My Favorite Activities for my Brain

Now that it's officially summer in quarantine, I've been trying to think of ways to stimulate my brain and incorporate activities into my daily routine that aren't just online shopping or Instagram scrolling. I'm not the kind of person who can binge Netflix all day, but I am pretty addicted to my phone. So, I like to do a few things every day that are actually good for my brain. Today I am going to share some of my favorite activities that are a little bit more on this productive side!

Easy and CUTE Halloween Costumes 2019

Hellloooooo and happy Halloween szn! My mom is the biggest Halloween fanatic of anyone I've ever met, so I've grown up always taking Halloween very seriously. In college, Halloween is such a fun holiday to celebrate because everyone always dresses up in fun costumes and has themed parties. Last year my friends and I went to an insane, spooky party and all dressed up as goth girls. This year I'm not sure exactly what our plans are, but I'm already brainstorming costume ideas. Below I've crafted a few costume ideas and easy, cute ways to recreate them.

7 Halloween Costumes for the Fashion Girl

Kendall Jenner and a friend dressed as Karl Lagerfeld and his cat in 2015.

I have always been a huge fan of Halloween. I can probably blame my mom for my Halloween enthusiasm because it is her all-time favorite holiday by far, and I grew up with her going all out year after year. She has the wild Martha Stewart Spooky Scary Sounds album (you can listen to the YouTube clip here) that she would play literally on full blast on our record player throughout the house all night long, until like midnight, with our house decked out, lights dim... it was so over the top but so fun, and something that I always think about when I look back on Halloween. Typing that out, I'm realizing it might be a little weird to have such vivid memories from what some people consider a random holiday, but that's just how dedicated my mom is to Halloween!

Graduation Gifts

After sharing the cutest graduation announcements last week, I remembered that one of the most fun posts I wrote last year during the graduation season was about great gifts to give a graduate at her party. When it comes to graduation gifts, I think the perfect memento is tasteful, timeless, and exciting to receive. For new graduates, whether high school or college (even middle school!), this might include a nice piece of jewelry like a simple necklace or pearl earrings, a new wallet, a ladylike fragrance, stationery, and the list goes on...

Gift Guide: The Traveler

I'm heading to Dallas! It's going to be quite a travel day for me... My Uber is scheduled to pick me up around 9:15/9:30 from my dorm and take me all the way to the Philadelphia Airport, about an hour and a half away. Gonna be quite a long ride... But, I couldn't take the bus because I need to be at the airport early on a day like today. Did you know that Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday of the year? Today is one of the busiest days at the airport year in and year out, and Philly is quite a hub for travelers being such a bigger international airport.

Thanksgiving Outfit + Recipe Ideas

How is Thanksgiving just one week away?!

I'm heading to Dallas on Wednesday, which means we are celebrating the holiday at my Dad's new house for the first time! It's going to be a small one, just my brother and I are flying in. I've actually never been to Texas before, so this whole trip will emulate a lot of "firsts" for me.

Thanksgiving specifically will also be the first time that my dad has hosted for just us, so my aunts and my grandma won't be there to take charge of all of the cooking. Don't be fooled, yours truly is probably going to wind up doing most of the work, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super excited about that. I've missed cooking a lot, and having a chance to cook whatever I want now that I'll be away from school for a few days is really giving me something to look forward to! I've already started looking up recipes and getting excited to be back in a real kitchen with real ingredients all at my fingertips... 

This is just a taste of what I'm thinking of doing for our Thanksgiving:

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Almonds

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Feta

Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole

Shredded Kale, Brussel Sprout, Cranberry and Almond Salad

How yummy do all of these recipes look?! I'm so excited just to eat healthy foods with clean and real ingredients again... ugh, my mouth is watering!

Another fun part of the holiday is having the whole family look festive and cute at the table in fall outfits. I pulled a little Thanksgiving outfit inspiration today as well:

plaid wrap // velvet watch

mock neck sweater (also love this funnel neck style) // v-neck sweater // bell sleeve sweater

ripped black jeans // black corduroys on sale! (also love this corduroy skirt)

heeled booties // over-the-knee boots // velvet flats

Omg, I want. it. all. The velvet trend is killing it right now, and imagining those pretty lace-up velvet flats with corduroys and a gorgeous bell sleeve sweater sounds like the most chic outfit ensemble you could do! That outfit is also a dressier way to wear pants if your Thanksgiving is nice but still on the casual side of things. 

Of course, with all of the eating to be done, oversized sweaters are the way to go. I love both the funnel neck / mock neck style, and a good, classic slouchy v-neck .. I definitely have overdone it in my wardrobe when it comes to cream colored sweaters, but I just need to conclude that the limit does not exist for those babes. Pair with casual ripped denim and booties or over-the-knee boots  and you've got an easy combo. Everything also would be so, so cute cozied up with a plaid wrap and that sleek velvet watch... I need!!

What are you planning to wear on Thanksgiving?

xoxo

Halloween Costumes You Have in Your Closet

Hands down the most stressful version of "I have nothing to wear" is the situation we all find ourselves in right before Halloween when deciding on a costume. Lehigh has some really fun Halloween traditions, including "Halloweek", which is just like it sounds: a week full of events and celebrating the holiday. Of course, costumes will be necessary, but sometimes it's just so much easier to come up with a costume that consist of pieces you can find in your closet! 

I've created six different costumes all composed of pieces that will mostly be in your wardrobe, or a friend's, so they're easy to recreate and and rotate through! A week full of costumes, or even one last-minute costume, made that much easier.


My personal favorite!! How funny would it be to dress as avocado toast?!

Get the costume:
Hat // "Avocado Addict" T-Shirt (under $20!) // Blazer // Skirt // Avocado Espadrilles

Channel your inner "edgy" side and pull together your jean jacket and booties and pair with a graphic t-shirt for a classic band.

Get the costume:
Beatles Shirt // Rolling Stones Shirt // Jean Jacket // Sunglasses
Denim Skirt // Distressed Jeans // Heeled Booties (I have these and they're so comfy) // Ankle Booties

Such an easy and classy costume idea. Add a cardigan if you're chilly and this could double as Jackie O!

Get the costume:
Cami // Skirt // Pearl Necklace // Earrings /// Flats

Get the costume:
Rain Jacket // Striped Sweater // Jeans // Hat // Boots

Get the costume:
Stripe Shirt // Skinny Jeans // Sperry's // Hat // Glasses

Get the costume:

Gingham Shirt // Jean Shorts // Bandana // Fringe Bag // Cowboy Boots

A few other basic ideas include a tennis player, skier, eskimo (wear lots of fur and layers), and an angel in all white!

Do you know what you want to dress up as this year?

xoxo

Graduation Gift Ideas

I may have missed the prime time to post on this particular topic given that many of my friends have already celebrated their graduations, but with the spirit of this post and all of the graduation parties to come, it can't hurt to think a little more thoughtfully about what gifts to pick out for your friends to celebrate their hard work!

Holiday Party Ideas

My favorite way to celebrate the holidays is to throw a fun and festive party with my friends! There really is no better way to spend the season than to gather together for a holly jolly afternoon with the people you love doing something merry and bright. 

Cookie Exchange // This year, I'll be hosting my favorite event, our annual mother-daughter Christmas cookie exchange. Technically, it isn't all that "annual" because my mom and I skipped the last two years, but it really is one of my favorite traditions that my mom and I do together, not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. I invite my friends and their moms and everyone brings six dozen cookies to exchange at the party. Snacks, cookies, Christmas music, and mingling with each other always makes for a fabulous event and I love co-hosting with my mom (check back tomorrow for some hostess gift ideas!); it makes it so special and memorable every time and the love and spirit that the holidays are all about really shines through when I get to spend some extra time with her.

Ugly Sweater Party // I have never been to an Ugly Sweater Party, but I would love it if one of my friends threw one. What could possibly be more fun than dressing up in tacky sweater and hanging out with friends to celebrate the holidays? You could set up a photo area with props and tassels for decor and go nuts with a polaroid for some festive snaps to use for a holiday DIY project.

Gingerbread Decorating // It might be childish, but I love decorating gingerbread houses. This could be a fun way to gather your friends together to decorate and then you could even turn it into a little service project. By donating the houses to an organization like the Ronald McDonald house, you could really brighten a child's day (you'd have to check the rules for donations if you decide to go about this). This is the season of giving to others and this is a wonderful way to share the Christmas spirit.

Christmas Movie Marathon // Turn your typical slumber party into a festive night of fun! Opt in Christmas movies for your rom-coms and chick-flicks and swap your typical snacks for candy canes and hot cocoa.

Gift Exchange // Of course, it wouldn't be the holidays without a little gifting! "White Elephant", or other joke gift exchanges, are always so entertaining. Set a price range and tell everyone to bring a gift and do some exchanging one afternoon.

Are you throwing any parties this season? Do you have any traditions like mine?

xoxo