Simply Stated

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."

-Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias

Please tell me some of you know that quote? If not, go watch Steel Magnolias right now. Seriously my favorite movie, you laugh, you cry, you relate to the characters, it's great. Anyways....

As many of you probably know, I think statement necklaces are the bomb dot com. They allow you to wear an outfit in so many different ways. There are a bunch of different places to find them on the internet and in stores. I love a local Charlottesville boutique called Darling and I have also had luck on Etsy and other sites. Personally, one of my favorite strategies is to pick a designer necklace I like and see if there is a necklace on another site that is inspired by your original piece...it's at least worth a shot. 

make a statement by sugarsnappearls (item links through polyvore)

Recently, I discovered a new site with fabulous jewelry and a price to match, Purple Peridot! Seriously, the necklace I wore in my instagram post this morning is from there, as is my gold tassel necklace. She sells great pieces for amazing deals that are super friendly for a college girl's budget, as well as any other fashionista. Here are a couple of my other favorite necklaces of hers: 

blue tile necklace

crystal sparkler:
subtle and perfect for any outfit/occassion

pennant necklace

What is your favorite statement piece? 

xoxo,

SSP

Inspired by a Calendar

Where are my fellow Target lovers at? Seriously, Target is the bomb dot com. I could (and sometimes do) spend 4x as much as originally anticipated when I go there because they just have the greatest stuff. Yesterday I stopped by to check for a blouse and, naturally, got everything but that. I am actually sitting in the robe I got there yesterday and staring at the calendar I picked up. Speaking of this calendar, I am obsessed.

Y'all, it was love at first sight. I was checking for a desk calendar for my friend, Meghan, when I stumbled across this one, and while I had seen the Sugar Paper Los Angeles display before, I somehow just never noticed it. As you can tell, I bought it and I am so glad I did. This company has so many amazing products...I just want it all. I mean, those cards are just adorable.

sweet as sugar paper los angeles by sugarsnappearls

Oh, and it wouldn't be a trip to Target without peeking in the One Spot, where I picked up a couple of other cute stationary items. If you like the other items I got, definitely head out to your local Target (like you need an excuse?) and go grab them...they're so cute and happy!

{original}

Well, this post title is about inspiration, and I swear the post is too. As I have begun decorating my apartment and maturing in my tastes, I find myself drawn more to gold than silver and with pink and navy as my go-to color combination (with splashes of green, still). Well, this calendar has pink writing with gold polka dots, as in the pattern that already covers my bedspread and a decent portion of my wardrobe. So, this got me thinking...how can I incorporate these elements that I love so much into my room? After a bit of snooping, aka pinteresting, I discovered that the ever-fabulous Lauren Conrad already did something similar to what I'm thinking, so I'll leave you with that little hint.

What is your favorite paper company?

xoxo,

SSP

p.s. have you seen this? Libra is "a sports fanatic" soooo accurate

Kick It Into Gear

First of all, yesterday some sisters and I went to the Kappa Sigma headquarters to drop off a birthday cake in honor of Dr. Charles Richardson's birthday. He was a founder of Chi Omega and a brother of Kappa Sigma. Their headquarters was absolutely stunning and an afternoon of that followed by an evening of cheering on UVA basketball as they crushed Wake Forest was just what I needed. Of course, it is back to J-Term for me today...

CAKE!

with the Dr. Charles Richardson bust in their museum

A little self-criticism never hurt anyone, right? Actually, I don't know the answer. What I do know is that when I looked in the mirror last night as I tried on one of the dresses that I got in the Lilly sale, I did not like what I saw. Yes, I was wearing a size 4 dress...two sizes smaller than what I would have worn at times in high school, and yes it was pretty. What I didn't like was the way my legs looked. I didn't like that despite adding some lotion and a pair of pumps, they still weren't that impressive.

Now, I am never going to have Carrie Underwood legs and I am not complaining about my weight. That isn't what bothered me. The problem I saw when I looked in the mirror was that the reflection was showing me a reality I had been trying to avoid. I have been absolutely horrible about working out, and now, my body is showing it. It is not about just fitting into the dress, it is about how you look once your in it. 

I wasn't upset that I was lacking definition because I wanted to weigh less, I was mad because I let myself fall out of shape. The image in the mirror was upsetting because it confirmed a reality I had been carefully avoiding. One that could no longer be avoided. So, how about no more excuses. How about I just start running again and liking what I see? I am not trying to get the "perfect figure" that others determine, but I would like to be proud of myself when I look in the mirror or at my outfit shots.

Here's to making healthy lifestyle changes and becoming the happy person you deserve to be!
 

Cheers,
SSP

Sugar Snap Pearls Turns One

Happy Birthday to my blog! Today Sugar Snap Pearls turns ONE YEAR OLD!

Last year I decided that after years of following blogs, I would make one for myself. I started this blog as an escape from the troubles I was facing with transferring and feeling isolated. Looking back, I can see how much I have grown from that time and I know that this blog was a huge part of that. This blog has become such an amazing outlet for me, both creatively and emotionally, and every day I am so thankful that I decided to start writing it.

wrong cake, but you get the idea...

Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for your comments, emails, and texts. I blog because I enjoy it, but knowing that it brings joy to others makes this that much sweeter. I am so appreciative of your continued support and look forward to seeing what year two will bring!

xoxo,

SSP

P.S. I hope y'all had/are having as much success as I did shopping the Lilly Pulitzer New Year Cheer Sale!!! They have fixed all of those crashing problems and it was such a pleasant experience...can't wait to share what I scored!

Dream Bigger

Last night, I had an amazing dream that I had started the drybar franchise. Yeah, I wish... (I mean, that would mean a lifetime of free blowouts, right?) I am pretty sure that this all got started with me running into Michaels yesterday looking for a print for my wall and coming across a print that I had been wanting for a long time now. Since I had a 50% off one item coupon, I figured that I may as well see if I had a place for it and if I had to, I could always return it. Well, when I got up to the cash register, I went to pull out my coupon until the lady said it was costing me $0.01. Seriously, I don't know why the heck this happened, but I paid a penny for this print!!!

What does this have to do with dreaming big? The print is called "The Boys of Summer" (see below) and it depicts four boys walking to or from a pickup game eying the ultimate prize, playing major league ball in Yankee Stadium. That is one of the reasons I have always loved this so much, not only is depicting a scene involving my beloved Yankees, but it also is about the importance of dreaming big.

Although I did not start a wildly successful franchise, like in my dream, I do have the ability to do what I want with my life. I have the ability to dream big, and so do all of you. Here is some inspiration for pursuing those dreams. I find it so helpful to pin quotes like these or print them out and I hope you do the same. Dream big, y'all!

 

peace, love, and back to paper writing for me.

xoxo,
SSP

p.s. Downton Abbey season premiere is tonight at 9pm!!! Thanks to G for reminding me...who else is excited???

Mirror, Mirror

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I did a mini DIY project when I got back to school on the first. I had been looking for a full-length mirror that I love since getting to school. Traditionally, I would just grab a $19.99 mirror from Bed, Bath, and Beyond before school and deal with its slightly warped structure. However, after coming home and realizing that it solidly made it look like there was a 15lb difference between each half of me split right down the middle, I became fed up with those mirrors and decided I would find a cute mirror that would be both ascetically pleasing and practical. Finally, while perusing Pinterest during a study break, I found one. 

I got this stand-alone mirror from Kirkland's for Christmas and I love it. Plus, adding this mirror to my room meant that I had an excuse to rearrange my furniture, something that has been a semi-annual event for me for years.

Mirrors are a great addition to any room as they both add light to the space and can make a small space seem bigger.

mirror, mirror by sugarsnappearls

xoxo,

SSP

2014 Resolutions

Happy 2014, y'all!!!

I hope everyone had an amazing time on New Year's Eve, I know I had...great plans. Yeah, unfortunately, I was too tired to go out when the time came so I ended up introducing my momma to "North and South" (that miniseries I watch on repeat) and spent the night cuddling with Luther, my black lab.

Now I am back at school to take a J-Term class on Political and Social Thought in Modern China and then recruitment and spring classes will start right after that. Sometimes I wish I'd take a breather, but I don't regret this at all!

I promised a post of my New Year's Resolutions and the delayed posting of them has given me some time to think. Self-improvement is necessary and healthy, but it can be hard to do, and sometimes we overcommit (story of my life). My resolutions are pretty big picture, seeing as I do have a 22 by 22 list to follow as well. So, without further ado, here are my 2014 resolutions, let's see if I can stick with them!

1) take a "me day" once a month

  This may seem small picture, but in fact it is not. The only way that I will maintain my sanity and still get to do everything I want to do is to understand when to let go. This can be a day of watching TV in my pajamas, going to get coffee with a friend, or just doing whatever it is that I want to do that day. I sometimes get the chance to decompress at night, but planning this once a month will hopefully prevent me from burning out.

2) be more positive

I think this one is directly linked to my exercise (and therefore #3) and these attitudinal changes tend to be harder to implement. Essentially, I just need to more consciously think good thoughts and try to reduce stress...both of which will be aided by exercise.

3) be smart about exercise

I want to run more and further, therefore I need to be realistic about my feet. I have several problems with them and while I can still run, I need to train smarter. Adding in some other cross-training exercises would be great too. This is less of a commitment to exercising as it is to doing it in a healthy way that prevents me from hurting myself and my progress.

4) finish my 22 by 22 list!

This is self-explanatory and I will be so happy once I've done it.
5) be confident in myself

I am definitely one to worry about how people perceive me and I wish that wasn't always the case. This year I really want to work on what I talked about in this post and focus on being happy with who I am and what I have. There is always room for improvement, but writing this down is definitely going to be a helpful reminder.

6) build my blog

I have come to really love blogging over this past year and while I definitely fail to give it as much attention as I could, so I am going to try that now. On that note, there are no words to thank you enough for your support and for reading my blog this past year!!!

I am planning to write these down somewhere and frame them or something so that I am reminded of them and how much I want to accomplish them. If anyone has any solutions for a way to remind myself, I would love to hear them! What are your resolutions?

xoxo,

SSP