Say Cheese!

I follow a handful of really awesome fashion bloggers, and I was recently inspired to do an "Outfit of the Day" type of post.

Unfortunately, my little Nikon d40x didn't come with a professional photographer to help me out. I've had it for a few years, but decided to take an afternoon to get to know my camera a little better (as in playing in the backyard with my tripod and all of the camera settings). Here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

Outfit details:

shirt: Ralph Lauren 

skirt: Forever 21 (old)

shoes: Jack Rogers

watch: Kate Spade

pearl bracelet: vintage

gold baskets bracelet: Nantucket gift shop 

toes: Essie's Bikini So Teeny

I'm actually really proud that I took these all by myself. I've got a lot to learn, but I really liked dappling in photography! 

P.S. I almost titled this post "When Plants Attack".  I was stung by a plant (or more likely an insect on the plant) when I made the mistake of kneeling on it. There may have been tears, ice, and ice cream following this photo shoot. 

DIY Monogram Memory Box

I've always been envious of anyone with the patience to put together a scrapbook. It takes time, planning, and an artistic eye, not to mention a loaded pocketbook for all the fancy albums, paper, and stickers (does anyone under the age of 75 actually say "pocketbook"?).

I've got at least four unfinished scrapbooks that have piled up over the last ten years or so. I start out with the best intentions, but my attention span always sabotages me! 

I was browsing Pinterest a few weeks ago when I spied this pin! 

via Martha Stewart

Of course these "keepsake kits" appealed to the scrapbooker-with-abandonment-issues in me! Leave it to Martha to market such a simple idea. I got to Michaels that same day and picked up a wooden box to attempt. (side note: never shop at Michaels without using a coupon. They're always available!!)

I knew I wanted to go with a simple white box and gold lettering, but couldn't think of what to label it. I wanted to save fun memories like ticket stubs and photo strips throughout the semester. Then it hit me! My monogram! That way I could use it for whatever! 

It was pretty simple, too! First, I painted the whole thing white using regular acrylic paint. 

For the monogram, I printed out the individual letters (after downloading this font) from a word document. I cut around them, and then taped them to the box. I traced over them with a sharpie pen, pressing hard enough for the ink to go through the paper. After I had an outline of the letters, I painted them with gold acrylic paint and a steady hand. It took a few coats, but I was really pleased with the outcome! 

via my Instagram

If you decide to paint your own, post them and be sure to tag me (@sydneylandry)! 

Signs of Summer + An Essie Giveaway!

In case you're completely under a rock (or still binging OITNB), summer is in full swing.

I'm keeping busy by checking items off my summer bucket list. If you follow my Instagram, you've probably seen some of these adventures. 

#25: Wash the Jeep

#27: Library trips.  

#1: Dip my toes in the ocean.

#11: Start a garden. 

#7: Read a book.

In my last post I mentioned that I'd been coveting some lovely beauty products… I've already bought a couple, including this fun Essie nail polish pictured above in "Bikini So Teeny"! It's quickly become my absolute favorite color! 

One of the unwritten items on the bucket list was "Host a giveaway" and I'm so excited to be doing that today!  

I love this nail polish so much, that I'm giving a bottle of Essie's "Bikini So Teeny" to one lucky reader! 

Good luck, everyone! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *This giveaway is sponsored by me and not associated with Essie in any way* 

Massachusetts Photo Recap!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that had an amazing Memorial Day weekend in Cape Cod and on Nantucket Island! We lucked out and avoided some dreary weather (but did get hit with a surprise cool-front!). 

I'll admit, I was a little sad about being back in Louisiana, but I'm working on being thankful and appreciative and that goes for my little hometown, too. Thibodaux can be beautiful… 

But Massachusetts was absolutely gorgeous! These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip :)

Nautical outfits with Mom at the Hingham Shipyard Marina. We stopped near Quincy to eat lunch at Walburgers. Apparently, there's a reality TV show that her friend watched and since it was on the way to the cape, we had to stop for lunch. The food didn't disappoint. 

Next stop, Cape Cod. We hit some serious traffic, but finally made it to our hotel. We stayed at The Hyannis Resort and Conference Center. It was really nice, and only a quick car ride away from the beach! 

This is at Kalmus Park beach; it's got a lovely view of the harbor. Since it was late in the afternoon and still early in the season, it was completely deserted. 

So much fun! 

#LoveMyJacks

It was Figawi Race Weekend, so we saw all the sailboats on the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket! 

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, "Where the Figawi?", I'd be able to take another trip to Nantucket next weekend! 

The whole island is absolutely delightful. 

The Lilly Jeep! If only my dad would let me wrap my jeep like this...

We attended mass at St. Mary's (Our Lady of the Isle). It was beautiful. 

Check out the serious cobble stone street. And I thought New Orleans was hard to walk through...

Mom snapped this as we were heading back to the ferry. Wishing we could have had another day on the island! 

I cannot wait to go back because this trip seemed to fly by.

I'll definitely experience another Figawi weekend again, hopefully with friends after we turn twenty-one so we can fully appreciate the experience: Mimosas on the ferry (the girls seated next to me seemed to be having a ball), Dark & Stormies, and all the fun at Cisco Brewery ;)  

To see a few more pictures from my trip, check out my Instagram!

Destination: Cape Cod

I'm so excited to be hopping on a plane and jetting off to the sunny (fingers crossed!) seashore of Massachusetts at the end of this week (only three sleeps away)!

Image Source

That's right, I'll be in "Preppy-Kid Mecca" for the Memorial Day weekend. I cannot wait!  

We're flying in to Boston on Thursday afternoon, spending the night there, driving to Hyannis in the morning, and then spending the weekend there. We're also planning a day-trip to Nantucket island for Saturday! 

I'm still trying to figure out how to pack (forecasts in the 50s and 60s, a bit chilly for this Louisiana girl), and planning out our activities! 

If anyone's got tips for how to dress, must-see shops or restaurants, or any other useful information, I'd really appreciate it! 

Dare to Compare: J.Crew & JCPenney

Let me start this post by saying that I absolutely love looking at J.Crew's catalogs, however, I do not own a single item of clothing from there. 

I'm sure that their clothes are of very high quality, and (I hope) that their prices reflect that quality. But even with their student discount, I still can't afford to shop J.Crew yet… one day… It's not so bad, though. There isn't even a store close by. 

Anyways, I decided to write this tonight since I spent most of the day shopping at JCPenney. I absolutely love how they revamped their store to have a "higher end" feel. The main reason I went was to take advantage of their extra 25% off sale items (from now until Jan. 20). 

I realized that some of my items resembled older J.Crew items that I had seen online, but when I went to their website, all of these were sold out. Sorry if you wanted to buy the pricier ones. Maybe you could just send me the money you save? ;) 

J.Crew Citi Mini  // Joe Fresh Tartan Skirt

J.Crew Vintage Straight Jean // Joe Fresh Boyfriend Jeans

J.Crew Collection Darby Calf Hair Loafers // Cosmopolitan Marston Smoking Slippers ($10 online!)

I also bought some fun workout clothes, so maybe I'll be motivated to actually exercise this week and work on checking off #7 or #13 from the 20 before 20!

DIY: Monogram Wallpaper via Photoshop

One of my more popular posts on my Tumblr was this picture of my laptop. I love monograms and I think Lilly Pulitzer prints are super fun and summery so this is perfect for my summer wallpaper!

I had lots of requests for a tutorial, so I made a video and posted it to YouTube! 

If you have Adobe Photoshop and want to try to make one of these, it's your lucky day!

Please excuse my voice and my mispronunciation of Lilly Pulitzer... 

If I'm not clear enough, or you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! 

And if you'd like for me to make a monogram wallpaper for you, I'd love to! Just comment below :)