Emerald Inspiration

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I'm so excited that emerald is Pantone's color of the year! I have always loved green, and I think the darker shade of emerald is so classic and sophisticated. It's beautiful on everyone, especially pale Irish girls like me. I've put together a few of my favorite emerald finds.

Reiss boat neck dress, $180 / Seychelles slip on shoes / Michael Kors envelope clutch /Swell Caroline Beach jewelry / Essie $16  / Pantone

I need that dress and somewhere to wear it. ASAP. Someone take me to a fancy party?

Love and hugs, 

Blake

"Everyone deserves a chance to fly!" -Defying Gravity, Wicked

Sweater Weather

Now that it's finally feeling like fall, it's time to curl up in some cozy sweaters! Here are some of my favorites- I love a good big and obnoxious sweater!

J.Crew fair isle sweater / H&M jumper sweater, $32 / Quiksilver top /  Diamond Printed shirt / Embroidered sweater

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Be so happy that when others look at you they become happy too"

Easy Halloween Costumes

Happy almost Halloween, y'all! I just got back from a fantastic Georgia/Florida weekend in St. Simons, and all I have to say is GO DAWGS! I was so proud of my team for pulling out that win and our formerly struggling defense for not allowing the Gators to score a single touch down! After a loss to South Carolina and a struggle against Kentucky last week, no one thought we could win, but my babies sure proved them all wrong!
Enough about football though, it's time to look forward to Halloween on Wednesday. I haven't picked out my costume yet, but I have a few ideas for those of you like me that are going to have to throw something together last minute.

1. Sandy (at the end of Grease) | Pair some black leggings with a black, off-the-shoulder top, hoop earrings, and show-stopping red high heels for this look. Curl your hair and rock this look with confidence, and you're "bad" Sandy! I might just love this because Grease is one of my favorite movies.
2. Tom Cruise in Risky Business | This is my favorite idea for a costume ever because it costs no money and would be so comfortable. Just raid your guy friend's or brother's closet for a white button-down and boxers to wear with tube socks and sunglasses. Boom. Comfortable and cute without being too revealing.
3. Karen from Mean Girls | Though Karen rocks some rather risque lingerie, you can make this funny costume with a classier black dress with a silver ribbon tied around it and, of course, the mouse ears. This is what my roommate is wearing and she intends to walk around all night tell everyone, "I'm a mouse, duh!'

What are y'all dressing up as for Halloween?

Love and hugs,
Blake
"When you stop doing things for fun you might as well be dead." -Hemingway

"We Won't Ever Look as Good as we do Now"

Finally, I'm done with all of my tests! I made it through and now it's time to celebrate. Tomorrow, I'm going to see Luke Bryan! The title of this post is from his song, "Love in a College Town," one of my favorites. I'm so excited. I'm just a little in love with him; I mean, look at him.

Yes, I will shake it for you.

PLUS, two friends from my old school are coming to visit! (Which means I actually cleaned my apartment) However, I've been so caught up with school that I realized this afternoon that I had no idea what to wear. It's on a farm out in the middle of nowhere, so I decided to go the simple route with a lightweight blouse, skinny jeans, and (of course) cowboy boots. I put together a similar for y'all here; unfortunately the boots are the only thing I own!

H&M chiffon shirt /Seven for all Mankind Skinny leg jeans, / Steve Madden stacked heel / Bauble Bar Chain link necklace

Are y'all going to any fun concerts anytime soon? What are you wearing?

Love and hugs,

Blake

"I am just what I am, I'm just what you see. So I'll make it easy, I'll stay me."   -Luke Bryan

Studying Sunday

Happy Sunday loves! After an absolutely HEARTBREAKING loss from my Dawgs last night (still love them and my school!) I'm spending today studying for my LAST MIDTERM! Wooooo! I'm curled up on my couch with my favorite coffee mug, big t-shirt, yoga pants, and notes with a Sex and the City marathon on TV. All in all, it's a pretty good day.

Hanes t shirt / Victoria's Secret activewear pants / Five Star Style Wirebound Notebook 1 Subject / Elemental Poppy Mugs- Set of 4 : Target

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Decide what to be and go be it" -The Avett Brothers

Fall Favorites

I spent have my day trying to come up with a cute pun on "fall." They all failed; they were lame. You get a touch of alliteration. Sorry.

But I am SO excited that it's fall! I WORE A LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT TODAY (with shorts, it's still about 70 degrees). I spent a decent portion of my day driving around with the windows down listening to country and classic rock and another portion sitting outside and enjoying the breeze with a book. Right now I'm reading Son of a Witch, the sequel to one of my favorite books that became one of my favorite musicals, Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. I only wish I had time to stop by Starbucks, but confession time: I've never had a Pumpkin Spice latte. If you haven't wanted to revoke my blogger status yet, you probably want to now. I do enjoy a nice pumpkin bread, though!

But there are so many other things to love about fall! Mainly the clothes! I love fall clothing the most, I think. I like being cozy but not having to bundle up too much. Here are some of my fall favorites for this crisp weather.

Lilly Pulitzer Dress / J.Crew knit cardigan / Patagonia Pullover  / Nine West boots / FOSSIL vintage handbag / Ann Taylor scarf

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." -The Great Gatsby 

Study Essentials

Happy Sunday! Sundays are the days that I usually reserve for studying and doing homework. Right now I'm doing an excellent job of procrastinating and writing this blog post about study essentials!

Study Blue: This website is my best friend when it's time to study for tests that include a lot of terms to memorize. You can create and share online flashcards organized by class and keep track of your progress. You can even find flashcards people in your same class already made. They also have an app for iPhone and Android so you can study on the go; I get to take advantage of time on the bus to study without worrying about carrying around a deck of flashcards!

G2 Breast Cancer Awareness Pens: I am absolutely obsessed with these pens. I can't imagine using any other kind. They write so smoothly, contribute to a great cause, and are such a cute shade of pink!

Vera Bradley Forget-Me-Nots: I (along with every other college blogger on the internet) love sticky notes. I just use boring old post-its right now, but I have my eye on these adorable Vera Bradley sticky notes. I love using them to make to-do lists, leave reminders to myself on my mirror, and mark important sections in my notes. To-lists are great when I'm studying because they keep me on track and make me feel less overwhelmed when I have everything listed out.


2012-2013 Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda Gimme Some Leg: My agenda never leaves my side. I use it to organize all my assignment dates, club meetings, appointments, and daily to-do lists (on the sticky notes :) ). I love the Lilly Pulitzer large agendas because they have enough room to write down details but isn't so big that it's cumbersome. 

Pandora: I can't ever study without a little music in the background! Pandora is great because you don't have to focus on changing the songs or waste time making a playlist (like I tend to do). My favorite stations to study to are Alabama Shakes and The Avett Brothers.

 Five Star® Style Wirebound Notebook: Five Star notebooks are a great stand-by that I've used since high school, and now they come in fun patterns! 

Love and hugs,
Blake
"You are too smart to be the only thing standing in your way." -Jennifer J. Freeman

My Wallet Obsession

My life is pretty on-the-go. Because of this, I really hate carrying a full purse. Hence my obsession with cute wallets, specifically wristlets. For weekdays, I have a small wallet attached to my keys that I can just throw in my backpack on my way to class. When I go out, I use a coach wristlet (lower case "c" because...well it's a total knock-off from Canal Street. It suits its purpose, shh!). I can have my ID, phone, key, and any other little necessities and don't have to worry about dealing with a purse. So, I have a mild obsession with cute wallets because I use them so much more than purses.

Marc Jacobs leather bag / Coach bag / Target Black bag / Vera Bradley wallet / Lilly Pulitzer Wristlet


Love and hugs,
Blake

"Today I will choose joy."

Styling a Statement Necklace

If there's a new trend I absolutely adore, it's the statement necklace. I think they add a nice pop to make almost any outfit stand out. Here's a few suggestions for how to style different statement necklaces!

Dress / J.Crew j crew / Wallis chambray shirt / Skater skirt / LOFT ankle pants / Bib necklace / Statement necklace

Love and hugs,

Blake

"Don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle."

Rain, rain go away

Just because it might be dreary outside, it doesn't mean your accessories have to be!

The North Face hooded jacket / Hunter wellington boots / Lilly Pulitzer Umbrella - Fallin in Love pattern

Love and hugs,
Blake

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." -Dolly Parton