Bloggers in Napa Valley: Andaz Napa and a Wine Country Brooch Necklace
In my last post we left off Bloggers in Napa Valley at my favorite hat shop, Montecristi Panama Hats and headed to downtown Napa to check in to our hotel, Andaz Napa.
Both Kim and Tamera describe Andaz Napa in their posts as “hip” and I can’t agree more. It’s the perfect adjective for Andaz. It’s modern, chic, sophisticated but also comfortable and so welcoming.
We were greeted immediately upon arrival and asked to take a seat in the lobby. Our host offered us a glass of Napa Valley wine while we waited our turn to check in. We didn’t mind the wait one bit. It sure beat standing in a line!
Once we had our room keys, we bee-lined for our separate rooms. We only had a short time to get ready before meeting up again at Andaz’s outdoor lounge, Mercantile Social.
I’ll have more to share with you about my room at Andaz in my next Skimbaco article on Monday, but for now let me say, I was beyond pleased with my gorgeous suite.
Once I had a look around at my room and all its amenities, I did a couple little happy dances then quickly got my outfit out for the evening’s festivities. I chose a simple black Tilden top with black ankle pants from J. Crew.
I went for simple because I wanted to showcase my new Wine Country brooch necklace. It would finally be making its debut at the cocktail party after nearly nine months in the works. I wanted to be sure that Tamera, who inspired me to make a brooch necklace after I saw hers, was one of the first people to see it!
Ta Da!
I collected these brooches over the course of many months from antique shops, thrift stores, boutiques, etsy and eBay. And I even received a couple as gifts. I had everything I needed to make the necklace months ago, but when it came to the act of actually putting the necklace together, I froze.
While I wish I could say that I somehow dug deep into my limited crafting skillset to make this necklace with my own two hands, the truth is I asked for help. My very kind and crafty friend Erin came over to my house to assemble and secure the brooches onto the base necklace, which was no easy task. It took two days and no less than five hours to make.
Though I wanted to help Erin, it really is a one person job. So I did my part by talking non-stop to Erin while she worked away threading, clipping, securing and adjusting wires and brooches. I think there is a good chance this will be Erin’s last brooch necklace.
Along with our group, a few of our local friends joined us at Mercantile. I was thrilled to meet La Contessa who is as kind and warm as she is glamorous and stylish. I hope to see her again soon.
Erin and our mutual friend, Chris were also there as well as my new friend, Darla and Malia of Style of Malia. The entire evening was so much fun! I laughed so much my cheeks hurt.
Thankfully, La Contessa was kind enough to get a photo of the five of us. This photo is one of my favorites from the trip. I wish I had thought about getting all ten of us together for a picture. Can I just go do it all over again, please?
I am so grateful for our friends who came to Napa to spend time with us.
Having ten friends with similar interests all together was one of the trip’s highlights.
More about our Bloggers in Napa Valley trip, including our non-stop, fun-filled day wine tasting will be on the blog next week.
In the meantime, take a look at this wonderful video that Jennifer of A Well Styled Life made!
Make it a rich day!
XO,
Adrienne
Disclosure: Andaz Napa generously sponsored my lodging for two nights. I paid for food, parking and other incidentals while staying at Andaz Napa. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
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