: Morning Glory Café for breakfast, The Farm Kitchen for lunch and Quiescence for dinner. My favorite is The Farm Kitchen for a lunch in the pecan groves.

The sprawling facility has an artist studio, a healing spa and boutique in addition to being an event venue.

If the place couldn't get any more charming, the offer an array of activities like open air markets, yoga in the groves and a host of classes.

The Farm really is a perfect refuge from the noise and energy of the city. Being there harkens a sense of connectivity with name. The best part is it always makes me keenly aware the importance of being conscientious of our food sources.

While Kartina was getting in touch with mother nature, I'm living in a concrete jungle: 30 block walks to work and eating takeout every night - I literally haven't ben to the super market in months, and now I just said supermarket, what year is this, 1964? - Although I would rather be poor & miserable living in NYC than rich & happy anywhere else (where are my priorities) posts like today fill me with nostalgia for my former home. Cheers to you AZ and all your outdoor space ... you stay classy Arizona!

I hope you enjoyed Katrina 2nd CMC contribution, I'm sure you're all as obsessed with her now as I have been for years... Anyways, Katrina be back next month for another AZ post, stay tuned. Until then, learn more about Katrina here & see her other here
XO Courtney

AZ >> East Valley Thrifting

Remember a few weeks back when I announced the big changes

I'm making to CMC including the introduction of an Arizona based contributor?

(if you're lost, read all about it here). Well today Katrina is taking over for

her first official post (yay) so without further ado, here's Katrina...

<< 1509 N Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85225 >> 

Today I am going to share my favorite place in the entire

(Arizona) Valley to thrift: Merchant Square. It kills all the downtown

antique malls and it isn’t pruned, edited and marked up like the some (admittedly awesome) antique/thrift shows. To sweeten the deal, less than a mile away sits Savers and a St. Vincent De Paul’s thrift shop

(which is a close second). So if you are in for an afternoon of thrifting, Merchant Square is your place. Here is the thing that I love most about Merchant Square: the diversity of product.  They have old books, clothing, furniture, knick-knacks and jewelry. I don’t tend to go there with a specific agenda so the purchases are usually pretty serendipitous. 

Yesterday’s highlight was this authentic Hudson Bay blanket,

I about fell over when I saw it.

shop the retail hudson bay blanket: one // two // three // four // five

You can usually find a “fur” coat or two and

yesterday I happened upon several leopard print coats.

(shop similar more non vintage leopard coats here)

There are some staples that you are always going to find like typewriters and vintage luggage.  This trip I found typewriters and old cameras for days.

Another staple I love to shop are the vintage ads. There are some beautiful pieces that would make a completely original addition to a gallery wall. Oh and checking out the old cleaning ads is worth it, they are hilariously offensive. 

And as always the clothing and jewelry are worth the trip alone. I died over this gold bar bib necklace and adored the cardigan clips.

Call it what you will, but I have always found piece that I thrift are generally much more specific to my taste. There is no consuming what is laid out for you according to season or trend; it is a process of seeking out and paring down classics and selecting things that are more authentic to your true style.

Okay, It's Courtney again. I hope you enjoyed Katrina's first CMC contribution, Isn't she just fantastic? I used to spend most Saturdays thrifting in AZ, the finds are so affordable compared to NY shops! I really loved the leopard "fur", if I didn't have this one I would be coveting it ... who are we kidding, can you really have too many leopard coats? (yes, you probably can ... but I don't care). Anyways, Katrina be back next month for another AZ-esque post, stay tuned. Until then, learn more about Katrina here!

New & Improved

Happy 2014!

A new year calls for a new & improved blog!

I'm convinced this is the year of Color Me Courtney so I'm rolling out
big changes, new segments, exciting collaborations and outrageous outfits to make sure CMC is the best blog it can be! So today, I'm breaking down all the exciting new things happening on the blog

Monday // Wednesday // Friday

This year, I pledge to blog at least 3 days a week (let's face it, probably more) on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. So be sure to check back MWF to see the new post!

DIY Friday

In the past I've shared some of my favorite DIY creation on various fridays, but for 2013 I pledge to post at least one DIY tutorial a month. 

from AZ to NYC

The biggest change I'm making to is the integration of my Arizona roots with my current life in NYC. Since I currently reside in the big apple, I will be bringing you featured posts of my favorite city places & moments throughout the year. To touch on my favorite AZ hotspots, I've enlisted the help of  one of my favorite and not to mention most talented Zonies, Katrina!

I've known Katrina pretty much my whole life

(our moms have been friends forever) and she is one of the

most fabulous, friendly, down-to-earth and creative people I know.

So when I decided to team up with someone special from AZ, Katrina was my first and only choice. I hope you love hearing from her as much as I do, and to give you a taste of what's to come here is Miss Katrina herself...

Above, Katrina & her adorable Son, Levi

From Katrina:

First off I am so excited to contribute to Color Me Courtney.

I adore Courtney and her aesthetic, ambition and fire for life.

She really is amazing, but you guys already know all this!

My name is Katrina.

I am a wife, a mother, a reader, and a hedonist.

I never finish anything, but I am in a constant state of striving for improvement.

I am deeply dedicated to black and white as evident by my color-devoid home and wardrobe. I love decorating and dressing up. My uniform involves flats, pearls and red lipstick if I am feeling cheeky. My goal in life is to absorb those transcendental moments that ascend the dailiness of life and make your core brim

with gratitude for this experience.

I am a sixth generation Arizonan currently raising up a seventh via

my three adorable kiddos. I, like most Arizonans, have a love/hate relationship

with our state, those emotions generally coincide with our two seasons winter/summer, respectively. Regardless of the current season, I love seeking out the treasures that Arizona has to offer. I love the vast trove of thrifting, the art walks, the food truck courts, cute boutiques, the quirky events, but mostly the people that make all of those happen. I can’t wait to share these events with Color Me Courtney readers.

. . .

Starting later this month, Katrina will be taking over
on the last tuesday of every month to bring you an awesome arizona post. Until then pop by her pinterest, it's one of the most amazing ones to follow!

Visit Katrina Gibbs's profile on Pinterest.

I've also created a new "about this blog page"
to provide a detailed look at what this blog is all about and what you can expect to get out of it :] if you haven't yet, please pop by this page to read all about it ... and cheers to 2014!