DIY Gumball Machine Costume

Happy Halloween! This weekend I realized I needed a costume to wear to school on Monday and wanted something cute and easy to make. As I was browsing through Pinterest I stumbled upon a gumball machine costume and knew that it would be perfect. All you need to make the costume is a white t-shirt, pompoms (I used two packs), and a hot glue gun. From start to finish the whole project probably took me 30 minutes and I am really happy with the way it turned out. To finish the look, pair the top with red pants and you're ready to go! I'm hoping we get lots of tick-or-treaters tonight so I can see all of the little kids costumes and hand out candy during homework breaks :)

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Friday Favorites

Is it just me or did October absolutely fly by? I only have one more college application to submit, so I am happy to finally have a ton of my stress about that relieved... now may the college acceptance odds be ever in my favor :) This weekend I have my work cut out for me with a huge research paper and a few other projects for the end of the first term. Hopefully I can catch up on sleep and just have a relaxing weekend. 

One: Cross Country Senior Day

Tuesday was my last home cross country meet ever. Before the meet we had a ceremony for the seniors where our parents came and we gave them a rose and took pictures. It was absolutely freezing, but besides that my race went really well. I set a PR and achieved my goal of running a 5K under a 7'45" pace, so I was happy to end my regular season on a high note. I am running in a meet tomorrow and then again next Saturday and then the season will officially be over which is crazy! 

Two: Shoppable Images 

I am super excited to have shoppable images on my post, Green + Black from earlier this week! We teamed up with Linklay to make the post a bit more user friendly and interactive, let me know what you think about this in the comments below.

Three: Halloween

With everything going on right now, I almost forgot that Halloween is on Monday! I am planning on making my costume this weekend and carving pumpkins with my family on Sunday night during the Patriots game. 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

October Playlist

I have been listening to a ton of music this month and am pretty edited about this playlist! I checked in with you guys on twitter this week to get your opinions on my monthly playlist posts and it appears that you really like them, so they are here to stay! Hearing what you guys like to see on the blog makes producing new content so much better as I want to post what you want to read. If there is anything you ever really want me to post about, feel free to shoot me an email (preppybythesea@gmail.com) or leave a comment on the blog! 

As for the music goes, I have been loving Bruno Mars' new song along with Caroline for more fun and upbeat singalong type songs. In the past I have never really been one to listen to music while doing homework. However, I have found that listening to music makes writing supplements and working on projects a little bit more bearable. I have had The Head And The Heart on loop this month especially since going to the concert. Their music is perfect to listen to while working, along with my tried and true, John Mayer :) 

xoxo,

Catherine 

Preppy by the Sea

Green + Black

dress | cardigan (under $50) | booties similar | glasses | necklaces 1 & 2 | clutch similar

Yesterday my mom and I were talking about different trends and we both agreed that our all time favorite one is hands down long cardigans. Living in New England and both being girls that are constantly cold makes the long cardigan trend a clear winner; we can look cute but also be bundled up and stay warm in the winter. I saw this sweater on another blogger earlier this fall and knew that I had to have it, however it took forever to come back in stock. The deep green color is so pretty and surprisingly matches a lot of my clothes. The sweater itself is soft and stretchy, but it runs very big. For reference I am 5'6" and typically wear a size 2 and have a lot of room in the size XS. If you are on the fence about the sizing, order two! Nordstrom has free shipping and free returns, which is a game changer in the online shopping world :) 

I paired the cardigan with one of my all time favorite dresses from Madewell. The dress is definitely more on the business casual end of the spectrum, so I dressed it down a little bit with the sweater and booties. I purchased this dress from my winter formal last year and have gotten so much wear out of it since then. There is some leather detailing on the sides (not shown in pictures) which adds a fun and flirty twist to a simple LBD. Happy Tuesday! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea

Complete Fall Fashion Guide

This post has been a long time coming... somehow it took me until the end of october to complete it, so I hope you enjoy! Stores have been adding so many new products over the past couple of weeks so I have been compiling my favorites to make a collective fall fashion guide. Many of the items on this list are basic essentials for any year (Barbour, Patagonia, and most of the shoes), however a few of the pieces will incorporate some fun trends into your closet this fall. Free people is honestly one of those brands that just intimidates me; I know there are always some super cute hidden gems on their site, however the over the top boho items overwhelm me. It's kind of like Forever 21, in that I have not really shopped there since middle school, and I have to mentally prepare myself before searching though their products. Surprisingly, this fall I have purchased two or three of their items via Nordstrom and am completely in love. All of their tops are insanely soft and flattering making them great for those chilly mornings when you want to look cute but also stay comfortable. This loose split back pullover has become one of my go-to pieces this fall and I highly recommend it! Are any of my picks also some of your fall must haves?

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea