Sand Castles & Sundaes

There's nothing better than spending time at the beach building sand castles, then finishing the day off by a mound of hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and vanilla ice cream (a.k.a your typical sundae). Today I had the amazing opportunity to take part in the Piccolo Spoleto sand castle competition for the second year in a row. Spoleto is a well known arts festival in Charleston that includes all forms of art into a 17 day period of performances, contests, and art walks. On the first Saturday of June, beach-goers gather their shovels and rakes and head down to the beach to build all sorts of sand sculptures within a 2-3 hour time limit.

Teams strive to place in either their age group or the architectural and most creative groups. "Professional" sand sculptures to kids are seen on Isle of Palms on this Saturday and I was lucky enough to join the competition again this year with a very good friend. We sculpted a massive phone charger that was "charging the beach for summer", and we ended up winning 2nd place!

After the competition ended, we had some fun devouring a delicious celebratory sundae...I mean look at the size of this thing?? It was a good thing we all shared, because there was no way I could have finished the whole thing by myself :)

It's finally starting to feel like summertime.

Love,

Natalie

The Fault in Our Stars Movie Review

If you have not read or seen The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, please read with caution. 

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

After John Green's famous The Fault in Our Stars novel was said to be produced into a movie, fans of the book practically screamed in joy and could barely stand to wait until June 6, 2014. Well, today was June 6, 2014, and I was one of the anxious fan girls of this amazing book, but one question lurked everyone's minds as we waited for the movie to begin, "Will the movie really be as good as the book?" I'm sure there are many different opinions of how the movie turned out, but from the 200+ teary-eyed teenagers I saw walking out of the theater, it proves that this movie was the movie of the summer. 

Now before I begin my full movie review, let me say a few things. First of all, of course I am bias to the fact that John Green is an amazing writer and that this movie most definitely hit my soft spot (I was bawling), but I truly believe this movie was one of the better done book-into-movie adaptions. True the book is always better, because there's only so much a director can put into a 2 hour movie, but the casting, script, music, and even the simple effects made this movie a favorite among many. Secondly, this movie review has very little criticism because quite frankly as I was watching the movie, I didn't find much. Again, the casting was excellent, the acting even better, the script incorporated the book very well, and the music and effects tied the whole thing together into a way that it would be hard for a fan of The Fault in Our Stars not to like it. Okay (okay?) now that my little disclaimer is over I can get into it:

Casting: Honestly I was pretty skeptical about Ansel Elgort because at first, like with any movie adaption, he wasn't what I pictured. When I was reading the book, I had seen a fan made picture of Joshua Anthony Brand dressed as Augustus Waters, so that's how I pictured Augustus throughout the entire novel. When the casting had been selected and I saw that some other random dude had been selected, you could say I was disappointed. But Ansel Elgort definitely grew on me. After watching the trailer about 12 million times, seeing how adorable and talented Ansel is, and of course watching the movie, I knew that he was the perfect fit for the character. 

Acting: I found it funny at first that Ansel and Shailene played siblings on the recently released Divergent movie, but the chemistry between the two made everyone in theater squeal with joy when something especially romantic occurred between the two. The chemistry also was beautiful when the plot began to turn tragic and Augustus Waters begins to suffer from terminal cancer. The "gas station scene" (when Augustus is falling apart realizing he can't do anything by himself anymore) worried me because I thought that there was no way any actor could portray the fear, anger, and pain that John Green wrote about. But of course I was impressed by the impressive acting and I think the rest of the sobbing teenagers of the theater can agree on that one.

Music: Some of the songs during the movie shaped the moment (ex. "All of My Stars" by Ed Sheeran), but I believe that some of the songs weren't necessary. Charli XCX's song "Boom Clap" was played during the movie, and I felt like it was to rough for the movie. 

Effects: In the book, there are many places where emails and texts are exchanged between Augustus and Hazel Grace, and I thought the way these messages were exchanged was pretty awesome. Adorable little graphics popped up whenever a text was exchanged, and these little effects made the movie even better.

Favorite Scene:

Definitely this one...

Ansel is adorable. 

That's all.

Plot: The plot stuck exactly to the book, and there weren't many important scenes cut out. There was no mention of Augustus Water's ex girlfriend or the selling of the "Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeking the Butts of Children", but these weren't important to the movie overall. However, I did find a small detail very interesting. During the book, a good reader may be able to tell of Augustus' terminal diagnosis before it's told due to the hints dropped by John Green, however in the movie everything seems normal until the tear jerking bomb shell is dropped. I actually enjoyed this version because those who haven't read the book (tisk tisk) don't know what's happening until it's announced. 

Overall I truly enjoyed this movie and would rate it an 8/10, it was fantastic with minor flaws and I would definitely see it again. 

Okay?

Okay.

(I had to)

Love,

Natalie

An End to One Amazing Year

I know what everyone was thinking these past few days, I definitely was...

Yes! It's here! After 180 days, the school years come to a close and we can all sit back and soak up the sun. It's been an amazing year, I've met so many new friends, traveled to a foreign country, started my own blog, started the hobby of photography, and accomplished so many other things. 

On the last few days of school I was surrounded by many good friends that were planning on traveling away for a good portion of the summer, so we spent several days together before we all parted. The last few days included a lot of fun memories and celebration as we tied up another fantastic year, and I was lucky enough to have brought my camera to photograph it all:

It's been so great strengthening friendships this year and making memories with these amazing ladies, these memories are ones I will never forget.

Our dear friend Shayd helped as an assistant with a magic show that took place at our school, so of course a fan sign had to be made to show support. :)

We all were excited to head out of school for the last time...

One last group photo before we said our goodbyes, it's been a great year but we're about to begin an even better summer. 

Love,

Natalie

My Bucket List {Daphne}

This summer is going to be hard for me but I want to make the most of it and focus on the positives!

I noticed that Natalie did her bucket list and I had the same idea so I thought why not! This is mine!

Some of them are weird but hey that's just me!

Best Wishes and Happy Summer,

Daphne 

(PS Enjoy this!!!)

My Bucketlist {Summer Edition}

I'm always up for a good challenge, and I usually find myself with way too much time on my hands during the summer- so I presented myself with the idea of a summer bucket list. A lot of other bloggers were making their own and I decided to jump on that bandwagon and do my own. Some bucket lists are almost impossible and will never be finished by the end of summer, but I want to finish mine so I made it relatively easy to follow. Enjoy!

*bokeh is a type of photography in which a part of the picture is purposely blurred to make different shapes and colors {see some here}

2 days left until summer! The year's winding to a close and I couldn't be happier...

Love,

Natalie

Sunset on the Shore

After a lovely dinner on Sullivan's island, I headed out to the beach with my camera to check out the sunset. From the street the sky looked fairly normal, but once I stepped out onto the beach- the view became absolutely perfect and I was glad I was able to capture these amazing shots:

The dunes were in bloom with all of these colorful little flowers

The little sister

View of the light house and sunset

She was running around the beach like a wild child, gotta love it

Hopefully there are more summer sunsets like these to come,

Love,

Natalie

Summer Favorites

Long time no see! Well, I can officially stop using the excuse "school's been busy" for not posting because exams are done, the last homework turned in, and it is almost time for summer (only a few more days)! Lately, I have been very busy, but now that I have nothing else on my plate, I can dedicate my time to blogging, posting pictures, practicing my photography, and relaxing in the warm weather {finally, after 180 grueling freshman days}. 

I absolutely love summer, not just because school's out for three months, but because I can spend time by myself or surrounded by friends and not have to worry about tests/projects/homework/etc. When I spend time alone I normally do some online shopping and researching on the most popular items for summer. I've already fell in love with several new products, DIY'S, sweet treats, and clothes for this summer and thought "why not share with you?", so here are my favorite summer products {this list will definitely grow much more!}

talenti gelato:

This gelato can be found at any grocery store and comes in flavors from sea salt caramel to mediterranean mind to the delicious chocolate peanut butter cup. I've tried a lot of their flavors and because I'm a die hard chocolate peanut butter fan, this flavor instantly became my favorite. 

Photo Wall DIY:

Recently I printed out my favorite Italy pictures to tape on my wall, but I was worried that the tape would ruin the paint on my walls. After looking on my Pinterest, I got some inspiration and got to work! All I had to do was nail some hooks into the wall, tie on the twine, and tape the photos right on. Super easy!

American Eagle Denim Overalls

{get them here!}

These stylish overalls are perfect for any summer adventure- they're versatile for any activity and super comfortable!

Leather Floral Cross-body

I got this adorable cross-body purse in the San Lorenzo market in Florence for 15€! It's unique, foreign, and it is great for when I go shopping or out to dinner :)

TAZO Chai Latte

{get it here!}

Chai tea latte's are one of my Starbucks favorites, so when I saw that I could make it at home I instantly bought it. You can buy it at Starbucks, but normally it's on sale at Target for a lot cheaper.

Papermate Felt Tip Pens

{get it here!}

I used thsee pens often during school and exams, but now that summer is here, I use them whenever I need to write something down. They come in 12 different colors {pink and black not shown} and I love throwing a few of them in my purse before going somewhere. You never know what you'll need them for!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder:

This powder is the only powder that I have used that stays on all day no matter the weather. Because the humidity is so bad here in the summer, a powder like this that stays on is crucial!

Burt's Bees After-sun Soother:

This product is a life saver for those days when you forget to put on sunscreen {been there, hopefully never again}. It feels amazing on sun burned skin and did I mention it smells delicious?

Enjoy the rest of your school days and the beginning of your summer!
Love,
Natalie