Lilly Pulitzer Dress

I have been wanting a Lilly Pulitzer dress for the longest time, but I never bought one because I didn't really had anything to wear dresses to, so why spend all of that money if it's going to go to waste? When I was thinking about possible places to get a dress for the wedding, Lilly Pulitzer popped into my mind. So I thought to myself, why not try it?

The night I started looking for a Lilly dress was a school night, and I knew that if I found one that I wanted, I couldn't go buy it at "In the Pink" because the closest one to me is about 45 minutes away. So, I knew I had to order it online. When I found the dress I wanted, I nearly had a heart attack. I literally screamed at how excited I was. It was the Delia dress in Let's Cha Cha! I'm absolutely obsessed with Let's Cha Cha (as you can tell by the background of my blog!), so you could only imagine how excited I was when I found a dress in that pattern.

The dress was $168, and I don't really like to buy things that are expensive unless they're on sale, but I felt that this was an absolute emergency. And it was. I had saved my money from babysitting in case I wanted to buy something expensive that I really wanted, and I knew that this was the item I had to buy with that money. Also, there was no shipping cost since I qualified and no tax, which made the total cost $168. That was actually probably better than buying it in stores because I probably would've had to pay tax!

via Instagram

Isn't the dress adorable?! I love that it's classy yet flirty and cute at the same time. It has a high neckline yet a low drop in the back. The dress's length is about half my thighs, which is good because that's not too short yet not too long. The bows on the side, which are kind of visible in the picture, add a cute accent! I just wish I got a size smaller. I didn't know whether to get a 00 or 0, so I got a 0 because I would rather have the dress be a little big than too small. It's not that noticeable in the picture, but the dress is kind of big around my waist and chest. At least I know to get a 00 next time!

via Instagram

The picture above is how I styled the dress for the wedding. Of course I had to wear Jacks with the dress! Jacks and a Lilly dress are the perfect combination. I'm planning on wearing the dress to any fancy places, ceremonies, and more!

Do you have a Lilly Pulitzer dress?

The Perfect Dress

Do you ever come across a dress in a store, try it on, and realize it's the perfect dress? That's what happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I went to the mall on a rainy Friday night because I needed a dress for my friend's mom's wedding. I'm too small to fit into a lot of clothes that women's stores have, so I had a really hard time finding a dress that I liked and that fit me. So I was getting really aggravated.

I was about to head home when I decided to stop into one last store - 344. I saw a dress that was on sale and was so cute! The only problem? It was a large, and I'm an extra small and sometimes a small. The dress didn't look like it would be too big for me, so I decided to try it on anyway. When I tried it on, the dress wasn't that big on me, but it was still big enough for me to not want to get it.

via Instagram

Isn't this dress adorable?! You can kind of tell in the picture, but the dress was kind of wide around my hips. It also wasn't as tight as it was supposed to be. In the back (which isn't shown), there was a cutout. The cutout sagged pretty low, so I knew I shouldn't get the dress. It made me a little disappointed, but I still had hope that I would find a dress that fit me! (Which I did, and is what you guys will be reading about tomorrow... ;))

Have you ever found the perfect dress?

Tweet Chat Tips

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I participate in weekly tweet chats. I did a post about all of the tweet chats I attend and what they're about. However, I decided to come up with some tips for tweet chats for you guys to follow in case you decide to join one or more!

1. Remember to use the hashtag of the tweet chat. If you want to tweet something during a tweet chat, always remember to use the hashtag of the tweet chat. That way people will be able to see your tweets and reply to them, retweet them, or favorite them. If you don't use the hashtag, nobody will be able to see your tweets.

2. Follow everyone you talk to. This will increase the number of followers you have on Twitter because they'll most likely follow you back. However, don't follow them just so you can get followers. Following people from these tweet chats will broaden your number of connections and even provide you with amazing opportunities. For example, I found out about different internships through the people I interact with!

3. Stay on topic. Every tweet chat has a topic. Make sure to stay on topic so you don't get considered spam. For example, say one tweet chat is about blogging. Some tweet chats will only let you talk about the questions being asked about blogging from the moderator(s) of the tweet chat while other tweet chats will let you ask/say anything that has to do with blogging. Make sure you know those rules before saying anything!

4. Talk to people. If someone says something you agree with, tell them. If someone says something you're confused about, ask them for clarification. If someone says something you disagree with, tell them. Just make sure to say everything in a friendly way!

What are some tips you have for participating in tweet chats?

Giveaway :: Southern Marsh

Matt Valiollahi from Southern Marsh was so kind as to partner up with my blog to do a giveaway! Southern Marsh is a huge Southern-based brand that offers all types of Southern and preppy clothing and accessories. The items we're going to give away are a Pink Southern Marsh Koozie and Pink Southern Marsh Croakies. 

This koozie is so cute, and I love how vibrant the pink is. It's perfect for summer. Koozies are really good for keeping your drink cold when you're at the beach or just laying by the pool. They're even better when it's a Southern Marsh koozie! The koozies come in six other colors - red, purple, black, slate, hunter green, orange, and maroon.

The pink croakies are perfect because they match the pink koozie perfectly. They're great for putting on your sunglasses to add some touch to your outfit. The croakies are also good for wearing your sunglasses around your neck when you want to have your sunglasses near you but don't want to wear them at the moment. They come in nine other colors - purple with white, purple with yellow, red, black, navy with white, navy with orange, pink, slate with tan, hunter green, and maroon with white.

Another item that I love from Southern Marsh is their Party with Southern Marsh Limited Edition Tank. The tank is perfect to throw on when taking a trip to the beach or just a trip to the pool. It comes in four different colors - green, orange, pink, and white. Of course pink is my favorite!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway starts today at midnight and ends Thursday, July 11 at midnight. Good luck! If you don't win, make sure to check back to the website and get an item of your own!

What do you like from Southern Marsh?

Social Media Service/Internship

About a month ago, I started my own social media service/internship. It all started when I noticed that a lot of companies aren't too up-to-date with their Twitters. I realized that social media plays a huge role in promoting a company and can actually drive a lot of traffic and business to a shop. After noticing that, I realized I wanted to help handle the social media of businesses because some businesses can be so busy that they just kind of forget to post on Twitter or other social media platforms since they have so much stuff to do.

That's when I came up with the plan to start my own social media service because social media really interests me, and I actually know a lot about it. I came up with a list of a bunch of companies that lacked in their Twitter presence. (And by companies, I mean Etsy shops, small Southern clothing brands, etc!) I then emailed about six of them at once and explained what my social media service was and how it could benefit them. Since I don't know everything about social media, I offered to do it for free for the summer. However, I mentioned that I would like some type of compensation if it continued after the summer.

About four companies got back to me, but only two wanted me to handle it for them. Right now, I handle the Twitter for Simple and Sweet Monogram Boutique, and their Twitter is @SimpleSweetMono. Pretty soon, I'll be handling the Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for Down South Collection! I love handling the Twitter for Simple and Sweet Monograms, and I'm super excited to start for Down South Collection.

Two is enough for me right now. Even though it's summer and I have a lot of free time, I still have two other internships going on, blogging for my own blog plus two more, handling the social media for Chit Chat, and more. However, I do keep a list that I like to add to in case I ever need to ask more companies! So, if you guys know of any brands, companies, Etsy shops, etc. that lack in their social media presence, please feel free to let me know!

When I told Frannie about this, she said to me, "That's like the definition of a Smart Girl. You are perfect." And that totally made my day! It's nice when someone notices the hard work that you do and compliments you for it.

Are there any summer jobs that interest you?

Wedding

On Saturday, I went to my friend, Ariana's, mom's wedding because she got remarried! It was the third wedding I've been to in my life, but this one was really fun because I was actually able to know what was going on since I was three years old when I went to the other two weddings. The wedding was outside down the Cape, and it was beautiful.

My other friend, Carolyn, drove my friends and me to the wedding since she has her license. It was at this place that has a museum and gardens, and it sounds really weird, but it was actually really cool. When we got there, golf carts that could hold ten people drove us down to where the actual wedding was taking place. The wedding was so beautiful and made me cry! My friend was the maid of honor, and everyone just looked so pretty.

After the wedding, we went inside for the cocktail hour. It was in a room with a bunch of old fashioned cars, and they had appetizers, drinks, and a station to make your own chowder. The only things I didn't like about that were I had to stand for an hour when I kind of wanted to sit, and pretty much all of the appetizers were seafood, which I'm not a huge fan of.

After the cocktail hour, we went to this big room where our meals were going to be. We had the option to choose between fish and filet mignon, and I'm not always in the mood for seafood, so I chose filet mignon. The only thing I didn't like about the filet mignon was it was super rare. Like really red in the middle. So I didn't really eat it because I was afraid I would get sick.

We then went onto the dance floor and danced! In between songs, we went inside to get more drinks and try the desserts. The cupcakes were good, but they had raspberry filling in the middle, which I don't like, so I had to scoop the filling out!

Overall, I had a blast. Going to Malina's (Ariana's mom) wedding made me so excited for when my wedding day comes. And now it's time for me to show you some of the pictures I took!

via Instagram

My outfit for the wedding! I wore a Lilly Pulitzer Delia dress in Let's Cha Cha (which I'm OBSESSED with and you guys will be seeing a post about that soon!) and my silver Jack Rogers. My older sister, Chelsea, did my hair because she's really good at that kind of stuff, and it came out really good! It was a French braid into a bun with a blue flower clip that matched the blue in my dress.

My friends (minus one - she wasn't there yet!) and me before we went down to the wedding! From left to right: Carolyn, me, Emilee, Danielle, Emily (my twin), and Erin.

Ariana, my friend and the maid of honor! Her hair is covering her face, and I didn't get a chance to take another picture as she was walking by.

Malina and Lou, her fiancee! Malina looked absolutely gorgeous and so happy.

via Instagram

My best friend, Emjay, and me! This was during the cocktail hour. We pretended to have really fancy drinks when all we had was Coke ;)

Ariana and me! She changed into this dress after the wedding instead of wearing her bridesmaid dress.

Have you been to a wedding recently?

Fun Summer Exercises

We all know that we need to exercise over the summer even though we don't always want to. Exercising can be horrendous when the workouts aren't fun and when you're doing them alone. So, I came up with fun ways to exercise in order to enjoy getting in shape!

1. Yoga. Yoga is super fun to do with a group of friends or even just one friends. It helps to relax your mind and give you balance. People probably wouldn't even think of this, but it even helps you to build muscle, too!

2. Running. You can always go running with a friend, but it might be hard to do that if you and your friend don't go at the same running pace. It can be frustrating when your friend runs too fast for you, or it can be frustrating when your friend runs too slow for you. However, if you would still like to make running fun for yourself, you can create a little running schedule (seriously, who doesn't have fun with organization and making schedules and to-do lists?!) to follow each week and create a workout playlist to listen to while you're running so you're not thinking about the fact that you're actually running.

3. Swimming. Swimming is usually thought of as a way to stay school in the summer, but it actually involves a lot of exercise. If you swim for a couple of hours each day, you'll lose a ton of calories and build up a lot of muscle. If you have a pool, invite some friends over and go for a swim! If you don't have a pool, see if you can go to a friend's house that has a pool and go for a swim.

4. Bike riding. I love going bike riding in the spring and summer just to enjoy the pretty scenery around me. However, if you change the gear and where you go bike riding, bike riding can actually turn into a pretty good exercise. It can build up a lot of muscle on your thighs and calves. If you want to go alone, pop in your headphones and listen to music. If you don't want to go alone, ask some friends to go with you!

What are some fun ways that you like to exercise?