Monthly Mood : May

 image via Google

Can you believe that May is here? We definitely can't! Where has this year gone? A new month brings new fun and adventures! Take a look below to see what we are loving, doing, and blogging this May!


We're Loving

With the weather being so nice it has been great to spend time outside, we are both really enjoying morning  and evening walks in our neighborhoods - get outside!! Speaking of being outside, nice weather also means we can enjoy happy hour/meals outside with gorgeous views. Ashley is also becoming re-obsessed with Gary Clark Jr., we have seen him in concert twice and we are both huge fans. If you haven't listed to him check him out!


We're Doing

Ashley's trip to Nashville had to be push back, but she is headed there at the end of the month, make sure to follow along on Instagram and look forward to some posts when she gets back!  May is Kira's birthday month!! We will be celebrating a lot, 25 is a big year!! We will be spending time with our Mom's in honor of Mother's Day, make sure to send your Mom and all of the other Mom's in your life lots of love this Sunday. With summer right around the corner we are also trying to feel healthy, healthy eating and squat challenges are on our list!

We're Blogging

Lots of this and that this month! Ashley is whipping up some spring time recipes including a peach pie. We will be doing lots of blogging about Kira's birthday festivities and the best outdoor party essentials. We are in the process of planning a trip to Boston with our friends and we will have some trip planning tips and how to plan with such a large group of girls. We will also be diving into this blog world that we are in! Stay tuned!

Follow along on Instagram and Twitter!

-A&K

Monthly Mood: April

 

We're Loving

Spring and all the great-ness that comes with it! Fresh blooms at Trader Joe's, fresh produce at the Farmer's Market, and sunshine! April really feels like the start of great weather and care free weekends so we are looking forward to taking advantage of that. Ashley is super excited about the return of Mad Men and is looking forward to being inspired (again) by all of the flawless fashion on the show. We are also loving working out outside (morning walks are the best)!

We're Doing

We are all over the place this month. Ashley is headed to Nashville with her college roommates at the end of the month for a little girls-getaway! We have some birthdays to celebrate, so looking forward to spending time with friends as well family for Easter and Passover. Planning some upcoming summer trips is also an exciting project for us in April!!

We're Blogging

This month on the blog you have some fun to look forward to! Ashley will have a few Spring-time recipes for you including a DIY Mojito Bar! Since summer is upon us we are trying to get a little more active and healthy, so look forward to some health-conscious posts. Kira is doing some Spring Cleaning this month and will give you some tips on you to de-clutter your life.

What are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

Follow along on all of our adventures on Twitter and Instagram!

-A&K

Monthly Mood: March

We're Loving

Spring time!!! It has felt like Spring in California pretty much since January but with a more "official" start of the season we are looking forward to all of the fun spring brings. We're loving the softer, sweeter side of Spring pastels and fun spring prints - Ashley is on the hunt for a lavender cross body bag, while Kira loves anything with a leafy or fruity print!

We're Doing

A little of this and a little of that this month! St. Patrick's Day means a big party with Ashley's family, lots of yummy food and drinking! We are looking forward to spending some time outdoors - maybe some hikes will be in our future. Ashley is hoping to take a day trip to the coast to enjoy the nice weather and some delish seafood. As always we are looking forward to some birthdays as well as looking ahead and planning some fun things for summer!

We're Blogging

Ashley will be bringing you some old-school Irish recipes just in time for your St. Patrick's Day party. We recently went wine tasting, so look our for a post about some wine-tasting tips and our fashions from the day! Kira is hoping to do some de-cluttering of some aspects of her life and will walk you through some easy ways to do it too!

-A&K

Monthly Mood - February

Happy February! Take a look below for what we are blogging, loving, and doing this month!

Blogging

We have quite a few fun things coming up on the blog this month! Ashley's new series Bring Your Pins to Life dives into different "Pins"! Our adventures at Walker Stalker Con and other day trips throughout the month. Rounding out some winter-y outfits on Fashion Fridays, even though it feels like Spring in California (sorry East Coast!). Look for a fun Galentines Day themed posts and some fun cocktails to celebrate! Also, some glamorous Oscar party ideas!

Loving

Online shopping! We recently were in LA and loved everything at TopShop so now we are checking on all of the sales. The return or The Walking Dead and the start of Better Call Saul is something we are really excited about. Loving the return of sunshine in California and the beginning of planning some upcoming trips!

Doing

So many exciting weekends! We are celebrating Galentines Day with cocktails and going to see 50 Shades of Grey with some girl friends. Both of our Mom's are celebrating big birthdays this month so we are exciting to spend some time with them. Ashley's looking forward to her Pearls and PJs Oscars party on the 22nd! Also, with the three days weekend coming up we will hopefully have something planned with friends.

What are you doing this month?

-A&K

Monthly Mood: January

Happy first Monday of  2015! We cannot believe it! New Years is always a good time to look at what you have accomplished and what you have to look forward to! This new year is no exception and we are excited to welcome a new month! 

 

We're Loving:

The return of our shows!! Downton Abby is back this weekend, Girls, and Glee are returning also! Liking a simplistic look for January- blacks, whites, greys, and comfy knits. Ashley is looking forward to the beginning of Award Show Season (aka the best season) with the Golden Globes with Amy Pohler and Tiny Fey!

We're Blogging:

Highlighting ways to stay motivated and organized in the beginning of the year. Cold-weather outfits and recipes! Some great workout playlists to get you motivated for those New Years resolutions! Also a mini book club and ways to spending your time mindfully.

We're Doing:

We will have a busy January! The fun of the holiday season is over, but we are still having our own fun! We are heading to LA for the 3-day-weekend coming up! Road-tripping it down, hoping to see some sites and going to see Conan! We are also celebrating one of our besties birthdays, having dinner parties, and going to crab feeds. The last weekend of the month we will be geeking out at Walker-Stalker Con in San Francisco!

What are you looking forward to this month?

-A&K

Monthly Mood: December

We're loving

All things warm and cozy! Ashley is loving holiday flavored coffee from Starbucks. Plaid everything. Crisp whites and cozy knits. Dresses and boots. Love Actually & Elf. We're not loving that all our shows are on mid season breaks but its nice to have a break from TV  and have extra time to watch our favorite holiday movies. For Ashley it's Love Actually and Kira loves Elf!

We're doing

We have a lot of holiday fun going on this month, we're hosting a cookie decorating party with some of our close girl friends. There is lots of holiday shopping and cooking to be done as well as some fun holiday parties to attend! Kira is looking forward to going to an Ugly Sweater Party that benefits Toys 4 Tots.

We're blogging

 We are all about the holidays this month on the blog! We will give you advice on what to wear to different holiday events; work party, Christmas morning, New Year's. We will have some fun posts about our cookie decorating party - and how you can host your own. Some DIY's include crafty gift wrapping and super easy to make ornaments. Stay tuned for the end of the month when we discuss our hopes and goals for 2015!

-A&K

October Monthly Mood

It's October already! Scary but exciting! This month we both have lots to look forward to! Ashley is currently away being maid of honor at her cousins wedding! So happy for her and her family, she's been planning this weeding for a long time and now it's here!

Here's a few other things we're looking forward to this month! 

Birthdays
City Wide Garage Sale
Walking Dead is back!!

Concerts: Kira will be seeing The Weeknd (again!) as well as Childish Gambino & Erykah Badu!
Pumpkins & pumpkin flavored treats!
Ashley's trip to Oregon to visit her brother!

Halloween

Enjoy October because it's really the last mellow month before the holiday season take over! 

-K

Monthly Mood August

Monthly Mood August by akablog featuring lake signs

Can you believe it's August? Yea, us either!

We have a lot of fun coming up this month! Ashley will be celebrating her 24th birthday! She plans to celebrate with mimosas, friends and family! Ashley is also heading up to Sonoma soon to go wine tasting for her cousin's bachelorette party!! This month Kira's older brother is heading off the NYC for grad school so Kira is working on a fun Batman themed send off. At the end of the month we are going to Ashley's family's cabin for weekend getaway with long time friends, it will be a great way to spend time together and end this beautiful summer season! 

We have some great posts coming up for you this month also! Ashley is going to share some of the fun crafts and recipes from her cousins' bridal shower. We are going to talk about all things jobs - applications, what to wear, how to stay motivated, and even some potential side hustles. And while we're sad summer is ending we're excited to share new outfits and all the great upcoming Fall trends! Have a happy August!

Monthly Mood: July

July is here and now it really feels like summer. July has already gotten off to a great start. Last week we loved our July 4th/Independence day theme, so much so that we skipped our Monthly Mood board, but have no fear, because to start you off this Monday we have all the things were looking forward to during this great and sunny month!

TO DO:

• 4th of July Party: This past weekend was packed with great BBQs and day parties turned all night ragers with the help of great food, drinks, games and friends. 
• Later this month Ashley is looking forward to hosting her cousins bridal shower, can't reveal any themes or plans yet but knowing Ashley it will be amazing!
• Berkeley Kite Festival: A great place for a sweet, windy date or just a nice place to visit with friends and family. Definitely check it out if your around. July 26&27 
• Kira is looking forward to spending some quality time with her brother and seeing one of her favorite groups, Foreign Exchange, in concert this month. They are amazing, if you don't know there music take a listen here!  
• And at the very end of the month Kira will be spending some time in San Diego! She is very excited to visit one of her very best friends and all of her favorite places from her college days.

TO EAT:

• Italian! Ashley was lucky enough to study abroad in Italy and take a cooking class there. This July she wants to recreate some of her fave Italian dishes for only Kira everyone to eat & enjoy.
• Homemade lemonade sounds like the perfect beverage for that July heat.
• Summer months bring out the beer gardens and the patio happy hours, we are both looking forward to visiting these spots; Westbrae Biergarten, Picante, and Lake Chalet.

TO WEAR:

• Fake pants, pants. Ok Kira coined this term recently while shopping, basically we're both over Jeans and want to explore the world of linen pants, cotton joggers and any other breathable loose fitting pants for the summer heat and beyond. 
• Dresses! Everyone, well a lot of people, love a great sundress. The more the merrier. Kira is all about finding great dresses to sport along with her new short hair & Ashley is just one of those dress girls. Name an occassion and she has a dress for it, summer is no exception.

What are you looking forward to this Month?
And don't forget to follow our blog adventure on Instagram and Twitter! 

-A&K

Monthly Mood: June

Summer is here! Can you believe it!? We have some very exciting things coming up for all of you readers in June! Ashley's baby brother is graduating from high school and she is helping with the grad party - so we will have some awesome recipes and party ideas for you all! With all of this amazing Bay Area weather we are hoping to get to the beach a couple of times to relax in the sand with a old book and great friends. We are both on the hunt for some good summer dresses, both every day dresses and party dresses. The start of summer also brings a wide variety of fairs and festivals to the Bay Area, Alameda County Fair, San Francisco Pride, Berkeley Street Fairs, and North Beach Festival just to name a few. Upcoming on the blog we have Kira's trip to Nashville, a look at some up and coming fashion brands, AKA book club pick, and much more!

-A&K

Monthly Mood: April

Welcome to our new series Monthly Mood! Each month we are going to talk about what we are looking forward to, what is inspiring us, and what is to come on the blog!

Monthly Mood: April by akablog featuring Pier 1 Imports

We have a lot of exciting things coming up in April, however it is a quieter month for us to lay low and hang out with friends and family, because it always seems like May is crazy! This month Kira is headed to New Orleans, so look forward to a fun post about that and make sure to follow along with her trip on our Instagram. Ashley is excited for the return of Mad Men and Baseball! We are looking forward to some floral prints making their way into our closets - and hopefully California will get some rain which means we can wear some cute rain worthy accessories! Earth Day is April 22nd, and we are going to be posting about some of our favorite up-cycled items. We are also going to be attending a fun Up-Cycle event at a local Art Center. Easter will bring some fun brunch recipes to the blog - and maybe some DIY crafts! One of our best friends has a birthday in April, and I think we are going to be having some outdoor fun to celebrate. As the weather gets nicer, we hope to go on some more hikes and mini-adventures around the Bay Area! 

-A&K

Welcome to the new AKA BLOG!!!

Hello everyone!!

At a friend's Valentine's Day party

Welcome to our new site!! We are still in shock that we won a re-design contest. It was such an exciting time to really think about all that we wanted to feature on our blog and how we wanted it to look.

We couldn't have done any of this without the help of Chris over at Hubby Jack. He did a wonderful job with the re-design! Don't you agree?!? He designed all of our new social media buttons, our header, and our new "grab button" on the right side of the screen as well as did the entire layout of the site. We are so grateful and appreciative of all his hard work.

We took our time while working on our redesign to really think about what we wanted to write about and feature on AKA. We decided that we wanted things to be more organized as well as to feature more content. We want to start different weekly or monthly series, start writing about fashion more, and showing more of our day-to-day discoveries.

Exploring wine country 

Here are some things to look forward to:

- Fashion Fridays; we are going to write about our favorite fashions from the week. Sometimes it will be us, sometimes friends, and sometimes someone we just saw on the street.

- We're Obsessed; a fun way to find out about little things we are "obsessing" over. From makeup, to TV, to music and fashion!

- AKA Bookshelf; a little mini book club. We will talk about what we are reading and hopefully our readers will help us find new books.

- Interweb Goodies; we will feature some of the fun things we have find weekly on the web; bloggers, articles, funny things!

- Amazing Aps; our favorite and most useful apps for our phones.

- Monthly Mood; a space for us to talk about what is inspiring us for that month and what we are looking forward to.

- Bring Your Pins To Life; what we are crafting/cooking/DIY-ing/styling from everyone's fav website Pinterest.

Kira's delicious muffins - recipe to follow 

With this new layout, some of you maybe thinking - where do I find everything? Well let us tell you!
At the top of the page under our beautiful new header you will find our different tabs. Everything will be in the main blog but we will organize most posts into one of the tabs:

-Series; everything that you saw above will be in this new tab

-Wear; fashion, make-up, accessories, beauty, hair

- Explore; our travels and adventures

- Cook, Create, Celebrate; a fun place for everything that we are cooking and eating, crafts we are making, and parties we are planning and attending!

Painting in the park

With all of these new fun changes we also are going to be using our social media a lot more! Make sure to follow us on our Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin, Ashley's Pinterest, and Kira's Pinterest! We are constantly putting up information about our blog, things that are inspiring us, and our fun adventures!

Additionally, with the switch to Blogger it is really easy to follow our blog! On the right hand side of the page under "followers" you can sign up to follow along with us!

Thanks for all of the constant love and support we are loving this whole blogging thing and really excited to see where it takes us!

-A&K

Pie for Pi Day!