4 DIY's for Fall

I actually can't believe it's almost October! It's insane to think how quickly this school year is flying by! I feel like it was just summer and we are still just starting school! I think once October approaches it will finally feel like fall. There have been a few chilly days here in Chicago, but nothing too crazy. Usually it's freezing in the morning, but by lunchtime it's hot! Dressing for the weather is usually extremely difficult because of this. Anyways, these are four DIY's that I thought would be fun for the fall! These are all pretty easy and don't involve too many supplies!

Also, let me know if you're liking my new graphics! I'm really trying to improve on blog graphics and I'm always trying to please my readers :)

Hanging Glitter Leaves // I haven't been able to find the actual tutorial for these leaves, but they are just too cute I had to share! What I did find was the basics on how to make these. You find leaves from whatever tree you wish and you dip them into melted wax. Once they are partially hardened (but still sticky) sprinkle gold, orange or brown glitter on top! You may want to add a hole punch either before or after if you want to hang them with string! How cute are these?!

Gold Leaf Pumpkins // For these all you need is a few pumpkins and some gold paint! Feel free to get more creative with different patterns rather than just painting the entire thing gold. These are super simple, yet so fun and creative. I think painting a bunch of little pumpkins gold and having them on display would be super cute too!

Gold Leaf Place Cards // Again, all you need for this is gold paint! A gold paint pen would also work well. Paint any leaves you find with the gold paint and wait for them to dry. Once dry use a black sharpie or art pen to write a name on the leaf. If you know calligraphy that's even better (I definitely want to learn)!

Book Covers // I couldn't find the exact tutorial for this one either, but it doesn't seem too complicated. Use brown paper to cover your favorite books. Using a precision paint pen (shown in white above) design the covers however you like! I love the simplistic look shown above. Again, knowing calligraphy would only help make these look even more fabulous!

Which DIY is your favorite?

Xo

The Shirttail Sweater

Is it just me or have trends been a little dry this season? Every fall I really like the clothes, but it seems to just repeat the same trends over and over. I'm not totally complaining, I love cords, sweaters and boots! Lucky for me, there's a new fabulous trend on the horizon: shirttail sweaters! I've seen these especially at J.Crew and I'm already in love with this trend! Is it not the cutest thing ever?

My favorite has to be the first one. I'm a sucker for anything navy and anything with stripes! The red one is a close second though! You can see how Sydney from Summer Wind styles her shirttail sweater!

Shop shirttail sweaters:

I'm curious to know...how do you feel about shirttail sweaters?

Xo

Weekend & Links

Let's welcome the weekend, shall we?

I'm so excited for this weekend because tonight is the homecoming football game and tomorrow is homecoming. So this weekend has a ton of fun packed into these next few days! Here are a few things I've been loving this week!

-Looking to ask me a question? Check out my tumblr to ask me questions!

-Because I know we all love Carly be sure to add her on snapchat @thecollegeprepster for a behind the scene look (and cute pictures of her, Teddy & Garret!)

-Because my sleep has pretty much been nonexistent this week I've been using these no sleep beauty tips

-I recently updated my SHOP page on this blog so be sure to check out my current picks!

-One of my current favorite bloggers (and friend) is Michaela via The Monogrammed Midwesterner; be sure to check her out

-I know Mackenzie Horan redesigned her site a little while ago, but if you haven't seen it you need to! It's my absolute favorite blog design ever

What's on your weekend agenda?

Xo

Easy Ways to Get Healthy

I'm trying to get on a health kick because I've been so so so bad about eating/being healthy lately. It came to the point that I was eating Ben & Jerry's every single night. The reason behind my binges were always related to stress, but I'm really trying to improve my eating habits currently. Along with that, it's always good to try and workout more and just be healthy in general! These are my super easy  tips for the lazy girl that wants to be healthy.

1. Don't drink your calories // I've definitely a sucker for a San Pelligrino or a Sprite, but sticking to water can amazingly benefit your health. In soda, sports drinks, etc. there are just empty calories that you don't need. Having those drinks are a nice treat, but only every once in a while!

2. Eat a healthy breakfast // I've been so bad about eating out (almost every day) and it just needs to stop. Whenever I pack a lunch with healthy foods I'm always more satisfied anyways. It's sometimes a little time consuming to make a great lunch, but trust me it's worth it.

3. Do mini workouts // If working out isn't your thing there are super easy ways to stay fit. Do a few crunches during commercial breaks while watching your favorite shows. Do some calf raises while waiting for your shower to heat up. Take a look at this this video for some easy inspiration on workouts for lazy people.

4. Get some sleep // This is perfect for the lazy girl because who doesn't want more sleep? It might seem impossible to get ample amount of sleep during the school week, but time management is so important so that you can get your rest in. Sleeping will make you overall physically and mentally healthy!

5. Drink water before every meal & in general // Before you eat any meal, drink a large cold glass of water. This can help fill you up so you avoid overeating later. In general, drinking more water will also help your health. Bring a water bottle to school and it will help you drink more water throughout the day.

What are your lazy girl health tips?

Xo

Gingham Inspiration

I recently purchased this gingham shirt from J.Crew Factory and I instantly fell in love! I thought of a couple ways to style it (on it's own, with a jacket, under a vest, with a scarf), but I already knew it would be much more versatile than that. Since this is such a classic shirt I've been able to find it all over Pinterest with super fun ideas on how to wear it. Here's a little inspiration on how to style this essential gingham shirt.

I'd love to hear ideas: how would you style this gingham shirt?

Xo

Good Things Are Going to Happen

As I was searching of what to post today I came to the realization that I've been extremely stressed recently. Homecoming is my main stress @ this point even though it doesn't need to be. Aside from that I've just been slacking on everything in general.

I've been getting overwhelmed super easily recently and I'm not sure why. It seems to me that I just take everything in my life to extremes. If I get a lot of homework I end up freaking out and not actually just taking the time to do it. If plans don't go exactly as planned I freak out and again, get overwhelmed.

But...this quote has really spoken to me during this time of stress. It's really only a week more until homecoming has come and gone and I know that whatever I end up doing will be fun. This quote has really made me realize that just because one thing doesn't go my way doesn't mean it's the end of the world.

There are always going to be so many positives in my life that definitely are greater than the negatives and I just have to get through those stressful times and the good will come in your life. Times are constantly changing and you'll never be stuck in a situation forever. Good things are going to happen sometimes you just have to wait and see.

Xo

Fall Essentials

This was originally posted on Hunter's blog, Prep on a Budget, but I wanted to post it here too! Fall is officially here and it's sweater weather! I haven't done a ton of shopping for the fall, but I'm planning on expanding my fall wardrobe, and especially my sweater collection. Here's my essentials for fall!

riding boots // military jacket // bean boots // gingham shirt // burgundy scarf // quilted vest

Boots // Every girl needs a fab pair of boots in her life. Whether they be classic riding boots, combat boots, bean boots or Hunter boots they are essential for fall! I just bought a pair of Frye riding boots and I’m obsessed with how versatile they are! 

Button Up // These are perfect for fall! I cannot stress how many ways you can wear these! Under a jacket or vest or just on it’s own it is the perfect everyday piece for fall. J.Crew Factory has super cute button ups (along with a gingham one that is now in my closet!). 

Military Jacket // In the fall the weather tends to be pretty mild, but it does get chilly in the evenings and a military jacket is the perfect way to keep warm. I bought one from Gap last year and I have worn it so much! 

Scarf // Scarves are the perfect way to accessorize without making a huge statement. I recently found a burgundy scarf from Forever 21 for only $5 (what a steal)! It’s the perfect scarf for the fall. These can be worn over sweaters, shirts, button ups even! They also add a fun touch over a vest! 

Quilted Vest // Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know how much we bloggers love the J.Crew quilted vest! I bought a navy one and I’m obsessed! I’m wishing for cool weather just so I can wear it! 

What are your fall essentials?

Xo

The Importance of Handwritten Notes

I'm an avid writer I'd say, especially when it comes to sending letters. I always get so excited when I get anything in the mail and especially when it's handwritten letters. If you're looking to be pen pals feel free to email me {may.katelyn.may@gmail.com}! Today I'm sharing the reason why I think handwritten notes are so so so important.

1. Handwritten notes are genuine. It's always more personal when someone actually writes you a letter rather than just sending an email or text. Although texting and emailing are usually the easy route I think sending letters are much more personal and sentimental. It gives you a chance to communicate with someone in a more formal way, and show your personal style through fun greeting cards!

2. People appreciate them. Whenever I receive a handwritten note from someone I so appreciate the fact that they wrote it for me. Sending an email is all too easy and there's no effort involved. The fact that someone took the time to write a letter, spend money on stamps and go to a mailbox and mail it makes me appreciate them so much!

3. It's common courtesy! If you're not totally into snail mail and writing letters for fun I know I can convince you on this aspect. It is common courtesy to write a letter to someone whether it be a thank you note, sympathy letter, or birthday card. These are the things you should be sending to people! Some people are not about sending letters just for kicks (although I'm not sure why...), but those types of letters mentioned above should always be sent to people.

Xo

Font Choice

One thing I've really been striving to improve are my blog graphics. I feel that graphics are a huge element to the success and intrigue of a blog. I haven't yet taken the plunge to purchase photoshop yet, but if I feel the need to in the future (once I improve on my skills) I will definitely purchase it. 

For the time being I've been using PicMonkey to edit images and create some fun graphics for my blog. It doesn't do an amazing job (as photoshop would do), but it gets the job done. With graphics come font selections! I've always been a huge fan of fonts and I love keeping a ton on my computer to mess around with. All the fonts I use are free and I'll have them linked below! I love script fonts, but also serif fonts are great! I hate sans serif fonts so much though (I literally wrote a paper on it once!!!). These are my current favorite fonts.

Serious Sally // Playfair Display // Janda Stylish Script // Frontage

What are your favorite fonts?

Xo

A Look Inside My iPhone

I've seen a few bloggers and plenty of YouTubers do this type of post and I thought I might as well give it a try. Everyone's phone is so interesting because they hold a lot of secrets! If you have access to someone's phone you pretty much have access to their whole life because everything is on a person's phone nowadays. I thought I'd give you a little look at mine and how I like to organize it.

I have folders for the majority of apps (aside from the main ones on the first screen) to keep them organized. I divide them into the categories shop, photography, et cetera, books, social, blogging and lifestyle. I like to keep things in categories (1) so they are easy to find and (2) so it keeps my phone neat. When someone's phone is unorganized with apps everywhere it literally makes me cringe! But don't worry I usually fix it for them.

The photo that is my background is from a summer trip to Wisconsin. I'm trying to convince myself it's still summer ha ha. & I finally reached INBOX ZERO! Check out how to get your inbox to zero in this post. 

Some of my favorite apps include...

VSCOcam // If you meet a blogger that says she/he doesn't use this, they're lying! It's everyone's go-to Instagram editing app.

Snapseed // Created by Google this is my favorite app to brighten photos. It's a constant struggle to get the right lighting for Instagram photos, but this app can work wonders in brightening up a photo.

BuzzFeed // Not going to lie I love taking BuzzFeed quizzes all the time. Their articles and videos are always creative and funny too!

RunKeeper // This app is especially helpful to see how far I run when I go for runs. It measures your distance, pace, time, calories and also gives your reminders to go for runs! It's so helpful (and motivating!).

Sleep Cycle // I don't use this every night, but this app basically monitors your sleep. It tells you how long you slept, your sleep quality and even wakes you up during your lightest phase of sleep. I can't be sure if this is totally accurate, but I definitely feel more refreshed when I wake when I use this app for my alarm (I could just be delusional though).

Xo

5 Blogs You Should Be Reading

Ever since I started a blog I've been so eager to read so many more blogs. It's a great way to get inspiration of what you want to write, but also I love seeing what other people are doing, what products they love and what their style is like. To be honest, I prefer blogs that are not as well known (blogging isn't their job) just because I think they stay true to themselves. I do enjoy a few really popular blogs, but the majority of my favorites are bloggers that are not "famous". I also love reading blogs written by people around my age just because they are so relatable! These are five blogs that you should be reading!

The College Prepster // Carly is one of the few professional bloggers that I actually enjoy reading. I feel that she always stays true to herself and hasn't become caught up in the life of a popular blogger. Her website is so adorable (and easy to navigate) and I love to read her writing! She talks to her readers exactly how I feel she would speak and it makes her blog all that more personal. If you aren't already reading The College Prepster (which I'm sure the majority of you are) you should be!

Citrus & Style // I've been reading this blog for quite some time and I love it! I met Caroline while I was in New York City at the Smart Girls Conference and she is too sweet! Her blog always has something so fun posted on it and her style is so perfect! Plus, her design is so fun and citrusy!

Belles in Bows // I just discovered this blog recently, but it's a new favorite of mine. She is so honest in her posts and I love her fashion sense! She reminds me of a future Sarah Vickers and her post style is very similar. Her outfits are so great and I often try to recreate them (although they never look as cute as hers do. Her blog is a must read!

Prep Northwest // Connie is honestly so sweet, just though I'd put that out there. But also, her blog is fantastic. I can't even tell you how much advice her blog as given me about college! Her blog is so comforting to read because it gives me tips for just about any situation I'll ever be in. Her style is also great! On her blog you get to see both preppy and trendy styles!

The Skinny Confidential // When you're looking to swerve off the preppy blog path, The Skinny Confidential is an amazing health and lifestyle blog. The design of the blog is gorgeous and all of the posts are great! My sister is a huge fan of TSC and I am too!

What blogs are on your blogroll?

Xo

Operation Inbox

For all of my fellow bloggers out there it is a constantly struggle to keep your inbox completely empty, am I right? Emails are constantly flowing into your inbox and it seems impossible to always keep your inbox empty. I especially tend to let them pile up and then eventually go through them all, but I've been becoming more efficient with keeping my inbox clean!

1. Unsubscribe

There are so many random emails that I we've all subscribed to (often accidentally) that are crowding up our inbox. These may be from colleges, stores, organizations, etc. As a first step to clearing your inbox, unsubscribe from all of those junk emails. Keep the ones you want to get (for me it's J.Crew and Lilly Pulitzer), but it's so annoying when you're constantly getting emails from people/places that you don't care about. Also unsubscribe from notifications from twitter, tumor and all other social media that you don't wish to receive. They just add clutter! Use unroll.me to help clear your inbox from all your subscriptions! You'll me surprised at how many you're subscribed to!

2. Only Open If You Will Respond

Sometimes I can be the worst at responding to emails just because I forget to respond. If you open an email and read it and don't have the time to respond or doing feel like responding just flag the email, or mark it as unread to later remind yourself to read/respond to it later.

3. Delete/Archive Junk

If you're always keeping every single email it's going to get too cluttered and become difficult to find things. If you get an email and you may need it later, archive it. If you know you're never going to read it ever again or it's just junk, delete it. It'll save you so much space and time when you're searching for something!

4. Keep All Emails on Your Phone + Get Notifications

For a while I didn't connect my email to my phone and just kept it on my computer, but once I made the switch my life was so much easier. It was great to respond to emails on the go, especially when they only required a quick response. Set your phone to receive the emails automatically as the come in also so you don't have to go to your inbox and update it. I have three emails that I regularly use and I keep two of them on my phone for easy access (the other one I can't figure out how to get it on my phone ha ha). 

5. Make a Junk Email {Extra Tip}

If you're constantly shopping online and always having to give out your email for things, make a separate junk email account for all of these junk emails. My original email address (and another one I made in fifth grade) are both just junk email accounts that I never go on, but they store all of the emails that are absolute junk. I'm pretty sure the inbox of the original email address is about 22,000 at this point.

Xo

Weekend Links

This week it finally started feeling like fall. The temperature cooled down (maybe a little too much) and I could smell autumn in the air. This weekend seems like the perfect time to do fun fall related things! I might just take advantage of that! There are just too many great things on the internet, but these are my current favorites. Here are a few fun links for you! 

Cheers to the weekend!

+I recently read this totally uplifting blog post via Belles in Bows and let me just say it is something totally worth reading

+One of my new favorite websites is Jones Design Company; they have so many fun freebies!

 +If you have a blog or are thinking about starting one be sure to check out my blog + design board on Pinterest for plenty of inspiration and help

+Here's a super fun fall recipe: salted caramel apple cider baked donuts #yum

+If you didn't see my guest post for Hunter be sure to go check it out!

I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend! Tonight's the first football game and I couldn't be more excited to perform! Happy weekend!

Xo

NYFW

I honestly can't even explain how upset I am that I wasn't at fashion week. It's not like I had the opportunity to go, but it still made me so depressed that I wasn't there. The only cool thing was that Snapchat was posting pictures and videos from different events, etc @ fashion week so it was pretty interesting to see that. Somewhere in the near future I will be at fashion week. Whatever it takes to get there, I'm gonna do it. I'm sure most of us bloggers can agree that it's a fashion blogger's dream to go! 

 Of course the actual shows are incredible, but also the NYFW street style is amazing! Like how amazing is it when all of the most fashionable people in the world all are in the same place! Here are my favorite street style looks!

 I love how basic this outfit is! It's nothing more than a white sweater, boyfriend jeans and nude sandals yet it looks so fabulous!

 This Chanel bag >>>> life

I'm easily obsessed with the look on the right. The outfit looks amazing!

PS :: Today is the 13th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I was fortunate enough to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum while I was in New York City and let me just say it was incredible. The entire experience was extremely overwhelming because you sometimes don't realize the reality of what happened. I was young when it happened, but exploring the museum really made the whole experience much more personal because they had names, birthdays, facts, etc about the people that were killed. Today is a day to honor those that have either lost their lives, risked their lives to save others or who have lost someone close to them due to 9/11. I hope you take a moment today to honor all of those people mentioned above and also honor the current members of the military, navy, or army. They are risking their lives to fight for their country. We live in the land of the free because of the brave.

It's a good day to be in the USA. 

Xo

The Pros & Cons of Cutting Your Hair

Oh how I wish for long hair again.

If you don't follow me on twitter (hint hint--go follow me) you might not know that I cut my hair. I can't say for sure how many inches I got off, but let me just say it was a lot. I'm going to have a follow up post soon about my new hair, but for today I'm sharing the pros and cons of cutting your hair. It might totally seem like a good or bad idea (depending on your personality), but here's my point of view from a girl who plunged to get quite a bit chopped off.

Pros // 

+1. It's healthy! Right after I cut my hair I could feel such a difference in the health of my hair. It was much easier to brush and it's overall much more soft. Cutting off at least 4 inches of my hair definitely got rid of all the dead ends so I can start fresh and healthy. 

+2. It's easier + quicker to style. I'll admit that I style my hair every day and it does take effort, but only a portion of the time it used to. It easily used to take me 30 minutes to straighten my hair and even longer to curl it. Now it only takes me about 10 minutes to straighten my hair so doing it every day doesn't take up so much time.

+3. Donating it. I'm sad I didn't think about donating my hair before I cut it. I'm pretty sure I had enough hair to the point that I could have donated it, but now I'm sad because I didn't even think of it. The main reason I didn't plan on donating it was just because I didn't think I was going to get that much off. This is a pro because donating your hair is something so kind that you can do!

+4. Buns are fun. When I had long hair it was so difficult for me to wear my hair in cute topknots just because there was so. much. hair. Now I love wearing my hair in little buns!

Cons // 

-1. It's a big change. After cutting my hair I actually realized I liked my old hair a lot. It was easy because it was long and I could always wear it natural (and I always did) because I was too lazy to actually do it. With short hair it's annoying because I always have to straighten it.

-2. Say goodbye to a lot of hairstyles. I'm not saying having short hair isn't fun, but I didn't totally realize what I had in store for myself. Two of my favorite hairstyles include high ponytails and side braids, two hairstyles I can no longer wear. It's a rough change just because I was so used to wearing my hair like this all the time.

-2. Natural is a no no. This may not apply to you! If you have gorgeous hair that you love wearing short and natural #goyou! But for me...I absolutely hate my natural hair when it's short. I'm glad I waited until the end of the summer because then I'm not constantly on the go without time to do my hair. I straighten my hair every single day now (even if it's just going in a ponytail!).

-3. The ends flip out. To be honest I like the look of dead hair. It adds texture and looks cool to me. Now that my hair is totally healthy the ends aways flip out whenever I style it. It actually bothers me more than it should! I don't like this look and I just want them to stay down ha ha.

-4. It's a constant struggle. Either the hairstyle is perfect for short hair but takes too much time and effort (beachy, textured waves) or your hair is too short! It's always a constant struggle because it seems like every style I want to try is somehow out of reach.

I hope these tips helped you consider the pros & cons before you decide to take the plunge into short hair. 

What are the pros & cons of your current hair length?

Xo

Transition to Fall

I think I'm going too far out right now with all the fall related posts, but I'm excited. This Friday it's supposed to be 60 degrees which I'm feeling impartial to. I am so pumped for the fall (as you probably already know), but it has transitioned to fall way too quickly at this point. 

If you're looking to see my fall essentials check out Prep On A Budget because I'm guest posting for Hunter later this week! On this blog I'll be sharing my top tips to transition your life into the fall.

+1. Decorate your space // My room is beachy and summery. To add a little bit of fall to your room try lighting a candle with a fall scent. A few of my faves include Leaves and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candles from Bath & Body Works. Also try adding a fuzzy throw blanket to give your room that extra cozy fell.

+2. Switch out your clothes // Every season I try to put some of my clothes that are out of season into storage. In the fall I go through and rid my closet of tank tops, shorts, and other things that I know I'm not going to be wearing in the fall. This is a great way to see what you already have for fall and also what I need!

+3. Do fall things // If you're in denial that fall is coming try doing fall related activities. Carve a pumpkin, drink hot cocoa or apple cider or play in the leaves! It will get your more in the spirit of the fall season!

+4. Bake something // The fall has some of the most amazing flavors (aka apple, pumpkin and cinnamon) so try out a few fun recipes! I'm dying to give a few of these pumpkin recipes a try! Pumpkin bread, apple pie, and pumpkin seeds are just a few fun ideas!

+5. Change your wallpaper // This is sort of random, but changing your wallpaper from a summer throwback to something more in the spirit of fall will help you get excited for what's to come! Find images via Pinterest of leaves, pumpkins or anything related to fall!

With all that said...are you ready for fall?

Xo

Welcome September

Although I surely will miss the summer nights and the beach days... I'm ready for fall. I haven't quite let go of my summer vibes (see my tumblr for an endless summer), but I'm excited for the crisp apples, fall air and the leaves changing colors. Not going to lie, I hated fall for quite a while. The whole idea of going back to school and the weather getting chilly never seemed to please me. But, I have a new love for fall wear. I've been trying to force myself to love sweaters and boots, but trust me cords are my favorite. Don't worry, I've got plenty of outfit posts up my sleeve for a fun intro to fall. September really marks the beginning of the fall season. Some things I'm looking forward to this fall include...

-going pumpkin and apple picking

-night football games

-bonfires

-sitting by the fire

-wearing my J.Crew vest (I'm too basic)

-going to a corn maze

-Hocus Pocus + little kid "scary" movies (I'm too weak for the real ones)

-finally trying the famous pumpkin spice latte

-drinking apple cider

Ahh. So many fun things!

This is currently my favorite fall image. It totally captures fall fashion and everything that I'm looking forward to this season! It has already begun to cool down in Chicago and I'm not so sure I'm ready, but I'm still excited! 

Are you excited for fall?

Xo

Bloggers Go Unplugged

I was recently contacted by Caroline via citrus & style to participate in a "bloggers go unplugged" week. I was so excited to be a part of this because it is sometimes a constant struggle to balance school, sports and a social life along with blogging. So, this week I'm taking a little time off. I know I'm going to miss blogging a lot, but it's always good to take a little break. I might be on social media a little bit, but I won't be posting back here until September 8th again. Stay tuned until Monday for a new post though! Hopefully with this time I'll be able to get some posts done that I've been wanting to do for a while and compile some fresh new posts that are of better quality and post them next week. If you're looking for some reading material while I'm gone check out the girls I'm in collaboration with for this week. They won't be posting for the most part, but if you've never read any of their blogs you've got a lot of reading to do! And happy Labor Day! Check out those sales!

citrus & style

Belle-Adore

popcosmo

Preptista

stripes + peonies

Sailing The Sea of Style

The Blonde Prep

Undeniably Anna

Talk to you in a week!

Xo