Month: October 2016

How I tie my blanket scarves + a GIVEAWAY!

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Happy Tuesday!  At least it’s not Monday, am I right?! And there’s a GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post so there’s another win for the week, right?!

I think the number one question I get (at least, recently) is how I tie my blanket scarves.  They can look a little intimidating when you get them since they’re so HUGE but I promise – you tie it once, you can tie them for life! 🙂

Excuse the pictures.. this was a super quick tutorial #nomakeup #pajamas! Also, this works for square blanket scarves – not the rectangular ones!

1. Fold your scarf into a triangle

2. I like to “roll’ the scarf towards me a few times so it’s not so bulky (you can skip this step though if you don’t mind more bulkiness!).

3. Next, I hold the rolled part up to my neck and basically criss cross the two sides behind my neck

I mean.. So attractive! Haha! Apparently I wasn’t smiling when he took that one!

4. Pull the two sides down and adjust under the triangle part

5. Last, adjust the two pieces that you pulled down as  much as you’d like until you like how it looks!

Hopefully this helps and isn’t super confusing!  The hubs thought I should do a video tutorial but I wasn’t sure if that was warranted!  If you prefer that, let me know 🙂 Or if you have any questions/need help 🙂

Now here’s the fun part.. because I just love you all for visiting this little space so often and because blanket scarves might not be everybody’s “thing”.. I am giving away this fun and easy infinity scarf to one lucky reader!  It’s one of my absolute favorites and think it’s perfect for fall and winter!  Winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 9! Good luck!

scarf-giveawaya Rafflecopter giveaway

Before you enter into the giveaway – there’s one thing to note (because I don’t know if it’s super clear!).  You will be asked to input your email address into the Rafflecopter (so I can contact the winner!) BUT that does not mean that you’ve subscribed to the blog by email (one of the entries!) so make sure you subscribe by email on this little space as well in order to actually be entered! All entries will be verified – and a winner will be chosen based on the verification!

And if you’re looking for a few blanket scarves – I love these ones: This plaid one; I have two of these and love them; Another plaid one; , love this buffalo print!

heartKristi

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!  Hope y’all had a fun and safe weekend – I just can’t believe it’s already November tomorrow and we’re less than 8 weeks away from Christmas.. Did y’all hear that.. LESS THAN 8 WEEKS!

Here’s a few pictures from our Halloween weekend ❤

Tell me about it… Stud!

I know, Sandy and Danny from Grease is cliche and probably over done but you know what?? I don’t care! I absolutely LOVE this movie and musical AND I was so happy when the hubs finally agreed to do A) a couples costume with me and B) Grease 🙂 Also, how many times can I say and in a sentence?? 🙂

Anyway onto more important words – Have fun with your kids trick-or-treating tonight or have fun handing out candy! Don’t be a Grinch.. share a little bit of candy 🙂 Yes, I just mixed in a little Christmas!

I’ll be back tomorrow showing how I tie my blanket scarves and a fun GIVEAWAY!

heartKristi

Quick and Easy Halloween Costume!

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It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me or reads this little space that I have a BIG love affair with Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes.. like it’s one of my favorite days of the year when they bring them back out! I was hoping for an easy costume and saw a few on Pinterest that I liked but ultimately decided to do my own PSL costume!

Materials needed:

Slip or dress – I ordered mine from Amazon but they have some at Target as well!

White or ivory/cream felt  – 23 cents at Walmart!

Orange felt – seriously 23 cents from Walmart!

Hot glue gun (and sticks)

Printed Starbucks Logo- just google image search will do!

Once you have all your materials, start with cutting out the Starbucks logo.  Once that’s been cut, I put the logo on a piece of felt and cut around it so it would have a little more substance before attaching it to the slip. You can skip this though and simply glue just the paper logo!

Next, cut 8-10 round felt circles – You can use the logo for these too so they’re all uniform and the same size (that’s what I did!) or just free hand it if you want different sizes.  Once they are cut, fold them in half to make the “foam”.  I doubled mine up on a few pieces and other pieces I left single.

I put mine on a chair with a pillow.. It made the slip a little looser and also was easier to glue the felt!

I glued the fabric together (on the double pieces) and then attached them to the slip.  I attached them to the whole top part and a small part of the straps to hold it up more!

Then glue the logo onto the center of the dress. I put a piece of cardboard in between the slip so the hot glue didn’t seep through to the backside!

Was looking at where I wanted to glue this! Decided to do the logo first 🙂

Optional: cut out a rectangle on the orange felt and attach it to the bottom of the “cup” so  you can write in “what was ordered” – PSL with black marker.  I also wrote my “name” on top of that and since Starbucks usually spells everyone’s name wrong (am I right?!) I made sure to make mine wrong to!

Writing on this fabric was a lot harder than I thought! So much for cute writing!

Just a little silliness 🙂 excuse how sheer the slip is!

And that’s it!  I did notice a lot of people put straws on their costumes but let’s be real.. a PSL doesn’t have a straw unless you get the cold press (if there is one?!) and I’m not all about that so I skipped the straw!  Pretty simple and cute for a fun night out or even for a Halloween party at work or trick-or-treating with kids!

Final product! I added OTK boots but you could do leggings or tights and booties 🙂

Hard to see but I added a little cinnamon to the foam as well since that’s usually topped on the whipped cream!

And of course.. you need a PSL with you 🙂 You could even use a Starbucks bag for a purse if you felt really inspired!

The hubs and I decided on doing a couple’s costume – otherwise I’d be wearing this out tonight! 🙂

Have a safe weekend!

heartKristi

What I Wore Wednesday!

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I thought I’d share this fun fall outfit while it’s still fall around here 🙂 I wore this fun dress for a wine tasting recently and totally loved it!  I’m not one for the “cold shoulder” trend but this dress changed my mind!  It’s warm (hello, turtleneck!) but still form fitting in the right areas!

And can we just talk about these over the knee boots?! I used to be intimidated by these types of boots since barely any of your leg shows (especially with jeans or leggings!) but I fell in love with these after trying them!  These are under $40 and are just perfect!  On another note, I’m crushing on these big time!  They have the same brand (and almost identical) boots at Nordstrom but for 6 times the price!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win one of my favorite scarves!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you’re first hump day of November is treating you well 🙂 It’s almost Friday so just keep thinking “I think I can, I think I can…”!

heartKristi

Friday Faves!

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Friday, am I glad to see you?! Last night, Jess and I did a fun “Halloween” wine tasting and thankfully I’m not feeling it today!  What’s a Halloween wine tasting you ask..? Well, you really didn’t but I’ll tell you anyway – it’s a normal wine tasting.. yup.. in a “heated” tent!  Anoka, for being the Halloween Capital of the World, you need to step up your game!  There were no decorations or dark lights.. it was legit a tent and it was cold so step up your game on the heated part too, thank you!

Now that you listened to me complain, let’s get on with some favorites for the week!

One

Even though, it was kind of lame in the decoration department, the wine tasting was a blast!  I had such a fun time with Jess and the downtown area is so cute!  We snapped a few pictures which I can’t wait to share 🙂 We also ran into a sweet girl that I met last year at a nearby winery (I haven’t seen her since that day!) and it was so good to chat! Love finding people that I’m clearly on the same page as ;)… and I’m thinking we’ll have lots more “run ins” soon!

Two

Halloween is definitely a favorite – Hello, I love all Holidays… and it’s such a fun time dressing up in outfits you may never usually wear!

I shared all about past costumes here!

Three

Want to know what’s going on in our world?!  I’m not gonna lie.. it’s pretty exciting! And by that, I mean, not really exciting at all but I shared all about it on “What’s Up, Wednesday“.

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Four

These sweet treats for Halloween! It just takes pretzels, candy melts and some candy corn for this festive treat! 

Layer the pretzels with 1 candy melt.


Bake at 325 for 3-4 minutes or until the chocolate starts to melt a little. I left mine in the oven a little too long but they were still tasty!


Remove them from the oven and place a candy corn in them and let “harden” a little and you’re set! 


Four thoughts is enough for me on this Friday and enough to read I’m sure! One other favorite because #whynot; I have a fun giveaway next weekend (hint it’s for one of my favorite scarves!) so make sure you check back for details! Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween weekend! 🎃

heartKristi

Halloween Costumes!

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Looking back through the years, I can’t believe I thought those looked good!  I mean.. remember back in college when it was like “the thing” to try to look so cute in any costume 🙂 Now, I’m just happy I can come up with something quick!   I thought it would be fun to look back from college to now on some of my Halloween costumes! No judgments, right?!

2007:

This was my first year going out in EC and clearly the “fairy” costume was all about appeal! I probably froze my booty off this night, but looking good was all that mattered.. am I right??

2008:

Hmm.. a “sexy” school girl.. real original, right? And seriously.. not so sexy! haha!

2009:

This was right after “Cowboy Casanova” came out by Carrie Underwood and these were a total hit at the bars!  I also didn’t have my ID this year (but was 21!) – but thankfully in a smaller town, knowing quite a few people helps 🙂

2011:

Another original costume.. 🙂 And the only time the hubs went as a somewhat “couple” costume with me!  He was Dr. Tigglebitties and I was Nurse Ophelia – he loved that part! Haha!

2013:

A ballerina and Rickie Fowler for the win! 🙂

2014:

This was a hard year – and we weren’t sure if we were going to go out but decided to hit up Elaine’s annual Halloween party for a little bit last minute!  I have to say.. I think L totally wears this nurses costume much better than me!

2015:

We had my final bridal shower this weekend at my Mama’s and we dressed up a little bit to take the kids out trick or treating!

2016:

It’s a surprise!!  I’ll be back on Monday to show off what we dressed as – I tried to get L to be the Danny to my Sandy since Grease is one of my all time favorite movies but of course he didn’t care for that idea!  I’m hoping mine turns out because you never know with #diycostumes!

Do you have any funny or cute pictures from previous Halloweens?  What were your best costumes?!

heartKristi

What’s Up, Wednesday?

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It’s the last hump day of the month and this means I share what we’ve been up to this  month!  So let’s get it started..

What we’re eating:

Did someone say chili?! We’re eating some White Chicken Chili, BLTs, eggs (breakfast for dinner, anyone?) and some pork chops!

What I’m reminiscing about:

I’m reminiscing about our “pumpkin carving party“, weekend at the pumpkin patch with family and recent dinner with the Johnson’s!

What I’m loving:

All the fall colors!


And all the blanket scarves! See how I’ve styled them here and here!

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And this new utility vest!

What we’ve been up to:

Dinner with the Johnson’s!

Lunch with friends 🙂

What I’m dreading:

Snow!! Thankfully it’s not on the forecast for a little longer (that I know of!) but I am dreading the freezing cold and driving in it!

What I’m working on:

Our cookie exchange party invites!  It’s my first time hosting one and I can’t wait!  I already have the “best cookie prize” and gifts but I have so much more to plan!  I’m so excited for it and since it’ll be in the beginning of December, I need to get working on these bad boys! 🙂  Let me know if you want an invite 😉

What I’m excited about:

Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I can’t believe how fast this month has gone by and I’m ready for more Christmas carols and lights 🙂 Throw in some Hallmark Christmas movies too while we’re at it…

I mean….

Buddy the Elf - Only 8 more Wednesdays until Christmas!

What I’m watching/reading:

Right now, I’m reading this:

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Right now, I’m watching:

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I seriously love this show! I’m so glad Hulu picked it up 🙂

I’m also watching:

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I don’t know what it is about this show but I’m always hooked!

What I’m listening to:

Honestly… I started listening to Pandora Country Christmas the other day 🙂 I know, I know.. it’s not even Halloween yet but I can’t get enough Christmas and celebrating for only a month isn’t enough for me!

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What I’m wearing:

I’ve rounded up my favorite recent fall outfits here!

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What I’m doing this weekend:

We don’t have HUGE plans and I’ll tell you what.. I am stoked!  Friday night we might drive through the Halloween homes (there’s a contest going on in a town near us), Saturday we have a Halloween themed birthday party (costumes, of course) and Sunday we’ll relax 🙂 At least that’s the plan for now!  I’m making my costume and we still need to get one for the hubby.. so that’s on the agenda too for the week!

What I’m looking forward to next month:

See what I’m excited about above 🙂 I’m excited for Thanksgiving and some Black Friday shopping – even if that sounds crazy!

What else is new:

We recently had our Christmas card pictures taken and I’ll be sharing those next week so get excited!  I’ve shown this one a few times but I love it 🙂 Oh yeah, I shared some fun fall date ideas over here!

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This wasn’t the Christmas card winner though 🙂

I’ll be back tomorrow with a fun post about my Halloween costumes throughout the last few years.. because why not!?

 heartKristi

Weekend re-cap!

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I can’t believe the weekend is already over and we’re back to reality.. 

And can we just talk about how it’s the last week of October.. Where did this month go?! I feel like it was just yesterday that everyone told me it “wasn’t time for fall” yet and now we’re getting ready to celebrate Halloween and then it’s November!  Bring on the Christmas music! 😂

Love the trees in our yard!

This weekend was one for the books! And by that I mean, we didn’t do a whole lot! It was glorious! Friday night, we literally did nothing! I made pork chops in the crockpot.. And just relaxed a bit!

Saturday, the hubs golfed (imagine that!) and I ran quite a few errands! I also started addressing some of our Christmas cards.. Because #imafreak and I figured I’d get it out of the way since I had a little time! Don’t worry, I’m not sending them out still for a little bit!

The hubs and I had a date night later.

And per usual- we got my favorite Spinach and Artichoke dip!

We ate at Jakes Grill and I can’t say either of us were very impressed..

Can’t believe we’ve been married almost 11 months!


We also looked at appliances because #wereold and that stuff is fun!

Sunday came and we were set to host a small “pumpkin carving” party! We made the best White Chicken Chili (seriously so good!) and had some cheddar bay biscuits as well 🙂 


Everyone was so sweet and brought a little bit of treats and appetizers as well! 

All the boys decided they were not going to carve any pumpkins because they’re lame and poor Steph didn’t get a chance to carve hers because of sweet baby Isaac but it was still a ton of fun!

The girls with their “uncarved” pumpkins!


My finished pumpkin.. Can you tell what it is?! Oh yeah- and we’re so festive we even had pumpkin wine 🙂


Elaine decided to do a pretty tough design so it took her just a bit of time.. 


But totally worth the hard work in the end! 


Sorry it’s a little dark.. The hubs decided the lights needed to be off in order to see all the designs! 

All in all – it was a fun and low key weekend which are my favorites! We have some fun plans this week for Halloween and I’m pretty excited; A Halloween wine tasting, Halloween house tours and a sweet little 5 year olds Halloween birthday party! I’m making my costume so we’ll see how well it works out 😉

Any fun halloween plans for you guys this weekend? What are you dressing up as? 

Friday Favorites!

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img_7577Oh my – I didn’t think Friday would ever get here this week!!  We have a weekend at home finally and I’m so excited to relax a bit!  The hubs won tickets to a Breaking Benjamin concert Saturday and while I don’t know any songs by them (that I know of) and probably won’t love their music… we’ll still go for a different date night idea! 🙂  I’m sharing some favorites on this beautiful Friday!

One

I shared all about some fun fall date night ideas yesterday (even though it shows for Tuesday!) and I’m excited to say we’re crossing a few off our list!  We’re having a “pumpkin carving party” on Sunday with friends and a trip to the pumpkin patch is in order for the hubs and I beforehand 🙂

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Two

I shared all about recent fall outfits I’ve worn lately  and it’s scarf overload!

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Three

Hi, my name is Kristi and i’m obsessed with Bath & Body Works candles.  When I work from home, the first thing I’ll do is light a candle – it’s just my favorite thing!  Right now, I light all the fall candles but I cannot wait to light my favorite candle EVER:

Clearly I’m a little obsessed 🙂

Current favorite: 

If you haven’t bought a million one of these, then you need to go out and do so immediately!  Or at least when they go on sale… stock up!

Four

I recently bought this scarf ($19!) and it’s seriously become one of my favorites! I’m already trying to decide which one to order next!

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Five

I just learned that apparently Anoka, MN (a town by us) calls itself the “Halloween capital of the world!”.  Umm how did I not know that?! And where is the Christmas capital of the world??  Anyway – they have so many fun fall activities going on within the next few weeks and I’m so excited for their Halloween wine tasting next week! I’m interested to see if it really is the Halloween capital when we head there next week 🙂

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I’m going with this girl next week and am so excited 🙂

Thanks for stopping by! Do you have any fun fall activities going on this weekend?

heartKristi

What I Wore Wednesday:

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Happy Hump Day!! We recently had our Christmas card pictures taken and it was a little bit of a struggle deciding what we should wear for them; simple enough to not take away from the background but not too simple that it’s boring.  If you know me, then simple isn’t necessarily my style – I love big jewelry, scarves, large purses, etc. We got our pictures back and while I think we could have added a few more accessories to our outfits, I’m happy with how they turned out 🙂 I’ll be sharing those next week on the blog!

Today, I’m linking up with Laura to share what I’ve been wearing lately:

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I’m still loving this dress! See how I styled it here.

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This is such a simple outfit (Christmas card winner!) but it’s easy to throw on and look put together 🙂

Add a utility jacket and you’re set for fall!

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I have about 5 of these tunics (no joke, olive, pink, blue, etc.) and they are my very favorite shirt.  They are long enough for leggings or you can tuck them in for a different look!

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It’s a looser shirt and it’s under $30! Total win in my book 🙂

I wore this outfit recently to my Brother’s football game and in case you didn’t know; I’m in love with this utility jacket and all the blanket scarves.

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I recently went to Eau Claire to visit my family (read all about our weekend here!) and this was such a fun fall outfit to wear 🙂

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Simple outfit for the pumpkin patch – give  me a blanket scarf and a utility jacket and clearly i’m set! ❤

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Love a good chambray dress and blanket scarf 🙂

I recently bought this Free People top and I can’t decide if I love it or not..

You’re supposed to be able to wear it “off the shoulder” but I’d say this is pretty hard to keep of the one shoulder!

I love this Lush top and BP scarf.. they are on serious rotation 🙂

Sorry for the terrible mirror selfies – I can’t decide on a good camera to purchase (suggestions welcome!) and don’t know if outfit posts will be in my future or not, but it’s fun to document that I do get dressed a few days a week 🙂

What are your “go-to” outfits for fall?

Thanks for stopping by!  Stop back tomorrow for my list of fall date ideas 🙂

heartKristi

 I do deClaire