Modern Day Belle

When I asked the girls I nanny for what I should be for Halloween, the resounding answer was that I need to be a princess. (Not surprising coming from girls who love dressing up as princesses themselves!) So I obviously turned to my favorite princess of all time, Belle! And when I snagged this dress from the LC Lauren Conrad collection a couple weeks ago, I knew it was the perfect dress for it. (I actually came out of the dressing room to show my mom and said quite loudly, "IT'S A BELLE DRESS!"....I swear I'm 23.) Add in a bow and a fairytale book, and my modern day Belle look was set for Halloween!

dress: LC Lauren Conrad // shoes: Steve Madden // bow: Always Anchors c/o // book: Barnes & Noble

Who are you dressing up as for Halloween?

-Kylie

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Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

These are easily my favorite fall cookies. Apple cider mix in the dough, and the dough wrapped around a caramel. What could be better? These cookies were taste tested by multiple people before hitting the blog, and they've come out with rave reviews! Now it's your turn to give them a try!

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Drink Mix (10 packets)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment
2. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. 
3. With your mixer cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packets of drink mix, until light and fluffy. 
4. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined and refrigerate for about an hour.
6. Roll a ball of dough in your hand and flatten it. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely.
7. Place on parchment 2 in apart. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. 
8. Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment sheet onto a cooling rack. When cookies are cool enough to be firm, but still warm, gently twist them off the parchment and allow them to cool upside down. And enjoy!

Tip: Heat up the cookie right before eating! The heat melts the caramel a little and makes for a perfect, warm treat! Also, you could try chopping up the caramel instead of wrapping the dough around it to have the caramel more even dispersed within the cookie!

-Kylie

plaid and leather

This leather skirt has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now, and when I got this plaid shirt from Old Navy, I knew I wanted to wear them together. Add in my new favorite black leather booties, and I was set for a day with my man...well, my very large, scarecrow man ;)

shirt: Old Navy // skirt: Forever 21 (similar) // sunglasses: Nich Boutique (similar) // booties: Target (sold out in black online, but still in stores!) // lips: Rimmel London Diva Red

Happy Monday!

-Kylie

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weekly roundup

one: 92 years of Disney animation in 92 seconds. So much magic in one video!

two: A moving company that helps women leave abusive homes at no cost exists, and these guys are officially my heros!

three: The 15 most iconic America's Next Top Model moments. SO many great ones! And of course, the "Be quiet, Tiffany!" is number one! (Now I'm the mood to binge watch season after season on Oxygen.)

four: 100 years of Halloween costumes in 3 minutes. Crazy to think how much has changed over the years!

Have a great weekend!

-Kylie

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Blue Plaid and Apple Picking

I've now gone apple picking twice this year, and I could easily go again. I haven't been in YEARS, but it is just so much fun! Plus, cider donuts are reason enough to go!
My go-to outfit each and every fall is a collared shirt with a cozy sweater over it. Which makes my life easy, since I have hundreds of each in my closet. I love the look of blue and grey together, so these two were an easy pick for a day on the apple orchard! (Also, props to my sister on these pictures. I think she loved being the photographer for the day!)

shirt: J.Crew Factory (similar) // sweater: Forever 21 (similar) // jeans: J.Crew Factory // boots: Unisa // sunglasses: Nich Boutique (similar) // lips: Rimmel London Bordeaux

What's your favorite collared shirt and sweater combo?

-Kylie

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The 6 Best DIY Pumpkins

Pumpkins are definitely an essential part of fall and Halloween. But since I normally wait to do carved pumpkins until like the week of Halloween (since they can get gross so quickly), I thought it's be fun to look up some DIY pumpkin ideas. And there are so many fun ones! So, I rounded up my 6 favorite for this post...can I just do them all?

Chalkboard Pumpkins // Monogram Pumpkin

Sparkle Pumpkin // Sequin Polka Dot Pumpkin

Galaxy Art Pumpkin

Drizzled-Paint Pumpkin

Which is your favorite?

-Kylie

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windowpane flannel

It's safe to say that Old Navy seems to have the best selection of plaid flannels every fall. And when I saw that they had a windowpane flannel this year, I jumped on it so quickly! It's the "boyfriend" fit, which means it's a little looser and oh, so very cozy. Plus, for just today, you can get 40% off and free 2-day shipping by using the code FAST! I'm also thoroughly OBSESSED with these Illesteva sunnies I'm renting through Ditto. And you can use the code DRESSINSPARKLES to get your first month of renting free! 
And how gorgeous is this hill of mums? It's at a nursery near me called Ott's, and they do it every fall. And every fall, we head out to take pictures there. Too pretty not to!

shirt: Old Navy // pants: Calvin Klein (similar) // shoes: Unisa // sunnies: Illesteva c/o Ditto (use the code DRESSINSPARKLES to get your first month of renting free!)

Have a happy Monday, and don't forget to enter the Chloe giveaway!

-Kylie

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