Back To School Bags

When it comes to carrying my textbooks and laptop to class, I always prefer to carry a tote bag than my backpack. My go-to is definitely my purple Longchamp (I live out of it...)

This season, animal print tote bags are huge! Look at all of these cute options! 

1. Kate Spade Tote

2. Tory Burch Tote

3. Milly Tote

4. Longchamp Tote

5. MCM Tote

6. Rachel Zoe Tote

Don't forget to smile today, xx

A Short Way To Fall

Today I head back to school and I could not be more excited! Although packing was not very fun, it is finally behind me and I am ready to go (almost).

Pretty soon it will be time to say goodbye to summer clothes and hello to fall styles. In Nashville it stays warm for a little while longer so shorts are a fall must have. Here are some cute shorts that I am loving for this season!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Friday Favorites - August 17

Friday Favorites today are a little less colorful than usual. Black and white (and a little brown...) is always a classic color combination so I thought I'd stick with that for today! 

I heard some exciting news recently, Tory Burch is collaborating with Target (!!!!) and the line is coming out in December!

I hope that everybody is enjoying their last few days of summer (or first few days of school!) 

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Time Flies

...when you're having fun!

But really, I've fallen off of the blogging bandwagon! I cannot believe that summer is over. Saturday I fly back to school and Sunday I move into my new dorm! I had such a great summer but I'm really looking forward to returning to school, seeing all of my friends, starting classes and getting back into a routine. A routine that will include my blogging! (Finally going to make some time...)

I'll be spending my last day of summer grabbing lunch in the city with my dad and then going to the Toby Keith concert! And of course finishing some last minute packing (read: shopping)... ;)

Look out for Friday Favorites later today!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Life Happening

So it would seem that I haven't posted since July 14th. Oops. I've been crazy busy finishing work at my internship, celebrating my birthday and preparing for my best friend's wedding on Saturday (aka writing a toast aka trying to deal with my writers block). 

Sunday was my 20th birthday - I cannot believe that I am no longer a teenager! It was a great day filled with lots of fun, yummy food and awesome gifts :) In the morning I went to the beach with the Beau and his family, then in the evening I celebrated with my family. Dinner was at The Melting Pot (sooooo good!) I cannot remember the last time I ate that much! Today is my dad's birthday so we get to celebrate some more!

Thursday morning I am off to South Carolina to get ready for the wedding! I am soo excited! Mostly for the wedding but also for a relaxing week at the beach after :) There is so much to be done before Saturday, though, including packing... and I hate packing. 

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Saturday Stunners - July 14 Beach Edition

So since I missed Friday Favorites this week, I decided to do Saturday Stunners instead. In anticipation of my upcoming vacation to South Carolina I decided to go with a beach theme!

Two weeks from today is one of my best friend's wedding in South Carolina. I cannot believe it has come so quickly! I am so excited for her and I cannot wait to be there!

Do any of y'all have vacations planned for the rest of the summer? I can't be the only one who is looking forward to some time at the beach :)

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Monogram Necklaces

For Hanukkah last year I picked out a gold monogram necklace from a local boutique that I adore. It is seriously perfect, I wear it just about every day (great gift if you need one!). It goes with everything.

Recently I've been asked quite a lot where it is from. When I am out of town nobody knows the store so I always refer them to Marley Lilly. Marley Lilly sells tons of monogrammed jewelry (I love it all...) but my favorite is definitely the necklace. 

You can buy the necklace (and many other goodies) from Marley Lilly here!

Swell Caroline also carries monogrammed necklaces. In addition to being available in silver and gold, the necklaces are available in color acrylic. 

These colorful accessories are available here!

Which do y'all like better? 

Don't forget to smile today, xx

July Fourth

I hope that everybody had a fun and relaxing holiday! I know I did :)

The Beau and I went to the July fourth parade in the morning with my family and then my Dad grilled for lunch, it was tasty! I made a fourth of July cake that I found on Pinterest... I have to say it didn't quite look like the Betty Crocker version but it was still delicious!

At the parade :)

My cake!

Last night I stayed over at the Beau's house and we set off some fireworks in his backyard :)

Nice thing about having the holiday fall in the middle of the week is that it's almost time for the weekend and another break!

What did everybody do to celebrate? 

Don't forget to smile today, xx

My Weekend According to My iPhone

Happy Monday! 

I hope that everybody had as great of a holiday weekend as I did!

Only two more days until July fourth!!

Friday was a crazy slow day at work so I spent most of the day out of the office. In the morning my Dad and I stopped by the FOX studio and watched Pat Benatar sing "Heartbreaker". It was a fun start to the day! For lunch, my Dad and I went to Little Italy. Dad also bought some Italy paraphernalia because he was rooting for Italy in the Euro cup. The weather was beautiful on Friday night so we ate sushi on the porch and played some Phase Ten!

On Saturday Dad and I went to the Yankees game and boy, was it hot! It was a lot of fun though! Nothing says summer like a baseball game :) We had awesome seats with access to the Jim Beam suite which meant free popcorn and peanuts...

Sunday I went hiking with the Beau and his family. We went to Buttermilk Falls and even though the falls were pretty dried up, there was a little pool at the bottom that felt soo nice when we were finished. We hiked a little over 8 miles and rewarded ourselves with Dairy Queen :)

What did everybody else do this weekend?

It's the first Monday of the month so that means a new Matchbook Magazine issue! Go check it out!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Friday Favorites - June 29

It's finally the weekend! Since July fourth falls on a Wednesday this year I guess either this weekend or the next can be considered "fourth of July weekend"... Either way it's going to be a hot one so make sure to keep yourself cool!

Here are my Friday favorites of the week :)

I hope everybody enjoys their weekend!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Nautical

Remember ages ago when AOL instant messenger was the best thing in the world? Well I do and I remember that I had an excess (that's being nice) amount of screenames... I think I must have made a new one every week. During my obsession with nautical clothing and accessories I created a screename along the lines of nauticalgirl. Clearly I thought I was super cool...

It seems that nautical clothes are reappearing. I was in J.Crew today and they had soo many (adorable) articles of clothing with anchors.

Here are some items from J.Crew and a few other places:

Hope everybody had a great start to the week!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Hint of Mint

Colored pieces such as neons and pastels are definitely popular this spring and summer. One of my favorite shades for clothes right now is mint, it's a great color, light but fun. 

Here are some mint items to add a pop of color to your wardrobe:

What other fun colors are y'all enjoying this summer?

Don't forget to smile, xx

Friday Favorites - June 22

Happy weekend! What a long week... 

This will be the first weekend in the past month that I will not be attending a graduation! As much as I love supporting my friends and family, I am looking forward to having a relaxing weekend. (well sort of, dentist appointment and babysitting are relaxing, right?)

Here are my favorite items of the week:

I hope y'all have a great weekend!


Don't forget to smile today, xx

Summer Changes and Goals

Being on vacation from school during the summer makes for a great time to do things that you cannot usually find the time to do. It is the perfect time to reinvent yourself in ways you've been thinking about, no matter how big or small the change is.

Yesterday, my family sat down together to discus our goals for the summer. It was really helpful to get my thoughts on track. 

Starting today I am only eating raw food for hopefully the next three weeks. We'll see if I can actually do it. During the school year I fall into horrible eating patterns, eating food that I know I should avoid and eating at all hours of the night. Since I've been home for the summer, I keep telling myself that I'm going to be healthier but it is to no avail. I still find myself eating the same junk (if not worse) and staying up eating late into the night. I'm hoping that by giving myself a definitive goal, I'll be able to stay motivated and stick with it.

Another change that I'm hoping to make is to stop buying clothes that I definitely do not need. My beau likes to joke around and tell me that my thought process when I see something cute is: "it's so cute!...I must buy it!" Although he is only teasing me when he says this, I'm starting to think it's partially true... I need to stop spending my money on cute clothes! 

What are y'all going to be working on this summer? Have you sat down and set goals for yourself?

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Pink and Navy

Pink and navy compliment each other so well. Together they create my favorite color combination. Considering a majority of my clothes are of pink and navy shades, I wear this combination quite frequently.

Here are some cute sets of pink and navy clothes that I love:

This set features a pink Tibi dress paired with a Top Shop navy blazer. Shoes are the always classic Jack Rogers gold navajos and the bag is a Rebecca Minkoff pink clutch

This second set features navy J.Crew chino shorts, pink J.Crew lace top, navy Lilly Pulitzer McKims and a Max and Chloe monogrammed necklace

Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Dogs

While it might be true that dogs are a mans best friend, dogs are definitely a ladies best accessory.  

I'm not just talking about purse dogs, either. My dog, Daisy, weighs over 60 pounds... definitely not a purse dog! If you know me, you know that I love Daisy more than anything... I would take her everywhere with me if I could.

Daisy May

If you really want to attract attention to yourself and your furry friend, puppies always make hearts melt. Just look at these adorable puppies.

I want one! Nothing would make me happier than an adorable puppy wearing a pink bow!

What about y'all? Do you love dogs and puppies as much as I do?

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Lilly Warehouse Sale

Lilly Pulitzer has seasonal warehouse sales at the Philly Expo Center. Previously, I have been away at school during these sales but I am finally going to one! This Thursday, Friday and Saturday Lilly is having their sale!

I am soo excited. I'm going with my cousin who lives in Philly, a fellow Lilly lover.

Here we are wearing our Lilly in Florida back in April.

The address for the sale is: 

Greater Philadelphia Expo Center - Hall C

100 Station Avenue

Oaks, PA 19456

June 14, 2012 5:00 AM - 8:00 PM

June 15, 2012 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM

June 16, 2012 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

If you can you should definitely go!!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Clothes for Beaus

As much as I love shopping for myself, I have way too much fun shopping for clothes for my boyfriend. Possibly more than shopping for myself (a scary thought).

I'll see something cute and be so tempted to buy it!

Here are some clothes for beaus that I'm loving:

The always classic Vineyard Vines Shep Shirt

This Vineyard Vines Beach Break Whale Shirt

Nautica Beach Stripe Trunk

J.Crew Stanton Short

Brooks Brothers navy and pink Bow Tie

Of course all of these items are perfect Father's Day gift ideas for the most important man in any girls life, her daddy :)

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Nail Polish

I love nail polish. I own waaaay too many bottles of nail polish and that's even after doing some spring cleaning.

One of my favorite brands is Julep, they have such cute colors!

Currently they are having a giveaway. They are not only giving away over 80 different shades of Julep nail polish but also an iPad!

You should definitely go enter! Click here to do so :)

Happy Friday!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Matchbook Magazine

Every month I look forward to a new edition of Matchbook Magazine. They always have the cutest ideas, clothes and accessories. 

Yesterday the June issue was released (it is an online magazine, very convenient!). I haven't gotten around to reading it yet but I'm looking forward to getting into bed and doing so tonight :)

Make sure to check it out!

There is also a Matchbook Magazine blog and Twitter. The blog is called The Daily Fancy and you can follow on Twitter @MatchbookMag. 

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Summer Sandals

Summer is upon us! Even though this weather doesn't feel like it...

Here are some ideas if you are looking for some new summer sandals. The Jack Rogers glitter navajos are new and super cute! I have the gold Lilly Pulitzer McKims and I wear them all of the time, they are my favorite summer sandal.

On an early bus headed home from Boston, looking forward to a fun weekend! Hope you have the same.

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Friday Favorites - June 1

Happy Friday and happy June! Rabbit rabbit!

Here are some Friday favorites... if I had a money tree in my yard, of course :)

Friday Favorites - June 1 by jerseyprepster

Almost the weekend!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Monogramming

I love absolutely anything monogrammed. Monograms add the perfect preppy touch to well, pretty much anything!

Recently I have been investing in too many monogrammed clothes and accessories. I purchased hot pink circle monogram stickers for both my iPhone and my MacBook. I bought both on Etsy and I love, love, love how they look. Here are links to both: iPhone sticker & MacBook sticker

I also bought a carolina blue crewneck monogrammed sweatshirt with my initials. I think I've worn it practically every day since it came in the mail... so cute!

Here are some other cute monogram ideas that I love! 

Monogrammed 24 ounce Tervis Tumbler available here

Monogrammed Bandeau Bikini Top available here

Monogrammed Lilly Koozie available here

and my favorite... monogrammed seersucker bow ties for your beaus available here!

While there are about a million other adorable monogrammed goodies that I would love to share with y'all, I'll have to save them for a follow up post. 

I'm headed up to Boston later today for my cousins high school graduation. Road trip!

Don't forget to smile today, xx

Pinterest

Way back in the fall I created a Pinterest account thinking that it would be a great distraction from class. For about a month I tried to avert my attention to Pinterest but I was not catching on. I could not understand what was so fascinating about it. 

About a week ago Worker Mom decided that she wanted to join Pinterest. Using my lackluster knowledge, I helped her to create an account and get started. All of the sudden, I understood. 

I'm addicted. I have been pinning nonstop since Worker Mom created her account. I've been pinning everything. Adorable puppies, must-buy-clothes, and cute shoes. I even got an early start on a birthday list ;) You can view and follow my Pinterest boards here.

What do y'all think about Pinterest? Are you as addicted as I am?

Don't forget to smile today, xx