Apartment Cleaning 101

First of all, today is the Lilly Pulitzer sale so if you haven't checked it out by the time you read this, make sure to do so...after you read this post ;)

I moved back to Charlottesville yesterday and the first thing on my to-do list is cleaning my apartment. My roommate and I weren't here this summer and we had the dust bunnies to prove it, so yesterday, Momma and I did a solid sweep of the common space. Today and tomorrow, I am focusing on my room. At school I have a big room and it tends to just be a landing place for things I don't need at all. I really want to purge my wardrobe and room this week, all part of the cleaning project.

I am a total stress cleaner most of the time, but this project is more thorough. There is just something about knowing your apartment is the most organized and cleanest it can be to start the year that sets a good tone for the semester. Plus, cleaning is synonymous with reason to dance around and sing One Direction and other pop songs for me. Seriously, it makes the cleaning process go by so quickly! So if you want to get started for the year, make sure to stock up on cleaning supplies and get cracking! Plus, it's a great time to inventory what you have and what you need for the year as you go through all your stuff!

xx,
Erin

Back-To-School: Le Pen and Russell+Hazel

School is coming and therefore school supply shopping (aka my favorite time of the year) is upon us. If you are like me, you already know exactly what supplies and what brands you are buying. Good for you, nothing screams Type-A like needing school supplies to be specific brands and colors. That being said, if you're looking for some new brands to try out or you have no idea what to get, let me introduce you to my favorite pen brand and basically, my favorite school supply...aside from my macbook.

Some of you may have noticed my Le Pens in Instagram posts before, but if you haven't they are these adorable, bright colored pens that bring my planner and school notes to life (when I don't type them). These pens write incredibly smoothly and they don't completely bleed through the pages. Mackenzie Horan sells them in her shop, but I went for the big multicolor pack on Amazon. 

What do I write with these beautiful pens. I use them in my planner, notes, and for my to-do list. On that note, I got a new to-do list notepad at The Container Store the other day and I am absolutely obsessed with it. Instead of crossing things off my list, I now put a check mark in the little bubble at the end of the line. It might sound less rewarding, but I am good with the check mark for now. My momma actually got the Russell + Hazel Planner while we were there and it is super cute as well. If you are still stumped on a planner because you have certain needs for how the categorization is broken down, I highly recommend this build-your-own planner they design. She can use as many notes sheets as she wants and since it's a little binder, everything is removable!

Plus, the Russell and Hazel website is 25% off through labor day! How cute is this keychain? I think I might get it for my keys this year at school!

What is your favorite back-to-school supply?

xx,

Erin

A Look Inside My Kate Spade Planner

I finally bit the bullet and bought a Kate Spade planner last week and I am so glad I did. Before making the switch, I was a huge fan of the Lilly Pulitzer planner and it is still a great planner, but the Kate Spade one has a bit more of a professional feel to it. I can't believe that this is my last college planner...seriously, where has the time gone? I am not ready to leave yet!

I know that picking a planner can be stressful and I feel like I see pictures of Lilly planners all the time, but not so much what other planners look like. Here is a peek at my Kate Spade planner!

One of the reasons I love the agenda being so simple inside is that it makes my Le Pen colored notes pop that much more. I am also thinking of getting some Washi Tape to highlight things in my agenda. If you haven't seen it on Pinterest, definitely take a look. I love how people have been using it to incorporate cute colors and patterns into their agendas.

What is your agenda of choice?

xx,

Erin

Inspired

Color-coding and list-making keeps me grounded and happy. Everyone has a different preference for how they approach school and life, mine is to lay everything out in front of me. I hate forgetting things, and I feel like every time I don't write something down, I end up sitting around for 20 minutes trying to remember what it was that I had found so important before. So naturally, I solve this problem by writing everything out, and that includes blog posts.

lists and journals!

My blog journal comes everywhere with me. It stays in my Longchamp while I am at school, which is basically attached to my hip 24/7 and when I am home, I try to bring it in my purse. You never know what is going to inspire you to write something or influence something in your life. On my old phone, I had a list of quotes and bible verses that I came across and loved. It is so nice to be able to reference that type of stuff on a whim!

If you don't already, consider starting a list of things that inspire you and try to keep it close to you. Whether it is on your phone, in a notebook, or in your agenda, it is nice to be able to glance at little things like that as you go throughout the day or, like in my case, are stuck trying to find something to blog about!

Do any of you have an idea journal?

xoxo,

SSP

The Perfect Pen for Organization

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of BIC 4-Color pen. All opinions are 100% mine.

By now it is common knowledge that I love my to-do lists, color coding, and being organized in general. For me, not having enough colors to code my agenda or list can make me antsy and it really bothers me when i forget one of my pens and have to write it down in a different color. Luckily, BIC® has designed a pen to overcome that hiccup. The BIC® 4-Color™ pen is perfect for anyone who loves to stay organized in a fun and colorful way because it has 4 Inseparable Colors in 1 Pen!

I have to say, if I was one of the colors, it would have to be red. I love making sure things are just right and keeping things organized. Plus, red just pops off the page when you write an important deadline down! Each of these colors can stand for something in your day-to-day life.

For me, Red means that there is a deadline fast approaching. Green is that color I rarely get to break out for social events because everything else is keeping me so busy. Blue and black are the most used, but I love the look of a blue pen in my planner.

If you are interested in getting one of these great pens, you can order it online at Amazon or Staples. And be sure to check out more of their social media to figure out which color you are! (Facebook, Twitter)

My Workspace {linkup}

First of all, thanks to Rebecca, Carlee, and Dorothy for hosting this linkup! I love seeing how other people get work done, and in what environment they thrive. Study and productivity preferences vary so much from person to person, and I know that I certainly have some preferences for where  I study.

A little disclaimer before I go any further though, most of these photos are of my desk, but to be honest I spend every week night in the library with my friend, Meghan. Sometimes I do accomplish work at my desk (I am doing it this morning), but for the most part, that is where I'm productive. I had to add this one pic below late because I totally forgot to take pictures when I was here yesterday, plus I love the desk (that I painted myself) in my apartment!

my spot in Club Clem this morning...
complete with coffee and a red solo cup of yogurt!

1) Where is your favorite workspace located?

The second floor of Clemons Library (UVA has a bunch of libraries, but this 24-hour one is my favorite). And yes, it has to specifically be the 2nd floor, I never work on the other floors, except for the occasional finals week studying on the 1st floor which is silent as the grave...ugh. Oh, and it's not pictured here, but I almost always have water and/or coffee with me when I am studying.

2) Do you prefer a sleek desk or are you more of an "organized chaos" kind of person?

I am very specific about working conditions being organized. My planner is color-coded and I make to-do lists all the time and that's reflected in workspace organization. I like for everything to look like it's geared towards productivity because it makes me feel like I can get more work done. On that note, that's why I work outside of my apartment. Whenever I work here, I super clean the place first so it's conducive to studying...yeah, it's a bit neurotic, oops.

3) What is your favorite writing utensil?

I love Le Pen. I use them in my planner and when I am highlighting words in hand-written notes. They're bright and clean and the colors make it easy to distinguish what's going on throughout my week. 

4) Show us your calendar or agenda!

I have both a calendar and agenda, but the calendar is only for big events too look at at-a-glance. Oh, and my to-do list is as important as my agenda because it's a more detailed picture of every day. I also use iCal on my phone, does anyone else use this many organizational tools?

5) Just for fun, what are you looking forward to most about spring?

I am so excited for sandals, flowers, and getting back in shape!

Thanks for hosting the linkup, ladies!

xoxo,

SSP

Back To School Resolutions

Oh right...I blog. Sorryyyyy for my absence but life has been crazy busy. There is just something about the first week of class that demands you to have no free time and as many coffee dates and meetings as humanly possible. Seriously, my little and I were texting about getting lunch and she went to one place four times since classes have started...craziness!
Anyways, this hectic schedule got me thinking. Being involved is great and I totally encourage everyone to do it. I actually am working on a new outlook this year. Obviously my transition to UVA was tough and I didn't throw myself into the experience as much as I wished I had and now I am aiming to make up for lost time. 
Get involved, meet people, develop relationships, take classes you are interested in and love college. I realize that sentence sounds simple, but until you don't work on it, you really have no appreciation for how crucial those steps are.

First day of my 3rd Year!!!

yeah, roomie and I match...casual

I am planning to be busier, more active, and happier this year. I believe in New Year's Resolutions, but I also believe that resolutions are a personal thing that can come around at any time. This year I am making a couple for myself based on the academic calendar and I encourage everyone to do the same:

Sugar Snap Pearls' Resolutions:

Raise $1000 for Relay for Life

Run 2 half-marathons (messed up feet are a no-go for the full thing)

Give back to the community through service

Learn conversational Spanish

Become more fiscally responsible

Blog 4x a week...yay

Get my class reading done ahead of time

Make a firm academic/future plan

Finish decorating the apartment!!!

What are your school year resolutions?

xoxo,

SSP

Plan Away

Well it's the first day of class! I had so many back-to-school posts planned for last week and I am so sorry I didn't get to them. I had a whole plan, and then got super sick...like my Momma had to come pick me up and take me home from college sick. But, I am much better now and so excited for the first day of class! Since I didn't get to it last week, I know I have a lot of back-to-school prep left to do and I am sure some of y'all are in the same boat! 
I finally got around to ordering my planners and books (bank account hates me so much right now) and I wanted to share my thoughts on planners with you!
Normally, I just grab my favorite Lilly planner at the mall and go from there, but I actually wanted to try something a bit different and see if it benefits me this year. I am juggling way more this semester than in the past and I definitely had some reservations about trying to cram it all in that format. Since I spent so much time analyzing planners (actually though, it's sort of embarrassing) I am going to share some of my favorite systems with y'all.

Lilly Pulitzer

Duh, the iconic planner. You can't go wrong with the colorful pages and stickers that almost make you excited to write down that 20 page term paper...almost. There is plenty of room to write in this planner and the extra section dedicated to the months in the front is a nice long term flip through. Also, this year the new tabs are more durable and there's a new horoscope section!

Sarah Pinto

Well, this is my planner for the year. Sara Pinto planners are perfect for getting down to business. It has a cute and simple front cover design and no-fuss organization inside. Plus, the selling point to the organization freak in me was the to-do list section for each day!

Kate Spade

Okay these are new, and I am obsessed. I desperately wanted the polka dotted one, but I actually am getting 2 planners (yeah, I know, I'll explain later) and the price was just a bit more than I really wanted to pay for that...especially with the cost of textbooks. Also, love the quote at the beginning of each section. It's very similar to the Lilly one in that sense, basically as cute as a Lilly but with plain pages.

Erin Condren

I have never seen one of these in person, but I have heard rumors. This might actually be on my christmas list. This is the queen of all planners. I mean, it's called the "life planner" for a reason. You can plan school, social activities, work, basically everything in here. 

Google Calendar

Not to be a total grandma, but I cannot do online planning. I just struggle to remember it if I don't physically write it down. I am going to try to use my iPhone as a backup this year but we'll see. However, if you're tech savvy or always leaving your planner, this is for you. You can reference it anywhere and sync it with all devices. The calendar app on my Macbook, iPad, and iPhone is probably the calendar I'd use, but the idea of a digital calendar is great for on the go and it's free!
So I mentioned 2 planners...I am also getting a jumbo Lilly planner to leave at home. That way I can juggle social, school, extracurriculars, blogging, and maybe work. I just like the idea of having one for school and one for life in general for this semester.

What are you planning with this semester?

xoxo,
SSP