4th of July Par-tay!!!

Happy 4th of July Week!!!

I am a huge fan of the 4th, as it brings back amazing memories of friends and family. When I was younger I would either spend the 4th with my Dad's side of the family at my aunt's house on the Russian River in an epic camp out with all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles (and I have a huge family we are talking 25 first cousins!). We would spend our days swimming in the river, playing games on the grass, or walking to the store for ice cream cones! When I wasn't with that side of the fam, I was up at my grandparents cabin with my Mom's side, with fireworks over the lake, BBQs, and golf-cart decorating contests!

 

My Grandma and I displaying our "Girl Power" via 1998

Pretty much its just an amazing time no matter what. 

As I've gotten older, I've spent time with friends on this American holiday watching fireworks while sitting on the bay after a long day of drinking celebrating. This year, my roommates and I are having some friends over for a BBQ and hopefully catching some fireworks from the top of our hill - if it isn't too foggy.

As you readers and friends might know - I love a good party! I'm planning on making some fun drinks, having a 'make your own burger bar', decorating - maybe with a nautical theme, and possibly getting some lawn games together. Here are some inspirations for our little get together this week!

A fun way to add color to a table

Cute fruit (including these totes adorbes flags)!

Americana sangria!

Helloooo cake pops!

Make sure to follow along with us the rest of this week, each day we will be doing something for 4th of July! 

Follow along on Instagram and Twitter so you don't miss out on all the fun. 

-A

Fashion Fridays: PRIDE Style

This week/weekend SF is full of PRIDE!!

This year's logo and theme for SF PRIDE: Color Our World With Pride

Pride is all about being yourself and loving yourself. This is one of our favorite aspects of Pride. Pretty much anything goes and this is displayed most through personal style. 

For this Friday we wanted to feature some of our favorite Pride styles. 

Pride is where you can wear whatever you want or don't want.

NAKED: 

Many people at Pride decide to forego clothes all together, but that does not mean they do not display their unique personal style.

DRAG QUEEN: 

The always fabulous, always over the top characters you see in full make up, sequins and 6 inch heels walking all throughout the streets of SF. Something we've tried and failed at.  

COSTUMES: 

All the girls that wear tutus, suspenders and high socks + a water bottle filled with vodka. Obviously this is just one example. There is also lots of other looks that are super colorful, creative and fun. Again anything goes!

Some costume/character staples are the Pink man on a unicycle, Man covered in mirrors with platform shoes (the one that charges you for pictures), bondage/leather couple and many more. 

PERSONAL STYLE: 

Pride is a fashion show. If your not going the costume, or naked route then you come dressed in your newest, freshest fit. You wanna look like your not trying at all but everyone knows they better come ready!

Obviously there is a zillion more ways to present and dress. Whatever you wear just remember to have fun with it and to be comfortable and enjoy this amazing celebration. 

-A&K

We'll be at Pride this weekend, so be sure to follow along on our  Twitter and Instagram! 

Spring Cleaning Update

I have been wanting to clean up and organize my house. Long story short, I have been working slowly but surly. I have a few updates and some fabulous tips on how to do some organizing around your own house.

The first thing that I realized, that with a million other things going on, it is hard to dedicate a whole weekend or even a night to cleaning up a whole room. My first little tip is to divide and concur. For instance, I have been wanting to better organize my hall closet. This closet holds everything from holiday decorations, craft supplies, and linens. Instead of saying "I need to get this all done in one day" I instead say "I'm going to work on one shelf a day". It makes it seem a lot less daunting.

 Hall closet before (I can't even.. just no)

 

Hall closet after!! Nicely organized! 

Additionally, I have been making a huge point to get rid of things that I know I am not going to use anytime soon. I don't need 500 markers that are getting dry = not useful. Ridding myself of items, clothes, and clutter makes organizing so much easier.

Reuse items! I have been going through closets, cabinets, boxes and realizing how much room I can save simply by using some of the larger items to house the smaller ones. It makes it more neat and accessible. For instance in my hall closet I used my favorite red and blue buckets (that I got for $1 at Target!!) that I use for entertaining to hold some of my craft items!

Love these buckets!

One of the biggest things that you should do every 4-6 months is CLEAN out your beauty drawers/closets. Trust me it will change your life. It will make getting ready in the morning so much easier - and realistically do you need 4 tubes of mascara? Nope, I didn't think so. I organized my beauty drawer that holds all of my makeup as well as my shelves that hold everything else. I started by grouping things together and creating an 'Extreme Coupon' type stock pile. Am I the only one that gets lotion from some relative/friend/co-worker every birthday and Christmas? I made an executive decision that I am not buying any more lotion until I use what I already have. By cleaning everything out you can realize what you already have and it can be a great money saver!

What are some of your current organizing tips??

-A

Interweb Goodies

Wednesday Again! Happy Hump Day!

Image via Juxtapoz

Salt is not just cool in the kitchen, check out the incredible Motoi Yamammoto and his amzing salt works

Admit it, you still love Disney Channel movies. Check out Buzzfeed's definitive ranking to see where your favorite films fall!

Get your geography on with this fun game via Google maps and Geoguesser

And flowers are always pretty to give and receive. Check out these great tips on how to make a beautiful arrangement for a host


Enjoy the rest of your week!

-A&K

World Cup Style

I am loving getting to watch so much amazing soccer this World Cup season. I love the games, the spirit of the fans and I love the amazing and unique personal style so many of the players possess.

Nigel De Jong of the Netherlands 

I think soccer players are some of the best groomed athletes around. Yes Lebron and Westbrook clean up beautifully in tailored suits and street wear, but soccer players possess a certain swag on the pitch that is unmatched by other sports.

While they are all required to wear the same soccer uniforms many players show their individuality with their hairstyles and tattoos. Hair in soccer has somewhat taken on a life of it's own. While millions of people watch for the sport there are some who also watch for the style.

But why talk about it, a picture is worth a 1000 words right? Enjoy!

Mamadou Sakho of France

Neymar of Brazil

Olivier Giroud of France

Everyone's favorite pretty boy, Cristiano Ronaldo

Asamoah Gyan of Ghana with his signature #3

Stephen El Shaaraway of Italy

Mario Balotelli of Italy

 And last but not least my fave, Tim Howard, the brilliant and beautiful keeper of the USA

There is still lots of soccer and style to watch in this years World Cup. These photos only scratch the surface of all the amazingness of these teams. Whether is is for the sport or the style, watch and enjoy!

-K

Ronaldo of Brazil (2002), not the best looking style but iconic none the less

Feta/Cheddar/Spinach Muffins

A million years ago I made these muffins and just never posted the recipe. My apologies. So here they are. They were yummy and delicious and pretty easy to put together!

Here is what you'll need

• 1.5 cups of flour
• 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder
• Half a cup of cheddar cheese
• Half a cup of feta cheese
• 1 ounce of butter
• Half a red onion chopped
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne 
• 1 egg

First gather all your ingredients, chop your onion and your spinach. Put all your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl along with your cheese and spinach.

Then melt your butter over the stove and add the onion. You want the onion to be cooked before you add it into your mixing bowl.

In a smaller bowl add in your milk and egg to be whisked together.

Once your whisked, add your wet and dry ingredients into the large bowl and mix well. There is a lot going on in that bowl so take your time to mix. While your mixing you should preheat your oven to 325.

When you feel well mixed grab your baking try and fill it up! I used cupcake liners so they would look a little more festive but of course you don't have to. Fill your tray and place in the oven. I like to use a little ice cream scoop/ melon baller to fill the tray. Helps with spills and to distribute muffin mix evenly.

They should bake for at least 30 min. But it never hurts to check on them. Some ovens may cook faster than others.

Most importantly enjoy the process and enjoy the results!

Happy Monday, happy baking.

-K

Fashion Fridays: All Palm Everything

Florals... for Spring? ...groundbreaking...

If you don't know that quote, Google it and get learnt!

This Spring/Summer I could care less about florals, I'm all about the palms!




Palm print is popping up every where and I'm loving it. I first started to fall for palms when a couple of months ago I bought some palm printed pants and then I was completely smitten when I discovered Cameo The Label and their gorgeous Boogie Nights Collection. Crisp whites punctuated with a bold palm. I'm all about it. Plus the non palm pieces in the collection are killer too. If you don't know this label check them out! Cameo creates beautiful clothes and will hopefully reside in my closet soon!

Here are two of my favorite looks from the Boogie Nights Collection

Images via cameothelabel.com.au

Happy Friday!

-K

AKA Bookshelf: Girl With A Pearl Earring

Is anyone else out there a fan of movie/book comparisons. Umm... who am I kidding I think a lot of people are. A little late in the game but I finally read Girl With A Pearl Earring, and I am now excited to curl up with tea, paint my nails, and read the latest issue of Vogue while watching it this weekend.

Chevalier's book cover

I've been on a super reading kick recently, I looked at the pile of books next to my bed and decided to tackle it as my summer project. Some are classics that I haven't picked up in years some are light-hearted reads that I have picked up at garage sales and thrift stores over the past couple of years. 

Most recently I dug into 1600's Amsterdam in the wonderful fiction telling of one of the most famous paintings from that time. Girl With A Pearl Earring was a quick read that followed the life of a young fictional girl, Greit, as she becomes a maid for the real life painter, Johannes Vermeer and his family. While this book doesn't keep you on your toes, showcase stressful fashion jobs, or transport you to a land of broomsticks and golden snitches, it is the prefect book to pick up an read while on vacation with the fam or on a girls weekend at the beach this summer. It's lighthearted and the author, Tracy Chevalier, keeps building tension between the two main characters throughout the entire novel - like 1600's 50 Shades of Grey  (okay not quite - but there is some tension).

Movie poster - now this shows the tension!

It also got me thinking of other book-to-movies. I love to read the book before I watch the movie, so if you haven't read Wild, Gone Girl, Mockingjay, or 50 Shades of Grey I highly recommend watching them before they come out in theaters this year!

Happy reading (and watching)

-A

Interweb Goodies

Wednesday is here and so is the World Cup!! Kira has been watching as many games as she can! So many great commercials for the cup but so far this one is our favorite! Enjoy!

Ashley just statred a new job, yay!!! Kira however is now on the hunt, so why not get advice from one of the best, Check out Anna Wintour's career advice here.  

Last week A Beautiful Mess (one of our fave blogs) whipped up a delicious looking polenta dish. I cannot wait to try it out!

Is a trip to Paris on your bucket list? Yea us too, here's a great list of  "How to Not Look Like an Idiot" while you're there!

We're all getting older, so why not get wiser too. Here's a few things both Buzzfeed and AKA think you won't regret as you get older. 

Have a beautiful week!

-A&K

Nashville: Night

Hello and welcome to my second installment of Nashville fun. The first was last week and it highlighted all the fun to do during the day. You can read all about that here. This week however will highlight all the after hours fun to be had in Nashville, Enjoy!

My dad and I with The King!

When in town you must walk around Downtown Nashville. I think it's fun day and night. At night it is lit up from end to end and packed with people. Bar after bar and country music blasting out of every door.

Depending on what your looking for, you will find it. While they are all country there is quite a range from mellow to over the top. My suggestions are as follows...

Honky Tonk Central: Huge bar on Broadway, 3 floors of food, drinks and music. It's loud and crazy busy but has a fun vibe. The band was great, they played top 40 music with a country twist. I'm not such a country fan so it was nice to actually know the music. They also have great balconies on the third floor, from here you can see all of Broadway.

View from Honky Tonk's balcony

Wild Horse Saloon:  Unassuming from the outside but this place is huge and doubles as a music venue. When it is not hosting shows its a great place to grab dinner and pick up some line dancing skills. I had never line danced before but it was fun to try it out and don't worry they instruct you between live music sets. Dancing here was the only time I ever wanted to wear cowboy boots.

The Pharmacy: Burger Parlor & Beer Garden: This place is a little off the beaten path but not too far from downtown. The food and ambiance makes this place great. I loved eating outside in their spacious back porch. In addition to great burgers and beers they have shakes and malts and phosphates! I had never had a phosphate before but they were delish, go for the ginger strawberry!

With the extended fam at The Pharmacy's beautiful back patio

Pinewood Social: This place is super interesting and super hipster. It is open all day long; breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. They also have a coffee bar, full bar, bowling alley, karaoke and a living room to kick it in. Its a lot and they will be adding more in the future. It is beautifully constructed and curated, but I found the food underwhelming, esp for the price. I'd say go for a drink and bowling. They have beautiful vintage lanes.

Roberts Western World: This was one of my favorite bars that I visited downtown. It is on the smaller side but had a great vibe and a great Elvis inspired band playing. It's a nice contrast to some of the larger bars because here you can sit and talk easily or just chill, drink and listen to the music.

Like I said there are bars and bars and tons of restaurants, try some out and enjoy your travels!

-K

(Something Clever About This Being Our 100th Post)

100

Happy Monday!! Today marks a very exciting day in our little AKA world. It's our 100th post! We have been doing a lot of talking lately about our blog and trying to figure out our voice. Sometimes blogging can be really frustrating and hard. You want it to be as authentic as possible, which is then nerve racking because what if no one wants to read it - aka the most sad. We want to start becoming more "real" on our blog, featuring more posts about who we are, both as friends and individuals, and our vibes. In the blog-sphere it is really easy to get trapped into thinking about what we should be doing which can defer you from what you want to be doing. We look at some of the blogs we follow and think "how are they doing so many crafts" or "how is she affording all of those fab shoes" but in reality no one really lives like that (well some people do but not about 95% of us) and that's totally okay!! We don't want to be like every other blog that is out there.

We love dressing up! 80's forever

So enough ranting/updating. Below are some of our favorite pics and posts! Enjoy!

Ashley had a craving for Banana Pecan Raisin muffins and whipped up this recipe 

Since starting Fashion Fridays everyone has been so much fun to work with - we loved working with Outlook.Clothing on their post. They were the best promoters!

Kind of appropriate since Ashley is starting a new job today - but her Office Chic post was a lot of fun to plan and the colors are so damn pretty!

Many months later and Kira is still obsessed with her dresser makeover.

Kira's crew neck obsession (yes it's an obsession) was one of Ashley's favorite posts

Lets pretend Kira's mouth is open because she was singing

Being half way through the year already is a trip. It's nice to look back at our New Years resolutions to see what we have accomplished and where we still need to work. Ashley's resolutions here and Kira's here!

Ashley's 21! Maybe Kira's a little too excited!

This brown sugar scrub has made it into our beauty routines - and the picture is one of our favorites ever on the blog!

Pie is amazing and it was so fun to bake a pie for the very first time in celebration of Pi Day, math tastes good y'all!

And lastly one of our fave posts is the introduction to our new and improved site. The amazing Ashley won us a blog redesign and it really boosted our confidence and passion for the blog!

Peace out and stay tuned for the next 100

-A&K

Fashion Fridays: Amy

This is a true story: Ashley met Amy on the first day of college and they have been inseparable ever since. This is how their first interaction went down:

Ashley "Oh my gosh I love your toe-nail polish"

(at this point Amy had cheetah printed toes)

Amy "Thanks, I love your hair"


And this is how a six year long friendship/travel buddy/roomate/sisterhood began. 

If that doesn't explain our friendship than I don't know what will.

Amy is super fashionable with a very simplistic essence. She wears whatever she feels like, seriously. If she wants to wear 5 inch heels she will wear them, but if she feels like she just wants to kick-it in workout clothes then that will be her plan.

When dressing up Amy goes for sleek lines, tailored outfits, and neutral colors. I have been getting a very European vibe from her recently! Let's just say --- the girl has some kick-ass taste.

Along with being uber stylish, the girl can design. Her blog, www.amychizmeshya.wordpress.com, chronicles her day-to-day life as well as her designs for dreamy gowns and chic everyday wear.

Amy put on some of her favorite fits and told us where she found her fave pieces!!

Top is Lauren Conrad, Pants are Gap and Shoes are from Nordstrom. I actually had my eye on these shoes the entire summer I interned at Nordstrom - They reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw and I loved the upper buckle but they were $130! Months later, I spotted them on sale at Nordstrom Rack for $25! Steal! I'm all about getting things at a discount. 

Such Carrie Bradshaw shoes! 

I love wearing black but hate looking like I'm heading out to a funeral. Nude heels are my favorite because they always match an LBD, look classy and elongate the leg by blending with your skin tone. 

Dress is Old Navy, Shoes are from a designer I can't remember but discounted from $80 to $25, Necklace is from Banana Republic 

These gap pants are amazing! They're super cozy and always flatter my bum. Plus they're work appropriate so I can dress them up or down (like shown in this picture) for a casual happy hour with friends. 

Pants obviously from Gap, Shirt from le Target, Sparkle Heels from Target as well 

If you are a fashion lover, blogger, or designer and want to be featured on an upcoming Fashion Fridays please contact us! We are always looking for new fashion forward people! 

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin for more AKA greatness

-A