Princess Wedges

It's no secret we all love Princess Kate. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. She's a great style icon that we can all emulate and is becoming a trendsetter for 20-somethings everywhere. It's about time we have a great style icon to look up to for our generation.

Last summer the Duchess of Cambridge was spotted pre-Olympics in the cutest wedges! As per her usual (or more correctly probably her stylist's usual...) Kate was in a nude shoe. Well, you can be Kate in your own nude wedges!

Target has made their own Princess Kate wedge that is beyond budget-friendly and comfortable!

I bought them myself after seeing one of the people I follow post them on Instagram! You can't see it, but this neutral color has some very light and feminine strands of gold weaved into the espadrille part of the wedge. It really elevates the look and makes it fun and festive. I love these wedges and I know I'm going to get a ton of wear out of them!

If you're in the market for a new pair of versatile wedges, these Target ones are definitely the ones to snag! Since they are from Target, I would suggest heading into your local Tarj to see if they're available. My Target only had one pair in my size (multiples of smaller sizes, only 1 10, sorry Columbians!) so you'll want to check ASAP.

xxKatie

SwiMen

After giving it some thought, I haven't done a guy-foucused post in awhile! I just did the swimming post for us girls a few days ago, so I thought I'd show y'all some of my favorite swim trunks for the boys:

Lilly Pulitzer

Tommy Bahama

Brooks Brothers

Ralph Lauren

Mahi Gold

Vineyard Vines

Ralph Lauren: these seersucker trunks are one of my FAVES!

Chubbies: Have y'all heard of these yet?

Brooks Brothers

Ralph Lauren

Columbia PFG

Where does your guy like his swim trunks from? Does he do the short ones (like the Chubbies) or longer ones?

xxKatie

New Tunes

Lots of new music has been dropping recently! I love it! Here are a few of my new favorite picks:

Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" CD

Specifically I like "Good in Goodbye" but the whole CD kinda rocks. She's really got some GOOD pipes!

Lee Brice's "Hard 2 Love" CD

My favorite song on this CD is "That's When You Know It's Over" and since I've downloaded the entire CD, I've listened to it 13 times. In like less than 2 days!

Josh Abbott Band's "Small Town Family Dream"

I think JBA has a great sound, but I know there are a few that disagree. Maybe it's an acquired taste! The best in my book from this CD is called "My Texas" and features another fave of mine, Pat Green!

Josh Gracin's "Redemption" CD

I don't have this entire CD, but I have downloaded "Over You" and "Only When It Rains" and I like both! I still remember him as this babyface from American Idol:

Talk about a blast from the past!!!

What are you listening to as we transition to summer? It's when I really start to be about 90% country, 10% everything else! Country gets CRANKED up in Little, and we drive around, windows down with the country blaring...there's no other way!

xxKatie

Bold Moves

Stripes are bold. Horizontal stripes are very bold. Horizontal stripes on a bathing suit are about as bold as you can get. All those fashion advising shows say to avoid horizontal stripes because they can make you look wide. I don't always believe this though!

I know it's pretty early to be looking at bathing suits, but I saw this one online at Target and LOVED IT! I thought it was fun and nautical and very summery! I love this color as well as the navy blue and I think that they would make great summer additions to anyone's wardrobe!

I love Target bathing suits! I love their fit, look, material, everything! I can't wait to see the rest of their bathing suits for this spring and summer!

Where do you rely on for swimwear? Do you have a favorite place or places?

xxKatie

Home! Home! Home!

This is my hometown. It is crab pots, Old Bay, plebes, flip flops, American flags and hot dogs in the Summer. It is boat shows, the most magnificent trees turning, and Indian Summer, knee socks, Navy Football and colonial colors in the Fall. It is chilly, frozen anchors, quilted coats, Tall Jamaicans, heat all the way turned up and high school basketball in the Winter. It is shorts, boat shoes, the annual Sock Burning, .05K, and lacrosse in the Spring.

It is Annapolis, MD.

I am so unbelievably, ridiculously thankful to be home for a few weeks!

xxKatie

Wayfarers

Nothing says cool and classic like Ray Ban Wayfarers.

I got a pair of tortoise shell wayfarers for Christmas last year and have been wearing mine a lot more often these days. I feel like they have a dressier vibe than my usual sporty Costas do and seem to look a bit more put together. 

My lenses are a little darker than that first pair, and look more like these.

I just recently took a pair of Lilly croakies off of my Wayfarers so they would match more. The only downfall to owning Ray Ban Wayfarers is that they tend NOT to fit in standard short croakies. They will fit in suiters or Chums retainers because they're a little more flexible. I'm thinking about getting a black set of Chums or navy to have the most wearability.

What do you think of Wayfarers? Are they a staple in your wardrobe?

Also, be sure to enter the Stadium Stompers giveaway!

xxKatie

P.S. Today is Top Shot Tuesday y'all! And I will NOT feel guilty since my finance test will be over! If you're reading this past 12:30pm, I will have finished--wish me luck!!!

Drink Recipe: Wild Berry Iced Tea

So I'm completely stealing this recipe from a woman I work with. She introduced it to me and since I tried it I can't get enough!

For this wildberry iced tea, all you do is combine 2 kinds of tea bags, sweeten to taste and add accoutrements as you wish.

Take one bag (or more if you're brewing a pitcher or larger amount) of Celestial Seasonings Wild Berry Zinger and one bag of a Green Tea of choice (I just used Celestial Seasonings too because they were close on the grocery store shelf).

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And let it steep for 5-10 minutes. It will be a peachy-pink color and have a very light scent. It is VERY refreshing as is, but with a sprig of mint or a lemon it really does the trick!

It has gotten SO HOT here in Annapolis, we're breaking records left and right. The last thing I want is a soda and I get sick of boring old water so this really does the trick!

Once you're done steeping, let it fully cool and throw it over some ice in your favorite BIG ol' iced tea tumbler!

My three faves!

What are your go-to summer drinks?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: All's in a Day's...Beach

I know I just did an OOTD post, but this one's a double doozie! I got a swimsuit a few months back from Target right before spring break and it's GREAT! I think Target has some of the best fitting swimsuits anywhere and I like to buy one every summer. The one I have is a lomellina material that I LOVE and can't believe it was so inexpensive at Tarjay!

July 16 by letsbepreppy featuring h&m dresses

This was my outfit at the beach! I loved having my big floppy hat--it was more like a personal umbrella! I was able to use it to cover the sun on my face when I wanted to lay flat and still be able to breathe easy--none of that cover-the-face-with-a-t-shirt-and-suffocate that I usually have to deal with! We came back to the house after a few hours and got ready for dinner. I wore my new Lilly blouse with white shorts, sporting a teeny bit of tan:

July 16 by letsbepreppy featuring post earrings

The little bits of lurex in the Karen Top make it really fun to wear with metallic jewelry! I added my gold  Jacks to complete the outfit and we were ready for a delish Italian dinner!

I'm all about this mid-July late summer sun! I love having to still need sunglasses at 8pm--yet another reason summer is such a great season!

What do you all wear during the summer? Try to keep it cool (as I sit here in the chilly AC in a long sleeve t-shirt!)?

xxKatie

"I Will Stay With You..."

"Stay With You" by John Legend is my vacation song right now! Last night I did a ton of work emailing, replying, getting back to (thank you EVERYONE), tumbling, everything getting caught up on a lot of the summer! This song was on full blast/repeat because I'm lovin' it these days! John Legend is great for summer easy listening for sure!

Best part, check this tweet from last night.

Do y'all have a working playlist? Good songs to listen to while you're knocking things off your "to-do" list? I usually use Pandora but could seriously build up a good "let's get down to business" playlist!

xxKatie

Meet the Team!

Head on over to your favorite bridal vendor guide and mine, Bayside Bride today to meet the team! We're officially official and I couldn't be prouder! We had a photo shoot last week (I've been DYING to show y'all the pictures) with most of the interns and all the pictures were taken by Natalie of Natalie Franke Photography and Krista of Krista A. Jones Photography! We had a blast all afternoon and I couldn't be more excited to be working with everyone!

Here we are! From left, Blakely, Mia, and me!

This one is one of my favorites of the whole shoot! It was fun to see all of our different takes on "Bayside Bride" and the color scheme in our outfits. They were varied but still had a fun cohesiveness that looked good together!

Here we are rocking out Bayside Bride "uniforms"!! Let your love set sail...

Some of you might have seen this one on facebook in B&W!

This is another one of my favorites! 

We had such a great spot--so many different locations to choose from and still in the same neighborhood park! Lucky us!!

I am SO proud to call myself and intern for Bayside Bride! I cannot wait to see what it turns into and work with everyone else! June certainly seems to be heading in the right direction!

xxKatie

Memorial Day

I hope everyone find themselves in good company on a day like this!

In the words of Brad Paisley on May 2, "If you see someone in a military uniform tomorrow, for heaven's sake give them a hug. Or a drink. Or a new car."

xxKatie

Summer Essentials

Summer is good for warm weather, hanging out with friends, rockin' playlists and tanning. Here are some of my top choices for summer must-haves! They apply to girls and guys so keep that in mind!

1. White shorts: not only are white shorts flattering on nearly everyone, they make you look very tan. Find a good length that you like and voila you're set! I stick with the classic 5'' Chino shorts from J. Crew. Good length for me, crisp white color and durable! For guys, this can be adapted to khaki, just as versatile for summer days!

2. Koozies: you can't go through summer with a sweaty beverage. Koozie's keep your drinks cold and your attitude chill. Keep one (or 3) in your purse before you go out. I often coordinate mine with my outfit. Yep, happens.

3. Boat shoes: Since it's summer you need a pair of shoes you can throw on at a moment's notice and not have to worry about how they look or where you're going. Boat shoes can get wet, dirty, and keep you dry. They look cute with shorts, skirts and  capris. You basically can't go wrong tossing on a pair of Sperry's even if you don't know what the rest of the day my hold!

4. Sunglasses: Running around, day to day, sporting and sunning from the early morning hours into the night, sunglasses are a must. And there for so are croakies. Since I've gotten my Chums (different than your typical croakies but still "sunglass retainers"...) they haven't left my sunglasses! My favorite brands are Costa del Mar and Ray Ban for everyone.

5. Swimwear: Ladies and gents, swimsuit season is upon us! Embrace it with wild patterns, the brighter the better! Animal prints, floral prints, plaid, and polka dot--rock them all! I find swimsuits all over the place from Target to Victoria's Secret to Belk. They sometimes take a little more trying on than other swmsuits, but it'll be worth it once you find a brand you can stick to! Maybe you'll even be able to find your own teeny tiny yellow polka dot bikini!

What are your summer essentials? Something you can't go without??

xxKatie

It's FRIDAY!

I had to post this song today! I know there are some people out there who vehemently hate this song, but I'm a huge fan! To my favorite logic boys, I still laugh about class...to this day it brings a smile to my face! The Glee version of this song makes me so happy! Emma (how Glee is she?!) and I were cleaning the store one day after we had closed and we were JAMMIN' out to this song! It is so much fun for the weekend!

I've had one of the busiest weeks of the summer (not that there have be a whole lot...) and am looking at a very busy week ahead of me too full of working, tests and my very first Bayside Bride intern meeting! I can't wait--that's later today!

Any big plans this weekend? Glad you have an extra day?! (Jonathan, tell Patrick he can finally wear the white and seersucker and we won't be mad! How very un-LBP of him!) I surely can't believe that May is over!

Here's to lookin' at you June!

xxKatie

Summer Food: Cream Cups

There are a few things that we make that just scream summer. Grilled chicken cooked by my Daddyo, bruschetta pasta salad, crabs, and cream cups. We just made the cups two nights ago sort of on a whim for dessert. Momma had bought all the ingredients and with a little prodding from me, we made them!

There are 2 types you can make: fruity and decorative. The fruity cups have little slices of in-season fruit in them! In the past we've used strawberries and blueberries for the 4th of July (you get the idea). For the kids, or the really picky 20-somethings you can use sprinkles instead of the fruit. We make both kinds because I don't like the fruit ones (nor do I like the ones that even used to have fruit in them....) and I have fun sprinkles here at home. These cups are also NOT scientific. It's a taste-based recipe...for sure.

The way you make them is really easy! You take any store bough sugar cooke dough in a tube and cut it into 36 pieces and roll them into circles. This requires working quickly and I couldn't do it on my own so my mom took the cutting job and I did the rolling. After rolling, spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and put the rolled balls in the pans. Follow the regular cookie directions putting the time at LESS THAN the package. Ours called for 13 minutes so I put them in for 10. Once they start to puff up, but before they're done completely, take a fat bottom spoon (or wine stopper like we used) and make the puffy balls into cup shapes by gently pressing the middles down. Some will collapse on their own. Cook them for MAYBE 4 more minutes and then take them out. Let them cool and harden further.

For the filling, it's Cool Whip, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Basically take the entire pack of cream cheese (this it not healthy...), and add the sugar and Cool Whip to taste. We added about two big squeeze of vanilla (new bottles...squeeze now from McCormick!) and were good to go. Then you combine them until semi smooth. Momma used the blender last time and said it got too runny--you want it to be thick for the next step!

Finally you squeeze the combo into your cooled cups. We used the Wilton Cookie Press with a star tip instead of the cookie disc. Then you put in the cream and they're ready to decorate! YUM!

Any tried and true summer recipes for your family? Any good go-to desserts that you like?

xxKatie

"Yes, Mom. You're Right, Mom. You Know Everything, Mom."

That was the mantra my mom made me learn and repeat as soon as I turned 13. Turns out, it's a good one. My mom usually is right. She knows a lot. She's very smart and she worries a lot. For me and my sister and my dad and everyone else. She's great. And could own your mom in a fight. Just kidding. Let's just say that I am beyond lucky to have my mom as my Momma. This is the first year I won't be home to celebrate Momma's Day. Here's to you Momma R, I miss you and love you so much and can't wait to see you! You have helped make me into the awesome kid I am now, and yes I'm still a kid. Without you I don't know where I would be. Thanks for putting up with me and letting me cry on the phone and thinking of me with all of your care packages and pink duck shoes. I can't wait to see you on Wednesday (and Dad and Grace...fam shoutout whattup!) and we can celebrate our own reunion! Remember: read the cards in order.


xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: School's OUT FOR SUMMA!

May 3 by letsbepreppy featuring gold stud earrings

So I'm officially out on Summer Vacation! Here's my Summer Vacation inspiration:


I hate to brag to anyone who is still in school but I gotta celebrate!!! Happy Cinco de Mayo y'all!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Shagging Extras!

Last Thursday Colleen and I both went to Jillian's in the Vista for Shag night for the second time. The first time we were a little stunned and didn't know what to expect AT ALL! This time, we felt like veterans and recognized a few people from class. We knew what to wore, knew the steps in the line dance called "the tush push", and even saw a few familiar faces of the older crowd! This was what I wore this time:

April 7 by letsbepreppy featuring post earrings

I'll actually be heading back on Thursday this time too because we have our official "debut" to the shag community of USC then! I'm looking forward to it but also a little nervous! Yikes!! Wish me luck!!

xxKatie

Espadrille Picks

Espadrilles are totally making a comeback for sure! This trend of my childhood seems to be reappearing for the spring and summer! Totally fun for the beach and transition summery nights!

Mia $69

Tahari $105

Sam Edelman $130

Report $35

Clarks $95

My personal favorite:

Lauren by Ralph Lauren $69

Anyone gonna rock this trend this summer? I'm a fan!

xxKatie