2015 New Years Resolutions

I always have a long list of New Years resolutions, but I usually only manage to tackle about half of them. This new year, I plan on trying to finish all of them. So here they are!

1. Minimize & Maximize my closet. (By this, I mean, minimizing the amount of clothes that I have, but maximizing the quality of everything. Such as a good quality pair of jean and a leather jacket instead of having 10 pairs of crappy jeans.)

2. Become more organized. (With London fast approaching, I really need to organize and plan things a bit better. I admit, I can be very messy and all over the place majority of the time.)

3. Stop being so preoccupied with others opinion of me. (We have heard it time and time again, but I really want to stop spending so much of my time worrying about others. It is my life, not theirs.)

4. Worry less. (Similar to #3. This is very vague, but is certainly needed.)

5. Go on daily walks around the city. (Now that I'm moving to a new place, discovering more of the city is high up on my to do list. With this resolution, I'll be getting exercise and exploring.)

Last but not least...

6. DO MORE LOOKBOOKS!!! (I was most proud of this blog when I was in London, doing lookbooks every day. So be on the look out for many more of them in 2015!)

I would love to hear your New Years resolutions! So let me know down below!

xx
Ashley

London Threads

With less than a year before I move to London, I've been really excited about the clothes that I will be wearing when I'm there. I'll be undergoing a major weather change (California to England), for sure, so my wardrobe will certainly need to be updated. In addition to the weather, style in London is just a lot more chic than San Diego, which is probably what I am most excited about. So bring on the coats and booties! These are photos that I have been collecting from other blogs throughout the month for inspiration!

(via Harper And Harley)

(via Camille Over The Rainbow)

(via Fashion Me Now)

(via FabSugar)

(via French Voguettes)

xx
Ashley

Throwback Thursday: Pacific North West

My heart is in 3 places. London. New York City. And the Pacific North West. I lived in Seattle for a year when I was much younger and loved it so much. There is an energy that you get from the forest that you can't get anywhere else. From the cold weather to the cute coffee shops on every corner, I really can't get enough. Here are some of my pictures from the last time I was there. (These photos are just from Seattle, Washington & Vancouver, B.C.)

What are your 3 favorite places?

xx
Ashley

Music Spotlight: She & Him

Who doesn't love Zooey Deschanel? I fell in love with the indie duo of She (Zooey Deschanel) & Him (M.Ward) a few years back because they were so original. They take a lot of inspiration from vintage doo-wop and pop groups and pair their beautiful voices with guitars, pianos and ukuleles. Their sound is generally feel-good and they wrote one of my favorite songs of all time, obviously titled "London". Deschanel and Ward actually first met on the set of her film "The Go-Getter", where she asked the director if her and Ward could sing a duet together for the film. That was the start of She & Him!

Their new album "Classics" came out just a few weeks ago and is so amazing! Check it out here!

xx
Ashley

Christmas Gift Guide: Best Friend

I can't believe that it is already the beginning of December! Now the preparations for Christmas finally begin!

I know that a lot of people have trouble finding gifts for people close to them around this time, so decided that it would be a good idea to create a few gift guides with some ideas for the special people in your life. This week is ideas for your Best Friend! I always love to shop for my Best Friend because she is the person I know the best and it's always fun to buy cute and girly things!

I hope this helps you on your quest for Christmas presents!

H&M Silk pyjamas - $110

Frends Taylor Rose Gold Over-Ear Headphones - $285

Herve Leger Cutout iPhone 5 Case - $58

butter LONDON Gilded Gears Holiday Lacquer Set 1 ea - $28

Impossible Refurbished '80s-Style Polaroid 600 Camera and Film Set - $250

kate spade new york Bracelet, 12k Gold-Plated Bridesmaid Engraved Idiom - $58

Tory Burch Robinson Small Makeup Case - $95

Wool Tweed Cowl - $49

Rifle Paper Co. Pocket Notebooks - $10

Large Antler Necklace - $190

Byredo Gingembre Holiday Candle - $94

xx
Ashley

Celebrity Style: Karlie Kloss

This 6'1 stunner is definitely my favorite supermodel at the moment. She is currently a Victoria's Secret Angel and the new face of L'Oreal Paris. I chose to write about her because apart from being gorgeous, she has a beautiful personal style. Karlie never looks overdone and is always on trend. Being a model, she is probably given a lot of clothes, but she knows how to pick out things that will flatter her. She even looks like she's walking down the runway when she's walking on the street in NYC! I wish I could do that! She is also one of the people who inspired me to cut my hair along with her BFF Taylor Swift.

Who is your style icon of the moment?

xx
Ashley

Black & White Cookies

I wish that I could bake every day of my life. Especially cookies. I've been making a lot of cookies lately for friends and family, and they've all been asking for recipes so I knew I had to write them down and blog them. So here is the first recipe. It's my black & white cookies. This recipe is a slightly adapted version of the white & milk chocolate ones that Tanya Burr made in a video.

Make sure to tell me how you like them if you make them!

Ingredients You Will Need:

200g butter
300g granulated sugar
1 egg
325g self raising flour
dash of milk
100g of milk chocolate
100g of dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F*

First step is to mix together your room temperature butter and sugar with an electric whisk or Kitchen Aid (that's what I'm using here.) Just mix it until creamed together.

Next step is to crack in the egg and whisk it in as well.

Now take your flour and gradually add it in. (Make sure you don't put all of the flour in at one time because it will be a disaster, trust me.)

If it looks a little dry once it's been mixed all together, then this is the point where you could add a dash of milk.

Now is the chance to put away the mixer and start using your hands or a spoon. Break up the chocolate into chunks and evenly mix it into the cookie dough.

Once the chocolate is mixed through, start forming balls of dough. I got about 16 out of the batch.

When that is done, put the cookies in the oven for about 16 minutes, swapping the trays positions about half way through so that each tray can get enough time under the heat.

Once they are done, take them out and let them cool for at least 20 minutes.

Voila! The cookies are finally done!

I hope you guys have fun!

xx
Ashley