Dress For Less: Lilly Pulitzer!

Happy Friday bloggers! I figured since I'm going to be out of town all next week for the 4th of July, I should do a blog post before I depart!  I can't believe my summer is nearly half over already, the fall is creeping closer than I want it to! This past week or so has been really slow at work, so I decided to do some research/hunting for Lilly Pulitzer look-a-like dresses! Although I believe nothing is as wonderful as a real Lilly printed dress, I do think you can get some of the solid dresses look with cheaper alternatives (although I'm guilty to owning a solid black and solid white Lilly dresses...) Here are some cheap but still cute alternatives I found:

$34.84

Old Navy's Jersey Tank Maxi Dress

compared to Lilly's Treena Dress for $128

$15.00

Old Navy's Drawstring V-Neck Dress

compared to Lilly's RayRay Dress for $128

$32.99

Old Navy's Gringham-Pattern Sundress

compared to Lilly's Esmeralda Dress for $164

$24.94

Old Navy Striped Ruffle-Tube Dress

compared to Lilly's Zizi Dress for $128

$41.99

Old Navy's Pintuck-Lace Dress

compared to Lilly's Reeve Dress Lace for $388

$12.00

American Eagle- in stores!

compared to Lilly's Wiley Tube Top for $58

$42.99

ModCloth No Reason Needed Dress

compared to Lilly's Maybell Dress for $238

$152.99

ModCloth's Bloom in the Ballroom Dress

compared to Lilly's Felicity Dress for $188

$42.99

ModCloth's Bright There Dress in Pink

compared to Lilly's Sarafina Dress for $268

$137.99

ModCloth's At Every Pattern Dress

compared to Lilly's Eryn Dress (not online anymore but I know you can still find them in stores) for $198

$89.99

ModCloth's Cotton Candy Stand Dress

compared to Lilly's Georgie Dress for $188

$49.99

ModCloth's As Daisies Go By Dress

compared to Lilly's Joan Dress for $288

Happy Shopping! Until next time, stay sweet & sassy! xx

Boyfriend's Birthday Weekend!

Sorry for my lack of blogging! I've actually been busy with my internship and traveling back home on the weekends that I haven't had time to sit down for a post! Thankfully this past weekend my boyfriend came to visit me in Savannah, GA where we were able to celebrate his birthday that's coming up on June 19th (tomorrow!). Not only was I super excited to see him but I was also super excited to give him his presents :) One I had been working on for a couple of weeks, and the others I had ordered about a month in advance (better earlier than later).

All of his presents!

His gifts consisted of 2 Southern Tide frocket t-shirts, a Southern Tide colligate polo, and wooden Kappa Sigma letters. I got the letters from B Crafty, they were the cheapest place I could find just completely plain wooden greek letters. They were a little rough when I got them so I bought some sand paper from Wal-Mart and smoothed them down before painting them with normal acrylic paint and modpodging to seal. It was a fun craft for me and now he can add some decorations to his bare room in the fraternity house (sorry babe, but you know it's true!).

Saturday morning we woke up decently early to eat breakfast at a place called The Breakfast Club on Tybee Island.

My waffle, sausage and coffee.

The place was soo good! Even though the line was down the side walk outside, we still didn't wait more than 20 minutes and after ordering our food was ready in 10. The menu mainly consists on omelets, which I am not a fan of eggs so I stuck with a waffle since they didn't have pancakes. The waffle with really good and so was the sausage which they warned would be a little spicy but I thought it was perfect. Boyfriend liked his omelet and hashbrowns and was very full afterwards. The place is located on 15th street so we were able to leave our car parked there and take the boardwalk at the end of the road to the beach. The weather was beautiful! Warm but not too hot thanks to the breeze and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. 

Boyfriend showing off his new t-shirt on the beach

After a long day on the beach I promised boyfriend a home cooked dinner for his birthday. I made Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Pasta. The chicken was really good, but I was not impressed with the creamy sauce. Maybe I'm just super picky about it being from a pre-made cooking cream, but boyfriend liked it which is all that matters! Saturday night I had made reservations for us to go on a Ghost and Gravestones tour in downtown Savannah. It was really fun! But next time we want to try a ghost tour that's all on foot, this one was spent mainly on the trolley where we would have liked to explore the places a little more. We ended the night stopping by Hueys on River Street for beignets and coffee! Yum!

Sunday morning I made boyfriend a special birthday breakfast. I tried an idea I saw on pinterest of pancake muffins with sausage in them. 

The pancake muffins with sausage in them before baking

Now there wasn't a specific recipe and instructions so I'll do a separate post to explain exactly what I did, but they turned out amazingly! They were delicious! I also made a little fruit bowl.

Fruit bowl!

It was all yummy :) After breakfast we went downtown to my new favorite area my roommates and I discovered last week. We walked around Colonial Cemetery, Chippewa Square, and Broughton Street. We stopped for iced coffee and some sweets at The Gallery Espresso on Bull Street, it's an adorable coffee shop that has delicious drinks and treats. Boyfriend had to leave mid-afternoon so that's the extent of my exciting weekend. Since I didn't go home all I could give my dad was a phone call for father's day! I'll be seeing him and my mom on the week of July 4th for our annual trip up to Greenport, NY! I can't wait to see all my family up there and enjoy one of my favorite places to visit! Here's some more photos from the weekend.

A gorgeous Catholic church downtown. We're planning on going to mass next weekend!

Historic Downtown Savannah

River Street view

Colonial Cemetery

Chippewa Square

Until next time! Stay sweet & sassy! xx

No Carb Pizza Crust

It's summer so naturally, I'm trying my best to watch what I eat. Thanks to pinterest I have been able to try out an assorted amount of new recipes, most which are "healthy". I was super excited when I stumbled across Lauren Conrad's blog, and found this doughless pizza recipe. She explanes in her post about the calorie differences between normal pizza and this one with a crust made out of a cauliflower, egg, cheese and spices mixture. I just had to try this, pizza is one of my favorite foods and being able to eat it without the crazy calories? Yes please! Here is how mine turned out: 

Ok ok, I know I kind ruined the "healthy-ness" of it by adding loads of cheese and pepperoni, but oh well! It was actually really good and I could hardly tell the difference between a normal crust pizza. Although I would suggest actually using a blender when chopping up the cauliflower, I currently don't own one (and my roommates hardly works) so I just chopped mine up by hand so my crust was a little chunky. I'll mention any other suggestions/changes below :)

No Carb Pizza Crust

Ingredients

• 1 cup of cooked cauliflower
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• olive oil
• pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you want!

Instructions

To "rice" the Cauliflower: Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). (I chopped it up by hand, and I definitely recommend using a food processor if possible. If not, being sure to chop the chunks as small as possible!)  Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself. (I be to differ, I didn't add water and mine were slightly burnt? It was strange. Maybe try adding a tablespoon of water and just draining if out afterwards if necessary.) One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week. Preheat over to 450 degrees, spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, garlic salt, and crushed garlic, stir. Transfer to cookie sheet and pat out with your hands to be around 6" round. Brush with olive oil to help brown. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add pizza sauce, cheese, and whichever toppings you want. Place back in oven but this time use the broiler option for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Mine only made 1 small personal pizza, but one head of cauliflower can make multiple pizzas!

What's your favorite "healthy" recipe?

Until next time! Stay sweet & sassy! xx

 

iPhone Case Candy

I am a proud owner of an iPhone 4s and I treat my phone like my baby and also other half. I don't go anywhere without it and I have so many lists/notes/apps that I would honestly be lost without it. Even though I love my phone, I'm also a clumsy person and have dropped my previous iPhones multiple times, therefore a good case is a necessity for me! I actually currently have 3 cases I rotate, 2 being more sturdy and 1 being so darn cute I just had to buy it.

The Otterbox Commuter

The notorious otterbox. I owned one of these for my iPhone 3 and it was huge, clunky, and ugly. But with the new iPhone 4 and 4s they've slimmed down some styles, added more colors, but kept the protective aspects! I would definitely recommend this case to anyone.

You've Been Flagged by Lilly Pulitzer

My boyfriend got me this case last Christmas and I was so excited. It's absolutely adorable and still protects my phone decently. Although I have seen a lot of Lilly cases that get discolored and peel after lots of use (which is why I own multiple cases), I've done a decent job keeping my case in good condition. Plus I love matching it to my You've Been Flagged tote when I go to the beach!!

Fan Dance with card slot by Lilly Pulitzer

And here's my super cute and fun case that when I saw in Palm Avenue in Charleston, SC, I just HAD to buy it. Fan Dance is definitely one of my favorite prints and the card slot idea is genius! It only fits 2 cards, so I normally put my license and debit card, unless I'm at school I'll put my student id instead of license. The worst thing about this case is it doesn't protect the screen at all. So just a warning when using this case!

Now I'm always wanting to expand my iPhone case collection, so heres some other cases that are on my wish list:

Lilly Sorority Print at Lifeguard Press

I'm rushing a sorority in the fall, and if the sorority I pledge has a Lilly print, this case is a MUST. Check out the other items at the Lifeguard Press, they have the best selection of Lilly stationary, houseware, and other little Lilly gifts.

Kate Spade Case

I see this beauty every time I look at cases in the Apple store. It's so cute, but $40. Unfortunately I have yet to bring myself to spend that much on a case...

Monogram iPhone cases on ETSY

So so so cute! I saw these on pinterest a while back and fell in love. She has so many different color options, styles and prints to chose from and you get to totally customize your case! I've seen these used at bridesmaid gifts which I think is an adorable idea (if everyone has an iPhone). Or they could just be a cute personalized gift to someone :) our yourself!!

What's your favorite iPhone/phone case?

Until next time! Stay sweet & sassy! xx

Dress for Less: The Navy Polka Dot Dress

So I don't know about y'all, but when I saw Sarah Vickers wearing this adorable navy dress with huge white polka dots, I just HAD to find where she got it. It's from The Island Company (as stated on her blog) and I went to check out their products. Let's just say I love all of their clothes! Especially their dresses and tunics, sooo cute! But unfortunately I am after-all a "poor" college student and can't really afford to drop $165 on a more or less simple dress. Therefore I have gone on a hunt for cheaper alternatives, not having to go anywhere but one of my favorite online stores, ModCloth. If you've never shopped at ModCloth, you should! They have a huge selection of adorable dress, tops and bottoms. They also have a vintage section, but be sure to check it out often because items go fast! Anyways, my sister introduced me to the site and I've been hooked since. They're really flexible about returns and exchanges due to sizes (since they don't have a store front, they understand you haven't tried on the item before!). Also, they ship for free! A huge plus to me. Here are a few alternatives I found all on ModCloth:

Dot You Know the Polka? Dress

$47.99

Among My Piers Dress

$59.99

Hits the Spotlight

$42.99

Too Much Fun in Bubbles

$79.99

Have you ever heard of/shopped from ModCloth? If so, how was your experience with the site?

Happy Shopping y'all!! Until next time, stay sweet & sassy! xx

Hey y'all!

I decided I wanted to make a more official blog than a tumblr. Although I will be keeping my tumblr for pictures and reblogging, I will be using this blog for more personal posts such as recipes, shopping sprees, vacations, adventures and anything else I encounter in my life that I feel the need to share!

Stay sweet & sassy! xx