A Month in Pictures

At the beginning of this year Grace, from Preppy on the West Coast, and I decided to do an end of the month "monthly favorites/inspiration" post.  For this month we thought we would share our favorite January Instagram photos!

Some of my favorites from this month include...

1. The arctic vortex; well it wasn't my favorite thing in January, but it was definitely a major part of this month for all of us.

2. My Mary Green sleep mask, which I absolutely love!

3. My #MyRealSelfie that I shared and wrote about here.

4. My sweet little Gracie, who never fails to make my day. 

5. I won a giveaway on TCP, which was absolutely amazing and I am so happy for the win!

What are your favorite memories from this month?

    

Update: Sleeping

So far, I am doing much better with the sleeping routine I set.  I have stopped having nightmares, I am not waking up several times, and I am going to bed much earlier.  I think my better sleep is coming from me being less stressed.  I honestly haven't been too stressed out lately, which has resulted in me feeling much better.  I haven't been starved all the time, my pimples have gone down, and, best of all, I am sleeping so much better!  Since this routine has been working so well, I thought I would share it with you!

This routine is my perfect night time routine and, as I have mentioned many times, the sleep mask is amazing!  I have never gotten a better nights sleep!

 

What is your routine? Anything I should add?

 

P.S. There is a movie coming out called A Fault in Our Stars.  Yes that's right, they are making a movie of the book finally!!

 

The Perfect Pair

Going off of the little light blue theme I had yesterday--no idea I loved light blue this much!--I want to share some of my favorite shoes with you.  I personally like a slightly pointed or pointed toe shoe, especially when they come in my new favorite color.  While perusing Nordstrom the other day, I found some great heels in light blue!  Here are the three that I am loving!

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I really like the third pair because I can never turn down scallops, and I am thinking of getting them for prom; however, the other two pairs are great too!  The second reminds me of Breakfast at Tiffany's, which pretty much warrants a possible purchase!

What is your perfect pair?
 

Shopping Spree

With this crazy arctic vortex I have been able to do a lot of online shopping.  I haven't really purchased anything--yippee for me--because I have been trying to stick to the less spending resolution; however I just bought a pair of sunnies and I cannot wait to get them in the mail.  They are definitely well needed haha!  Besides my one purchase, there are so many items out there I am lusting over and I thought I should share some with you!

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The glasses I have pictured are the pair I just purchased and I cannot wait to get them; and aren't those tote bags just the cutest?  They are from Kate Spade no less and I just adore them both!

 

What have you been finding online lately?

 

P.S. Anyone notice a light/sky blue trend here?  I am really loving this color lately!

   

I'm a Winner

Just last week, I found out that I won the Lifeguard Press Kate Spade giveaway on Carly's blog, The College Prepster!  I was so, so, so excited that I won such a great giveaway, I mean who doesn't love Kate Spade?  In the giveaway I won a bunch of desk stuff and I absolutely love all of it.  I received some nesting boxes, a notebook, paper clips, sticky notes, and pencils.  They honestly make my desk look so great and I thought I should share the final look with you!

  
These new additions dress up my desk perfectly and they are going to march great with the new look coming this summer! 

What do you think of the Lifeguard Press Kate Spade goodies?
 

Kidogo Kidogo Review

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Kim from Kidogo Kidogo.  She emailed me about her company and the wonderful work they are doing for women in Tanzania and I was so intrigued!  I think that women empowering companies are great and I am so happy to see them more frequently.  Kim and I got to talking and we decided on doing a little review on Kidogo Kidogo's iPhone cases!  Each iPhone case is $30 and helps benefit a great cause, plus they are great quality cases with great designs by Sarah Markes!

So, a little bit about Kidogo Kidogo's story.  Kidogo Kidogo means little by little in Swahili, which ties into the companies mission.  In Tanzania only 36% of women own mobile phones, and these phones are "life changing mobile technology" to those women; however Kim and Kristen, founders of Kidogo Kidogo, want more women to have access to mobile phones.  Through their company they plan on building mobile phone access for the other 64% of women in Tanzania.  They have partnered with FINCA to give a donation of a mobile phone or phone credits (used for calling minutes/texting) for every phone case purchased from Kidogo Kidogo.

Likewise, they are also partnered with an environmental NGO called Sea Sense that helps protect marine creatures, such as the sea turtle.  A certain percent of the proceeds from the turtle case goes to this cause.

 Personally, I love Kidogo Kidogo's mission.  Empowering women is such an important issue today and I love that so many companies are starting to get on board.  You should definitely check out Kidogo Kidogo!

*this is a sponsored post*

Combating Stress

This week has been full of stress.  I had several after school meetings/events that took me into the late hours of the night, and on top of that I have been crammed with homework this week (including SAT studying...Yuck!).  Last night was finally the breaking point for me.  I literally stayed on the phone with Jason crying, simply because I have been so stressed out.

With that being said, I think I focus on the little things so much, that I let it bother and stress me out to the point of exhaustion; which, of course, isn't good for my health and well-being whatsoever.  It seems like it is those little things that just get to me, like my hair not looking just right or the rice I made being too mushy: both are silly issues I know, but they just stress me out more than any bigger issue would; however I want to start focusing on the positive aspects of my day instead of the negative in order to fight this stress. 

Someone commented on one of my posts recently, saying they always make a mental note of the things that they are thankful for.  I really want to start following this idea too, since it is such a positive way to influence my week and my day!

So, despite the stress, here is what I am thankful for this week!

1. My wonderful boyfriend, Jason.

2. The little wonders like stationary and tea. 

3. Instagram 

4. All of my blogger friends for being so supportive :) 

How do you battle stress? And what are you thankful for?

       

 

Five on Friday

This week, there have been so many great finds!  I have found a lot of DIY and decorating inspiration, as well some really fun daily musings.  I just love writing my Five on Friday posts because they really help me organize inspiration, set a list of to-dos, and help me reflect on my week; plus it is really nice to be able to share with you what my week has been like! 

1. A Dog in the Apple instagram account.  So adorable and adds a little boost of happiness to my day! 

2. This gold decal lamp DIY from the Preppy Coxswain. 

3.  These sunnies from Bonlook 

4. This acrylic "ghost chair" (thank you so much to Jackie at York Avenue for finding it!)

5. This necklace from Pockets and Lace.  Super chic and a great price!

  
What are you loving this week? 

 

Floral Inspiration

Before I start this post, I just want to say thank you so much to all of my readers!  I have gotten endless comments of Liebster Award nominations and I am honestly blown away!  Thank you all so much for the support, it really does mean so much to me :)
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 No matter what time of year it is, I love flowers.  I love the smell, the freshness, the chicness, and the colors.  One of my favorite flowers is the carnation.  I think they are a lot more than just "filler flowers" and are the perfectly simple way to brighten up dreary winter days.  They come in so many different colors, plus they live for such a long time!  I currently have a couple vases full around the house right now, including two small vases in my room!

Besides carnations, I am a huge fan of peonies, pink roses, and sunflowers!  I have found so much floral inspiration on Pinterest lately, and I thought I would share some of my favorites with you, as well as the flowers I have in my house right now! 

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What is your favorite flower?

P.S. I have decided to paint my desk white with a gold border and trim!  I cannot wait for the Summer so I can start my little project!