Giving Thanks

It's been a long time since my last post!  This past week has been quite hectic!  Lots of papers due, lots of hours traveling, and lots of time spent with family (and the puppies!).  This past week has given me a lot to feel thankful for (hence the holiday), and here they are.

I'm thankful for 

-my opportunity to get an education at a good university

-my ability to travel home for the holidays (I know I have many friends who aren't able to spend thanksgiving with their families) and that my home is still war (it was almost 70 degrees the past two days!) 

-my good health 

-my amazing family

-my two adorable dogs

And last but not least I'm thankful for all the readers of my blog and all my followers! 

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!  

-xx

Claire 

Prep in the Sun's Holiday Gift Guide

With the Holiday season approaching quickly I thought I would make a Holiday gift guide of things you can give to friends.  Pictured above are some cute little things that I think are great options if you are struggling to pick out presents for everyone on your list! 

Jewelry always makes a great gift (assuming you know your friends taste!).  Bauble bar, Jcrew, Nordstroms, Accessory Concierge or Fornash are great places to get fun jewels for a friend!  Want to make it personal then add a monogram!

Cute little home accessories are always fun to get!  Candles, wall decorations, trays or wine glasses are always nice gifts!  

Bubble Bath, Nailpolish, perfume, and other sweet scented gifts are great to let a friend relax and unwind!  Check out Sephora or Lush for some great home spa gifts!

Do you have a friend who loves to bake? Then what better gift than bake mix or cooking accessories!  These can be found at Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma!

If you can't think of anything they would like a nice gift card always does the trick ( I know I appreciate every Starbucks gift card I get!)

Pictured:
Top Row: Taylor Swift's Album, Moon and Lola Monogramed Mug, Design Darling Print, OPI Nail Polish, Starbucks Gift Card, Sprinkles Cupcake Mix (c/o Williams Sonoma)
Middle: Candle, Lilly Pulitzer Tumbler and Wine Glass, Plaid Scarf (c/o ASOS), Statement Necklace (c/o Accessory Concierge) Monogramed Bangle (c/o Moon and Lola), L'Occitane Hand Cream, Mason Jar Cookie Mix (c/o Macy's)
Bottom Row: Jewelry Tray (c/o C.Wonder), C. Wonder Ring, Kate Spade Earrings, Philosophy Shower/Bath Gel (c/o Sephora)

New Obsession: Bloglovin

I've just discovered Bloglovin, which is this great app/website that allows you to save all your favorite blogs in one place!  The phone app lets you read your favorite blogs anytime (the perfect way to both procrastinate doing work, and entertain myself while waiting in lines).  It also lets you mark you bookmark your favorite blog posts for quick access (which I love doing with recipes!) I definitely recommend checking the app or their website out! You also receive and email feed letting you know what new posts are up every day.

Be sure to follow my Blog on Bloglovin as well!

or my Personal Blogger Profile

Formal Dresses

It's that time of year when all the Sororities and fraternities at my school begin to hold their winter formals.  Formals are normally every girls favorite excuse to shop for a new dress, and as we all know I have a major shopping addiction.  However I've always had trouble justifying spending money on a "formal party dress" especially if I can not see myself wearing the dress for many occasions.  Instead my past 5 formals I have recycled dresses from previous occasions.  Well since it is my senior year I have decided I'm going to treat myself to a new final dress (a reward for having saved so much money on dresses the past 3 years).  Here are the two dresses I am debating between for my formal dress,

Both are from Lulu's and I think would look great this winter for my sorority's formal!

City to City Dress from Lulu's

Creme Bru-Lace Dress from Lulu's 

Are you in the market for a fun formal dress here are some more options (the best part, all of them are under $100!)

Treasure Huntress Dress from Lulu's 

Emmalette Dress from Sosie Boutique  

Sheretta Dress from Sosie Boutique

Mischief Maker Dress from Lulu's 

The Gilded Age Dress from Sosie Boutique

If you can't tell I'm loving either slick black dresses or dresses with some sparkle or something special!

What formal dresses are you eyeing this season?

xx- Claire 

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Weekend Recap: Philadelphia

I'm This past weekend I headed down to Philadelphia, PA to lead my schools Model UN team at UPMUNC (or U Penn's Collegiate Model United Nations Conference).  This weekend was full of scheming and debate, but I also made sure we had time to explore Philly!  This was my first time in Philly, and I personally had a blast at both the conference and looking at all the historic monuments in the city!  The food was great, my two favorites being Redding Terminal Market and Marathon Grill!  I also was able to style some great western business attire for the conference!  Here are some photos from the weekend!

Outfit Details: Top picture: Shirt-Jcrew, Blazer and Pants - Banana Republic;  Bottom: Shirt-Lilly Pulitzer, Skirt - Jcrew 

I hope everyone else had a great weekend! 

October Favorites

 Alright I am a little late on this one!  But now that it is November I suppose I can give a quick update on how the past month has been

Pumpkins, Pumpkins and more Pumpkins 

During October I, like many, succumbed to the pumpkin obsession.  I purchased every pumpkin flavored thing from Trader Joes and drank as many Pumpkin Spice Lattes as I could handle (even though these have been out since the end of August).  Needless to say I love pumpkin and will be sad to see it go at the end of November

Foliage (something I never really experienced growing up in California)

Vest Season

Make sure to check out Jcrew Factory, Jcrew and Old Navy for great vest selections!

Baubles

I have recently become obsessed with Bauble bracelets!  I love how easy they are to wear and how fun they look on an arm party!

I love shopping Etsy for baubles!  These pictured above are from a great store Buddy and Dash on etsy!  (The bow bracelet is from Oh So Bow bracelets on etsy as well!). 

Fall OOTDs

Here are a few of some fun fall outfits I have worn this season.  To give y'all an idea my go-to outfits typically are a combination of 1) Button-Ups or Sweaters + 2) Leggings or Jeans + 3) Ridding Boots or Sperrys plus to top off the outfit I add either a nice statement necklace or scarf.  Throw on my Barbour jacket, quarter-zip or vest and I'm good to go!

Here are some of my recent outfits!