Introducing // A Sprinkle of Kate

I've constantly told you guys that my new blog was under construction and that I was developing it. Well, it is finally finished! I'm so excited to share with you the final product and I can't wait to start posting on my new blog. I've been waiting for quite some time to start fresh with a new design and a totally new blog and I'm in love with the results.

The main reason I decided to start a new blog was because I never totally loved "seersucker + stripes". I was having so many issues with my original blog Preppy Daily and I quickly switched over to my new one. I never really fell in love with the name and/or the design. Also, the name "seersucker + stripes" was very limiting to the preppy style. I wanted to give myself a new name that let me explore more topics and let me grow as a person and stylist. 

I hope you're as excited as I am to launch my new blog! Definitely check it out because that is where I will be posting from now on. Also, if you're currently a member of my website via google friend connect be sure to join again on my new and improved blog. Also, subscribe via Bloglovin for updates on my posting. I will be posting every day (except Sunday) on this new blog (I will not be lacking like I was on this blog ha ha). 

I'm so excited to share with you the next chapter of my life on A Sprinkle of Kate.

XO, Kate

How To // Save Money

With all my travel this summer it's been insane how much money I'm going to need as spending money. I am definitely a spender and not a saver. I rarely put money in the bank (although I should), unless I get money in check form and then it goes straight to the bank. Whenever I am paid for babysitting it never takes me more than two weeks to spend the money. I guess I just like a lot of things. But, I've really been trying to save my money because I owe my parents a ton and I want money to buy things in NYC! So, I've been pretty cheap with my money recently because I need to be. These are my top money saving tips!

1. Stop eating out // I am constantly spending money on food when honestly there's perfectly good food at home! I always just seem to eat out and spend ridiculous amounts on something I could make myself. My friend gKe and I both are both broke so we are always just eating at someone's house and not wasting money on eating out. Eating out should be a treat, not a daily routine.

2. Limit the shopping // This is a huge issue for me because when I see something I want and if I have the money for it, I'm buying it. I definitely have no self control when it comes to buying things. I've been better recently because I have convinced myself that I'm just browsing and that I'm not going to buy anything. I also just tell myself that I'll buy things in New York and this helps me to buy less things.

3. Use change // This might not sound like a total way to save money, but change adds up! Either collect all of your change into a container and later cash it in or use change to actually pay for merchandise. It seems that change always winds up in between the couch cushions or just on the floor. I think we all forget that it's actually money and actually worth something.

4. Get a system // Make a system to keep track of your money/earnings and always put money aside. Whether it be just putting away 5-10% of your earnings or just never spending a $5 bill the money adds up!

Good luck saving your money -- and wish me luck as well because I need it!

XO, Kate

Pool/Beach Essentials

To be honest, I have yet to go to the beach this summer, but that doesn't mean this post isn't relevant. I've been swimming a lot recently and with the 90 degree weather here in Chicago, it only seemed fitting for this post. 

+sunscreen; I am fair skinned and extremely vulnerable to the sun. Let's just say if I don't wear sunscreen, I'll wind up looking like a tomato. I always want to get tan in the summer, but I have to wear at least SPF 15 so I don't get burnt. 

+chapstick; We don't want our skin getting burnt, but we don't want our lips to burn either! I always use my Nivea A Kiss of Honey lip balm because it's one of the only lip balms I won't have an allergic reaction to and it has SPF 15! 

+swimsuit; Everyone needs a cute suit for the beach! I've been adoring my mint swimsuit and also my newest Victoria's Secret swimsuit. 

+beach towel; The sand gets hot hot hot down at the beach and you're always going to need a towel to dry yourself off after swimming!

+sunnies; We need to protect those eyes too! I am of course wearing my classic J.Crew retro sunglasses.

+hat; I've been wearing my Vineyard Vines hat so much this summer and especially to the pool/beach. It's the perfect way to shade your eyes. I also love floppy sun hats!

+a good read; I've been bringing my summer reading book, Looking For Alaska, to the pool with me so I'd having something to do. It's a great book so far and also gives me something to do while I'm not swimming. 

Shop all my beach/pool essentials below:

XO, Kate

Summer Playlist

I love jamming to tunes in the car, on the radio or just from my iPhone in the summer (and basically every other season) and I've come up with some of my favorite tracks. The majority of these songs are just top hits because I'm basic and mainstream, but a few are just random favorites of mine! Also, please enjoy the beautiful photo of the Santa Monica boardwalk. What I would give to be there right now is unreal!

XO, Kate

Friday Fours

Friday, I'm in love!

Today I wanted to do a post inspired by Caroline via citrus & style! She always does super fun "Friday Fours" posts and I love reading them every week! I wanted to give something like this a try so without further adieu, here goes!

 #1 :: I've been using my camera a lot recently and this shot perfectly captures my brother's graduation night. Of course I sported a new Vineyard Vines dress and I brought along my trusty sidekick, my camera, to capture lots of pictures of the event. 

 #2 :: My sister is a health fanatic and with her help I'm striving to eat more healthy and what better way to start my day than with a delicious smoothie! I shared this recipe in yesterday's post and let me just say this smoothie is so tasty! My sister Kristen and I have also been making acai bowls. Let me know if you want to see a tutorial on that!

 #3 :: My friend J was thrifting the other day and found me this adorable Lilly skirt (it's actually a skort) for only $5! I can't thank her enough! It's in perfect condition and I wore it recently to my little cousin's birthday party. Excuse the awkward selfie. 

#4 :: I've been babysitting a lot recently (I don't mind, I need the money), but what makes my babysitting even better is the beautiful flowers the family I sit for have displayed in their house and landscaping. I am loving these flowers seen on their kitchen table! Beautiful!

Happy weekend, be sure to enjoy!

XO, Kate

A Summer Smoothie

I personally love smoothies and think they are an essential way to start your day. They easily fill you up without filling you with junk. They may be high in calories, but all of these calories are easily burned off because they are from fruit! I'm not sure if you saw this recipe featured in Undeniable, but I discussed my favorite summer smoothie recipe. In case you don't read the online mag (which you should because it's fabulous) I still wanted to share the recipe here on my blog. So, without further adieu, a perfect summer smoothie recipe!

Ingredients: 

-strawberries

-blueberries

-blackberries

-banana

-yogurt (Greek)

-orange juice + ice

Blend! Voila!

Yum! This is my personal favorite mix of berries and banana, but feel free to use whatever other berries you like!

XO, Kate

Dreaming of NYC

After mentioning in this post that I'll be heading to New York City this summer for the Smart Girls Summit I've just been too excited! I've never been to NYC, but I've been scouring the internet and Pinterest for things to do while I'm there! I honestly can't wait to just explore and experience the city! Here's my inspiration of NYC:

Comment any places that I should visit while in NYC!

XO, Kate 

LWD

Remember the LBD? Well, there's a totally fresh take on the LBD, the LWD (little white dress)! This summer one of my favorite colors to wear is white just because it is so versatile. I am totally loving the LWD trend because I think it's a totally new take on the LBD. 

Shop my favorite LWD's below:

XO, Kate

Summer Inspo/Plans + Big Announcement!

Everyone--I am back! I know I posted that awkward post on Friday, but I am officially back for good! I couldn't be happier to be blogging again because whenever I take a break I always miss it so much. It was so stressful towards the end of the year with schoolwork and all, but I'm on summer break and I'm so excited! To share with my excitement of summer I thought it'd be fitting to share some summer inspiration, of course via Pinterest (where else!?). Is it weird that summer has just begun and I'm already worried about it ending? Well, anyways before I give my favorite summer inspiration I want to share some super exciting news with you!

I am going to the Smart Girls Summit in NYC! I actually just asked my mom the other day if we could maybe go and sent her the information and she agreed! I am so excited! I've never actually been to NYC before and I can't wait to see the city! And I can't wait to meet so many people and meet some of my blogging friends IRL (in real life). Comment below any suggestions of places to go in NYC if you've been/live there! Of course I'll be hitting up Brandy Melville because I am addicted to that store and hopefully do some fun shopping! 

Another one of my summer plans is going to California (most likely)! I am heading out west to look at future schools because I am utterly obsessed with California and I've been talking about moving there since I was about 10. 

I'm so excited for this summer and everything that comes with it! My favorite words about summer...

Hair gets lighter. Skin gets darker.

Water gets warmer. Drinks get colder.

Music gets louder. Nights get longer.

Life gets better.

Anyways, onto the summer inspo!

What are you looking forward to this summer/when are you officially on summer break?

XO, Kate

Summer Swim

Summer is finally here! I'm so happy to be on summer break and be totally stress free with no tests, quizzes, crazy teachers and/or annoying classmates. I truly don't mind school too much, but by the end of the year I'm pretty sure we all get a little agitated. 

I've told you all before but I am destined to live in California. I'm pretty sure in a past life I was a surfer or something because I seriously love to swim and hit the beach. With all this in mind I love swimsuits! I've shopped this summer for some new ones and these will be featured in my summer haul! Yes, I'm doing another summer haul--I've been shopping quite a bit! Anyways these are my top swim picks for the summer!

Row 1: scallop top ; scallop bottom // seersucker top ; seersucker bottom // macrame top ; macrame bottom
Row 2: fish top ; fish bottom // crochet top ; crochet bottoms //  floral top ; floral bottoms

Shop all of the swimwear below! My favorites have to be the seersucker and macrame swimsuits!

XO, Kate

BRB

I've been totally slacking with posting on the blog recently just because it's the end of the school year. Finals are this week and I really just want to be done with school. It's impossible to study when the weather is so nice! With that being said once summer comes along I'll be sure to post a lot more often and on my new blog! I'm so excited to launch my new blog so definitely stay tuned for what that will be. I can't wait to start fresh on a new and improved blog and I have lots of fun things planned so keep in touch with me about that! With all of this information stated I will not be posting for one more week! I'm sorry! It's just super difficult having to study and then also trying to blog. I'm finished with school on Friday so expect there to be a fresh new post next Monday (giving me the weekend to get back on track and to make some great posts for y'all). I hope you guys can be patient and continue to read my blog once I get back. Anyways, I'll talk to you in a week! Adios!

Btw, Happy post-Memorial Day! Hope your day was fabulous!

XO, Kate

Photography

One of the many new year resolutions {that I haven't stuck to} this year was to become an expert on using my camera. I think photography is so interesting, but I almost feel like it's a waste for me to own such a nice camera. I love using it I just don't feel like I'm using it to its full capability. This summer I'm hoping to venture out a bit more and bring along my camera for the adventure. I think that using my camera and messing with the exposure and other effects will give my photos more depth and interest. Also, comment below if you use a certain editing system for your photos because I'm looking for a good one! Check out some of my favorite photos. I wish I could give creds to myself, but of course I found these via Pinterest. These photos aren't only about the actual thing they are taking the picture of. I really just love the idea of many of these photos and the effect of the way they look.

I think I just need to start bringing my camera with me everywhere I go. What do you think?

XO, Kate

Summer Staples

I was exploring over on The College Prepster and I discovered one of Carly's recent posts about Summer Staples and I couldn't resist creating a post of my own. I've been loving the trend of embroidery and the tones of blue that I've been seeing so I thought it was very fitting to include these in my summertime staples. Summer seems to be approaching so quickly (yay!) and this post was definitely needed.

In the summer I'm always trying to wear light, breezy clothes that are super casual, but also look cute. I am in love with this shirt from J.Crew Factory and I may just have to buy it. I absolutely love the color and the embroidery is the perfect touch.

Embroidered Top // White Denim Shorts // Jack Rogers Sandals // Straw Sun Hat // Embroidered Dress // Ray-Ban Shades // Seersucker Swim Top + Bottom // Mini MAC // Espadrilles

Check out the products:

XO, Kate

Joie Love

Let me just say, I am yet to purchase anything from Joie, but I'd sure like to. Everything on their site is absolutely perfect. They also seem to sell many pieces that can be worn with ultimately anything. I think if I were to purchase something from Joie I'd want it to be something a little more basic so I could get a ton of use out of it just because the site can be a little pricey. Without further adieu, these are my absolute favorite pieces from Joie at the moment. I put them into adorable outfits that I wouldn't mind wearing ;). 

Outfit #1: Crop Top // Skirt // Sandals

Outfit #2: Dress // Sandals

Outfit #3: Top // Shorts // Sandals

Shop the looks below:

XO, Kate

Trend // Espadrilles

I've been seeing espadrilles everywhere recently and I have totally fallen in love with this trend. I don't know if it's necessarily a trend because espadrilles were definitely in fashion last spring, but they've come back! I love the look of them and I think they are adorable! And with so many fun hues they are sure to match many outfits. I'm honestly in love. 

Another great thing about espadrilles is they are usually pretty low priced (unless you're looking for a designer pair). The majority of the ones featured below are ranging from $36-45! What a steal!

one // two // three // four // five // six

Shop all of these espadrilles:

XO, Kate

3 Hairstyles for the Heat

Let me just first start by saying I've been really lazy when it comes to blogging, but I'm really trying to get back on track so hopefully this week will be full of blog posts. Anyways, in Chicago it's been hot, hot, hot this week. Not even joking. On Thursday it was 91 degrees! With the hot weather I'm struggling to keep cool. One of the best ways is to have hot weather friendly hairstyles. I rarely wear my hair down in the summer just because I get way to hot, but these are super fun ways to keep your hair out of your face and stay cool while looking cute!

 Fishtail Ponytail // I love this trendy take on the classic fishtail. Personally I almost like this better. It looks super cute and it totally keeps your hair out of your face and off your neck. Love it!

 Messy Bun // Messy buns are honestly essential in the summer. I'm always finding myself just throwing my hair up into a messy bun in the summer just so I don't have to deal with it anymore. But honestly, sometimes messy buns look so chic!

Sassy Messy Ponytail // I am always wearing my hair in messy ponytails just because I love the look! It looks so effortless and chic and it also keeps my hair away from my face (I get so annoyed when my hair gets in my way). I love how textured the ponytail is above. 

How do you wear your hair in the summer?

XO, Kate

Warby Parker Summer 2014

First things first, I'm sorry that I've been MIA the fast few days. I'm pretty sure summer fever has come my way and I'm just so done with school. I only have less than 3 weeks + 3 days of finals, coming to a total of 16 days total! Ah I can't wait for summer! Anyways, everything seems to feel like a chore recently and I've been super lazy with blogging as well. I'm also working on my new blog (yay!!!) and I seem to be more focused with that. Anyways, I'm going to try and be more consistent with blog posts until the end of the school year, but just stick with me if I'm not posting so often.

Anyways, onto the point of this post. I was contacted by Warby Parker to help them launch their new summer collection! Let me just say, Warby Parker glasses are always flawless, but these new lenses are so perfect! And it only helps that they are only $95 and for every pair bought a pair is donated to someone in need! 

I wish I wore glasses because I'm dying to get my hands on some of these lenses! They are too perfect!

Just to let you know they sell both eyeglasses and sunglasses! Check out the sunglasses here and the eyeglasses here! And they're for both guys and girls!

Banks Sea Smoke Tortoise 

  Banks Striped Sassafras

Cliff Woodgrain Tortoise

Crane Revolver Black

Cliff Striped Olive

Dale Striped Olive

Dale Whiskey Tortoise

Duval Blue Slate Fade

Duval Whiskey Tortoise

Haskell Burnt Lemon Tortoise

Haskell Woodgrain Tortoise

Haskell Burnt Lemon Tortoise

Haskell Woodgrain Tortoise

Lyle Hanalei Tortoise

Mitchell Olivewood

Mitchell Whiskey Tortoise

Banks Striped Sassafras

If you're searching for a new pair of lenses, definitely check out Warby Parker for their amazing glasses! I'm so obsessed with their whole new summer collection, but if only I actually wore glasses. 

What's your favorite pair from the new collection? Comment below!

XO, Kate