Pickleball was invented in 1965 by two Dads who wanted their families to have fun. The game combines badminton, ping pong, and tennis.Try pickleball this weekend. Get your gear and get started.
First off, you need good paddles. This pickleball paddle starter set comes with two paddles and balls. It’s well rated with reviewers praising its durability and grip.
This colorful striped pickleball paddle setis also well-rated. Users love its quality, durability , and cute fashion. Plus, the set comes with four pickleballs and a bag.
If you’re looking for a spacious bag to hold your pickleball gear, this crossbody bag might be the one. Users rave that it holds a lot of stuff with ample pockets and storage for all your stuff, including paddles, socks, shoes, towels, bottles, and more.
Who doesn’t need more pickleballs? This 3-ball set, available in green, pink , and blue, is a standout on the court.
Next, add some style to your game. Rock these pickleball socks, which users say are comfortable, soft, and cushioned. Wear thispickleball queen tank to show your opponents that you’re pickleball royalty.
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Fruit is making a stylish statement this season. From sour cherries, tart lemons, and sweet strawberries to refreshing watermelon, juicy peaches, delicious kiwi, and more, fashion and decor are inspired by fruits.
Adding fruit accents to your home or personal style can be charming, light-hearted, and playful. Many pieces look vintage, as if they’re from the 1950s Italian Riviera. Others are modern, bold, and juicy. Some pieces seem seasonal, while others can be enjoyed year-round.
Just in time for Amazon Prime Day, now’s the time to squeeze the opportunity to try fun, fruity styles. From purse charms to kitchen towels to shoes, shirts, and more, let fresh fruit guide the way to summer style. Click the links to check out the products mentioned.
Fruity, fresh footwear
Cherries are having a big moment this season, and these cherry Crocs are the perfect combination of trendy and comfortable.
Pamper your feet with these fun, bold slides. These red, black, and green cherry slides are bursting with style and cheeky whimsy.
Kick up your relaxation with these comfy strawberry slippers, which will keep your feet warm year-round. These are also available in other fruity themes, including peaches, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon.
Fruit-inspired kitchen items
Towels are an easy way to mix and match with fruit patterns while cooking or entertaining. This set of two flour sack strawberry towels looks sweet, and they’re well-rated and durable.
You’ll be smiling when you use these “Hello Summer” 3 pack of dishtowels featuring peaches, watermelon, and pineapple. They add wonderful pops of color to your kitchen while being functional, too.
These lemon- and lime-colored Limoncello kitchen towels look elegant. They’ll do double duty for dish drying and overall decor. The towels are highly rated and praised for their beauty and quality.
Snuggle up with your favorite fruit! This cozy strawberry blanket is available in two sizes and multiple patterns.
Add some tropical fun to your space with these vibrant Kiwi throw pillows. The pillows, sold as a set of two, are 14 inches and look like slices of the fuzzy fruit. Whether you use them as outdoor decor or as a throw pillow for your bed or couch, these kiwis will get a lot of attention.
Up your entertaining with these lemon shaped appetizer plates. Whether you’re serving sauces or small snacks like nuts, your guests will rave about these colorful dishes.
You’ll smile when you pour your favorite hot drink into this cherry coffee mug. Reviewers love this wide-rimmed mug for its cute look and its quality.
Fruity fashion
Wear your favorite fruit on a shirt. This strawberry t-shirt features a boho look, and reviewers describe it as soft and vibrant.
You’ll wear this Limoncello t-shirt all year. It’s effortlessly chic and can be paired with jeans, shorts, or a skirt to create a variety of looks. Reviewers say it’s soft and high quality.
If you’ve always had a sunny outlook on life, you’ll need this “Just Peachy” shirt. Praised for its softness and stretch, this tee is available in a variety of colors, including gray, green, cream, and pink.
Men can get in on the fruit-inspired trend, too. These men’s pineapple swim shorts are highly rated, with Amazon reviewers praising their pockets, vibrant colors, and ability to dry fast.
Speaking of color, some Hawaiian shirts are wild with color and zany designs. But this men’s Hawaiian tropical shirt — in a blue background and a mix of tropical fruits — is full of charm without being too much.
Fruit Accessories
Add a little something extra to your look with some playful fruit accessories. These leather purse charms are available in various fruit options, including orange, blueberry, apple, avocado, and more. This faux leather cherry coin purse charm is adorable and makes such a statement. Similar purse charms sell for a lot more.
Grab a piece of summer with these dangly fruit-themed earrings. These lemon wedges are an attention getter. These lightweight, statement earrings are also available as watermelon and orange slices.
Fruit styles, especially cherries and lemons, are having a fashion moment. And the trend is not going away anytime soon. So go ahead, snag your favorite fruit fashions and accessories, and start enjoying this fruit-forward style.
Holiday travel season is almost here. That means packing suitcases, carry-ons and managing accessories while on-the-go. More than ever, it’s important to be organized.
I recently traveled for work and before I went to the airport, I prearranged the essentials including my tickets, ID, money and gadgets. Instead of stashing everything in my purse or computer bag, I kept it all neatly packed away in a rollup bag.
Great Useful Stuff sent me their TechAway Travel Roll, a tote that has a place for all the basics you need to have handy when traveling, including charging cords, earbuds, passport, sunglasses and other gear.
The TechAway Travel Rolls come in three colors: black, hunter green and the cabernet red. I received the cabernet red, a sophisticated deep burgundy shade. The bag retails for $25, an affordable price for keeping all the essentials in one handy, secure place.
It’s sturdy and held all my gear and gadgets. I’m already planning my next trip and know this travel roll will be making the trek with me.
Ready for animal prints, power tailoring and sequins? Sounds like you’re ready for fall fashion 2018!
Autumn is here and I’m excited to show you the hot looks for this cool time of year. Neiman Marcus invited me to their fall fashion preview so here’s what you can expect when you’re shopping this season.
This season, women are going to be wearing a lot of what Alex Yáñez, stylist for Neiman Marcus at San Diego’s Fashion Valley, calls “peacock colors.” That means saturated blues and greens for a bold, eye-catching pallet.
The power pantsuit is back too. Tailored suiting, including double-breasted jackets and strong shoulders, is very in vogue.
Leather is making a big statement this season as well. Whether you choose matte or patent leather, you can rock this look head-to-toe.
Get ready to roar! Autumn is all about animal prints including zebra, tiger, and leopard, as well as other amazing prints. Feel free to mix, match and layer this wild and sexy style.
Who says sequins or just for parties and night time? Yáñez and his team at Neiman Marcus say you can wear sequins day or night – shine any time you want.
When it comes to accessories, expect to see western wear like cowboy boots a lot this year, as well as lace up boots. It’s a 90’s throwback but a definite must this season.
Top flap handbags both slouchy and structured are going to be the it bag.
And when it comes to jewelry, look out for crystals and jet black jewelry – very dramatic! Finish your ensemble with a glow. Luminous skin is going to be all the rage this fall.
For men, autumn is all about tech tailoring. Thank innovative suits that blend both performance and function.
Guys will be rocking turtlenecks, velvet and velour too. Men will bundle up during cold weather with a performance parka – both cozy and cool.
For accessories, men will be wearing chunky runner shoes with an exaggerated sole. That’s definitely fun and functional footwear.
Men’s styling is going to include a lot of utilitarian details including cargo pockets camouflage this time of year. Expect accent colors in shades of wine, burgundy and blue.
What fall fashion pieces and trends are your “must-have” looks this season?
The Royal Wedding is days away and I’m swooning over wedding details for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
I love weddings and royal weddings are no exception. They’re large events where no detail is overlooked! I’m looking forward to the Markle’s dress, accessories and her hair/makeup. She’s always very stylish and I’m sure her wedding look won’t disappoint.
Oleg Cassini and David’s Bridal are celebrating the royal wedding too. They sent me this sparkly crystal cupcake along with this wedding book, “Oleg Cassini The Wedding Dress.”
I’ve had fun looking through the book and reminiscing about past royal weddings and other notable I Do’s.
The 320-page book details Cassini designs over the years, including runway looks, the history of wearing white, the significance of wearing a touch of blue, and the history of bridal styles.
Cassini was also the personal stylist to former first Lady Jackie Kennedy throughout her life. After she wore his strapless empire waist design, the style became a hit. It’s a still the number one dress choice for brides.
The royal wedding happens this Saturday, May 19. It’s an early day with tv coverage of the nuptials starting at 4:30 am EDT, which for me is 1:30 am PDT. Maybe I’ll just stay up Friday night so I won’t miss a thing!
I love a pretty manicure! I almost always wear nail polish and in a variety of colors. I like everything from soft pinks and sexy reds to bold blues and vibrant oranges, and everything in between.
This spring I’m loving pastels. That’s why I was eager to try the “Bridal Bliss” collection from Zoya. They sent me the complimentary set of polishes, which are available in so many sweet and subtle shades, ranging from creams like “Chantal” to a classic pink named “Bella.”
I couldn’t decide which polish to use first so I tried something new – I created a mix and match manicure. I used five different shades, one for each finger and repeated the look on both hands.
For my thumb, I used “McKenna,” a taupe shade; for the index finder, “Rue” a mauve shade; “Abby,” a lavender for my middle finger; a pastel “Blu” for my ring finger; and “Leia,” an opal-toned white/pink for my pinky.
I love the colors and I’m really happy with this look! Plus, the mani has staying power. I’ve been typing, doing dishes and running errands and the polish has held up well.
This week is Spring Break in our house and a movie night is a welcome opportunity for fun.
Last night, my sons and I got to attend a complimentary preview screening of the new animated kids’ movie, “Sherlock Gnomes.” The movie comes out today and it’s an entertaining film for the whole family.
Here’s the premise: garden gnomes in London are disappearing. Detective Sherlock Gnomes and his sidekick, Watson, along with two gnomes named, Gnomeo and Juliet, are searching for clues to find missing garden gnomes.
Among the highlights:
Johnny Depp portrays Sherlock Gnomes. He plays the character with a mix of snark and sophistication and I loved it.
The movie references both “Sherlock Holmes” and “Romeo and Juliet.” My 9-year-old liked how characters from two stories could share the screen. I agree – a nice touch and it familiarizes kids with more literature and characters.
I really liked how every time Sherlock is thinking about a clue, the screen swirls into a black and white actively-animated dream-like sequence. For example, in one scene, he’s looking at a playing card with a black “9” and a scuff in the corner of the number. He’s trying to remember where he’s seen that “9” and that scuff before. So, in his daydream, we see lots of “9” – the number is in his bed, on an escalator, etc. He’s processing the information and so are we! This daydream is a lovely way of showing kids (and adults) how the brain processes information.
The movie features lots of Elton John songs and – spoiler alert – in one scene early on in the film, there’s a garden gnome that very much resembles the “Tiny Dancer” singer. At the end credits, I realized Elton John is one of the executive producers of the movie. His music is timeless and I’m happy this is a way to introduce his music to a new generation.
If you have long hair, you know the importance of having a ponytail holder at the ready. Often times that means keeping hair elastics in your pocket, your purse or on your wrist.
Wearing a ponytail holder on your wrist can pinch and that hurts, which is why I’m intrigued about an inventive product: hairband bracelets from Maria Shireen.
The concept is simple and stylish – wear a bracelet that has a “channel” to hold the hair tie in place. The silver or gold bracelet is fashionable and functional. They even have plastic ones for kids and teens!
I was excited to try one out. Since I frequently write about weddings, Maria Shireen’s team sent me a bracelet from their wedding collection. It’s silver and comes with a baby blue hair tie. I can picture brides and bridesmaids wearing these bracelets throughout wedding planning and all the celebrations, including the reception and after parties.
I’ve been enjoying wearing the bracelet which is cute and comfortable. Best of all, finding my hair tie to pull my hair back onto a ponytail is easier than ever!
Think about it: you’ll always have your ponytail holder nearby. No more searching the house, office or your bag for a hairtie because you’ll have one ready-to-go on your bracelet.
The bracelet looks pretty on its own and can be worn separate from the hairtie. When worn together, it’s hard to tell you’re rocking a ponytail with your bracelet.
Kristen Castillo 