#midwest prep

We’ve been counting down the days to the launch of this collaboration since we first saw it pop up on Facebook about a month and a half ago… Rifle Paper Co. x LeSportsac!  These two brands are seriously a match made in heaven.  Darling prints plus sturdy totes and cosmetic bags?  Yeah, we’re in.

We think we’re so excited for this collection because it can be so hard to find cute, casual bags with summer-y designs.  Now that these are here, they’re a must for this year!  They’re especially good for traveling.  They hold a lot, and they don’t get damaged easily.  It’s a win-win.

You can shop the collection here!  We’re going for the cosmetic bags first.

This is the most excited we’ve been on a Monday in a while.  And no, it’s not because we have a vacation coming up.  It’s because we finally get to post details about an amazing new giveaway!

You may have noticed on social media that one of our favorite boutiques, Lizzibeth, is hosting a 2nd Anniversary Party at Whiskey Bar on Saturday, April 25 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm.  There will be a fashion show, fundraiser, shopping, apps, and cocktails.  And we’re giving away two tickets!

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe giveaway is live now!  It’ll be up on our blog all week, but make sure you enter before the end of the day on the 13th.  Trust us, this is a party you won’t want to miss!

More details about the event are available here.  And make sure to RSVP on Facebook!

Can’t wait to see everyone there!

Randomly enough, we decided to enter BaubleBar’s Instagram contest to shop their sample sale – and we won! We were so excited to be chosen with 8 others out of 1,452 entries – that’s insane!!

To shop the sale we had Google Hangouts sesh with BaubleBar Swat stylist Nikki, my roommate and another winner. It was so much fun having her show us her favorite sale picks and on-trend pieces.

While we were tempted to just rack up our credit cards from all the amazing sale items, we settled on these few pieces below. Good news! Some of our picks from the sale are also discounted on BaubleBar.com! Shop some of our favorites below.

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The only thought running through our minds right now is how amazing springtime is.  Seriously, it’s so easy to forget why we love the Midwest during the winter.  But as soon as the sun decides to make an appearance (for more than 5 minutes) again, we’re all about being outside.  And that means light layers!  This army green jacket pairs perfectly with a neutral sweater for a simple spring look.

Jacket | Sweater (similar) | Leggings | Purse | Shoes (similar)

We’re having the perfect lazy Saturday.  This morning’s agenda includes endless cups of tea, catching up on magazine reading, and organizing our closets.  It’s exactly what we need.  This month has been jam-packed with trips to and from Chicago and Milwaukee, St. Louis, Colorado, and Florida.  It’s nice to wake up in our own beds for once!

Since we’re taking it easy and playing catch up with our lives for the next 48 hours, we decided we might as well get caught up online too.  So we’re showing a little link love!

Anna Wintour’s NWFW Wrap-Up

Since we couldn’t be at NYFW this year, the best way to hear about the best (and worst) of the runways is from the Queen herself… Anna Wintour.  We can’t believe she’s over the word “trend!”  Now we have to rearrange our vocabulary.

50 Unpredictable Places to Travel in your 20s

We’re always getting bit by the travel bug.  There are some places we love to visit more than others, like New York City.  But we don’t want to get caught always going to the same places.  There’s so much out there to see!  This list from Elite Daily has some pretty amazing travel suggestions.  There are some places we’ll skip (sorry, Pyongyang), but #2 might have to happen this year!

Lady Gaga at the Oscars

It’s been almost a week, but we still can’t get over Lady Gaga at the Oscars.  She went old school with her tribute to Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music, and it totally worked.  It’s about time Lady Gaga reminded everyone how insanely talented she is.

Oscar Party Portraits

Mark Seliger took the most amazing photos at Vanity Fair’s Oscar party.  We’ve been obsessed since we first spotted them on our Insta feeds.  Our favorites are Emma Stone, Jen and Justin, and Jason and Karlie.

  We hope you’re having as relaxing of a weekend as we are!

Okay, we need to talk about this insane, freezing weather that’s completely taken over Chicago and Milwaukee.  December was so mild that we almost forgot what was coming.  And now we have to convince ourselves to leave our apartments every morning and face the cold.

Even though we’ve lived in the Midwest our entire lives, we’re always so surprised when winter comes back around.  It’s like we convince ourselves that it wasn’t that bad last year, or that it’ll definitely be better this year.  Clearly, that’s not the case.  So we’re on the lookout for anything and everything that’s chic, but will still help us stay warm.

Cape | Scarf | Sweater | Vest | Boots | Welly Socks | Hat | Coat

One of our New Year’s resolutions is to step up our blogging game.  So we’re kicking off 2015 with a giveaway!

Yesterday we introduced our January print, “She loves confetti & champagne.”  Now we’re giving away one mug with this design printed on it!  We think the print is the perfect tone to set for the rest of the year… colorful, fun, and most of all darling.

You can enter to win the mug right here!  The raffle will be up for a week.  We’ll announce the winner next Monday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!