crop tops.

One of my favorite trends that became quite popular last summer is still going strong; the crop top. Crop tops are quite versatile. They can range from short to long sleeves, casual and sporty to sheer and flirty. I personally own quite a few crop tops and can not get enough of them! They look great layered, tucked into shorts or loose and flowy paired with skinny jeans. Below are some of my favorite bloggers with their interpretation of the crop top trend. Trang from behind the seams, Natalie from la vagabond dame and a super talented photographer Amy from lucid dreams each have their own personal style that can clearly be seen in the outfits below. I took the liberty to recreate these outfits, at an afforadble price of course!

skippers first mate.

top, pants, bag, heels

i am woman, hear me roar.

fedora, top, sunglasses, skirt

shut up and lace up.

necklace 1, necklace 2, top, shorts

What do you think about crop tops? Do you own any yourself? How do you like to wear them?

xoxo twinkles && sprinkles



mama mia.

I am soo lucky to have such a wonderful caring, supportive and loving mother! Although today is reserved especially for all the mothers of the world, they should really be celebrated every day! That being said, I decided to get up early this morning, which was a sacrifice on it's own, to make breakfast! When it comes to breakfast, I'm the Queen of french toast! I always love to try new and different recipes, so when I got my hands on a recipe for Warm Pear French Toast Sundae I couldn't wait to test it out!

Ingredients:

Serves 6

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6 1-inch-thick slices French bread

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Light or regular vanilla ice cream

1. Gather Ingredients

2. Combine brown sugar, butter/margarine and cinnamon. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until margarine is melted and sugar is dissolved.

3.  Add pears; cook about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Use a fork to beat eggs slightly.

5. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dip bread into egg mixture, coating both sides.

6. Add the remaining butter/margarine to the skillet. Add bread and cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.

7. Add a scoup of vanilla ice cream and pour the pear mixture on top.

bon appetit!

If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to see more let us know!

xoxo sprinkles && twinkles

* you can see this and more recipes on kitchendaily

cinco de drinko.

Cinco de Mayo, one of the many holidays that us American's use as an excuse to get super drunk. In honor of this wonderful holiday I figured I would post five different margarita recipes to spice up la fiesta! Like most drinks these come in a variety of flavor combinations. It was hard to choose but if you want to browse the other varieties be sure to check out the food network page!

1. blueberry-lime margarita

2. mango margarita

3. watermelon margarita

4. peach margarita

5. ruby red grapefruit margarita

How did you celebrate cinco de mayo? Are there any drink recipes that you would like to share?


xoxo sprinkles && twinkles

hell week.

If you're one of the many college students starting finals this week, I can sympathize. Not only is school stress full all year, but lets make things worse by giving you a bazillion papers, presentations and exams all around the same time. In order to overcome all the pressure and stress involved with school it is important to follow these 6 key steps to prepare yourself in order to ace all of your exams!

1. Make a Schedule

One of the best investments you can make is to buy a planner. It is essential to keep yourself organized when you have soo many things going on in your life. I find it extremely helpful to make a list of what days I plan on dedicating to study what. I might then get even more specific on each day and write a list of all the things I plan on accomplishing. As you slowly make your way down your list crossing each item off one by one, you can't help but feel like you've accomplished a lot. Planning ahead of time is key to being stress free, avoiding cramming!

2. Exercise

Exercising is not only a great way to stay in shape but it allows you to work out all of your frustrations! If you're not really into hitting the treadmill or running a few laps then I suggest you find your inner chi with some yoga. Yoga is known to help people relax as well as lower there stress level. Although most school's offer exercise classes, if you'd feel more comfortable at home I suggest you check out some yoga videos for beginners.

3. Eat Healthy Foods

Eating healthy is a no brainer, especially when you need to concentrate and really use your brain to it's full potential. Although it might be easier to grab an energy drink or a big mac, those sugars and fats will just make you crash and feel lethargic. Going for a granola bar or some fresh fruits and veggies will absolutely give you the energy and concentration needed for those long days ahead. If you want to see other foods you should (and shouldn't) eat, check out the list yahoo! compiled.

4. Take Breaks

Studying 24/7 can actually be counterproductive. Over working your brain can actually be a bad thing. It's important to take a 10-15 minute break for each hour you're studying. Go on facebook and stalk that cute boy in class or call up one of your friends about that so called hottie and gossip a little. Giving yourself that little distraction allows your brain and eyes to get a little break from the books and actually helps you to be more focused when studying.

5. Remove Distractions

I might have said that it was okay to check your facebook account during your 15 minute breaks, but otherwise fb is banned. Removing electronic devices such as your phone and computer are key to helping yourself stay focused and not get distracted. Although the Internet might be needed for your research or contains your studying materials, it allows a portable for other distractions such as facebook, tumblr, twitter etc. If you want to still use the Internet but you don't want to be distracted I suggest you download self control. This application allows you to actually block certain websites for a period of time. Until that time is up, there’s absolutely no way to access those websites (don't even try to restart your computer, it won't work). Freakin' genius!  

6. SLEEP

The one thing we probably neglect the most during school is sleep. One of the worst habits as a college student is that we tend to postpone assignments to the last minute and love to pull all nighters. When it comes to studying, it is extremely important to get about 8 hours of sleep! Lack of sleep results in memory loss, increase in stress, lack of concentration, headaches and worst of all, one grumpy student!

What do you do to survive finals week? Do you find these tips helpful? Let us know!

xoxo sprinkles && twinkles

wine about it.

If you're anything like me and my friends, you probably love wine. Nothing's more satisfying then sharing a bottle of wine, (or two) with friends after a long stressful week. Before you know it these bottles begin to pile up and start to take up space in your house. So I was beginning to wonder if there are ways to save and reuse all of these bottles. Below are my top five favorite ways to reuse your wine bottle for something that is not only useful but beatiful too!

1.  Wine Bottle Candle Holders

These candle holders are fairly simple to make. All you need to do is collect some clear wine bottles, strip them of their labels and buy taper candles to fit. Voila! You now have a beautiful candle holder.

P.S. Letting the wax drip down the bottle only increases the whole romantic feel!

2. Vase or Olive Oil Holder

This faux dichroic glass finish is great way to give any bottle a new life and [re]purpose. This process is a little more complicated and requires a few more materials and tools to get started. If you want to learn how to make one for yourself check out the full process here.

3. Wine Bottle Shelving

This is by far the coolest way I've seen wine bottles being reused. You're not just using it as a vessel to hold some flowers but as a whole new piece of furniture! This is probably not an easy craft to produce, but if you know any hands on guys, you should put this on their to do list ASAP! Check out instructables for a step by step guide!

4. Wine Bottle Label Art

Walking down the aisle of the liquor store, you can't help but get pulled towards the wine bottles with the pretty labels! Since that bottle of wine is now empty and you're now left with the pretty label, you so very wanted, you might as well make use of it! To remove the label all you need to do is soak the bottle in hot water for 20 minutes, with the addition of 2 or 3 drops of liquid detergent. If the label doesn't float to the top then I suggest you check out further options here. Once you have the label it's up to you to decide how to display it!

5. Wine Cork Board

Although this doesn't actually involve the wine bottle, corks can be just as fun to collect. All you need are corks, a bulletin board and your trusty hot glue gun. Ta da! Now you have a gorgeous cork board to fill with equally beautiful photos!

Now you have five great ways to repurpose and reuse your wine bottles. Enjoy!

xoxo sprinkles && twinkles

jewelry trends spring/summer '11

Like most women, I have a love for shoes, handbags and especially jewelry. The four big Spring/Summer '11 trends seen on the runways this past Fall include Cabochon-Style Stones, Tassels & Fringe, Clean & Architectural and Plastics & Perspex. Below are the trends seen on the runway along with there affordable counterparts, all under $50!

Cabochon-Style Stones

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Whenever I see coral and turquoise I know Spring and Summer are just around the corner. These cabochon-style stones are the perfect accessory to add a pop of color to take any outfit from average to amazing! Since these piece are pretty loud I suggest you only wear only one statement piece at a time, otherwise your at risk looking like an aztec warrior!

Tassels & Fringe

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If you've been following my blog you are quite aware of the 70s trend that has been seen everywhere this season. From dresses to bags to sandals, fringe was all over Coachella this past April. Wearing tassels and fringe is hard to pull off without looking like a show/cow girl, so wearing this trend in the form of jewelry is the perfect solution to pulling off that cool 70s vibe.

Clean & Architectural

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When it comes to jewelry my eye is typically drawn to colorful bold pieces. After getting a glimpse of these clean yet intricate pieces, I've had a change of tune. The fact that these pieces are all in gold, gives them a polished and sophisticated feel that I can't resist.

Plastics & Perspex

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When you think plastic jewelry you're probably assuming cheap and tacky, but in actuality it's quite the opposite. The pieces seen here are from high end designers such as French Connection, Marc Jacobs and Betsy Johnson. These pieces are fun and whimsical and allow me to relive a piece of my childhood.

What do you think about these trends? What are you favorite jewelry pieces?

xoxo sprinkles && twinkles

diy, fix your broken compact

I know at one time or another we've all dropped our favorite blush, bronzer or eyeshadow and watched it break into a bunch of little pieces. At this point i'm probably so upset that i'm thinking irrationaly and throwing the compact in the trash. Well I just found out that you can actually fix your shattered make up! It's a fairly simple and easy process. All you need is:

• rubbing alcohol (70% or higher)
• a spoon or knife
• ziploc bag
• a quarter
• a piece of cloth or kleenex.

Below is a video with a step by step tutorial posted by Kandee Johnson. Not only is she super sweet and cute but she's really great at explaining or as I like to call it, dumbing down, the process.



If you loved Kandee's video be sure to check out her other great tips here as well as her adorable blog.

I plan on trying this out asap! Do you have any great beauty tips that you'd like to share with us?

xoxo sprinkles && twinkles