Beaufort Daytrip

Monday, October 30, 2017







Photos By: Sean Touton
Dress c/o | Similar Jacket | (this one is budget friendly!)| Watch | Shoes | Sunglasses | Necklace (drusty rose)

Happy Monday! I took a daytrip to Hunting Island near Beaufort, SC and wanted to share it with you all!

I have been to Hunting once before, about a year ago for camping. It is absolutely beautiful however, with the hurricanes, part of the island is closed. A lot of the campsites were destroyed as well. Even with all of that, the island was still stunning. I loved getting to unplug and walk on the beach. 

For my outfit I chose to wear this dress All for Color sent me. I cannot express how comfy it is. The dress is fleece lined and so soft! It has been cold in the mornings here and hot in the afternoons. This dress was perfect for the weather. I decided to pair it with an old J. Crew factory chambray top. I couldn't find this exact one, but this one is pretty close. I also love this denim jacket; it would go perfectly with this dress. My Keds were definitely the right choice, they matched great and are so comfortable to walk in! I have also been eyeing these sneakers and these sneakers.

I found this old Canon camera at a Goodwill weeks ago, and couldn't wait to take it out today! I love vintage cameras and it made such a unique accessory!

After exploring Hunting Island, we drove over to Beaufort to visit our favorite chocolate store. On our way, we found the cutest little pumpkin patch (I had been dying to see a pumpkin patch for weeks!). It really was the perfect day, and I am so glad I get to share it with all of you!

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Cooler Painting Tutorial

Monday, October 23, 2017


Happy Monday everybody! I wanted to start the week off with a fun craft post! A really popular thing to do in college now, is to paint coolers as gifts for people. I have done 3 so far, and while they are by no means perfect, I have learned how to do them pretty quick and easy and want to share with you all the details!

TOOLS: 
  • Paint-I usually buy mine at Walmart, or if I am buying them at a craft store I print coupons so that I save money (paint can add up!)
  • Paint Pens-These are so expensive, so i usually only buy a few in colors that I know I'll be using a ton. For the cooler featured, I bought black and white
  • White Paint Primer
  • Paint Brushes-I usually buy the cheap variety pack at Walmart
  • Tracing Paper or Sharpies
  • Sand Paper or Electric Sander
  • Modge Podge or another preferred sealant 

STEP 1:
First, plan what you want for each side. With my first cooler, I only knew what I wanted on one side and just started painting. I ended up being unhappy with the finished product

STEP 2:
Sand the cooler! It is so tempting to skip this step, however sanding the cooler allows it to absorb the paint better. I prefer using an electric sander because it saves SO much time.

STEP 3:
After sanding the cooler, wipe it down with a damp cloth, then let it air dry. For the primer, I usually buy a white paint primer spray paint that is made for outdoor furniture. Two to three coats is best. It usually takes a bottle and a half of the primer. The primer should have instructions on it, but typically further away is better, and you want thin, even coats.

STEP 4:
This is where the tracing paper or sharpies come in. If you are not comfortable free handing your chosen designs, these are a life saver. Print out your design (TIP: sometimes the design needs to span across multiple sheets of paper to fit your cooler correctly).

If you are using tracing paper, tape the tracing paper to your cooler, and then the design on top. Then, all you have to do is start tracing away!

If you are using a sharpie, tape the design onto the cooler and trace it with the sharpie. With this method, the ink bleeds through leaving the design on the cooler.

STEP 5:
PAINT! Try to let each coat completely dry before you start on your next coat, or it can come out sloppy.

STEP 6:
I love to use Modge Podge to seal my coolers. I have heard there are a lot of better ones out there, but it has always worked great for me. I like about 5 coats.

Annnnddd you are done! This is such a fun project either for you or someone else. If you are having trouble figuring out what to paint, look at Pinterest or Facebook has lots of cooler painting groups.

My Favorite Park in Savannah

Wednesday, October 18, 2017



Photos By: Sean Touton

If you have ever been to Forsyth Park, it is easy to see why it is my favorite park in Savannah. It is famous for it's gorgeous white fountain in the center. My favorite part of the park is all of the many sidewalks and old trees. Surrounding the park are tons of old buildings (my favorite is the old Armstrong building that is currently being restored). 

Yesterday was actually the first real day that it felt like fall here. I was actually slightly chilly when I wore this outfit, but it was fun anyway. For this post, I wanted to keep the outfit simple and have fun with the accessories! I was so excited when I found this neck scarf  for only $7! It is the perfect accessory this fall and matches so many of my outfits. This one and this one are also on my wish list. I also love these mules. Mules are the hottest shoe this fall and I know I'll be wearing them constantly.

I hope you all enjoyed! Happy Wednesday :)

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How to Get Good Grades in College

Monday, October 16, 2017

I decided to add a new section to Pretty as a Peony titled College Tips. I get a TON of questions asking about my major and other college tips, so I wanted to make a more accessible section of my blog with all types of information relating to college.

 To introduce this section, I wanted to talk about How to get Good Grades in College. This question gets asked a lot, because isn't that one of the biggest struggles in school is maintaining your grades? And this is true across all majors.

So to begin, to have a successful semester, you need a strong foundation. This begins as soon as you receive your syllabi, bringing us to tip #1...

#1: BUY A PLANNER, as soon as you get your syllabus, fill in all important dates

This means assignments, projects, quizzes, tests, EVERYTHING. In a lot of the upper level computer science classes, our syllabi do not have dates on them, they get announced in class. This just means I have to listen carefully and fill them in as soon as they are announced. This brings us to #2...

#2: Take notes on your syllabi during syllabus week
  
I say this for a very specific reason. During this first week, professors will announce these great things such as I DROP YOUR LOWEST QUIZ GRADE and not so cool things like THERE ARE NO OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE UP MISSED HOMEWORK. These are not always in their syllabus, so I always write them down on the syllabus. Trust me, you will forget them. 

There are a few methods of doing the next tip, however I prefer to have one large notebook with dividers for each class. This way if I am commuting or don't want to carry a lot, I easily have all of my notes in one place. A lot of people, however, prefer to have one notebook per class and that works great for them too! 

 #3: Handwrite your notes

There are a lot of studies linking handwritten notes and memory retention. I have tried both typing my notes and writing them and definitely have better results when I write them. Also, write everything. Don't skip class. Ever. You will miss something important and it's totally not worth it.

#4: Find a study group

This is so so useful. I have both a friend group and a study group. Most of my friends are some sort of education major or a nursing/medical major, while I am computer science. This means we study very differently and very different material, so I had to find people in my major or with a more similar major for study help. This has been so incredibly useful. By meeting people in your major, you open up so many doors and different perspectives on class and test material. It also let's you meet people who may have already taken a class you may be currently struggling in. There are just so many benefits to it. 

A lot of campuses also have study halls or study rooms for specific majors. I feel as though I am the most productive when I am surrounded by other people in the computer science department. I highly recommend finding out where your major's study hall is. This kind of brings us to tip #5

#5: Know where your tutoring center is

Most colleges offer free tutoring at some sort of tutoring center. Usually this includes help for core classes, however some offer tutoring for upper level classes as well. On the flip side of this, most of the tutors are students who have met certain class requirements. If you are looking for an on campus job, this is useful info as well.

#6: Don't Procrastinate

Everyone says this and there's a reason. If you procrastinate an assignment or an exam, you will not do as well. This is where the handy dandy planner comes in. Use it to schedule out study times and plan ahead with papers.

#7: TAKE BREAKS!

Blogging for me is one of my study breaks. Sometimes I go walking around different parks in Savannah, or I go antiquing. Try to make it something unplugged to give your mind a break. Taking frequent breaks has actually been proven  to help with memory retention. If you don't have much time for a break, grab a quick coffee and get back to studying.

#8: Make flashcards

This doesn't work for everyone, however I have found that making flashcards helps me remember terms and equations much easier. I love that you can just tie a rubber band around them and carry them around in a purse or notebook to study on the go.

I hope you all found these tips useful!! No matter what your major is, college can be tough and the way you manage time can make all the difference.

Let me know in the comments any more questions you may have and check out my college Pin Board: Pretty as a Peony College Prep Pin Board

Jekyll Island Adventure

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Photos By: Sean Touton
TOP: J. Crew: Similar | Jeans | Shoes | Bag | Watch

So far, this week has been a little hectic. It is midterms for me, so all of my classes have exams this week. I cannot wait for this weekend to be done with it all! That being said, I wanted to share with you guys some photos from Jekyll Island. I studied in the morning last Friday, and as a break, I decided to spend some of the afternoon there. It was gorgeous! I didn't really dress up, but this outfit was super comfy!
I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and I'll be getting lots of outfit photos this weekend!

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