Design a Life You Love

"She designed a life she loved"...
As bloggers, we find so much truth in this statement. We are so lucky to have a creative space that we can call our own and mold to fit our own passions. A few years ago, neither of us could have imagined that we would be writing extensively about our lives but this very thing has transformed the way we think about everything. There’s no longer any reason to think “I can’t” or “I don’t know how” when it comes to your goals because knowledge is everywhere. Whether you’re a blogger or not, the digital world has given women exclusive access to endless inspiration on almost every topic you could think of. You want to refurbish a dresser? There’s a blog post about that. You want to learn how to make a perfect floral arrangement? There’s hundreds of step by step tutorials available. And all we can think is, how fortunate are we to be a part of it all? To share something that motivates us and possibly influence others around us too…this is pretty cool. We're truly designing a life we love.
Most recently, we were so pleased to be featured on Brit+Co, one of our favorite resources for...well, everything. It's a DIY one stop shop for everything you might want to make, explore, eat, learn, shop and so on. With all the bright colors, quirky images and wonderful ideas, you could browse the site for hours...seriously, it's like Pinterest on crack! Our braiding obsession continues and luckily, festival season is around the corner so we're right on time with this 1 minute braid style. Here a few behind the scenes shots from the feature:

Dress: Express // Hat: c/o Sole Society // Cuff: Coach // Watch: Fossil // Lip Color: Glo Minerals 

Photos by Jennifer Coffey // Hair: Styled by Maritza Buelvas of Beauty For Bloggers
Some of our other current favorite Brit+Co posts:
DIY Floral Wreath

DIY Watercolor Sketchbook

14 Refreshing Cocktail Recipes

12 Mantras for Workout Motivation

10 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Kitchen (with a Pin-worthy Statement Wall)

How to make Ombre Donuts

Now, tell us you guys don't want to try every single one of these things... :) Where do you get your creative inspiration? 

5 Festival Hair Styles

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I love the summer season for so many reasons. The obvious first, is sunshine which leads to lots of amazing live music festivals nationwide. The hair styles we get to rock during these shows are a close second for sure. We get to relive the summer loving vibes of Woodstock while putting our own modern twist on it. It's important to embrace the culture when attending these shows, but not to the point that you look like you are wearing a Halloween costume (check out these do's & don't post I wrote).

I've rounded up 5 of my favorite hairstyles to wear during festival season. However, I fully intend to wear these looks for more then just concerts. 

1) Floral Crown paired with beach waves

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2) Floppy hat with boho braids

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3) Half-up with waves and braids

(source)   4) Boxer braid pigtails 

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5) Half-up top knot

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Stop by Monday for a festival-inspired style OOTD! What is you go-to hair for festival season?  Do you see any styles above that you would wear on a regular day? 
I know I'll be rocking Vanessa's top knot weekly and full disclosure, I wore the boxer braid pig tails yesterday! ;) 

Street Style 2013: Lollapalooza

The hubby and I attended Lollapalooza on Saturday & Sunday (see what I wore!) this past weekend and wow, the street style was out of control. I realize this is Chicago's equivalent of Coachella, but some people took it from a "cute music fest signature style" to more of a costume feel. 

Prior to attending, I totally wanted a flower headband... after attending, I'm thankful I skipped it. They were extremely overdone! Some people pulled them off flawlessly and made me want one again but most left me wondering if those people realized how silly they looked. 

Here are a few of my "do's and don'ts" from Lolla 2013:

Don't:

Wear over sized flowers on your head then add lace, fringe, patterns, crop tops, and boots all at he same time. Just too much going on ladies!

Do:

Make your own headband and pair it with a neutral or solid color dress.

Don't:

Take your top off and wear a bra with cut offs, go braless and show kids (yes, children were there) your side boobs, wear a bikini top and open your jean shorts so it's all hanging out, and try too many styles at once (no pants, crochet dress, studded vest, pig tail buns....one would be cute but not all at once).

Do: 

Pair crop-tops with cutoffs and cute gym shoes, wear a romper and add a pop of color with your sunnies and sneakers, pair an animal print bag with a simple summer dress, and again pair a crop top with a great short and some fun hair coloring! 

Don't:

Rip off someone elses style. Ariel from the Little mermaid...Miley Cyrus... is that you? 

I'm all for being inspired, but don't straight up rip them off! ;)

Now for my three favorite looks from the weekend:

DO:

Wear a short pair of shorts with a full top (not crop top) and a great pair of boots. 

I LOVE this look! Chic, boho, and perfect festwear if I do say so myself.

DO: 

Wear colorful pants and jackets paired with comfortable footwear and a backpack for all your concert needs (blanket, sunscreen, water, etc). These guys nailed it!

DO:

Be yourself! Wear a cute hat with glasses, tee, skinny jeans, and a pop of color with your bag. And why not look great as a couple? Loved that her man kept in the black/gray color scheme and they were cohesive. 

What are your do's and don'ts for summer festival wear? We want to hear your opinions!

#Lisa