Saturday, January 21, 2012

Kate Spade Year of Pattern: Stripes

Many of you may be familiar with last year's Year of Color campaign from Kate Spade. They're embarking on a similar adventure this year: the Year of Pattern! Each month will have a new pattern theme, just like last year had a new color for each month. The first selection is a North Shore Prep favorite: Stripes.

Here are my favorite striped pieces from Kate Spade.

Kate Spade has a great track record with crossbody bags. This one packs a major punch in preppy stripes!


Toe the Line and Flying Colors Idiom Bangles
Arm candy perfection.

I love the fun striped wedge heel! It's the perfect pop of pattern, and they also come in classic black and white.

This versatile top can make the transition from winter to spring so easily. My mind is spinning with possibilities!
Every girl needs that go-to silk scarf.

And last, but certainly not least...my favorite striped find from Kate Spade:

The Striped Jillian Dress! Y'all have no idea how badly I want this dress. Online shopping love at first sight...and it's red, white, and blue. I know it's January but...4th of July, anybody?

XO
North Shore Prep

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Working Out

Exercising more regularly/more often was (and is!) one of my big goals for 2012. It's such an easy thing to push aside and say you'll do it later, but it's equally easy to just do it!


I know that there are days when I come home from a long day at school and Poms and the absolute last thing I want to do is get on the elliptical or do some extra crunches. I want to sleep. Forever. But once I'm doing them, and after I finish, I feel so much better!

With second semester starting Monday (yes, Finals are OVER!!), I'm making it my mission to do a short workout each morning, right when I wake up. If you exercise early, it sets the tone for the rest of the day. Not only will you be more energized throughout the day, you also burn more calories during subsequent activity in your day and it kickstarts your metabolism.

Starting Monday morning, I will be doing:
50 crunches of varied styles (i.e.: traditional, legs up, side, bicycle, twisting, etc.)
25 Push Ups
25 Tricep Dips
20 Squats
20 Lunges on each side

I'll also be getting on the elliptical at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes of H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training)

With Nationals (2 weeks!), Spring Break, and Turnabout coming up, I want to look and feel my best.

I encourage you to make good health a priority with me this year. 


XO
North Shore Prep

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Monogram Jewelry

Of course I love monograms. Monogrammed bags, monogrammed towels, monogrammed scarves, and sweaters, and Jack Rogers sandals, and...jewelry. Lately I've been seeing more monogrammed jewelry than usual, and I'm loving it!

For Christmas, I got this necklace from my parents (with a G, obvs!)


I know it's a single-letter, so technically that's only an initial...but you get my point.

It's so simple and easy to throw on on a day I'm not wearing my pearls. I love it!

Swell Caroline has a ton of adorable monogram jewelry. My favorites are:


I love that you can completely customize it, from the color of the chain to the color of the background and the monogram. I really like the white on pink and the pink on green (surprise, surprise :) ).


I'm so obsessed with this one!! It's so gorgeous and walks that fine line between subtle and statement.

Now I saw these earrings floating around online and made it my personal mission to find them, and I did!


They're from Max and Chloe, and there's a lot of other adorable pieces on their website. Added to my favorites? Maybe.

Marley Lilly has a fantastic selection of monogrammed everything, and jewelry is no exception.


This monogram bracelet is definitely on my list!


I don't wear rings often, but if I did...this would be my pick!

How do you feel about monogrammed jewelry?

XO
North Shore Prep

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

De-Stressing


Ahh, Finals Week. How I've missed you. I actually do like Finals Week at my school. It's super laid back (go to school, take a test, leave!), I have no homework, and I get to catch up on my sleep. Yay!

For many people, Finals Week is super stressful. People at my school who are perfectly normal the rest of the year now freak out about failing their finals and failing their classes. It's ridiculous, and I was lucky enough to realize this before I took my finals the first semester of my freshman year. I use Finals Week as a time to clear my head and get my life back in order. Because let's face it, late in the semester, things get a little crazy.

The first thing I do to get rid of stress is to create time for myself. Whatever I want to do, for an hour each day, I do it. Whether it means reading a book, watching TV, or as is often in my case, going to an extra dance class, I take time for myself. It's so important to step back and look at the bigger picture. If you study yourself into oblivion, you won't perform well on your exam. Simple really. We all know that maintaining our mental health is crucial, especially in a potentially stressful time like this one.

I also make sure to exercise every day. For me, this is easy throughout the year, because I have Poms and dance classes almost every day, but during Finals Week, I take all my extra time to do more. During my study breaks, I'll do thirty minutes on the elliptical and come back feeling recharged and reenergized. Exercise clears your head and makes you happy. It's a scientifically proven fact. And who doesn't love science when it benefits you?

Lastly, I study, but I don't go overboard! I take an hour and a half for each subject with an exam–which is the time of each final exam at my school–and break that up over the days preceding my test. I use that hour and a half wisely, to skim over things I know and to deeply and thoroughly review the things I need extra help with. And when my ninety minutes is up, I'm done. I move on. I've realized that, after a certain point, all the studying in the world isn't going to help you pass if you don't know everything well enough deep down. Instead of learning everything the week of finals, I make sure I study hard throughout the semester so that I can take my exams with confidence.

Good luck to all of you who have exams this week!!

XO
North Shore Prep

Monday, January 9, 2012

Patagonia vs. The North Face

Just recently, I was informed of the debate over Patagonia and The North Face jackets. Living on the North Shore, you don't see too much (read: any) Patagonia, but The North Face jackets are everywhere. I've never really gotten into the fleece jacket craze that takes over each winter. I do own one black North Face fleece that I got as a gift in, I think, 5th grade. I don't really wear it too often because I just like my "real" coats and my Poms jacket so much. But lately, especially with it being Finals season and what not, I'm predicting so many lazy days, especially next week. All of a sudden, I'm craving a fleece jacket.

Here are my picks from Patagonia, followed by my TNF favorites:


Patagonia R2 Jacket in Black and Deep Plum






The North Face Denali Jacket in TNF Black and Montague Blue


The North Face Khumbu Jacket in Moonlight Ivory and Gravity Purple


Overall, I like Patagonia's range of products better. I found more things on the Patagonia website that I could really see myself wearing than I did on the TNF site. That being said, TNF's color selection is above and beyond. They have navy. That's a must. Now, if Patagonia could make a navy version of the R2 or the Micro D 1/4 Zip, I'd be jumping on the fleece jacket bandwagon faster than you can say "zip-up." Or do I just go for the navy Denali?

Good thing I don't really have to make this decision, because it could take me forever.

Besides, there's already a navy Shep Shirt. :)


Where do you stand on the Patagonia vs. TNF debate?

XO
North Shore Prep

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Answering Some Questions

Hello. So nice to meet you. I'm Gabbi and I'm a dancer and I write a blog and...Yes, I know. It's been forever (a whole six days!) since I posted that I feel like I should be reassuring y'all that I'm still alive and well and haven't dropped off the face of the Earth. I hate to make excuses but, I've just been super, super busy. 

In my absence though, I have received a lot of questions from all of my lovely followers and readers that I'm now going to take a much needed break from studying for finals to answer.

Here we go!

"Do you like the new Sperrys from J.Crew?"

For the most part, no. I much prefer my A/O's in dark brown or metallic gold leather. Despite the torture my ankles endure breaking in a new pair, it's so worth it in the end. There comes a point, after enough wear, that they just. Fit. Perfectly. And they're soo comfy! I don't know if that would happen with the twill ones from J.Crew.


I'm also quite confused by the laces. It seems that they don't tie, considering the curlicues on the ends of the laces, and I feel like that might annoy me. Would they fall off? I'll have to try on a pair at some point, but chances are, I won't be sporting them this spring or summer. If I were to get a pair, I'd skip the bright pinks and yellows in favor of the natural color pictured here.

"What do you think of watches?"

I love watches! I have a white resin Michael Kors with crystals around the face and I honestly couldn't live without it. I wear it every day, except for gamedays when I wear my Poms uniform. But I don't wear any jewelry except diamond studs with my uniform.

"Do you think wearing pearls would clash with a gold watch?"

No. Absolutely not. No clashing happening there at all:)

"What bag do you carry for school?"

I have an extra-large Boat-n-Tote with pink straps/base and a "G" monogram from LL Bean. Warning: The extra-large is huge. Like actual boat-sized huge. It's become a running joke with me and my friends (they call it my house, nickname it (Gino, short for ginormous), and talk to it...). I probably should have gotten the large. But it's really good in that I never have to go to my locker, and I usually don't have to carry an extra bag with my things for Poms practice. Last year I carried a dark purple Longchamp and I really liked that too.

"What types of dance do you do?"

I'm on the Varsity Poms team at my school (Yay for being one of three sophomores on Varsity!) and I also take Jazz and Pointe classes at a studio near my house, which I love.

"What are your beauty essentials?"

Oh goodness. I use Estée Lauder bronzer, MAC blush, Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid eyeliner, Maybelline Volum' Express Colossal mascara, and Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies mascara. (I layer the two mascaras so my lashes look super long!) I also use a clear mascara to put my eyebrows in place because I'm super OCD about that...It's the little things, haha. For my hair, I use moroccan oil, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Extra Strength serum, and Neutrogena Split End Mender. I also use the Neutrogena Triple Moisture deep conditioning mask once a week to keep my hair soft and shiny and healthy, since I subject it to ridiculous amounts of heat from my blowdryer and flat iron.

"If you could have one item from J.Crew's new collection, what would it be?"

Just one? Well...I really like the Perfect Shirt in Ashbury Floral. It's so bright and fun for spring!


"What about from the Lilly Resort collection?"


The Taytay Dress. Hands down. It's classic Lilly, and I'm in the market for a perfect sundress. But now that I think about it, I'm loving all the new Lilly.

If you guys have any other questions, please email them to me at northshoreprep {at} gmail {dot} com or leave them in the comments section! I can't wait to hear from you!

XO
North Shore Prep

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!


{via}

I can't believe 2011 is over already! I'm so excited to start fresh in 2012, starting with these resolutions:

1. Get Fit: I know, so cliché. But this year, I'm really going to do it. I've got a set routine (Poms Practice Monday-Friday, Dance Classes Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, extra conditioning on Wednesday and Saturday, and extra cardio Saturday and Sunday) and will be sticking to it! I'm also going to stick to eating vegetarian, but cut back on sweets. I'd also like to eventually work myself into a vegan diet.

2. Dance More: In addition to Poms and my regular classes at my studio, I want to go to more open classes, workshops, and conventions. Taking class from more teachers and exposing myself to new styles will make me a much more versatile and well-rounded dancer.

3. Study More Effectively: I'm a procrastinator by nature, but this will be the year that I get really on top of my schoolwork. In the past, I've always been able to get really good grades just by sitting back and letting it come to me. With my classes getting harder, however, I'm going to be more proactive with my approach to studying and completing my schoolwork and projects. With the study hall that I worked into my schedule this coming semester, I'll have no excuse.

What are your resolutions?

XO
North Shore Prep