Giveaway: The Sassy Palmetto

I am SO excited to announce this giveaway! It's been in the works for a little while, and Jennifer was so sweet for finding me! I hope all my Gamecocks and USC fans out there are excited!! Go Gamecocks!

Perfect for tailgating!

Jennifer is the head honcho over at the Sassy Palmetto! They are a family owned company located in South Carolina. A few years ago, Jennifer began making specialty items and traveling around to local craft shows. A few local boutiques became interested in her work and she began working with them. Constantly coming up with new ideas, they decided they'd open our their online specialty shop to keep the cost down for our customers. Thus, The Sassy Palmetto was born! They have gifts and accessories for the South Carolina enthusiast. Tailgate Centerpieces, Beverage Tubs, Carolina Yard Stakes and darling Tutus are just a part of our vast offering. We hand make many things you see so we can personalize just about anything, upon request. New products are added, almost daily, so you are sure to find something you love!

The FABULOUS Sassy Palmetto and Let's Be Preppy Giveaway:

A Gamecock Gameday Essential Basket. Includes Mini Black Basket with Steel Gamecock, Gamecock Acrylic Wine Glass, USC Spirit Button and a set of Gamecock themed Wine Charms.

How to enter:
1. For 1 entry become a fan of The Sassy Palmetto on facebook
2. For 1 additional entry (2 total) become a fan on Let's Be Preppy on facebook
3. For 1 additional entry (3 total) follow The Sassy Palmetto on Twitter
4. For 1 additional entry (4 total) tweet about this giveaway!
5. For 1 more additional entry (5 total) post about this giveaway on your blog!
6. Leave all your entries in ONE comment on this post below to enter!

Enter by midnight on Sunday night to be qualified to win this gift basket! Winner will be posted on Tuesday!

Best of luck and GO GAMECOCKS!

xxKatie

Happy Birthday (Party) Day, Miss Skyler!

So y'all have heard me always include Miss Skyler in my posts! Today is the start of her birthday festivities! Her birthday begins tonight when the clock strikes midnight (Cinderella style...except maybe a little later...) and will last until however long we decide!

How adorable is she?

Anyway tonight is her birthday, just a small gathering of family and close friends at a local restaurant and I'm SO looking forward to celebrating. Because I haven't gotten her gift from the mail yet, here are some clues to what it might be:

 AND

for a special little basket of goodies that screams sCe!

Cheers to you, Skyler! Can't wait to celebrate tonight!!

xxKatie

Gift Time!

Back in the winter, I made a gift basket for a friend. Well, I'm heading over to a summer birthday/pool party extravaganza for two friends of mine. One is a gal I work with and another is a girl I ran cross country with since she was a freshman. She kicked my butt! Carley and Mattie are both having this joint birthday, so as I drove home from the beach (that's why I've been so MIA) I thought about what to get them. Then it popped into my head: make gift baskets! Well, I came home, dropped off my stuff, and headed over to Michael's. I figured it would make the best place to get lots of cute stuff AND the most important part of the gift, the basket. When I made my gift basket in December, the holder was the second most expensive item that was part of the gift! Well this was my experience this time.

Step one: tracking down cute (matching) containers for the gifts. I got these aluminum containers with plastic liners. 

Step two: pick out themed basket items for each birthday girl (or princess in my case). As you can see, my beat-up VV tote is lurking in the background!

Step three: organize the gift basket items per birthday princess, for your own help. I got paper products, lollipops and ribbons (and birthday crowns that match each basket!!!) for the baskets.

Step four: get clear or translucent cellophane to wrap the gift baskets in. This is one of the most important steps, because without the protective layer to keep everything in, the items in the baskets will probably fall out. This was the brand I used this time, last time I had ADORABLE clear cellophane with white polka dots from the Party Supply Store. 

Step five: place the unwrapped gift basket in the cellophane, so your folding it "hamburger style". Instead of doing it "hot dog" style, you want the cellophane to be as wide as possible. It seems silly, I know, but it makes a big difference when you gather all of it up with the seams.

 Then you're done! I closed mine with ribbon that matches the basket and added the crowns around the very top of the closure! I think they look fab if I do say so myself!

Not to mention, I did it all for $44.91. That's just over $22 per basket! Try one for your next gift-giving opportunity or swap trade!!

PS. I'm having minor computer troubles with following blogs. I've reported the bugs to apple, but everytime I try to follow a blog, Safari spontaneously shuts down :( As soon as I'm able to follow you guys again, I'll be catching up with my new followers I promise promise promise! Thanks for the new followers!

xxKatie

The Perfects

So, in an attempt to do a reflection on the 2008 year, I thought I'd come up with a "The Perfect ________" list. Here are some items on my personal "Perfect" list:

The Perfect Bag: The Vineyard Vines Classic Tote
This bag is huge, but not overwhelming. A step up from an LL Bean Boat' n' Tote Bag, this is a preppy must-have. I've used this bag at school, shopping, as a carry-all, at the beach, when I go out, you name it! I have a classic blue whale on pink pattern on mine, and I can't wait to monogram the top middle section above the front pocket.

The Perfect Sandal: Jack Rogers Navajo Sandal in Platinum
I have worn these shoes time and time again. Beware that the first few days of wearing them, they ARE NOT comfortable. Upon breaking them in, however, I could live in these shoes. Not kidding, either, this color is the one I always tell people to buy in the store. They can be dressed up (as I did wear them to both prom and the debutante ball) or dressed down (as I've worn them with a simple LP skirt and polo for a work day). This color is also a fusion between gold and silver and is still shiny, but much less attention-drawing than metallic.

The Perfect Trendy Accessory: Pashmina Scarves in Plain Colors
I have recently gotten one of these scarves (from Target nonetheless) for Christmas. Don't buy an expensive one because you can pick them up easily for $10-$20 and really, the quality is not that much different. I have a raspberry colored one that goes well with black, white, brown, navy, cream, jeans, dresses (as a shawl). Usually I'm not into very trendy things considering my wardrobe is cable knits, polos and jeans, but I do like these scarves very much. Head up though, if you don't like ironing, look for a different material for these scarves. If you want it to look neat 24/7 you'll have to iron these, I don't mind a wrinkle so I let it go.

The Perfect Book (it's a tie): The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao OR In Cold Blood
I read both of these books this year and loved them both. TBWLoOW won the Pulitzer Prize for literature earlier in the year and my English teacher in 11th grade wanted us to read it. Although not the most uplifting of stories, it takes a look into the life of Oscar Wao. It is very readable and is about real life. A funny running commentary by Junot Diaz on the history of the Dominican Republic is conveyed in the footnotes. ICB, on the other hand, is not a happy story at all. It follows the story of 2 murders and the family that they kill with the climax of the story at the murder scene. Besides Harry Potter, I have never read real literature SO fast in my entire life. It took me probably less than 48 hours over the summer to read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Perfect Scent: Lilly Pulitzer "Wink"
Cleverly put in a pink bottle, this steals it for me. I own this as well, from Christmas, and again, I tell everyone in the store to buy this one of all the LP scents. In the words of Lilly herself: "Wear pink and make the boys wink!" It is the one on the bottom!

The Perfect Nail Polish: Sephora Brand Nail Color in L19 "tagada"
Talk about the perfect pink, this is it. Barbie Pink, Princess Pink, "Tagada", "L19", call it what you want, it is true pink, $4 to boot, and I love it. Cover it with a good clear topcoat and you're all set! As I look at my bottle, I have to remember to get more!

The Perfect Coat: H&M 6 Button Pea Coat
This is a great dressy, light coat. I have it in a charcoal color that is functional for everything. I love the way this looks with my uniform at school, over an outfit, and with a black turtleneck underneath. The only problem is that it is lined with polyester or something like that, and if any wind gets up there, it chills the fabric and your arms get cold!

The Perfect Running Shoes: Any Shoe From The Brand "Asics"
Now, I know there are some runners out there who will disagree, but I've run for 4 years of cross country with Asics. Some people argue that the toe box is too big or that Mizuno or New Balance make the best running shoes, but I love these shoes. I have had 2 pairs of the exact same model and changed recently for my past running season. Now, I am in no way a serious runner, but I did it for fun and to keep in shape. These shoes were so comfortable, held up beautifully, and I will be an Asics girl for the rest of my life.

The Perfect Gift: A Handmade Gift Basket
I have fallen in love with doing this. I think that for people that you really care about, this is the best gift that you can give. With a color scheme or theme in mind, you can't go wrong with putting one of these together. Bonus: it's a crafty project and you get to go shopping in a few different places!

Perfect Earrings: Silver Pearls
A twist on the traditional pearls, silver pearls are easy to find, stylish, and come in a variety of sizes. You can go with real silver or silver plated. I love wearing silver pearls because they go with everything, minus like gold stuff, and you can find coordinating bracelets and necklaces to go with them!

Perfect Treat: Funfetti Cupcakes!
Boy oh boy, am I a fan of these bad boys. I have become known as the cupcake queen at my school for making funfetti cupcakes. They are SO easy to make and are always good. It's tough to mess up cupcakes from a box. Tip: don't overmix the batter. If you overmix, you lose that melt in your mouth taste (as corny as that sounds...). Although, I have had a friend tell me that she's bitten into a little rock of batter from me not mixing enough!!

Any other additions? Leave a comment with some of your Perfects!

xxKatie

Handmade Gifts

So obviously Christmas is fast approaching in only 4 days! I can't believe it myself! All of my friend's debutante stuff has kept me from really thinking about Christmas. One of my other friends, Maeve, just had an 18th birthday though too! It was a really fun night because it was just girls, and I couldn't remember the last time that I went to a party like that. I was a little overdressed because I thought it was a little dressier than it was in actuality. The gift I gave her, however, I had left up to the last minute, which is not something that I typically do. She held her party on the night of the day of our last exam (if the prepositional phrases in that sentence weren't confusing enough) so I barely had time to shop.

I was blog surfing and came across a site that had an entry on gift baskets for the holidays. I kept looking through it and then it came to me: MAKE YOUR OWN GIFT BASKET! Boy, did I run with this idea. I headed off to Target without a real idea other than what my friend really likes: cooking, baking, pastels, dark chocolate, etc. I knew that there were a few things that I would need: a basket of some sort, clear cellophane to wrap it all in, bows and ribbons to secure the top, and then the plethora of gifts to go inside.

I began browsing through Target and the first thing that I came upon was their "1$" steals section. It's a fabulous area of racks of one dollar items like festive/seasonal items, dog collars, cookie cutters, plates, plastic utensils, coloring books, no-name brand art supplies and everything like that. I found these GREAT pink sparkly plastic plates and bought 4 as a set in that $1 section. I tied them up with a square knot of pink raffia and decided that they would be my first part of the basket. I then decided that I'd have a pink theme of baking and snacks, a combo many girl's would like! Then I proceeded to the baking section because I knew that I would be successful there. I found a fabulous silicone baking mold for flower cupcakes and then a shape that when arranged next to its mirror piece would form a basket. There were about 8 flower molds, probably 2 or 3 different models of flowers, and then the 2 basket shapes (pictured). This was my second basket purchase. I continued throughout the store and ended up buying Funfetti Cake mix, pink Funfetti frosting, sparkling pink lemonade, a princess crown, a princess wand (both from the "circo" children's line at Target), some great Bliss dark chocolate that has a pink foil wrapping, sprinkles, and pink nail polishes and then a pink basket. It was a great basket.

My next OOB (order of business) was to find that cellophane wrapping. I didn't find any in Target, so I headed down to the party supply store by my house. I still had a hard time finding it there on my own until I hit THE LAST AISLE in the entire store. I found this great clear wrapping with white polka dots on it that I had to have. With all my purchases, I headed back home to put my basket together. Our kitchen table became a tornado of pink metallic "grass", white paper Easter grass, pink ribbon and clear very static cling-y cellophane wrap.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the basket itself, but thanks to a friend who enjoys taking pictures and Facebook, I got a hold of a few pictures. The top picture at the beginning of today's entry, although not the most flattering, shows the backside of the basket and you can see the great cellophane wrap! Here is the birthday girl herself in her crown and with her wand:P.S. Deb Ball Night #1 was SERIOUSLY the most fun I've had in a really long time. We had a ton of fun, stayed up too late, and I can't wait until the presentation on Tuesday! I'll keep you updated!

P.S.S. I got deferred :( but it was about 99% to be expected, the early action is a little weird for the Nursing College. That 1% was like exactly what my mom said, "Just a little part of me thought 'What if you did get it? How cool would that be?'" So, I'm fine now, moved on, and shall be hearing in a few months! Future: Wildcat, Stag, Duke, Fighting Blue Hen, Gamecock, or Tiger writing for you right now!!!!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone! Happy big 1-8 Maeve!

xxKatie