The Blonde Starfish

I've been wanting to do a post for awhile now to show some of the t-shirts I have made recently for friends, family, coworkers, and even myself! I love coming up with fun designs to translate onto a wearable shirt! If you have anything in mind you'd like for me to make for you, don't hesitate to ask(:  So here below are a handful of some of my favorite shirts I have done recently! NC State Howling Wolf with a Red Glitter Monogram Hibiscus and Monogram in a Fun Glitter Orange and Pink   Wizard of Oz with Ruby Slippers and  Monogram on the front, and Quote and Characters on the back Motivating  Pre-Wedding Workout Tank Tops Back to School Shirt for the First Day of School Co-Leader T-Shirts for My Co-Leader and I to wear with our Brownie Troop Fun "Color-Me-In" Shirt where kids can color in the shirt with fabric markers (permanent) or washable crayola markers (can color wash and repeat) to customize their shi...

They say a LBD (little black dress) is a wardrobe essential, but I just love how classic and timeless a white dress is! They are great for graduations or if you are getting married, but they are also perfect for a summer date night or Sunday morning church service. I will be graduating in a few weeks (hard to believe!) and wish I could wear more than one. People are wearing other colors for graduation more these days, but I personally love the traditional white for graduation. And best of all, white dresses make you look tan even before you perfect your summer glow! I have included a few of my favorites below, including the one I will be wearing for graduation! Also, I am aware white dresses are made with accents other than gold, but I just love how elegant gold looks with white. One - Two - Three Four - Five Bonus: Lilly Pulitzer has free gifts with purchase this weekend, so now is the perfect time to pick out your favorite (or two;)

In case you don't know me personally, or live under a rock, I have a slight obsession with Lilly Pulitzer. Now some people love their coffee, other people love their cat or dog, well I love Lilly! It has a lot to do with the fact that I love the vibrant and fun prints and it's just an outward expression of my personality.  One of my favorite styles from Lilly, especially as I trudge through my last few months of grad school, is their popover! Instead of grabbing a dull and ill-fitting sweatshirt, I choose a popover instead! I get the same comfort and coziness as a sweatshirt, but with the bright and fun that Lilly brings. I like to think it makes me brighter in the classroom ;) It also goes with the saying, "if you love an item, buy one in every color". Well in my case, I buy one in every print (that's an exaggeration because they make many many more prints that I do not own). But regardless, I recommend that everyone should own a popover, even if they are no...

If there was an award for worst blogger, I think I would win hands down. I truly enjoy blogging, but school has been a bear (or should I say wolf?) recently. While graduation is only two months away at this point, it feels as though it is much further!  While I wouldn't say I'm the best at coping with stress, I will say I have done my best to stay positive while continuing to push through the rest of this school year. I have so many amazing things to look forward to after graduation, including my job at PwC that I will start in September, that I am always striving to see the light at the end of this grad school tunnel. Buying far too much Lilly and eating my weight in sour patch kids has been part of my strategy to persevering, but in all reality it has been the encouraging words of my friends and family that have gotten me through this crazy year of grad school. I know everyone faces their own "tunnels" at times, so I have included some of my favorite quotes and...

It is hard to believe that I will be starting my Masters of Accounting program this week! Today we have orientation all day then we begin classes tomorrow. Although going back to school after the summer is not always fun, I do enjoy purchasing new school supplies and getting everything organized. I did a favorite school supplies post last year ( read here ) but some things have changed for this year while others are repeats.  Water Bottle / Colored Pens / Highlighter Pens / Umbrella / Agenda / Eraser / Backpack / Notebook / Stapler / White-Out / Pencil Case For an item to become my favorite it typically has to be bright and colorful, with the exception of my backpack so that it matches everything I wear. Also I enjoy compact items that can easily fit in my pencil pouch or take up minimal space in my book bag.

Whether you are having a bad and want to have a good day or are having a good day and want to have a great day, having simple ways to boost your mood will ensure that you get back on track in no time!   Spend Time With Friends For me one of the best parts about having roommates is that my best friends are always right down the hall. They're my best friends for a reason, so they will always known how to pick me up when I'm down Watch A Favorite Movie I love watching movies when I know there is an amazing feel good ending, and even more when they're funny movies. Some of my favorite feel good movies are The Blonde Side, She's the Man, Grease, and Breakfast at Tiffany's Take A Nap No matter how old you are, taking a nap in the middle of the day is always welcome, that is if your schedule allows it of course. It allows for a quick reset in the middle of the day so you can wake up like it's a new day. Workout Working up a sweat with my head...

I hope that y'all enjoyed your Fourth of July weekend as I most certainly did. Each year my family and I go to our lake house to celebrate the holiday and this year was no different. While Christmas and Thanksgiving are traditionally holidays meant to spend time with family, I think that the Fourth of July is the perfect time to spend time with family. I mean you can't beat warm weather, good food, and fireworks! I must add that fireworks are hands down one of my absolute favorite things in the world to watch, and watching them over the lake or ocean with the reflection is even better! So here's a peek into what I did this weekend! Most of my time this weekend was spent on the lake with my family. We like to just ride around then stop and swim in the cove for awhile, it's super relaxing! I also enjoy wakeboarding, which I made sure to make time for on the lake this weekend. Additionally, there is a lakeside restaurant that we enjoy driving to and having drinks a...

With this potentially being my last summer vacation before starting my career I am going to do my best to make the very best of it! I am always making lists for myself and probably have at least 10 different lists on my phone currently, so it comes as no surprise that I made a summer bucket list. I'm getting a bit of a late start to my list as I have been taking a Summer class for the past five weeks. However, I have checked one item off already as I went to our lake house this past weekend.                                     

~Your Setback is the Platform for Your Comeback~  I'm so glad to be back blogging! Having just graduated from undergrad, I had a truly busy past year preparing for grad school while taking on far too many jobs in clubs and otherwise. But I'm happy to announce I'm headed to grad school at NC State in the fall and cannot wait to see where my career goes from there! Believe it or not I really do enjoy writing despite being an accounting major! With this blog I hope to discuss all things from Lilly Pulitzer to organizational ideas to the occasional DIY project or recipe. I hope to post at least once a week but will likely have extra pop-up from time-to-time(: Today just so happens to be National Wear Your Lilly Day, aka the first day of Summer!! I wear Lilly almost everyday as it is, but I made sure to wear one of my favorites today! Not that I need another reason to online shop, but Lilly is doing a GWP (gift with purchase) for the holiday as well! Popover...

It has been raining non-stop for the past two weeks due to the hurricane that is offshore. As much as I dislike rainy days, I always try my best to brighten them up! While I can't exactly bring the real sunshine out, I try to do so though brightly colored rain accessories. I tend to see quite a few black rain boots and raincoats on rainy days, but I do not fall into this category. Instead my rain accessories are bright pastels along with fun prints.  All of these accessories are sure to keep you dry and cozy. And more importantly they will turn a gloomy gray day into a bright one. Monogram Raincoat / Lilly Pulitzer Rain Boots(old)/ Yellow North Face Raincoat / Lilly Pulitzer Umbrellas / Vineyard Vines Rain Boots / LL Bean Socks

I truly can not believe that tomorrow is October! It's definitely cooling off outside, and Autumn is about to be in full swing. Unfortunately that means packing up summer tank tops and sandals. But on on the plus side it also means time for pumpkins! When I say pumpkins I'm not referring to the spice latte kind, but we'll talk about those another day;) I'm taking about the kind of pumpkins you decorate and display around your house until Thanksgiving. While the traditional Jack-O-Lantern is a classic, I love crafting up things that go with my decor.  Since I am living in an apartment this year and have no cute front porch, like this , to display pumpkins on, I will have to decorate them for my living room instead. Because my pumpkins will be indoors I am going to be getting fake plastic pumpkins instead of the real thing. As much as I want to go to a cute farm and pick out precious pumpkins from the field, I don't want rotting pumpkins in my apartment. But all ...

Snacking can sometimes get a bad reputation. However, I have learned that having small and healthy sacks when you find yourself hungry between meals will actually be of benefit. This is because it will keep you from eating too much at mealtime. ~Apples ~Celery ~Assorted Nuts ~Grapes ~Carrots with Hummus or Lite Ranch ~Strawberries ~Hard Boiled Egg ~Lowfat Yogurt ~String Cheese ~Protein Bars

T-shirt dresses are so versatile and ever so comfortable. They come is various sleeve lengths as well as endless patterns and colors. They are perfect for cookouts, birthday parties, baby showers, and even just to wear on a normal day of the week. Pattern dresses can be worn by themselves, but it's always fun to add accessories here and there. And of course a solid t-shirt dresses is just begging for a fun pop of color and texture.  It probably comes as no surprise that some of my favorite t-shirt dresses are from Lilly Pulitzer. I love the fun prints they have and all their t-shirt dresses are super soft and comfortable. I add some of the same accessories to my pattern dresses as I do my solid dresses, but I usually add more accessories to the solid color dresses. Here are some of the main accessories I like to pair with my t-shirt dresses. While it's pretty clear that I love gold, you could easily swap in silver if that is more your style. Additionally, the...

As the season are changing over from summer to fall the weather is getting cooler. Even though it's not cold yet, it its much cooler in the morning and evenings than during the afternoons. This is a fun time to mix long sleeves with shorts as well as short sleeves with long pants or jeans. One of these combinations that I love includes a spirit jersey with shorts. It allows me to wear my favorite Lilly Pulitzer shorts  past the summertime.  The spirit jersey is always a cozy option because they are thicker than a t-shirt but not as thick as a sweatshirt. They are typically worn oversized so this allows for them to be extra comfortable. So even when I wear shorts, I am still able to stay warm enough throughout the day.

Actually it's likely a well known fact about  me that I love elephants. I'm not sure exactly what it is about them that I love so much, but I do! I wouldn't say I'm crazy about them or anything like that though. I have heard stories though about how elephants have similar emotions to humans, and I think that is really interesting.   Here is a great article that talks about it.  To go along with my love of elephants I figured I would share some of my favorite elephant items! Because looking at cute pictures on national geographic's Instagram is just not sufficient. Salt&Pepper Shakers / Mug / Pants / Plant Pot / Tea Pot /  Shorts ( Similar )/  Ring / Crop Set / My Dream Trip I dream of riding an elephant one day in someplace like Thailand. But until then I will just have to stick with precious elephant trinkets and clothes.

Although I do buy full price Lilly Pulitzer items in store from time to time, a fair amount of what I buy comes from eBay, Buy/Sell/Trade groups, and Instagram. eBay is fairly easy to explore while BST groups and Instagram are a whole other animal. Some people may be hesitant to buy from eBay as items are generally used conditions. However the majority of Lilly items, unless current season, are going to have to be bought gently used. Also depending on the item, gently used items tend to be less expensive than full retail items. One feature that I love about eBay it their "followed" search option. While you can do this on your computer, I find it easier and more user friendly on your phone with their app. Once you search an item you can then click the follow search feature. This will then put this specific search onto your followed searches list. From this list it will give you an icon next to the followed searches that have new items listed that you have not viewed yet...

Personally I love being able to get into the gym and get a good workout completed. In the future i'll show y'all my usual workout routine. But today I just had to share this great core workout. Recently I have been working my core especially because it is my "target area". Everyone may have different target areas, but working on your core is beneficial to everyone. c/o pinterest This workout targets all areas of your core to give you a complete workout of your abs. This workout is also great because has a good amount of various exercises. I enjoy various workout like these as opposed to repetitious exercises with little variation. So go to the gym and try this workout! That positive feeling you have when leaving the gym is truly the best!

It's hard to beat the coziness that fall footwear brings! Sandals are enjoyable in the summer, but you have to keep your toes nicely polished. In the fall your toes are covered so I don't have to worry about that! From tall boots to booties to flats there's such a variety of shoes for the fall season. Riding Boots / Leopard Flats here(affordable) and here(splurge) / Tory Burch Flats / TOMS /  LL Bean Boots / Two-Toned Boots

Whether you are a clothes lover like myself or just pick out what's clean, life is truly made easier when your closet and clothes are organized. There is no reason the clothes in your closet need to be in a huge wrinkled pile only to result in an avalanche every time you open it. Having a small closet this year forced me to be extra organized with my closet. I started by hanging up all of my tops and dresses. I find it convenient to put my tops in rainbow color order and by sleeve length to help me find tops easily. Matching a top to a pair of printed Lilly Pulitzer shorts is made easier by my closet being in color order. My dresses are all to the right and are organized by occasion going from t-shirt dresses over to more dressy maxi dresses.  In the top drawer below my closet I keep all of my shorts, tank tops, and swimsuits. In the bottom drawer below my closet I keep a few pairs of jeans as well as couple sweatshirts. In a separate set of drawers is where I keep al...

Unlike other holidays, birthdays occur 365 days a year. That being said, I feel as if another one of my family members or friends are always having a birthday. While giving presents is not the only way to show someone how much you care for them on their birthday, giving them a little surprise gift is always exciting no matter how old they are turning. The gifts in this guide are for the women in your life and can be for any of your friends or family members. Just think what they enjoy most and maybe even gauge it based on how old they're turning. Koozie / Scarf / Tumbler / Wristlet /Sign Box/ Cooler Bag / Sunglasses / Candle