Tan and Tipsy in Exuma!

Hola Preciosos!!!

I am SO excited to share with you some news..................MY FIRST PATTERN DESIGN IS OUT TO TESTERS!!!!!!!!! If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't, WTF dude?!), you've probably seen a few pics of my Tan and Tipsy Top. It was inspired by my love of Florida life - sparkling sandy beaches, palm trees and cool breezes, living in your swimsuit, combing the beach for glittering seashells, and sipping some bubbly on the beach and poolside. I had this idea of an oversized crop with a fun open lacy bottom in all the colors of a Florida sunrise. When I found the Caron X Pantone Bamboo yarn in "Party Favor", all I could think was, "They have encapsulated my life in a fucking colorway!!!!". All the colorways are fabulous, but this one speaks to my soul. Anywho, I grabbed a few skeins, sat by the pool and beach, and the Tan and Tipsy Top was born!!!

I think it's a really fun and easy pattern even though it has some lace work. It has a lot of positive ease and loose open knit so you can be cool and comfy when you throw it on over your swimsuit. It's also great for rocking with a bralette and shorts to your favorite dive bar (#triedandtested #positiveresults #freedrinkswhentheladiesareout). I also made it reversible so that you can show off the girls or rock the deep V in the back. I hope you guys love it as much as I do. She'll be released in early May but if you can't knit (or want it for free), I've got a giveaway going on my Instagram @rowsandrose. You can win a custom handknit Tan and Tipsy Top (great for my nonmaker friends) or the pattern and 2 skeins of Caron X Pantone Bamboo in Party Favor to make your own! There's also a few other cute goodies in the giveaway, so go enter!!! And if you want to earn 5 extra entries, keep reading to find the answer to the "bonus question" (found on my Giveaway Post on Instagram).

So since I made the Tan and Tipsy Top, I kinda needed to be tan. And tipsy. Which if you know me might more or less be my natural state of being (tipsy, not tan. Though I am often tan, too #floridagirl). My gorgeous Momma happily gave me an excuse by asking our fam and friends to join her in the Exumas for her birthday! Alright, Ma. Twist my arm. I guess I'll go with you. The things I do for family.

It was also the hubby and my 5 year wedding anniversary!!!!!!!!! We went down to Fort Lauderdale a few days for some alone time to celebrate. We went to my FAVORITE wine bar in the world - 33rd Street Winebar. Candace and Tom (the owners) are kind of the shit and Tom is one of my favorite people. They offer custom designed wine glasses for regulars and my madre and padre got me one for Christmas! This was my first time since Navidad getting down to Ft Laudy, so I was pretty excited to use it. Aren't the sparkles and the cupcake beautiful?! (If you don't know, my daddy called me "cupcake" when I was little, which quickly evolved to "Cuppy". That is now what most of my family and friends back home call me.) The hubz and I proceeded to get a little sloshed with Tom and friends and it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.

After a few days on our own, my generous father flew down to pick up the "Florida" crew. (If you're in the market for a private flight, let Kenner fly you in luxury at doublek4.com. And while you're on board, you can snuggle a Rows and Rosé blanket #shamelessplug.) Kenner met us at the airport and after pouring some cocktails from the mini bar, we were on our way. And holy shit guys, the flight over Bahamian waters is stunning. Once we landed on the island of Exuma, we were all blown away by the ocean colors. Who knew there were so many shades of blue?! And then.......we got to the house.

My mom does a lot of things well and one of them is travel planning. She tends to nail hotels, airbnbs, excursions, etc. And this house was LEGIT fantastic. Infinity swimming pool, balconies off the bedrooms, a dock for the boats, and a killer view. It was difficult, but we endured the hardship of staying there.

Yes. Those are shots of liquor in the cupcakes. We don't mess around.

As you'd expect, our group showed up drunk and kept the party rolling. A few memorable moments from the first night included a dance/exercise party hosted by our resident fitness instructor, Sandy, with the addition of the always popular "hair whip" by my Chloe and the new "Drinking Burpees" which consist of a burpee followed by a long chug of your drink while in the squat position, then jump up and repeat. (I apologize to all those friends who saw our snapchats. There is something wrong with us, we know. And the flashing was an unintended but hilarious addition to the videos.) Also, my father got one of the sweetest hotel owners on the island (Elsie, we love you!) from the Mt Pleasant Suites Hotel to get my mom a Christian Louboutin inspired birthday cake and cupcakes. She made the cupcakes herself and had the cake flown in from another island. Elsie goes above and beyond and she also came to the party that night to help my Momma celebrate. Lola loved her sweet treats and they were sooooo delicious :) :)

The rest of the trip consisted of waking up with mimosas, boating around the islands with cocktails, trying not to get kicked off of private islands (we failed), and "breaking" my family members. I have a bit of a reputation for a heavy handed pour and strong liver. It has been suggested throughout the years that I may be *part* of the reason certain friends experience unpleasant hangovers or part with their dinner early. I say, if you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch. Unfortunately some family members forgot who their bartender was, resulting in the saying, "Cuppy did me dirty." I dunno, the cocktails tasted fine to me. But for a favorite cousin and uncle of mine, they ended up horizontal for longer than they may have wished, or struggling to walk in the waves back to the boat #took2peopletogethimonboard. Don't let this scare you friends, I am a wonderful maker of cocktails.

PIG ISLAND!!!!

The other pretty kickass thing we did was take a chartered boat off to Pig Island where my husband now regrets ever taking me because I'm requesting a pig for Christmas. His name will be Chris P. Bacon and I will love him like my own child. It was AMAZING to swim with these porkers!!!! Who knew a pig could be a majestic sea creature? We also swam with the sharks off of Compass Cay ("we" is a bit of a stretch. I do not get in the water when real sea creatures are present. And sharks? Umm, fuck you very much, NO.) and saw a CRAP TON of lizards on another island.

All in all, it was a magical, alcohol fueled adventure. If you are looking for a relaxing gorgeous place to visit, I highly recommend the Exumas. And stay with Elsie at Mount Pleasant Suites or check out our house on Homeaway

Definitely tan. DEFINITELY tipsy. #tanandtipsytop

And of course, I was able to live up to my new top's name and be Tan and Tipsy in Exuma.

So what's our next adventure? The hubs and I are going backpacking in Ecuador in June!!!!! There will be hiking, hostels, local markets, travel knitting (wait till you see the project I'll be working on while there. SO GORG.), and def a few cocktails.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading along about our trip! Make sure to checkout my Instagram for the giveaway and stay tuned for the release of the Tan and Tipsy Top!!!

Gracias and Ciao!!

Chelsea

The Revised Hangover Scrunchie

Test Knitting!!!