a-tisket, a-tasket

With Easter coming up, I'm longing for the days when I lived at home and woke up Easter Sunday to a beautiful basket filled with candy and chocolate and the cutest stuffed animals. Now that I'm a grown up...ughhhh...I am really loving some more mature versions of the Easter basket. Being from Florida I have an inherent fondness for wicker and any woven design, of course the Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer Spring lines have some wonderful options I'd like to wake up to Easter Sunday...

Kate Spade

Lilly Pulitzer

 Kate Spade

Lilly Pulitzer

happy hopping!

aBd

mad for mad men

I am obsessed with the show Mad Men! If you've never seen it go to Netflix immediately they have 5 seasons now and you have a week to catch up before the 6th season premiere! AEU and I are just as equally in love with the show. The clothes, the drinks, the lifestyles, we love it all. Next week we're having a little premiere party for the show with themed drinks and a few of his fraternity friends. I've instated a costume rule because...I mean come on...

FABULOUS!

I already have a dress picked out but I couldn't resist finding some other beautiful vintage inspired options on Mod Cloth !

Sighhhhhhh. Why can't it be socially acceptable to dress like this everyday?

Do you love Mad Men style as much as I do?

aBd

diet coke rehab

As you might have seen in my earlier post on trendy workout clothes, I have been working very hard lately to live a more active lifestyle. Food choices though are SO much harder for me to make changes to...I love cheese, and bread, and chocolate, and alcohol, and fried food.. All things that are totally not great for you or your weight. One of my biggest vices though is my diet soda consumption. Diet Dr.Pepper and Coke Zero are some of my all time obsessions. Lately I've been trying to make the switch and cull down my diet soda intake to 3 times a week or less. I know most of my friends struggle with the same Diet Coke addiction so I've been trying to find some tasty stand-ins to ween myself off

Now I know these are still not the best choices, and there is NO substitute for good ol' fashioned spring water. But sometimes that's just boring! To encourage myself to drink the most water I can per day I like to carry a cute Tervis tumbler or one of my sorority tumblers with a straw. I've about worn out the 3 or 4 that I have but I love these new cute water containers and like the workout clothes, I have a goal to reach before I buy myself a new one!

Of course some Tervis, this new funny Vintage line is adorable

I am still shocked I have witheld so long on buying one of these Lilly tumblers

By far my coolest find, this wate rbottle from lifefactory is glass (thus BPA free and much easier to recycle/reuse than plastic) and the silicone sleeve keeps it durable! Also, who doesn't love this Tiffany-esque Turquoise color!

cheers!

aBd

everything etsy

I love Etsy! I'm sure everyone knows the site, where you can buy from independent sellers all sorts of handmade items. I have bought everything from monogram stickers to jewelry from different shops on Etsy and I have never been disappointed! Here are some of the things I'm craving on this lazy Sunday!

 

I just ordered the state applique hat but I'm trying to have some self-control on the other purchases!

happy sunday!

aBd

beautiful books

As an English major, I am a TOTAL book nerd. Not only am I a voracious reader, I'm obsessed with book covers and different editions of the same books. For the past 3 years I haven't had much time for reading outside of assigned books for my English classes and I haven't been able to just stroll into a bookstore and grab anything to read that I'd finish within a week. This semester being my last though, I've had much more free time. A couple weeks ago I popped into a Barnes and Noble just to browse and found this beautiful copy of Dante's Inferno:

It's hardcover with the designs embossed on them, so beautiful in person! After seeing College Prep's Instagram today I'm really inspired to grab some more of the Penguin Classic's series!

Here are some of the one's I'm totally nerding out over!

The collection is called Penguin Hardcover Classics and bonus, they're only $20 (which if you buy print books often you know is a steal for a hardback book!)

happy reading!

aBd

smile!

Check out my Pinterest for some other things to make your day better (or make you hungry...there's a lot of recipes!)

work that up-do!

I have been working out SO MUCH lately. It's one month until AEU's fraternity formal and thus my last formal as an undergrad! His fraternity goes to Hilton Head for 3 days and it's so fun (well minus the 6 hour bus ride with a bunch of rowdy frat boys!). I can't wait for Piggly Wiggly, Salty Dog, and the beach! The beach means bathing suits though, lots of bathing suits, on me and the other 100 sorority girls in attendance. SCARY! Soooo thus the working out.

Normally I'm rockin' a frat tank and leggings/norts but I am in love with cuter more put together workout gear!

pace // speed

 

reflect crop // pace crop 

 

1 // 2 // 3

I told myself if I reached a certain goal I'd treat myself to one of these (ok maybe 2 of these) pieces!

hoping everyone is having a fit and fun week!

aBd

summer sandals

It's finally warm!!! And by Florida standards, warm = 80-90 degrees. It might sound weird but I am sooo happy it feels like summer and I can't wait until May when I'm done with school and focused on nothing but relaxing. Like most Floridians, I live in sandals about 10 months out of the year. Here are some of my favorites!

Essentials

Left // Top // Bottom

Splurges

Left // Top // Bottom

Getting my new Jacks tomorrow (I've had my white ones for 2 years now and they are perrrrfectly broken in, not looking forward to breaking in the new pair) but we'll see how many of these splurges I end up adding to my spring wardrobe!

warm wishes!

aBd

anticipation

Waiting on some big news this week and I can't help but being nervous. While everyone hates a let down, I rather enjoy the feeling of looking toward to something, no matter what the outcome. Over the past year I've learned to roll with the punches and take life as it comes! I read Anne of Green Gables earlier this semester for a Children's Lit course and this has been one of my favorite quotes since...

I can't help flying up on the wings of anticipation...It's as glorious as soaring through a sunset

- Anne Shirley  

looking forward to a great week!

aBd

vintage revival

I love thrifting! I love the feeling of finding that awesome unique piece of jewelry or a bag that you didn't even know you were looking for! Many times I've gone browsing in a thrift store or a consignment shop and fallen in love with some one of a kind! Sometimes though it's nice to get the style of a vintage piece but without the wear and with the trouble of struggling to find it! Some of my favorite vintage bags I've found at Goodwill, etc have now been revived:

Dooney & Bourke Satchel

Coach Willis Bag  

There are a lot of things I won't buy used, but these vintage revivals just make me want to go out there and find some more originals!

poppin' tags!

aBd

beach baggage

This weekend my sorority is going on a date function to Daytona Beach! I am so excited to lay out and relax with my girls (and maybe have 1 or a few cocktails). It's supposed to be in the 80s and I am so ready for warm Florida weather that was so evasive over spring break! I've got my bathing suit but now I'm craving a new beach bag. I have a pink trimmed Vineyard Vines canvas tote that I've used for about 2 years now:

but I think I'm ready to invest in an update. I want to stick with a canvas material since its 1) easy to clean and 2) doesn't get too hot on sunny beach. I love this Ocean Life Patchwork Tote from VV but not sure if I want to get another of the same brand, even though it's a totally different style!

Here are some other options I'm contemplating, input is encouraged and appreciated!

Obviously The Lilly Pulitzer Shoreline Tote in either Chomp Chomp or the Florida print (go Gators!)

    

Also, I can't pass up this adorable Nautical Flag Initial Tote from Skipper Bags but I don't know if I like the flags that correspond with my initials!

For a more durable, washable, and definitely more economical purchase, I think the Vera Bradley Large Colorblock Tote is just perfect! 

And bonus points for this little cutie: This print is called Lilli Belle, just like my baby princess puppy andddddd it can be monogrammed for just $8 more!

While I can definitely just continue using my old bag, I plan to spend a lot of time this summer after graduation on the beach, so I think I can reward myself with something new and cute! Hoping everyone has a sunny weekend!

aBd