My Sewing Project

Over the long weekend, I decided to venture into some new territory: sewing clothing. I have known how to sew for most of my life, as I grew up sewing pillows and bags, but never any clothing items. I had seen a lot of Etsy shops making paper-bag skirts, and figured that it couldn't be too difficult, so I gave it a shot. 

I ended up buying my fabric from Joann's. I originally bought a yard of each fabric, and then three yards of white lining fabric. After I washed all of my fabric, I realized the seersucker cotton shrunk a lot, so I ended up having to buy an extra yard of each of the seersucker. 

Once I got to the sewing, I pretty much just made it up as I went along, and with each skirt the task got easier. Each one has an elastic waistband, and is made directly from my own measurements. I am really happy with the way that they turned out; they are so much cuter (and cheaper) than the paper-bag skirts sold for $80 at J. Crew. I absolutely cannot wait for spring to come along so that I can wear them!

Sweet Georgia Peach

I spent this past weekend (Friday-Monday) traveling through South Carolina and Georgia to make my college decision. I had a really good time with my family. The weather was beautiful for the most part (upper 50s and 60s) which is much, much, much warmer than it is back home. The South truly is a beautiful place, and I could not be more excited to be able to call it my future home. 

While in Athens, I came across some great places to eat and shop. My favorite was Mama's Boy. Wow. It had been recommended to us by multiple people that we had met in town, and they were right, it was fantastic. It is true "Southern" food. The breakfast options were lengthy, and all sounded fantastic, but the biscuit was definitely one of the best things I have ever eaten. I also stumbled upon the famous Red Dress Boutique and bought a really cute dress for spring. The store was adorable and the girls working were very nice. My last favorite from Athens is Insomnia Cookies. This cookie bakery serves warm freshly-baked cookies from 7 AM until 3 AM, and they were absolutely delicious.

I ended up absolutely falling in love with the University of Georgia. The town of Athens has so much character, and I definitely felt at home. My major, which will be genetics, is developed at UGA and will provide me with lots of great opportunities and background before medical school. I am also planning on rushing in the fall, and the sororities (and their houses) at UGA are phenomenal. The campus itself is beautiful and the student life seems to be exactly what I am looking for. I am proud to say that I will be a Georgia Dawg!

My Carry-On Essentials

I'm leaving to fly to the south for college visits in a few hours! I love airports and flying, and I couldn't be more excited to finally get to semi-warm(er) weather!

My tote bag is from Vineyard Vines, and to my surprise, it is very spacious! It has three open pockets on the inside, one open pocket on the outside, and a zipper pocket on the inside. Plus the top has a zipper closer. In my bag I have my quart-sized bag of liquid toiletries, a magazine for the plane ride, my phone charger, my iPad, my Lilly agenda, my crossbody that I am going to use on campus, aviator sunglasses, and my Lilly jewelry pouch filled with all of the jewelry I am taking with me. This bag is the perfect size for all of my necessities!

What are your carry-on essentials?

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday y'all! Today I took the day off of school to finally go to take my drivers test! I passed and I couldn't be happier! I also got the chance to stop by the outlets to do a little bit of shopping at Kate Spade and J. Crew Factory. 

Only one more day until the weekend; I'm leaving for my trip tomorrow night! What will y'all be up to this weekend?

Snow Day Brunch

By now, I'm sure all of y'all have heard about (or are trapped in) the crazy snowstorm that is hitting the East Coast. For a few hours this morning, I ventured out into the snow to go to take my scheduled license test. After I got there, and was waiting in line in my car, they cancelled all driving tests, and now I am scheduled to go back tomorrow. Hopefully the weather tomorrow will be better and the roads will be clear so that I can drive!

I decided that this morning was the perfect morning for brunch, so I made myself a delicious plate of french toast. What have y'all been up to on this snowy day?

Sunday Fun Day {Links}

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Really want to try this recipe

This tunic is to die for

I need to add this hoodie to my fitness wear

This belt would look great with the paper-bag skirts I have been making for spring

What have been some of your favorite links recently?

Peanut Butter Cupcake Recipe

I was lucky enough to have a few hours to spend baking today. Baking is very time consuming, but relaxing for me. I hope to {one day} have my own baking business after my medical days are over.  I decided to try out a new yellow cake recipe, and make peanut butter frosting topped with chocolate sprinkles. The cake recipe made the perfect amount of batter {enough for 24 cupcakes}, and was relatively simple to make. The peanut butter frosting is rich and extremely good.

Yellow Cake Recipe:

Ingredients-

• 1 and 3/4 cups of flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks of butter

Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine butter, milk, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk together. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix thoroughly. Spoon the cake batter into cupcake tins, and bake for 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients- 

• 3/4 cup of peanut butter
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 4 tablespoons of milk

Combine all ingredients with a mixer. Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool to frost them. I like to use piping bags and tips to frost my cupcakes.

What is your favorite cupcake recipe?

Cheers

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My crazy week of final exams and end-of-course work has finally come to a close. I feel like it has been forever since I have had the chance to sit down and write an in depth blog post. I have a four day weekend, and my second semester begins next Wednesday. It's hard to believe I am already more than half-way through my senior year; the time is flying by, but I'm not complaining. My college decisions are narrowed down to my top two, and I will be visiting both next weekend so that I can be confident in my final decision. This coming week is going to be very busy (lots of exciting events)! 

I have so many ideas for future posts, and I am very excited about the future of my blog. I will (hopefully) be posting much more frequently in the upcoming weeks, let me know if you have any recommendations or requests for future posts! 

I am going to spend the majority of my weekend relaxing, getting ready for my trip, and planning! How will you spend your weekend?

Tuesday Two {15}

Over the weekend I made a trip to Georgetown and wound up at Sprinkles. This cupcake is called "The King" and it has to be one of the best cupcakes I've ever had; it's banana cake with peanut butter frosting!

I've been studying all week so far for my finals. I can't wait to finally be finished with this semester and relax over my four day weekend!

Lilly New Year Cheer Sale

I was delighted to find my Lilly order from the New Year Cheer Sale today when I arrived home from school. For those of you who don't know, Lilly Pulitzer holds two semi-annual online sales throughout the year; one at the beginning of the New Year and one at the end of summer (Endless Summer Sale). The prices are great, but the products sell out very quickly. Fortunately, I was able to sneak in a little bit of shopping during class, and ended up with four beautiful Lilly purchases! 

Items Pictured: Corrie Skirt, Murfee Scarf in Tete a Tete, Lonnie Dress in white, and You Gotta Regatta iPhone 5 case

Bows & Kites Discount Code

As y'all know, I am now a Campus Rep for Bows & Kites! I couldn't be more excited to be working with the brand. These are my absolute favorite bows; they are great quality and you have so many fabric options to choose from (the Lilly bows are, of course, my favorite!) The discount code EmilyCR will deduct 10% off of your total purchase price! Happy bow shopping!

Bow Pictured: Lilly 'Hotty Pink Sailors'

Tuesday Two {14}

I haven't done a Tuesday Two since before Christmas! It is crazy how fast time flies; it feels like Christmas was forever ago! 

I came home to this beauty on my doorstep today! Vineyard Vines is doing a promotion right now for an additional 30% off sale items!

I wore my new Patagonia (along with a few other layers) to embrace the Polar Vortex! It was -25 with windchill where I live, and my Patagonia kept me warm enough for the short amounts of time that I was outside.

Everyday Makeup

My Everyday Makeup Products and Brushes:

{Dior Lip Glow // Revlon Stay Matte powder // Covergirl Flamed Out mascara // MAC Rubenesque paint pot // Benefit "That Gal" brightening primer // Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation // Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface // Sonia Kashuk liquid eyeliner in Ebony // Sigma F80 // Sigma F84 // Sigma E05 // Sonia Kashuk powder brush}

 Makeup Bag: J. Crew

I am definitely a makeup lover. I always end up walking out of Sephora or Target with a new product to try out. These (mentioned above) are my everyday go-to products; perfect for any occasion!

What is your "must-have" makeup product?

Weekend Wonders {links}

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This app is so perfect for making monogrammed wallpapers

I cannot wait to try this cupcake recipe

These are making me miss New York City (more than I always do)

I am longing for summer weather, relaxation, and this perfection

I have started a Tumblr to compile my favorite pictures