Outfit of the Day: Upcycling

I posted this picture on Instagram about a week ago and included my upcycling project!

If you can see the tunic top that I'm wearing, believe it or not, it humbly started out as a Minnie's size 14 shift dress! My mom and I found it in a consignment store in Rehoboth, Delaware (just down the road from where I am now!) for $40! Springing at the chance for a little DIY project, she told me to get it and we would figure out how to make it work! I'm lucky because I'm small chested and this top has NO darts or extra material in the chest, but I was able to get into it!

We took the dress home and to the tailor that we trust with our favorite things. She vented the sides up about 7 or 7.5 inches to make it a much better tunic fit. She also removed the bows from the shift and voila it was a tunic for me! It's a little hard to see, but there's this rocking square neckline that's so much fun. 

An upcycling project just goes to show that you CAN very easily transition a fun piece with very little work! We transformed this dress to a tunic in a matter of days with just a teensy bit of assistance, but you could TOTALLY tackle this project on your own! Keep your eyes out for girls' dresses that you can do this to yourself!

Have you ever done a project like this? Have you transformed (upcycled) a piece of clothing to a new, fresh piece?

Happy upcycling!

xxKatie

(Bathing) SUIT UP!

I'm a HUGE "How I Met Your Mother Fan" so I like to throw in any kind of HIMYM pun whenever I can.

Anywho, I'm headed to the beach today! Best. Feeling. Ever.

What's a must have at the beach? Bathing suits of course!

My absolute go-to for swimwear is TARGET! Y'all might laugh, but I swear they have ones that LAST, clean well, and fit great! Whoever they've got working on their suits they need to keep!

This one really has  Victoria's Secret look to it! The sheen adds a little bit extra to it as well!

Are you a mixer-and-matcher? Target has TONS of options for mixing and matching swimwear too! Integrate swimsuit pieces you already have with new ones for a fresh update!

I LOVE this one! It has a chevron-y look to it without being exactly horizontal. Plus you could push the strings down and wear it bandeau style as well!

Coral is so on trend these days! I love the delicate ruffle at the top. Try a tankini if you don't want to go full blast bikini but still want color!

One word: OBSESSED! Plus right now, pieces are only $10 each online!

If one-pieces are more your speed, this one looks straight out of J. Crew! I love thew blue jewel tone this one dons!

Do y'all have a place that you can rely on for bathing suits? Do you frequently visit Target like me?

xxKatie

I'm BAAAAAAAACK

Vacation was nice, but I'm glad to be back! My computer has been on the fritz and I had no wi-fi, so what's a girl to do!?

Instagram. Obviously.

Anyway, I'm back and ready to blog! Here's a little recap of my holiday:

Out at dinner with my friend Jami at the beach in South Carolina!

My shirt for the 4th that I very eagerly purchased at a store that had an entrance that was a shark.

Spent any amount of time that there was even a SLIVER of sunshine happily clad in sunnies.

Went out a few nights!

I had to decide between patriotic red, white, and blue Lilly or the State of Mind Patch which would have been PERFECT for America and the 4th! I ultimately decided on the red, white and blue and didn't regret my dress since it was so hot!

ANYWAY, now I'm back and ready for action! Sorry for my vacay hiatus!

xxKatie

"Vacation have to get away!"

Off to Murrells Inlet, SC today!

By the time y'all are reading this, I will be en route to Murrells Inlet! I can't wait! I'll be spending it with two fabulous friends! This is the first real vacation I've been able to take and I'll be there to celebrate July 4th! My summer class is officially over, my grade is done, and I am so excited to relax at the beach!

Any must-go-to spots in Murrells Inlet? Let me know!

xxKatie

Summer Staples

Summer is in FULL swing and I love it! I have a few things during the summer that I cannot live without:

Tervis Tumbler

Y'all knew this was coming! I love my TT's and they go everywhere with me. You'll find a few in my room, one in the bathroom, one in my car, one next to my pool bag, they're everywhere!

Platinum Jack Rogers

Duh, the shoe that goes with EVERYTHING. Dresses, shorts and a t-shirt, my bathingsuit, and I have no problem if they get wet!

Seersucker

It's cool, looks good, and matches most everything. All of those are perfect for summer. I love seersucker and have versions in pink, blue, and white! Khaki is definitely next on my list!

Ocean Potion Baby 50

I can't use a lot of face products with all my acne lotions, so I have to use the gentlest, most protective sunscreen. AKA Baby sunscreen. I take this everywhere in my purse and I always have it when I go to the beach! I forgot to put it on one day when I went to the pool and I'm still regretting it!

Bare Minerals

With the heat and humidity of South Carolina, I can't really use liquid makeup. It gets sticky and wipes off on sunglasses, clothes, and everything else. YUCK. I've stuck with Bare Minerals for over a year now and I don't see a big change happening in the foreseeable future! I love it!

Swimsuits

What's summer without a good swimsuit? For Christmas I was given a Vineyard Vines gift card and spent it a few months ago on this Vineyard Vines bathing suit! It is super cute and I am excited to wear it!

At any given time during the summer, chances are I'm wearing or using most of these! What are you summer staples?

xxKatie

Coolers Coolers Coolers!

I get a lot of questions on tumblr and by email about painting coolers! I've posted my cooler before, but I'm gonna try another post since people are so curious about it!

This was the top of my cooler! It was my second favorite side. The guy I went with was one of my best friends and also from Maryland, so Old Bay was an obvious choice! What Marylander isn't a fan of Old Bay?! It was fun to paint, and I added some glitter to what would be the silvery part of the bottom of the can! I also used metallic paint pens to add some sparkle too!

This was my favorite side! It was certainly a labor of love! I had never seen a madras cooler, and so I knew that this was the direction that I wanted to go in. I actually had a lot of fun painting this side because I could do it however I wanted--there were no rules!

This was one of the smaller sides of the cooler! Obviously I wanted to include his fraternity and its symbols in the cooler and I used paint pens to do the details and the letters so they were more controlled. The only difficult thing about this side was finding the right shade of blue for the fraternity!

This was the back side of the cooler! It's a partial map of South Carolina and I copied the MapQuest directions from Columbia to Myrtle Beach, where we were going for Beach Weekend. I used the metallic paint pens again on the back of this and otherwise painted the roads and highways free-handed! It was a fun side and different than most of the other coolers. I didn't want any sides to have alcohol labels, etc. because I wanted the guy to be able to use this cooler in front of his family or wherever he would be going so I tried to keep it clean! 

I didn't get a clear photo of the last side, but it was a Total Frat Move quote about being a doctor and I added a stethoscope with his monogram on the bottom of the stethoscope! It was a very fun side! He was pre-med and is prepping for medical school, so the side was perfect for him!

When I first painted the cooler, I spray painted the whole thing white and used Krylon plastic outdoor paint. The white just gave me a blank canvas to start with! When I first bought the cooler, it was red from Walmart and would have been harder to paint the red. With each layer I painted, I used ModgePodge to seal it layer by layer--I'd rather be safe than sorry! Once I was done painting it all, I put two layers of MP, let them dry completely and then used a Krylon clear, matte, plastic sealant to seal the whole thing--and I went crazy with it--again I'd rather be safe than sorry!

I hope this helps anyone who is looking for cooler ideas! I had a blast painting mine, I hope you have fun with yours too!

xxKatie

BBTS: Beachin' by the Sea

I'm off to la playa today! AND I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH SUMMER CLASSES! I have 4 weeks and 3 days of freedom until school starts for the fall semester! REAL SUMMER here I come! Well equipped with this big floppy guy:

I picked up this fun hat at Target (new neighbor Sara had this for Carolina Cup and looked SO cute!) since my new skin medicine makes me really sensitive. It's probably a little bit of overkill, but I'm channeling my inner SATC a la this guacamole scene:

I also love her fiery red nails! But my new hat and I will be promptly off to the beach and I cannot wait! BBTS is also the nickname of our beach house: Bancroft by the Sea! It's a little tradition for all the beach houses to have fun, personalized names. All the beach house families went to the Naval Academy and for anyone who's unfamiliar with Navy, Bancroft is the massive residence hall where all the mids live!

Here is the famed BBTS! I will be parked right in front come about 8pm tonight! Daddy and I are headed out the MINUTE I finish work and I'll be out there for my first REAL summer vacation since my Roadtrip LAAAAST summer. For the first time in over a year my schooling is BACK ON TRACK!

Here's for an awesome 4 weeks and 3 days left of summer full of the beach, the cape, roadtripping, working, shopping, grilling, baking, brideday-ing, you name it but NO MORE SCHOOL! Clearly this girl is quite excited!

xxKatie

Weekly Gratitude

I barely even remember this week. Flew by SO fast...I guess that's a good thing but maybe not for the summer!

1. I am thankful for my parents and how much they listen to me when I need venting time, advice or just to chat. They've been especially awesome recently.
2. I am thankful for Saturday night "New Country" on my local station. Any Annapolitans listen to 93.1? Shows how cool my summer is...blogging on Saturday nights
3. I am thankful (more like SO unbelievably, ridiculously, kiss-the-ground thankful) that my summer classes end this week! Thursday is my LAST DAY OF SCHOOL UNTIL I'M BACK AT USC! #4weeksofFreedom
4. I am thankful for a tall lady who came into the store on Sunday and mentioned CAbi clothing. Apparently the owner is rumored to be 6' tall! Tall girls gotta stick together! We gabbed about jeans, how we never hem stuff and how we're always dropping hems! She was so great. (Now all I have to do is find someone hosting a party!!)

5. I am thankful for my Jack Rogers. I just realized my Platinum pair toe part is ripping big time. Care of the above night, my Jacks were "flat-tire"-ed one night when we we all out. I had duct tape in my purse...yeah...and was able to repair them. I didn't realize though, was how stretched the toe became. If these little guys men make it through the summer I will be STUNNED. (Sorry to anyone who was sent this message--the original version--in picture message form from Sara's birthday...)
6. I am thankful for the BEST manicure I've ever had in my life that I got on Saturday. If anyone in Annapolis needs an acrylic manicure, go to Fiona at Bella Salon by the Annapolis Mall.
7. I am thankful for getting the power back in Annapolis. That was a mess!
8. I am thankful for all the quotes I find on Pinterest. The one at the top of the post is from Pinterest. It's chock-full of bit of wisdom put to wonderful typography. Very cool.
9. I am thankful for the couch in my room that serves as a wonderful place to store clothes. As my mom reads this she's going to cringe.
10. I am thankful for everything that's on it's way in the next few weeks. I think it'll be a lot more of the summer I had planned! I'm ready for freedom, ready for a break, and ready for Bethany Beach in a few days!!

xxKatie

Summer Purchses

My summer purchase list is quickly being filled out! I haven't done much shopping between school and work, but a girl can online browse right? I got about an hours worth of shopping in while I was at the beach, and snagged a new dress from the store but here are a few of my summer snags:

Lilly Pulitzer Ramona Dress

J. Crew Printed Mini (I got another one of these but I can't seem to find the print anywhere!)

J. Crew Carson Short Printed

Lifeguard Press Croakies in "Floaters"

Nike Tempo Running Shorts--ON SALE! I also got another pink/black pair that are very different but equally as fun! Find other colors of this polka dot pattern on sale here too!

I got a lot of summer staples and I have a few extra items on my summer wishlist! I also have a few absolute LUST items on my mental list...those are the real "wishes" that I want! Some also happen to be awfully impractical, but that makes them all the more fun right...? 

What's on your summer purchase list? Any big wishlist items? Let me know!

xxKatie

Beach Bound: The Best Company in the World

When traveling to the beach, you think of all  your packable essentials: Costas, toothbrush, phone, sunscreen, phone charger, iPod, books, towel, hat, bathing suit--if you forgot everything else, you'd still be in good shape! However, another essential isn't packable. You GOTTA surround yourself with fabulous beach buddies in order to properly enjoy the beach. Although today is our last day of our Bethany Beach vacation, my dad and I are headed home. For the first time in awhile, this trip to the beach was just me and the fam, naturally I surrounded myself with the best beach buddies out there!

Like I said, Dad and I had to pop home because I have to go back to school and work and he's a workin' man too. Today ALLLLSO just so happens to be Father's Day! So happy Father's Day Daddyo! (PS: This is among my favorite pictures of us--matching in our favorite crab-wear!)

I wish we were staying later but it's back to the real world for us! In our place, my mom and my sister will get to spend time in the beach house with my grandmother and one of my mom's sister's so they'll still be in absolutely wonderful beach company! We've even nicknamed the perch atop our 3rd floor of the house Nan's perch so it's only necessary that she's returning up there!

I'm a big fan of taking friends to the beach too! Just over 2 months ago, as y'all know, I went to the beach with a big group of friends for a fraternity event:

Here was our house! And what a fun group we were! I've brought out many different friends to our house in Bethany through the years and they've certainly enjoyed the break!

A HUGE part of a good beach trip is the company you surround yourself with. A funny beach sign I've seen says, "You never know how many friends you have until you own a beach house!" 

xxKatie

Beach Bound: Books, Nooks, and Everything in Between!

Books are an absolute must have for me while I'm at the beach! Like I said a few days ago, I tend to get a little bored along the coastline because I'm not a good beach napper. There is decent people watching and I always laugh when the lifeguards signal each other from stand to stand. A million years ago when I was a little kid, we joked around that they were all putting in their lunch orders!

"I'll take a cheesburger, no mustard!"

Anyway since I like to hang out on the beach and manage my tan, I enjoy bringing books with me on my trips! I currently am reading 2 books (which is rare. I always read one and go onto the next one after I finish completely!) but they're very different. One is all about economics and why people make some of the decisions they make while the other is about a woman in South Carolina beginning to re-evaluate her life upon the arrival of her 46th birthday.

Nudge is my economics book that I mentioned. I'm about halfway through, but the information is pretty dense so it's not exactly pleasure reading. I'm learning SO much from it and I really enjoy econ. If you're interested in business/economics/reading as an undergrad, my professor from the spring semester made sure to tell us to check it out!

Lowcountry Summer is the second book I talked about! I knew I was going like this book when they said that the son in the novel went to the University of South Carolina along with his cousin! Obviously it's going to be a good read. I'm only twenty-some pages into this guy, but I'm excited to see what other SC references are in it!

Now I haven't quite jumped on the bandwagon of e-readers, but I'd definitely suggest these two books for download as well as The Art of Racing in the Rain, which I read earlier this summer. That was an easy read and would make a good beach book for sure! 

What summer reading have you done? Anything I have to add to my lists? Do you like to read on the beach or are you a napper? Let me know!

xxKatie

Beach Bound: Goin' Costa!

In the words of the beach doctor himself, Kenny Chesney, I'm goin' coastal! About two weeks ago, one of my absolute favorite brands out there, Costa del Mar contacted me about their new line of sunglasses for ladies! Here are their newest 4 pairs:

As y'all know, I'm a huge fan of Costa del Mar! I have a pair of their larger sunglasses (I wish I known all these ones were coming out!) called "Isabela" in a tortoise frame! I'm LOVING those Hammock ones...I think Costa is channeling their inner Jackie O., right?! All these new glasses feature a bigger eye, a lightweight nylon frame and UV protection embedded in the lens. 

The "Little Harbor" mentioned above even has a design for Kenny Chesney--our man of the hour!

Good, UV blocking, polarized sunglasses are a MUST when heading to the beach! They make it easier to see, easier to read and just more pleasant to sit around and relax with! I'll be taking two pairs of glasses with me on my trip (and they typically travel in every bag with me too!):

My brand new Harpoon 580G on my fabulous new Lilly croakies!

My tried-and-true Isabela 400P glasses that I adore! This is a great pair for girls to check out if you're in the market for fashionable and great quality sunglasses! You can see how many times I've used them in my Polyvore sets--too many for Polyvore to show on one page! They live on a pair of pink Chums with teeny tiny palmetto trees on it!

Case in point, don't leave your house to go to the beach without great new sunglasses! Give my friends over at Costa some love! 

What are your favorite sunglasses? Do you have any Costa's that you recommend?

xxKatie

Beach Bound: Tunage

An iPod is useless if your music isn't organized neatly into playlists. Without them you could be shuffling for days (or weeks for some of my musically inclined friends...) and hoping to hear the songs your JUST downloaded or want to listen to! I currently have 20 playlists (that might sound like a lot) that all have different flavors! I'm about to make my 21st FULL of perfect beach tunes. These songs have to have a lot: fun beats, summery lyrics, a warmth-inducing feel...they have a lot to live up to! Here are my picks for summer songs:

1. For Once in My Life by Scotty McCreary: LOVE HIM! This song has become my recent obsession! My sister played this once when we were driving in her car and now whenever I say "Play Scotty!" she knows exactly what song I'm talking about!
2. Love Done Gone by Billy Currington: So summery! This was in my last big download set from iTunes!
3. Here for a Good Time by George Strait: I heard this in "New Country" on the radio and my first thought was "THIS would make SUCH a fun shagging song!" I am loving the 89th single released by Mr. Strait. He sure does know what he's doing!
4. Kiss Me in the Dark by the Randy Rogers Band: I've been jammin' out to this song recently so it's made its way onto the list!
5. Come Back Song by Darius Rucker: I still stand by the notion that this CD is one of the best I've ever bought. I could come up with a playlist of all Darius songs...I may or may not have one called "Darius and Taylor" (Swift) for long car rides! It's a good one...Anyway, I had to add a classic to the list!
6. Only Wanna Be with You by Hootie and the Blowfish: On that note, I'm going to throw some Hootie into the mix. "I'm such a baby cause dolphins make me cry..." #summer
7. Good Ride Cowboy by Garth Brooks: Now y'all had to know I was gonna include Garth in here someway. Wouldn't this make a good Tush Push song? Yeah, Colleen that really has to happen...I miss shagging!
8. Stand by Me by Ben King: You can have a beach playlist without a beach song or two!
9. Erase Me by Kid Cudi: My list can't all be country. That's just not fair! I absolutely LOVE this Kid Cudi song. Blastin' it level 40 in Little has happened before.
10. Love in a College Town by Luke Bryan: Because I've been missin' MY COLLEGE TOWN like crazy recently. And y'all know I can't get enough of this song!
11. Coastal by Kenny Chesney: What says the beach better than this? I'm goin' COASTAL! His "Hemingway's Whiskey" CD is great! I've enjoyed every single that I've downloaded from it!
12. Where the Boat Leaves From by the Zac Brown Band: They're such a beachy band! Breezy, fun, light-hearted and aren't they just the words you want to describe your vacation? Yes, please!
13. Shark in the Water by V.V. Brown: I've featured this a lot on here, but this is so fun for the beach and by the water...however I hope it doesn't hold true for us...I'm more about Darius Rucker's dolphin idea.
14. Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen: beach + summer + off from work and school = GLORY DAYS!
15. Seven by Dave Matthews Band: "Red is the color of the sun with my eyes closed..."(Megan here's your shoutout! She's been the DMB influence in my life--got hooked on this song when we used to go to ESJ and SYB my freshman year! It was on the SYB cd!!)

What are you summer songs? Any on my list?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Exams All Day Erryday

April 27 by letsbepreppy featuring hair bow accessories

So I'm smack in the midst of my exams. I've finished 2 of them and have 2 more to knock down. I will also be here until the last day of finals which totally stinks because all of my friends will be finished by the time I still have my last one! (#bitter) I am so ready to be done with these classes but I am SICK to my stomach thinking that I'm halfway done with college. I can't believe it! Anyway I've been sticking with comfy clothes to study for exams and I'm always carrying around a sweatshirt just in case we start studying where it gets too cold! All the buildings tend to CRANK up the A/C since everyone's inside now and I'd say we all highly appreciate it.

Anyone else in exams? I am thinking of all of you in between the Boolean Proofs, Balance Sheets, Production Possibility Frontiers, and Expressionist paintings that I'll be studying this week!

xxKatie

Cooler Painting

Back home at last! We returned home from the beach around noon yesterday after a very successful weekend! A big custom with these fraternity weekends is to paint coolers themed around the weekend or event (formals, initiation, for your littles if you're in a sorority) so that you can bring your drinks, snacks and food easily with you! They are EXTREMELY difficult to paint. Whoever made this custom of painting acrylic paint on plastic was insane. Thanks to modern technology and the aid of several girlfriends who have done this in the past, my process was relatively easy. It started out looking like this:

Standard Igloo $18.88 cooler from WalMart

Then progressed:

And again:

And again:

And again: (it's like a butterfly)

This was the finalized top!! I was SO PROUD! Shane and I often call ourselves "Team Maryland" so when I started painting my cooler I knew I was gonna take the Maryland to an extreme! What's more Maryland-y than Old Bay Seasoning??

This was my madras front. I was most proud of this side. I'd never seen anything like this cooler so I was really excited to be very different from the norms!

This was one of my small sides! For this side, paint pens were key!

This was the back, it was a MapQuest inspired map to where we were heading! 

So now that I have one cooler under my belt, I'm tempted to make a list of things I wish I knew. Anyone have any tips to add? What you painted coolers for?

xxKatie