oh app-y day

Life is like the App Store, there’s a million options you just have to know which ones to download. If you don’t think that metaphor makes sense then we can’t be friends, just sayin’. Just kidding. Well half kidding. Anyway. Moving on.

I recently upgraded from the old iPhone four (sans Siri) to the brand spanking new iPhone 5. The gold one. That has Siri. I’m feelin’ fab. Since I upgraded to a new phone I decided that I should also upgrade my apps. Out with the old (ie Temple Run and Angry Birds) and in with the new. Today I’m going to share my top three new favorite apps. I’m actually obsessed with them and you will be too. Ok ready? Here they are in no particular order…

1. Evil Apples: If you’re an Apples to Apples fanatic like me, then this game is a must download. I have my seventh period off and my friends and I all go to the same room to “do homework” which usually ends up in us playing a highly competitive game of Evil Apples. It’s basically Cards Against Humanity in app form. Seriously the bomb diggity. 2. Riffsy Keyboard: I found this app through Man Repeller and haven’t looked back since. It’s basically a Gif Keyboard. It works like emojis so the gifs are always at your beck and call. They’re almost too convenient if that’s possible. Go read this post to find out more! 3. Yik Yak: As you might know, I’m a senior in high school and I’m in the whole applying to college process. It’s stressful, and it’s not fun. My future is literally on my kitchen table. However, the idea of college is fun. My cousin told me about this app called Yik Yak and it’s basically anonymous Twitter for colleges. It’s hilarious and it gives a behind the scenes look at what the college students really think and feel about their college. I highly suggest downloading it even if it's just for the laughs.

What are your favorite apps as of late? I'd love to know so I can download them! xox Chloe

8 College Tour Tips & Tricks

If you can't judge a book by it's cover, you can't judge a college by its brochure... although it sure would be a heck of lot easier and whole lot cheaper! But it's college tour time if you are a senior. If you're a junior, you may visit schools in the spring and start getting ideas about what type of school you are looking for to narrow down your options: big school v. small school; city school v. rural school; school with a campus or untraditional feel; etc. For me, when I was visiting schools, I kind of knew, at first, more what didn't feel right until I finally found the one school that just felt like "home." Since then, I've sort of been basing my idea of the perfect school around that one school. But here's a more defined list of college tour tips & tricks to help when you visit schools!

1. Always let the school know you are visiting, even if you aren't taking an official tour. Yes, they keep track of this stuff. Yes, it can really matter (depending on the school). Also, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. But clean up your feeds first!

2. If you are taking a college tour, go to the website and sign up in advance. Don't just show up the day of and expect to join an official tour. College admissions are crazy busy, and tours are packed. Make the most of your visit and be sure to schedule an interview, wear something appropriate but comfortable, and meet with the admissions rep of the school you are interested in (i.e.,  Business School, Art School) so you don't have to return later. Also, check and see if there are any official tour dates with overnights coming up so you can get a feel for what the campus is really like and what the dorms, cafeteria and social life feel like when parents aren't around.

3. Get business cards from everyone you meet so you have them available when questions come up after your tour. And send thank you notes to those people. Handwritten ones on real thank you cards (we love the ones from Minted, they rock.)

4. During the tour, check out the cafeteria, gym, library, bookstore and bulletin boards. They have information you'll need for daily life - you won't be doing a drive-by, you'll be here for 4 years. Try to eat in the cafeteria and just sit back and listen to see what students are talking about, the more time you can spend on campus, the more of a "real" feel you'll get of what your life might be like. My mom says, "It's amazing how the weather and your mood that day can influence your decision, so we need to slow down and spend some quality time while we are here!" And yes, she's the one on the tour asking about safety, library hours, how many people have cars, what % are greek, etc. If you see us on a tour, run.

5. If you can sit in on a class in a subject area you are interested in, do. Find out about class size and whether or not students are able to get in classes they need for their major, especially a major you think you might be interested in at this point.

6. If you are interested in sports, talk to the coach of that sport. Interested in clubs or programs, visit them.

7. Another thing my mom always says: "Is this what you think college feels like?" If not, we move on.

8. Last, but definitely not least: take notes. You think you will remember everything, and maybe you will; but I couldn't. After tours were finished, everything was jumbled in my head and notes helped.

If you have any college tour tips to share, please do!

xo chloe

Free Binder Covers

Well, I promised that there would be new free binder covers out soon, and I’ve kept the promise by following up with more cute binder covers. I decided to keep it preppy with the color combos + stripes, because I think a lot of you will really like them… I know I love ‘em. We truly think that cute school supplies can make an entire school year more bearable, so we've got you covered when it comes to amping up the cuteness factor of those ugly and plain binders. But. they work for anything -- in fact, my mom is even using them around the house for things like take-out menus and papers for me and my brother. Hope you like this new design as much as the first set. Free binder covers for the win!

Also, if you use them be sure to post a picture on Twitter or Instagram and tag us @popcosmo and we will totes love you forever and ever. ;)

back to school and office supply binder cover templates

DIY binder covers

free downloadable binder insert | takeout menus

DIY binder covers for school and home

So all you need to do is drag and drop the image and place it on your desktop. Then open it in Word or Photoshop and add the text you would like! 

Thanks for reading!

xox Chloe

First Day Of School

My last week of summer is officially coming to and end. I don’t know how the heck summer went by so fast; I seriously still feel like it’s June. But school is about to start and that means constant outfits that don’t just consist of exercise clothes. Also, I don’t know if you all know this, but I will be going back to real school which means I will be a new kid my senior year. This is the first year that I don’t have a uniform since 5th grade so I think my mornings will lead to very messy floors. Anyways, this is what I am planning on wearing my first day of school. I think it says “I want to look cute but not like I’m trying too hard.” Right? All I know for sure is that I like it so… ;)

shoes | jeans | top | backpack | nail polish | water bottle

What are you planning on wearing your first day of school? I’d love to hear!

xox Chloe

My favorite Graduation Cards

The end of the school year is always my favorite part of the year. The weather is warm but not too warm, everyone seems to be in good spirits, and there are so many parties to be thrown. While I don’t graduate until next year, I’ve already been trying to come up with graduation card ideas since I'm scheming how awesome my graduation party will be. I want there to be good food, great friends, and the perfect ambiance. I believe the first thing that is super important to set the feel of a party is the invitation. It lets everyone know the type of party to expect and sets the whole mood for the afternoon or evening. We ordered our business cards from Minted but they have so much more! Their cards are fabulous! There are tons of different options and you can customize the colors and shapes on some of the cards. Seriously, wow!

I know I don’t graduate until next year, but I guess the senioritis has already set in a little bit ;)  At least Minted has given me tons of Graduation card ideas and I can dream about it for a while.

Below are a few of my favorite cards... let me know what you think of them in the comments below!

xox ~chloe

Chloe Takes NYC

Today I have some super (super, super, super) exciting news! Guess where I’ll be spending a good chunk of my summer? (uh, if you read the title, you already know, but I like guessing games)

But if you just jumped in and started reading, are you ready to know?!

via Pinterest

NYC! Yep, the good 'ole city of dreams, magic and inspiration, and also the land of my dad's family (and accents) and my favorite breakfast (bagels and lox). I will be interning for an amazing company called Dormify. I can't wait to meet the nicest people I've met on Skype and through emails, who I know I'll learn tons from about PR, marketing, product placement, photo styling and more.  Dormify has the cutest dorm room decorations and accessories, and I am seriously thrilled to be a part of such an inspiring team.

Summer can’t come fast enough. Aaah! Just thinking about it is putting a huge smile on my face and is making me so excited that I'm almost forgetting about all the exams and tests that stand between me and my dream internship. I can’t wait to share my entire experience with y’all which I know for a fact will include a lot of “photo essay” posts where I share a whole bunch of photos from the amazing inspiration that NYC holds.

via Pinterest

So, if you're in NYC and wanna hang out... let me know. Do you have any tips for shopping, eating, photo ops? If so, share away!

xox ~chloe