Back to School Shopping... Already?

    Yes, I have only been out of school for a week... and yes, I have already begun back-to-school shopping!!
    I recently did some school shopping and came across these Sperry Topsiders... Now all my past pairs of Sperry's have been the classic Bluefish model in various colors...  But as more and more people are wearing Sperry's I've been looking for something a bit more unique.  So when I came across these Sperry's on sale for only $40 I decided to buy them on a whim figuring that I could always return them if I changed my mind.  

Ta-da!

      Obviously, the main difference if the tassels... So my question to all of you is... Should I keep these??  Do you like the tassel or do you prefer the classic Sperry's??  Any help would be greatly appreciated as I tend to be extremely bad at making decisions!!

    Other items I purchased for back-to-school include...

North Face Jester Bag... on sale for $45!

Nine West Cross Body Bag... $20

I bought this bag because it doubles as a wristlet.  I've been meaning to buy a cross body bag and a wristlet for quite some time now... So I loved being able to get both in one bag!

   I purchased some other miscellaneous items... Eliza B ribbon belt, new agenda, Vera Bradley notepad, Nike Shorts... actually I got the Nike shorts in a kids large AND on clearance so they were only $10 each... BARGAIN!!

    That all I purchased for my back-to-school shopping so far... And remember to comment below with your ideas about the Sperry's!! Pretty please, any help is greatly appreciated! :)

Sailboats and Seashells,

Hope

Let the Summer Training Begin!

    Hello all! Sorry I've neglected posting lately... I stayed at a friend's house for a few days... but anyways, I have officially started summer training for cross country!  Hooray!!!! Those two weeks without physical exercise were TORTURE.  But yesterday I finally went for my first bike ride of summer.  I biked with my training partner because training with someone else is always more fun.  We intended to bike 13 miles... but after a quick (aka long, hilly, and tiring) detour to find a pond (that we never found)... it turned out to be a 2 hour, 20 mile bike ride!  Needless to say, we were exhausted.  And I can barely feel my legs today... but it was a great ride to begin summer training!


       Looking fashionable as we biked...

        Here's what my training schedule looks like for the few days...

Thursday: Arm and core conditioning

Friday:  14 miles bike ride (no detours this time!)

Saturday: 1st run of season! Approx. 30 min

                 Arm and core conditioning

     I'll be sure to keep you updated on my fitness adventures!

Sailboats and Seashells, 

Hope

Oh the Places I'll Go.

     Hello there!!  This summer I will be travelling around New England... for fun, adventure, and to explore potential colleges.  I love everything about this region... the beaches, cities, mountains... New England has it all.


Adventure #1: Hike Mt. Washington.

     Mt. Washington is the tallest mountain in the region and a popular destination for hiking.  Although I don't hike frequently, my father is a fairly avid hiker.  And yes, I know you should be in shape to tackle this mountain... but I think running has got me into decent shape so I guess I'll give it a go.  This will be quite the challenge, and I think if I set my mind to it, I can do it!


Adventure 2: Burlington. VT

     On this trip I plan to visit Williams College and Middlebury College on the way up.  Then I'll explore Burlington and Lake Champlain for a few days.  Burlington is such a cute New England city... Lake on one side, mountains on the other... I love it!  


Adventure 3: Boston!

     One thing you should know about me... I love Boston!!  One of my aspirations is to live and work in B-town... so I can't wait to visit!  Of course the main objective will be to visit Boston College and Boston University, but I also plan on exploring Newbury St. and other popular destinations.  ...And thanks to my US AP History teacher brainwashing me into a history geek... I may have to walk the Freedom Trail as well. #pleasedon'tjudgeme.


Adventure #4: Maine

Colby College

     My last adventure will be to visit three colleges in Maine... Bowdoin, Colby, and Bates.  I've visited Bowdoin before and it was wonderful, but I'm excited to visit again.  Some other things I will do in ME... Old Orchard Beach, Freeport Outlets (L.L.Bean, J.Crew, Banana Rep, Gap!!), some hiking here and there...  


     Let the summer adventures begin!

Sailboats and Seashells,

Hope

Nail Colors - Summer 2011

       I love, love, LOVE nail polish!  But out of all four seasons, summer nails are the best!  There is nothing better than bright, cheerful colors during the summer.  Here are some of my favorite colors... all from the brand Sinful Colors. Sinful Colors are all only $1.99 or less (thumbs up for cheap price!), are great quality, and can be found at many drugstores (I know Walgreens and RiteAid carry them).  

Boogie Nights

Pink Forever

Love Nails

Cloud 9

Savage

Sailboats and Seashells, 

Hope

A Few of my Favorite Things :)

J. Crew Chino Shorts in Shocking Pink

easily one of my favorite pairs of shorts... ever!

Mizuno Wave Rider 13

i'm sad that mizuno came out with a newer model because they just aren't as good as this model...

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in "I Miss You"

just bought this... at only $1.99 i couldn't pass it up

Sinful Colors is my favorite nail polish brand because it's so cheap but great quality

Obnoxiously Big Water Bottle

i drink 1.5 of these a day in order to stay hydrated

Body Shop Lip Butter in Mango

one of my favorite lip balms

D.I.Y. Cheetah Print Manicure!

     I am completely obsessed with nail polish!!  It's actually a terrible obsession because I change my nail polish constantly (I'm talking 2-3 times a week...).  But I just love the look of clean, artistic nails!  I've decided to post some of my manicures just for fun... Today, I did a cheetah-inspired manicure.  Hope you enjoy!
(FYI... Ignore the grotty cuticles... I have to apply my cuticle moisturizer...)


Step 1: Paint nails desired color.
I chose to paint the base color "Boogie Nights" from Sinful Colors.  It's a coral-orange color... perfect for summer!  I used 2 coats... but this number with vary depending on the color and brand.

Step 2: Add large brown dots.
I decided to only do the cheetah print on accent nails... mostly because I was too lazy... #hellosummer Note: these dots do not have to be perfect circles; blobs look great!  I used polish from the brand Art Club.

Step 3: Outline top and bottom of the brown dots with black.
Again, this does not have to be perfect.  This black is also from Art Club.

Step 4: Add small brown dots.
This step makes the manicure look more "complete."

Step 5: Apply one coat of your favorite top coat.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and got some inspiration!  Comment with any ideas for future nail art tutorials. 

Sailboats and Seashells,

Hope

Summer is Here!

     Well, its been a long, tiring, and stressful year... but I've finally made it!  SUMMER! Here's my plan for the summer so you can get to know me.  :)

Running

     I run cross country and track year-round at my high school where I will be a junior this year.  Currently, I am taking my month break from running.  This upcoming week I will begin cross training--swimming, biking, hiking, conditioning-- and then in two weeks I will begin running.  Right now I'm having running withdrawals so please bear with me. :)

Nail Polish

     I am OBSESSED with nail polish!  I love doing nail art and finding new colors so I will defiantly be doing my nails a lot this summer.  During the school year, I was so busy that my nails would always get smudged. :| So annoying...

Shopping

    I love, love, LOVE shopping!  My favorite stores include... J. Crew, Gap, TJ Maxx, Macy's, and Old Navy.

Beach

     Sand, sun, waves, ice cream... I can't wait to go beachin' this summer!

Hiking

   No, I'm not a hard-core hiker, but I do plan to take some hiking trips with my family in order to get in shape  AND have fun!

Cookouts

    Hot dogs, hamburgers, lawn volleyball, pools, fires at night.... Hooray for summer cookouts!

Studying...

   And finally, the not-so-fun part of summer... studying.  I have summer work for almost all my classes as well as PSATs and SATs to study for this upcoming year...

    Looks like an AMAZING SUMMER!! Thanks for checking out my blog.... and be sure to comment and subscribe! <33

Sailboats and Seashells, 

Hope