The Leather Tote {For All Budgets}

I have a few vacations planned for this year and I've been looking around for a good, versatile carry on. Introducing: the leather tote. Classic, basic, and durable for all occasions, leather totes come in a million and one styles and prices ranges.

The Splurge ($385)

The Save ($40)

The Glam ($400)

The Big ($240)

The Classic ($200)

My personal favorite has to be the classic Mark and Graham.. don't forget that baby can be monogrammed! Oh, but what's love to love about that gorgeous Anabel Ingall bag?

Which is your favorite?

xoxo

Fur on Fur

I have this weird obsession with big cats. I'm allergic to house cats, but I'm kind of in love with tigers and foxes and lions. I mean, they're so fun and pretty, am I right? I guess you could say that was the inspiration behind this outfit.

I am dying over this hat and I never want to take it off- it's too fun and I feel totally hipster. Not to mention, this whole outfit is completely out of my comfort zone... 

Fur Hat: Juicy Couture // Fur Vest: Target // Top: H&M // Pants: J. Crew // Booties: Topshop

xoxo

Navy + Black

Between my best blogger bud, Gracey, and Tory Burch, and everywhere in between, I can't help but notice that navy and black is trending. A few months ago when I got to chat with the Teen Vogue editor, I asked her what she thought of the trend and she said, totally casual, "I think it's great, but I also think people should just wear what they want". 

Well, here I am wearing a new favorite. These pants are the most comfortable things in my closet... oh, and I got new shoes ;)

Top: Vintage // Cords: LC by Lauren Conrad (now on sale!) // Tory Burch Flats // Old Banana Republic bag (old)

What's your opinion on navy and black?

xoxo

How I Edit My Pictures {For Instagram}

A few people emailed me and a few other people commented on this post asking how I edited my pictures. Thanks to a helpful conversation with my blogger friends, I use an app called VSCO Cam. That's pretty much the only app I use, unless I'm posting a picture with faces and then I might use Aviary for touch-ups. Also, I occasionally use whitagram for resizing pictures, but I don't do any actual editing on that one.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at my Instagram... The before and afters of what I post!

As you can see, I don't revamp my pictures completely when I edit them. For the most part, all I do is crop, add a filter, and maybe fool around with the exposure a little if necessary.

Here's the general process I go through before posting a picture:

1. Find the inspiration - I don't just sit around and take pictures 24/7. I actually have to realize: oh, this is a good moment for a picture, this would make a good shot. 

2. Take the picture - I'm not an amazing photographer whatsoever. I take the pictures on my Nikon, but I still have to snap anywhere between 5 and 10 shots before I find one that's ok. Typically I style the photo a little so it looks how to I want it (ex: the thank you notes on the book; the spoon parallel to the bowl)

3. Upload - This part is kind of annoying because I have to upload the pictures onto the computer, email them to myself, open them on phone, and then I'm finally ready to edit

4. Edit - Like I said, I really only use VSCO. I crop my pictures into squares, usually use F2 for the filter, and then adjust exposure, contrast, the filter, and the temperature as needed.

5. Post - Finally, I can post the picture! The process can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, but I love the feeling of posting a picture I'm proud of.

You can follow me on Instagram @theblondeprep.

How do you edit your pictures?

xoxo

Life Lately

After two weeks, this is my last day of Christmas break.... brb, crying.

School was cancelled today because chillwaukee (aka freezing cold Milwaukee) is like negative one million degrees outside, so I'm #blessed that I got another day off to relish in the happy life of no school. Basically, that means one more day to sit around and literally do nothing because I've been waking up at 11:45 for a solid week and a half now; is it bad that I didn't even wake up until 10 on Christmas?!

As I mentioned, I haven't done much over winter break but I thought I could share a few snaps from my Instagram to catch you all up on my life!

Saturday was the only day I couldn't sleep in. I had a field hockey tournament in Chicago at 8, meaning I had to wake up at 5 AM to meet up with my team at 6 so we would have enough time to drive down and warm up before our first game. We lost both games but the tournament was just for fun and it was understandable considering the girls we were playing are totally legit travel teams... #intimidating. Fortunately, I got to endure the trek (and the snow) in my new Bean Boots and I was generously accompanied by my Chai ;)

On Friday my mom made Julia Child's Clam Chowder and got Panera bread bowls (my favorite) to serve it in. Ohhh, it was so good. I think I may have had more bread than chowder (typical), but I could've gone the whole break on this meal- it was that good.

This is the wreath on our front door! How cute was it that my dad added the bow all by himself?

The #DWC clique did a gift exchange and Gracey was too sweet to get me these Henri Bendel candles that I'm now obsessed with.. the fig is my favorite, it smells so good.

Aaand, how could I conclude a post of what I've been up to without mentioning the snow?! This picture is from a few weeks ago, so it currently looks a lot whiter outside... Hard to believe, I know. There is over a foot I think now and this was taken at only a few inches.

What have you been up to?

xoxo

Hello, 2014

Hello new year and new beginnings! I decided to kick off the year by setting a few goals for myself... I don't like to make things too specific because let's be honest, then I would never get anything accomplished. I do, however, find it encouraging to set a few general parameters for myself to try and attain to throughout the year.

I would love to grow TBP and write more on here to expand and improve on my writing skills, in addition to reading more, whatever that might include, to expand my knowledge. I think those two sort of go hand in hand with each other because the more I know, the more I can talk about. I would love nothing more than for 2014 to be carefree without a ton of anxiety and stress (that was 2013's job, thank you very much.) and I feel like I could really prevent that by worrying less and taking more risks and just doing what I love. Finally, who's goal isn't to get a little healthier this year? Maybe I can finally motivate myself to eat healthy and exercise more in this new year ;)

What are your goals?

xoxo