massmusings

First of all...

BOSTON RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the first time since 1918, the Red Sox won the World Series at Fenway! Fenway is magical to begin with but add another shiny trophy to the collection and it adds even more to the historic ball park. Unfortunately I was not at the actual game, nor did I battle the crowds to riot in the streets (you can thank Pretty Lights for totally wiping me out for that one) but you bet your ass I was screaming on my couch the minute we got that last out! LOVE THAT DIRTY WATER! #bostonstrong

 THIS is how you celebrate! 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

xoxo

I am a HUGE fan of Halloween. I know a lot of people hate putting effort into costumes and dressing up, but I will be the first to admit that I love it. Maybe it stems from my family and how we used to put on a haunted house in our garage that attracted over 400 kids a year. It was pretty aggressive but man was it fun! 

When I was younger, my mom also used to make my costumes using the good old sewing machine and fitting me every few hours as she plugged away on the tedious creation that we had agreed on. Now that I'm a functioning adult, I'm left to my own devices. I'll admit, I can't sew for the life of me but I refuse to buy a costume from a party store. Yes, it's easy and convenient but in my opinion, it takes all the fun out of it! I would much rather hunt around for obscure items and let the creative juices flow.

So, after three years of mixers and opportunities to dress up in college, I've become pretty savvy about the costumes I wear. For example, last year I was a cat for four separate parties. I invested in a leotard and amazing shiny spandex from American Apparel and also a gold leotard (used for a Call On Me girl costume). It cost me a little over $100 but I've been able to use all three pieces several times for various different events.

This year I didn't want to reuse the cat idea again (even though I did for a last minute Halloween bar crawl), but I decided that I would create my costume out of the things I already had. Naturally, the leotard and spandex came out to play, but instead of being accompanied by cat ears and feline makeup, I attached a feather boa, and painted a white stripe down my face: voila! A skunk. It was super easy and the best part was playing around with makeup and face paint.

If you are still struggling with what to be for Halloween, take a cue from the pictures below and dig through your closet before going out and spending an exorbitant amount of money on a one-time wear.

This was my cat costume last year, among the Three Blind Mice (also a great idea!)

*Dresses, leotard and spandex: American Apparel. Similar ears can be found at Party City

 The Sexual Bases: baseball team with homemade shirts based.

*White t-shirts and hats: WalMart

 Super last minute- Call On Me girls

*Leotard: American Apparel

 Disney Villans: All of these could be homemade! *My Queen of Hearts costume was reused from one that my mom made me for Halloween when I was 12.

Hi I’m Dariel and I blog over at A Daily Dose of Vitamin D! Today I’m sharing a fall floral arranging DIY with all you Mass Musings readers.  Thanks to Kayte for having me!

Materials:

2 types of bigger statement flowers (5 stems of each) - I used Zinnia and Mums

2-3 types of secondary flowers (8 stems of each) - I used smaller Mums, Marigold, Rebecciah

Greens/Filler (a bunch) - I just clipped some leafy wildflower

Scissors, Paper Towel, Vase

Prep: 

Measure how tall you want your bouquet, clip stems 1 inch longer than that at a 45 degree angle.  Strip off leaves that will fall below the waterline in your vase (simply slide a damp paper towel down over the stem).

Arranging:

Hold one of your statement flowers by the stem in your non dominant hand, about ¾ of the way up.  Always hold it securely in one spot and add stems at a slight angle - this will give it a nice full shape.  Use your dominant hand to add to the arrangement.  When adding blossoms, group types of flowers in odd numbers so that you can have balance that isn’t overly symmetrical.  For example, I selected one Zinnia, then surrounded it with 3 smaller mums.  You’ll end up with small groups of statement flowers supported by secondary blooms.  This is how you build the bouquet, adding filler here and there to keep it full.  Don’t worry if the “adding” step takes 15 tries...that’s totally normal.  I usually start over at least twice.  Tip: Every once in a while spin your bouquet around so that you know your arrangement looks good from all angles.  Once finished you can trim your stems more, if necessary (but always at a 45 degree angle!).

This arrangement is full of fall wildflowers from my mother’s garden in NH, so I wanted to keep it loose and wild - looking.  When putting together a more abstract arrangement, the bouquet should have a shape that resembles an ‘S’-again looking for balance that isn’t too perfect.  And feel free to add blooms once the bouquet is already in your vase...let’s be honest there aren’t real rules when it comes to floral arranging.  

All these flowers bloom into early November, so go get some and try it out before the cold weather sets in!

Note: If you’re making an arrangement that is more manicured, snip your stems after you’ve put together the arrangement.  You’ll want wiggle room so that you can pull and push the blooms into the right shape (also go ahead and tie the arrangement when you’re done so that it holds its shape).


*How cute is this post? Dariel is fantastic and so is her blog! Make sure you check out her posts on things like recipes, fashion, and other fabulous DIY projects like this one. Thanks so much for posting Dariel! 

xoxo

Thanks to Chrissy who sent in these awesome pictures of her weekend in NYC. Art museums and carving pumpkins are two of my favorite activities so I was thrilled to receive these great snapshots! 

Monet at the MOMA

Awesome cat pumpkin!

xoxo

It's that time again! Please send me your awesome pictures, again: It can be your best friend, your bedroom, or even what you ate for breakfast. Regardless of what it is, capture the beauty around you and please share it with me! You can send your photographs to mass.musings@gmail.com. I can't wait to see what you come up with! 

Xoxo

Had SO much fun with Kelsey of Tickle Me Pink yesterday at the Lucky FABB conference in New York City! Sadly I was not able to attend day 2 today as work commitments interfered but I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing men and women and spend time with friends. Stay tuned for the full post and coverage of my experience at Lucky FABB and have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo

P.S. If you haven't seen this video yet, I highly suggest you watch it. It's another feel good Friday video and let me tell you, you're going to need the tissues.

Sometimes, I'm feeling a little edgier than others. What do I do when those moments strike? I break out my distressed jeans and add a little leather and a graphic T. ALDO has some pretty great accessories and shoes so I used them as an inspiration for this punkish outfit. I'm also loving this vest from Forever 21- super cute and versatile!

What do you think? Would you get a little punky and wear this outfit? I'd love to hear your opinions!

xoxo

Congrats to Lizzie for winning this weeks photo challenge! I absolutely love this picture that she took of the fall foliage in Brookline! Thanks for the submission Lizzie! 

xoxo

You know what to do! Send me your pictures and a little description at mass.musings@gmail.com. I want to see some good ones! :)

xoxo

As many of you know, I swam all throughout high school and college (Go Bullets!). It was the best way to stay in shape, I loved my team, and there was nothing sweeter than beating our rivals at conferences. However, now that I am not required to be swimming between the hours of 4 and 6 every day, I've been struggling to stay motivated while working out. 

I recently made the switch from the YMCA to the BSC here in Boston. I love the Y and definitely feel a sense of loyalty to it as I grew up swimming in those pools, but the BSC offers me more classes and better equipment to train on. A couple of weeks ago, I added to my regular gym routine by joining the UXF ripped program. Let me tell you, it's like field hockey preseason and dry land rolled into one hour of pain. But... it's totally addicting and worth it. 

I will say though, I miss the pool a lot. It has been frustrating getting in the pool and only having the motivation to swim 1200 yards. "Come on Kayte, you used to be able to swim at least triple this, easily, in college!" Truth. My endurance was much better and I was stronger than I am now. I suppose there are pros and cons to not swimming as much: no more man shoulders, no extra layer of insulation to worry about... but then again I also have to watch what I eat and can't house an entire bag of goldfish without thinking twice. So there's that. 

So, in honor of missing swimming and the feeling it gives me, I will be spending my morning watching the Natalie Coughlin race videos that used to pump me up before meets. If you used to swim, I think you will appreciate this.

Have an amazing Friday and a great weekend and if you're going to the Hunt, see you there!

xoxo

It's almost time for The Hunt! This Saturday, October 19th, I will be trekking down to New Jersey for a day of drinking, socializing, and watching some horses race... or something. Really I'm just excited to see all of my friends that I haven't seen in ages (shout out to Gettysburg!). What does one wear to such an event? Easy, just grab your jeans, hunter boots and some version of flannel and you're good to go. I know I'm going to be rocking my newest obsession, my field jacket. For other ideas, visit Tuckernuck's new article for their take on Hunt fashion.

 I'm super excited and I can't wait to post pictures from the weekend! Send me yours for this weekend's Photograph Something Challenge for a chance to be featured on the blog!

xoxo

  A few weeks ago I tagged along to the Walk The Moon show with my roommates. Let me just tell you, my mind was blown. Great music, good fun, and this is the song I will make you listen to so that you will be as hooked as I am... Enjoy!

Tete-A-Tete

xoxo

Lately I've been craving a good tulle skirt. Maybe the combination of my ballet training and the current trend are the reason, but regardless, I want one and I want it right now. Below are some great examples of how you can style a great ballerina skirt without it looking costume-ish. Let me know what you think! Would you rock this trend?

xoxo

      *all images collected from pinterest

OOTD: Shirt: J.Crew; Scarf; Urban Outfitters s; Necklace: J.Crew Factory; Earrings: J.Crew Factory; Jacket: J.Crew; Jeans: Kensie; Boots: Target; Flats: Steve Madden; Wallet: Rebecca Minkoff

xoxo