Outfit of the Day: Maxed Out

Last summer when the "You Gotta Regatta" print came out from Lilly, I got a dress for my sister's high school graduation. I couldn't really justify getting two dresses in the same print, so I skipped out on this Treena Maxi dress originally.

I had HUGE remorse for not snagging this dress when I had the opportunity. I was ELATED when I logged onto Rue La La to see that it was being offered in the most recent Lilly pop-up shop! There was high traffic all day, so I didn't think I was going to log on, let alone even order or purchase this dress. After trying my patience, I finally got through on Rue La La and ordered my dress as soon as I could! I was PUMPED when I got my confirmation email that it was on its way. 

I paired this dress with a yellow party cardi and my neon McKims from Carolina Cup, and added my monogram necklace on to top it all off. I cannot wait to wear this dress more often because it seriously feels like PJs when you're wearing it. Needless to say, I am LOVING my newest acquisition!

Have you ever snagged a dress after longing after not buying it?

xxKatie

Giveaway Monday: Feathered Nest Boutique

This week's Giveaway Monday is a fun, fabulous monogrammed chevron scarf from Feathered Nest Boutique!

This scarf will be the perfect accessory as we really start to hit our stride into spring and summer. I would style this fun scarf over a white tank and black or coordinating colored shorts with Jacks. Ya dig?

We are making this entry SO easy for y'all as usual with Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Giveaway Monday!

xxKatie

Polish Change: At First Sight

Let me preface this new color with a little mani-anecdote. Before spring break, I needed a manicure. Poor time management didn't allow me to get one in before I left, so I packed a few colors with me and a good shiny top coat and figured I could do it myself, covering the old color. I covered a light pink with red. It was not a good idea. I LOVE red nails (my Mom, not so much...which she reminded me...) and I love red nails especially in hot weather. My nails were just TOO long for red and by the time break was over, I felt VERY Ronald McDonald-y.

I decided on OPI's "At First Sight" after taking too long to choose at the salon. I needed something neutral to match my Cup dress and I was SO sick of the very vivacious red that I needed a break. By the time that the manicurist took off all the red, it looked like we BOTH committed murder. 

I am a HUGE fan of this color, and I'm definitely going to look into finding my own bottle of it. It's actually glittery too but you can't tell when there are multiple coats on your nails. Mine currently have two coats. I wanted them to look opaque once they were dry, and two coats did the trick!

xxKatie

Giveaway: My Capital Letters

Today's giveaway is with My Capital Letters! Right here in my backyard in Columbia, SC, I am SO excited to be doing this fun giveaway!

We are giving away a vine monogram anchor key chain! How cute is this?! Nautical and personalized, this is right up my alley. You can pick any color from their choices too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy entering!

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Hat

It's no secret that Carolina Cup is an event where a mantra is "Go big or go home." This is perfectly understood in your choice of a hat!

Last year I had that pink striped floppy hat, and two years ago I had a plain straw hat from Belk with a bow that I added myself:

It actually came initially attached with the most heinous zebra-y/giraffe-y scarf that I took off and then added the bow in place of! Keep that in mind while searching for hats--most attached scarves are removable with scissors and a little elbow grease!

The most important part about your hat is matching it with your dress of course! There are so many different options for Cup hats that you can choose!

Marley Lilly has certainly become a force to be reckoned with as far as Cup hat choices go! They have SO many different color options that you are bound to find one that will match your dress. They even offer monogramming too to make it personal!

Target has great options in-store if you need a hat in a pinch! What's great about a plain, straw hat like this one, is that you can add a ribbon to match your dress. Like I said, that's what I did two years ago and it was great! I tied a false bow, and glued it down with fabric glue--I even added a few staples in invisible spots to make it REALLY secure!

Yet again, the bigger the better! This hat from Amazon has my name all over it! I'd even love to rock this one AFTER the Cup!

What does your hat look like? Are you added fun accessories like a bow or sash?

ANYONE have any good suggestions on how to avoid hat head also? LET ME KNOW!

xxKatie

Giveaway Monday: Southern Beaus

I love finding new brands, and I especially love finding new brands that have owners that are tied to the University of South Carolina. Ashlyn, owner of Southern Beaus, is a fellow Gamecock! She has so graciously offered to giveaway any bowtie to a reader who wins this giveaway!

With Carolina Cup right around the corner, I don't think this bowtie giveaway can be more perfect!

Ashlyn sent me this clutch a few weeks back and without spoiling my Cup dress, this matches PERFECTLY. I don't know she knew, but she did and it was too perfect! I am SO excited to have this with me on the big day!

In order to enter the Southern Beaus giveaway use Rafflecopter, and if you can see it, click on the title of today's post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Entering!

xxKatie

DIY: Monogrammed Cooler Tote

So I am IN LOVE with all the new prints for Lifeguard Press giftables for Lilly!

"Chin Chin" is an entirely pink and green print (I think it was made to match LBP) with elephants that have celebrating monkeys on them! It's slated to come out in a color way that includes pale yellow and pale blue in the next shipment of clothes. Think swimwear and beach pants--hello spring and summer!

I had a monogram decal that I had originally bought to put on my Nook cover, but I measured it wrong. I figured that my Nook dimensions would need the same dimensions monogram...oops! Probably a better rule of thumb would have been 1/2 the size of my Nook. Anyway, it left me with this AWESOME repurposable vinyl monogram! It had been in my purse for quite awhile, but then it hit me: put it on a bag!

Most of the market totes had too much white in the prints themselves, so instead I put it on the insulated tote! Not only will it be a great tote bag in general, but I can store drinks and snacks in it for the beach, and ideally Carolina Cup! It has a velcro opening at the top to keep your things the coolest they can be.

This might be the easiest "DIY" I've ever posted. I'm not even sure if it really qualifies as a true DIY but more like "Semi-Homemade" by the Food Network's definition. I really just combined things I already had (ehem, after I purchased the cooler tote) together!

1. Step 1: Assemble your items. My sticker took a bit of a beating in my purse, but it didn't matter in the end.

2. Step 2: place your monogram on your bag and press 100% of the vinyl on the bag firmly. I used the blunt end of a pen to make sure I got alllllll the spots.

3. Step 3: Slowly remove the sticky backing of the vinyl. This can be tricky, so be patient.

4. Step 4: Admire your work!

I purchased my vinyl monogram on Etsy, and there are hundreds of vendors you can choose from. There are tons of colors you can choose from and match it totally to whatever you choose to add your monogram to!

I am PUMPED to use my bag and I know I'm going to get a ton of usage out of it! They are durable with great handles and now a knock-out monogram!

Happy monogramming y'all!

xxKatie

DIY Monogrammed Phone Background

I have a pink OtterBox that has treated me very well and saved me MANY times from shattering a front or back of my iPhone. While Lilly, Kate Spade, Tory Burch and Pantone make great super attractive phone covers, I am a tried-and-true OtterBox fan!

Since it's rather boring, I try to spice it up as much as I can with backgrounds! One of my friends urged me to download the new update for 3Initials app! BOY-OH-BOY is it cute!

3Initials App background with my iPhone organized

Background without apps

You can change the size, color, background, type and number of colors for all kinds of different monograms! Last Sunday, my friends were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over my background so I let them make their own:

This was what they were able to come up with! As you can see, you can change the size, orientation and background for all of them!

I tweeted this photo over the weekend and y'all were very inquisitive as to where to make the background and now you know! I was referring to the 17 text messages Friday night that I had received after falling asleep at 8pm watching the "Hot Donuts" episode of Duck Dynasty. I woke up at 11pm and didn't know if it was daytime or nighttime I was so disoriented. All my friends were wondering where I was and if I was coming out! Instead of y'all noticing that, you saw my fun 3Initals background!

This is my current phone background and reminds me very much of my yellow seersucker Carolina Cup dress--it even had pink embroidery!

Be sure to check out the 3Initials application in the App Store on your iPhone!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Preppy Profesh Cropped Pants

I've written about my amazing steal of a deal blue blazer before and it's one of the BEST deals I ever got! I love my Ralph Lauren blazer and don't get to wear it as often as I should! While it's not exactly the same thing, there's a close Ralph Lauren knit match here!

I wore LOFT cropped pants for the first time too! My mom and I stocked up on business essentials and these cropped pants were part of the haul. They have the most comfortable wide band around the top with a secure button and hooks. They have a great amount of stretch and I know they'll keep their shape. The cream crepe top is LOFT as well!

For NYE, I snagged this pair of Jessica Simpson heels that I was wearing too! They are seriously the most comfortable nude heels I own and fellow Tweeters agreed. I look for every opportunity to wear these heels that I can! They're ~4 inches but you'd never know when they're on. They also have a great grippy rubber bottom that feels secure. HUGE plus, no toe cleavage. 

Awaiting me when I arrived back in South Carolina was my Bauble Bar necklace that I ordered as a birthday gift to myself. I LOVE the large monogram they offer! It's substantial feeling but they clasp is EXTREMELY difficult to do on your own--attempt at your own risk! I am also admittedly not good at putting necklaces on so I found it tough. The gold is shiny and not a gaudy shade. I've worn it a bunch and I've seen no turning color or showing of the inner material.

I wore this OOTD to a pre-party for TEDxColumbiaSC. Our city was lucky enough to have a group of individuals who were willing to organize a TEDx event for the city and I had the unique opportunity to attend the lecture. The pre-party was held in the lobby of an IT office who so graciously offered up their space and we gladly networked and chatted with the speakers. I'll do a full recap later this week of the big show, but all in all I was SO glad to have attended the lecture!

xxKatie

Merry Christmas Eve!

Tonight is when my family does a lot of our celebrating! We'll head to mass around 6, have a late dinner (plus my grandparents now that they've arrived in town!) and head to bed to get snuggely before Santa comes. This is one of the pictures we snagged last year!

We all get a dressed up for Christmas Eve mass and dinner. My Christmas outfit will consist of the following:

Lilly Pulitzer Mallory dress that I snagged on a HUGE sale this summer!

My gold circle monogram necklace

Libby Edelman Booties

Last but not least, my Old Navy ruffle coat (which is now like 1/2 price!!)

Does your family do a big night for Christmas Eve or Christmas or both? What party frock will you be donning for the big day?

xxKatie

Giveaway: Personalized From Me To You Crossbody Bag

I am pairing up with Personalized From Me To You to giveaway the best Gameday bag you could possibly design! This crossbody can be customized with tons of different colors AND different monograms!

How cute is this?

That's how mine turned out! I have the black bag with a gold script monogram! It really matches EVERYTHING! I used it this weekend and the best part was that this crossbody bag was wide enough to fit my Hobo wallet! That huge wallet never fits in anything and this one has a zipper wide enough to fit it to make getting everything ready so easy!

In order to enter, we're going to use Rafflecopter for the first time! Be sure to check this single post in order to enter--click the title of this post to see the widget!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xxKatie

GIveaway: Classic Prep Monograms: Acrylic Monogram!

The FABULOUS ladies at Classic Prep Monograms are pairing up with Let's Be Preppy to giveaway an AWESOME Acrylic Monogram!

These monograms are ALL over Pinterest and now is your opportunity to get one!

There are so many colors to choose from including black, white, hot pink, mirrored, lime green, tortoise shell and even camo!

We are giving away the middle size, 12'' monogram for you! 

Here's how you can get one:

1. Like Let's Be Preppy on Facebook

2. Like Classic Prep Monograms on Facebook

3. Follow @letsbepreppy on Twitter

4. Follow @CPrepMonograms on Twitter

5. Use this button to Tweet to both LBP and CPM about the giveaway! Tweet #LBPGiveaway

6. Leave a comment with YOUR monogram and email address in ONE comment below!

**MUST follow all 6 steps in order to be eligible!

Happy Giveaway!

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

Crafternoon: Glitter Decorations

I was feeling inspired when we were crafting (more crafts to follow this week--we had a crafty weekend!) on Sunday when I thought that I would attempt something that I've had my eye on from Pinterest:

I didn't use canvases, but chose to do mine on little thin wood discs!

Super plain, $.79 discs I had from Hobby Lobby from MONTHS ago that were lying around.

Then I painted them a random pink I had lying around that I liked.

Then I freehanded my initials onto the painted discs as a guide to where to put the Mod Podge and glitter! We're finally getting to the fun parts!!

I painted MP onto the letters, and I put two coats on to make sure they were wet. (This ended up slightly being a mistake. I tackled this craft with no directions so it was a game of trial and error. You'll still need both supplies anyway!)

I used the glitter and covered the letters with all the Mod Podge. Like I said, this was a mistake. You'll see what I did instead for more full coverage.

I did what all those blogs suggest and mixed a bunch of Mod Podge with the glitter to make a glitter paste and pasted on top of the existing glitter. This worked MUCH better.

It really started to take shape at this point!

Since I used discs instead of canvases, it made hanging a little bit more difficult. I decided to go the 7-year-old-room's-decoration-route and use ribbon! I made a false bow and glued the rest onto a long ribbon.

Then I combined all the pieces and voila:

I was so excited with the way it turned out! I put it on the front of my bedroom door so that anyone who comes over knows which room is mine! I am SO happy with the look and couldn't wait to share it with y'all!

Maybe you'll want to try this craft on your own! It was so easy, cheap since I had everything laying around, and looks great when finished! Happy crafting y'all!

xxKatie