Links I love

photo via

Whew. Going to school by day and homework by night has me missing out on all my daily internet perusing. But, I made time this weekend to catch up a little, and here are a few links I love from this week.

How cute is this hair style? I wish my hair was a little longer so I could wear it on the daily! This is what I've told myself this week at my new school because this gold foil print is the perfect reminder. We all know I'm crazy about all things gold and I love the simple font. Wouldn't it look cute in an ornate frame. Check out more designs by Michelle Hopper she's super talented! I'm so happy that at my new school I'm allowed to a carry water bottle and we have the coolest drink refilling stations! This lightweight Sigg Water Bottle is perfect because when it's full of water, I have plenty to drink, and when it's not full, it's easy to carry. I love all the colors & my mom likes that it's dishwasher safe, BPA free, and recyclable. Ban.do has bee killing it lately. I want everything. This fabulous keychain is a the top of my "must have" list right now. I'm always on the hunt for the latest and greatest of nail polish colors, and I think navy and grey are the "it colors" for fall.  I'm currently rocking the grey so I'm already on trend ;) Now that school's back in session I have to stay super organized. This cute planner will solve all my issues... I can just feel it.

Let me know your favorite links from this past week in the comments below! xox Chloe

New Kid

Wow. I’m officially a senior in high school. Like seriously, how the heck did that happen? I literally still feel like I’m a second grader roaming the halls at my elementary school looking up at the “big kids” wondering what it feels like to rule the school. But guess what? I’m now one of those “big kid” and while I most definitely don’t rule the school, I do happen to like my new school. A lot. If you’ve been following PopCosmo for a while now, you might know that my high school years have been a little out of the ordinary. In short, I’m a five year high schooler that has attended three different schools. One teeny tiny private school, one online school, and now a huge public school. It has been awesome to see the differences in the teaching styles and the students, but I have to say, I think this latest school — the huge public school — is my favorite high school of all three. I just started yesterday but the people are super friendly (they talk to me haha), the teachers really know their stuff, and I have all the freedom I could want (aka I can leave for lunch and leave at the end of the day early because I don't have a last period class). However, I am a new kid so of course it’s going to take me a few weeks to adjust and really get to know the people in my classes, but I have to say, so far I love it. I was VERY excited about going back to “real school” from online school, but I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous. I was going to be a new kid senior year. I thought people wouldn’t really care to get to know me because they already had their friends, posses, and cliques. But I was open to talking to anyone and I think that really helped. I was thinking about writing a post on how to be a new kid, so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in reading... I have plenty of experience and plenty to write about. Anyway, I just thought I’d pop in and give y’all a little update. Sorry for the lack of posts around here lately, I’ve been busy adjusting to being a senior at a new school!

xox Chloe

Free Binder Covers

Well, I promised that there would be new free binder covers out soon, and I’ve kept the promise by following up with more cute binder covers. I decided to keep it preppy with the color combos + stripes, because I think a lot of you will really like them… I know I love ‘em. We truly think that cute school supplies can make an entire school year more bearable, so we've got you covered when it comes to amping up the cuteness factor of those ugly and plain binders. Click the links below to download a black canvas so that you can enter your own class names in the circle! But. they work for anything -- in fact, my mom is even using them around the house for things like take-out menus  and papers for me and my brother. Hope you like this new design as much as the first set. Free binder covers for the win!

Also, if you use them be sure to post a picture on Twitter or Instagram and tag us @popcosmo and we will totes love you forever and ever. ;)

back to school and office supply binder cover templates

DIY binder covers

free downloadable binder insert | takeout menus

DIY binder covers for school and home

DOWNLOAD pink+teal DOWNLOAD blue+greenDOWNLOAD navy+pink

xox Chloe

First Day Of School

back to school outfit

My last week of summer is officially coming to and end. I don’t know how the heck summer went by so fast; I seriously still feel like it’s June. But school is about to start and that means constant outfits that don’t just consist of exercise clothes. Also, I don’t know if you all know this, but I will be going back to real school which means I will be a new kid my senior year. This is the first year that I don’t have a uniform since 5th grade so I think my mornings will lead to very messy floors. Anyways, this is what I am planning on wearing my first day of school. I think it says “I want to look cute but not like I’m trying too hard.” Right? All I know for sure is that I like it so… ;)

shoes | jeans | top | backpack | nail polish | water bottle

What are you planning on wearing your first day of school? I’d love to hear!

xox Chloe

DIY Graphic Tee

blah blah blah diy graphic tee | popcosmo

What's one item I could wear with everything? A graphic tee... every time I walk into J.Crew I want another one! But they are breaking the bank, so I turned to my trusty Cricut Explore, which had been getting dusty while we moved and I was away this summer. It's definitely time to start playing with it again since it is so versatile and makes the most complicated craft ridiculously easy! The best part? That's my handwriting. Mhmm. I officially have the coolest shirt around town - my own DIY graphic tee.

tee: Gap | necklace: Ela Design Studio | sunnies: Ray-Ban

Supplies: T-shirt Cricut Iron-on Cricut Iron Ironing board Tea Towel or t-shirt

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Feel free to use our .png file below! Then we can be twinsies with the same shirt ;)

Directions: 1. Cut Cricut Iron-On a little larger than the words you are printing and place it shiny side down on mat. Load into the Cricut and follow directions. 2. Be sure to check the box for "Iron On" so that your words will be backward. (This will make sure that when you actually iron on it will be in the right direction) 3. Peel the extra Iron-On material off of the transfer sheet and make sure that no little "extras" are still on your design. 4. Center the design on your shirt and iron onto shirt with a tea towel in between the iron and the Iron-On material. 5. Sit back and admire... then wear what's sure to become your DIY favorite graphic tee and rake in the compliments.

cute graphic tee

DIY graphic tees

blahblahshirt

Disclosure:  We are members of the Cricut Blogger Network and received product in exchange for review but as usual all opinions are 100% our own. 

Homemade Hibiscus Pomegranate Granola

Onli Homemade Granola

As you might have noticed, we’ve been posting a lot of recipes lately! I don’t know if it’s just that we have a better kitchen in our new house in Denver, or if I’ve just been enjoying making my own food over going out. Whatever it is, I’m loving it. Onli Beverages was nice enough to send me a few drinks to try out and I decided to get creative with it. With my cousin Aly visiting, we made Onli flavored granola. Seriously? Yes, and this homemade granola is beyond delicious.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of oats 1 cup puffed rice 1/4 cup sliced almonds (or other nuts) 6-8 ounces of Onli Hibiscus Pomegranate Aronia 1 egg white 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons honey (add more for sweeter granola) 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the oats, puffed rice, and almonds in a bowl. Mix everything else in another bowl. Then combine the two bowls into one. Stir it all until the liquid is absorbed. (You might need to add more oats or puffed rice to help) Lay all the granola on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Put your granola in the oven for 15 minutes, then stir and put it back in for another 15 minutes. (If you want it to be super crunchy, then you can put it in for longer).

Homemade Granola Ingredients

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola | PopCosmo

Granola Recipe

granola

how to make granola | PopCosmo

This should make a batch for about three people so feel free to double or triple the recipe. We ate ours over yogurt and we've learned that we need to keep a constant supply on hand. Onli has a ton of flavors so we definitely want to experiment with the rest of them! If you try this recipe out be sure to tag us (@popcosmo) and @ONLIbeverages in the picture! We might be biased, but we think it's the best homemade granola you'll ever eat!

xox, Chloe