June Playlist

I honestly cannot believe that June is ending and 2015 is already more than halfway over. In the summer, I normally turn pretty country when it comes to the music I listen to, but as of right now this year seems to be the exact opposite. There haven't been many country songs that I've been crazy about, therefore pop and alternative have taken over my playlist. I threw a few older tunes on here with "The Man Who Can't be Moved" and "Valerie". Those are two of my all time favorite songs that I can't help but sing to whenever they come on. As for newer music, I'm obsessed with the song "Retrograde" by James Blake. Although it starts off a little slow, It has a really awesome beat, earning its position as my current favorite song. I heard "Smile" for the first time in the Paper Towns movie trailer and loved it immediately. I've been listening to it on repeat ever since. 

Know any new songs that are worth a listen? Sound off in the comments.

xoxo,

Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea

Summer Bucketlist

xoxo,

Catherine 

Preppy by the Sea 

Southern Shirt Co.

pink shirt c/o | yellow shirt c/o

Happy Friday everyone! This week was the first official week of summer for us and we have been enjoying every second of it. We spent monday-wednesday on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard with friends, hence the lack of posts this week! Because we shared many of our pictures in yesterday's post, we are mixing it up and not having a Friday Favorites post. 

Today, we are taking about Southern Shirt Co.. Between exams last week and spending days at the beach, we have found ourselves resorting to the lazy nike shorts and t-shirt look. I have always been a big t-shirt kind of girl. I remember when I was little I would always buy one when I went on vacation and get them big, as I liked to sleep in them and wear them as coverups to the beach-some things never change :) Both Julianna and I opted for size medium, they are definitely oversized and comfy, but do not look ridiculous. Southern Shirt has so many different colors and styles, so there is something for anyone. We have also been enjoying their tanks to toss on over a bathing suit. If you are on the hunt for some new shirts, we highly recommend Southern Shirt Co., use the code 'PreppyByTheSea10' to get 10% off your purchase! 

xoxo,

Catherine & Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea 

*This post was sponsored by Southern Shirt Co., however all opinions are our own*

Martha's Vineyard

At the beginning of this week, Catherine, a few friends, and I traveled to Martha's Vineyard for the day in celebration of our other friend's birthday. Neither of us had been to the island in a few years, and it was a great way to begin our summer. For those of you familiar with the Vineyard, we spent most of our day in Edgartown, but also walked around Oak Bluffs waiting for the ferry. Edgartown is our personal favorite with an awesome downtown area and adorable neighborhoods. Most of the homes are shingle-style, and almost all have flower gardens or window boxes #housegoals. There is nothing more pleasant then strolling the quaint streets of New England beach towns and enjoying the carefree days of sumer with friends! Here are a few pictures that we snapped on our adventure!

xoxo,

Catherine & Julianna

Preppy by the Sea 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Apologies for the limited amount of posts this week, but it was our last week of classes. We had a lot to finish up and study for and I found myself slightly under the weather. We are looking forward to summer and being able to devote much more time to Preppy by the Sea! Today is my last Friday of the school year and I am taking my history and math exams. Honestly, I am totally procrastinating by writing this post so it is going to be very short and sweet!

One: Last Weekend

Last wekend, Julianna and I went down to Cape Cod and had the opportunity to take over the Duffield Lane Instagram. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we were happy to be able to squeeze in a quick round of golf as well. Already looking forward to leisurely days ahead on the Cape! 

Two: Studying

This was technically not a favorite, however with foreign language exams earlier this week, history and math today, and english and science on Monday, I have been spending a lot of time at my desk studying. Hoping everything goes smoothly! 

Three: Flowers

The flowers on the Cape were absolutely amazing and I found myself snapping so many pictures of them! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Summer Reads

I used to absolutely despise reading. Until about 2 years ago it was the worst part of school, the thing I dreaded most when it came to homework. Since then, it seems I've done a complete 180 as I not only enjoy reading the books my school requires, but also love to read for my personal pleasure. When I have the time, there is not much I enjoy more than reading a compelling story that I can sit down and absorb for hours on end. Most importantly, I'm very excited to be able to grab a bating suit and a book and head out to the beach for long, relaxing, days this summer; the countdown has reached 4 days!

Read:
Paper Towns by John Green
I read this book over spring break in two days and really enjoyed it. I love the mystery genre, and John Green is one of my favorite authors. The story follows Quentin Jacobson as he embarks on a mission to find his neighbor, and love, Margo Roth Spiegelman after she mysteriously disappears. It's paced fast enough that I never got tired of the storyline, and I laughed frequently throughout. Another major plus is that the movie, starring Cara Delevingne and Nat Wolff, comes out next month. You can bet I'll be first in line at the premier to see it.

Dangerous Girl by Abigail Haas
When my friend recommended this book to me, I was immediately turned off by the title; it seemed a little cliche. Yet, she convinced me to take a chance on this murder mystery and I am so happy I listened. The book takes place in Aruba after a teenage girl, Elise, was murdered while on spring break with her friends. Her best friend Anna is immediately accused of being her killer. Told from Anna's perspective, the story takes us through events before, during, and after the crime. The ending was so unexpected and left me totally freaked out. I read it in a day, perfect for a lazy afternoon at the beach.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This is definitely my wildcard pick, but I just finished this book last weekend and loved it. I had never read a graphic novel before, something else I found somewhat cliche, but in this book the images are crucial to understanding the story. An autobiographical account, this story follows Marji while she was growing up in war-torn Iran in the 1980's. I felt a deep emotional connection to the main character, Marji, in this coming-of-age story; it was truly excellent.

Currently Reading:
Looking For Alaska by John Green
As you can see I'm on a bit of a John Green kick. I'm about 50 pages into Looking for Alaska, but I think I'm going to start over once school ends so I can enjoy it all at once. Everyone that I've talked to says that this novel is just as good as Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars, so I hope it lives up to my expectations. Although I haven't read much, so far so good!

To Read:
The Royal We by Heather Cooks and Jessica Morgan
I'm not totally sure where I heard about this book, there may have been an add in InStyle magazine or maybe I saw it online. Anyways, when I looked it up I knew I had to read this book over the summer. A novel described as a fictionalized version of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance, The Royal We seems like a really entertaining read. I'm going to order it online soon and I can't wait to dive in!

Have you read any good books recently?

xoxo,

Julianna 

Preppy by the Sea

Weekend in Duffield Lane

striped dress c/o | light blue dress c/o | jack rogers (neutral) | jack rogers (silver) | necklace c/o | watch

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to take over the Duffield Lane Instagram and share a few snaps from our weekend adventures! If you missed this, make sure to follow them @duffieldland to see a few more fun pictures! While we were walking around town and actually saw a bunch of Duffield Lane products in one of the stores which was super fun. Their dresses are beyond comfortable and they have a wide variety of colors, patterns and styles perfect for summer. Julianna is wearing the Blair Swing Dress in Sky Blue and I am wearing the Stripe Grace Dress. If you are looking to purchase the Grace Stripe Dress, I would recommend going down one size as they run a little bit big. We will definitely be wearing these dresses a lot this summer, from shopping, to BBQ's, to nice dinners, they are perfect for any occasion. Duffield Lane has amazing customer service, so if you have any questions about sizing etc. they will be very helpful! Thanks again to the Duffield Lane team for making this such a great experience!

xoxo,

Catherine and Julianna

Preppy by the Sea 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! This was our last week of school before review and exams start next week! Although it was a super busy week, I am so excited at the thought that I only have to wake up six more times and then it is summer. Tonight, Julianna, a bunch of other friends and I are going to a Tim McGraw concert which should be really fun! We also have so exciting things planned for this weekend (more info on #2). 

One: Simple Summer Styles

I purchased these shorts for the music festival that I went to a few weeks ago and honestly thought I would wear them once, but they have actually really grown on me. I wore them last weekend with a simple white v neck and my ray-bans and it was the perfect outfit for running errands. 

Two: Duffield Lane

We are so excited to announce that we will be taking over the Duffield Lane Instagram this Saturday! Make sure to follow them @duffieldlane to catch a glimpse at our weekend excursions around New England! The dresses are absolutely adorable and so comfortable! Look for an outfit post next week! 

Three: Southern Shirt Co. 

With exams just around the corner, I know that I will be counting on my nike shorts and a cute t-shirt to stay comfortable. Southern Shirt has so many bright colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Use the code 'PreppyByTheSea10' to receive 10% off your purchase! Look forward to another outfit post incorporating these shirts sometime next week! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Summer Pinspiration

all images via pinterest

As of today, we have one week of school left and then our two days of exams. The weather is absolutely beautiful and has me so excited for all the summer fun ahead! I have been noticing that my Pinterest is filled with lots of beaches, boats, ice cream and umbrellas and thought I would share some summer inspiration! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

14 Summer Basics Everyone Needs

With summer quickly approaching, this is the time to stock up on the basics for your wardrobe. For me, summer is the time of year when I do most of my traveling. Traveling and packing go hand in hand, but sometimes figuring out what to bring, and managing to fit in all in a little suitcase can be difficult. If you pack some variation of these 14 items, you could most definitely have enough pieces to mix and match to create outfits for a week. When purchasing basics, make sure that you have many simple pieces that can go with everything and then purchase a few things that will add a pop of color to the look. I find that having a bright blouse or purse are great ways to add color to a simplistic look. What are your basic summer essentials?

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

5 Quick Study Tips

For many of you, this may be a little bit later but our finals start next week. I always like reading other people's tips and tricks for studying for exams, so I thought that I would share a few of mine (see last year's finals & midyears posts). Although it may seem is extremely daunting to start to prepare for exams, if you break it up and do it effectively, it can be way less stressful. The way my school does exams is foreign language is during the last real week of school and then math and history are on day one and English and science are on day two of testing. Each exam is an hour and half and then you can go home. 

Remove Distractions

Removing all non-essential technology is probably the number one thing that I can stress during study sessions. We are all guilty of "quickly" checking our phones and then having it turn into a conversation about our entire life or somehow ending up on your cousin's friend's sister's Instagram. Just put them away and everything will go much smoother. 

Make Flashcards

I think that this one mostly pertains to foreign language, but if you know that your English or history exam will be vocab heavy then these are great too. Personally, I prefer actual flashcards over Quizlet, but whatever you like the best is what you should use. 

Group Study Guide

In past years, sometimes my friends have split up chapters to create a huge study guide together. This makes the task less daunting and it will be finished sooner, so you will have more time to actually review the terms. 

Reread Notes 

Starting a few nights before your exam, go through any notes that you took throughout the year and reread them. By just simply doing this, you will refresh your memory and be able to get a sense of what you know, and what you need to pay more attention to. 

Sleep

Finally, it is so important to actually sleep during exam week. Odds are that you will not be retaining much information past 11, so just go to bed. Sometimes it is better to get more sleep then try and know every single term from the year. 

Good luck on exams! 

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 

Eyelet

What am I doing?

dress (similar) | jacket | sandals | sunnies | necklace

Major apologies for our complete absence from the internet and social media last week, school is coming to an end and life has gotten crazy! Since Memorial Day, I have found myself wearing white in some way, shape, or form practically everyday. Last week was abnormally chilly and I pulled out my J. Crew field jacket. Personally, I always found this to be more of a fall piece, but I love wearing it with white. Saturday night, my friends and I went into Boston and I wore it with white jeans and a striped top. This look combines three simple basics, the jacket, a white dress, and leather sandals, but creates a fun and sophisticated look. As I have mentioned, I have really been loving simple basic looks this spring. All of these pieces can be worn in so many different ways, which is so nice for picking out outfits in the morning. I purchased these sandals a few months ago, I needed a pair of leather sandals, as my old pair were completely tattered. I am still a bit iffy on them, but they go with everything and get the job done. Do you find yourself wearing fall pieces in the Spring?

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea