Winter Outfit

There is currently a blizzard happening outside my window, and I’m feeling very lucky to be snuggled up on my bed watching old movies on Netflix. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been more content this year. Sometimes it’s nice to just take a break from the outside world and shut everything and everyone out. I’m not saying that I don’t love to hangout with my friends on the weekends, because I totally do, it’s just that sometimes, my bed and my computer are the only company that I need. Anyways, I decided to share a casual little winter outfit of the day. I find myself wearing this outfit, or versions of this outfit, very often because it’s so cozy, cute, and easy. I was on the hunt for a winter floppy hat for the longest time. I’m talking months and months of searching, and I finally found it at Urban Outfitters of all places. I think it’s such a nice addition to any outfit and it makes me feel like I could easily be Mary Kate and Ashley’s triplet, minus the brown hair thing of course.

sweater | boots | leggings | hat (similar)

What’s your go to winter outfit? Thanks for reading! xox Chloe

TOMS

This might come as a surprise, but I’m super frugal. However, I absolutely love to spend money. It’s just that I love spending money on things that I know I'll love. Frugal, picky, stubborn. Call it what you want, but I have money in my bank account and cute clothes, so I’m winning in my book. A few days ago, my mom and I (side note, my mom is my all time favorite shopping partner in case you were curious) were browsing the shoe section in Nordstrom's. We first glanced at all the fancy designer shoes and then made our way over to the other shoes. The shoes that I can actually afford. As I was looking, I noticed a pair of absolutely adorable high top sneakers. I don’t know what it is about high top kicks, but I’ve been absolutely diggin’ them lately. Upon further inspection, I realized that they were Toms. Who knew that TOMS started making different styles? ‘Cause I sure didn’t. I absolutely loved TOMS when I was in middle school, and I love the fact that they give one when you get one. It’s such a cool concept and I feel like my money is going somewhere important and actually helping people. I was dead set on buying them, but when I asked to try them on they didn’t have my size. I was bummed out, but figured it was just a sign that I didn’t need them.

Well, I was completely wrong. It's a few days later, and I’m still thinking about them. Actually, I’m dreaming about them. This pair of shoes actually showed up in my dreams. I need them. I want them. I have to have them in my life. They are too perfect and too cool. I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy them today, so fingers super-crossed that I go through with it.

Click here to see these TOMS for your self. 

Are there any shoes that you’ve had your eye on lately? What are your thoughts on high top sneaks?

Thanks for reading! xox Chloe

Look Hot, Get Sweaty

I don’t know about you, but in order for me to have a successful workout, I have to look good. I’m not talking about putting on pounds of makeup before I run, I’m talking about wearing cute workout clothes. What I wear when I go to the gym or park for a workout can totally make or break my day. Lately I’ve been eyeing a few new goodies so I decided to share them with you all! My new workout motto is look got, get sweaty. Here’s a little inspiration board to inspire you to look hot while gettin’ sweaty.

ruffle bra | headband | sweater | lululemon gear | athleta | sweaty betty leggings

Some of my favorite workout stores include Lucy, Lululemon, and Free People. Let me know where you purchase your workout clothes, I’m clearly in the market! Look hot, get sweaty, remember that!

xox Chloe

Cleaning Closets

It's that time of year: the time for New Year's resolutions. I may not have come up with my life-altering, earth-shattering new resolution yet, but I have begun my annual week of cleaning closets. Some people may enjoy a good spring cleaning, but starting out the New Year with clothes I actually wear makes me feel like I'm starting the year off right.

^{via Harper's Bazaar}

Now that I've been through all our closets, I need to make a decision of what to do with all these clothes that are piled up all over the house. Before my husband fusses, and before any of us start digging into the piles of discarded clothes (old habits die hard... I don't really need 3 oversized sweaters when 1 will do!)

Since I'm in a new town, I'm might "test" how well my clothes do in consignment shops by giving each a similar sweater and seeing how long it takes for it to sell, what percentage I receive, and how I'm paid. Perhaps I'll find a favorite consignment shop and most of my newer, less-worn wardrobe will be donated there each season.

^{via Harper's Bazaar}

But there are also some alternatives I'm considering:

1. Take any pair of old jeans to Madewell, and receive 20% off a new jeans purchase. Note: some sites say this program expired in 2014, so check with your local store... it seems like they may continue the program!

2. J.Crew also has a denim drive: you bring in old jeans (they don't have to be J.Crew brand) through 1/31, and you'll receive 20% off a new pair.

3. Sell my good condition clothes by the bagful on ThredUp or LikeTwice.

4. Donate clothes to Nordstrom and feel good about the charity that receives the benefit of the sale of clothing on their website.

5. Donate to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or Dress for Success.

6. Host a clothing swap. One woman's old clothes are someone else's treasure!

Lots of ideas to for lots of clothes! Of course, Craigslist and eBay are always options, but with so many easy alternatives, I think I may be getting rid of my old clothes faster than ever.

XO ~kim

Ski Season Must-Haves

It's decidedly winter here in our new Colorado home, and as winter blows in I'm desperately in need of some new ski clothes and accessories to help keep me warm on our ski trip. I thought I was prepared for the Colorado cold, which is actually warmer than some of the winters I've encountered back east. Everyone raves about dry heat... I'll rave about dry cold! It still gets more than a bit chilly, but I'll be ready with these:

1. ThermaCELL heated insoles. My feet are always freezing. Always! But, I can't rave enough about these remote control heated insoles to keep my feet warm -- especially when skiing (although I've been wearing them in my shoes for walks on frigid days). I love the tiny remote control to turn them on and off, because cold feet in the morning does not always mean cold feet in the middle of the afternoon. And I can also turn off the heat on my few many hot chocolate breaks.

2. Mittens. Because I've never seen any so cute as these, and yes, these are for me. The more mittens, the merrier, especially ones that look rugged but have modern insulation and waterproofing.

3. Glasses. "What," you say, "what do glasses have to do with winter?" Well, they will help me see the slopes at my feet and ahead if I actually wear progressives under my goggles. I ordered this pair from Firmoo, which has shockingly low prices (without progressives they are $39!). I love that they are clear, adore the price, and am amazed at the high quality for the price. I'll be wearing these daily, and at this price, may order another pair so I can change my glasses as often as I want.

4. Sweater. Something about fair isle screams "ski season" to me. I find the updated colors more wearable than typical fair isles of the past and a lot more hip.

5. Helmet. Although I shouldn't admit it, I hate helmets. So much so, that I've always refused to wear one. This year, I'm thinking it's time to start playing it safe, and I'm on the hunt for one that won't give me a headache. This one's cute... I'm heading out to try some on this week!

6. Ski jacket & pants: I'm not quite willing to admit I don't fit in my ski pants anymore. I'm just going to say that I need a new outfit because fashion dictates an update. I'm sure my husband will believe me. I almost do.

xo ~Kim

Holiday Dresses

It’s hard to believe that another holiday season is amongst us. It seriously feels like I was just shoveling the snow off my sidewalk last week and like the red cups at Starbucks were just here. It’s so strange how days go by so slowly but when you stop and think about which month it actually is your mind gets uber confused and freaked out. I’m not the only one that thinks this, am I? Any way, since the holiday season is here it means that holiday parties are about to be taking over our planners and our social lives. I have zero complaints considering nothing makes me happier than the festiveness of the season and dressing fancier than usual. I decided to compile a list of my favorite holiday dresses for this season. I hope you find a favorite from this list and if not then just enjoy the visuals… I tried to make them somewhat entertaining.

_{black dress | polka dot dress | sweater dress | red dress | woven dress}

let me know which dress is your favorite from these picks! xox Chloe

the 1 tip you need to know about cashmere

Finally it's fall, as in brrr... I can drink my homemade pumpkin spice lattés daily without funny looks because it was still 80 degrees outside, wear my boots, and pull on my fave cashmere sweaters. My confession is that although I can't wear wool (too itchy) and cotton doesn't keep me warm enough, I hesitated to wear my cashmere sweaters as often as I wanted. Why? Because cleaning them cost a fortune. Until I learned this tip!

The trick: wash your own cashmere in special cashmere wash or baby shampoo in cold water, but keep it inside out. Give it a very quick spin on the lowest heat possible in your dryer just to get rid of some excess water, not to dry it. Then lay it flat on a drying screen (or even a towel).  That's all - money saved, cashmere cleaned, sweaters getting the love they need.

Hmmm, with all the money I'll have left over from less dry cleaning, looks like I can do a little shopping! Here's what I've spied lately:

1. turtleneck | 2. ribbed baseball sweater | 3. open cardigan | 4. grey | 5. white | 6. olive

My dream sweater is definitely, without a doubt, #4. Swooning. I'd wear it with a pencil skirt or skinny jeans. Or dressy skinny pants. Yeah, I think I'd wear it with everything.  Your dream sweater?

xo ~Kim

Friday, Finally

Fridays have to be my favorite day of the week. The school day goes by so quickly and then it’s finally the weekend, aka the best two days of the week. Today after school I’m going vintage shopping with a few friends so we can find our Halloween costume for an event we’re volunteering at through the school. There are four of us and we’re going as the Scooby Doo gang, I’m being Velma and we have a Shaggy, a Freddy, and a Daphne. Each of us totally fits the characters so it’ll be fun to be all dressed up together! Then after we go shopping we’ll probably go out to eat and then head to our school’s poetry slam. There’s a slam once a month and it’s seriously one of the coolest things about my school. People compete with their poems and their poems are so poignant and interesting and it brings a level of respect and understanding that usually wouldn’t be there. Maybe one day I’ll have the courage to write and preform a poem but for now I’m comfortable in the audience just listening!

romper | jacket (similar) | shoes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHALYNNE IMAGING

Back to School Outfit

Back to school outfits are hard for me because I'm used to wearing uniforms.  This is the first time I haven’t had a uniform since 5th grade. In middle school my uniform consisted of a cotton t-shirt with my school’s name on it along with a pair of kaki shorts or pants. Then in 9th and 10th grade I had to wear a fancy collared shirt tucked into a fancy kilt. Then 10th grade round two and 11th grade I could basically wear my pajamas all day… online school for the win. However, now that I’m in 12th grade I finally have the freedom to wear whatever my little ‘ole heart desires. In fact, we basically have no dress code rules, except that we can’t wear spaghetti straps. Which happens to be fine by me. We can even wear open-toed shoes which is absolutely amazing. This idea of being able to wear whatever the heck I want is kind of awesome. I’m trying to not wear leggings to school until I absolutely have to, and so far my streak is going strong (even though I’ve only been to four days of school).

This is an outfit that I plan on wearing next week… just swap my never leave home without-it keep 'cause it keeps my cellphone charged tote for a backpack. It’s simple, it’s easy, and I think it’s pretty darn cute, especially the back of the top! And the price is right on the top and Mint Julep has tons of cute options on boots, tops, scarves... you name it. Let me know what you think in the comments below — I’d love to hear your thoughts!

top (c/0) + pants + shoes + watch + bag (c/0)

Fabulous photos by Shalynne Imaging. Go give her some love! xox Chloe

First Day Of School

My last week of summer is officially coming to and end. I don’t know how the heck summer went by so fast; I seriously still feel like it’s June. But school is about to start and that means constant outfits that don’t just consist of exercise clothes. Also, I don’t know if you all know this, but I will be going back to real school which means I will be a new kid my senior year. This is the first year that I don’t have a uniform since 5th grade so I think my mornings will lead to very messy floors. Anyways, this is what I am planning on wearing my first day of school. I think it says “I want to look cute but not like I’m trying too hard.” Right? All I know for sure is that I like it so… ;)

shoes | jeans | top | backpack | nail polish | water bottle

What are you planning on wearing your first day of school? I’d love to hear!

xox Chloe

DIY Graphic Tee

What's one item I could wear with everything? A graphic tee... every time I walk into J.Crew I want another one! But they are breaking the bank, so I turned to my trusty Cricut Explore, which had been getting dusty while we moved and I was away this summer. It's definitely time to start playing with it again since it is so versatile and makes the most complicated craft ridiculously easy! The best part? That's my handwriting. Mhmm. I officially have the coolest shirt around town - my own DIY graphic tee.

tee: Gap | necklace: Ela Design Studio | sunnies: Ray-Ban

Supplies: T-shirt Cricut Iron-on Cricut Iron Ironing board Tea Towel or t-shirt

Feel free to use our .png file below! Then we can be twinsies with the same shirt ;)

Directions: 1. Cut Cricut Iron-On a little larger than the words you are printing and place it shiny side down on mat. Load into the Cricut and follow directions. 2. Be sure to check the box for "Iron On" so that your words will be backward. (This will make sure that when you actually iron on it will be in the right direction) 3. Peel the extra Iron-On material off of the transfer sheet and make sure that no little "extras" are still on your design. 4. Center the design on your shirt and iron onto shirt with a tea towel in between the iron and the Iron-On material. 5. Sit back and admire... then wear what's sure to become your DIY favorite graphic tee and rake in the compliments.

Disclosure:  We are members of the Cricut Blogger Network and received product in exchange for review but as usual all opinions are 100% our own. 

Try this T-shirt Tie Dye

One of our favorite summer projects is tie-dying and as much as we love tie-dye, you know we like to keep it simple... which is why we are such huge fans of Tulip One-Step Tie-Dyes and have been using them for years for all of our projects (see tie-dye shorts and tie-dye beach sheet). We were ready to jump on the Tie Dye Your Summer bandwagon and once again turned to Tulip because they come with bottles that you simply fill with water and you're ready to go. Even gloves come in the box, plus some ideas. All you need is something to tie-dye and a cool idea!

Striped T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat and get rid of wrinkles 2. pleat the shirt from top to bottom (you can fold it in the middle if it's easier to handle it) 3. fold sleeves in last, pleating them as well, and tucking them under 4. you should have a flat pleated shirt 5. wrap rubber bands around at intervals, making sure the pleats stay intact 6. your t-shirt should look like a centipede when ready to tie-dye

Dotty T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat 2. pinch sections of the t-shirt and wrap the rubber band tightly around. The larger the piece sticking out the top, the larger your circles will be and the more rubber bands you use, the bigger your white space around the circle will be. You could pinch both front and back, but we pinched the front and back together (i.e., the back of the shirt was in the rubber bands you see) and it looked fantastic while saved a bunch of steps.

Once you have your shirt(s) ready, wet them thoroughly. You could definitely do this step first, but we found it was easier to work with dry shirts.

Gather the tie-dye supplies  - most of which will be in your Tulip One-Step Tie-dye kit + protection for whatever area you will be tie-dying in. We suggest tie-dying in the grass, if you can, since the area will be stained.

Add water to the color bottles you choose and you are ready to tie-dye! It couldn't be more simple, then add color to your shirts directly from the bottle.

Once the color has been applied, place them in a bag for 6 or more hours (we left ours in the bag overnight) because we're lazy like that.

Remove the shirts from the bags and rinse them in cold water until the water runs clear. It takes a while, but once the color is out, it's gone and your tee is colorfast. Follow the instructions for washing and drying and then enjoy your new shirts.

Voilà, one old tee that was stained turned into a new tee that looks amazingly cool and a new tee that looks much better than plain white! We might cut the neckline on the blue tie-dye t-shirt, but we really love how it turned out.

Follow I Love To Create for some fab & fun creative inspiration on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and their Blog. Perfect boredom busters! Get creating!

What are you thinking about tie-dying?

xo ~kim & chloe

 Thank you ILTC and Blueprint Social for sponsoring this post. All opinions are our own, as usual! 

Teen Blogger Showcase

Earlier this month I attended Smart Girls Summit and had the amazing opportunity to meet some fabulous bloggers that are my age. One of the girls that I met was absolutely adorable and as sweet as can be so I decided to interview her for our Teen Blogger Showcase series. Meet Sammy. Like I said, Sammy is a sweetheart. She’s incredibly fashionable (duh, she has a fashion blog) and her Instagram game is always on point. Be sure to follow her blog and her Instagram, you won’t be sorry! xox, Chloe

Inspiring Pins

It’s a good thing I’m a blogger so that I can call my obsessive pinning “work.” I honestly think that I pin 100+ new things a day. I’m addicted. I was definitely one of those kids that collected magazines just so that on a rainy day I could cut out  pictures and  typography so that I could make mood boards. I think that’s why I have such a serious addiction to Pinterest. It’s just that pretty pictures make my heart beat fast. I’ve decided to create a little roundup of a few of my favorite inspiring pins that have recently caught my eye. If you’re needing some inspiration, then we’ve got you covered. These pictures are almost too perfect (kidding, there’s no such thing).

Instagram Life Vs. Real Life (this pin hit the nail on the head)

I’m OBSESSED with her outfit. It’s super stylish and looks amazingly comfortable at the same time. gimme

Peach pie is my all time favorite summer dessert, and this one looks indescribably delicious.

Someone please buy me a one way ticket to the nearest beach. 

I’m not a cat purrson, but this cutie has me by my heartstrings.

If you like these inspiring pins, then be sure to follow us! Like I said before, I'm an obsessive pinner. You will always have something inspiring to look at on Pinterest if you follow us, and that's a promise!

xox Chloe

Bucket Bags

via New York

While Chloe has been in fashion mecca this summer, I've been settling in, unpacking boxes, and traveling with my son for sports. Needless to say, fashion and blogging have taken a backseat to family. I've asked Chloe to fill me in on what she's noticed on the streets of New York, always one of my favorite ways to spot new trends. While bucket bags are not a new trend, they are heavily in rotation among the fashionistas in the city this summer.

These are a few I'm taking a look at, with some budget options thrown in the mix. Since I recall this trend from when I was a teen, I'm not sure if I'll be jumping on the bucket bag bandwagon, but Chloe wanted a few options, so I pulled together a few for her... along with some that just caught my fancy.

via Peace Love Shea

The go-to Mansur Gavriel ones above are everywhere in a mini size, although I'd call it manageable one since one that's too big simply becomes a dumping bag for moi, but here's a budget version that has gotten great reviews. And procrastinators rejoice since this Tod's version is 50% off and available to our European friends too! Perfect for fall is the calf-hair bucket bag in leopard. I would absolutely rock it with all black, but I've most definitely been wearing leopard with prints and love the juxtaposition. If you want to stray from leather, this tan nubuck version is so sumptuous, or check out this leather look budget option by Target. And if you decide to invest and splurge, then why not go with this vintage Chanel piece in impeccable shape and glorious texture? It's also available in peach. Yummy.

Are there bucket bags in your future (or present)?

xo ~kim

Invisible Friends get real

When people ask me what my favorite part of blogging is I always have the hardest time coming up with an answer. Of course there are the events, the clothes, the everything pretty. But there is more to blogging; in fact, if I had to pick my all time favorite thing about blogging it would be the connections that I have made with other teenage bloggers. My Dad calls them my “imaginary friends” but I know that they are, in fact, real friends. I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with two of my closets blogging friends Sloane from Sailing the Sea of Style and Gracey from Stripes and Peonies pretty recently! It was such an amazing experience, because we text and tweet each other all the time but we had yet to meet “in real life.” We all happened to be in NYC at the same time so we decided that we had to meet up. And we did. And it was awesome. And they are real people, Dad. I have the pictures to prove it.

Because we are all bloggers we spent the majority of our time together wandering the West Village and taking snaps of the scenery and of each other. Gracey and Sloane were nice enough to snap some outfit of the day pictures of me - in which I'm wearing something new, breezy, and comfortable. Perfect for meeting real friends on a hot summer's day.

shorts |  tank | shoes | watch| bag 

xo ~chloe

Just Strolling

I love finding things in my closet that are back in style! While organizing and packing for our move to Denver, I realized I had quite a few pairs of wide leg pants so I decided it's time to pull them out. There's just something very Katherine Hepburnish about pulling on a pair of wide leg pants, a cute top and calling it a day. The only thing is... I didn't find any tops in my closet that I could wear with my pants, but my Sofft shoes were the perfect height with these pants. As for tops, I wanted something fitted and short - almost a crop top - but not too fitted and not too short. I gave up. Until I wandered in Anthropologie and saw this cute swingy top that wasn't at all what I was looking for but just happens to go with wide legs and skinnies. I'm so excited to wear it with everything, and revitalize my old, but new to me, wide-leg pants. I guess packing and unpacking does have some advantages.

 

 Anthropologie Top | Theory pants (similar) | Sofft shoes (c/o)

10 hot styles of espadrilles

Nothing says summer like slipping on sandals or espadrilles and absolutely nothing says comfort like a well worn espadrille. So guess what I choose 99% of the time? Yep, espadrilles are my spring and summer goto shoe for comfort. And this season is offering some crazy cute styles that are amping up the simple silhouettes from seasons past. With embellishments, tones, patterns, stripes and heights... if you want it, you'll have no problem finding it in espadrilles. And you'll be right in style, without sacrificing any comfort. What's not to love?

via Le Blog de Betty

gold | blue cap toe |  pink | blue & white stripe | tan tie

We also really like these tassel espadrilles - how fun are they? - these sueded snake ones, these stripe and tan ones by the venerable Castañer and these tie-dye looking ones with a romantic rabbit. All are so unique that you could switch up a pair every day and feel like you have a new look for a new shoe, but still get that espadrille / slipper / summer feel. Right now, I'm enjoying my newish leopard print espadrilles with everything from camo, to jeans to stripe skirts.  Whether I'm in flats or heels, espadrilles have my feet singing, "...summertime... and the living is easy."

xo ~kim

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