Friday Favorites

Favorite Street Style Selena Gomez in NYC August 19th

I'm absolutely loving this crop top/pleated skirt combo that Selena is rocking.  She took a very summery combination and added an end of summer twist by wearing black and gray.  I'm hoping that this look is a preview of what she will be wearing this fall!

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Favorite Breakfast Overnight Oats

I'm trying really hard to get back into eating healthy after a summer of frequent indulgences.  For the school year I want to make overnight oats the night before and then I'll have a quick and healthy breakfast to start my day off, which I'm really looking forward too.  I've been checking out a lot of different recipes and am loving this, this and this.

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Favorite Instagram @laurenconrad

Lauren Conrad's Instagram page is filled with feminine pretty pictures that serve as great inspiration.  Her Instagram is literally every girly-girl's dream and I always look forward to seeing her latest posts.

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Favorite Room Pretty Pastels

I found this room on Pinterest and am loving the pretty pastels used to decorate.  The shades of pink are gorgeous and the painting adds a beautiful pop of extra color into the room.

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Favorite Creativity Confetti Covered Champagne

 I am completely obsessed with the idea to cover a champagne in pretty confetti.  It's such a fun idea and I definitely want to make a bottle of my own!

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What are your Friday Favorites from this past week?

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Casual Friday, Fab Favorites, Oh Hey Friday, Friday Favorites, Friday Favorites, The Pick, and Five on Friday.

P.S. I'm teaming up with some awesome bloggers to giveaway $100 to Starbucks!  Who couldn't use that?!  You have until next Monday to enter, good luck!

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Girl Crush: Olivia Culpo

Since she won Miss USA and then became the first Miss USA in fifteen years to win Miss Universe Olivia Culpo has been a star on the rise.  From the time she began her reign as Miss Universe Culpo has attended countless red carpet events and has steadily modeled for campaigns with companies such as HauteLook.  Since her crowning as Miss USA I have been a huge fan of Olivia's and love seeing all that she's accomplished, I definitely have a girl crush on her and am going to tell you why!

1. She is very ambitious.

While in college at Boston University Culpo signed with a Boston modeling agency and balanced modeling with her studies.  In 2012 she entered her first pageant and while wearing a dress she rented she won the title of Miss Rhode Island.  After this she went on to win both Miss USA and Miss Universe.  She went from a college student entering her first pageant to becoming an international beauty queen, which to me is extremely ambitious.

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2. She's smart.

Olivia started college at Boston University and attended until 2012 when she was crowned Miss USA and put her studies on hold in order to fulfill her duties as Miss USA and Miss Universe.  While there she studied Communications. (Image via)

3. She is talented.

Culpo is a talented cello player.  She started playing when she was in second grade and excelled as a player.  She spent two summers at the super prestigious Brevard Music Center and has played with the Bay View Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, the Rhode Island All-State Orchestra, and the Boston Accompanietta.

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4. She's crazy beautiful.

It's no wonder that Olivia won every pageant she entered and has continued to model since her time as Miss Universe ended, she is so pretty.  Her dark brown eyes and glossy brunette locks come together to create a girl who is beyond gorgeous!

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5. She is quite sassy.

Her Instagram is filled with sassy quotes, memes and post captions.  I love how her personality comes through in these posts and that she seems like a friend I want to hang out with.

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6. The Girl Can Cook.

Olivia seems to cook quite a lot and is always documenting her latest creations on Instagram.  My favorite part about her cooking is that she writes the recipes in the captions of her food photos!  Her food always looks delicious and it's so great that she gives the option to make it too.  She also always puts a healthy spin on what she's making her food, which is something I love.

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7. She's very stylish.

No matter where she's photographed Culpo always has the cutest outfit is definitely one to watch in terms of fashion. Her look is a mix of feminine and classy pieces with trendy and sexy pieces mixed in.  Her style is constantly evolving and I can't wait to see the looks she wears in the future.

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8. She has a lot of fun.

Olivia's Instagram has so many fun shots of her with her friends.  She seems to always have a great time no matter where she's at and just looks like she's always having a blast.

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So now that you know why I love Olivia and want to be her BFF let me know what you think below!

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

How to Make Body Butter

I absolutely love making my own beauty products when I can, not only is it fun, but it's a great way to get inexpensive all natural products.  I also love body lotions, oils, and butters because my skin gets dry very easily, so I decided it was time to make my own body butter with ingredients found in my kitchen.  The result of my mixing was a super fluffy and airy body butter that moisturizes my skin so well.  It's packed with skin soothing and softening oils that will make your skin feel like a baby's - not to mention it smells amazing.  Read on to learn how to make your own!

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup coconut oil

-1 tsp. honey (optional)

-1 tbsp. avocado oil

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-5 drops essential oil (I used lemon)

Instructions:

-Put coconut oil and honey in a microwave safe bowl.  (*Note: While the honey has great moisturizing properties it can be a bit sticky in the finished product so I like to use mine at night and shower in the morning, but if you want to apply it after showering or at other times I recommend skipping the honey.)

-Microwave the coconut oil (and honey) in increments of five seconds until completely melted.

-Add avocado oil, olive oil, and five drops of the essential oil of your choice (I used lemon and my body butter had a heavenly coconut lemon scent!) to the coconut oil, mix together.

-Place in the refrigerator until it becomes solid, mine took a little less than an hour.

-When you remove the solid mixture from the refrigerator, beat with a hand mixer on medium until fluffy.

-Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

~Use pictures for reference.

This was super simple to make and will be great for the upcoming fall and winter months.  Put it on when you get out of the shower or right before bed for the best results.  Do you like making your own beauty products?  If so what do you make?

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with WIWW, Mid Week Muse, and Style Me Weekly.

Not So Secret Garden

In 1994 artist Isaiah Zagar brought vacant lots in Philadelphia near his studio, he then spent the next fourteen years tiling, excavating tunnels and grottos, sculpting multi-layered walls, and mosaicking the three-thousand square foot space.  Today's Zagar's artwork is known as Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, and takes up half a block on the famous South Street.  The insanely popular destination functions as a nonprofit organization and hosts year round low cost public programs with the hopes of inspiring, engaging and educating the community around it.

I've been dying to go to the Magic Gardens for quite some time now and it did not disappoint!  It is hard to explain in words just how gorgeous this space really is.  It's amazing that everywhere you look there is amazing artwork, literally every inch of this place - from the floors to the ceilings, is covered in intricate designs.  There was so much to take in that I think I could go one hundred more times and not see everything that is there.

I had a blast just trying to take everything in and took about a million pictures!  These are definitely not all of the photos I took so check back next week for another post with the rest of them.

  

                

Make sure to add me on Snapchat - @kthomp22!

Today I'm linking up with Confident Twosday and Style Sessions.