I Spy DIY

While randomly perusing Instyle.com, I saw this DIY project

So I looked into the DIY guru, and found her blog!  It's great!  Anytime she comes across a fashion trend she likes, she tries to make it herself, and then posts a guide for her readers.  Here's my favorite project:

LOVE the pearl and ribbon collar!!!

Check out her blog I Spy DIY.  Some of her projects have been featured in InStyle (hello, fab!).  I think I'm going to try some of her projects once I'm finally done with my last four essays of the semester.  On that note, I'm taking a blogging break until Sunday to finish major papers.  I'll respond to comments and post again then! Have a good rest of the week!

xoxo,

Vineyard Vines Rowing Tote

Dear Vineyard Vines Mini Rowing Tote,

Please find your way to my already-overpopulated tote bag collection.  You will not only be practical and cute, but a perfect reminder of my happy rowing days.

Sincerely,

Jewelry Without Jewels Giveaway!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I don't live in the US anymore, but I still was lucky enough to have my parents visit me and take me and my roommate DW out for a lovely Thanksgiving lunch, complete with yummy food, crazy family stories, and the usual debate (sorry DW for being exposed to my family's craziness!).

Anyhoo, it's giveaway time again!  In return for doing a little work for Jewelry Without Jewels (I helped create a pattern for the website's background), the founder, Erica has graciously offered to provide a necklace for a giveway! (plus a JWJ necklace of my very own, which I'm super excited to get!)

Some info about Jewelry Without Jewels:

• Erica was inspired by a fabric necklace in her mom's jewelry box
• JWJ necklaces are fun, funky, and versatile and made of either soft cotton or silk (read: super comfortable)
• 10% of each purchase goes to VH1's Save the Music Foundation, helping keep music programs alive in schools (how great is that!)
• The necklaces also be worn as headbands (read: 2-in-1!)

Pictures:

Look at all the color!

The lovely Erica (who is also a fellow preppy blogger: Sunshine Dreamin')

Rules of the giveaway:

• For one entry, be or become a follower of the CanadianPrep blog
• For a second entry, 'like' Jewelry Without Jewels on Facebook
• For three more entries, blog, tumblr, or tweet about this giveaway

For a total of FIVE possible entries!  Your chance to win your own JWJ necklace ends Wednesday December 8th at 11:59pm, so don't forget to enter!

Please leave one comment with your total number of entries.

Good luck!

xoxo,

Soundtrack Sunday: Gwyneth and Glee

As if Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't already lovable enough, she played a substitute teacher on Glee (my current TV obsession) a couple of weeks ago. This song has been stuck in my head ever since (and apparently everyone else's, considering how many times I've heard people humming or singing it!):



Enjoy!

xoxo,

Study Week: Healthy Eating

If you don't live in a dorm and don't have a meal plan at the dining hall (like me, who lives off-campus), it can be difficult enough during the steady school year to eat well.  During the peak exam, project, and paper season it can get even worse.  So the following are tips, recipes, and links from Her Campus, with some personal tips mixed in.

Snacks and meals to pack:

• sliced fruit and nut butter
• unbuttered popcorn (I like to put on a little parmesan for flavor)
• mixed nuts (raw, not salted)
• turkey sandwich version 2.0 - two pieces whole wheat or multi-grain bread, light mayo, low-fat turkey, sliced apple, slice cheddar cheese (also works well with ham)
• 100-calorie packs
• greek yogurt parfait - pack one serving greek yogurt with some berries and granola in tuperware (good only for a little while before the granola gets mushy).  I like to add coconut and sliced almonds for extra flavor and protein.  So yummy!
• edamame
• granola bars - but read labels before you buy! Some are really high in sugar and offer little nutritional value
• baggie of cherries, grapes, or strawberries
• chocolate pudding with sliced bananas - a yummy dessert
• rice cakes with nut butter
• instant oatmeal - take dry oatmeal in a container, so whenever you're hungry, you can simply walk into a cafe or coffee shop on campus and ask for hot water.  I do this all the time for breakfast!  You can also add diced apple or nuts for a little something extra
• mexican pita - in a pita stuff rice, refried beans, salsa, and a little cheese, and wrap in tinfoil or saran-wrap.  

Easy snacks or meals to make at home:

• English muffin pizza - slice open an english muffin, spread tomato sauce on each side, top with veggies and cheese, bake in oven at 350 degrees until cheese melts and begins to golden
• Peanut butter wrap - in a small whole-wheat tortilla spread low-fat peanut butter, put in one sliced banana and several sliced strawberries, wrap, and enjoy!
• hummus with cut veggies (like carrots, celery, peppers) and pita chips - simple and quick, but not a great snack to bring to the library due to the loud "crunch" factor
• tuna and crackers - now you can find handy single-serving tuna pouches in yummy flavors
• waffle- pop a whole wheat waffle in the toaster, top with peanut butter and fruit (sliced apples, bananas, and strawberries work well)

Some Good Links from Her Campus:

• When you don't have time for lunch: the best and worst meal replacements
• Junk in the trunk: Healthy alternatives to your favorite snacks
• Pack it up: The cheapest and healthiest lunches to pack as an intern (the meals would also work well as lunches to pack up for the library)
• Can I still eat that?: How to know when to keep your food or trash it (good to know!)
• When you only have a microwave: 5 delicious microwave recipes in 5 minutes or less (rice crispy treats included!)

And of course don't forget to drink lots and lots of water!!! There are days when I drink four cups of coffee and then get super gittery and spacey, at which point DW yells at me to drink water.  It really helps calm me down and concentrate. Plus, dehydration causes fatigue (which is the last thing I want when working!).

Does anyone have any other go-to snacks or recipes?

xoxo,

Galatians 6:7-8

Outfit of the Day - Dressed for the Library

It's been a while since I've done "outfit of the day", so I thought it would be nice to bring it back for Study Week.  To be honest, I tried to make my outfits with Polyvore, but after an hour of wasted time, I couldn't find anything that resembled the pieces I was looking for, so I decided to go back to drawing my outfits.

While many students go to the library in sweats or pajamas (eek!), I like to still look presentable.  Just because I'm super stressed and locked myself into the library, doesn't mean I can't look good and be comfortable!

So let me first confess that I'm not a big fan of pants (I will quite actually risk frostbite by wearing a skirt or dress to avoid wearing pants or leggings), but there are some days that are so unbelievably cold and windy that jeans are unfortunately necessary. Last week we had one of those days:

I wore Old Navy jeans, Lilly sweater, Vineyard Vines polo, Bass tassel loafers, Lands' End tote, D&G glasses, and a pink and green headband I picked up at a small store in FL that I can't remember the name of.

This Lilly reappears frequently because it is absolutely, hands-down, my favorite sweater of all time.  I love the shawl collar, the navy blue and white stripes, coziness of it, and of course the fact that it's Lilly!

Monday we had glorious weather - temperatures reached the 60s! I was so tempted to pull out my flipflops, but I thought that may be going too far. Plus the sound made as I walk in them tends to cause glares in the library.

I wore my light-blue Sperrys (my first pair that I bought way back in high school), Old Navy denim skirt, RL pink striped oxford, pink bow in my hair, and my 1/4 zip sweatshirt with my business school's logo on it.  I'm currently in love with 1/4 zip sweater with collars.  There's a pretty pink one from Vineyard Vines I'm currently eyeing. I think their a great alternative to hoodies.

xoxo,

What's In My Bag - Library Edition

Let me first admit that I am not a big fan of the library.  There is something about the extreme silence that makes me a little anxious.  Normally I prefer to study in our on-campus coffee shop. But there are times when extreme silence is a necessity.  So when I do go to the library, I practically move in, staying for the majority of the day.

I bring a LOT with me, here it goes:

• Lands' End large tote
• Scout lunch tote
• Lilly coffee tumbler
• cold drink tumbler
• school books and notebooks
• pencil case
• laptop and charger
• planner
• post-its galore
• cozy Lilly sweater
• ipod
• legal pads
• wallet and glasses (not pictured)

Food on campus is horrendously overpriced, so I tend to bring healthy snacks of my own.  And I carry both a hot and cold tumbler for the all coffee and water trips.  I drink a LOT of water and coffee when on a daily basis, even more when stressed.

I take a lot of notes when studying because it helps me remember things a little better (I have a terrible memory), so I may as well write them all on pretty pink paper.  I also bring many different types of post-its (I have a post-it obsession. I have a designated post-it drawer, it's that bad).  I use the lined ones for notes and lists, and the other to flag pages or write definitions of terms as I'm reading. My pencil case is also scary full, but I'm always prepared for anything:

• Lilly clear pencil case (from a tote)
• Bobbi Brown and Nars lipgloss
• USB portable storage
• dry-erase marker (for the white boards in group study rooms)
• highlighters
• Tide stick (these are amazing!)
• nail file and clipper - I'm a recovering nail-biter (gross, I know) so I keep these with me so that whenever I break or chip a nail I can file it down and end the temptation to bite it
• pencils
• pens
• advil (for the frequent headaches)
• Sharpies
• hairclip
• post-its ("m" shaped)
• gum
• hand sanitizer (library surfaces are full of icky germs)

Does anyone have any library necessities not listed?

xoxo,

Study Week: Library Playlist

So it's gotten to be that dreadful time for us students- exams and final projects (ewwww!).  So in honor of the upcoming sleepless nights, cups of coffee, and stressful moments, I thought it would be appropriate to share a daily study or library related tip this week.

Since I forgot to do Soundtrack Sunday yesterday (woops), I thought I'd do my study playlist today.  As I've mentioned before, I NEED music in my life.  I need it to study, to overpower my brain freaking out about the workload ahead, to calm me down, and to provide a good groove to allow me to keep going.

I tend to have a couple of playlists, depending on what it is I'm working on:

Reading:  Normally dedicated to those intense case studies or articles about Marxist art historical theory

• Vivaldi- Four Seasons (one of my favorite pieces of classical music)
• Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack (it allows me to drift off every once and a while and dream of finding my own Mr. Darcy in the library)
• The Beatles- White Album (upbeat, yet serene enough to allow me to have it on and still be able to concentrate)
• Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit album ( a little folksy, but witty tunes and one of my favorite bands)

Projects: Requires something a little more upbeat and fun

• Jack Johnson - all albums (so great, even my accounting professor from freshman year said he's good to study to!)
• Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend album (these guys are amazing! Grads from Columbia, they provide a great beat to work to)
• Jason Mraz- We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (a great, dancing-in-your-seat type of album)
• Classic Rock- Queen, Bon Jovi, Journey, the Clash, The Rolling Stones, all are great!
• Johnny Cash - Greatest Hits (no idea why I love his music so much when I'm working, but it's one of my go-to albums)

In Case of Emergency: Aka- I'm starting to fall asleep, but still have 50 more pages to read or 5 more pages to write

• Girl Talk- All Day (Gregg Michael Gillis makes the best mashups!  This new album was temporarily offered for free, so I got it quickly.  This album features songs by everyone from The Beatles, Radiohead,  Rihanna, Kanye, and so many more).
• Glee- (always amazing, but listening to a glee song or two helps perk me up enough to get me going again)
• Michael Bublé- Crazy Love (he's soooo swoon-worthy, and even though listening to his voice may send me daydreaming about him, it does wake me out of a slump)

For more music, check out Unabashedly Prep.  Not only is he an amazingly fashionable photographer, but on the first of every month he offers free downloads of new music (past bands include Vampire Weekend, OK Go, Phoenix, and Paper Tongues).  Every month's playlist is amazing, and most songs get featured in tv shows like Gossip Girl merely weeks later.  For a study break, check out his amazing pictures of impeccably well-dressed preps.

xoxo,

PS- Thanks so much for all the kind comments about the Lilly art!  I'm thinking I'll have to repeat this giveaway.  Hmm, I will have more free time over winter break... 

Sneak Peak - Giveaway Winner's Lilly Art

I finally finished the art work won by Lilly and Lacrosse Sticks in my giveaway.  Her pattern of choice was In the Slim

Here are a couple pics of the progress

And the finished product

I'll be sending this out soon.  I hope Lilly and Lacrosse Sticks likes it!  I certainly had fun painting it.

xoxo,

Galatians 2:20

Christmas Wishlist -

It's that time of year again.  Many have been posting Christmas wish lists, and I was going to wait to brainstorm until my semester ended, but then I came across this cutie:

It's from Maya Brenner Designs and I'd love it as a token of my "home" state.  I tend to accumulate a lot of tokens from FL.  In addition, there's the option to buy a diamond, which is then placed in location of your city of choice.  How cute is that!  They also have all the other states available.  I'm normally a pearls only girl, but I'm in love with this!

xoxo,

Five Guys Burgers

If you haven't tried Five Guys yet, you must! Their burgers are unbelievable!  So tasty and fresh.  I tried my first burger in FL, and have missed them so much.  Thankfully they just opened one here in Kingston last week!   I haven't been yet, but it's a definite stop this weekend.

Even Obama's a fan!

xoxo,

II Samuel 22:29

Soundtrack Sunday

For some reason whenever I am intensely working or studying, the music I find most motivating without being distracting is classic rock from the 70s and 80s.  This week I've been replaying Journey, Queen, and Bon Jovi as I've been frantically trying to complete my Condition Report on my rare book for my Art History Conservation class.

Although I just recently started to like country music.  I love that itunes has a radio feature, because I honestly have very little country in my music collection.  Anyone have any suggestions for good country "work" music?

xoxo,

Giveaway Winner

First off, welcome new followers, and thanks for following and entering everyone!  It was so great to receive so many compliments on my work!  So for the winner-picking process, I thought it appropriate to pick the name out of a Lilly bag.

I wrote all the entries on post-its, folded them up, mixed them into the bag, and picked...

Congratulations Lilly and Lacrosse Sticks!  I'll be emailing you soon.

Thanks again for entering everyone!  Look for another giveaway in December.  I'm thinking Lilly-inspired painted ornaments.

On another note, so glad to hear that bows are still acceptable for my age!  I'll certainly be wearing them with a little more confidence now.

xoxo,

II Samuel 22:47

Is 22 Too Old for Bows?

I've been wearing bows in my hair since I was a baby.  My first Christmas I wore a giant, pouffy light pink dress with a similarly giant pink bow in my hair.  And of course I always put a ribbon in my hair on the rare occasion I wear my hair up (even at the gym). I also have a couple bow hair clips that I love.  While tying ponytails with ribbon was 'all the rage' in high school in FL, it's not exactly a popular tradition up here.  My friends do occasionally tease me, although they also say I look funny without a ribbon.  Hence my question, Is 22 too old for hair bows?

What do you think?  Does one ever become too old for hair bows? Even Bunny, Charlotte's mother-in-law, wore bows in Sex and the City! 

xoxo,

P.S.  Giveaway ends tomorrow at 11:59 pm!

Happy Birthday Lilly Pulitzer!

Wishing the Queen of Pink and Green the happiest birthday!  Thank you for providing us preppies with wardrobes full of colorful happiness!

xoxo,

Needlepoint Loafers

Last year I purchases these babies from By Paige.

They are unbelievably comfortable!   After about a week or two of blisters and pain, they formed perfectly to my feet and are now one of my favorite pairs of shoes ever.  I signed up for emails from the company a while back, and here's some good news:  there are many pairs of loafers, mules, and ballet flats on sale, some as low as $56.  So if you're looking to buy needlepoint shoes, now is the time to do so! Perhaps as a Christmas gift for a preppy friend or family member?

Here are some of my favorites from the sale bin:

xoxo,

P.S.  Don't forget to enter my giveaway!  It ends this Friday!