Bath and Body Works Candle Haul

Hey everyone!

I promise, as school winds down for the semester I will get better at blogging regularly!  I've been home for Thanksgiving, and am so ready for Christmas to be here!  As I'm sure you all know (if you're from the US at least) that the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday starts.  If you don't know, Black Friday is a day when stores have lots of sales--it kicks off the holiday shopping season for many.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've never actually been Black Friday shopping (it scares me a little!), but I did go shopping the Saturday and Sunday after to see what deals were left.  I wasn't able to find much clothing wise, but I did score at one store in particular--Bath and Body Works.  They were having a 2 for $20 sale on their 3-wick candles, which are my favorite candles in the world!, so of course I had to stock up on some.  Here's what I bought!:

I purchased two of their Winter Candle, which is one of my favorites for the season!  I also bought two Twisted Peppermint candles.  I also bought Marshmallow Fireside, Cashmere,Merry Mistletoe,Fresh Balsamand Spiced Apple Toddycandles.  Then, I just got a cute snowflake candle holder and gold gift bags, because some of these candles are gifts for other people.  Finally, because they were 4 for $15, my mom, sister and I bought Twisted Peppermint soap to take home with us.  

That's all I purchased!  Now, of course, not all of these are for me.  The sale ends at midnight tonight, so you still have time to place orders online or run to your local B&BW store before they close!

What are your favorite candle scents from Bath and Body Works?

Did you get anything on Black Friday, from there or anywhere else?

Let me know in the comments below! <3 i="i">

Make sure to follow if you like it!

xo Sarah

College Essentials: Cold Weather

Hey everyone!

I got an email the other day from someone requesting a post on what to wear when the weather gets cold in college.  She told me she is a freshman, and at her school (much like mine!), most girls wear shorts and a t-shirt to class when it's warm outside.  But, now that it's getting colder, it's important to stay warm while still looking cute for class.  College fashion, at least where I go to school, is about all being casual during the day.  I've put together some items that are most commonly worn on my campus by girls in the winter.  Keep in mind that you should ALWAYS wear whatever makes you the most comfortable--this is just how I stay comfortable and cute while going to class!

I'll start off with the most important part of any college girl's wardrobe--leggings.  Where I go to school, they're a denim replacement during the day.  Leggings are SO much more comfortable for when you have to sit through a long day of classes, and if you wear a big t-shirt (which I always do), it's completely appropriate.  

Now, people all over my campus wear NorthFace or Patagonia jackets and vests.  I have plenty of jackets, but I'm DYING for a vest.  (It's on my Christmas list this year ;) )  Either the jackets and vests or a big chunky sweater can keep you cozy all winter.  Just throw on a big knit scarf and you'll be in heaven--trust me!

Finally, riding boots.  These are my savior for days when I don't want to wear tennis shoes.  You can get them expensive or inexpensive, and they have them most places that carry shoes this time of year.  

I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope it helped some of you!

What's your favorite thing to wear when it gets cold?

Comment and let me know!

Don't forget to follow my blog if you like it! :)

xo Sarah

Gifts That Give Back: Operation Christmas Child

Hey everyone!

So, this blog post is about something that is very close to my heart--giving back.  The holiday season is coming up (or, if you're me, in full swing!), and it's the perfect time to start giving back to those less fortunate.  I don't know how many of you have been with me since the beginning, but the first posts I ever did on this blog were Gifts That Give Back posts (which you can find here).  I love the feeling I get when I know I'm helping somebody else.  

This post is all about Operation Christmas Child, which is put on my the company Samaritan's Purse. This company does something amazing--they deliver Christmas presents to less fortunate children both in the United States and internationally.  All you have to do is shop for the gifts--which you can do very inexpensively, I went to the Dollar General and Target and only spent $35 on Christmas gifts for 5 kids.  Although I'm a "broke college student," this is the kind of thing I'm happy to spend money on.  You pack the boxes and take them to your closest drop off location (which you can find here), and they take care of the rest!  I wanted to get this post up, because the last day to drop the boxes off is November 19, 2012 this year! I know it's a little last minute, but it honestly took me 30 minutes to shop, pack and label the boxes!  

So, I'm going to give you all a little look at what I've packed in my boxes this year!

You can use either shoe boxes or small plastic bins to pack your boxes--I didn't have any shoe boxes so I bought these small bins from the Dollar General for $1 each!

Now, the fun part--PICKING OUT THE TOYS!

There are some restrictions on what you can and cannot put into a box--no weapons, chocolate, etc.  You can find a full list of ideas of what to and not to pack here.  

Here's what I bought for the kids--I bought some things for boys and girls, as well as some for younger kids and some for older!

For Boys:

For Girls:

I also threw in a coloring book for everybody!  Now, all you have to do is pack your boxes.  Wrapping isn't required, but I picked up some holiday themed tissue paper to put the gifts in inside the box, just to be a little more festive!

Now, download and print your shipping labels, cut them out, tape them to your box and mark the age/gender!

Now, they do ask that for each box, you make a $7 donation for shipping costs.  You can either do this by putting the money in an envelope and placing it in the top of the box, or you can make a donation online.  You can read more about this on their website (linked above!).

Now, you're done! And you've just given a child a wonderful Christmas!

I hope you all check out Operation Christmas Child!  Let me know in a comment if you have ever made a box for them, or if you plan to!

What's your favorite way to give back during the holidays?

Comment and let me know!

xo Sarah

Halloween DIY: $10 Tutu

Hey everyone!

I know in my last post I said I'd be posting more frequently, which I will, but it's kind of hard to get back into the swing of things!  Today's post is for all you last minute planners that are still looking for a Halloween costume, but don't want to break the bank making it!  I bought all of this last night, and the whole thing took about an hour and a half to make, which wasn't too bad.  For Halloween, my roommates and I decided we were going to be girls from "Toddlers and Tiaras," so I had to go buy materials to make a tutu.  There are tons of different costumes you can use a tutu for though, whether you want to be a ballerina, fairy, or anything else!  

Now, another big thing for me was that I didn't want to spend too much money on this costume.  I went to Hobby Lobby last night and got everything for under $10 to make the tutu.  Here's what you'll need:

1. An Elastic Band

I bought one that is 1 yard long and cut it to fit my waist.  They are $1-2 at Hobby Lobby, and come in all different sizes.

2. Tulle

I bought three different colored spools (pictured below) from Hobby Lobby.  They are 25 yards long (which is way more than you'll need), and are originally $3.99 each, but right now they're on sale for 50% off!

3. Scissors

4. Velcro, Safety Pin, Button, etc.

Anything to hold your tutu together at the back!

Here's how you do it!

First, start off your spools of tulle.  I used white, yellow and blue, but you can use as few or as many colors as you want.  Cut strips of each color.  Now I didn't use exact measurements for this, but I cut them about 2 feet long.  Depending on how tall you are, you can adjust this accordingly.  You're going to be folding each strip in half, so keep this in mind when cutting them.

Just to keep things more organized, I put each color strip into a pile.  The cutting takes the longest, so if you can pre cut some of your strips (I did about 10 of each color at a time), it saves a lot of time.

Now, you're going to take the strip you want to start with and fold it in half.

You can either tie it in a knot around your elastic band or loop it, I found it's easier to loop it around.  So, you're going to put the loop under the backside of the elastic, pull the long sides through the loop, and pull it tight.

Continue on with whatever color pattern you're using, and eventually you'll have this:

Now, either stitch on your velcro or button, or safety pin it in the back and you're done!  You're ready for Halloween!  

Remember--you can use ANY colors you want!  All I need now is a sash, crown and maybe a ni-ni to pull off the perfect Toddlers and Tiaras look for Halloween!

What are you being for Halloween?

Comment and let me know!

xo Sarah

I'M BACK!!

Hey beauties!!

I've missed you all!  I haven't blogged in about 4 months, and honestly I don't even have a good reason.  At the end of the summer I was super busy with work, wrapping up my summer classes and getting back to school, as well as sorority recruitment.  Since the fall semester started again, I've been so busy that I haven't been able to get back into it until now.  But, now I'm back and I'm ready to blog!  And to kick off my "welcome back" to myself, I have a new blog design!  I hope you all love it! Since the last time I've posted, I've moved into a new apartment (and of course redecorated!), started new classes and tons of other things that I can't wait to tell you all about!  Now, since I've been out of the swing of things, I need your help.  Leave a comment and let me know what you all want to see in the future!  What are your favorite blog posts to read?

Love you all! 

xo Sarah