{My Top 5 Summer Beach Reads!}

Hey bloggers!
   I have been traveling a lot lately (big surprise there..), so I figured I would share some of my favorite books I love to read in my summer adventures! :)
   One of my favorite summer pastimes is reading; well, actually any season or mood I'm in, I usuaully have my latest read tucked under my arm. So here are my top 5 books to read in the summer! <3

     Number one is one of my all-time favorite books. Ever. I picked this book up last summer at a small, second-hand bookstore that I practically live at in the summer time (something about the smell of previously-loved book and the vision of books stacked to the ceiling, makes me weak in the knees). I heard that Holly Kennedy was an amazing author, and when I spotted her very first novel, I couldn't resist. :) This book made me laugh, cry (sob, is more like it) and want to relive the feeling of reading it for the first time. I've read this one multiple times now, and it never seems to get old.

    p.s. Tommy will always have a place in my heart. <3 (read this book, and you'll understand) 

   This next one was recommended by my mom, who's favorite author is Kristin Hannah, and I was hooked in almost in the very first sentence. She has a way with creating characters you immeadiately fall in love with, setting the scene in which you were a part of, and creates the feeling within you, forcing you not to put it down until the very last period. By the time I had completed this novel, I had giggled, cried, fell in love with yet another fictional character, and finally understood how precious a bond can be between sisters.

     This next read is a funny, kinda-quirky, want-to-be-that-cool kind of book (if that makes any sense, outside of my brain..). :) Robin Benway imagined a perfect character in which girls want to be like: confident, non-cookie cutter, and thrift-store kind of quirky; making all of her readers wish they had a crappy ex-boyfriend write a famous song about you.. :)

     I read this book, every single year without fail. It makes me laugh until I cry, and root for the underdog.

     This is my fourth favorite book to read with the wind blowing through my hair, and the sun peaking through the trees as I drive down the highway. Maureen Johnson creates a piture-esque adventure that makes you want to pack up only your necessitities and head to Europe (Well, I would do that regardless..)! It is incredibly easy to get lost in the misadventures of Ginny Blackstone, which make you giggle, swoon over the tough, starving artist, British-accented, Keith, and hanker for much more to the story. :)

      p.s. The second is almost better! Believe it or not!

      This is the finaly summer read, I reconmend to you lovelies. Even though I have only just started to read this book, I am already completely sucked in to the world of Delilah and Prince Oliver as they try to discover just how to get Oliver outside of the fairy tale. :)   

      Jodi Picoult actually wrote this alongside her high-school aged daughter, Samantha Van Leer, and she actually came up with the concept! I was probably already hooked in while reading the Author's Note. :)

     Enjoy escaping into the world of reading this summer!

see ya soon,

mckenna k. xx

The Thoughts of a DIYer

Hey bloggers!
   I am a traveling girl today (again!) so I thought I would share some of my ideas from the magical abyss, I call my brain. :)

   During my road trip adventures, I spent a day in the Big Apple and we stopped through a street market. I actually gasped when I saw the shirt on the right. I thought it looked so cool, but when I looked at it, I noticed it was made out of pretty chitnzy fabric, was way over priced, and to make matters worse the vender was incredibly pushy, making me uncomfortable. So, you can bet I walked away faster than I could say, "No thanks!"
   However, before I walked away completely I took a picture discreetly and I was already planning out how I was going to DIY it :) I guess, I am in the permanent DIYer mindset.

   The other top, is one I have coveted on the Anthropolgie website for ages! It is their squeezebox top in white and it was originally $48. However, the more I looked at it, I realized it looked pretty easy to make myself, and by the time I wanted to buy this particular shirt, they were sold out (you can buy the original in navy here). I did my research and I actually found another DIY blog that posted almost the same tutorial (you can check out how Sarah did this DIY here). I am going to do mine a little differently, and it will only cost slightly under $7! AND it is already in the works! :)

   I have been in the DIYers mindset for sometime now, and I am not going back to my shopaholic ways anytime soon! I am realzing that I can make pretty much anything for a signifficant lower price and look more my style!

   Keep any eye out for these DIYs! 
   mckenna k. xx

Take Pictures of Random Things.

Hey bloggers and DIY goddesses!
    I know I orignally promised a bunch of DIY projects this week, however it has been raining NON STOP. Seriously. Today has been the first day where you can actually step outside for a minute and not come back in looking like a drowned rat! Back to the apologizing-- this rain is making me unmotivated and many of my DIY projects have been taking a back seat to my vegging out of the sofa and watching countless movies. :)
   Anywho, I have started a few of some mini-DIY's and one big one! The big one should be up soon, and it will include my first ever DIY video along with it (can I get a booyah?!)! But since there are many different things to this project and each them takes quite a bit of time, I decided to take some time today and take pictures of random things at my grandparents' house. :) This was suprisingly really fun, and it gave me an excuse to play around with my grandmother's SLR camera (a Olympus SP-800Uz). :)
   Here are just some of the cool pictures I captured! Enjoy, and I challege you to do the same! It actually helped me come out of my rainy-day, nonproductive funk! :)
   Be on the lookout for soon-to-be posted DIYs!! (i promise!)

 no filter or anytype of editing on this one! i was so proud of myself, *tear, tear* :)

 vintage sewing machine

the macrame bracelet I made during one of my movie marathons. See?! I was semi-productive! ;)

 one of my favorite tea cups <3

see you soon!

mckenna k. xx

The Return.

So I returned back to my old, normal, boring life today. Hence the nothing exciting to share! :)
This one is an oldie, but a goodie. Back when I was geeky with glasses, and didn't have a care in the world. :) I know it's a boring post, but I love this edit, so I figured I would share!
I have a TON of DIY projects to get started on, so my posts will get more interesting again, I promise!
see ya soon,
mckenna k. xx

Road Trip Day 7: Back in the New York Blue

Hey bloggers!

I promised you exciting details of my day today, and I don't plan to disappoint! I haven't been to NYC in years and I figured since I was so incredibly close, I might as well take advantage of it. I took the NJ Transit to New York City, and I can official say, I have mastered the NYC train system. :)

this is me attempting to take my picture discreetly, without looking like a tourist. :)

 A slightly-crazy, somewhat-embarrassing (but that's another story..) trip later, I arrived to the bustling city and I was instantly in love. <3 Everything about it was hands-down my favorite part of my road trip! I experienced many different things and made a fool of myself in different places, so I am going to go a a total photo-bombing spree and explain them as I go. :) Enjoy!

for a while now I have been obsessed with graffiti and street art. I think it is incredibly beautiful and amazing, so here are some masterpieces I found. :)

as i walked down fifth avenue, I literally gasped when I spotted the first designer store! it was so cool, and I spent some (if not, most) of my time looking lustfully in the store windows, and wishing to go on a shopping spree! and there was a THREE FLOOR H&M. (lol) 

is Brad Goreski in? ;)

 my personal fav :) look at the mohawk! 

I legit, almost asked them to borrow their bags for the picture! :)

 i gasped when i saw this one!

for old times sake (and because I want to be a kid again), I had to go to the American Girl Place & FAO Schawrz!

 it was extremely hard to go in here and NOT want to buy the entire store.

 turns out, they have a McKenna DOLL. 

while i was in the big apple, I dabbled in some harmless stalking.

one of my favorite things to do in a big city is take pictures of different people's outfits for my style inspiration boards and for ideas of styling later, so here is some of my favorites i tried to shoot "discreetly." :)

 

the girl with the red bag & bowler hat? perfection!

her casual chic look has to die for!

neon print shorts & a zara bag. can a photo get any better than that?

Parson's 

'last but not least, I went to the world famous Carnegie Deli! 

look at the size of their sandwiches!! i realize i look like a dork...

So after a LONG day of walking around in the heat, I have swollen feet, and I can't feel my legs.. but it was totally worth it! I also got a TON of inspiration photos from this day trip, so be prepared for some more NYC pictures to come! :)

see ya tomorrow, when I am headed back to the normal life..

but I do have some major DIY projects planned for when I get back! 

mckenna k. xx

I am going to end this post with a random post of Batman. 

Road Trip Day 6: Outfit of the Day.

Today was another lazy day since I am getting rested up for my NYC trip tomorrow!!! :)
This is my outfit of the day, and since it was a raining/hailing full-on thunder storm, I didn't really care what I looked like. Just get me some Whole Foods sushi and iced tea! :)
see ya tomorrow with more exciting news!
mckenna k. xx

{Road Trip: Impromptu}

Hey bloggers!
So instead of following up my seemingly boring day with a boring but relaxing night, I decided to take a mini-road trip and find a beach to take some photos. However, my GPS decided my mini-road trip was going to be a big adventure, because it took me about a hour and a half away on Staten Island!

Ninety minutes crazy traffic, beautiful bridges, and gorgeous scenery later, and I finally found a pretty secluded beach. I was shocked at how beautiful it was! The ocean was amazing and I got fantastic pictures, so I guess the crazy road-trip-turned-adventure was worth it! :) and I had to share my little journey with you!

see ya tomorrow,
mckenna k. xx

p.s. I found a pretty cool heart-shaped rock. :) (and yes, I realize I look like a dork.)

Road Trip Day 5: Creative, Semi-Lazy Days.

Right now, I am blogging/writing/flipping through fashion magazines in one of may favorite settings. The Barnes & Noble cafe always has a very profound effect on my productiveness; it must be the fact that I am surrounded in the smell of coffee and people frantically typing away on their laptops. It totally gets my creative juices flowing.

Since I have seen many of the major "tourist areas" during my road trip, I have taken the last two days to see what a normal day might be like in Jersey: stopping at coffee shops, bookstores, scouting out cool stores and attempting to fit in with the locals (psssh, in my dreams!).

The Barnes & Noble cafe is my go-to place when I want to get efficient in my writing or just to relax. And today isn't any different :) well, except for the little old ladies surrounding me trying to learn how to use their Nook Tablets, in a "Getting to Know Your Nook! Class.."
My creative juices are effectively blocking them out :)

Have a good day bloggers!
mckenna k. xx

road trip day 4: random.

Today's road trip day was a pretty normal day in the life of McKenna. I went to the mall, re-did my manicure, started a new book and sipped on coffee for the majority of the day. So i figured I would post 5 random things about to fill in the void of fun! :) 

1. Ever since I was little, I've been obsessed with travel. Everywhere from China to Antarctica absolutely fascinates me; the way other people live and their different cultures have intrigued me for as long as I could remember. 

2. I procrastinate like no one else in this world. If there is better stuff to be doing than the stuff I should be doing, there is no way I can focus. I can buckle down when I comes to crazy deadlines and studying, but you can bet I would rather be doing something else. 

3. I have a weird obsession with words. I have grown up learning how to speak them, sing them, and everything in between. And now I have the joy of writing them. I am always trying to find other ways to word a certain sentence, line in a poem or song lyric. 

4. Lately, I have been really wanting to live on a sunflower farm. I know this one is supremely random, but its so true! Imagine during harvest time, being able to open your blinds and see fields and fields on sunflowers. Sounds pretty good, huh? :) 

5. Chipped nail polish drives me insane. I always have to have my nails painted or with nothing on them. The second they start to chip, I have to pick it all off or wipe it clean and start over. As I type this, I notice my newest manicure is looking chippy, so on that note... 

see ya tomorrow, 
mckenna k. xx

Sent from my iPad