Category: Gear
DDCC Activewear 20% Off
| November 14, 2013 | Gear, Reviews |
You know what I love, clothing designed and made in the U. S. of A.! DDCC women’s activewear does just that. Made in San Francisco, DDCC makes adorable workout clothes.
DDCC is an acronym for Dirty Diana’s Clean Clothes because founder/designer Diana Mitchell believes that if you live right, you get a little dirty in the process. Such a cute name!
I was able to try out one of DDCC’s amazing designs, the Sporty, a white and orchid zip-up hoodie. Can I just say that this is the most vertsatile zip-up ever? I can wear it to grab groceries, as a cover-up at yoga or on my colder runs. It’s perfect for so many things and I can’t wait to wear it all winter long.
I really love that the hood is a purple color because it definitely makes it stand out from other plain white hoodies.
Even better?! DDCC is offering Simply Nicole readers an exclusive 20% off! Just use code “SimplyDDCC” at checkout to get the discount.
DDCC is also taking part in a kickstarter program! The money raised from their kickstarter program will go towards the production costs for the activewear collection.
At $17,000 they can buy the fabric, trims and cutting/sewing for the cotton and supplex garments in 5 styles/3 colors. At their stretch goal of $25,000, they can also produce the entire spring collection, including the cover-ups and lifestyle garments. At $30,000 they will be able to meet the minimums to mill their own fabric, allowing them to use Certified Organic Cotton for the cotton activewear items.
Currently, the kickstarter program has over $3,000, but still has a ways to go to reach their $17,000 goal. If you’d be interested in backing the program, please visit their kickstarter homepage here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2121717199/ddcc-activewear. They are such a fantastic brand! The kickstarter is open until December 12th at 8PM eastern.
Talk to Me
- Do you buy products more often if they are made in the USA?
- What’s the last locally grown/made item you’ve purchased?
- What’s your favorite item from the DDCC line?
Cold Weather Essentials
| November 6, 2013 | Fashion, Gear, Holiday |
Although the temperatures are quickly getting colder, the fall/winter season is my favorite time of year. Everything from listening to Christmas songs, watching peaceful snowfalls, creating traditions and finding the perfect gift gets me excited for the season. *Side note: I’m actually listening to some Michael Buble Christmas music as I write this.
That being said, I still have to retire my summer clothes and start organizing my snow gear. If I put away my thin sweaters already I’d have so much more room in my closet for these goodies, which I’ve added to my wishlist this year.
1. Urban Outfitters BDG Zoe Sweater
2. Bath and Body Works Flannel Candle
3. UGG Grandle Boot
4. Patagonia Re-Tool Snap T Fleece Pullover
5. Roots Varsity Sweatpants
6. J.Crew Long Cashmere Gloves
There’s not many things on my wishlist this year, but many of the things on there are for the cold weather. A week ago, I tried on all of my sweaters that I typically wear this time of year and more than half of them have lost their shape and have gotten really stretched out on the bottoms. [Even after washing them and lying them flat]. Then I realized… I haven’t purchased new winter clothes since right after I graduated with my masters degree and that was a few years ago now! So I have to know, what is on your wishlist this year?
Talk to Me
- Do you generally put practical or non-practical things on your wishlist?
- What items are you looking forward to this year?
- What’s your favorite go-to cold weather accessory?
Quick At Home Workout
| October 30, 2013 | Fitfluential, Gear, Reviews |
The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Puma.
I participated in FitFluential’s Puma Campaign this month and had the opportunity to try out Puma’s FormLite XT Ultras, the Tech Performance Long Tank, and the Tech Performance 3/4 Pants. And since there’s no point in reviewing a product unless you actually yanno… TRY it out, I put together a quick workout for you all!
Since I’m getting married next May, you know that I’m trying to simply tone up a bit – specifically my arms and bootay! You might not be getting ready for a wedding, but I wanted to share with you a quick at home workout you can do anytime. I hope you all enjoy!
You know what I love? Quality work out gear. Gear that doesn’t get stretched out over the course of the day. Gear that is lightweight and doesn’t restrict me when I’m trying to get my lunges and squats on. I am so pleased with Puma. I honestly haven’t owned a pair of Puma’s since high school and I’m ashamed that I waited this long to try them again.
Get ready for some selfies! Even better I did them Myspace style. If you don’t know what I’m talking about… then I just feel old.
FormLite XT Ultra Wn’s: These sneakers are so flexible. I’m not even joking. I can bend these babies back and forth and they don’t ever lose their shape, which makes them perfect for cross training. They provide great cushioning and support for my arches as well. And the most amazing thing about them is how light they are. Literally, they feel like a feather.
Tech Performance Long Tank: I’ve never owned a more comfortable workout top in my life. Most of my tops are very form fitting, but recently, I’ve been wanting a more flowy top that I can use during yoga and while I’m lifting weights. Anyone else hate the feeling of tight tops under your arms? This top from PUMA is perfect for every type of activity because it wicks away sweat and allows you to move freely! Plus I am LOVING the neon yellowish green color.
Tech Performance Slim 3/4 Pants: I’m not going to lie… I already own a few pairs of workout capris. However, this pair is amazing because they stay put. During my workout I never had to pull them down or adjust them. Just like the long tank, these are also moisture wicking. No more sweaty legs!
Talk to Me
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Which Puma gear have you tried recently?
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Do you prefer flowy or more fitted tops at the gym?
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Do you buy more neutral colored sneakers or bright colored ones?
My Favorite Healthy Kitchen Gadgets
| October 12, 2013 | Gear |
Over the past few years, I’ve grown to love the kitchen. Back in college you couldn’t catch me in my mini kitchen for longer than 5 minutes – those 5 minutes were typically spent pouring cereal, making coffee, or throwing together random vegetables and calling it a salad. Most of the time my room-mate and I would just go out to eat, because it was easier and more convenient due to living next door to dozens of restaurants and bars.
These days, my fiancé and I rarely ever eat out and I prefer it that way. I truly love researching new recipes, food shopping and spending longer than 5 minutes in the kitchen for a healthy and delicious dinner. Since moving in together a couple years ago, we have acquired some really great items for the kitchen, such as our juicer and blender seen below. However, there are tons of other kitchen gadgets that I’d love to own and have added to our wedding registries. *Here’s to hoping we get that water filter, because our current one is on its way out.
Links: 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6.
Talk to Me
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What’s your favorite healthy kitchen gadgets?
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If you could buy any thing at all for your kitchen (regardless of price) what would it be?
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Do you prefer baking or cooking?
Weekend Recap (8/16- 8/18)
| August 19, 2013 | Gear, Races, Weekend Recap |
Good morning. It’s Monday again, folks. I had a pretty good weekend. Very relaxing and actually had the chance to take a few naps. How was your weekend?
Friday
On Friday after work, I stopped by Sports Authority to pick up our packets for the Drenched 5K. Luckily, there was no line when I got there. Sometimes the packet pickups are crazy! This one was smooth sailing. I even got a 20% coupon and found the sneakers I’ve been looking for.
They are the Nike free runs + 3. Since they are an older model, they were on clearance. I ended up paying only $50 for them. Talk about a great deal! Other than stopping at Sports Authority, I didn’t do much on Friday. I did however, get some yoga done. I’m working on my crow and side crow. I can finally get into the pose, but now I need to learn to breath and hold it longer.
Saturday
Our alarm went off at 6AM on Saturday because Leslee and her BF were on their way to our house. They got here at 7AM and we got into the car and drove down to Philly for the Drenched 5K.
I’ve determined that unlike the rest of the population, I’m not a huge fan of these ‘fun’ races. Unless the race has a huge budget, it tends to disappoint. For the Drenched 5K there wasn’t even that many water blasting stations for it be a “drenched” 5K. There was a man with a fire hose in the beginning, a bubble zone, a very small misting station, and another man with a fire hose towards the end. Meh. It was an experience. I should have taken my inhaler, because by mile one it was already hurting to breathe. Lesson learned.
I don’t have any photos from the race, because of course I wasn’t going to bring my phone in the off chance it got ruined from the water. Leslee brought an underwater disposable camera though and we had a blast taking pics with that. When she gets them developed, I’ll share here on the blog.
When we got home, Bryan and I were starving, so we drove over to one of our favorite breakfast places. Andy’s is literally a hole in the wall, but it definitely is a gem. If you live in Montgomery County, I highly suggest this place. There’s only one chef (Andy) and one waitress. Bryan loves this place for their German options.
After breakfast, Bryan and I came home and napped. A much needed nap! The weather was a bit on the cool side, so we slept with the windows open – my favorite! A few hours of TV later, we decided to drive out to Trader Joes and pick up some grocery items. I’m going to do a grocery bag haul this week, so keep an eye out for that to see all the cool goodies we bought.
I also made a new juice on Saturday. This green guy had 1 cucumber, 3 huge handfuls of spinach, 1 apple, and 3 stalks of celery. It was definitely much greener than most of my juices, and it’s an acquired taste. I really enjoyed it though.
Sunday
On Sunday morning, I went with Bryan to get his hair cut and then afterwards we came home and relaxed some more. It was a rather relaxing weekend. We eventually went to the grocery store again so Bryan could get lunch meat, but other than that we pretty much stayed in for the majority of the day. Sometimes, you just need these types of weekends.
After dinner, I did a few short yoga videos. My hips and triceps were killing me from practicing side crow and crow all weekend so I found a yoga YouTube channel and did two very short videos just to get a nice stretch.
Talk to Me
- What did you do this weekend?
- What do you use to track your workouts? Do you write them down or do it digitally?
- You’re going out for breakfast – what do you typically order?
