short summer sundresses...you know you love!!

so obviously, it's the dead of winter in Newport, R.I., and I should be studying.

instead, i've been clued into the fact that Abercrombie has some pretty darn cute summer dresses out!

i mention it to a friend, and she says, "who shops at Abercrombie anymore?"

obviously, i remind her that i do.

and that she quite recently made a comment on a facebook photo deMANDing to borrow a dress (which, clearly, she didn't know was Abercrombie).

i rest my case.

that being said, i clearly have no problem heading over to Abercrombie's less-popular, lesser known little sister: Hollister.

and, as per usual, i fall in love:

here's where you see my economical craftiness - look @ their big sisters from A + F:

now honestly, the prices are comparable - ranging from $39.50 to $68, so you know i'll probably order a majority of the dresses and ship back the ones i don't like/are too short, but for now, i just need to blog about them and covet, covet, covet!

especially because you know in newport, we're all wearing this:

xx,
alanna

OMG island style! haha prettiest blog post ever :)

[cue ariel little mermaid noise]

ahhh-ahhhhhh-ah

(okay, it looks more like screaming.  anyways.)

SPRING is here which means SUMMER is coming which means I DIE @ all current advertising campaigns!  seriously my dream job? editor at Coastal Living magazine.  sigh.

- Victoria's Secret bikinis i can't wait to get my hands on...although i may have to get my hands off the pringles first (um, the barbecue ones from foreign countries are INCREDIBLE.  they don't taste like barbecue sauce, they taste like straight up delicious shish kebabs!)

[sidenote, looking at all of those perfect tan tummies reminded me...head over to The Stonekings to congratulate one of my favorite bloggers on her new pregnancy!!  she still looks like a vicki's model!]

sooo anyways, back to the summer fun:

- Coastal Living's incredible February 2010 spread (and some photos from previous issues)
[annnnd now you see why i want to work at Coastal Living.  can you imagine being surrounded by this stuff all day?!]

- Boatman Gellar's uber-cute spring/summer color combos

- Jules Reid's incredible Spring 2010 collection (www.julesreid.com)

 - my newest eBay lilly pulitzer wins

annnd remember the abercrombie incident that resulted in like nine new dresses? well i may or may not have surfed over to hollister co. (bahaha, get it? surfed? since they're so socal?) and these puppies may or may not be on their way to becky's as we speak:

also, thank you to Fashion Nicotine - I won her $50 CSN Stores gift card giveaway!!  y'all should check out her blog - she is foreign and very fashionable :)  here's what i decided to spend the gift card on (CSN has a crazy amount of choices, so it took forever to decide!):
le Creuset baking cups in kiwi and citrus:

trend lab paisley park two piece picture frame set (yes, it's for children. whatever.):

if you've gotten all the way down to this part of the post, i commend you!! bahaha...i also leave you with these horribly appropriate Lily Allen lyrics:
"and i am a weapon of massive consumption
it's not my fault it's how i'm programmed to function..."

eta: annd because i can't NOT feature someone's giveaway:
Our Journey Together's Jade Cluster Earrings Giveaway

giveaways and social climbers and top 2 tuesday!

First things first: I recently received Beth Dunn's Social Climbers in the mail and couldn't wait to sit down and devour it.  I literally would eat in my room so I'd be able to read while I ate!  This book is so heartwarming and full of cute, charming anecdotes (not to mention great Essie color recommendations!).  It is also a great look into the Philadelphia/New Jersey preppy culture - having spent my formative years in Virginia, it's interesting to see the differences above and below the Mason-Dixon line!  If you're interested in grabbing a copy of your own, please check out Beth's blog - Social Climbers !

annnd for a little personal content, FYI to everyone - i have received another message from both becky and christina, my besties, this time telling me that my room back home looks like a post office.  my thoughts on this? 

every time i'm sad or homesick, every time i'm lonely and there's no one on the ship i feel like i can relate to, i go shopping online.  

i buy cute summer dresses, pretty shimmery (and totally work inappropriate) makeup, and killer heels.  i order movies and frothy books and headbands and mascara (did you know they won't ship mascara to fpo/ap's ? isn't that strange?) and i do so without basically any guilt, because i am SO lonely sometimes.  it got to the point where my boss called me into his office and asked why i hadn't been my normal, obnoxiously perky self recently, and i was so bummed that i was completely honest.  i said, "i hate it here. i hate everyone. i miss my best friends and i can't wait to go home."  i realize i may have sounded like a whiny b*, but sometimes you have to pull the honesty card!  

SO, while i doubt any of y'all were judging, to the people who may think that my spending is a little bit extensive, please remember the reason that i have money to spend...because i LIVE (quite literally) at my job.

p.s. this isn't a dig at my besties - they're the people and times i'm thinking of when i'm buying these things-remembering our times together and looking forward to the times to come...and besides, they're taking good care of my packages for me :)

p.p.s. i seriously do have a shopping problem...have you seen the new Gap nautical collection?  i don't even like Gap!  not to mention the fact that i'm drooling @ Hollister right now...there's NO way i'd fit into that stuff...right??

 and for my top two tuesday - baby names? the funny thing is that i haven't played this little game with myself in FOREVER! shows how long it's been since i've had a boyfriend, huh? bahahah ;)

girl: kylie, kelly, kayla, kaely, brooke

boy: brett, kyle, jackson

And now for the giveaways:

 Semi Slacker Mom's Sew Girlie Personalized Bucket Giveaway

 Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's Pretty Smitten Notecard Giveaway

Hoity Toity Baby's Lucky Bluebird Art Giveaway

 Tart Paperie's Sweettart Giveaway

 Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's K Voss Designs Giveaway

 Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's West Third Candle in Garden Freesia Scent
Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's Live Oaks Pouch

Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle's Pretty Chic Giveaway

 Hoity Toity Baby's Finch and Hawk Giveaway

 The Entertaining House's Cheese Basket Giveaway

Think Happy Thought's Wise Impressions Giveaway

 Hoity Toity Baby's Penny Lane Designs Giveaway

 The Life of a Suburban Princess's Lilly Pulitzer Pendant Giveaway

 Hoity Toity Baby's Swanky Bakes Giveaway

 How Could You Nott's Let Me Natalya Jewelry Giveaway

 Preppy Little Dress's Lilly Pulitzer Giveaway

 Hoity Toity Baby's Ink Obsession Giveaway

y'all should really enter all of them!! look at what i've won recently:

Huephoria Wine Glass, courtesy of KAG:

Fondue Set, courtesy of Little Miss Southern:

just thought about becky having to put a fondue pot on the pile in my room - done with the bummed! now get to entering those posts and grab a copy of Social Climbers!