Happy Birthday Hannah!

I want to wish the happiest of happy birthdays to Miss Hannah today! A very long-awaited 21st birthday is upon us, and it's safe to say that everyone is more excited for Hannah's birthday than our own!

This picture is actually from one of the first nights I ever had the pleasure of hanging out with hSp, and we were doing 80s bowling for her sorority! 

We cannot wait to celebrate with you today for your special day and CHEERS TO BEING 21!!!!

xxKatie

What's On My Walls?

I figured since I haven't said very much about my new room yet, that I would share some of the decor!

The first thing that you see is my DIY door decoration! (For directions to do your own, click here!)

Right next to my closet, you see this framed Lilly print, "Skip on It"! I love this because it's the same print as the dress from my 21st birthday! Another part of this that I love is the double mat--I feel like you don't see a skinny colored mat with pictures and I love the POP that it gives the print! This was a gift from my boss at the store.

On the wall opposite my bed, I have a bulletin board hanging with things I need to do, and other materials. The two clip boards are summer goals and LBP goals (a few of which are on both!)!!

Above my desk, I have HUGE poster sized framed prints that I adore! It really makes my desk feel like a mini office and I love how close my family and friends are to me! I had these prints printed from CVS with a 40% off coupon code, so I only had to pay $9 for BOTH!

I obviously had to include my sister on my walls and thought that this picture was too cute from her graduation!

I live along the front of our house (as does my roomie upstairs with me) and so I have a MASSIVE window that lights up my room! Next to the window (opposite the 21st birthday print, if you can imagine a layout like that...) I have these two canvases hanging. Both of these were DIY's also! (For directions on the rhinestone monogram, click here!) This is one of my favorite walls in my room. I love how these two canvases look stacked on top of each other. The bottom canvas has my name, Katie, spelled out in boat flags on the top, and my monogram, cRa on the bottom! 

xxKatie

Desk & Decor

Meet the home of my new desk:

Sorry it's bad quality--it was a Mupload!

I got this desk from WalMart:

So far it's GREAT and I love it! I put it together on my own and I am pretty proud of it! (I wish I could say the same thing about the WalMart dresser I'm about to return...)

Up until Friday, my two frames were empty! Using CVS's photo service and a coupon code I was able to order 2 11x14 posters to add to my room! I used these two photos:

This one is from my 21st birthday and one of my favorites!

Of course I had to add one of me and my sister to the collection too!

It made my desk and room feel A TON more home-y and me. I am really excited with the way it turned out!!

Now all I have to do is find a good dresser--which I'm happy to take suggestions for!!

xxKatie

New Do, New You

I have SUPER short hair now!!

This is the last tagged photo of me from my friend Jami's 21st birthday! This was a few days ago so my hair was at the longest and most recent pre-haircut:

I'm sure most of y'all saw my tweets about the haircut yesterday! I went to a great salon in Columbia called Ashley's Alley, and my stylist, Keri, was wonderful. She was recommended to me by a friend and did a great job. She was SO speedy too--I was washed, cut, and blow-dried all in less than 45 minutes. The location is moving, but if anyone in Columbia needs a new hair stylist, shoot me an email and I'll forward you her details!

You can also see a bit of my new house in the background--a very small bit! Our AMAZING pink couch! One of my roommates had a HOT PINK COUCH that's now happily residing in our living room!

I am so excited about my new hair and can't wait to really see how it feels once I'm the primary stylist!

Have you ever made a DRASTIC haircut? Did you like it or did you want your old hair back?!

Let Me Pencil You In

While the last school year just wrapped up, I can't help but think about the upcoming school year. Is that a little crazy? I saw this great new Lifeguard Press academic agendas come out yesterday and couldn't wait to share them with everyone!!

Dirty Shirley was one of my favorite prints when it came out and I'm SO disappointed I didn't get that great dress when I had the opportunity! I'm excited to see the new Dirty Shirley colorway in this agenda!

Gimme Some Leg is the next one--I am loving the coral and turquoise combination! Plus flamingos are always a fun, festive addition to anything! 

May Flowers reminds me of some of the other pink and green florals that we've seen on agendas, but no harm in bringing back a tried-and-true favorite combo!

A new print, See You Later, is TOO cute! I love lime green and turquoise (seems to be the overall theme in the agendas!) plus alligators! See you later alligator!

I'm of course a big fan of Skip On It, and it will always be a reminder of my 21st birthday!

Last but CERTAINLY not least, we have Ugotta Regatta! My favorite part about this came down to the detail of the porthole in the middle! I think that was such a smart, nautical addition to the Ugotta Regatta agenda!

I'm so happy Lifeguard Press debuted SIX DIFFERENT AGENDAS for this coming season! Now I've got the problem of deciding on which one I want! Which one will you order? Has anyone preordered their favorite to make sure they get it?!

xxKatie

The Ring

So awhile back I told y'all about my big 21st birthday gift! My parents and I decided on a signet ring in December. Because of Christmas timing and everything, the ring would not be ready for 6-8 weeks when I wouldn't be home. I got over it, and knew I'd be reunited with my ring over Spring Break.

Well my sneaky Mom shipped it to me hidden among my Valentine's dresses and candy. I was shocked when I first saw it: it was PERFECT!

Sorry it's a little blurry, I have quite a shaky hand in the Macro setting on my camera! Anyway, I went with a traditional monogram with cRa and I wear it on my left hand ring finger. We got this signet ring from a local jeweler in Annapolis where we've gotten a few other pieces before. The script on the ring is special to the jeweler and I have a silver cuff that I got for being my sister's Confirmation sponson that has the matching script.

My right hand ring finger is occupied by my graduation ring:

I posted about this awhile back, I'm still in love with this ring every time I see it. It's a Pandora ring, and part of their stackable line--I see it often on Pinterest actually! I get a little chuckle whenever I see people pin it!

I don't really wear a lot of jewelry regularly, but I wear these two rings 24/7. They both are very special and I am reminded of my family every time I look at them. Both were given to me for momentous occasions in my life and they always put a smile on my face! I know this update took long enough, but I'm excited to share with everyone!

Are there pieces of jewelry in your collection that are special to you?

xxKatie

Hands 101

This is my new color, OPI's "I Don't Know...Beets Me!" and I LOVE IT! For the first time in awhile, I'm thinking for the first time since before Thanksgiving, I picked my color AT the nail salon earlier this week! Shocking, I know! 

It reminds me a lot of one of my previous colors, Essie's "Fruit Sangria" but it's a very wearable pink. I think that pinks like this one are very clean looking. I know a lot of people disagree and only ever wear light pinks, and neutrals, but I'm a pink fan. It's perfect for this Valentine's Day season too! 

It also compliments my birthday gift! I'm not sure if y'all remember what my 21st birthday gift was, but I got a gold signet ring with my full monogram! It arrived home about a month ago, but unfortunately I wasn't home to meet! My sneaky Mom (see video above...that's how I greeted her on the phone afterwards) snuck the ring into one of my Valentine's Day care package bags! I had no idea! 

The shape of mine looks VERY similar to this one. It's traditional, a circle (I specifically wanted that) and sports my cRa monogram! I can't stop looking at it!! It was the best gift I've ever gotten and I'm so thankful for it!! Once this week is over, I'll be sure to post a picture of MY real thing! Our jeweler who made the ring for us, has a very distinct script font that is in another bracelet that I have and is different than most scripts!

What's your current color? Fill me in (manicure joke!)!!!

xxKatie

Preppy Vines

One of my fabulous friends, Colleen, surprised me with such a fun gift all the way from California!! She gave me a bottle of the Preppy Vines' "Popped Collar Pinot"!

To make the fun gift even BETTER, she gave me a "Redneck Wine Glass"--how perfect for a 21st?

Have you ever seen one of these? How much fun are they?

Happy Birthday to me!! Thank you thank you Miss Colleen!

xxKatie

Cakepops

I tried making cakepops for the first time during my birthday weekend!

They were fun to make, but not as easy as I thought!! I didn't follow any specific recipe, but instead, just went with a lot of the reading I did on everyone else's cakepop endeavors! 

We used one box of cake to one can of frosting. We used two bags of white chocolate to coat the pops and middle size skewers. I was the musher and combined the cake and frosting and balled them up for Miss Skyler to coat. They ended up significantly larger than we expected which is my fault and I just didn't realize how big they were!! Anyway, it was a blast to make!!

Got any cakepop making tips? Have you ever made them yourself?

xxKatie

Week 1

It is week 1 of the semester.

I don't think I've ever been more excited for any single semester of college! I was excited for my real first semester of school, but a totally different, anxiety-filled excited as a freshman.

This week I'm adding on a new, second major. 

This week I'm going to continue to celebrate my birthday.

This week I'm making major major commitments to school and work and I'm pumped.

This week I'm doing school supply shopping.

This week I'm organizing my entire month.

The first week of the semester is one of the most important. Finals week takes the cake for importance, but starting off on the right foot is like eating breakfast--important, and you can feel it about 75% of the way though if you didn't do it right.

So here's to an AWESOME first week--it certainly started off great! Here's a sneak peek from my birthday:

xxKatie

B-School Colors

Essie's new collection is perfect for all my fellow Business majors out there! Inspired by the business world (and I've heard maybe even the "Occupy Wall Street" saga) you'll love all their names! From left to right:

1. Navigate Her

2. A Crewed Interest

3. To Buy or Not to Buy

4. Tour de Finance

5. Olé Caliente

6. Orange It’s Obvious!

I pinned these guys a few days ago without knowing their individual names but the collection is just too much fun!!

xxKatie

P.S.: A big thank you for all the "Happy Birthday" tweets and comments! Y'all are SERIOUSLY the bomb!

Outfit of the Day: 21st BIRTHDAY

January 8 by letsbepreppy featuring a yellow gold bangle

This is my (finally) 21st birthday outfit! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my one-shoulder dress from Lilly Resort 2011. As soon as this dress came out, I knew it was right for me! I added in the crossbody bag that I got for Christmas and the "Gild the Lily" bracelet I got yesterday!

Here's to a fun and fabulous 21st! As I like to tell all my friends, Miss Lilly Pulitzer says, "Too much is never enough!" ...wink wink!

xxKatie

Gild the Lily

This was one of the beautiful gifts that arrived for me in the mail from one of the sweetest friends I have. 

I wasn't entirely sure of the meaning of this idiom, so I gave it a little Google search. I read the meaning and almost started crying. My favorite of the meanings was, 

"To make superfluous additions to what is already complete".

Thank you thank you Sarah and Kate Spade for the wonderful beginning to my birthday weekend!!

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

So behind on this!! Yikes! Time to refocus and get ready for the week ahead!

1. I am thankful for YOUR SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS! The Capital One Bowl was ridiculously fun once the Gamecocks realized it was a Bowl game and could seriously change their collegiate careers, 2011 season and fan feelings all with one game. We just finished an 11-win season for the FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY!

2. I am thankful for the wonderful break that Christmas provided me. It was restful, relaxing (most times), and a much needed month off. 

3. (With that said...) I am thankful that I get to go back to school on Thursday. Which is the day after tomorrow. Cue packing frenzy!

4. I am thankful that my birthday is on SUNDAY! I've been counting down since, oh, January 9, 2011. 21 club here I come!

5. I am thankful for the WiFi I'm currently using in the Orlando airport. I wish all airports provided you with free service like this. It's such a treat to be able to use you computer for a few minutes without having to pay ridiculous fees like $9.95 for 24 hours. I hope I never have to be in an airport for 24 hours!

6. I am thankful that it has been a relatively mild winter. I really really hate the cold! Like really really hate it. I was so uncomfortable in NYC when it was windy and freezing. This mild winter has been such a blessing!

7. I am thankful for the FAAAAABulous new Essie color I tried out: Fruit Sangria! Love it!

8. I am thankful that I am starting second semester junior year. I can't believe it, but I am. It is WILD! Now on the lookout for internships for the summer. I have a list of a few that I'd like to apply for so we'll see where it takes us! (Shameless self plug: anyone in Charleston looking for a Marketing/PR/social media intern?)

9. I am thankful for Southwest Airlines and the ease with which I've traveled this break. It was easy to book and both ways we were on time! It makes such a big difference when traveling is easy.

10. I am thankful that I am about to board my flight! Hopefully I'm home around noon!

xxKatie

Holiday Nails!

About two and a half weeks ago, I got my nails done in Essie's "Geranium" and it was SUCH a great holiday color! It's red and fun and definitely not as coral as it looks in the bottle. I LOVE it and highly recommend this shade to anyone looking for a very festive red. It held up great and didn't look dingy when I got my nails redone. 

Just two days ago, I had them redone (is two weeks a normal time for y'all?) and chose OPI's "Strawberry Margarita" for my Christmas color. I'm sure y'all are thinking why didn't she flip flop them or just keep the red? Something about pink at the holidays is very me. It's just close enough to red to be festive but I think that pink nails are almost always appropriate. I actually thought that "Strawberry Margarita" would be an AWESOME color on my wedding day (depending on the flowers and bridesmaids dresses of course!) because it's bright and a great shade. A few of my Twitter followers said it's their go-to summer color, but I really think it's a good all year round color. I may have to go out and buy it soon!

I think my next nail color will be Essie's "Bachelorette Bash" for my birthday color! And to go with my dress, I'll either match my toes with this same shade or go VERY BOLD and do:

Essie's "Turquoise & Caicos" since my dress has so many shades of blue/Lilly's Lagoon Green!

Have any good holiday colors? Do share!!

xxKatie

The Whitaker

This is my official 21st birthday dress!!

I couldn't wait to show y'all! I don't think I'm going to wear a belt with mine, but I'm going to pair it with these shoes from Resort a few years ago:

I am so excited because I think this is the perfect party dress! It's fun a colorful and what better a way to  celebrate my birthday than in a Lilly of course!!

xxKatie

HAPPY 21st COLLEEN!

"Your birthday's OCTOBER 11th?!"

"Hallie, we're not like sisters, we're like TWINS!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!

I can't wait to celebrate tonight!!

One of my favorite nights with ya bitty!

From trips to the Cape, to Columbia, to Krispy Kreme, to the VC here's to your best year yet!!! I am SO EXCITED for the rest of the year and to celebrate tonight with you!!! 

Year of Birthdays

You're probably asking yourself, "Well, isn't every year the year of the birthdays?" Well yes, but this year I'm a junior which means the birthday that everyone gets the most excited about in college: turning 21! I often get questions about what to get for your friends for their 21st birthdays! Here are some of my suggestions:

Customized shot glasses: I got these for three guy friends last year and they all loved them! They all got 2 glasses: 1 personalized with their monograms and 1 personalized with something funny between us!

A season of their favorite show or a DVD of their favorite movie! This is ALWAYS a crowd pleaser!

Monogrammed Wine Glasses from The Cooler Girl (a fabulous friend of mine!)

Food gift cards! I know gift cards have a bit of an impersonal stigma associated with them, but give them a book of coupons and say you're taking them to the specific place. Need a reason to take this certain someone on a date? ...Sounds like a perfect plan to me!

The Bubbly! This gives you a fun reason to toast (or roast!) your friends at their birthday bash!

Local concert tickets! A bunch of my friends have birthdays the week before THIS GUY comes to town. Too bad I don't give away ANY birthday surprises! I do expect to see y'all all there though!

I saw this concoction on Pinterest a few days ago and it sparked my idea for this post! Too funny! Seems like something a Grandma might do!

What did you give your friends for their 21st birthday? Anything fun? 

xxKatie