Travelogging: Venice

 Venice was my favorite place of all, the little alleys, bright colors, and of course the gondolas that weaved through the winding canals. We were lucky enough to spend an entire day here as well as sing in a church that was located right on the main canal! We started the day off by touring the 

 Murano Glass Factory and Saint Mark's Basilica; then we had some free time to take a gondola ride and enjoy lunch from one of the restaurants hidden in the tight alleyways. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from this beautiful city:

The boat ride into Venice was just the first taste of the colors, architecture, and canals of the city!

There were gondolas everywhere, some even had opera singers that could be heard from far away as their voices echoed through the streets. We took our gondola ride and we went through a moderately quite part of town (which was nice) and then into the Grand Canal where we saw many other boats.

Boats galore!

An attempt at a jump shot... we got the funniest looks!

Our choir!

My favorite part of Venice were the little things, like the clothes hanging from windows or the flower baskets lining the canals. It was surreal to be in a place that is talked about like it's a dream land- after a day in Venice I knew it was my favorite.

Ciao!

Natalie

Travelogging: Padua & Verona

After a week of traveling and touring Italy, I'm home! It was the most amazing trip, and even though my expectations were high the country still blew me away with it's cuisine, history, and culture. So you all won't be spammed at once with a week's worth of pictures and blogging, I decided to take it a few days at a time.

After we landed in Milan, we drove along the Italian Alps to Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, before continuing on our journey to our hotel in the Padua area. During the drive we stopped at a cafe where some of us tried real Italian espresso (Not me! I stuck with my hot chocolate instead!) and had  a light breakfast to tide us over until lunch time. Once in Verona we went to Juliet's balcony and the note covered wall that is found in the movie: Letters to Juliet. We also toured around the city and saw a historic arena before heading to lunch.

Jamie made sure to get a picture with the famous wall from her favorite movie!

Next to the wall were thousands of locks hanging with names of lovers written on each lock.

The view from the arena.

It may look like the famous Rome coliseum but actually is a smaller version of the Rome version

For lunch, we found a small restaurant in a side alley that served the most delicious pizza and pasta. It was challenging to speak to the waiter because of the language barrier, but as the days went on we could understand more of what the Italians were saying. After lunch we went to a gelato shop and I had the most delicious Nutella flavored gelato.

Our first day was amazing but there was much more to come in the next week: Stay Tuned for our Day In Venice!

Love,

Natalie

Sunday Sunny Days

As Natalie is in Italy I sadly couldn't go and I was heartbroken because I miss everyone so much but I try to make the most of my days! Today I had a wonderful day! I wanted to tell you some tips for a Sunday off!  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Top 5 songs for a Sunny Day!                                                            

1. Be Okay- Oh Honey
2. Let Your Heart Hold Fast- Fort Atlantic
3. Sunday Morning- Maroon 5
4. The Struggle- Grizfolk
5. All the Way- TimeFlies

Enjoy these songs I know its not much but these are just suggestions!! Enjoy!

With Love,

Daphne Brion

Travelogging: Final Preparations

After almost a year of waiting, countless fundraisers, months of building anticipation, and days of immaculate planning...

TODAY IS THE DAY.

Tonight at 9:00 pm I am hopping on a charter bus to Charlotte where we're sleeping at the airport (beauty sleep, I think not) and then tomorrow morning at 7:30 am we're flying to Atlanta, then New York City, and then Milan! I believe we have a few hours of layover time at JFK so I will try to post on my iPad and give you all an update before I cross the big blue ocean. 

Last night I could barely sleep because I was so excited, and I'm posting this before school and wondering how in the world I am going to focus on anything except for thoughts of Italy in my head. I'll try to keep you all updated!!!

Love,

Natalie

(Ciao amici!)

Travelogging: Travel Accessories

I used to never bring accessories on any sort of trip; I was always the one kid in giant tennis shoes/flip flops, Bermuda shorts, and t shirts (I'm cringing back at these memories) why I didn't realize this was not a good style? Not sure. Elaborating more on this topic, you see I've made many memories traveling to different places, but every time I see a picture from these trips I want to go back and time and tell Past-Natalie to add some style to her outfits! Therefore, in Italy I am trying to add many accessories and shoes to add style to my outfits while still being comfortable at the same time. When I look back on the Italy pictures in a few years I'll be able to say to myself "I remember loving that outfit, I wish I still had it!" instead of saying "WHAT WAS I WEARING?!"

I was wearing tennis shoes with this... why

When I entered high school, I changed how I dressed and put more effort into my appearance. I enjoy creating stylish outfits instead of going with the same shorts and t shirt every. single. day. So here are some of my favorite accessories and shoes for traveling!

Travel Accesories
{Italy Style}

Bubble Necklaces:

I don't actually own all these necklaces, but I frequently borrow my best friends bubble necklaces all the time (I should probably buy some for myself...) They add a pop of color to any traveling outfit while also being relatively cheap and sold at many stores. My friend gets these necklaces at Charlotte Russe for around $10.00, however they often have sales there so you can snag them for much less!

Combat Boots:

These boots are my absolute favorite shoes ever. They might not be very fancy, but they are so comfortable and I can wear them with almost anything: skirts, jeans, dresses, etc. Combat boots are also very durable- mine have gone through lots of wear and tear and they still are in tact! I got mine from Steve Madden for $59.95, but they can be found in many different stores for less (note: if you want your boots to last a long time, I suggest paying the extra and going for the Steve Madden boots over a cheaper pair that will fall apart faster) Especially when you're walking around an airport or touring your destination, you need a durable shoe that is also comfortable and this shoe is perfect for both!

Hair Bows:

I recently made a post on my love for hair bows: overall, if you have the right color, these little guys go with anything. They are perfect for adding style when you have to catch a early morning flight and don't feel like doing your hair :)

Scarves:

In the picture under the hair bows category, I can be seen wearing a white scarf. Which leads me to my next favorite accesory for traveling: scarves! I prefer infinity scarves because you can stretch them out, ball them up, stuff them in your suit case and they still are in one circular piece. My scarf is a lightweight fabric that still provides warmth but can be balled up and thrown into a carry on bag in seconds.

All these accessories are joining me on my trip; I'm getting so excited!

Countdown to Italy: 3 days

Love,

Natalie

Travelogging: My Carry On Bag

Italy is in less than 4 days and I've already started to pack my things! I have a busy weekend this weekend and I leave Monday night, it's come so quickly. Tomorrow I'm heading to the roller coaster park "Carowinds" with my science class and won't be home until late so this afternoon I prioritized and packed my carry on bag. After seeing friend and fellow blogger Sydney do a post like this on her blog, check it out here,  I loved her post so much I decided to do one like it!

What's In My Bag?

{Italy Carry On Bag}

Backpack~ This little backpack was featured on a previous post, and it is the perfect size to carry all of my little items for the plane ride. With three spacious and different sized pockets it helps me organize everything from my electronics to my bobby pins.

Mini iPad/iPhone~ (a must) I'm loading both of these devices with music and movie to help keep me entertained! I've also made sure I have my favorite games (such as the Sudoku or Mahjong games in app form) to keep my brain active and healthy during the multiple plane rides and layovers.

Pen/Notebook~ Like Sydney said in her blog, I carry a small notebook whenever I travel in case I want to play a quick game of hangman or jot down something interesting I find.

Makeup/Toothpaste/Toothbrush~ Nothing's worse than getting of the plane and having that disgusting morning breath, acne, or dark under eye circles. I always keep my concealer, powder, toothbrush, and toothpaste around when traveling so when I arrive at my destination I can start the day off with minty fresh breath as well as a bit of makeup on.

Hairbands/Bobby Pins/Hair Brush~ I tend to put my hair into buns when traveling to eliminate the bed head I get when I'm all curled up in the window seat against the wall for hours on end. I can throw my hair up into a bun with ease and then when I arrive I use my pocket sized hairbrush to brush it out.

Sweatshirt~ It might be a minor hassle to carry around, but my sweatshirt doubles as a pillow/blanket/and warming device on the plane. I can wad it up into a ball to make a pillow or put it on when the cabin gets cold.

Wallet~ This one's pretty self explanatory.

Water Bottle/Dry Snacks~ I keep an empty water bottle around so after I go through security I have something to drink for free! (I'm sure you know the outrageous prices of water bottles in the airport) I also keep some dry snacks to munch on if I'm still hungry after I have the free airplane snack.

Books/Movies~ I'm currently reading 1984 by George Orwell and plan to finish it on the 9 hour flight. I also plan on downloading some movies to watch!

Chargers~ According to Delta, our flight is supposed to have outlets to charge devices so I've brought my chargers along.

Chapstick/Lotion~ Nothing is worse that dry skin on a long time... period.

Countdown: 4 Days Left

Love,

Natalie

Counting Backwards {May 2013}

School was winding to an end, I was finishing 8th grade, and a lot of events were occurring by the time May rolled around last year. We had our end of the year vocal concert but added a twist by adding the Jr. Musical "The Little Mermaid" in which my best friend got the lead of Ariel. It was so exciting to all be in a performance together (even though we ended up having to cut out parts of the play because of time), however this experience was something I will always remember.

This was us before the first half of the concert, it's funny because I feel like this picture is so different from what I look now, even if it was less than a year ago.

This is one of my favorite pictures from last year; we were about to do our first Little Mermaid show and we were so excited to get on stage.

After the performance came all the end of the year fun: pool parties, field trips, BBQ get together, the typical pre-summer activities. My dad retired from the military, which was a big deal to my family, and we celebrated with a giant cookout with tons of shrimp, corn, potatoes and Southern style cooking- it was amazing!

Now doesn't this look yummy?

While most of the school went to Washington DC, my friend and I stayed and got to participate in a week of field trips.

May was pretty eventful, but well spent! Next week, I'll be {hopefully} posting from Italy but I'm not sure how much wifi I'll be accessed to or how good the wifi will be. I'll try to keep in touch :)

Love,

Natalie

Top Five: Spring Favorites

Spring is in full swing in Charleston; the weather is absolutely perfect and the birds are singing all day long! As the warmer months come, I begin to switch around some of the everyday necessitates I use and spring clean all of my winter things out. I feel like this gets me prepared for the upcoming spring/summer seasons and helps me get organized before things get hectic around here. I'm sharing my top five favorite spring favorites for you; they range from makeup products to my latest purses so read on!

1. American Apparel Bows {$10.00 @ American Apparel}: Don't get me wrong, these bows are so adorable and I wish I had all of them, but I was burning a hole in my wallet everytime I bought a bow for $10.00. If you find yourself in this position, look at this tutorial to find out how to make almost exact replicas of these pricey bows for a tiny price I love these bows when it starts getting hot out because I can throw my hair up in a messy bun and add a bow for that extra burst of color before I attempt to beat the heat!

These aren't mine but I wish they were

2. Maybelline BB Cream {$7.59 @ Target} This cream is generally used for foundation all over the face, but I use it on my acne spots and under my eyes and it works just as well! I wear it in the spring and summer because it contains sunscreen, so I don't look like a fiery red lobster. :)

3.  Keds {$45.00+ @ keds.com} These are my favorite shoes once spring comes because they are comfortable when I spend the warm days walking around outside while also adding some style to my outfit. I own a light blue pair but I entered a Keds sweepstakes about a month ago and found out today that I won a free pair! {I never win any contests} This was a complete shock to me. and after some touch decisions I chose the navy blue original Keds. I can't wait to add to my collection!

4. Teal LifeProof Case {$79.99 @ lifeproof.com} You might be thinking "wow that's expensive" but this phone case is most definitely worth it! With this case on, my phone has been protected by my dog knocking my phone into a shower, multiple falls onto concrete, and many other incidents that with out this case- my phone would be toast. Especially when the weather gets warmer and you head to the pool, there's a great risk of getting your phone wet but with case I don't have to worry.

5. Claire's Striped Backpack with Floral Crochet {$28.00} I usually never step foot into Claire's, but I saw this backpack in the store window and bought it online the next day {on sale for $22.00}. I use it to carry my camera and other neccesities and it'll be carrying all my things to Italy next week. It has three pockets, good material, and adjustable straps in the back as well as some lace detail in the front, my favorite.

Those are my top five spring favorites! Hope the weather is 'spring-y' wherever you are.

Love,

Natalie

Typing Away

I don't know if any of you have heard of Suvir Mirchandi, the teenage boy who figured out a way for the government to save $400 million dollars, but this is a pretty amazing story. How can all that money be saved? Simply change the font that the government uses from Times New Roman to Garamond. The letters in Garamond are closer together, and they also use less ink! Crazy right? This news got me thinking about how much fonts have shaped our culture and how the power of fonts can create so many neat things. I personally love picking out new fonts on my favorite free font site and looking at the interesting things people come up by using different fonts. So I'm sharing my favorite fonts (that are free!) and the amazing typography I've seen all over my tumblr dashboard.

My Favorite Fonts:

{Click on the names for a link to the downloads}

1. Pea HelloTwoAm (from "Kevin & Amanda Blog"):  

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890

(This is the font I use for my signatures!)

2. Airplanes in the Night Sky (by Kimberly Geswein): 

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890

3. Moon Flower Bold (by Denise Bentulan) 

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890

4. Traveling Typewriter (by Carl)

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. 1234567890

My Favorite Typography!

{from my Tumblr}

All these fonts are easy to download and directions are on the website, enjoy!

Love,

Natalie