My Favorite Pinterest Boards

So I saw this post over at and I just had to jump on the bandwagon. I'm a total Pinterest freak. It's my number 1 form of procrastination but I could honestly scroll through pages for hours. I love looking at it for fashion inspiration, crafting ideas, dream homes and (shameless) wedding ideas. I follow a lot of people but I do have my favorites.

I compiled a list of my favorite pinners and added links below. Just click on the image and it will take you over to their page!


                                     
                                

Bri Emery from designlovefest.com always has great pins coming up on my home page. She always has a lot of great DIY projects. 

Catie Veilleaux is definitely my favorite style pinner. She has a similar preppy style to me and I love looking at her page to find daily looks if I can't decide on what to wear in the morning. Another thing that is great is that she divides her fashion inspiration into separate seasons and pieces so it's super easy to navigate!

I also love all of the pins from Cathleen over at Classy Cathleen {check out her blog here!}. I love reading all of her pins on blogging. As a new blogger it's great to see all of the tips and daily post inspiration!

Karen Hofstetter has a lot of design pins on her page. I love looking at the typography section and she also has a great board full of patterns. I use a lot of them to tile as computer backgrounds!

Dallas Shaw is another one of my favorite pinners. She has my favorite beauty posts. She always has a lot of bright lip colors and easy hairstyles. 

If yore looking for some new people to follow head on over to Pinterest and look these girls up! While you're at it, pop on over to my account {here}! 

Hope you like what you see!

Emily

On that Finals Grind

     

The dreaded finals week is finally here. Everyone is buzzing around the library organizing study groups, compiling review sheets and whirring away on laptops. During this week I wake up at 7:00 in the morning. Jump in the shower, get dressed and grab a granola bar before I trek over to the library. I work away until 2:00 at night and then head back to my room where I quickly collapse into my bed. Although finals weeks are hands-down the roughest weeks at school, I've gotten my routine down to a science and after 4 semesters (yikes!) I've learned how to survive.

After a few of these dreadful weeks, I've learned what I need to wear to be productive, the things I need to bring to keep myself focused and in general, sane! Seeing as I'm in the library round the clock I pack everything I need for the day. These days definitely call for backpacks. I usually bring textbooks and binders for 3 classes, if not all of them as well as some of my other essentials including my computer, iPad, agenda and chargers.

To class I like to dress up a little bit in a skirt or a dress but with finals, that goes out the window. It's really all about being comfortable. I've discovered a weird habit about myself that is: whenever I'm really focused on studying I'll pull my legs up in the chair and sit on one of my legs. Not very ladylike in a skirt. I'm pretty sure this stemmed from catholic school uniforms with nike shorts underneath. Anyways, when I know I'm going to be in the library for hours (studying hard enough to sit criss-crossed) I'll wear shorts or leggings. The library always has unpredictable temperatures so I usually am wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and have a hoodie or pullover with me at all times. I also like to kick my shoes off when I'm studying so I'll wear Sperrys or Chacos so that I can easily slide them off... and then back on to grab a coffee!

Apart from the clothes, I always make sure I have my reading glasses with me. Hours of staring at a bright computer screen can really give me a headache! Hair ties are a must. It's the worst when you're trying to study and your hair keeps falling in your face. Remember how the Violet in A Series of Unfortunate Events would always tie her hair back when she was about to invent something? You don't' have to use a red ribbon, but hair ties, headbands and bobby pins are life savers. My last few finals go-tos include the little miscellaneous items that save me from taking trips back to my room. I always bring a water bottle to study. I talked about it in an earlier post {here} but somehow drinking water occasionally provides enough of a split second study break to keep me on track for a while. If it works, I'm not questioning it! I also bring a tube of SoftLips chapstick and a pair of headphones. I always, always do work with headphones in. {here}They really keep me on track and allow me to tune out a lot of the distractions around me!

Everyone has little methods to keeping sane during this hectic week. What are some of your essentials for finals week library studying?

Emily

    
     

Burn Baby Burn

Well my dermatologist is actually going to kill me for saying this (and my 40-year-old self for that matter) but I love that first sunburn of the season. I don't know why? Maybe it's the fact that it means summer is coming, maybe it reminds me of my childhood on the tennis courts or maybe it's because I know deep down it will turn into a tan in a few days, I'm not entirely sure. I promise I'm not a masochist, I just love that feeling!

I finally got my first burn of the year this past weekend. First off, the fact that I had enough time to lay outside and get burned is a good thing. And second, goodbye ghostly legs! Hallelujah! Anyways, after the novelty of finally having that first burn sets in (literally), now you have to deal with it. We've all had those bad burns, the kind of burns where your skin peels for weeks, showers during those days feel like you're in the pokey from Matilda and sleep is, well, impossible.

I always keep Aloe Vera in my nightstand at home but seeing as I'm currently at school and I never assumed I'd be getting a tan in April, aloe hasn't been on my grocery list. So while I was laying in my bed, regretting that 4 SPF, I looked up some ways to combat the achey feelings of a bright red stomach. I'm not typically the kind of person to look for home remedies as opposed to buying the Target brand-name solution but I figured I would search Pinterest anyways. Here are some of the things I came across:

1. Earl Grey Tea Compress
2. Egg Yolks
3. Lavender Oil
4. Onions?

Okay, not really sure what I think about the onion but I'd be up to try any of the others. Pause. I'd try any of the others minus the egg yolk. An egg allergy and yolk all over my body might make for an interesting story but I'm not willing to risk it. So Earl Grey Tea makes it to the top of the charts for me! Fortunately by the time I woke up on Sunday the burn had faded (woot!) but next time I will definitely be up to try it. I always keep a box of Earl Grey tea in my room so I already have the supplies ready to go! Here's how it works:

Simply make three bags of tea and let it cool to a lukewarm temperature. Once it has cooled, use a soft rag to dip into the tea and dab the rag onto the sunburn. Apparently the key is to let the tea absorb into your skin instead of wiping it off. The tea is supposed to have instantly cooling effects and be able to get rid of a burn overnight?! 

Sounds to good to be true but desperate times… Although I didn't have aloe around, I saw another great idea on Pinterest! Freeze aloe vera! Honestly, how did I never think of this? So brilliant. It's instant relief when you get in from outside, you could place it on your skin while you're falling asleep and then the aloe's effects would take it from there. Genius, just genius.

So fingers crossed that this was the first and final burn of the season, but realistically I'm definitely prepared to face a summer of pool days and lake weekends. Have you ever tried any of these solutions?

Emily

My picks from the JCrew new arrivals!

      

J.Crew just recently put out their May items and I'm lusting after so many of them! I've been using my Study Abroad trip as an excuse to get some new clothes and that excuse is probably going to go for some of these pieces, especially the tops!

Lately I've been sizing up in my tops to get that looser breathable aspect. Each of the tops in my picture below    match that quality. The striped muscle tee is definitely a favorite and it even comes in a gold and white stripe! The Sea bag tote would be a great option for a pool bag. Talk about a Mary Poppins bag! The giant size could fit everything. The shorts would also be another great addition to my collection of JCrew chinos. They're the perfect length of shorts and I've had some pairs for years and the color hasn't faded and they've all held up in the wash. A+ in my book!

I'm definitely digging the new arrivals. Which ones are your favorite?
Emily

                    
                             

Friday Finds! Ben Rector does it all!

Ben Rector is one of my favorite artists. If I'm listening to a cd in my car there's a 99% chance that it's one of his. Pk introduced me to his first album and I've been hooked ever since. If you've never heard of him you should definitely look him up. He's been gaining a lot of popularity recently and his tours are getting bigger and bigger. All of his songs are pretty upbeat, and generally make-you-feel-good kinds of songs. If you take the time to really listen to the lyrics you'll be hooked too.

Although this video isn't new, it's one of my favorites. He took a classic song and made it his own. Quite literally, Ben does it all. In the video he plays every part of the music and it's pretty incredible to watch.

Enjoy the video and have a happy Friday!
Emily