Destination: Everywhere

As many of you have been anticipating over recent Tweets I have made, the time as finally come to announce a new series I am beginning today! Destination: Everywhere is a unique series because not only will you be hearing from me, but you will also be hearing from several guest bloggers that I have lined up for you! Along with these guest bloggers, I will also be posting some city guides and other pieces about some of the many places I have travelled over the years. Fortunately, my family and I have been blessed enough to be able to travel a lot, and it has taught me many things about life. I know, corny, but so very true! I cannot wait to share with you many of the experiences I have had and the many lessons I have learned over my travels. I also cannot wait to share with you the experiences, tips, and styles of these special bloggers I have in store for you!

To kick off the series, I have decided to begin at home with one of my very best friends before our adventure departs! She's drop dead gorgeous, and she has an amazing personality! She was a 2012-2013 Peach Dogwood Trail Maid, finished top 8 in Alabama's Distinguished Young Woman program (formerly Junior Miss), and I think you are going to love her style! When I asked her for a picture, she sent one that I instantly fell in love with. It's our birthday dinner (yes, we have the same birthday), we are both wearing our favorite dresses, and our facial expressions say 'Open eyes wide it's Rebecca's bright flash camera'. And of course the second picture is a normal one… well for normal people!

With every guest blogger, there will be a Q and A for you to get to know them before they share their knowledge with you! I hope you enjoy this upcoming series as much as I will! And so ladies and gentleman, I present to you Miss Rebecca!

Name (or Anon name whichever you choose): Rebecca
Blog (if you have one): http://beyondpeachy.blogspot.com/
State/Region/etc.: Lower Alabama
High school, college, other? I am still deciding on my college choice! Oh, the joys of being a senior!
How would you describe your style in one word? Classy Rockstar. I love timeless, classic pieces mixed with edgy accessories, paired in an unexpected combination, or made new with a modern twist. I love juxtaposition, and I always keep it classy! (And sorry, but I used two words!)
What is the best piece of advice you would give to aspiring bloggers? Network. Find bloggers and people in the industry you connect with! There is strength in number! (I am still working on this myself!)
Where is your favorite place to shop? ZARA. And there is no location nearby, which is an everyday problem.
Favorite place to travel? I absolutely love visiting Washington D.C! I have been to the city more times than I could count, my grandmother lives 20 minutes away, and I have never run out of things to do! The shopping, the sightseeing, the restaurants, and the museums all make our nation's capital my favorite place to travel!
Motto: "Happy girls are pretty girls." -Audrey Hepburn My favorite quote is my motto, because it reminds me where true beauty comes from. I believe it is indescribably important to always be yourself! That is when you find the most happiness and success.
Hobbies: To name a few, I love to sketch and paint, blog on BeyondPeachy, and dance with my competitive team.
Major/Career: Business and Fashion Media/Marketing/etc. or Broadcast Journalism (I am still deciding...)
Android or Apple? Android all the way!
Vogue or Harper's Bazaar? I actually love Lucky Magazine! I love the fact that it is pure fashion, and the page number is realistic! I have to read every word, due to OCD tendencies, so I love the size!
Favorite move or tv show? My favorite movie has been The Devil Wears Prada for YEARS. The first time I saw it I am not even sure I understood what the point of the movie was, but it is a movie that I can watch OVER and OVER again! (And I typically do not rewatch movies)
Sports fan of..? I will decide once I get to college!
Obsessions: Green Smoothies and Juices! They are so refreshing and energizing, and I love to try new combinations! I am drinking one as I type this...
Other: Thank you so much AL Prepster for letting me guest blog! I would love it if y'all checked out my blog and followed me on Instagram and Twitter @beyondpeachyy

Stay Classy,

xoxo The AL Prepster

Winter Wonderland…. Kind of

Maybe ya'll don't call snow what we call snow in the South, because it rarely happens! And if it does happens, it usually does not stick. For some reason though, God decided to bring the South snow (or sleet) today. I mean, it was necessarily snow for me, but it was still white and it stuck to the ground. Local meteorologists believe the sleet may turn to snow after midnight… yeah I'm not sure I'll make it there! Hopefully it will stick and I can wake up to a white blanket of snow tomorrow! I decided to take advantage of this mix of sleet/snow and test out my new camera I posted about earlier. Let's just say I'm already obsessed with it! I mostly used Auto mode, but I plan to learn more about the manual modes as time goes on. (I really want to try glitter and confetti, and sparklers!) Without further ado, I present to you my first photos as an amateur photographer! Enjoy!

Stay Classy,
xoxo The AL Prepster

Spending Splurge

After weeks and weeks of saving, this weekend I decided to go out and purchase a camera- my first professional one! After copious amounts of research, reviews, and opinions from friends, I finally decided on the Canon Rebel EOS T3. I went to Best Buy to buy it because they have great bundle deals, plus they automatically price match everything with pretty much anyone but eBay! So, my camera was actually $40 less, and I got half off on another lens and high performance STD card. Unfortunately I've been bogged down with schoolwork, but I'm hoping I can catch some snapshots of the snowflakes we are supposedly getting tomorrow. This new addition is going to be great for the blog as I will be sharing with ya'll my adventures with the camera. Hopefully I can take out some friends and do a few shoots to play with the camera and get some experience! (Tip: Beginners, there are some great tutorials and cool features to learn about all over Pinterest). Here are a couple of shots of my camera (obviously taken from my phone and not the camera itself)

Stay Classy,

xoxo The AL Prepster

OOTD… Or maybe from Monday..

Okay, so I totally meant to post my OOTD on Monday since I had the day off from school, but work got crazy busy, and since then I've been bombarded with school projects and papers. Before I completely forget about posting today, I'm taking a study break! On Monday, the weather here in Alabama was beautiful- not a cloud in the sky and a nice temperature of about 65-70 degrees. Since it was not terribly cold, I was able to break out one of the vests I got for Christmas. I would say this outfit was begging-for-spring inspired. It's perfect for a nice, cool day, and the vest gives you just enough warmth. Now I know my Northern readers will not be able to sport this look today, but just take it as inspiration for the future. (:

Prada sunglasses, Sperry shoes. Anthropolgie top. Joe's Jeans skinnies. Kate Spade 'in a twinkling' idiom bangle. Boutique infinity scarf. North Face vest. Kate Spade handbag.

Stay Classy,

xoxo The AL Prepster

DIY Dorm/Room Decor: Glitter Frames

In order to honor my New Year's Resolution to sparkle more, I have been searching and trying glitter DIYs to bedazzle my lifestyle. I have also been looking into dorm decor (Yes, I know it's an early start, but I will be that girl that has the perfectly organized room). You'll probably see several new dorm decor posts coming up, but if you're not into the dorm life, don't worry because they also apply to room decor as well! Anyways, last weekend I made glitter frames, and I was so proud they turned out decent! So I would like to share with you how I did it. Hope you enjoy this DIY, and comment if you'd like more in the future.

You will need:
-Crafting/Wooden frames (I got mine at Michael's for under a $1 each!)
-Metallic gold or silver paint (depending on color of glitter) *NOTE: I'm not sure if you could do without, but I would because it gives the glitter a background color. Plus we may use different glitters and if yours is thinner you will need the spray paint. (CAn be found at local crafting, home improvement, or Walmart stores)
-Tacky glue spray (Any crafting store has it. It is usually near the spray paint, and there will also be mod podge spray and other similar items nearby)
-Glitter (I would suggest getting a medium size if you're doing more than one frame or you'll have to conserve)
-Tempora paint (optional, but definitely worth the "extra touch")
-Paint brushes (Also optional, I bought a cheap box of foam ones because it hard to use an actual paint brush on the glitter)
-Old newspaper or magazine

Directions:
1) Wipe off your frame with a paper towel because oil from your hands will affect the way the pain goes on.
2) Lay out your newspapers (preferably outdoors, very strong odor). Place your frame on the newspaper, front side down.
3) Spray paint the back of the frame first. This way, you won't accidentally flip it over too easy and ruin the front while it's wet. (*Tip: When spray painting, try to keep a steady and flowing motion, not globbing the paint in one spot. In essence, go for a continuous spray, and make sure you get the sides and corners!)
4) Wait for this side to dry completely. If you touch the frame and it feels dry, it may still be wet if paint rubs onto your finger.
5) Now flip the frame over and do the same for the front (repeating step 3 and 4)
6) Once the front is dry, get your tacky spray and glitter ready. You don't want to the tacky spray to dry before you apply the glitter!
7) Spray the frame with tacky glue (depending on the size, you made want to do this in fourth or half increments)
8) Immediately shake glitterygenerously onto the area the glue is on. (Make sure you apply a lot of glitter because some will shake off. If you do too much it's better because the glitter on the bottom will most likely stay and you can reuse the loose glitter)
9) Use part of the newspaper to press down on the glitter to make it stick to the frame.
10) Stand the frame up and shake the loose glitter off.
11) Repeat steps 7-11 until the frame is covered in glitter. (*Tip: I did two layers on my frames to make sure I had enough glitter)
12: Once the glitter is dry, you can use some of your other crafty supplied to decorate! (I used fluorescent pink tempura paint and foam circle brushed to make Kate Spade-inspired polka dots! The 20 year anniversary post card looks great in the frame and matches the polka dot color!)

After spray painting metallic gold

Applying the glitter

After applying the glitter

Adding the "finishing touches"

Hope you enjoyed today's DIY! Email/coment  pictures of any future DIYs you'd like me to do or if you've done this one! You may be featured on the blog!

Stay Classy,
xoxo The AL Prepster

End of Season Deals

Although ending the holiday season is a little depressing after merry times spent with family and friends, there are a few benefits to starting the new year. One of those is one word: SALE! As stores and designers prepare to receive spring shipments, they must make room for all of these fresh items, so we all know sale is the answer. Although most of it is last season, you can find pretty much any of the items you wanted for Christmas but didn't get for a lower price. In fact, I have a short little story to tell. One of the many things my parents gave me for Christmas was the pair of tan and black Kate Spade pyramid bow gloves . Unfortunately, the sizing was off on the Nordstrom chart and the size 7 were way too small for my hands even though leather stretches. When I went online to exchange, they no longer had any in stock! However, and couple of days later I found the same gloves but in solid black online. They did not show that they had the next size up in stock, but I went through the live chat customer service. Their service was amazing. The person helping me searched through the stock in all of the Norstrom stores, and they only had one pair left in my size! He contacted the store for me and had the lady in the accessories department call me so I could order over the phone. The lady was super nice. When she found out where I was from she asked me if I ever visited Nordstrom and I had to tell her no because they don't have any stores around here (but I do online shop!). Anyway, my gloves came in within the next week and they fit perfectly- and the leather smells nice.

So, the moral of the story is to hit the stores in your area and the ones online because some big sales are happening. Since boutiques usually are not chains, make sure to check those out because several where I live are having sales where everything in the store in 50% -including Judith March dresses! I actually found some dresses once for $20 that were originally $80! I love end of season sales! To help you get started, I've included some of my favorite items on sale right now. A few popular places online with huge sales right now are Piperlime (extra 50% sale items), C Wonder (extra 50% off sale items), and Nordstrom.

*For Piperlime, enter code NEED for the extra 50% off

Kate Spade New York
Bow Terrace Brie
Original: 328
Sale: $261.99 ($131 with  coupon code)
Piperlime

Rebecca Minkoff
Hudson Moto Mini
Original: $265
Sale: $211 ($105 with coupon code)
Piperlime

Pierre Dumas
Debby
Original: $29
Sale: $15 ($7.50 with coupon code)
Piperlime

                             

Mia Cammi
Original: $89.99
Sale: $59.99 ($30 with coupon code
Piperlime

Rebecca Minkoff
Mini Mac
Original: $195
Sale: $155 ($77 with coupon code)
Piperlime

C Wonder
Crystal Necklace
Original: $78
Sale: $60 ($30 with additional50% off)

Stay Classy,

xoxo The AL Prepster

Affordable Spa Day

Do you ever feel the need for a spa day, but you don't have the time or money to take one? My friend (we will call her C) and I felt like that on this lazy Sunday, so we decided to have our own spa day. My mom gave me this spa facial machine that you put your face in, and it's basically a sauna for your face. It actually opens up your pores and prepares your face for a mask. So anyways, C and I went to Ulta and found these packs of single masks that aren't messy like mixtures and you place it right on your face. The packet says to put it on for 5 minutes, but we actually wanted to relax, so we kept them on for about 20 minutes to allow the mask to really sink into our pores. C used a green tea facial mask while I decided to go with a Dead Sea facial mask since I know it is really good for your skin. (Tip: If you want a mask that clears blackheads and bumps, make sure you use one that opens up your pores) While doing so, we found the spa station on Pandora and had on our super comfy robes. We even went as far to put cucumbers on our eyes!


After our mini spa day, we took a trip to TJ Maxx and found tons of discounted facial and spa items to use for our next spa day! There were Bliss face masks, dead sea body scrubs, cooling gel eye masks, and many more relaxing accessories! Even though we didn't do a full spa day including manis, pedis, and massages, we will be ready for next time!


Below I have some of the items we used today!

Affordable Spa Day by alprepster featuring Juicy Couture

Juicy Couture robe
juicycouture.com

Belson Profiles® Spa Wide Mask Facial Sauna - JCPenney
jcpenney.com

Caswell-Massey Cucumber Eye Pads (Jar of 24)
amazon.com

Ulta.com - Cosmetics, Fragrance, Salon and Beauty Gifts
ulta.com

Ulta.com - Cosmetics, Fragrance, Salon and Beauty Gifts
ulta.com