Miss Mondrian

Nancy Drew and Steve Jobs had nothing in common until they became my style aspirations for 2017. The two made a fabulous couple and accompanied me through a lot of life changes. I moved to Texas. Studied Biology. Got hurt and heartbroken and heart flooded. Turned 20. My life is so very different from when I set out to dress like a 1940's detective mixed with an 80's nerd. Though the black turtlenecks and wool skirts still fit...the overall style seems less fitting now.

That being said, I love black turtlenecks! Heck, I'm wearing one right now. They're not going anywhere (except hopefully the washer?) this year. The shift in I felt in my style was mostly minuscule. Less frilly, more firm. Less passive, more pronounced. Less softness, more strength.

Enter: Miss Mondrian. 

I've always loved Piet Mondrian's prints (Heres one I saw in Amsterdam!) They're so simple, yet so thoughtful. The lines are clear, the colors are bold and very recognizable. It's easy to spot a Mondrian from a mile away because they all have such similar structures. Yet upon further investigation, each piece is extremely thoughtful and one of a kind. 

How does this translate to clothes, you might ask?

Statement colors. Straight cuts. Structure. Simplicity. And maybe some shoulder pads? But only time will tell.

Lines, Lashes, Lips and overall...LESS.

The Miss Mondrian starter pack also includes a makeup transformation as well. And mascara is 100% optional (bold red lips are definitely not though.) Like the Mondrian prints, its about creating a clean canvas and then adding small bursts of color without cluttering the canvas. 

I'm excited to implement Miss Mondrian. Since I'll never be Miss America and I'm still too young to audition for The Bachelor...this is the next best thing!

PENS FOR PRAYER

Don't get me wrong, buying yourself a bouquet of fresh flowers is always a good idea. But sometimes  treating yourself to a bouquet of special lettering pens can be just as wonderful (and sadly, equally expensive.)

I've always loved taking notes, pretty penmanship and expensive writing implements. The internet hasn't helped. Who knew there were so many kinds of exotic Japanese calligraphy pens, just a click away? Over the years, I've fallen in love with a couple kinds of pens, specifically ones that are ideal for prayer journaling. My only tip would be to run hard and faster after "Love is blind" when purchasing these pens. Just ignore the price tag and follow your heart. 

Prayer journaling is a huge part of my walk with the father. These pens make writing in said journals all the better. Therefore, I have no choice but to take the plunge and purchase them, right? At least, that's what I tell myself. Maybe it'll work for you too.

1.) Le Pen

By now you know full well that anything in French is automatically my favorite. I love these pens because they're fine, small and come in a bunch of colors. The size is by far the best part, as they're very easy to slip into a purse or pouch and hardly take up any space. That being said, the size is also the worst part: they're very easy to misplace. Proceed with caution!

2.) Tombow Dual End Brush Pens

Wow, that's a mouthful. So are these pens. They're bold, bulky and beautiful. I wouldn't recommend these pens as ones to use in church/take notes anywhere, they're a bit excessive and extra for everyday use. I normally use them for writing out verses, highlighting in the bible or jazzing up some sermon notes after reading through them the next day. 

3.) Staedtler Triplus Fineliner

HEAR YE HEAR YE, Not all Staedtler pens are created equal. Don't be fooled by the other imposters, these are the best. I once fell for the rollerball pens and wow, big mistake. These pens are a little big to use in church (in my opinion) but I love the color selection so at the end of the day, color normally wins over convenience. 

And now, a pen test! Just so you can see how they write. Granted my staedtler's are a little old, so the ink doesn't flow as freely as it did in former years (months, lets be honest) but they're amazing when they are in their prime. 

Buying fancy pens for fancy prayer journaling isn't necessary. Obviously Jesus could care less if you used Le Pen, a sharpie or a tube of lipstick to prayer journal. But if you have it in your budget and you love pens and prayer, these three types should be a good start to your Christ-centered calligraphy pen collection.

Back to chocolate and hair history

I honestly never thought I would be the girl who always colors her hair. To me, there was no point, Why would you change your hair? But then one day I came to the conclusion that also, why not? It's fun, not permanent and way less harmful to your body than a tattoo or piercings. 

My bank account will forever regret me coming to that conclusion!

And in honor of a new hair color and cleaning out my computer, I thought this post seemed highly appropriate. My favorite walks are always down one memory lane (mostly because they involve a lot of awkward photos, which this post happens to be full of!) so let's dive right in.

The power of Pink

The idea of couples leaving love notes strewn about the house, hidden in cupboards and under pillows, has always been extremely idyllic to me. You thought you were just pouring cereal...till a handwritten love note landed on top of the Lucky Charms as well.

(maybe I'm just buying the wrong brand of cereal?)

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are little love notes for me strewn all over my house and my town and in every detail of life. In sunsets, in flowers, in Vespas and clothing, God's little love letter to me is everywhere.

One day I was in Atlanta and it was just, one of those days. I don't even have to go into detail, You know how it is. As Hannah Montana once put it, "Everybody has those days." I needed encouragement, a hug (and some chocolate), and to know that everything would be okay.

(And then a little more chocolate, for good measure.)

My mom and I happened to be driving through the city on the way to visit family. It had been a stressful trip but we stopped at a trendy place in ATL to have lunch and feel like our lives were slightly put together (it sort of worked!) We ordered a burger to split and an latte to share, and by share I mean I shared one sip, and then went and sat down.

And then the burger came out. And when I saw it, I started crying.

Now, don't deny the fact that you too get teary eyed over a beautiful burger but this one was extra special. Instead of the classic American fixings, this burger was topped with an undeniably pink homemade beet thousand island sauce. In retrospect it kind of looked like a Krabby Patty but at the time, all I could see was the fuchsia hued sauce....
and the goodness of God.

Maybe you see God's glory in goodness in an beloved animal, or in the face of a person you adore or a beautiful sunset. Whatever it is, I know I'm not the only one. God speaks to us all in a million ways. And one way He continues to encourage me is through my favorite color, pink.

I love pink. I always have and I'm equally convinced that I always will. Over the years,  my love of pink has certainly grown just as I have. And while it sounds cheesy to say, I know its more than that. When I see pink, I see God's goodness. I see His love, His creativity, His generosity in sharing glimpses of His unlimited creativity with us - I feel all of that when I lay eyes on a vivid fuchsia or soft shade of salmon.

God didn't have to give me that pink burger to show me he loved me. He could have just given me a plain burger or an undercooked one or the restaurant could have been closed- and His love for me would have been the same.

But He did. Because He Loves us. And furthermore, He loves to bless us. In little, unique, individual ways. He doesn't have to do anything for us really, but He loves us. He loves enough that He sent His only son to die and take the punishment for our sins. He loves us enough to forgive us daily. He loves us enough to prepare a place in Heaven for us.

And He even loves us enough to give us a pink burger on a bad day. Just to show that He cares, about everything.

No matter what it is that makes you stop, smile and remember God's goodness, I hope that whenever you see it, whether it be a vibrant sunset or the quadruple chins of a baby, I hope you're reminded of how fiercely God loves you, and how much He loves to bless you.

And I hope that one day you get to try the infamous pink burger. Who knows, maybe you'll burst into tears too?

AS GOOD AS GOLD

(image)

Yellow and I have had an interesting history. My room was butter yellow for most of my childhood, and despite the fact that butter is one of the most amazing things on earth, I wasn't too crazy about it on my walls (I'd rather have it on popcorn anyhow.) Then we moved to Montana and EVERY room in house was yellow, and not even the same shade either.

The detox took a couple years but this spring I had a small change of heart! Sunshine and french fries both happen to be yellow, so it can't be that bad right? My appreciation for yellow was continuing to increase and I was super excited when a blogger I follow posted about small collection of lemon yellow Spring arrivals. Until I clicked the link and the dresses were LITERALLY $995.

I mean, who needs to make car payments when you could just by a dress??

After I picked my jaw off the floor while simultaneously congratulating myself for not being the most extra person on earth, I decided to make my own round up of spring yellow arrivals.

So now you can have the best of both worlds: a dandelion yellow dress and keep up with your car payments!

(or buy more french fries, one of the two.)

keychain // cutout dress // midi dress // mules // leather skirt // lemon sweater // mini dress // loafers // raincoat //

Pink, I love you loudly.

It's no secret: I love pink and I love it loudly.  There are 3 hot pink houses on my street. The first purse I bought was pink. Flamingos have always been my spirit animal.  And even at 19 years old, to me there is truly nothing more beautiful than a vivid shade of pink- whether it be coral or neon or flamingo or rose or blush. (if you need more profe, here's an ancient blog post.)

You can imagine my excitement when Pink started to be trendy again. Coral velvet couches, dusty pink sneakers, pink instagram filters, blush bridesmaid dresses, baby pink moody tumblr posts - everything is pink. And in honor of that, and also in honor of the fact that it's Thursday, I thought you deserved to see all the good pink things that are floating around the Internet today.

You can thank me later.

A WEEK OF OUTFITS: HALEY BOYD //
Not only does this outfit scream Nancy and Steve but it's also pink perfection. Actually, everything Haley wears is perfect, I'm obsessed and I'm not even going to bother saying low key obsessed because yeah.

 WHY MILLENNIAL PINK REFUSES TO GO AWAY // 
This is an article all about pink and as you can see, it's pretty perfect! It's also surprisingly detailed, thank goodness there are other people who appreciate pink enough to write an article about it (which i would do!) and also spell check said article (something I wouldn't do.)

CASA LUIS BARRAGAN // 
 I don't really know much about this other than it's in Mexico and I'm in Florida and it's pink and I love pink. Looks pretty dreamy on instagram and idk, I'd be down for going with anyone this summer (well, anyone who can take good pictures of me in front of it. Gotta keep up the aesthetic ;))

SIDEKICK BAG // 
We all know Ban.Do is the way to my heart. And this cutie bag with pom-poms is no exception! I mean, technically I need a backpack for college but honestly, I'd rather have this sidekick bag instead. I could fit like what, a pencil in there? Good enough for me.


Happy Pink to you and yours. And don't forget: whatever it is that you love, make sure you love it loudly.

A FEMININE FEBRUARY

May your February be extra feminine and full of flowers and well designed valentines!

And if it isn't full of any of those things, I hope it's full of pink at least.

SaveSave

Here's to you.

AN ODE TO ORANGE...

...and the fact that I finally got to experience fall weather that was lower than 80 degrees!

PALM BEACH CHIC, PART ONE

It all started on January 1st, 2015. I walked into my closet and as I was deciding what to wear, I also decided that I would renovate my entire closet that day. It was one of my more successful choices (because I ended up staying in my PJ's) and now finally two years later, my room is complete.

A labor of love, nail holes and a whole lot of motivational chocolate.

Keep reading for the scoop!

Tray tables up, bandanas on.

I mean, we shouldn't be surprised that I like this look. I've grown up on airplanes, I can sleep better in the middle seat than I do in my own bed and I know full well that you never inflate your life vest inside the aircraft.

That being said, this look is confusing. Is it western, cowboy bandana vibes in full swing? Or is it a flight attendant style, parked best with prepackaged peanuts? Or a rich grandma from New England, one who embodies Martha Steward in every sense (except the being a criminal sense)? Is it a necktie, a scarf, a neck scarf, a bandana or ???

So many questions. If only we had a safety information video to answer them all and set us straight. But since we are not that fortunate, you'll just have to wing it like me and hope and pray you pull off the flight attendant look, outside of an airport and on the ground. As far as purchasing little squares of material to tie around your neck for an instagram photo, Urban and Zara have some first class options. But if you're more of a coach or on a desperate occasion, cargo kind of girl like myself, Walmart and Target should do the trick.

Bon Voyage friends! Just remember, even if the bag does not inflate, oxygen will be flowing.

BACON ME CRAZY

I don't care if your valentine is a boy, a girl, a puppy or 10 seasons of your favorite show, Valentines of all shapes and sizes deserve to know that they are as loved as a large 3 topping pizza

Merry Coloring to all and to all a good night!

Did you know that like, coloring is cool again?

I for one was so excited to find out that coloring was trendy again. Mostly because I hadn't really ever stopped coloring, but now it's just socially acceptable. And of course, it's a more grown up thing than broken crayons and ripped up books. This is like, art.

Which basically means I feel really important while coloring....when actually it's just like preschool all over again.

(Which I am very much okay with, for the record.)

Let's learn to color! (...in case you were absent that day in preschool, I'm here to fill you in.)

1. ACQUIRE IMPRESSIVE COLORING BOOKS.

 Shoutout to my friend Kayla for setting me up with the perfect coloring supplies. She also included a bottle of nutella, which may be optional for you but I find it to be pretty essential. But anyway, books! I have this one and this one, and The Winter Magic book and this genre of books in general, are already in the amazon cart. (thanks mom!)

2. FIND THE PERFECT PENS.

Friends! It's 2016, so say sionara to crayon stubs and dull pencils because gel pens work 100000x better. And while I don't actually own these yet (keyword: yet) they are the BEST PENS EVER! Thank you to Angela for sharing them with me...or at least not complaining when I steal them. ;)

3. CUTE CHRISTMAS CANDLE (def not optional.)

Because when is a delicious smelling candle NOT appropriate or helpful for coloring inside the lines?

As you can see, coloring is a great sport as well as stress reliever. It's one the rare few sports that be played at home, on the couch in your pajamas! And isn't that the best kind of sport anyway?

A perfect pick

Confession Time: I'm kind of picky.

I generally prefer to think about it in a more positive way. I have unique taste, I know what I like (and honest about what I don't.) but the bottom line is basically that I'm picky about pretty things.

That being said, Agenda shopping is such a chore. But what a pretty one! It's a beautiful thing for your biggest decision to be: stripes or polka dots? Last year I was new to the colorful world of agendas but I'm tackling SENIOR YEAR in the same amount of style.

(That being said, sweatpants days are a given. Hopefully my agenda can make up for the lack of attractiveness.)

O K A Y    T H E   O P T I O N S !

1.) Lilly Pulitzer LARGE Agenda in Pink Lemonade ($28)

Is there anything more Kryn than Pink Lemonade? No, not really.

2.) Ban.do Large Agenda in Florabunda ($28)

Oh, how I love Ban.do!

I set my sights on the Ban.Do agenda a few months ago. Since setting foot (and nearly passing out) in the Ban.do pop up shop,  I've been stalking their website at much as you might expect a stalker to. BUUUUT....While aesthetically pleasing and overflowing with inspiration quotes
("Eat a whole pizza, I dare you." is exceptionally motivating.) I wasn't totally pleased. The paper quality is poor and it was just a BIT to big for me and the background is actually a little off white.

 (ocd much. picky much. HIGH EXPECTATIONS much. I digress.)

And so, I ended up with a Lilly again. Because I love Lilly. I love the size of their agendas and the cute prints and Jackie O wore Lilly so I feel her spirit with me as I'm penciling in my scheduled pinterest sessions and tanning times.

(and like you know, all the classes I'm taking this fall.)

Many thanks to Tubs for helping and in general being my best friend. Are you picking out an Agenda for the school year? For the sake of your family and friends (four legged variety included), I highly suggest not being quite as selective (not picky, see what I did there!) as I can be.

HAPPY LAST YEAR OF HIGHSCHOOL!

DENIM DREAMS

DISCLAIMER: It's summer and I have nothing better to do
(reality: It's summer and I allow myself to avoid anything productive. Carry on.)

Do you sometimes go on Pinterest? Do you sometimes go on Pinterest and pin a lot of things? And then, maybe, do you sometimes go on Pinterest and pin a bunch of things and then notice that those things all look the same?

I'm so glad I'm not the only one.

My style board is full of denim and white.....which is Ironic because I can't stand to wear jeans and I actually don't own a white shirt that can be worn without 15 camis (hashtag team no sheer). So this entire collection of outfits that i've pinned, saved and now posted is actually something that I'll never wear.

Then again, it's summer! So why get dressed when you can just pin things and plan your imaginary wardrobe?

{find me on pinterest to see more outfits I'll never wear, recipes I'll never cook and artistic photos I'll never be creative enough to take}

Roses are red, Instagram is too!

THE GIRL KRYN isn't cheating on pink.....but she is having a love affair with red.

You figure it out. ;)

As instructed by Kathleen Kelly....

Don't you love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies - I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name or address.

Watching You've Got Mail and going to New York City in the same weekend has to be the coincidence of a life time.

I actually wrote a whole post about You've Got Mail because well, You've Got Mail is like a pair of warm socks on a cold day or the first splash in the pool on a hot one. It's refreshing. It's warm. It's perfect.

As we explored around the city, I felt a little bit of Kathleen Kelly. Both in me (on high alert for daisies! the world's friendliest flower!) and around me, like she was watching. And I think it would be a great honor to have Kathleen Kelly watching me explore her most beloved city.

Our day was actually a "disaster" by first world standards. First, we missed our flight. BUT! I ended up going to a new state, so check New Jersey off the list. Then we had to wait 10 extra minutes underground on dirty Ebola encrusted benches because I lost the directions to my subway pass. But I don't have ebola...yet. Then we walked around the city for about 2 hours only to miss the ferry to Lady Liberty.

So! As watched from the promenade as the last ferry left (without us on it, that's the kicker) Kathleen Kelly came in a vision, dancing on the Hudson, and said in a breathy voice  "To Brooklyn."

And so, we went to Brooklyn.

(shoutout to shadow dad and fly catching mouth kryn. But it's Fall and I didn't mind wearing jeans so we gotta celebrate...by throwing baby leaves!)

Thanks New York!
And with that, I hope your mango is ripe.

PS: if you don't get that: go watch You've Got Mail.