Behind the Gram

These Behind the Gram posts have been popping up lately, and I decided to jump on the train before it left the station. This post is quite embarrassing, but please know that if you laugh you're laughing WITH me and not AT me.

What it looks like: omg, just went shopping and have to show off my new fabulously perfect shirt.

What really happened: yeah, this shirt is fabulously perfect and I wanted to show it off, but when I was shopping at the store I picked up a size below my size and then bought it without trying it on. I then proceeded to ask the guy at the checkout if it was final sale (it was) when I was buying it and I still bought it without trying it one (why?! i never do that!). My mom continued shopping around the store and I started freaking out that I bought the wrong size. I then asked a different sales person if I could try on a dress so that I could actually try on this shirt. It was a size too small. But, I accidentally ripped off the tag when I was taking it off after trying it on. I then went back to the sales guy and told him that I “accidently picked up the wrong size and the tag fell off and I don’t know how that happened but can I exchange this shirt for a size bigger.” Long story short, this shirt was a nightmare to buy but well worth it because I got an Instagram out of it and it's fabulous and it was on super sale.

What it looks like: four professional models on the loose in nyc. everyone beware because we feel more fabulous than we look.

What really happened: I saw someone post an Instagram in Lincoln Center that was super cute so I wanted to recreate the picture. I made Frannie, Caroline, and Sammy hunt for this wall. We then found it and made a random lady take a few pictures of us. The first time she took the pictures they didn’t turn out well so I asked her to take them again. She seemed annoyed, but I really needed her to get the shot. Also, this random dude (it wasn’t Bill Cunnigham, but I’m convinced it was someone on that caliber of awesome) was taking our picture too?

What it looks like: hehe, just me being clever and messing around with my macaroons and the focus on my camera.

What really happened: The other interns and I went to Broadway Bites for lunch one day, I brought my lunch that day but still went because I wanted to bond with the other interns and get out of the office for half an hour. I was browsing around while the other girls were ordering their food and I found some macaroons. They were really expensive so I told the guy working the booth that “I’ll be back” so I could nicely leave without saying that his macaroons were too expensive for me. Then the other interns told me I should buy something so I went back to the macaroon guy and bought a macaroon. He remembered me and gave me one for free. I’m pretty he gave me a free one  because I looked good in my party pants because I had already gotten the FedEx guy to give me a reduced price on a package I had to ship earlier that day. I swear, THE PANTS ARE MAGIC. Also, I picked red and blue because America was playing in the World Cup that day and I wanted to seem festive.

What it looks like: chloe here, reporting live from trendyville. I just happened to stumble in this coffee shop with fancy tiled floors. Also, I’m part of the Birks train so I’m cool.

What really happened: I had planned my whole day in nyc around finding a this one super trendy ice cream place. It was a 25 minute subway + walk from my apartment and it was at least 100 degrees out but I really wanted fancy ice cream. I had the address pulled up on my phone but I couldn’t find it anywhere! I was so frustrated and so hot. But on the way to the ice cream shop I stumbled across Lafayette. I bought a coffee just so I could take a picture of my feet on their floor. As I was paying for my coffee I accidentally pulled out a tampon and a guy was at the register, but I was so hot and so annoyed I couldn’t find my ice cream place that I didn’t even care. Then I took like 89052431 pictures because I had to make sure it was in focus. I then got out of there super fast because it was an awkward fest.

What it looks like: Just casually showing off my new kicks.

What really happened: my mom can’t really take pictures that well so I made her be my model. she had to lay on the floor and kick her feet up so we could take a cute picture of these shoes. Her back hurt that day so she was mad that she had to lay on the floor for 10 minutes while I tried to take the perfect shot. Also, we hung a huge white piece of paper right in front of our door because that’s where the best light was. I’m pretty sure our neighbors and mailman thought we were insane.

Hope you like this post! If you want me to do a round two then let me know! xox Chloe

Try this T-shirt Tie Dye

One of our favorite summer projects is tie-dying and as much as we love tie-dye, you know we like to keep it simple... which is why we are such huge fans of Tulip One-Step Tie-Dyes and have been using them for years for all of our projects (see tie-dye shorts and tie-dye beach sheet). We were ready to jump on the Tie Dye Your Summer bandwagon and once again turned to Tulip because they come with bottles that you simply fill with water and you're ready to go. Even gloves come in the box, plus some ideas. All you need is something to tie-dye and a cool idea!

Striped T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat and get rid of wrinkles 2. pleat the shirt from top to bottom (you can fold it in the middle if it's easier to handle it) 3. fold sleeves in last, pleating them as well, and tucking them under 4. you should have a flat pleated shirt 5. wrap rubber bands around at intervals, making sure the pleats stay intact 6. your t-shirt should look like a centipede when ready to tie-dye

Dotty T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat 2. pinch sections of the t-shirt and wrap the rubber band tightly around. The larger the piece sticking out the top, the larger your circles will be and the more rubber bands you use, the bigger your white space around the circle will be. You could pinch both front and back, but we pinched the front and back together (i.e., the back of the shirt was in the rubber bands you see) and it looked fantastic while saved a bunch of steps.

Once you have your shirt(s) ready, wet them thoroughly. You could definitely do this step first, but we found it was easier to work with dry shirts.

Gather the tie-dye supplies  - most of which will be in your Tulip One-Step Tie-dye kit + protection for whatever area you will be tie-dying in. We suggest tie-dying in the grass, if you can, since the area will be stained.

Add water to the color bottles you choose and you are ready to tie-dye! It couldn't be more simple, then add color to your shirts directly from the bottle.

Once the color has been applied, place them in a bag for 6 or more hours (we left ours in the bag overnight) because we're lazy like that.

Remove the shirts from the bags and rinse them in cold water until the water runs clear. It takes a while, but once the color is out, it's gone and your tee is colorfast. Follow the instructions for washing and drying and then enjoy your new shirts.

Voilà, one old tee that was stained turned into a new tee that looks amazingly cool and a new tee that looks much better than plain white! We might cut the neckline on the blue tie-dye t-shirt, but we really love how it turned out.

Follow I Love To Create for some fab & fun creative inspiration on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and their Blog. Perfect boredom busters! Get creating!

What are you thinking about tie-dying?

xo ~kim & chloe

 Thank you ILTC and Blueprint Social for sponsoring this post. All opinions are our own, as usual! 

Bucket Bags

via New York

While Chloe has been in fashion mecca this summer, I've been settling in, unpacking boxes, and traveling with my son for sports. Needless to say, fashion and blogging have taken a backseat to family. I've asked Chloe to fill me in on what she's noticed on the streets of New York, always one of my favorite ways to spot new trends. While bucket bags are not a new trend, they are heavily in rotation among the fashionistas in the city this summer.

These are a few I'm taking a look at, with some budget options thrown in the mix. Since I recall this trend from when I was a teen, I'm not sure if I'll be jumping on the bucket bag bandwagon, but Chloe wanted a few options, so I pulled together a few for her... along with some that just caught my fancy.

via Peace Love Shea

The go-to Mansur Gavriel ones above are everywhere in a mini size, although I'd call it manageable one since one that's too big simply becomes a dumping bag for moi, but here's a budget version that has gotten great reviews. And procrastinators rejoice since this Tod's version is 50% off and available to our European friends too! Perfect for fall is the calf-hair bucket bag in leopard. I would absolutely rock it with all black, but I've most definitely been wearing leopard with prints and love the juxtaposition. If you want to stray from leather, this tan nubuck version is so sumptuous, or check out this leather look budget option by Target. And if you decide to invest and splurge, then why not go with this vintage Chanel piece in impeccable shape and glorious texture? It's also available in peach. Yummy.

Are there bucket bags in your future (or present)?

xo ~kim