So it’s that time again folks, the season of music festivals is upon us and these past few weekends has been all about Coachella. I can’t tell you how many Coachella vlogs I have watched. These YouTube vloggers make it look so effortless! Where ya’ll get this $$$? 😉
Coachella– The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, located in the Inland Empire’s Coachella Valley, in the Colorado Desert.
Hit you with a little Wikipedia info, ya know just in case you live under a rock and don’t get all huffy over the thousands of Coachella posts you’ve been seeing day after day.
We get it, it’s fun. You’re having the time of your life. No need to rub it in. 😉
Let’s be real though, I have to admit- I’m lowkey- totally jealous. FOMO [Fear Of Missing Out] is real, thank you internet.
Not because I want to stand for hours, in a crowd of people in the California desert heat.
But because the whole experience kind of speaks to my flowerchild self.
I LOVE music, I love food, I love FASHION.
And the fashion at Coachella is bohemian and hippie child and I am so with it!
However, I feel like my anxiety would kick into high gear in an environment like that.
I don’t do well in crowded places or in intense heat. So right there I feel like I would have such a tendency to be completely miserable there.
But I do think it’s a really cool idea and could be a cool experience if I worked myself up to go.
I feel like I’d fit right in, with the fashion inspiration.
Here are my favorite Coachella looks, I’ve seen from the YouTubers I keep up with.
Niki is my favorite Coachella look this year. I am OBSESSED with her blue hair. I always said I wanted to do something crazy like this. I’ve dabbled but it’s been a while and now with my job I feel like I can’t experiment like that. Anyway I adore her facial jewels and her nails! I also really love her cool and warm tone color combination.
Ashley has a bit of a more 90’s grunge vibe and I totally dig the black, and monochromatic shades, and the choker. And those glitter freckles! Come on now. I have real freckles and I love them, so I would be all about glitterfying them! 😉
Bethany is my original YouTube Queen. I adore her. And I also love this sheer top she has paired with her denim shorts and the necklace tops it all off!
Love this high low number and I also love Lauren’s heart shaped glasses in the picture below. Her mini space buns are adorable and I love how she’s not afraid to just keep it simple with some distressed jeans shorts and a funky tube top. Can we also just give her wrist full of friendships bracelets a round of applause! That’s commitment. Haha. I love that look of stacked colorful bracelets.
Coachella is known for being the time where over accessorizing is a must. I love accessories and Mia killed it here!Super cool! I freakin’ love that purple ring!
I love Alisha’s gladiator goddess vibe. The sheer overlay she DIY’d makes for the perfect cover-up.
Shay Mitchellon YouTube (Best known for her role on Pretty Little Liars)
Shay is keeping it simple here with jeans and a cropped knit top, but I just love the call back to 90’s denim and her hair…so rad. Yes RAD!
**Vanessa Hudgens- The Coachella Queen**
I feel like Vanessa is at Coachella every freaking year and she always has the best looks. I saw this one and fell in love with her butterfly braids and flash tattoos!
I feel like I would like to experience this at least once in my life. Despite the dirt, sand, lack of real bathrooms/sinks, and the intense standing in crowds on your feet…It has a lot of things I love-music, food, fashion, and cool pic options. Haha. Who knows maybe I’ll be brave one day and go for it! Or ya know just host a Coachella themed party this summer, for the hell of it! 😉
Last weekend I rocked this outfit, and I was feeling some Coachella vibes in there, a little bit…no? 😉
*All images are credited to each girl’s instagram.
*In this heat, too much chunky jewelry is too much to handle. I’ve sort of found my everyday simplicity and I’ve really liked wearing it.
Tan Strapped Sandals
*I practically wear these things every day! They are so comfortable and the color goes with everything. And the marshmallow white bottom gives me 90’s fashion vibes.
Mirrored Sunglasses
*I love a good funky colored shade any day, but when I came across the clear frame and the mirrored lens I fell in love with the sleekness of them. These really do go with everything and they are understated which seems to be my summer trend this year.
Beauty:
Tess Christineinspired makeup
*Tess Christine is one of my favorite YouTubers. And I love her style so much. This look has inspired my recent everyday makeup. With her tips, I’ve crafted a simple, bronzed, nude look that I really love.
REVLON Ultra HD Matte Lip color
*This color is the perfect blush nude, and I love the matte texture. It wears pretty long too. And I got it on sale in CVS for $6.99…BONUS!
Messy Bun Hairstyles
*I cut my hair pretty short earlier in the Summer, so I’ve been trying new hairstyles that will accommodate a shorter do. I’ve utilized the mini pigtail buns often throughout this Summer. It’s a bit funky at first but I’ve grown to like it and it’s pretty quick to style. Which is also a huge plus!
Sea Island Cotton Body Spray -Bath & Body works
*This has been my favorite body spray for quite a few years, but I haven’t been using it for quite a few months. I finished it and then had to resort to another scent, because I just hadn’t been to a mall to pick up a new bottle. I’m very picky when it comes to scents. If it’s too strong it will give me a headache or bring on a slight anxiety. For that reason I don’t wear perfume- just body spray. But recently I made the mall trip and I caught a 3 bottle sale. It’s such a beautiful linen, light, airy, slightly floral, clean, crisp scent. I adore it.
Tips to Beat the Heat:
Travel water bottle
*This one is so cute holds a really good amount of water. And it as a straw spout which I prefer.
Portable Fan Necklace
*This has been a lifesaver this summer, during these heat waves. It hangs on my neck and blows air up at me. Hands free, does the trick!
Spray Bottle
*I’ve seen so many of those hydrating sprays, but they are always so expensive, so instead I just put some water into a spraybottle and I carry it in my purse or work bag and if I feel like I need to cool down a bot, I’ll spritz my wrists or my neck/chest, and face. You can also bop this into the freezer to chill it a bit.
Entertainment:
TV Show-
American Gothic
*This is a 13 part murder mystery on CBS and it has got me hooked. And it doesn’t hurt that my girl Bethany Joy Lenz has just gotten on board for a few episodes. Check it out…you won’t regret it! SO GOOD!
*Pop royalty is back! Enough said. These two songs have been my summer anthems.
Other:
Sunflowers
*Sunflowers are my favorite flower and this Summer I have seen so many beautiful ones.
Iced hot chocolate
*This started with the dunkin donuts frozen hot chocolate, but then I’ve ordered iced hot chocolate in a restaurant and I fell in love with it. So naturally I started making it at home. I basically just make a cup on instant hot cocoa (with milk-not water) microwave the cup for just a bit to allow easier to mix and then pour over ice, chill in freezer and viola! SO delicious.
What are some of your summer favorites & tricks and tips to beat the heat?
Ok so we all know Taylor Swift has ruled the world with her bomb ass girl squad, promoting girl power, feminism and all around badassery. So it got me thinking, if I could put together my own “fantasy” girl squad-like men put together their fantasy sports teams-… who would I include? These are the women who I admire most and who I think would all mesh well into one epic gang of powerhouses. I gave them squad names too, because I mean- duh. I’d lead this pack proudly. 😉
Bethany Joy Lenz- “Sweet Vintage”
Sophia Bush-“Chicago Spunk”
Tori Kelly- “TK Frizz”
Jennifer Lopez-“J-Booty”
Adele-“London Town”
Hilary Duff- “Boss Lizzie”
Lauren Cohan-“Zombie G”
Shay Mitchell-“Pocahontas”
Tess Christine-“Boho T”
Candice Accola-King- “Vamp”
Gina Rodriguez-“Senorita”
Joy Williams-“Mama Venus”
Marina Squerciati-“MS. Homegirl”
Tamera Mowry Housley-“Sista girl”
Melissa McCarthy- “Chef”
Lauren Graham-“Coffee”
Kate Hudson-“Blonde bomb”
Carrie Rad-“Sunflower”
Ingrid Nilsen-“Spicy Flame”
Alexz Johnson-“Gypsy Soul”
Bethany Mota-“Dimples”
Lauren Conrad-“Laguna Hillz”
I would include Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift in a heartbeat but they already have their squad. I’m creating my own path here people. Be a leader not a follower. 😉 And I said it once and I’ll say it again, I’d lead this pack proudly.#squadgoals Invites go out early next week. 😉 #AGirlCanDream #FanGirlLife
xoxo “Starchild” – The Squad Leader
-<3-
*Aside from that last selfie I do not own any other photos used.*
We are just a day away from one of my favorite holidays. Sure, we all love Christmas, but I think at times it can definitely get over blown and you lose the true sprit of it in the first place. We stress over what to buy people, who to visit, how to squeeze in Christmas movies and music and decorating. And it all ends up being more stressful then enjoyable. That’s why I love Thanksgiving. It’s quieter, it’s happy, it’s homey. And the food is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Any holiday that surrounds a food feast, is my kind of holiday. I usually split Thanksgiving with visiting my grandparents and then my aunt. And at my Aunt’s it’s usually a bunch of cousins and kids running all around. It’s a total blast. I just love it. To me Thanksgiving is such a beautiful time, it’s a time for you to reflect and be thankful for all you have. The family, the food, the love that surrounds you not just today but every day. I just think Thanksgiving is way less pressure than Christmas, and yet even better food. 😉 But before you crazy Christmas lovers yell at me, understand I Love Christmas too, and I intend to enjoy all it’s magic this year, but Thanksgiving comes first. And for those who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m sorry, eat some turkey anyway. 😉
Once Halloween was over, out went the spiders, ghosts and witches….
Normally we don’t decorate too much for Halloween or Thanksgiving in my house. We just throw a few things on our door and call it a day. But This year we’ve been trying to decorate inside a little more, because we have my god daughter here often, and she gets a kick out of all of it. So this year we filled our house with turkeys, fall leaves, pumpkins, Indians, cornucopias, and scarecrows. I even found her a Happy Thanksgiving Balloon and some Turkey Stickers!
*Here are a few personal photos…of my decorations.*
My god daughter loves her balloons!
This is my favorite decoration…I named her Sage “Sunflower” Meadow 😉
*Decide on what to make for Thanksgiving Dinner*
Like I mentioned before, I visit people for the holidays. So I always like to bring something to wherever I go. Last year I made an Apple Crisp that went over really well. (My brother yelled at me because I’m not making it again this year, haha.) But this year I wanted to do something a little different. I’m going to keep it in the Pie family, but step it up a notch. After researching a few ideas I decided I would make a Peach Cobbler, Turkey Cookies, Pilgrim Hat Cookies, and Apple Pie Punch. I’m super excited and can’t wait to see the little kiddies reactions to the cookies. Fingers crossed, hope everything comes out good! ***FYI there are tons of versions of those turkey cookies and pilgrim hats I didn’t really follow any one specific recipe, I just googled a bunch.***
My Shopping List…all checked off!
*Be Festive*
Ever since my god daughter was born I’ve started a little tradition with her where I buy her and I some kind of fun holiday headband and we take pictures wearing them. And last year I didn’t come across any cute Thanksgiving headbands, so I ended up making her a flower crown with fall flowers. She looked super cute! Anyway this year I found the CUTEST turkey headbands and some Indian headbands for the other kiddies. I can’t wait to wear them and take some fun pictures!
Seriously how cute are those headbands I found???
*Paint Your Nails*
Usually I go all out for nail art on the holidays, last Halloween I did a funky Halloween inspired swirl design, and last Christmas I did each nail a different Christmas inspired design. But I never came up with a cute Thanksgiving design to do. Or I just simply didn’t have the time. This year for Halloween I was [Mrs.] Daryl Dixon, zombie ass kicker from The Walking Dead, so I didn’t want to break character and make my nails all beautiful. Because let’s face it girls can’t get mani/pedis in the zombie apocalypse. So this year I decided to do my nails festively for Turkey day. Here’s the designs I found on Google…I attempted the turkey and the tribal print.
oranges, browns, yellows… oh my!
here’s my attempt…it’s intricate work, so I think it’s not too shabby 😉
*The Fashion*
Ok so I was still deciding on an outfit up until yesterday, it took me forever to come up with something that I liked! I like to be comfortable on a daily basis and I’d say my personal style is definitely a reflection of that. I hate being constricted which is why I rarely wear dresses or skirts with tights. And besides I live in New York so it’s not exactly bright and sun shiny here, it’s actually rainy and cold and gross today. The winter is coming and it’s coming fast! BUT at the same time once I get where I’m going, it’s usually pretty warm. My aunt’s house has always got an oven on heating up delicious Thanksgiving foods and there’s a bunch of people so, you get hot. So I like to dress light and comfortable. Usually I layer, because they are easy to manipulate and take off or put on depending on temperature. I love fall colors too, the burgundys and oranges, even green is fun to tie in. Besides it’s thanksgiving, the foodiest of food feasts and I want room to eat, no tight fitting clothes for me! haha. Am I right ladies?
*Here’s my outfit choice for Tomorrow!*
a thin long sleeved black crop top
a tribal print cream and beige colored vest/cardigan
brown snake skin thin belt
knit jeans
brown leg warmers
brown snake skin boots
a statement necklace and matching earrings
gold alex & ani bracelets
some rings
*since my outfit is kind of generic in the color department I figured the burgundy jewelry and my festive nails will pep it up and I’ll add a bold lip color to tie it all together!
*And for more inspiration…check out one of my favorite YouTube fashionistas!
*March of the Wooden Soldiers vs. The Macy’s Day Parade*
So if you read my post from last year, then you know that watching March of the Wooden Soldiers every year has been a tradition in my family for years. But as I get older and want to contribute more to the Thanksgiving dinner I find it harder and harder to find the time to watch that or the Macy’s Day Parade. So here’s my plan for this year. My dad has the movie on dvd so I’m hoping to watch it later today. And that way on Thanksgiving I can have the Parade on in the background while I bake and prepare my fun little treats. Yay for turkey cookies!
*TV Show Thanksgiving Episodes*
Ok so for me I always feel like Thanksgiving isn’t represented well enough in movies and in decorations. It’s like every store has thrown up Christmas cheer, and you can’t escape it. Where are the Turkey songs, movies and the cheer. So I turn to tv. Because tv knows how to do Thanksgiving. What’s up Charlie Brown?
Some of my favorite shows have done Thanksgiving episodes and I am here to bring them to your attention!
The OC
Season 1 Episode 11 “The Homecoming”
Sandy and the boys won’t let Kirsten cook ANYTHING
Seth has Summer in the pool house and Anna in his bedroom
Ryan brings Marissa to Chino to steal a car for his prison ridden brother
And Caleb and Julie invite themselves over intruding on a blind date Kirsten and Sandy have set up for Jimmy (Julie’s ex) & Rachel.
* It’s a good time…Seth Cohen really just has to speak words and you’ll be laughing.
Season 4 Episode 3 “The Cold Turkey”
Taylor is hiding under Seth’s bed
Ryan is hunting after Vulchuck
Julie is banned from the Cohen house for Thanksgiving Dinner
Summer invites some homeless people over
Kirsten actually cooks
Missing Marissa seems to be the center of this episode
One Tree Hill
Season 8 Episode 9 “Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace”
Haley cooks
Brooke attempts to but burns her Turkey
Mia and Alex cat fight over chase
Victoria returns from prison
Julian’s mom butts in where she’s not wanted
Skills orders a farm fresh Turkey but doesn’t realize that means it’s alive
Mouth and Millie flirt again
And everyone ends up a Haley and Nathan’s for dinner and brings jello salad
Dawson’s Creek
Season 3 Episode 8 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”
Pacey and Jen are experimenting with a possible friends with benefits relationship
Joey and her sister remember their mom in a fond light
Dawson is confused by his separated parents suddenly acting all buddy buddy like everything is just fine
Jen’s mom shows up and drops a bomb on her that she has a long lost sister floating around
Pacey and Andy deal with being around each other after a painful breakup
Joey is the voice of reason for many
And everyone ends up at Grams for dinner…they call themselves the misfits
Friends
Friends is the holy grail of Thanksgivings, they had some form of a Thanksgiving episode EVERY season….so props to them for being on point and so festive!
These are two of my favorites…
Season 5 Episode 8 “The One With All The Thanksgivings”
Monica cooks thanksgiving dinner
Chandler bums everyone out with his usual “I hate Thanksgiving” story
Joey is thankful for thongs
The gang shares each of their worst Thanksgiving stories…
which leads to incredibly hilarious flashbacks which prove Chandler and Monica were always in the stars
*Oh and multiple people wear turkeys on their heads so there’s that.
Season 6 Episode 9 “The One Where Ross Got High”
Monica’s parents hate Chandler
Poor Rachel messes up her triffle
But Joey seemed to like it
Phoebe has a dirty dream about Monica’s dad
Joey and Ross try to rush through dinner to leave early to join Joey’s roommate and her dancer friends in what seems to be a whole mess of desperate drunk girls
*Check out this article on buzzfeed…ranking every Friends thanksgiving episode
And last but not least…a show who’s Thanksgiving episode defines Thanksgiving for me…it is my absolute favorite on this list…
Gilmore Girls
Season 3 Episode 9 “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
4 invitations
tofu at the kim’s
deep fried turkey and lots of alcohol consumption at Sookie’s
squeeze in some time for dinner at Luke’s (hold the rolls) and pause while Rory and Jess awkward kiss
And last but not least sit back and enjoy the usual awkward suffocating dinner with Emily and Richard Gilmore
*FOUR Thanksgivings and the girls still have room for those rolls at the end of the night.
*How jealous are you of their abilities to eat like pigs and NOT gain weight???
P.S. A Drunk Sookie is all you need in life, really…
So there you have it, what has been my Thanksgiving Week “To Do” List of sorts and fun activities included.
I have been in swift gear this week and am proud to say I am making checking things off this list…a fun filled bowl of happiness! 😉
So Happy Thanksgiving Folks!!!!!!!!!!
Take a look around you and be grateful for all that you have!
Enjoy and may your tummies be full of delicious foods and your heart be full of happiness.
*I do not take any credit for any images or gifs used that aren’t specified as my own*