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I know most avid blog readers are more or less sick of the constant stream of Bloglovin and Google Reader posts that have flooded whatever blog reading platform we use (like I am), but I'll make this one short and sweet.

Google Reader is dead. Visit me here on Bloglovin. You are a good person, and I'm grateful that you read the gibberish that I publish on this blog. Go do something good today.

Charleston, SC

Edisto Island, SC

Quick update: Edisto is the best. I went kayaking today, which was so fun!

But you know what's not? Sunburns on the tops of your hands. Not so fun.

Making a cheeky little trip to Charleston tomorrow, can't wait to post photos!

Easy Beach Week

Let's be honest here. There are times to look really cute. You do your hair. You put that extra ten minutes of thought into your outfit to decide on colors, patterns, and silhouettes. You get a mani/pedi. If Ryan Gosling saw you, you would be completely stoked instead of completely mortified.

Then there are times when you just don't, and if Ryan saw you, you would cry.

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vintage tee / baseball hat / bikini top / bikini bottom

tinted moisturizer / tart deco nail polish / sunscreen

cutoffs / straw tote / bronzer / sandals

Spending time at a small beach town with your family is not the time to focus on looks. I haven't washed my hair in two days (only a little ashamed). I've touched fish, shrimp, and mud, and had I gotten a manicure, it would have been for nothing. My wardrobe has consisted of basic tees, cutoffs, and J. Crew popovers. I've worn sandals and Rainbows every day. It's been awesome.

There's a kind of freedom that comes with not bringing your hair dryer (or straightener!) and not making the effort to put on foundation, concealer, powder, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara every single morning. You just get up, shower off, and get on with the day. Those beachy waves look a little wonky, but whatever. You're at the beach!

This is my favorite kind of vacation. Casual and maybe a little dirty. What about you?

Chambray Heaven

Quick pop in because I forgot to mention this early. I picked up this baby earlier last week on a spur of the moment trip to Charlotte before the beach, and I cannot tell you how much I love it. I've had to stop myself pretty much every morning since from wearing it. So comfortable. So affordable (with J. Crew's sale going on now!), and it's so versatile. The material is super lightweight, which is perfect for the hot, humid summers when full on denim is too much.

Do yourself a favor. One...two...three...goooooo!

Beaufort, SC

These past few days I've taken a little trip from Edisto to visit my aunt and uncle in Beaufort, SC, a sleepy little coastal town where not much is going on on Sundays. We stopped into a few stores (as in, the two or three that were actually open on a Sunday) to check out some furniture and decor for my apartment for a while, but we mostly hung out on the screened in back porch or out on the dock to be on the water. I can't tell you how amazing it is to be right on the water, with a light breeze, drinking an ice cold beer (with koozie!) with family. Perfect.

Typical of South Carolina, Monday was hot, humid, and muggy, making for not so great outside weather, but spending quality time with family is my favorite way to spend time, inside or out.

Bad Blogger Beach Time

I've been a bad blogger, I know. I don't have any excuses. I just have been AWOL, and I'm sorry. Every day when it's about time to cook up another blog post I ask myself if blogging is something I enjoy doing. You should blog because you love to do it. You should love it because you get to share your creative side and read about other people. So on days when I'm lazy and don't feel like writing anything I just decide to read other peoples' blogs and not update mine. I know. Bad blogger.

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So instead of punishing myself for taking time off the blog...I'm going to take a little more time off by going to the beach with my family! We'll be gone for this whole week, but I'm going to try to upload a photo (or two) every night of what we've been up to, as I'm trying to get better with my DSLR. I'll still be checking my blog and responding to comments, and reading other peoples' blogs...so I guess it's not actually time off. But you get my point.

I can't wait to share one of my favorite places in the world with y'all! See you on the coast!

Favorite Fabrics

Since signing the lease for our new place last week all I can think of is decorating, and more specifically, how I'm going to deal with a wing chair that needs a little TLC.

My mom inherited the wing chair from her grandma and says that it has been recovered about five times...and it's in need of recovering again. I'm not a fan of the fabric it currently has, so naturally my life's purpose for the past few days has been to find pretty fabrics for a recovering. Mevy has already bought this rug for our den, so I have that to go by. Here are some of my favorite fabrics:

1 / 2 / 3

4 / 5 / 6

7 / 8 / 9

Can you tell I'm into the blue patterns? I know that the rug we have now won't be permanent, so I don't want to base my decision solely on the rug now, but I don't want it to majorly clash. Any suggestions? If y'all know of any great fabric stores or websites, let me know!

Say hello to the chair that desperately needs a facelift. Little darlin has good bones, she just needs some help.

Wanting, Wishing, Waiting

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Currently

Wanting: to talk to old friends again. There weren't many people I kept up with after high school, although I had gone to school with most of my peers since elementary school. I've always been one to have a few good friends, though I've let some slip through the cracks recently. I'd love to catch up over a cup of tea and an apple crumble.

Wishing: this week would go by fast so that I can go on a family vacation to the beach! It feel hot has hell already in Columbia (I'm still getting used to the humidity difference!), I can't wait to visit family and sit by the sea.

Waiting: for the most part, my waiting is done! I've been searching and waiting for the past few months to find somewhere to live with my friend Mevy and we've finally found a place! It's an awesome duplex not a 10 minute drive from my university, and we signed the lease last week. I'm so excited! Luckily, we won't have to buy much furniture thanks to some generous family members and friends, but we still get to decorate, so I'm in decorating mode now! If anyone knows of some great stores (online or otherwise) that sell cute home decor, send me the links - I can't wait to see! I'll post what pictures I can once we move in and finish decorating at the end of the summer.

What are y'al wanting, wishing, and waiting for?

Anthropologie Ice Cream Social and Happy Friday!

Nothing screams "weekend in the summer" like ice cream and friends, right? My love for Anthropologie is deepening, y'all. Real, real deep.

Happy Friday!

For Father's Day, 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

Have you seen what the iOS 7 will include? SO EXCITED

I should probably buy this shirt for myself...sorry

Have y'all heard this cover? I don't even know the original song, but I've had it on repeat all week!

Pretty much the most perfect tablescape ever by Lonny

So ready to dive into this mag this weekend it's ridiculous

Summer Polish

Outside of summer and spring I tend to be a little monochrome and neutral with my polishes. I go for the tans, the dark purples, the army greens. The flashiest I get is a gold nail polish by Zoya that I love during the holidays.

For spring and summer I go all out on my polish colors. I'll go for pretty much any color, whether it's blue or pink or green, as long as it's bright and colorful. This year I'm reaching for my OPI Langham Pink (available at Langham Hotels) and Essie Tart Deco for my pinks, seeing as they are both light and pretty, but the Langham is more candy pink and Tart Deco is a tried and true coral. Essie's Mint Candy Apple is my new go-to for when I want to go a little crazier with my nails because it's the perfect robin's egg blue. I've had Essie To Buy or Not To Buy for a while, but since I couldn't bring it with me to London I've been able to finally get some good use out of it now that I'm home!

What about y'all? Even though I have way too many colors in the first place, I'm always looking for new nail polish (consciously or subconsciously), so I'd love to know what shades y'all are wearing!

Casual Wednesday

chambray button down / pencil skirt / gold studs
purse / skimmer flats

Going into the office during the summer has to be one of my least favorite experiences ever, not because of the work itself (I'm lucky to work with some pretty great people), but because it is so cold inside! Now that it's getting into the thick of summer, it can easily be 85 degrees outside, but it's 65 degrees inside. I think I'm going to need to learn to bring a cardigan to keep in the office, but for now, a long sleeve button down and pencil skirt seem to be doing the trick to keep me just warm enough to not freeze my ass off, and somehow keep me cool outside too.

101 in 1001

I've always been a list person in every sense. I make daily to-do lists, semester to-do lists, and everywhere in between. They help me visualize everything I want to get done, and I love being able to check every item off one by one.

For that reason, in response to Mackenzie from Design Darling's list of 101 things to do in 1001 days I wanted to challenge myself to do the same! I realized how much I was able to do in London because I set my mind to it. I had goals. I had a list to finish, and (for the most part) I completed everything on it. I explored places I had never been, I tried things I never would have tried, and I'm so glad I did!

This list isn't a bucket list, since I have so many things on my To Do list that just aren't possible in the next 2.75 years, but I can't wait to cross off every single one of these from my list!

Let me (and Mackenzie!) know if you do the same! I'd love to see anyone else's list!


Start date: Monday, June 10, 2012
End date: Monday, March 7, 2016

1. Come up with 101 things (June 2013)
2. Move into my first apartment or house
3. Go back to London in any capacity, to move or just for a visit
4. Graduate from USC with a bachelor's degree in marketing
5. Buy my first big girl piece of art
6. Visit 5 new states
7. Visit 2 new countries
8. Visit 10 new cities
9. Get a professional redesign of the blog
10. Go to an Avett Brothers concert
11. Find my perfect shade of lipstick
12. Print out and make a photo album of all of my photos from studying abroad in London
13. Take a cooking class
14. Create a full family tree as far back as I can go
15. Publish an outfit post
16. Participate in the annual Dance Marathon at USC
17. Help mom re-do the kitchen however she decides
18. Buy my domain name for this blog
19. Pay off my student loans
20. Get a tattoo
21. Work for an awesome company that inspires me professionally and creatively
22. Learn how to play the banjo
23. Get published online by one of my favorite online magazines
24. Visit my grandparents by myself, just because
25. Attend a blogging conference
26. Buy a better DSLR camera lens and learn to use it with ease
27. Go to a Macklemore concert
28. Visit Nashville
29. Run the Color Run
30. Run a 5k
31. Run a 10k
32. Run a half marathon
33. Go one month without any sodas
34. Subscribe to all the magazines I spend too much money on anyway
35. Become proficient in French...again
36. Read 5 books from the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
37. Bite the bullet and get a J. Crew card
38. Refurb my old chest of drawers from my great-grandma
39. Make 5 recipes from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook
40. Invest in a classic purse
41. Learn what kind of makeup actually works best for my face
42. Take a road trip through New England
43. Create an organized system and display for my nail polish collection
44. Learn how to drive a boat from one of the men in my family
45. Partner with a brand on the blog
46. Get my hair colored professionally
47. Take an online calligraphy class
48. Buy my mom the nice, quality wallet she deserves
49. Watch the Carolina Gamecocks beat the Clemson Tigers at Williams Brice Stadium!
50. Go to a James Taylor concert
51. Make 10 recipes from Pinterest
52. Memorize 10 go-to songs to play on my guitar when my family asks me to play
53. Go to/host an ugly Christmas sweater party
54. Ride a jet ski
55. Attend a Spoleto festival in Charleston
56. Find a "grown up" daily/monthly planner that still fits my personality
57. Take a trip to New York City
58. Record the songs my mom and I have sung together with family for years
59. Get my first massage
60. Learn how to style warmer weather scarves without feeling like I'm doing it wrong
61. Write down the family recipes I want to use and organize them into a system
62. Invest in a pair of Frye boots
63. Take a pilates class
64. Take a spin class
65. Learn how to skateboard
66. Invest in a cute camera bag
67. Learn how to best cook/fry/bake fish
68. Pet a horse
69. Go 24 hours completely unplugged, i.e. no iPhone, iPad, internet, or anything virtual
70. Get dressed up and go to a real New Years Eve party
71. Find my "signature drink"
72. Find my "signature scent"
73. Attend a Fashion Week show
74. Paint a cooler for a boy, a southern tradition for y'all northern folk
75. Visit some of one of the large plantations in Charleston, i.e. Lowndes, Boone Hall, Magnolia, Middleton, etc.
76. Get professional, or at least professional-grade, photos of me to use on the blog, for headshots, etc.
77. Purchase the calligraphy fonts I've wanted forever
78. Take a photo with Cocky, the USC mascot
79. Suck it up and buy an iPad
80. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen
81. Wake up early to watch a meteor shower
82. Take my sister on a trip for just the two of us
83. Save up a nice little savings account that I'm NOT allowed to touch
84. Rescue a pup!
85. Create a detailed budget and stick to it for three months
86. Donate blood without passing out
87. Go to the Camden Cup in 2014
88. Create and hang my own piece of art
89. Buy a set of pretty pajamas
90. Create an organized system for my finances...and make one for my mama too
91. Take my mom to a place that makes a good whiskey sour
92. Complete 5 DIY projects I've pinned on Pinterest
93. Design and purchase nice business cards
94. Go kayaking
95. Learn how to knit
96. Read 5 Jodi Picoult books I haven't read yet
97. Attend 15 concerts
98. Own everything in the Everygirl Fashion Essentials Handbook
99. Go to Merlefest
100. Buy a new to me car or move to a big city where I won't need one
101. Put $10 into savings for every goal accomplished

Happy Friday!

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Happy Friday! Cue Rihanna singing Cheeeers to the freakin weekend, am I right? I just finished my first week back at work, and don't Fridays just feel good? It's like your whole body just sighs from relief.

 Unfortunately it looks like the rain in Columbia (which has been going on all week) from tropical storm Andrea will continue this weekend, so I doubt I'll be getting much sunshine and outdoors time. It's this kind of weather that has been making me a little homesick for London. p.s. - am I allowed to say homesick for somewhere I only lived for 5 months? I say "back home" when talking about London all. the. time. Legitimate question, gimme your answers!

I've been searching for apartments for this upcoming August since March, which was particularly hard from overseas, but I'm checking out a few more places this weekend, so cross your fingers for me that one of these will be the one!

I'm also taking a summer class which I have an exam for early next week, so I'll be prepping for that too...ick.

What about y'all? I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Wagon Wheel - Timeflies

I thought I was really cool in London because I got to know of so many really talented UK artists that aren't very well known. I'd buy them (or...not buy them if they weren't on iTunes) and feel like such a hipster. I'd say things like "I'm sure you haven't heard of them, but they're really good," or "They're so small, they only have like _____ followers on Twitter." Yup, I was that girl.

So imagine how much of an idiot I felt like when I realized one of my favorite bands "from the UK" is actually American...and I had heard him before....in America. One of my friends had shown me a Timeflies Tuesday video last year covering Under the Sea, and I didn't even make the connection with Timeflies, this super cool "English" band. I'll wear the dunce hat. Someone hand it over.

Sara Elizabeth from With a Hint of Burbon posted this video yesterday, and I had to share. What do y'all think of Timeflies' version of Wagon Wheel? I usually like the original better, but this song is so different, that I'd put it in a whole different category. I can't stop listening!

The Little Things

iPhone case / acrylic pencil cup / cat ring

iPad mini case / black cab keyring / luggage tag

Traveler

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I think being able to travel to so many different types of places while I was in London has given me the travel bug. After being home only a little over a week I'm already planning trips to go on throughout the summer with friends and family. Mostly, I'm craving the shore. I'd love to visit Savannah, Georgia, where my parents lived before they moved back to South Carolina and had me. Has anyone ever been there? Neither of my parents have been back since they moved, although it's only about a three hour drive.

Are y'all taking any trips this summer? I'm hoping to visit some friends in Philadelphia, Richmond, Virginia, and Rhode Island too!

Loyalty is a funny thing

My parents made a big deal out of me getting my first debit card when I was in high school. It was my first step into adulthood and I loved every second of it, though they only trusted me with money I had in my account since it was a few years before I was allowed to get a credit card. Even my spending with my debit card was under scrutiny, since my mom had access to my bank account.

Loyalty cards have always been a no-go zone in my house, even after I had gotten a credit card. They were big and bad and scary according to my parents, and I stayed away every time a cashier asked if I had a store card...that is, until I got to J. Crew. As soon as I found out about J. Crew's card in high school I raced home to beg my mom if I could prettyplease get one. I needed it.

That idea was shot down real fast.

Now that I've gotten back home I've realized that I could actually use some of the benefits these cards offer. I've never been one to come in late on a credit card payment, and as a child of parents with generally responsible spending habits, my worries may be on the not-to-cautious side. I trust myself to not spend more than I have, though that's harder to enforce on myself than I'd like to admit. At the moment I'm looking at getting the Target RedCard, a Starbucks card, and a J. Crew card. This may seem like such a petty thing to blog about...but to me these things are like some big mysterious black hole. I can't quite decide if they are actually worth it for me to take the plunge.

My reasons are pretty simple. I go to Target, Starbucks, and J. Crew all. the. time. The Target card has a debit option, and you get 5% off every purchase, which would definitely add up for me. Thanks to the two Starbucks locations on the USC campus, I'm a regular, meaning those rewards could definitely come in handy. J. Crew's card doesn't give the percentages off like Target, but considering the private sales and extra occasional treats, it's hard to say no.

I'm curious to see how many of y'all have loyalty cards to any stores or brands. What do you think? Any advice or experience will help!

Weekender (and happy June!)

Happy June, y'all!

Savannah and I had so much fun at the show yesterday, but I'm ready for a relax day next. I'm thinking of grocery shopping for some recipes from this cookbook at Wholefoods, checking out the new Trader Joe's in Columbia, and drinking some of my favorite tea from London.