Amanda's favorite things of 2020: books, shows, fashion & music you should try

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

2020 has been - well, weird is a nice way to put it. Despite the pandemic, social injustice and just plain ol' lack of adventure, there were a lot of great things that happened to me this year. 

And actually because of the quarantine, I got to appreciate the small joys in life a little more! 

Every year Barack Obama puts out his list of favorite things, so I'm taking a page out of his book and listing some of my favorite things I bought, read, watched, and listened to this year. If you're looking for something new to try, maybe this list can help you choose your next small joy. 

My favorite books of 2020


The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory

I've read the first three books in the series this year
& there are two more and a sixth in the works now. 
If you're a lover of modern romance novels like I am, you'll seriously love these books. I wish I could tell you which one of the first three books is my favorite, but I just can't choose. 

I know this series is not new, but the 5th book (Party of Two) just came out this year. I actually read the second book in the series (The Proposal) first and fell in love with Jasmine Guillory's writing last year. 

I had always seen The Wedding Date at Target and wanted to try it too. But even as I began reading it, I still had no idea it was connected to The Proposal. Although the books take place in the same world, each book focuses on a different friend. Guillory weaves it all together so beautifully! 

When a friend at work clued me in that they were all part of a series, I ended up starting the series all over and reading The Proposal again (yes, it's that good). I'm now on Royal Holiday.

The best thing about these books is that the women are real. Sometimes romance books I read get me to a point where I'm saying "Wow, I would never do that." 

The women in these books sound and act like my friends. And I genuinely feel connected to them. The issues both the men and women characters care about are not superficial, they're serious and heartfelt.  


Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

Think a combination of strong, fierce female athletes & romance with a childhood friend - that's Head Over Heels. I couldn't put this book down this summer! It was seriously the perfect by-the-pool read. 

I've read both of Hannah Orenstein's previous books. I loved Playing With Matches (probably one of my favorite books of 2018)! I didn't like Love At First Like as much, but that didn't stop me from getting VERY excited when I heard she was releasing another romance book, but this time involving gymnastics. 

I did gymnastics for years growing up and I've always been obsessed with watching Team USA. My mom and I even went to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials when the Fierce Five were chosen. 

Orenstein was inspired by the courage of American gymnasts who spoke out about the sexual assault by team doctor Larry Nassar. So if you need some powerful women energy, this book is for you!



My favorite buys of 2020




The AE puffer is SO warm - even in the snow!
This American Eagle puffer jacket has been one of my best purchases! It's actually reversible so the inside is completely lined in sherpa. Usually jackets only have the chest area lined and leave out the arms. But this one is SO cozy!

Ray Ban's round metal frames are so stylish & definitely trendy right now! They go with every outfit.

I found my favorite shade of lipstick this year: KKW Beauty's NUDE #5. It's the perfect everyday lipstick -- not too light and not too pink. I use the NUDE 2.5 lipliner with it.
I'm wearing it in all four of the pictures you see here.
I love the design of this graphic tee!

Urban Outfitter's fedora adds the boho feels I want to every outfit! It's perfectly firm so it stays put. But a little warning here: when I originally ordered it, it came in a small box and was bent in transit. Request UO sends it in a larger box if you order it online. 

Abercrombie's ultra high rise straight jeans are some of the best fitting jeans I've found in awhile. I love that they're high wasted, but not tight around the thighs and butt. They're super comfortable and the frayed bottoms are really cool. See how I styled them with a simple mockneck tank and snakeskin booties below.

I'd seen the Urban Outfitters mooshine t-shirt on a couple of my favorite Instagram influencers and needed to have it. It's a little expensive for just a t-shirt, but it's perfectly oversized and goes with everything! And the blush color is exactly what I imagined. 

Lastly, Target's turtleneck sweater is SO soft and cozy! I actually almost wear it every day. I ordered a medium so it's a bit longer and can be worn with leggings (like below). 

My favorite new shows of 2020

I'll always be a huge Shonda Rhimes fan (Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy are AMAZING right now). Total Bellas is my favorite reality TV show. Watching twins Brie and Nikki be pregnant together is incredibly beautiful and I hope one day I can experience that with my sister. 

But as for new shows this year, here are my favorites.

The Home Edit on Netflix

Obsessed with organization? Then this is for you! I'm definitely not a "neat freak," but something about seeing things organized by the color of the rainbow is just SO satisfying! The show follows The Home Edit founders Clea and Joanna as they tackle organizing both celebrities' spaces and normal families' messy areas. This can be their closet, pantry, bedroom or really any space that get cluttered. 

I won't lie. I started to watch the series because I heard they went to Khloe Kardashian's house. But that wasn't even my favorite episode! 

Spoiler: you get to see a lot of Reese Witherspoon's classic movie looks from Legally Blonde!! The closet Clea and Joanna create for her costumes is so perfect.

Emily in Paris on Netflix

It's worth watching this show even just to see the fashion! It's definitely cheesy and pretty cliché, but I'd call this show a guilty pleasure. It follows a girl named Emily (duh!) as she is transferred to a marketing firm in Paris. She brings the American perspective... that often no one asks her for. 

Overall this is a fun watch! I don't think it's winning any awards for the script, but it's a great show to watch as you drink some wine on a Friday night.  

Party of Five on Freeform

Yes, this is a remake of the drama from the 90s (my mom loved this show). In the new version, the parents of five siblings get deported. Suddenly the older siblings have to learn to parent the younger ones, all while running the family's restaurant. 

Warning: you will cry. A lot of people might think this show sounds lame because it's a remake, but this is an incredibly emotional story. 

If you need a show to let the tears flow, this is for you.

Virgin River on Netflix

I think the first episode of Virgin River technically came out at the end of last year, but people really got into it this year. And Netflix just picked it up for a third season. 

A nurse practitioner from Los Angeles is trying to escape the trauma of her past (I won't spoil it for you) and she takes a job at a doctor's office in a small town. Clearly he doesn't want her there.

But as she learns to love the slow pace of small town life, then comes the drama. Let's just say there's a hot guy whose in a relationship, a dangerous drug dealer and a lot of gossiping locals. 

If you want a cute romance with a lot of extra drama, this show is for you.

My favorite albums of 2020
Spotify showed me my #2020wrapped data, and it's VERY obvious that I'm a big T-Sweezy lover! We actually got two albums from Taylor this year (yay!) and even though I've been listening to Evermore non-stop now, I think Folklore is one of her best albums. 

The raw, emotional Taylor is the Taylor I love the most. But pop star Taylor will always call to me. That's why "the 1" is my favorite song of hers this year.

Second on my "top artist" list was Dua Lipa. I'm actually shocked she wasn't first! Dua Lipa has been exuding badass girl power this year and I absolutely love it!

It's not her most famous song on the album, but every feminist should consider "Boys Will Be Boys" their anthem.






Shop our 2020 holiday gift guides

Monday, December 14, 2020

 

Shop for the trendy 20-something:

Have a friend or niece you're buying for this Christmas? 
Here are some popular items you can get them!
This year leather pants, chunky boots & shackets are all the rage! But if you're not sure about their fashion sense, perfume, sunglasses, and makeup and hair tools (wavers are really popular right now) are an easy buy too. If they're into pop culture, there's a good chance they'll love Ariana Grande's perfume. 


Shop for the guy who has everything:

Amanda's fiancé is one of those guys that NEVER buys things for himself. He is a simple man and likes simple things: whiskey & working out. Here are some of his favorite gifts she's given him this year. The Beard King is also a lifesaver for your bathroom sink! It keeps all of those small beard hairs off of your counter and makes it easy to get them all in the trash can. 
This year he asked for the L.L. Bean Venetian slippers. He's had them before and they're SO comfy! They're a bit of a splurge through at about $80.

How we both achieved our candy cane themed Christmas trees

Wednesday, December 9, 2020


Each year our mom pulls out bins full of old handmade ornaments, all labeled with a name and date in shaky handwriting, to hang on our tree. Our family Christmas tree is always made to look like a grade school arts and craft project full of old memories and nostalgia.

Since Amanda moved away about 5 years ago, she's had to create her own tree themes... which usually consist of what's at Target and what the Kardashians have done before. More on how to recreate her tree later!

But this year at our childhood home, for the first time EVER we decided to do something different so (surprise, surprise) we turned to Pinterest.

Here was our inspo:

We found so many different themed trees (I’m always amazed at how creative people are!) and while we loved all the classy, monochrome themes we decided we still wanted our tree to be spirited and colorful.

We finally landed on a candy cane themed tree filled with red, white, and green ornaments.

Shop Sera's tree:

We went to Target, Walmart, and the Dollar Tree (my favorite store for anything crafty) and bought any ornaments we could find, no matter the size or shape.

We also bought ornaments with individual, dangling peppermints and removed and re-strung them on fishing wire to create a peppermint garland. I think they turned out really cute!

After putting up the tree and hanging all the ornaments, we still felt like something was missing. So we went back to the dollar store and bought red and white pipe cleaners, intertwined and rolled them, and created peppermints to be inserted in the tree.

I absolutely love the way our tree looks and while I’ll always have a special place in my heart for our handmade ornaments (especially the ones with awkward, middle school photos attached), I’m so happy we tried something new this year!

Christmas has always been about traditions for us, so doing something new and fresh, no matter how small, is always fun and exciting!

Why Amanda chose the candy cane theme too

So I'm not going to say my mom and sister copied my candy cane theme, but I'm not going to say they didn't.

I've always loved a red and white candy theme! It reminds me of the Christmas decorations Kris Jenner had in 2019. Yes, I realize a professional decorator created her tree. So my tree is definitely not as intense, but I'm still very proud of it!

I think what makes my tree stand out from my family's is the ribbon! They add dimension to the tree, and of course extra holiday cheer! It's super easy to do, but if you're a perfectionist like me it might take you awhile.

How you can use ribbon to bring more life to your tree


All you have to do is buy some thick ribbon. I definitely recommend ribbon with wired edges (this will make it easier to give them more of a circular shape and wrap them around the branches so they don't fall off). Then you cut as many foot-and-a-half long strips as you can and carefully tuck the tops and bottoms into the tree.

I've seen some people create this look without cutting the ribbon, but in my experience it's much harder to maneuver it that way. Also, you're wasting a lot of the ribbon that's hiding behind branches.

This way, you're taking full advantage of all the ribbon you have. And you get to see it all!

Shop Amanda's tree:

I often tucked the ribbon under our light strands to make sure it would stay. This is where a sturdier, wired ribbon comes in handy.

I wrapped my ribbon at an angle. I also created a diagonal line up and down the tree with the same colored ribbon to give the illusion that the pieces were all one long strand wrapped in and out of the tree.

You might have to shape the wire in the ribbon a bit to make it look more round. This is my second year with these ribbon and they held up pretty well. I just wrapped them in a circle and stored them in a box to keep their round shape.

TIP: It's much easier to do your lights first, ribbon second and ornaments third.


Faux leather pants: the fall trend we're loving right now

Saturday, November 14, 2020


When we used to think of leather pants, we imagined the tight, shiny pair Amanda wore to her first Prince concert when she was about 13 years old. By the end of the night she was sweating and exhausted, but still felt super cool!

Now, leather pants (faux leather, of course) are all we see on Instagram -- from leggings to joggers. Leather pants are back... and we hope Amanda looks much more stylish in them than she did in 2005!

Shop some of our favorites here:



Why we hope this trend is here to stay

Leather instantly upgrades a look! Even if you have a pair of white sneakers on, if you throw on some leather pants the outfit automatically looks "dressed up" (even if you just put them on to run some errands). 

It's like the cooler version of the once-popular yoga pants. Leather pants can go with anything -- and in the same way matte black goes with everything. 

Faux leather is also really easy to find. Amanda even found some joggers for $20 at Target. And if Target has them, you know they're in style!

Why they're perfect for fall

With neutrals being so popular this season, pairing a nude or beige turtleneck or blazer with faux leather pants is the perfect trendy outfit. And as an extra bonus -- leather looks pretty great next to fall leaves!


Amanda lives in Wisconsin, so she's not going to lie and say leather pants will keep you warm, but they definitely keep her warmer than ripped jeans or regular, thin black leggings. 

How to style them

Sera loves the way leather pants look with black combat-style boots. Here she styled them with a simple grey sweater and some really cool Prada boot dupes from Ego.


But one of our favorite outfits this fall has been a leather pants and camel coat combo! Something about the matte black next to the sophisticated long, brown coat is just fabulous! Sera styled this look with black Dr. Martens this time, but Amanda would've probably worn some over-the-knee heeled boots to add a little more of a flirty style -- while Sera's boots make the look more edgy.

These pants also have some cool zippers in the front that Sera thought made the look a little more grunge-y chic. 


SPANX leather leggings: worth it?

Amanda has a pair of the $98 SPANX faux leather leggings that we're sure you've seen a bunch of bloggers post about. The short answer to if they're worth it -- yes. 

But to be fair, our mom did get them for her for Christmas so she didn't have to spend the money. 

Compared to other faux leather leggings she's tried, the SPANX ones just have the most hold. They keep the curves where they should be -- which is what SPANX is known for anyway. 

Cheaper versions have more of a hold in the waistband, but that can often be too tight or too loose. 

The SPANX version are also pretty long lasting. Amanda has only had her pair for a year, but she wears them often. They're still stretchy and none of the leather design has worn off. So if you are willing to make the investment, we say go for it! 






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