Chris/Kris Talks

ChristinaKristin Talk


We are wrapping up our four year anniversary celebration this month on the 9th, exactly four years and one month from the day we started this blog in 2012. It was a little rough this year trying to get things in order after a three day festival we participated in at the end of June.  We haven't even gotten to have a celebratory toast yet, so we are giving ourselves one more week, to get it done. Lets start with our annual ChrisKris Talk interview! We asked you to help us with the questions for each other. We combined your questions with our own. We hope this gives you the insight you were hoping for.

         Kristin: What has been the best moment of your life so far? 

 Christina: Anytime I’ve been asked this question I have the same answer. Living in NYC has by far been the best moment of my life.

Kristin: What is your number one regret?

Christina:This answer coincides with the first question, leaving New York too soon is my number one regret.  Although things happen for a reason, I always wonder how my life would be if I had stayed.

      Kristin: What is the best style advice anyone has ever given to you?

 Christina:This wasn’t necessarily advice, more like scolding and it’s related to grooming. My grandmother was very particular about nails, she would always say “If you’re going to polish them fine, but when that polish starts chipping, take it off or don’t wear it at all. All of your nails need to be the same length make sure they are filed.” Because of this these days I very rarely polish my nails, and I cut them short and even.

     Kristin: What is the one thing you have a hard time throwing away?

 Christina: I have a hard time throwing away magazines. My obsession is much more under control these days, but I still have many magazines from the late 90’s to early 2000’s.

Kristin: What are some strange places that you shop for fashion and have found cool items?

Christina: The sex store, yes the place where you buy vibrators, oil, etc. I find stylish leotards, tights, gloves and lacy socks here.

Christina:  What's your philosophy in life?

Kristin:  I'd say my philosophy in life is our motto.Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable! To me the moto means to enjoy your blessings, being free to be creative and happy and I  believe that with everything we do in life, it should be done in style and with style.

Christina:  What's one thing that people always misunderstand about you?

Kristin: People think that I am mean and weird. Lol. I claim the weird. Most creative people have really different personalities. I CAN be mean but I am usually very warm and accepting of others. I am just really honest about things that people don't always want to hear. I also wear my thoughts on my face. If I don't like something or somebody, most days my face will give me away. Again, I think that is a sign of honesty. People see those things as mean.

  
Christina: What's on your bucket list this year?

Kristin: I really did not make a bucket list this year but one thing I hope to do is finish the Columbus Ale Trail. I have so many lists of places I want to go and things I want to get done, I just hope to cross off items from my last three seasonal lists.

Christina:  If you could style or make jewelry for anyone in the world who would it be?Why?

Kristin: I would love to make jewelry for Solange. I love her style. 

Christina:  You go on many adventures in Ohio, what place has been your favorite?, or 
where have you found the best items?

Kristin: My favorite Ohio adventure changes all the time as I explore more. It was the Lake Erie area like Put in Bay and Port Clinton, it's been West Liberty, Ohio and now recently,  Toledo. I just visited Toledo last month for the Fourth of July weekend. I went to their beautiful zoo and checked out the original Tony Packos and a local brewery.

I have found the best things in antique shops in Circleville, shops in Berlin ( Amish Country) and in a place called Timber Tunes in Johnstown.

Until next time,

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!

ChristinaKristin  

 

 

Four Years!!!

 

It has been four years for us as bloggers but due to the social climate at the current moment, we have gotten a late start in celebrating. We all needed time to adjust and focus on the things around us that were really important. We have taken a moment to do just that and though there is still so much to be done, we have to figure out how to help resolve our issues while maintaining some normalcy in our lives. With everything going on, it was hard to celebrate anything, but Saturday we silently celebrated four years as bloggers. We have written four years of blogs about how we live our lives in style, how we save money on season trends and the small business brands that we have grown to love. We are so happy that you are still interested in what we have to say.  We want you to celebrate with us the rest of this month. We have a couple of giveaways planned, as well as new blog series we have been wanting to introduce for a while now.

The last few years we have interviewed each other for a series we call 'ChristinaKristin Talks'. This year we thought we would allow you to ask us questions that we will include in this post. We will be accepting questions on all of our social media outlets as well as the blog comment section. Ask us anything you have ever wanted to know? We will do our best to answer! We will take questions until Friday July 15. Check out our past 'ChristinaKristin  Talks' posts from past anniversaries below.



ChristinaKristin Talks 1 Year Anniversary 
ChristinaKristin Talks 3 Year Anniversary

Stay Tuned! There is so much more to come!

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable! 

Kris,

It's Our Third Anniversary!!! ChrisKris Talk

 ChristinaKristin Talk

Today we celebrate three years as style bloggers! We have been sharing our style tips and lives with you for three years. It has been both enjoyable and challenging planning and writing blog posts each week. I still get excited to see your comments or meet you in my daily routine. I am still really shocked when someone tells me, they follow the blog and appreciate what we do. It feels wonderful to know that even though it seems quiet, someone is actually listening and paying attention. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog! Happy 3rd Blogiversary to us!

Kristin,

Thank you for following along with us during this blogging journey.Without you the readers, our blog would be pointless. It is my hope that our fashion blog or personal blogs have inspired you in some way.

Chris,

Kristin: What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?

Christina: When I wake in the morning my first thoughts are ..." I gotta get my life together, tired of getting up early to go work for someone, can't wait to live a life of time freedom, no more time clocks"!

Kristin: What is the greatest lesson you have learned?

Christina: The greatest lesson I have learned is not to be afraid to do things by myself. I'm at a point in my life where friendships have evolved to a new place and lifestyles have changed, thus leaving me to do things on my own. As a woman, a black woman at that, fear can be instilled in us to not do anything alone, but living in NYC by myself has shown me differently. I recently went to a 3-day conference in Atlanta alone, people were really shocked to hear that, but I had a GREAT time, and enjoyed being alone for a few days!

Kristin: Who are some of your favorite bloggers?

Christina: My favorite bloggers are Happy Black Woman, which I have mentioned many times. New blogs I started following are This American Girl, Mr. Kate and Naptural85.

Kristin: What styles are you crushing on currently?

Christina: I am in love with the ethnic and tribal prints, I wear a lot of ethnic looking accessories, so I pretty much fall in love when I walk in to stores like Nordstrom or Target and I see rows and rows of ethnic printed merchandise.

Kristin: If you could switch closets with any celebrity, who would it be?

Christina: I would have to say Solange, I'm in love with her bohemian style. 

Christina: What Makes you the happiest?

Kristin: I am happiest when I am traveling. Something about going somewhere I have never been is exhilarating. It is the greatest high. It doesn't matter to me if it's just a small town in Ohio, a city in another state or somewhere over seas. I am always excited to explore the topography and taste local fare.

Christina: If you did not have a career in fashion, what would you be doing?

Kristin: I feel like this is part two of the first question. I would be a travel writer, I think. I may still do that later in my life. It's possible. I love to travel and I enjoy sharing the places I have been. That is part of the reason I started my personal blog. I was doing a lot of local travel during a time when people were struggling. I don't have a regular job or a lot of money and I wanted to share the cool places in Ohio I was visiting with those who wanted to travel but couldn't afford to go to New York, Florida or Belize. I wanted to make it clear that exploring your state or city can be just as exciting as going out of state or over seas. Travel experiences are what you make them.

Christina: What other blogs do you read?

Kristin: I read lots of different kinds of blogs. I have included links.

Fashion:

I GO By Frankie

Beckerman Blog

Style Pantry

A Love Affair With Fashion 

Advanced Style

Travel:

A Dangerous Business

Cool Young History

Discovering Ohio

Lifestyle And Personal Growth:

Columbus Living

Women Can Grow

Closet Cooking

Christina: What was your favorite childhood television program? Why?

Kristin: I had to ask my mom. She said I liked the Smurfs. I remember my grandma was great at drawing. I remember I had giant smurf drawings on my bedroom wall. I also recall loving Jem and the Holograms. I would clap when Jem's band would battle the Misfits and win. I am a fan of any show, movie or person with an an alter ego! Jerrica/Jem, Super heroes like Bruce Wayne/Batman and Beyonce/Sasha Fierce. Lol

Christina: Who are your favorite designers? Why are they your favorite?

Kristin:  I love Betsey Johnson, Alexander McQueen Label, Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld. Betsey brings the color and fun. Marc Jacobs's style is fresh and cool. The McQueen house brings drama and Lagerfeld keeps Chanel Sophisticated and Classy.

  Until next time, 

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

ChristinaKristin,

Chris's/Kris's Closet (Kristin) December 13, 2014

Kris's Closet

In this blog post you will get a glimpse of pieces in my closet, learn where I found them

 and where I wore them.  

My name is Kristin. Welcome to my closet!

Saturday I spent the day in Amish Country on the Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns. The 7th annual tour was held Saturday and Sunday. Twelve Amish Country Inns hosted the event and provided beautiful holiday décor for our viewing pleasure in addition to a special cookie to take away or eat if you wanted. I had a big Amish style breakfast and the Inns provided finger foods to eat, so I saved all of my cookies for later. The theme of this years event was 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. All the Inns were assigned one of the twelve days to incorporate into their holiday decorations. I had a great time exploring Amish Country which included a few stops in between the Inns to visit food markets and bakeries. My favorite stop was Broad Run Cheese House & Swiss Heritage Winery. Saturday was foggy but warm so I layered up and left the coat at home. This was my look for my day in Amish Country.

Dress: Kenneth Cole Reaction (Thrift)
Button Front: New York & Co (Thrift) 
Tweed Blazer: Style & Co. (Thrift)
Boots: Chinese Laundry (Old) 
Bracelet: My grandma's 
Earrings: Found in Amish Country
Sunglasses: Quay Yibrow
Brooch: It was my Grandma's 
Leopard Santa Hat: My Creation

Until next time,

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!

Kris,

Berlin Resort in Berlin, Ohio

Chris's/Kris's Closet (Kristin) September 13, 2014

Kris's Closet

In this blog post you will get a glimpse of pieces in my closet, learn where I found them

 and where I wore them.  

My name is Kristin. Welcome to my closet!

Saturday was a blast! I spent the first part of my day in Lake Snowden, Ohio at the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. I learned about the forgotten North American Pawpaw fruit. I tasted many pawpaw dishes and products including pawpaw beer. I made friends with a alpaca and listened to some great bands. I picked up a few souvenirs like fresh pawpaws, a personalized leather bracelet and a recycled bird feed tote. Then I spent the evening in Bremen, Ohio by a bonfire and riding through the woods in a Razor ATV. My look was determined by the cool weather and the fact that we were headed to the country. It was a little glam and a lot country. It was 'Country Glam'! This is what I wore.

Blouse: Bellatrix bow blouse(old)alternative choices

(Option 1)(option 2)

Overalls:  Blue Western Retro by ChicNova

Fedora: My late grandpa's (Check out this pie hat)

Cowboy Boots: Crush by Durango Boots Western Scallop Boot

Sunglasses: Cole Haan Cateye (old)alternative choices

(option 1)(option 2)

Ring: Harlem street vendor

Handbag: Louis Vuitton

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!

Kris,

Chris's/Kris's Closet (Kristin) August 29, 2014

Kris's Closet

In this blog post you will get a glimpse of pieces in my closet, learn where I found them

 and where I wore them.  

My name is Kristin. Welcome to my closet!

It has been a while since either of us has posted and the summer is coming to a close. My apologies. I have had a very busy summer exploring the city with my nephew and the state with my big guy. Honestly, I have been more comfortable than stylish in most occasions and when I did get dressed, I was so in the moment that I didn't take the time to pose for photos. Well, this past Friday I went to the Fashion Meets Music Fest in Columbus. With the season changing, I took advantage of the clearance rack at Forever 21 and put together a quick outfit. Literally, I was in and out in less than twenty minutes. For the Fest I wanted to be stylish ad fun since it was both a fashion and music festival. The shirt and skirt was around $19 including tax. This is what I came up with.

Shirt: Forever 21 clearance rack $7

Parrot Skirt:  Forever 21 clearance rack $10

Belt: 80's vintage (I added the red wooden bead)

Lace Bra: Victoria's Secret

Ear cuff: My late father's jewelry box

Necklace: Vintage

Bracelets:hautelook.com

Sunglasses: D&G Aviators

Handbag: Thrift Store

Shoes: Believe it or not I am wearing Naturalizer slide on wedges!

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!

Kris,

Fashion Meets Music Fest Highlights!

I really enjoyed the Festival. I love fashion and music both so much that the idea of this festival was a dream. I have to say while the festival was entertaining, it fell a little short for me. I spent all of Friday there and felt the festival could have been better organized. Maybe I had high hopes. Since the Festival is very new, I expect that it will only get better. The positives were learning of the different fashion groups in the city along with the designers that utilize their resources. One of my favorite showcases was Torn Angel which was a part of the Alternative Fashion Mob showcase on Friday. The music portion was even better, I saw Michelle Williams and was so enamored by her.  I have always been a fan of Destiny's Child, specifically Kelly and Beyonce but I became a fan of Michelle that day. She was charming, sweet and felt so relatable. She even walked into the crowd where she shook hands, hugged and took selfies with the crowd. I left wanting to purchase her album. It comes out this month on the 9th.

 

Happy Nappy Gal! Going Straight

Going Straight

It will be two years in September that I did my big chop and went natural. Don't worry, I am still very natural and plan to remain that way until my last day. Thursday I decided to get my hair washed, trimmed and flat ironed. It was the first time my hair had been straightened since I started this natural hair journey. I have to say that while I love being natural and realize how versatile it is, once straight I started missing my natural curls immediately. I noticed things that I forgot were an issue in my previous hair life, like needing to pull my hair back during activities like cooking and putting on make-up. I forgot how annoying it is to constantly collect the hair from your glossy lips when the wind blows. Wind is currently not my friend. It has also been quite warm this past few days and long straight hair on your shoulders is just plain hot and not in the good way. While I understand that I am not my hair, thank you India Arie, I feel a little less unique with my straight hair in a world 

where most women are wigged, weaved or relaxed.While the only thing between my straight and curly predicament is really just a good douse of water, I am doing my best to hold out because who knows how long it will be before I do this again. While natural curly hair may not be everyone's idea of beauty, I notice that many of us are natural or going natural. We are changing the way we look at ourselves and slowly changing the ideals of those around us. With that said, I can't wait until a full week is over so I can happily embrace my big hair again.

 

Do you prefer your hair straight or curly?

Be blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Kris, 

What's Up With ChristinaKristin?

Happy Hump Day ChrisKris supporters! Christina and I know it 's been a little quiet lately so we wanted to inform you of some new things we have been working on. We have two new additions to the blog. We have finally set up a Poshmark account, so that you can shop from our closets. You can find our shop through the tab labeled 'shop our closet' on our home page. There is also a new section called '(Kris)tin's World' where you will find my personal insights about life, food, travel and more in a new blog called 'Once Upon A Stylish Life' (Chris)tina's World is also on it's way. 

*Update as of 4/3/14 (Chris)tina's World premiers today at 1:00pm.


With the warmer seasons finally here, look for a steady stream of posts like our Top 5 Spring Trends, Chris's/Kris's Closet, Style Adventures and Her Style/My Way.Until then check out the latest posts on onceuponastylishlife.blogspot.com

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!
Kris,