Everyone loves the month of October! The fall weather has fully kicked in, seasonal decorations are showing up in stores, and the one day of the year when you can dress up as anything you want is this month! For Halloween I thought it would be really fun to be a superhero! This year I plan on being Wonder Woman. The Amazon goddess is an icon of womanhood, gender equality, justice, and strength -- four things I'm all about! So I got crafty, and made my best DIY Wonder Woman Costume!

Supplies:
Red tank top ($3.00 at Forever 21)
2.25 yd metallic gold faux leather strap ($7.99/yard= $17.97)
2 yd jumbo gold twist rope ($3.49/yard= $6.98)
2 sheets gold glitter Cardstock ($1.24)
1 sheet Red Suede Cardstock ($0.99)
Velcro Tape ($3.49)

In total, I spent just $31.68 to make my Wonder Woman costume! I used things I already had around the house as well. You may need more or less fabric depending on your size.

Things from around the house:
Two cardboard toilet paper rolls
Yarn or some kind of string (I used a shoe string!)
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Hole Punch





1. Wonder Woman's Top
Cut two strips of metallic gold faux leather strap to glue on as the chest piece of your top. Hot glue the straps into a V-shape onto the tank top. Repeat again directly underneath the first V-shape. Some of your red tank top will be showing inside the V, so go ahead and use your scissors to cut that out. This will leave you with a nice V-neck shape tank top.

After the gold faux leather straps are glued on, cut out two triangular pieces of gold glitter Cardstock. Glue them onto the point of each V-shape you just made with the gold straps. You're done with the top!

2. Wonder Woman's Shorts
For the blue sequin shorts, I already had them from a New Year's Eve Party outfit I wore last year. Check out other under $10 options you can wear to stay in your $40 budget! These mini shorts are sold by SACAS on Amazon.com for $9.62.

3. Wonder Woman's Indestructible Bracelets
 Cut long-ways down each cardboard toilet paper roll. Flatten onto the gold glitter card stock and trace the shape. Cut out what you traced on the cardstock and then hot glue it to the toilet paper roll. Cut out two stars from the red suede cardstock and then glue these onto the cuff links. If your cuffs won't stay on your arm, use the hole punch to make a hole on each side and tie a string through them to keep the cuffs secure on your arm.

4. Wonder Woman's Tiara
Use the remaining gold glitter paper to cut out the shape of a tiara, like the picture above. Cut out a star from the red suede cardstock, and glue it onto the center of the tiara. Use a hole-punch to make a hole on each side and tie a string through each hole. You'll use this to fasten the crown onto your head.

5. Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth
I lucked out that they already had this awesome gold rope at Joann Fabrics! All I had to do was tie a knot on one end and a loop on the other. If you can't find a gold rope, you can use gold spray paint on any other rope you can find.

6. Wonder Woman's Belt
Cut a length of metallic gold faux leather strap to go around your waist. Stick velcro tape to each end, one piece on the front of the strap and the other on the back. Now you can wrap the belt around your waist and the velcro will hold it together.

I got these red boots for $12 at a thrift store and used white duct tape to make the design. The suede fabric clashed with the shiny materials in the rest of the outfit, so on Halloween night I plan to wear red vans or converse instead. You can wear heels, patent leather boots, or any other red shoes you might have at home. You can also purchase Wonder Woman boots or boot covers online (I’ve seen them on Amazon.com and at Party City) if you want to spend the extra money. Most of them are around $25 or more. I think any red or white  shoes will look great with this DIY costume!

If you pride yourself on being living proof that women's place isn't always in the kitchen, you'll totally get these. Here are ten problems only girls who can't cook will understand.

1. The anxiety you feel when your significant other asks you to cook them dinner.

Recipe for Disaster: https://vimeo.com/17607552

2. Deciding it's better to just take the batteries out of the smoke detector than to set it off every time you burn something (which is a solid two-times-a-week ordeal).

3. Just ordering a pizza is your go-to.


4. When you do decide to cook, there better be leftovers so you don't have to do this shit again anytime soon.

5. You've perfected every variation there is of a grilled cheese. Adding sliced deli meat was revolutionary.

6. Your parents seriously worry about whether or not you'll get the nutritional value you need when you're living on your own and no one is cooking for you.

7. You might stay in a relationship long after the romance is gone because he feeds you.


8. You burn everything, even when you use the "popcorn" button on the microwave for popcorn.

9. Taking a cooking class sounds like more work than fun to you.

10. Even though you can't cook, you have plenty of other qualities that make you awesome like... your ability to eat an entire pizza by yourself.

Being a Foodie means you have a keen interest in food and trying out new foods is a hobby of yours. You eat for the experience, not just to fill your belly. I'm sitting here eating a heavenly piece of cheese cake and drinking a coffee, and at this moment it feels like the best day of my life. Nothing really noteworthy has happened today, but that is how good quality food makes me feel -- like I'm in the right place at the right time. Call me a Foodie if you will.

My boyfriend (former chef) has a similar obsession with food, and it's something we bond over. We love cooking, we love eating out, and we love trying foods we've never tried before! We recently had one of the best dates I've ever experienced, and it's a great idea for any other Foodie couples out there.


Image of Airstream Row in Seaside by Richard Nix. Unmodified image: License. Source: Flickr/ Creative Commons.

For our date we headed out to the Florida county road called 30A on a Saturday morning. A handful of artisan communities (such as Seaside where The Truman Show movie was filmed) reside along 30A. The community has a reputation for being ritzy (expensive boutique shops and fine dining abound) but it's also very laid back, quiet, and the atmosphere is casual. 30A resides on the Gulf Coast and anywhere you stand you're never more than ten minutes from the beach.

We gazed out the windows in amazement at the beach homes and giant houses as we drove in his truck, playfully imagining what it'd be like if we could live here permanently. Rumor has it that Paris Hilton has a mansion in the area. Eventually, the winding road led us to our destination: Seaside's Famous Airstream Row. Here you can find six or so food trucks, each serving a unique cuisine. We came with an appetite, and we had a mission! Try an item from every food truck!








We were able to eat at four of the six food trucks before our stomachs were full and our wallets were empty. You and your date might want to take turns paying, because this date adds up fast! The two airstreams we skipped were Frost Bites and Wild Bill's Beach Dogs. We will be heading back to the Seaside Airstreams in the future! Take your food-loving date out to Seaside to try one or all of the vintage airstreams on 30A!!



Full, happy, and ready to hit the beach!

Girls like me like dark colors. We like black jeans and dark denim, big sweaters, and layering. So, dressing in the summer heat is a mad science or a foreign language and our wardrobe simply won't cooperate! Living in Florida with 100 degree weather doesn't help either! I give up on fashion during the summer because it's just not my season, but this year I gave it another shot. I found my summer groove and have some tips for you fellow "Fall Girls" to stay stylish in the warm summer months!

1. Black denim shorts have been my staple this summer! I love wearing black and have repeatedly rocked a high-waisted pair of black shorts this season! It's almost impossible to wear black in the summer and stay cool, but these shorts have solved the problem! These clean, black-wash shorts are my favorite.

Hollister high rise shorts with cuffed hem. Click photo to shop.

2. Fall style is generally casual in contrast to summer pieces made with tight fits and less fabric. To stay cool and comfortable, keep to your personal "Fall Girl" style with loose flowing fabrics instead and you'll maintain the effortless boho style you've always been a pro at pulling off in the Fall!

3. You can still layer and stay cool. The best way to do this is to start with a sundress/t shirt dress then layer with a light weight kimono or denim jacket. Accessorize with a belt around your waist and a light weight scarf around your neck. Try braiding your scarf to avoid getting too hot.

Click for YouTube video tutorial on braiding a scarf

4. If you insist on wearing jeans opt for white to stay in season or ripped jeans to keep a little bit cooler. Either look cute paired with a button-up chambray shirt.

5. Hats are a great accessory to look put together and intentional in the way you dress. Your knit beanies and felt fedoras are packed away until next winter, so what now? Try floppy sun hats, cute baseball caps, or canvas fedoras! There are more options than you can imagine!

I love this model's summer hat and layered jewels! Every "Fall Girl" could pull this off!(photo license)

That's all I've got for you "Fall Girls"! Let me know how you survive the summer! Leave a comment!


Live stylishly,
-Bell

I've had my eye on this bright white tote for a few weeks now. I'm the kind of shopper who waits for a sale, and I was finally able to get my hands on this for under $20! The simple bag has some sweet touches like a pastel blue lining on the inside, adjustable buckle straps, and outer pockets perfect for things you need to get to easily like your cellphone. It's large enough to hold sunscreen, a bright colorful wallet, sunglasses and everything else you need on the go this summer.

Check out these three ways to wear this perfect "Beverly Hills Tote" bag you can find online at charmingcharlie.com or in store.

Taking a vacation is suppose to be good for you. You relax and unwind from your normal busy routine. My trip to Las Vegas last week was mind blowing, and I would go back in a heart beat. From roof top parties to roller coasters on top of 1,149 foot buildings, it was impossible not to have a good time. The tricky thing about vacationing is knowing when you've relaxed a little too much. I knew I wouldn't be making it to the gym during my vacation (I'll be back in there tomorrow:)), but I did have plans on keeping up my meal plan and healthy eating. I brought my vitamins, water bottle and snacks. I knew the hotel didn't have a kitchen, but planned on ordering healthy items while out to eat. Let's be honest, I was in Vegas and didn't always stick to my plan or follow any of the advice I'm about to give you, but here's to learning from my mistakes for the next vacation.

Here are tips for staying on your diet, or just eating healthier while you're traveling or on vacation.

1. Stay hydrated. Buy a pack of water bottles to keep in your hotel. I brought my refillable water bottle and kept it full while I was on vacation. If there is one thing I have learned during my travels, it's that it's super easy to get dehydrated. Hotels rarely provide drinking water, unless you want to pay $5 to open what they might stock in the minni fridge. If you don't want to drink water from a bathroom sink, make sure to pick up a case of water from the closest convenient store or market when you get to your destination.

2. Bring healthy snacks to eat between meals. I eat three full meals a day, with protein rich snacks in between meals and after dinner. If you're driving you can bring pretty much any non-refrigerated snacks in your suitcase. If you're flying, the rules for food are surprisingly lax, unless you're going through customs to get to another country. Find a list of TSA approved food items here. Packing boxed or packaged snacks in your checked luggage is usually allowed. Having snacks on hand like almonds, granola mix, or protein bars will keep you from buying the candy at the airport or chips from the vending machine.

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad from PF Changs

3. Save up a food budget. If you're going to eat out while you travel, you should save up some extra money so that you can eat at places beyond fast food. Don't skip over the salads when you're ordering at a restaurant either. The portions are huge these days, and ordering a salad doesn't mean you're only eating a few pieces of lettuce and carrots. My favorite meal during my vacation was a seared ahi tuna salad topped with wasabi peas, julienne cucumbers and carrots.


4.Pick out places you'd like to eat in advance. One challenging thing about eating out in a new city is that you don't always know where to go, or where to find healthy food. You might have to take a chance on a restaurant whose menu's healthiest option is a fried Portobello mushroom burger filled with two different types of cheese. (Yes, that is something I actually ate.) Look up the menus of different restaurants before you travel, so you can still enjoy trying new places and know they'll have healthy options.

5. Chill out on the alcohol. Drinking in moderation can be an enjoyable way to socialize and relax on your vacation. Alcoholic beverages are typically high in calories, and influences the way your body processes the calories you took in from eating earlier in the day. When drinking alcohol you're more likely to store calories from food you ate earlier in the day as fat, and use the alcohol for energy instead. In moderation, people can avoid the negative affects of alcohol on weight. In excess alcohol can negatively affect calorie intake, energy, hydration, and sleep patterns.

Make your vacation count and keep your body healthy while you escape. Return back to the real world after your vacation feeling refreshed and healthy. Other wise, you may just feel like you need a serious detox and to rehydrate for weeks.

Here's to healthy living and healthy eating.

-Bell

You may be stumbling upon this article with previous knowledge of what Tinder is, or even with some experience using the app. If you're wondering what the heck is Tinder, let me fill you in. Tinder is a matchmaking/dating app that allows its users to select potential "matches" by swiping right on a user's photo. Users have the option to swipe the photo to the left if they are uninterested in matching with a user and never have to see that photo or speak to the user again. Once two users have mutually swiped right, or "matched", they are invited to start a conversation. This may lead to a face to face meeting or date after some successful conversations.

This sounds pretty harmless right? It's got potential to spark a flame between two strangers. Sure I can see this, but I have been somewhat disheartened by the numerous articles about Tinder that ignore the disgusting way in which the app encourages people to judge others within a few seconds based on their appearance. I would like to be real about Tinder for just a minute. I myself have used the app in the past, but it didn't take long to realize it's a total waste of time if you're genuinely looking to start a relationship. Here's a little bit deeper perspective on Tinder's effect on your relationship status and a healthy love for one's self.




1. Tinder can distorted your self-image.
My number one debacle with Tinder, and with many social media sites, is that they create a desire to see yourself as others see you. Rather than expressing your individual personality, creating a profile on Tinder is really about doing your best to appear how others would view you as attractive. Potential "matches" may not even read your "bio" or "about me" section. Users who are eager to expose as much of "who they are" as possible within that few seconds a potential date spends glancing at their photo may upload pictures that show off their figure, wear little clothing, be shirtless or in swimwear. Whether you want it to or not, on a dating site this hints at desperation. So did they swipe right because they saw you as a person?

2. Many users have poor intentions, and you might find yourself deceived by your own wishful thinking.  
No one on Tinder is there to fill some one else's (yours to be precise) romantic need for love. Be honest. Everyone is initially there for themselves. Many tinder users are searching for a one night stand, an easy date, a place holder, a person to temporarily fill their wants or needs. This point should be pretty easily understood. A large number of Tinder users are self-interested. Healthy relationships are equally about you as they are about your partner from the very beginning. It's a give and a take. 

3. Tinder makes it easy to create false personas.
As is the nature of social media, Tinder enables you to show only the best side of yourself. It is incredibly easy to hide flaws or challenges in your personal life when you're online.

4. It's a rip off of a real relationship. The concept of love is watered down and superficial. We forget what love really is, and end up chasing similar, but less satisfying feelings such as affection, approval, or a boost to our ego.

What is Love? This is a hard question to answer, and we all answer it differently based on experience and beliefs. For me, LOVE is something real. It is equally as real as the air you breath, it's spiritual and soulful and a true acting force in the universe. Love inspires us, causes us to act grandly, kindly, patiently, fearlessly. Love is not a right swipe, a click, or a like. Love is not instantaneous. Love may start as an instantaneous spark, create a flame in just a single moment, but you have put more into it beyond lighting that initial flame in order to keep it burning.

If you're still on Tinder, my advice to you is to get off of it. If you have really enjoyed using the app and meeting new people, then good job on making the best of what Tinder has to offer. Tinder's newest update has started limiting the number of right swipes you can make. Users will now have to pay monthly subscription costs in order to have those unlimited swipes. Maybe this will help get rid of users with poor intentions since they will actually have to spend money to use the app.

Have you had a successful date or relationship emerge from a Tinder connection? I know some people have, so feel free to share your good experiences in the comments and advocate for Tinder's positives.


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Karen Greenert is one heck of a baker, even if she doesn’t consider herself one. Twenty four year old Greenert is an entrepreneur with an artistic spirit. “I don’t know if I consider myself a baker or a pastry chef. The reason I like doing what I do is because it’s a form of art. It allows me to be creative in a way that can be appreciated by a lot of people,” Greenert expressed. Kay Louise Sweets was created by Greenert in October 2014 and provides unique made-to-order sugar cookies for any event along the Emerald Coast. These are not the stale short bread cookies you get from a box, but homemade, hand-crafted artisan cookies. “Everything is from scratch,” says Greenert, “The ingredients are simple.”

I guess I was feeling pretty cultural today, as my outfit and accessories pointed out. I don't know what it is, but I've really had traveling on my mind lately. Check out these ocean inspired pieces I wore today as homage to my previous travels and the travels I hope to take in the future.


Ring- A trademark blue lapis lazui stone from Greece that is said to bring good luck. I got this ring on a school trip to Greece, made financially possible by my generous grandmother.


Earrings - Tear shaped abalone shell earrings gifted to me by a thoughtful friend who bought them on  her trip to Hawaii -- a paradise I have yet to visit.


Bracelet - Silver bracelet holding a beautiful blue piece of sea glass. Purchased on my first trip to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.


Thinking about traveling has also got me thinking about my culture and where I'm from. A lot of people ask me about my ethnicity, and it's a fun question for me to answer sometimes. I have a unique background that I am happy to share that. My great grandmother was native to the Caribbean island St. Lucia. She married a white French man who lived on the island. My grandmother still lives in the Caribbean in St.Croix, where my dad spent most of his childhood before moving to the United States. So, on my father's side I have inherited French and Caribbean ethnicities. On my mother's side I have inherited Italian (her mother being from Italy) and French-Canadian (her father being from Canada). I was born an American citizen, on a military base in Germany in 1992.

If you were to ask other members in my family about their ethnicities, they may have varied responses, given that there is more to our cultural background than the brief summary I just gave. What is really amazing to me is that so many cultures have been accepted into my family. From an American perspective, my father is Black and my mother is White. Although I am biracial and have been raised believing that skin colors shouldn't be a basis for judgment, I have fallen prey to believing stereotypes about other cultures at times like many other people have. Society frequently markets racial stereotypes, but it's important to resist believing that ethnicity determines personality, or who you are. There are many things that make up the person I am, including fashion. I love expressing my self through clothes. I also love rock music. I have a favorite color, a favorite restaurant. I am an individual. Who are you?

To diversity.

-Bell

Fewer industries revolutionize as quickly or frequently as the fashion industry. The trends are always changing, and sometimes I feel like it's impossible to keep up! With work and school and other activities it's hard to keep track of what's in style now. Fashion is a full-time engagement. So here are some ways to stay current in the fashion world if it's not your full-time job.

1. Read magazines or blogs.
The writers of fashion magazines and fashion blogs are employed to constantly keep up with, and report on fashion. You can pick a few bloggers whose style aligns with your own taste to follow. I love belledecouture.com, and iamgalla.com is my favorite choice for men. Fashion blogs can give you frequent inspiration to refresh your style and stay current. Magazines like Vogue can give you a larger perspective of fashion as it's being expressed through out the country, or world.
2. Go window shopping.
What's awesome about window shopping is that you don't need any money! Seeing how retailers are dressing their window mannequins can give you ideas about how to put together your own outfits. Seeing what popular items are reappearing in each store (I'm currently seeing jogger pants everywhere!) can hint to you what is trending now.
3. Pinterest.com
Being able to keep up with fashion from the comfort of my bed, preferably in pajamas, is a dream come true thanks to Pinterest. Search women's or men's fashion and instantly be shown hundreds of photos of what everyone else is loving, too.
4. Have a fashionable friend.
My fashionable bestie is a life saver when we are getting dressed to go out. She can tell me when what I'm wearing is a disaster, or point out a perfect look for the evening. Having a fashion conscious friend to be honest with you about your outfit choices, or to take along on shopping trips, can be a huge help in keeping you up to date.
5. Check out what celebrities are wearing.
Celebrities have stylists who pick out their clothes for them. Celebrity stylists are the fashion gurus of the famous, and we can gleam a little bit of their genius by seeing how they dress our favorite celebrities.

Hopefully some of these quick tips will help you get back into step with the fast-paced world of fashion.

xox.
-Bell