Kelley's Palm Desert Packing List

I'm almost positive that being a terrible packer is genetic trait of our family. If you have ever traveled with our family, you know that no one is going to ever accuse us of traveling light. The truth is I simply hate packing. I hate the idea of being out of town and not having the necessary accessory, shoe, purse, bauble, etc. to make my outfit complete, which usually results in me packing pretty much everything I own. My best friend Cat always finds it comical to compare the size of her bag to mine when we are going somewhere together. The end result is typically that my hair bag (yes that is right I almost always have an entire bag devoted to my hair supplies) is the size of Cat's entire bag for the weekend. I am always amazed at how Cat can travel with such a small amount of stuff...maybe one day when I'm less high maintenance I will learn. Until then, you can more than likely find me in the airport frantically trying to balance the weight between my two bags (pathetic I know). Another reason I am awful at packing, I am leaving in four hours and haven't even started to pack. My philosophy is anything I forget I can always buy it there, right?! Hope everyone has a good rest of the week! It is almost the weekend!

Shoes, Skirt, T-shirt, Scarf, Bracelet, Striped Dress, Belt, Earrings, Sunglasses, Sweater, Jean Shorts, Canvas Sneakers, Sandals, Blue Dress, Clutch, Necklace

Kate's Palm Desert Packing List

So we are off to sunny California today- Palm Desert to be exact. Can't wait for the warm weather but as y'all should know by now I'm a HORRIBLE packer. I try my best but usually to no avail. It doesn't help that during the day it's going to be in the high-70's and at night in the mid-40's. Anyway yesterday as I was putting off packing I made this packing list from my "virtual closet" in hope that it would provide some inspiration and make my packing lighter. 

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Valentine's Date Night

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and it's never too early to start thinking about what you are going to wear. Whether you are going out with a significant other or just one of your best girl friends- these dresses can do you no wrong! We are hoping one of y'all has a bigger budget than we do and can afford the Issa dress (11). 

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Shoe Art

 

We're not sure, which is more unrealistic the 7 inch heels or the $1200+ price tags of these beauties (the first pair are only $6,395). Regardless, we are in awe of them. In our minds, they are truly works  of art that we would prominently display throughout our house in glass cases if only we were lucky enough to own them. Since snagging a pair of these is most likely not in our financial future, we will just enjoy gawking over them. We encourage you to do the same.

All images are from here.

Bauble of the Week: Noir Highlight Earrings

We love that these earrings are both funky and glam at the same time. It doesn't hurt that the pop of color is cobalt blue- one of our favorites. Though the best part about these earrings may be the free pair of earrings you get with your purchase! Two for the price of one? Don't mind if we do. Buy them here.

Living Room Update

We have our mom to thank for the fact that we are constantly wanting to update our house. It's hereditary. Unfortunately, we don't have the funds to completely makeover a room every few months. Luckily it's easy to update a room with one or two pieces and a little rearranging. Key pieces that can change a room: a new lamp, a throw over the sofa, a decorative object on the coffee table, moving your artwork around to form a gallery wall, bright pillows, etc. Below are living rooms that inspire us- notice all the key pieces. As our mom always tells us- be patient, you don't have to buy everything at once. (Patience is a virtue we are working on at the moment)

Shelter

Lonny

 Be sure to think outside of the box- we have the two side tables pictured above and pushed them together to make our coffee table!

Lonny

Lonny

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Gal on a Budget

We don't know about y'all, but we are ready to say goodbye to our all black winter wardrobe and start adding some color back into our life. Unfortunately, we have not been sticking to our New Year's resolution of being more financially responsible as much as we would like to say we have aka we are broke...Fortunately, we have found some adorable pieces that are mostly under $100 (except for the ever so versatile and chic, affordable splurge of the tote bag from Madewell) that will effortlessly fit into your current wardrobe and help you transition right into spring. The good news is that spring officially begins in 55 days (March 20...not that we're counting or anything), so it won't be long before we can start to say goodbye to all of our black completely.

Jacket, Necklace, Flats, I-Phone Case, Jeans, Belt, Earrings, T-shirt, Tote Bag

M&M Sugar Cookies

 Last week we made these M&M Sugar Cookies that we had been eyeing on Pinterest. Unfortunately for our "eat less sugar in 2013" resolutions, they were delicious. So good in fact, we immediately decided to send them to work with Frank. Don't worry we saved a few for ourselves. The directions look a little intimidating, but they were easier to make then we first expected. Just make sure to note that after you make the dough they cool in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. We promise it's worth the wait. The original recipe can be found here. We adapted the recipe a bit, but not much! Enjoy! 

Bauble of the Week: Juliet & Company Reine de la Nuit Necklace

This black and gold statement necklace reminds us of some of the trends we saw on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. This necklace is truly versatile, and would be great with a cocktail dress or a casual black on black ensemble. And you can't beat the price- under $100 for a statement necklace? Yes please. Available here.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

As y'all know by now- we are obsessed with Skinny Taste. We adapted this recipe from Skinny Taste and have made it quite a few times. Frank requests this almost weekly. The original recipe is here. Our version uses chicken broth instead of water (which adds to the sodium count) and we use a 16 oz. bag of vegetables instead of 10 oz. Overall it's pretty similar and so easy to make! The first time we made it we were a little skeptical about if soup would be filling enough for dinner- it definitely is. This literally tastes just like chicken pot pie. We serve it with crescent rolls on the side. Enjoy!

Must Have: Decorative Boxes

These days it seems like "wedding season" is year round. No complaining here since I'm getting to see my friends on the reg- it's wonderful. But I have slacked on wedding presents a bit. So one of my many New Years resolutions is to catch up on past wedding presents and stay current with wedding presents going forward. This may be annoying to some but I really enjoy giving wedding presents that aren't on a registry to my closest friends- usually I try to stick with something awesome for the couple's house. My go to recently has been amazing coffee table books. However, the other weekend I was out looking for the perfect gift and kept noticing all these amazing boxes. Decorative boxes can pretty much work in any room of the house and can be that something extra to bring a tabletop or bookcase together. The below pictures provide some ideas on how to use a decorative box on a coffee table, bedside table or bookcase. They are also a great way to hide knick knacks and keep a room clean and uncluttered.

Images via

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Wish List: Resort Wear

We know wishing for Resort Wear when you have no plans of going to a resort or even some place warm in the near future might seem pointless, but we couldn't help ourselves when we saw all of these luscious colors. Honestly, we'd be perfectly happy if it would get/stay warm enough for us to don these pretty pieces in the Queen City. You can go ahead and call us wimps, but we're ready to hang up our puffy jackets for one these colorful numbers.

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Looks We Love: Black on Black

While we normally love lots of color, we have to admit that there is something so chic about a black on black ensemble. The key to getting to getting the look right is mixing a variety of materials, silhouettes, and textures to create a layered look. There are tons of possibilities-think of mixing suede, leather, feathers, sequins, patent, fur, etc. to create a look that is shall we say gothic chic?

Images via

Here are some of our favorite black separates to help you get the look:

-Row 1: Leather top/Lace top/Ostrich Skirt-

-Row 2: Quilted Biker Jacket/Sweater-

-Row 3: Booties/Skirt/Purse-

Golden Globes 2013

We thought that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler did an awesome job hosting the Golden Globes last night. We seriously hope that they continue to host every year, and if they aren't available then maybe Will Ferrel and Kristen Wiig will be...

As usual, one of the main reasons we watched was to see all of the fashion and we were not disappointed. It was hard to choose our favorites, so instead we focused on some of the trends that ruled the red carpet. 

We still can't get over this Harry Winston necklace....with a price tag of $5.8 million we would be a nervous wreck with it around our necks! However, Jessica Alba looks calm and collected with all of that bling. We seriously can't take our eyes off this necklace!

All images from People, InStyle, E!