Top 5 Tuesday: November Favorites!

Happy Tuesday Readers! 


I'm linking up with Rachel @ Just Peachy for her Top 5 Tuesday link up and this week's theme is November favorites! 


1. Changing Seasons 

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love when the leaves change colors and it is just a little bit cooler so sweaters and boots are appropriate. In my opinion there's nothing better then a big a comfy sweater, leggings and boots (actually my favorite outfit of choice aka is my OOTD today) 

2. Fall Activities (that are really only appropriate in the fall) 

Every single fall, I make it a point to go apple picking- it's one of my favorite things to do in October or November! Also pumpkin carving is another November favorite! 

3. Fall Nail Colors! 

I love switching over from my pinks and corals of the summer to deep reds and purples! 

(haha and I mean who doesn't love a little bubbly also) 

4. Thanksgiving! 

(well, obviously) 

Kind-of wrong to talk about November and not mention Thanksgiving at all. I love the food, family time, maybe even a little football, the days of from classes, and time to just relax! 

5. The official start of Christmas Season! 

I couldn't wait to get back to my apartment in Boston on Sunday to finallyy put up Christmas decorations! Not that I'm adamantly against when stores decorate for Christmas right after Halloween or anything (hey the more christmas cheer, the better in my opinion) but I always wait till right after Thanksgiving to deck out my apartment, crank up the Christmas music, and bust out Christmas cookies! 

(I guess I have a Charlie Brown thing today! 

I thought those images were cute! 

What are your top 5 favorite things about November?! 

XOXO

New Obsession: Etsy.Com

Happy Monday Readers! 

Hope everyone is adjusting to reality again! 

I've recently become overly obsessed with etsy.com. This obsession probably started alongside with my obsession with blogging because different etsy shops would keep popping up on my daily reads and I would always check them out! Now it's the my first stop shop for anything I need! Move over Google, hello Etsy.


 Etsy allows individuals who sell handmade, vintage crafts and supplies to sell their products online. Each person can set up an online shop with Etsy and create their own shopping website! It's geared too small business owners and should not be used as a vehicle to direct traffic to a bigger, privately owned sites.



There are certain fees involved but are manageable considering this is a great way to get your product out to customers that would otherwise have never known you existed! Think, someone living in Tennessee can now sell their coffee cozy and keychain to ME a college girl in Boston! It beats the street vendors, let me tell you! For those interested in setting up an Etsy shop browse here for more information- Learn How to Sell on Etsy

As a buyer, you simply enter into any product name in the search box on the Etsy home page and multiple pages will come up linking you to many different shops! Now to be fair, browsing Etsy could take forever and you might drown in the million bangle options. But the left hand tool bar does help narrow these search items down a bit- but above everything- patience is key! It's important to also compare prices between two shops! It takes a bit of time and research but in my opinion- it's totally worth it because you can really find some great pieces at fair prices! 

Before signing off, I just wanted to share with you all a few of my favorite Etsy finds! 

First, in the beginning of September I was looking for a subtle, elegant everyday necklace. I was browsing for pendant necklaces and came across Green Tea Jewels and fell head over heels in love with all of the jewerly. Everything is simple and delicate- nothing too flashy and the perfect balance between sophistication and not being over the top. And the prices are perfect! Not expensive at all but worth every dollar because you're not getting a silly piece of costume jewelry. Jill Schilling is the creator behind Green Tea Jewels and is a Hawaii native. That is where she makes all of her jewerly and where it is shipped from. Her tagline is "Little Pretties for Everyday" (umm hello how perfect!). She focuses on elements like metal circles, ovals and genuine stones in her pieces. All of her chains are either sterling silver or 14k gold filled and be customized for longer lengths. 

I ended up choosing the Sun Beam Necklace because I thought it was classy and understated and would not draw much attention away from an outfit but could still stand on its' own. 

My other top two choices were: 

the Infinity Necklace

and the Crescent Necklace! 

When I received my necklace in the mail-it was perfectly wrapped with a handwritten note that made the whole purchase much more personal! It felt like as if I had actually gone to her shop in Hawaii and bought the necklace (well maybe that's a bit of a stretch!) 

My second new Etsy obsession is Pink Gasoline! I stumbled across this shop when I was searching for coffee coozys  and found that they were hosting a coffee coozy and keychain holiday special...and would monogram both for me! And this is the perfect example of when a little patience comes in handy-the first shop I found was a bit more pricey and would not monogram a keychain for me! When Pink Gasoline said they would, I could not be happier! 

Pink Gasoline creators, designers and seamstresses are North Carolina neighbors, Alicia and Beth. They select a combination of colors, patterns and textures to create bags and other items that will bring you attention and compliments. Each bag or product is fully lined and interfaced that will look great and last for years. Pink Gasoline offers key fobs, baby blankets, wallets or make up bags, aprons and many others! And all items can be monogrammed (and who doesn't love a monogram?!).

My interaction with Beth was absolutely lovely! She quickly responded to all my questions and let me choose from any of the available fabrics for what I ordered! Prices are also so reasonable! It was a win-win! 

It got shipped out today and I cannot wait to receive it! I'll upload a photo once I receive my package! 

Now onto some shameless advertising! My aunt, Mimi, recently opened her own etsy shop and I couldn't be happier for her! She's been making jewelry for yearss and would often give her creations out as christmas and birthday presents! She's sold at various street fairs in New York but I think moving her shop online to Etsy is such a great idea! Her online site is called Stoned and Strung! 

Mimi hunts different thrift and vintage stores for her beads and centerpieces for necklaces! Each one of her creations is unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world! 

Here are some of my favorites: 

Silver and Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Jade and Crystal Necklace

Steampunk Necklace

Mimi's creations are funky and unique and would make for great Christmas presents!

What are your favorite Etsy shops? I would love to check them out!! 

XOXO 

E

ps you have to check out Carly from College Prepster's giveaway from Marley Lilly! It's amazing!

Shipping Back Up to Boston!

Happy Saturday Readers!

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and has started to recover from their food comas, come back alive from Black Friday shopping, and is winding down their weekends! I had a great fall break but was a bit TOO busy for my taste...I wish I had at least a full day off work to stay at home and relax, catch up on work/errands! It seems like this break just flew by which makes me even more excited for Winter break (which is UM ONLY LIKE 3 WEEKS AWAY?!) 

Tomorrow my sorority little sister is driving me back to Boston at 8:30am (yikes!) so I'll be road tripping all morning and we should get back to Boston mid-afternoon which leaves plenty of time to....decorate for Christmas! 

I cannot wait to get my tree up and finally feel okay about listening to Christmas music and burning Christmas candles ( I did just pick up two new ones from Bath and Body Works this break!- I think they have the bestt candles!) 

Over the next two weeks I'll be super busy wrapping up final projects, exams and papers, as well transitioning the new executive board (i'm done, yippee!), and maybe attend a few holiday parties! Over the break I got some things for friends in Boston and some secret santa presents which I'm so excited about! 

Over the next few weeks there will be a lot of this...

and most definitely this... 

haha probably a TON of this... 

hopefully, a little of this... 

and definitely this! 

Hope everyone has safe travels back to school, home, or wherever you may be traveling tomorrow! YAY to the official start of the holiday season! 

XOXO

E

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving lovely readers! 

This thanksgiving I truly have so much to be thankful for! 

I'm thankful for my wonderful, loving family- especially my parent's who have been there for me through everything. I couldn't be prouder to be their daughter! 

We're spending this Thanksgiving at my Aunt's house in Long Island. Unfortunately some of my immediate family is stuck in Florida this holiday season because my uncle is not doing too well. I'm thankful that he is a bit stronger today and can enjoy some turkey! My thoughts and prayers are always with him. 

I'm thankful for my beautiful and amazing sisters. I can't imagine being at school without each and every one of them. We are such an amazing group of young women and I am so proud to have been their president for this past year :) 

I'm thankful for my best friends- girls who have been my rock since freshmen year. I can't imagine my life without them! 

(Las Vegas for my friends 21st birthday) 

I'm thankful for Blogging! I started this blog for school project and couldn't have imagined that I would really fall in love with it so much! I've met so many great and wonderful people through Pink Zin and I know that this is something that I will continue with! 

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a wonderful day wherever you're celebrating! 

XOXO

E

What I'm Loving Wednesdays + New Lilly Purchases + an Award!

Happy Wednesday Readers! Just one more day until Thanksgiving! I can't wait to spend the day with my family, relaxing and eating some of the BEST foods of the year! 

Today I'm linking up with Jamie from This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesdays! And there's SO much I'm loving about today! 

I'm loving...that my mom was my alarm clock this morning! She used to wake me up every morning from high school ( I was a bit of a princess...) and always had fresh brewed coffee ready on the stove! Such a nice change from dragging my butt out of bed in my apartment to make my own coffee while I'm half asleep...

I'm loving...the new book I'm reading on my kindle (slash I'm always loving my kindle in general)! I'm currently reading One Day by David Nicholls...it had kind-of a slow start but it's starting to pick up and I'm really enjoying it! I have about an hour commute to Lilly so it gives me some time to catch up on my reading! (And my magazines! I had 3 issues of SELF! waiting for me at home!!) 

Has anyone seen the movie? I'm waiting until I finish the book but I would love to hear your comments! 

This is my Lilly case! Technically it's for a nook but the kindle fits in just fine! 

I'm (not) loving...my blackberry (insert angry face here!)...I've basically had the WORSE phone luck over the last 2 months and BOTH of the blackberry's I've been using aren't working :( I literally want to rip my hair out- it is SO frustrating! And the T-mobile customer service it SO unhelpful! I've finally given up on Blackberry and I'm thinking about getting a Wildfire. Does anyone have any suggestions/tips? I'm waiting till I graduate/am employed to get an iphone because I want to be able to pay my phone bill on my own! (Ending rant here...) 

I'm loving...how AMAZING my kitchen smells right now! My mom is preparing for tomorrow (stuffed mushrooms, homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies...photos and recipes to come tomorrow) and she is cooking my favorite pasta dish for tonight- orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe and bits of sausage! I'll upload a photo once it's all done! It's very filling but since there's no heavy sauce, it's not so so bad! 

OKAY now on to bigger and better things- since I was back to work at Lilly today I got to indulge myself in some purchases! Here are a few: 

I bought this for my sorority formal! I'm usually not a fan of a one shoulder but this one looked very elegant! Now I just need to find a pair of fun earrings to go with it! Any suggestions?

It's difficult to pass up anything with a bow...

I thought this was a good balance between being a bright Lilly print but still appropriate for the winter months since it has a black background! 

How useful is this?! It unzips to fit cards, cash and change and even has a holder for lip gloss on the inside and a pouch for cell on the front!

Adorable holiday cards! 

Perfect for iced coffee in the mornings! 

This picture doesn't do this sweater justice! It's so so cute and has a little gold zipper up the back which is the perfect touch! It'll be great with black dress pants for my internship next semester! 

And now for my blog award! I so love Loving Life and Lilly for giving me this lovely award. 

Liebster means "favorite" or "dearest" in German. This award, which originated in Germany, recognizes up and coming bloggers! In accepting this award, I agree to;

1. Thank the person who gave me the award and link back to their blog.

2. Copy and paste the award to my blog.

3. Reveal the 5 blogs I have chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blogs.

4. Pay it forward to 5 blogs.

Thanks so much for passing on this great award :) I SO much appreciate it! We fellow Lilly lovers have to stick together :) 

Here are some of my daily reads that I would love to pass this little award on to: 

Ally from La Mia Bella Vita

Caitlin from Peaches and Pearls

Emily from Life of Emily

Turtles and Pearls

A Sweet Simple Southern Life

Hope everyone had a marvelous Wednesday! 

XOXO

E