ootd: j.crew sale

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts, MK and I have been SUPER busy with work. I got all of my J.Crew goodies in yesterday from the 25% off sale, and I'm so excited to be able to wear fall clothes!

Sweater: J.Crew | Corduroys: J.Crew (these are actually a burgundy color) | Flats: BCBG (old) | Jewelry: Etsy, ASOS (this one is gold, but mine is rose gold), Michael Kors

Did you get any great deals from J.Crew?

oreo peanut butter brownies

While I am at school I don't have as much time as I would like to bake. Baking is such a stress reliever for me, so I try to make it a point to bake once a week. Plus everyone loves it when it smells like baked goods throughout the whole dorm. I end classes at noon on Fridays, so that has been designated as my baking day.

So, every week I go through my pinterest and try a new recipe. This week I made Oreo Peanut Butter Brownies. They were so easy, but sooooo good. Everyone LOVED them!

I changed the recipe slightly and used double stuffed oreos instead of regular ones (you can't go wrong with more filling). All you do is take an oreo spread some peanut butter on it, place another oreo on top, put a little more peanut butter then pour the brownie batter on top of the oreos in a cupcake pan.

My favorite part was that they were already in individual servings; I hate cutting up desserts to serve them.

There were more but it was hard to get a picture before everyone ate them! 

Have you tried baking these before? Do you have any recipes I should try?

xoxo

ootd

It is still sweltering in DC, but some days it hasn't been too too bad. I was finally able to wear a shirt that had sleeves on it!

shorts jcrew. shirt old madewell. shoes sperrys. bracelets burberry, etsy bracelet, pearls from kiosk in the mall

xoxo

ootd: neon

Sweater: H&M Men's | Shorts: J.Crew (old) | Flip-flops: Abercrombie & Fitch (old) | Jewelry: Michael Kors, Cape Cod, Forever 21

ootd

Top: J.Crew Factory (old) | Leggings: Old Navy | Boots: Frye | Jacket: Land's End Canvas (old)

sophomore dorm

I brought tons of stuff to college last year, so this year I really tried to downsize and only bring what I knew I would use. This still seems like a lot of stuff (it is), but I definitely use everything that I brought! Hopefully this will help you if you are unsure about what to bring to college, or if you feel like you are way overpacking.

My desk is exactly the same as the one in my freshman dorm, so I knew how much I needed to fit on it. There are three drawers that hold all my school supplies (and food!) and I keep my notebooks, textbooks, and speakers on the shelves. Can you spot my mug of coffee and uneaten muffin from this morning??

This bookcase is new this year. It's from Urban Outfitters, and it is the perfect size for my dorm. There are all sorts of fire codes that restrict supplemental wooden furniture in our dorms, so this metal bookcase was a great solution. I can keep my hot water boiler and Brita filter on the top shelf, and I use bins from Marshall's (the white ones) and Target (the pink ones, from the dollar section!) to store food and extra cords/chargers.

The large navy and pink bin next to the bookcase is also from Marshall's, and it is so handy! I keep all of my "junky shoes" (read: I don't care if they get ruined) in it so that they don't take up space in my closet.

I use a tall stack of colorful drawers (from Sear's I think?) to hold all of my toiletries, but it also doubles as my nightstand! Since I have lofted my bed so high, I needed a taller table for my alarm clock and glasses. You can also see my bulletin board (from Marshall's) and some of my posters!

Goodness my bed looks super messy, but I swear it's because I was just sitting on it! All of my bedding is from Marshall's/Home Goods. The sheets are Tommy Hilfiger (I have them in three colors) and the patchwork quilt (my warm weather blanket) is by Nautica. It's been cool at night in Boston, so I've needed by L.L. Bean fleece blanket.

Storing plastic drawers under you bed is a great way to increase storage in a tiny dorm room. Look at how much you can fit under the bed: I have two sets of drawers, a fridge, and my laundry basket! I do, however, need an ottoman in order to step up onto my bed.

 Keep an eye out for a separate post on my closet. That took a lot of organization! Let me know if you'd like to see anything closer up!

lilly iphone case

I honestly don't think I could survive without my iPhone. It literally has my life on it; that and my agenda (both lilly of course). I always see super cute iPhone cases but I never want to spend the money on them. Recently I finally just decided to order a new case. I had been looking at the new cases with the slot in the back for credit cards and money, and after a very stressful day of classes I finally purchased this Lilly Pulitzer one:

I was so excited when it came it! I have had it on ever since and I don't think I will ever change cases. Except for maybe when new patterns come out. It is so convenient to have my student ID on my phone so that I don't have to go into my wallet to swipe into my dorm. I also keep my Starbucks gold card in the slot (always necessary). Plus the little alligators are adorable! I'm so glad I finally found an iPhone case that works for me. 

xoxo

ootd: craft day

Happy Saturday! I will be spending the entire day crafting for sorority events for this upcoming week. Of course I had to wear a bow :)

shirt jcrew. shorts old jcrew. belt aerie. shoes rainbows. handmade bow. 

xoxo

diy: desk organizers

I spend an excessive amount of my day at my desk in my room. I do all my homework there, I use my laptop there, and sometimes I even use it when I eat. Over the summer I tried to think of all the things that I wish I had gotten for my dorm room, and then I made them! One item that I needed was a way of organizing all my papers, notebooks, and folders.

I found these magazine files at Ikea when I went to get my wardrobe for my dorm! The price was fantastic and I knew I would have tons of fun decorating them.

My plan of action was to cut out pieces of scrapbook paper that was different but matched, and then I modpodged it onto all 4 sides. For a couple of them I put an accent of ribbon around the bottom! They are all unique, but I think that together they look cute!

Now these all sit on the shelf above my desk where I store folders, books, paper, and magazines. I love how everything stays standing up and I don't have to worry about my books tumbling over. The fun colors add a nice little pop to the room!

How do you organize your desk?

xoxo

ootd: 9 am class

Top: Aritzia | Tank: Aeropostale | Pants: Gap | Shoes: Zara | Glasses: Warby Parker

ootd

organic chemistry at 9am....

old navy shirt

jcrew headband

old jcrew shorts

jack rogers

pandora bracelet

diy: file cabinet

One of the best feelings is having everything in its place and organized. One thing that I didn't know how to organize was all my fabric. I had made piles of it all folded up but still it was messy and really bothering me. I found this simple idea online and decided to try it!

I revamped an old two drawer filing cabinet. My parents had this in the warehouse (lucky me), so they brought it home and I went to work. 

I simply sprayed it with 2-3 coats of ballet slipper pink spray paint. Then I cut up old pieces of scrapbook paper and mod podged it on the drawer to make a patchwork pattern. I did about 2-3 layers of modpodge just to be safe. 

Here is the before and after:

Once it was dry I took hanging file folders and wrapped my fabric around them and hung it up. The inside looks so organized, and I can see all my fabric. Now whenever I go to make a new project I can see exactly what I have!

Do you have any fun organizing tips?

xoxo

boots

My favorite part about fall is the cozy atmosphere. It's cold enough for warm sweaters and thick socks, but you're not quite sick of the snow and slush yet. I love hot apple cider, fallen leaves, pumpkin doughnuts, fleece sweaters, and, most of all, boots. I have five (!) pairs of boots with me at school, because they are perfect to wear from October to March. I love Frye boots, but they are so expensive! Here are my favorite styles, with some more reasonably priced alternatives.

Riding Boots

Splurge (left): Frye Melissa Button Boot

Save (right): Merona Kasia Riding Boot

Rocker Boots

Splurge: Frye Engineer 12R

Save: Report Jude

Western Boots

Splurge: Frye Harness 12R

Save: Mossimo Katherine Harness Boot

I just found these leather boots from Target that look exactly like some of Frye's most popular styles! Does anyone have a pair?

OOTD: happy monday

Happy Monday! Mondays are my worst days this semester! Classes 9-6 plus a review session for another class, but I get to end it with seeing all my sorority sisters! I couldn't ask for a better way to end the day! So excited it's starting to cool down a little in DC!!

zipper back tee

boyfriend chinos

headband jcrew

blue bangle 

sperrys

Today is Suicide Prevention Day. This cause hits very close to home for many people, especially college students. To support this cause the girls in my sorority are writing LOVE on their wrists, and wearing yellow if possible. I had one of my friends write it for me during class this morning haha!

Help support this cause by writing on your wrist too!

xoxo

running

Running is one of my least favorite activities. I danced throughout elementary school and high school, so I prefer choreographed pilates or yoga (I actually love step pilates!). But since I was only home for about a month this summer, I didn't want to buy a membership for exercise classes at a local studio. As a result, I've taken up running. I found an awesome app that trains your runs by alternating jogging and walking. Couch-To-5K also tracks your routes, distance, and pace. It's an awesome trainer, and alternating running and walking keeps me from getting bored on runs.

Because I've started a new workout routine, I obviously needed new workout clothes! I found great inexpensive shorts and tank tops at TJ Maxx and Marshall's. But I went into Lululemon while I was on vacation, and, despite the price, I loved all of their clothes. Here are some of my favorites:

The pants have a small pocket in the back for your key!

What is your favorite workout routine?

diy: monogram tshirt pockets

I love The College Prepster's Blog! I have been reading it for over a year now and still love it. So, when she posted a new diy I had to check it out, and of course it was amazing. Monogrammed tshirt pockets. All my favrotie things! A big comfy tshirt with Lilly prints and my monogram = perfection!

Right away I raced to the store to get what I needed and made a bunch with my friends! We read Carly's instructions, but we modfifed a little bit. One problem was that it was very hard to find tshirts with big enough pockets and finding them in our size was impossible too. To improvise we just bought plain tshirts (the sofest ones we could find of course), and then we made our own pockets. The second problem was drawing the monogram. It's not the easiest thing. Instead we went to Maybooks and put our initials in the ciricle monogram, printed it out, and then cut the letters out and used that as our stencil. This is what I used for my monogram:

And finally since we had to make our own pockets we made a pocket template. You can download the template and use it for your shirt if you can't find any with pockets. 

From there we just followered The College Prepsters instructions on cutting and ironing. I didn't end up sewing mine on, but if they do start to fall off I probably will. For right now they seem to stay really well!

These are a couple of the pockets I made:

These are them ironed onto the tees!

I can't wait to make them for my friends and sisters! They would also be super cute with sorority letterz. Hmmmm next project? I think yes!

Has anyone else made these adorable shirts yet?

xoxo

positivity

I am very big on trying to find the good in every situation! Sure things go wrong sometimes, but it doesn't help to dwell on the negative. Instead I believe that trying to have a positive outlook on everything makes everyone happier which in the end is what really matters. There have been many times where life just hasn't gone the way I planned it, but when I look back I can usually find at least one thing that has good that came from it. This is very hard for me because a change in plans normally makes my head spin from all the stress.

Going to college I met a lot of new people, and one thing I found was that people can be ummm not so nice. I'm sure we have all had encounters with a bully or someone who just doesn't care about others. They only try to bring others down. I think someone who is your friend should only want whats best for you and try to help you achieve your goals. Everyone has had an experience where someone has sad something and made you feel bad about yourself.

This quote is spot on! The people you are with everyday should help you be better, not bring you down. I have decided that my friends need to be those kind of people. My friends are always so supportive and help me through everything! Like when I have a panic attack from all the homework I have. I think everything should try to bring a little more positivity into their lives and see what a difference it can make. A situation may be bad but if having the right friends and the right attitude can make all the difference. Positive energy is contagious!

xoxo

first day

Today is my first day of classes, and, while I technically have class right now, I am writing my "First Day of School" post... My professor never showed up to my 9 am class! In lieu of getting back in bed at 9:37, I thought that I would use my early start to finish my to-do list. (Yes, 5 minutes into school and I already have a list.) First on my list is to post my first day of school outfit, the pictures for which I took this morning. at 8:30. in a dark room.

Top: St. John's (vintage) | Shorts: J.Crew (old color) | Belt: American Eagle (old) | Shoes: Jack Rogers

I also wore a big grey sweater because it was chilly out this morning, and my Vineyard Vines tote carried an umbrella just in case it rained again.

I hope everyone had a great first day back at school!

diy: lilly coasters

Do you have old Lilly Pulitzer agendas from previous years that you no longer use?

Well, I had 3! I have a tendency to want to keep everything even if I don't need it haha. Thankfully though I found a good use for keeping them all these years- coasters!

Of course, I found this on pinterest, but I thought it was perfect idea and not too difficult! So, I quickly went out and got all the supplies I would need.

For this project you will need:

Of course you will need old lilly agendas to cut up. 

Then the tile I got at Home Depot for .16 cents each (what a steal).

Mod podge (a crafting necessity) is used to stick the paper to the tiles.

The Crystal Clear Kyrlon is needed to make the coasters waterproof. 

The felt is hot glued to the bottom of the tiles so that they won't scratch your tables.

First you will need to cut your squares of paper. I cut my paper into squares about 4"x4". Once they are all cut you can begin mod podging them to the tiles. Use one coat to stick them onto the tile, then do 

2-3 coats on top to make sure they are nice and stuck. Wait about 20 minutes between coats.

These are mine with 2 coats:

After they are dry go outside and spray 2 coats of the acrylic coating to make sure that the coasters are nice and water proof. You wouldn't want to spend all your time making them and then have them be ruined when a wet glass is put on it!

Once that has dried it is time for the last step. Cut the felt into 4"x4" squares for the bottom of the tiles. I matched mine to what I had on the front of my coasters, but you can do any color. Once they are all cut proceed to hot glue them onto the bottom of the tiles. Then you are DONE!

Here's how all mine came out. I made a ton, but I think they will be great presents. Especially when you need a present for someone, but your not sure what to get or you don't have time to go to the store. Wrap some ribbon around them and presto instant gift! I think they will also be a perfect accessory for my dorm room :)

I have also seen some with monograms on them that I would love to try. Has anyone else made their own coasters?

xoxo

new beginnings

The first day of school is always filled with so many emotions! You're happy to see everyone, sad to leave home, anxious to see who your new teachers are, and nervous about what the work load will be like. For such a big day the perfect outfit is needed. Since I go to school in DC it is still unbearably hot! I needed an outfit that was cute, but wouldn't be too hot walking around campus all day. Especially since my dorm is on the opposite side of campus from where all my classes are.

There is definitely a mixture of what people at my school wear to class. Some dress up all the time, others wear sweatpants everyday. I usually dress up for class just because it makes me feel good about myself and if I didn't I would probably fall asleep in class. I won't lie there have definitely been days where I stayed up all night studying for a test and just wore norts and a tshirt to class, but that doesn't happen very often.

I started classes this Monday, so this post is a little delayed, but in the end this is what I chose. Cute, comfortable, and easy to wear for a long day of classes.

Jack Rogers/Old Banana Republic tank/I made my skirt!

What are you wearing for the first day of classes?

xoxo

p.s. I will be posting a DIY on how to make the skirt I made later on. 

emi-jays

If you haven't heard about emi-jays yet then you have been missing out! And if you have then you probably are obsessed like Michela and I are. We both have super thick hair and most of the time by then end of the day our hair is on top of our heads in a bun. You wants to keep their hair down all day while studying, taking tests, eating, crafting, and doing all the other things we do on a daily basis?! So emi-jays to the rescue.

These snag free, super soft hair elastics have been a life safer during the summer with the super hot weather! I first heard about them from a friend who goes to school in South Carolina and they were huge down there! When she visited and showed me them I had to go out and find them! You can buy them at Anthropologie for $12 for 5 of them. To me this seemed a little pricey for hair elastics...so I (of course) found a way to make them for way less.

I found a website that sold the elastic for .40 cents a yard! With this amazing price you can make 80 hair elastics for $12!!!! There were so many different colors and sizes. This way you can buy which ever colors you want instead of buying packages with the colors already chosen for you.

Once you have the elastic all you do it measure the size of your wrist, add a little bit of extra elastic for some wiggle room. Tie a knot by wrapping it around on finger, and you have your own emi-jays! I also thought that they would make nice gifts, so just cut a piece of cardstock or cardboard and wrap them around it and insta present.

These are mine:

Etsy also has a ton of emi-jays and decorated elastic. I especially like this elastic! The nautical theme is one of my favorites; it's just too cute!

Have you heard of emi-jays??

xoxo

diy: month onsies

I have been trying to get all my crafting in before I go back to school. I have seen all different variations of month onsies on pinterest and thought it would be a perfect idea for Lily, since it will force my brother to take a picture of her every month and send it to me :)

I was so glad when I cam across these simple DIY for monthly onsies. I wanted to make them myself but I didn't want to have to sew each number on. This was the picture I found on pinterest, and it came with a link for templates (boy and girl ones).

This is all you need:

I got the fabric transfer paper from staples and then I found that the onsies were the best price at Walmart. Then all else you need is an iron. 

I printed the girl template on two pages of transfer paper. Then I cut out all the circles (I didn't keep the month because I didn't like the way that the floating words looked when transferred). 

I placed each circle on a onsies and ironed according to the instructions. About 45 seconds per onsie. For the placement I didn't do anything to special I just hoped for the best, and I think they came out fine.

After they were ironed I let them cool (about 2 minutes), then carefully I peeled the backing off and tada you have your own onsies! Here's how mine came out. I was so excited I think they are adorable and they were so easy!

Then just fold them up, and place them in a cute box and you are set to go. What a cute present for a

baby shower, especially if you like giving personalised gifts. 

I can't wait to get pictures every month of Baby L :)

xoxo

move in day 2012

Move in day is always stressful for me not matter what grade! Freshman year was of course the most difficult since it was my first time moving into a dorm. This year it was a little bit better, but of course there were some bumps along the way. My Mom, Dad, and I spent about 8 hours today at the school unpacking boxes, organizing, and hanging up clothes. The biggest problem today was not having the correct tools to build the wardrobe I got from Ikea; causing us to have to make a last minute target trip. It's also so difficult to fit all my stuff in such a tiny room compared to living in a house haha!

Here's the luggage that I packed just for the flight down:

This year, luckily, I have a single so I didn't have to worry about taking up another persons space or being in the way. I was so excited for this, and to make my room completely my own. I wanted to make it a place that I could retreat to when I needed time alone to study or just relax. So, this summer I set out to make many different decorations for my room, and I am so happy with how they came out. I painted and crafted different pieces and I love how they all look hanging on the walls. My room is definitely girly, with all its pink, green, and navy accessories, but I couldn't be happier. I definitely feel at home, which is so important especially being hours from home.

I can't wait to start the school year on Monday! Only one more day of relaxation/trying to make the dorm room perfect. I'm sure this year will be great, even though I am a little nervous about taking organic chemistry this year! Wish me luck!

How do you make your dorm your own?

p.s. I will post pictures of my dorm when it is more organized and put together.

puttin' on the glitz

I came across these Michael Kors watches while reading my daily 67584 blogs, and I am absolutely in love! I'm not sure if they are new, but I had not seen them before. As part of Michael Kors' "Glitz" collection, each notch is made up of two rhinestones. The subtle glitter in these watches is so cute! Now my only decision is gold or silver?

I've already got a gold watch, but do you think my silver jewelry would be to matchy-matchy with a silver watch?

packing

Since I go to school in DC, and I cannot handle sitting in the car for 10 hours nor do I think I could actually fit all my stuff into one car...I fly. Personally this is much easier for me, but I know many people who come from farther away and drive. Impressive! With this comes with one major problem. How do I get all my clothes, blankets, furniture, toiletries, etc down there??? There is not a chance in France that it would all fit in a suitcase either. Solution: College boxes. AKA my life safer over the past year at school.

This company literally made moving 10 hours away such a breeze. Last summer I packed everything except for absolute essentials that I would need for a few weeks into boxes. Then they came picked them up, and when I got to school on my first day they were in my dorm waiting for me :) Then came the decision of what was I going to do over the summer with everything? In came collegeboxes again! They picked up everything that I didn't need to bring home and stored it for me. Then I shipped a few boxes home and packed 3 suitcases and I was off.

These were my boxes this year:

I can't believe it's almost time to go back!

So,  this coming year I did the same thing. They came a couple weeks ago took my boxes and now I am scrambling to fill the 3 suitcases I have and hopefully not be overweight for my flight on Friday. The hardest part about packing is deciding what you actually need to pack. Since I am used to freezing NH weather I needed to change my thinking because the winters are not as bad in DC. Depending on where you go to school, you need to decide- is this something I will need now or can someone ship it to me later when the weather changes? Last year when the cooler weather came my mom shipped all my winter coats, hats,  gloves, and mittens. In return I sent her my flip flops, shorts, and other things that I knew I would not be wearing.

This of course depends all on where you go to school. If you go somewhere were it is hot all the time then winter jackets might not even be needed as much. My hardest part was deciding that I couldn't bring absolutely everything. I left books in my bookshelf and stuff in my desk that I didn't need. I also left some clothes like pajamas that I have plenty of and can use when I come home to visit instead of packing them again.

Good luck packing for school or wherever you are going! Do you have any special packing tips?

xoxo

lilly sale

LILLY SUMMER SALE!

If any of you are as big of Lilly Pulitzer fans as I am you should be so excited for the Lilly summer sale!!! It starts today August 21 at 9am and ends the 23rd at midnight!

I got the email a few days ago, and I have been anxiously waiting to see what they will have on sale this year. I love lilly in general but when it's on sale it's even better! Plus there is even free shipping. Paying for shipping is one of my biggest pet peeves.

These are some of my lilly favs right now:

I absolutely love everything about this dress. It's navy and white (classic). The style is so flattering, and the detailing is just so cute!

I think that this would be such a fun dress to wear. I mean who doesn't love whales??? And the little bows on the bottom are just the perfect touch. 

This belt would go with so many outfits. I also love anything with a bow on it haha! They have this belt in so many colors it is hard to choose. 

Can't wait to see what is on the sale! Let me know if you get anything good :)

xoxo