My Top 5 Favorite Perfumes

Hi everyone!

Every girl has that one girly thing that they're addicted to -- shoes, handbags, makeup...the list is endless. My "thing" is perfumes. I love collecting different scents and pretty bottles, and I never feel like an outfit is complete unless I have perfume on. I love picking scents based on my mood or the weather or what I'm doing that day. My perfume collection isn't over the top huge, but here's the top five scents I wear most often!

1. Nina by Nina Ricci -- The first thing that drew me to this perfume was the pretty apple-shaped bottle, but it also smells delicious. It starts out smelling really florally, but turns more fruity (especially...wait for it...apples!) as it warms up. I usually wear this scent for fancy events like Prom when I want to smell extra girly and springy.

2. Daisy by Marc Jacobs -- This was the first perfume in my collection! I usually wear it to important, but not super fancy, events because the fresh, fruity smell gives me a little confidence boost!

3. Touch of Pink by Lacoste -- This is my everyday perfume -- it's soft and feminine, not overpowering!

4. Loverdose by Diesel -- This perfume contains a little bit of everything. It's floral and spicy, soft and powerful, and it contains one of my favorite scents: vanilla! I usually wear this on dates since the potent combination of scents makes me feel hot!

5. Sensual Amber from Bath and Body Works -- Okay, this one isn't technically a perfume, it's a body mist, but I still adore it! Amber is one of my favorite scents for fall and winter. I love spraying it on and curling up in a cozy sweater to study or watch a movie!

What are some of y'alls favorite perfumes?

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Lilly Fall 2013

Hi everyone!

Lilly Pulitzer's Fall 2013 line came out today, and I've already visited the Lilly store at Phipps mall to check it out!

Dresses

Pemberton Dress -- Beckett Dress -- Sherlynn Dress

I love shirt dresses, and this year Lilly came out with three! The material on the Beckett dress is sooo soft!

Rhea Dress -- Hera Dress

I also adore the lace necklines on these two cocktail dresses!

Tops

Sunset Top -- Daisy Cardigan

The Sunset Top is so swingy and fun, and I basically live in cardigans during the fall!

Bottoms

Worth Skinny Mini

 The Worth Skinny Mini pants fit awesomely, and they come in fun brights like this gold as well as regular denim!

I can't wait to go back to Lilly to pick up some of my favorite items!

 Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Get Crafty: Bulletin Boards

Hi everyone!

When I went dorm shopping, I didn't see a bulletin board that I liked. I wanted to do something unique, so Mama and I made some custom cork boards yesterday! They turned out super cute, and I got to pick the pattern we used (finding cute coral-and-navy things is super hard!). Here's how we did it:

Supplies: Cork boards of any size, an inexpensive pillow case, scissors, and a stapler.

Step 1: Cut the seams on one side and the end of the pillow case so all the fabric is laying out and place the cork board on the pillow case. 

Step 2: Cut the pillow case so that there is about 1"-2" of fabric showing on each side of the board.

Step 3: Fold over two opposite sides and secure with three staples. Make sure to pull the fabric tight so that there are no wrinkles on the front side of the board. 

Step 4: Before doing the other two sides, fold a mini hospital corner (like making a bed) on each of the four corners and secure with staples. If you don't know how to make a hospital corner, hold the corner of the fabric up and fold it over to make a triangle.

Step 5: Secure the other two sides with staples

 Ta da! 

I love them, and they match the rest of the coral-and-navy items my roommate and I chose!

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Packing for College: Part 1

Hi everyone!

With two weeks until move-in day, I started packing everything I plan on taking to Athens! I focused on non-clothing items today since I'll definitely need to keep using those, but I got most of my things packed. I still totally believe in using packing lists so I don't forget anything, and this is what mine looks like!

So I packed most of my stuff in moving boxes. I know there's mixed opinion on those, but my parents had them laying around from a recent move, so I figured I'd just re-use them.

I still have a few things to add, but this is basically what it looks like!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Adding to the Dix-onary

Hi everyone!

I saw this on Pintrest today and thought it would be a perfect addition to my Dix-onary post from a few weeks ago (if you haven't read it, click here).

Also, it just made me smile :)

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Five Things to Do on Rainy Days

Hi everyone!

It's rained basically every day for the past two weeks in Atlanta, and when it's not raining it's ridiculously hot and humid, so I've been finding ways to entertain myself indoors. I usually go ride in the mornings, then maybe lay by the pool or go to lunch, but it always seems to be raining by three o'clock, so I have to find something to do inside. Here's how I've been spending my past few days!

1. Learn to make perfect Quick Grits -- my Mamma makes amazing grits...it's actually the food I'm going to miss the most next year! Quick grits made with water just aren't as creamy and delicious as Mamma's, but hers are not good for you and take a while to make, so we figured out how to tweak the Quick Grits recipe a bit to make them tastier: substitute the water for milk and cream! For example, if the box calls for 1 cup of water, instead add one half cup of milk and one half cup of cream to the dry grits. Almost as good as Mamma's and way easier!
2. Learn to do laundry -- Okay, I actually learned how to do laundry a while ago (Mamma's been making me do my own for months now), but if I hadn't learned, rainy days seem like a perfect time to do so!
3. Clean out your room -- I love cleaning my room in the rain! I have a bunch of windows in my room, so I can hear the rain outside, which I've always found super relaxing. Besides, there's if there's nothing better to do, why not reorganize?
4. Make a photo album -- I got a super cute Lilly Pulitzer photo album, and I've been filling it up with my favorite pictures from high school! It'll look really cute on my desk, and I can't wait to look back with my friends from high school!
5. Relax -- Think about it: I've only got 15 days left in my house! I've been soaking up as much time as I can laying in my own bed, showering without shoes on, and playing with my dog!

I think I've been mostly productive! Any other pre-college to-do's I'm missing?

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Happy Birthday, Mamma!

Happy birthday to the most amazing Mamma in the whole world!

Me and Mamma before Senior Prom

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

How to Pack and Unpack Like a Pro

Hi everyone!

With all the trips I've been taking lately, I thought I'd share a little of my wisdom on packing. It's one of my talents -- I haven't checked a bag when flying in over a decade (and the last time I did, it was when my family moved to Amsterdam when I was seven years old!), and I can successfully pack for an entire weekend in the small Vera Bradley duffel bag. Maybe it's my underlying OCD-ish tendencies (most of y'all have seen my planner, but if not, click here), or maybe it's genetic -- my dad travels a lot, and he taught me the art of packing -- but one way or another I got the gift.

When Packing:

This is what my bag for my Sea Island trip looked like while I was putting everything together. I like to lay out everything I plan on taking on my floor in groups -- at the top are my shoes, and my pajamas, then my dresses, shorts, tops, tee shirts, running clothes, and bathing suits. When I go to put everything in the suitcase, I can recount and make sure I have enough of each item. For some things (ie. socks) I like to pack at least one extra set, in case I need to use two in one day, but for everything else (shorts, dresses, etc.) I only pack one for each day. If I want to be really economical, I pack a different shirt for every day, but only a few pairs of shorts, especially if I'll have access to a washing machine. When I go to put everything in my bag, my shoes go on the bottom, with clothes on top, and my oddly shaped items or things I may have to take out in security on top. My biggest general rule, however, is that I never stuff small items in my shoes that I would be embarrassed if they fell out in front of people. It only took one time of trying to hurry to put my shoes on before dinner and having to dump panties on the floor to figure that out...

Here's what it looks like when it's all in there!

When Unpacking:

So, I forgot to take a picture when I repacked my stuff from the beach, because, well, I was at the beach, but when I do, I put my shoes on the bottom, with my dirty clothes on top of the shoes. On top of the dirty clothes, I put a barrier of cosmetic bags and books to contain the dirty portion, and I layer my clean clothes on top. Then, when I go to unpack at home, I can just take the top layer and put everything where it belongs in my closet (in the picture, the clean pile is on the far right). After I put away my barrier layer, I separate the dirty clothes into colors, darks, and whites for machine washing (three middle piles), and I make a pile of hand-wash (far left) and dry-clean (top). I usually have enough laundry in each pile to do a whole load, and this way I don't have to go back and separate later. Yay, multitasking!

So, the key to my packing system isn't about finding sneaky, creative ways to stuff a ton of things into a suitcase. It's about being choosy with what you take and knowing what is necessary vs. what is not. If you absolutely can't decide what you want to wear, a few extra pieces won't be the end of the world -- just don't take your whole closet!

But none of this will help when I go to pack for college, since I move in in 19 days! (!!!)

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

Top 5 Restaurants to Try in Sea Island Island

Hi everyone!

As y'all know, I just returned from my family's annual trip to Sea Island. One of my favorite things about the trip is the food -- I just love food to begin with, and there's nothing better than fresh seafood! My dad is a creature of habit, so we always go to the same few restaurants, but his favorite restaurants always serve great food, so nobody minds! When we go to Sea Island, we always eat at:

We adore Halyards! I always get the Shrimp and Grits -- second best in Georgia only to my Mamma's!

We love Crabdaddy's so much, we actually went twice this year!

Our first night on the island, we always order in from Frederica House. They even send hushpuppies with everything -- an item I look forward to every year!

I LOVE Bennie's! The waiters are always so nice -- the menu is entirely oral, so they stand there and list off everything that's available that night. This is also the only place in the world I'll eat conch fritters since they aren't chewy like other places!

Finally, I always have my best meal at the Georgia Sea Grill in the Village. I highly recommend the fried shrimp -- they come in a thick cornbread batter with homemade potato chips...so amazing!

I loooove Southern food, and I can always find delicious fried sea food, shrimp and grits, and hushpuppies on Sea Island!

Have a lovely day!
XO,
Carson

SEA ISLAND

Hi everyone!

I got back from my family's annual trip to Sea Island yesterday, and we had SO much fun! It was so nice to lay on the beach all day, and then go get ice cream in the afternoon before dinner. My dad and I also did an entire 2000 piece puzzle in five days -- it's a daddy-daughter tradition we've been doing for as long as I can remember. Baby sister and I also took our best friends, Taylor and Ailisha, and we had tons of fun together!

Taylor and I at dinner the first night.

The girls on the beach.

I loved shooting skeet! Not that I was any good...but still.

Baby sister and I with Daddy.

We ran into my bestie Charlotte at dinner on the last night!

I always look forward to my family's trip to Sea Island because it's so nice to spend some quiet time with family and friends, especially this year, as I leave for Athens in three weeks! We usually take my grandfather with us, too, but he wasn't able to come this year. We all missed him lots!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson

Happy 4th!

Hi everyone!

Happy 4th of July! My family and I are at Lake Oconee, and it's kind of rainy here, but hopefully we'll get to see some fireworks tonight!

Baby sister and I at the Ritz's firework show last night. 

I also learned how to drive the boat yesterday -- it's way harder than it looks!

Our golden retriever, Dixie, enjoying the boat ride.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

Have a lovely day!

XO,

Carson