simplyxclassic

a life and style blog

DIY Halloween Costume With Pocky

DIY Halloween Costume

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DIY Halloween Costume with Pocky, do it yourself, halloween, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, orange county, simplcxclassic DIY Halloween Costume with Pocky, do it yourself, halloween, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, orange county, simplcxclassic

DIY Halloween Costume with Pocky, do it yourself, halloween, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, orange county, simplcxclassic DIY Halloween Costume with Pocky, do it yourself, halloween, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, orange county, simplcxclassic

DIY Halloween Costume with Pocky

It has been a very long time since I last made my own halloween costumer (2015 post).   We are a Pocky loving family so when it came to picking a costume, I knew this iconic pink box was the perfect costume for me and Rylie!  If you’re not familiar with Pocky, it’s is a pretzel-like cookie stick that is coated in different flavors like strawberry, chocolate, cookies and cream and more. It’s delicious!

Making our costume was pretty easy.  We worked with our local print shop to print out the design and then headed over to home depot to color match.  The hardest part was putting the box together.  Luckily I get a lot of shipments so we just had to size it to our body, cut and tape pieces together.  Add a little paint and viola!

Tell me friends, what are you dressing up as for Halloween this year?

 

This post is sponsored by Pocky 

My Fall 2017 Wardrobe Essentials

Fall 2017 Wardrobe

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My Fall 2017 Wardrobe Essentials

It still feels like summer here in Socal but I wanted to share the items I will be adding (or have already added) to my closet.  As you can see from above, the two main things I take into consideration when building my fall wardrobe are sticking to classic silhouettes and neutral colors for basic layering.  These items below are essentials for my fall closet.

A Good Wool Coat

Classic White Button Down

Suede or Leather Jacket

Black Turtleneck

Knee High Boots

Flat Mules

Mini Skirt

Dark Denim Jeans

Statement Scarf

Stripe Tee

Comfy Cardigan

Plaid

Cozy Lightweight Sweater

Tell me friends, what is your fall essential?

3 Trends For Fall 2017

Every once in a while I fall in love with few trend items to add to my closet.  Even though I love classics pieces, I wanted to share 3  trend items I have been loving for Fall 2017!

3 Trends For Fall 2017

Check Mate

This is the perfect time of year to substitute your stripes for checks which makes me mad for plaid and anything checkered. I’m loving all of the mini checkered pattern in skirts, blazers, scarves– and unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve seen them everywhere too!  My ruffle check skirt is too cute to pass up! I dressed it down with a casual white t-shirt but I can’t wait to wear it during the colder months with a chic black turtleneck.

Bootie Bootie Bootie Bootie, Rocking Everywhere!

White booties are EVERYWHERE and I love it!  If you’ve been following me for a while then you know how much I love wearing white booties during this time of year (worn 2015, worn 2016).  Ever since I lived in NYC, I always thought white booties were super chic to wear during the colder season.  Maybe it’s because they just look so fresh? Regardless, I’m loving it!  I actually went on a white bootie hunt last month to find the perfect pair and I ended up returning 3 pairs before landing on this one I’m wearing in the picture.  In no way do I think I can pull off the chic white bootie trend but that doesn’t mean I won’t try every year!

Hats

It’s not a secret, I LOVE wearing hats all day everyday, any time of year!  Lately I’ve been seeing lot’s of Parisian berets and train conductor hats which is a nice change from the usual wool fedora and wide brim hats.  I actually got the beret I’m wearing from the #nsale last year but found some dupes below.  I also got a black conductor hat that’s less than $15 (here) that I can’t wait to wear and style this season!

 

Tell ms friends, what trends have you been loving for 2017?

Shopping With Zappos for Born Shoes

Date Night With My Husband

Shopping With Zappos is so easy and convenient. Read on to find out why.

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shopping with zappos, born shoes, comfortable shoes, simplyxclassic, mens shoes, knee high boots

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shopping with zappos, born shoes, comfortable shoes, simplyxclassic, mens shoes, knee high boots

shopping with zappos, born shoes, comfortable shoes, simplyxclassic, mens shoes, knee high boots

his shoes // my boots

I have many favorite things about fall; one of those favorites is shoes.  Give me all of the knee high boots and booties!  One place I love shopping is Zappos.com.  How can I resist their huge collection of designer brand names?  Plus they offer fast and free shipping!  But the cherry that tops it all is their ‘365 day return policy’ and promise of world class customer service.  How can anyone resist that?

Shopping With Zappos For Born Shoes

One specific brand I’ve been loving since last year is Born.  If you crave comfort with a classic style, consider getting Born shoes! Out of all of my shoes (and I have a lot) my Born shoes are the most comfortable.  Born carries a beautiful assortment of men and women shoes are appropriate for any occasion.  I convinced my husband in getting a pair and as soon as he slipped into pair, he was hooked. #TakeComfort

If you’re doing your fall shoe shopping, head over to Zappos.com to make your life easier.  Oh, and do consider your tired and worn out feet by giving Born shoes a try.

 

This post is sponsored by Zappos.com.  All opinions are my own.

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Back To School Snacks With Taylor Farms

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Now that Rylie is back in pre-school, I’m back to packing lunches.  As a busy working mom, I don’t always have the time nor the luxury of preparing extravagant, pinterest-worthy lunches, but I do try to give her a variety of healthy fruits and vegetables which is why i’m so thankful for Taylor Farms!  Their pre-cut and pre-washed veggie packs and snack packs are the best invention for busy on-the-go moms everywhere.  The compromise between convenience and nutrition ends with Taylor Farms.

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I’m sure you’ve seen these in your local grocery stores.  They’re my favorite!  

Now that Rylie is older she helps me prepare her lunch the night before school.  I allow her to pick out which vegetables she wants to pack. I find that when she picks and packs her own food, she actually eats everything! I use rubber star molds to separate the veggies and dip. This also helps Rylie learn about sorting.  Sometimes we can’t help but to snack while packing– they’re just so good!

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I’m so happy Rylie loves these snack packs!  It was through these snack packs that she had her first bites of almond and pretzels.  

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Taylor Farms offers a variety of different mixes:

Healthy Harvest with apples, almonds, jack cheese, and carrots
Better Cheddar with carrots, pretzels, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and ranch dip
Protein Punch with almonds, cheddar cheese, carrots, broccoli and ranch dip
Bursting with Goodness with carrots, tomatoes and broccoli
Little Dipper with carrots, celery, pretzels, tomatoes and ranch dip
Snap Happy with snap peas, carrots, tomatoes and ranch dip
Organic Pure Veggie with broccoli, celery, carrots and ranch dip

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Taylor Farms, healthy snacks, back to school, kid-friendly, snack ideas, healthy food, blogger, lifestyle, mommy and me, mommy blogger, simplyxclassic Taylor Farms, healthy snacks, back to school, kid-friendly, snack ideas, healthy food, blogger, lifestyle, mommy and me, mommy blogger, simplyxclassic

Taylor Farms, healthy snacks, back to school, kid-friendly, snack ideas, healthy food, blogger, lifestyle, mommy and me, mommy blogger, simplyxclassic

Guess what?  Taylor Farms is currently holding a contest for the best #snack2school recipe or “snack hack”.  Upload an IG picture and tag @yourtaylorfarms.  Don’t forget to use hashtag #snack2school and follow @yourtaylorfarms.  Contest ends on September 30th and one lucky winner will win a $100 gift card, a month of veggie + salad coupons and some of your favorite Taylor Farms Snack Trays.

For all you moms out there, make your life a little easier by packing your kids Taylor Farms freshly cut vegetables and snack packs!  

 

This post is sponsored by Taylor Farms.  All opinions are my own.

Hawaii’s Most Instagrammable Hotel – The Laylow Hotel

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hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

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hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

 

hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

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hawaiis most instagrammable hotel, oahu, waikiki, travel, travel blogger, laylow hotel, marriott, marriott autograph

By now you should know how much my family and I love traveling to Oahu (see post here and here).  Earlier this month we went back and this time we stayed at the Laylow Hotel which just reopened earlier this March after completing their renovation. You guys–  This Hotel is so awesome and VERY insta-worthy!!!

Location Location Location

The Laylow Hotel is located in the center of Wakiki near the main shopping and dinner venues– it was wonderfully convenient!  We had the best shopping around us with the International Marketplace being right next door, numerous restaurants to choose from, starbucks and jamba juice on one side of the hotel and a car rental place on the other side of the hotel. Oh and of course the most famous Marukame Udon is right across the street from the hotel front.  If you can forego the beachfront ocean view, The Laylow real estate is A+

Service With A Warm Smile

My husband and I tend to stay at a lot of hotels so we often forget small details but we always remember how the staff made us feel.  The Laylow staff was amazing– the entire team was very gracious, warm and genuinely polite.  All of my questions were met with a welcoming smile and a sincere attitude to help and serve.  Starting from the front desk team to the Valet gentlemen– everyone was hospitable and gave the best local recommendations for our stay.

Eye Candy Spots

One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to stay at The Laylow Hotel was because every spot of the Hotel is instagram worthy.  Even the wallpaper inside the elevator made for a great backdrop for a selfie.  My personal favorite was the iconic beautiful leaf wall in our bedroom which immediately gave the room a calming tropical feel.  The Pool has cabanas (upon reservastions) and chaise chairs inside and outside the pool.  Rylie and I both loved the ceiling swings in the lobby area which were perfect for sipping my chai tea lattes each morning.

If you’re planning a trip to Oahu anytime soon, I definitely recommend The Laylow Hotel. I’m very excited to stay here again in the future– especially after they open their retail floor.

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simply x classic was a welcomed guest at The Laylow

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