Apartment decor {part 4}

I'm unveiling another area of my apartment...my desk! 

I have to be honest and admit that I don't actually sit at my desk to do work, although there is space to do so. But I do use my desk as a place to keep important papers, my favorite pens, and other office supplies.

Above my desk I have this print, made by Katherine Santana. I'm currently hosting a giveaway of one of her prints, enter!

I spray painted the desk (which used to be a brown wooden desk) with black spray paint and finishing spray. I painted the lap shade with black paint (it was originally all white) to match my black & white theme.

What do you think? <3

Apartment Decor Part 1

Apartment Decor Part 2
Apartment Decor Part 3

Jack Spade {ATL location}

Kate Spade: women

Jack Spade: men

It's a simple fashion analogy. This is great news for the stylish men of Atlanta: Jack Spade is now open for business in Midtown Atlanta!

Just like Kate Spade has incredibly classic and beautiful women's clothing, Jack Spade has some of my favorite looks for men. I've put some of my favorites below. 

Be sure to visit this new location! Happy Friday! <3

International Children's Book Day {LongHorn Partnership}

I have a lot of favorite classic American restaurants, and one of them is LongHorn Steakhouse. My family and I ate there so often when I was younger and I still eat at my local restaurant now that I'm in college. 

I'm really proud of the opportunity they have that combines: food (yum!) + International Children's Book Day + support for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America + involving families in charity. 

Read more details below!

In celebration of International Children’s Book Day and to support local Boys & Girls Clubs of America, LongHorn Steakhouse is inviting families to participate in their “Give a Book, Get a Free Steakhouse Kid’s Meal” offer on April 2, 2013! Here’s how it works:

·         All families have to do is donate one children’s book (new or used) suitable for ages 5-12 at their local LongHorn restaurant on April 2.

·         As a special “thanks,” participating guests will receive one free kid’s meal from LongHorn’s kid’s menu with the purchase of one adult entrée.

All books will then be donated to local Boys and Girls Clubs to refresh Club libraries.

To find a restaurant near you, visit longhornsteakhouse.com. Please see this link for more details.

Cali {Teaser}

I went to Los Angeles, California for Spring Break last week and it was an amazing trip! I met my nephew, ate so much great food, and went to the beach! I'll give a full report and share my favorite places in LA tomorrow! I have an interview and quiz today, eek! <3

Google's College Tips

I'm pretty picky about whose advice I take, especially when it comes to things like college. One reason I started this blog and wrote my book was to help prospective and current college students by sharing things I've learned while in school.

Google has a really phenomenal resource for prospective students, current students, and college seniors! They also allow you to submit tips and potentially have those tips show up on their site - very cool. I'll be submitting a few tips, but I've also been browsing through other tips!

I recommend Google's College Tips to all students - click through and see for yourself :)

"The Prologue" {fashion expo}

Some of my friends are members of the organizations hosting this great event! It's a fashion expo with up and coming designers and models, and also a charity event -  "From Books to Runway" sponsored by Streetz 94.5, on Monday, March 25th will raise money, books, and school supplies for William Boyd Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Nu Beta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, The Nu Mu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, and Miss Black & Gold, Jhanelle McLeod are hosting a College Fashion Expo based on the current Alpha Female, Jhanelle's Miss B&G Platform - Child Literacy. The show will be Hosted by Rashan Ali and Atlanta's Newest Radio Station, Streetz 94.5, Mike Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos, as well as other celebrity guests will be in attendance. This is NOT an event to miss - we will have the hottest collegiate designers and models from Nine Metro-Atlanta schools. FOOD (yes FOOD) and Raffle Prizes will be awarded as well. Please, support the next generation! 

The Prologue - Atlanta Fashion Expo

March 25, 7pm - Georgia Tech's Student Center Ballroom ($10 Presale Tickets)

 

You can purchase tickets or learn more about this great event at their website: http://atlantafashionexpo.eventbrite.com

Packing for California {carry-on}

California is A M A Z I N G! The weather, the people, the food, the sights, the shopping - it's all great! I'm here for a few more days, and I'll have a full report on Monday. But for now, I wanted to share how I packed for the trip.

Malibu Beach, California

I really don't like to check a bag unless I absolutely have to -- like when I went to Spain -- so I planned and packed for a week's stay in California. So far, my packing has proved successful!

7 days in California -- clothes and shoes packing:

Shoes for California are pretty easy to pack. Sandals and flats are always a great idea. If you plan to do athletic/outdoors activities, definitely pack tennis shoes. If you want to wear bulky shoes (like boots), wear them on the plane/trip to save up room in your bag!

Athletic Shorts and t-shirts: Great for outdoors, workouts, or sleeping.

Swim wear: If you're visiting Cali, you'll probably go swimming in a pool or ocean!

Underwear: Remember to pack an extra pair!

Tank tops: Perfect for the super hot mid-day weather.

Thin long sleeves: It gets windy and chilly at night and you'll want breathable long sleeves or a light jacket.

Short sleeves: Most people in California wear short sleeves under a long sleeve jacket/shirt.

Jeans: One pair is enough! It's always safe to have a pair of jeans with you because they work with all types of weather.

Shorts: Great for going to the beach or for outdoor/indoor tourist activities.

Leggings: Great to wear under tunic tops or layered under shorts for windy weather.

Casual dresses: You'll want to bring at least one dress - be prepared for windy weather though!

Cover ups: Thin jackets or beach cover ups are great to travel with.

Small Purse: I've appreciated having my smaller purse for going out and while shopping instead of my normal large purse.

Jewelry & Accessories: California is stylish so bring some fun accessories.

*Also, the shopping in California is incredible, so save room for new wardrobe pieces!*

Flying out to Cali

I'm all packed and headed to the airport in a little bit for my trip to California! :) 

For this week I'll be linking to some of my older & favorite posts! Check them out: 

Georgia Peaches {recipes}

Meeting Andy Cohen

Studying Abroad in Madrid, Spain

Atlanta Personality Quiz

Toledo and Barcelona, Spain

Chick-fil-A Internship

Crazy trip to Paris, France

Granada and Sevilla, Spain

We're finally on Spring Break and I couldn't be more excited for this week away!  Keep up via Twitter or Instagram!

Let me know which post is your favorite!

 :) Have a great weekend! <3

Reflecting on a busy week

It's been a busy, but great week!! Just taking a moment to reflect.

So many school assignments.

Meetings/events.

Preparing for my Spring Break trip to LA!

Drinking lots of water -- and coffee!

Catching up with friends.

How was your week? <3

I'm featured on {The Darling Prepster}

Today, I have a post on Ashliegh's blog, The Darling Prepster!

Check it out :) and thanks for the opportunity, Ash!

<3

iPhone case {kate spade glitter}

I spotted this phone case a while back, but I just ordered it last week as a pre-Spring Break present to myself :)

I love pretty much everything Kate Spade creates, but especially love their sparkly items! I got the cutest coin purse/wallet as a birthday gift, and now I have the phone case to match. 

It's on sale -- order one here! <3

So. Much. Glitter! :)

The beauty of {leggings}

I'm a leggings lover. There, I admit it. I would wear them every single day if that was socially acceptable (and if I had that many pairs of leggings!)

I do have quite a few pairs of leggings (mainly black), and I try and wear them with just about anything. See why I love them so much!

I love leggings because:

•  They're comfortable (the stretchy and breathable material makes you feel like you're not even wearing pants)
• They can be basic (when worn with a t-shirt or sweat shirt) or dressy (when worn with a fancy top, blazer, or heels)
• They're affordable - especially compared to jeans or dress pants
• They come in different fabrics (cotton, vinyl, snake skin, metallics, velour, & more!). American Apparel has the widest selection of leggings I've seen and that's where I got my most recent pair
• They allow for different shoe possibilities. I've seen people wear just about any type of shoes with leggings but the most popular seem to be sandals, tennis shoes, and some type of boots (I personally love wearing cowgirl boots with mine)

How do you feel about leggings?

<3!

The benefits of water

Since I gave up drinking sweet tea for lent (ugh!), I've consequently been drinking way more water. I can't really complain though because the benefits of water (like my skin clearing up and getting more energy) have outweighed my intense cravings for sweet tea.

I keep a bottle of water with me at all times and re-fill it throughout the day. Although I don't always drink the recommended 6-8 glasses per day, I do come close. I've also gotten in the habit of ordering water as my only drink when I go out to eat -- makes the bill much cheaper :)

Pass on these benefits with your friends!

How good are you about drinking water?

<3

Eating in ATL {do at the view}

I can't believe it's already been a week since Jade's birthday celebration started! March is going by so quickly. Last Friday, we went to Do at the View -- a fun, hip, modern pizza place. They refer to their food as "musically inspired pizza." I did a short write up of Do at the View a while back, but here's an update!

There are multiple cool things about this place. Yes, the food is good & they create unique pizzas and similar dishes. But the way you order them is so much fun -- on iPads! 

They also have iPads above the mirrors in their (crazy futuristic) bathrooms, and you can take photos on that and then receive them via email later!

If you're a music lover, then you really need to visit this place. They encourage you to connect your smart phone to their music player and vote on songs for the restaurant to play, along with music video images to display on their white walls. It feels like you're eating dinner at a concert - pretty cool. It's a fun place for a small birthday dinner/party or just to eat before going out on the weekends.

Be sure to go up to their top level and witness the sweet view of Midtown Atlanta :)

Enjoy <3!

Other places I eat in ATL:

Taqueria del Sol

Figo Pasta

Bone Lick BBQ

The Silver Skillet

Fellini's Pizza

Zen on Ten Asian Bistro

Señor Patron

Flying Biscuit Cafe

Bone Garden Cantina

Urban Pl8

Perla Taqueria

Southern Art

La Tagliatella
Cafe Sunflower

Cafe Lily
Yeah! Burger

Eating in ATL {Yeah! Burger}

I can't believe I haven't already blogged about Yeah! Burger, because I literally eat there at least once a month. It's convenient, they have a fun menu that allows for mixing and matching, and it's relatively healthy :)

Yeah! Burger prides itself on using "Keeping it Real Food" (natural and organic foods, cooked to-order).

I've tried just about everything on their menu, but my favorite items are their turkey burgers with (cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, Yeah! sauce, BBQ sauce, etc.) and their sweet potato fries (YUM!)

Sweet potato fries!!!

Shayla's meal, delicious! 

I ate at Yeah! Burger last week with my best friend Shayla because we were both craving it (don't you love when you have the same food cravings as your friends). Next time you're in need of a burger, hot dog, salad, milk shake, fries,  and more, give Yeah! Burger a try.

My turkey burger, with goat cheese!

Enjoy! <3

Other places to eat in ATL:

Taqueria del Sol

Figo Pasta

Bone Lick BBQ

The Silver Skillet

Fellini's Pizza

Zen on Ten Asian Bistro

Señor Patron

Flying Biscuit Cafe

Bone Garden Cantina

Urban Pl8

Perla Taqueria

Southern Art

La Tagliatella
Cafe Sunflower

Cafe Lily

Cosmetic bags {Marley Lilly}

My backpack and my make up bag have been struggling recently. They've both just gotten so cluttered and unorganized that it slows me down in the morning when I'm getting ready and during the school day when I'm searching for things.

And then I discovered Marley Lilly -- creator of all things personalized and monogrammed, yes please! Once I started browsing their website, I couldn't stop. I want everything, but seriously needed some cosmetic bags. 

Vett K. Vandiver - VVK when monogrammed! :)
I chose the Circle Block font!

I loved how the hot pink looked on
the blue seersucker - classic!

Messy front pouch of my backpack - ugh!

All organized with my new Marley Lilly bag!

Organizing all of my cosmetics, post-its,
 daily necessities from my back pack!

Old bag- too small to fit everything!   

New Marley Lilly bag!

MUCH more room for all of my things so
I can actually see what I have!

I'm picky about everything, but especially  picky about items I'll use every day. And these are two products that I can't wait to show off and recommend to my friends and family. Since they're personalized, these cosmetic bags are perfect birthday, wedding, anniversary, and random gifts for friends.

The cutest packaging!

Be sure to check out their other adorable products too & keep up with them on Twitter, they've done some giveaways recently -- too great :)

<3 Enjoy!