new york city summer bucket list.

every time i go to new york, i always have a list of things i want to do but never seem to get them all accomplished. now, i'm moving to nyc for the summer on sunday & i've never been so excited/nervous/anxious for anything in my entire life. now with nine weeks to soak up the city, i'm making a bucket list of things to do, eat & shop! i can't wait to share all my adventures with you! here's just a few i hope to accomplish...

1. have a picnic in central park.

2. go to a taping of late night with jimmy fallon.

3. eat a meal from a food truck.

4. go to the central park zoo.

5. take a tour of the nbc studios.

6. go to mass at st. patrick's cathedral.

7. meet a celebrity.

8. walk the high line.

9. go to the "punk: chaos to couture" exhibit at the met.

10. walk the brooklyn bride.

11. see a new broadway show.

12. shop at a vintage store.

13. have rooftop drinks.

14. have the subway system down by the time i leave.

15. try all the restaurants on my list. (too many to name all of them!)

princess pregnancy style.

i don't think there is anyone more perfect than kate middleton. since marrying prince william two years ago, the duchess of cambridge continues to be on the best dressed list no matter where she goes. now six months pregnant, her style continues to grow - along with her bump! even though i am years away from having kids, i can't help but fall in love with all of kate's choices. i'm especially coveting her salmon pink coat by canadian designer tara jamon. i can't wait to see what else kate will be wearing before the royal heir is here (i'm hoping its a girl!) here's some of the trends kate has been making these last few months...

pastels.

right on trend for spring, kate has been dressing her bump in pretty pastels. perfect for garden parties, kate pairs chic swing coats with her favorite l.k. bennett nude pumps, combining comfort & being chic.

prints & patterns.

when choosing darker colors, kate has been choosing a mix of different prints & patterns. plaids, paisley, houndstooth & her favorite topshop polka dot dress. she's been seen out at three different events wearing this black & white number & i can't blame her... its too adorable to wear just once!

diy: faux deer head.

i have been coveting this mint green deer head on etsy ever since i pinned it on pinterest last year. i wasn't a fan though of the $130 price tag & it wasn't a very useful thing for the sorority house last year. but now with having my own room this fall, i knew this would be a great diy project to tackle for the summer. after finding the deer head on ebay for $50 bucks & a few bottles of spray paint, the tacky & kinda scary looking deer head became my new favorite decor piece! here's the quick & easy steps to try this on your own.

step 1.

i found the faux deer head on ebay (here's another one from the same seller). it came packaged really well & the antlers are removable, making it super easy for painting.

step 2.

i picked up at michael's a bottle of krylon satin spray paint in robin's egg & krylon glitter blast spray paint in silver flash for the antlers. i did about five coats of the robin's egg color on the head. make sure to flip it over too to get the back of the ears!

for the antlers, the glitter blast spray paint was excellent. great coverage & lots of glitter! i ended up having to use two bottles of spray paint for the antlers to get the desired look & coverage.

then let it dry, put back together & hang it up! i'm thinking of hanging some of my favorite necklaces off its neck as well. diy done easy!

signature scent.

when it comes to perfume, i could never choose one favorite. i've stuck to the same five for the last few years & each of them fit a certain style or mood i am feeling that day or night. here are the five sweet smells i could never leave the house without spraying.

chance by chanel.

if i can only bring one perfume on a trip, this is the one i always take. sweet enough for daytime, but is sexy for night. with notes of citrus accord, hyacinth, iris, jasmine, pink pepper, patchouli, vetiver, amber, white musk & vanilla, this is a classic scent that like chanel, will never go out of style.

(1.07 oz., $85, nordstrom.com)

stella by stella mccartney.

about seven years ago, i remember going through sephora spraying all the perfumes on my wrist. most of them were overly fruity or sugary but then i came across stella & i never had smelled such a unique perfume. i bought a bottle right away & have been hooked on this ever since. it's my go-to perfume for night because of its sweet & spicy notes of rose, peony flower, mandarin, rose absolute & amber. you're always guaranteed a compliment wearing this out. 

(1 oz., $50; sephora.com)

viva la juicy by juicy couture.

the ultimate girlie perfume, this perfume with notes of wild berries, mandarins, honeysuckle, gardenia, jasmine, amber, caramel, vanilla, sandalwood & praline, is my favorite scent for the hot summer. one spray of this & it immediately makes you feel extra pretty.

(1.07 oz., $70, sephora.com)

poppy by coach.

coach, a classic & preppy brand, created poppy which is exactly like the brand - a fashionable & preppy scent. this fruity-floral scent with notes of bright cucumber flower petals, juicy mandarin, & the sparkling freshness of bright baby freesia buds. it also includes jasmine, pink water lily, southern gardenia, rose petals, crème brûlée accord, cedarwood, bleached sandalwood, vanilla & whipped marshmallow. when running out the door to class, or throwing on a sundress & sperrys, this is the perfume i always reach for.

(1.7 oz., $65, sephora.com)

i love ny by bond no. 9

the bond no. 9 store is one of my absolute favorite stores in nyc. right next door to my favorite place for dessert (magnolia bakery on bleeker street), there is a scent for every area of nyc. this one is the perfect scent for a nyc lover like myself with its notes of mandarin zest, spicy nutmeg, blueberry accord, roses, pink peonies, patchouli, musk, vanilla, sandalwood & leather accord. this bottle was a surprise christmas gift from my mom a few years ago & i always make sure to bring it when going to the big apple. i'm thinking of picking up another bottle from bond no. 9 as a souvenir for my upcoming summer!

(50 ml., $105, bondno9.com)

little miss mod.

one of my favorite collections from paris fashion week was the louis vuitton spring/summer 2013. full of mod 60s looks with its oversize checkered pieces, i was so excited to see a whole mod spread in the april issue of instyle. modeled by jaime king & styled by rachel zoe, this photo shoot is one of my new all time favorites. in the words of ms. zoe herself, "totally maj."

scallops & sophistication.

since arriving back from msu, i've been doing a lot of spring cleaning. and with getting rid of a lot of clothes, it makes room for lots of new clothes as well! i've been focused on buying pieces though that i know will be work appropriate for this summer, but also classic pieces that i will be able to wear years from now. a new detail i've fallen in love with this season is scallops. sweet & sophisticated, this subtle detail transforms a simple dress into a unique piece. here are some of my current favorites i'm hoping to scoop up for the summer.

three floor swoon dress from asos. 

j. crew dress as seen on emily from cupcakes and cashmere.

amanda uprichard dress from revolve clothing.

pim & larkin dress from piperlime.com

hello again!

well... i'm back! i tried my best to post as much as i could during the school year but of course things got crazy as usual. from greek week to being promoted to editor in chief of msu's fashion magazine to finals, the year flew by and here we are back at summer again! this is truly going to be one of the craziest & most exciting summers of my life because in officially two weeks i will be living in nyc & interning for my favorite designer of all time in their pr department! so i'm back to blogging to post all about my nyc adventures & what's inspiring me. looking forward to sharing all these new adventures with you all! here's a little sneak peek of what my summer might be like ;)