Friday Finale: The app that’s changed my closet game and soft pretzels you must bake right now

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And here we are again with a new edition of the Friday Finale! It’s been a lot of fun for me to think back over the month and pick out my favorite things, and I hope you enjoy reading about everything I’ve loved throughout the month. (Check out the very first in the series!)

It’s been a dark and dreary February. I just overheard someone on the elevator at my office say there have been 12 sunny days in Cincinnati this year, and I would bet that not even half of those have taken place this month. It’s hard to keep up that New Year’s energy and will to thrive when the weather refuses to get with the program, but I still think I’ve been doing an admirable job of it!

I’ve read a number of good books (more about that below!), and I have just begun working through Helene Sula‘s Instagram for Success course, both for my 9-5 and this little space. So I’m feeling motivated to keep on keeping on. Here are the things that sparked joy for me in February!

You guys, this app is completely changing my life. This statement will sound like an exaggeration from your perspective, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

I first learned about Cladwell through my friend Robin who I met in the Cincinnati Chamber’s Cincy Next class, a professional development course for YPs. She’s a (the? perhaps the?) developer for the app, and since she’s one of the most stylish people I know, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon.

Some things to know about Cladwell:

• Cladwell is free right now, which means you should start an account right now and take advantage of that! When I started out, I was paying $5 a month, and it was still worth.
• It helps you easily create your wardrobe in the app (no taking photos of each dress, no erasing the background from every shirt), and then it suggests outfits for you each morning based on the weather that day and your style. It learns you as you use it. Technology is wild, guys.
• Cladwell just implemented a more social aspect of the app, which means you can find your friends, see what they’re wearing every day, and leave them snaps on outfits you love! It’s been so fun to be a fly on the wall of people’s closets.
• Cladwell tracks what you’re wearing and what you aren’t, which means when you finally decide to read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Marie Kondo your entire life, it’s got your back and will let you know that “No, you haven’t worn that sweater in 9 months, Tyler. It obviously does not bring you joy.”

Basically, it’s been a game-changer for me because I’m learning to love my closet again. I’m on a 150-day streak of using the app, and there hasn’t been a single day when I thought “I just don’t have anything to wear.” And that, my friends, is gold.

There’s about a 95% chance I’ll do a full post on Cladwell (maybe paired up with my Marie Kondo experience?) at some point in the next month, so let me know all your questions in the comments.

Why yes, I am a real millennial because I did watch both Fyre Festival documentaries. I wasn’t planning to, but then I heard they were worth it from some more Cincy Next friends, and I caved. (In case you haven’t recognized it yet, I’m really not a fan of following the pack.)

However, I will say that I did really enjoy both documentaries, especially from the perspective of a full-time social media professional. Influence is crazy in our society, and I thought both films painted an accurate picture of the pitfalls of a select few having that much power with the click of a button.

I watched Netflix first, then Hulu, which is what was suggested to me. Since Netflix gave more about the festival itself while Hulu went more into the nitty-gritty of Billy McFarland, I think it was the right choice.

I finished it! All three books! And I obviously really enjoyed them because I suggested my friend Molly read them no less than three times. (She gave me the benefit of the doubt and thought it was once per book, but I’m still horribly embarrassed about it.)

But really, you should immediately go check these books out from the library because they were fantastic. The author does a fantastic job of characterization, creating a unique magical world, and just writing the darn things, so I highly recommend. You can see my ratings for each book on Goodreads.

You read that correctly: Chocolate Cookie Stuffed Soft Pretzels. Tieghan over at Half Baked Harvest has been filling my kitchen with delight for over a year now (I even bought her cookbook!), but these and the Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels really stole the show for the Super Bowl.

I brought the leftovers (all 13 of them!) into work the next day, and my coworkers raved! Two of them have made the recipes since. If you’re looking for a fairly easy but very impressive snack to bring to a party, these are your new go-to. Trust me.

And that’s everything I felt compelled to share about February! Did you have an eventful month? What would you include in your own Friday Finale?

P.S. Don’t forget to read the very first installment of the Friday Finale!

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