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She Is Quick & Curious & Playful & Strong

She is quick and curious and playful and strong. She is a voracious reader and a fantastic dancer. She saves old snapshots but always loses her umbrella. Her emails pile up, but she never forgets to call her grandmother. She has $7 in change at the bottom of her handbag.

Letter Kandy | Live The Prep Life
Bracelet c/o Letter Kandy

The above quote is one of my favorite Kate Spade quotes. There's just something about it that speaks to me, and I've always loved it. Now, thanks to Letter Kandy, I can carry around a reminder of that quote every day.

I recently had the opportunity to work with Letter Kandy, and I love how my bracelet turned out. The owner, Amy, is so sweet, and it was so fun getting to design my bracelet.

Related: March Favorites

On their website, you can choose from a variety of different necklaces and bracelets. You can choose quotes, monograms, symbols... the list goes on and on. You can personalize it however you want, from the words to the color. The quote bracelet I got is this one, but the anchor and monogram are really cute choices as well.

Overall, I think my bracelet is so cute and I would definitely get one if I were you!
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Friday Picks

From eating chocolate and treating myself to some new spring pieces on Valentine's Day, to sleeping in and doing even more shopping on President's Day, this week wasn't half bad. There's been a ton of homework, many late nights, and quite a few moments that I've been overwhelmed, but sometimes you just have to block out the bad and focus on the good. It's going to be a hectic weekend, too, between soccer and blogging and school projects, but at least today is {fry}day (catch my reference there?) and we can all take a break from school and work.

Friday Picks | Live The Prep Life


1 // I recently got accepted to be a Country Club Prep brand rep! Leave your email in the comments and I'll send you an exclusive 20% off coupon code!













14 // I may or may not have spent an hour on Pinterest looking for recipes today instead of doing my classwork... whoops... but on the bright side I found these recipes to share with y'all! {1 // 2 // 3 // 4 } 


This post was mainly a scatterbrained collection of love and inspiration with a little fashion and food mixed in - but aren't all my Friday Picks like this? Enjoy your weekend!





Why I Took A Week Off From Blogging

If you keep up with my blog on a regular basis, you might have notied that I didn't post anything a couple weeks ago. Typically, I publish a post every Tuesday, as well as the links I've been loving every Friday, but during the first week of February, I didn't post anything. I kept up with my other social media channels, but I didn't post any new blog posts. I know that for some bloggers, it can be very stressful to write posts as they try to write up to five good quality posts per week and keep up with a consistent schedule, but there's no need to be stressed. You shouldn't have to stress out just because you don't have a post up. If you have a busy week, or have a lot going on, it's okay to take a break - and here's why.

Why I Took A Week Off From Blogging | Blogging Break | Live The Prep Life

I always try to write good quality posts, with good quality images. That takes time. It also takes time to share those posts on social media - after it all adds up, I'd say I spend about two to three hours on a post. If I have a busy week, and don't have three hours to set aside specifically for a post, then it just doesn't get done. I'm not going to scramble to put together a mediocre post in 30 minutes. You've probably heard it a million times - quality over quantity. You're probably sick of hearing it, but it's true. I'm not going to sacrifice the quality of a post just so I can post something.

Every post could be the first post a potential reader stumbles across. Every post has the power to turn a reader off or have a reader click on another post. That potential reader doesn't know that you had a busy week, or that your posts are typically better than this; all that reader sees when they click on your post is that it's not a very good post. I refuse to let that happen.

Related: How to Stay Safe as a Blogger

Here's a fact that may come as a shocker to some of you: Blogging is not my whole life. That doesn't mean I don't love blogging, because I do - but there are other things that I love too. I have school, and sports, and a million other things to balance. If I'm busy or under a lot of stress during a particular week, writing a blog post isn't going to happen. It's just not. But that's okay.

In the past eight months that I've been blogging, I've told myself, "I have to get this post up by seven and then I'm done," or "Brooke, stop watching Netflix because you really have to write a post for tomorrow," more times than I can count. Now, watching Netflix is one thing and I should probably rather be blogging, but if I have family in town that I don't get to see that often? I'm going to be spending time with them. Sometimes I'll prepare for a busy week by scheduling posts, but if I don't have the time for that, then a blog post just won't happen. And that's okay.

So basically, what I'm trying to day here, is that blogging should be fun. It should be an outlet for you to express your creativity. It shouldn't be stressful for you to write posts, because you shouldn't have to. You should blog because you want to. If you can't think of a post idea, or don't have time, or are simply uninspired, don't sweat it. We get it. Take a break, clear your mind, then come back with a completely different perspective. You may just be surprised at what you find.'

What are your thoughts on blogging breaks?

Treat Yourself

A lot of people think that Valentine's Day is just for couples... but that could not be further from the truth. More people than ever celebrated Galentine's Day this year, and Valentine's Day has turned into a big holiday for everyone. I think it's important that today, you take some time for yourself. Cook yourself a fancy dinner. Watch some movies with some homemade popcorn. Have a party for one.

Treat Yourself



Since spring is just around the corner, it's the perfect time to splurge on some new pieces for your warmer weather wardrobe! I've been loving everything from the newest Lilly Pulitzer collection, and I have major heart eyes for these Jack Rogers. It just might be time for me to pull the trigger on one of these items!

So this Valentine's Day, treat yourself. Go buy something you've been wanting, but have been hesitant to pull the trigger on. You deserve it. You're worth it.

What have you had your eye on lately?

Friday Picks

From eating chocolate and treating myself to some new spring pieces on Valentine's Day, to sleeping in and doing even more shopping on President's Day, this week wasn't half bad. There's been a ton of homework, many late nights, and quite a few moments that I've been overwhelmed, but sometimes you just have to block out the bad and focus on the good. It's going to be a hectic weekend, too, between soccer and blogging and school projects, but at least today is {fry}day (catch my reference there?) and we can all take a break from school and work.

Friday Picks | Live The Prep Life


1 // I recently got accepted to be a Country Club Prep brand rep! Leave your email in the comments and I'll send you an exclusive 20% off coupon code!













14 // I may or may not have spent an hour on Pinterest looking for recipes today instead of doing my classwork... whoops... but on the bright side I found these recipes to share with y'all! {1 // 2 // 3 // 4 } 


This post was mainly a scatterbrained collection of love and inspiration with a little fashion and food mixed in - but aren't all my Friday Picks like this? Enjoy your weekend!





A Nautical Valentine's Day | #galpallinkup






I also think that since the top is so simple, it would look great paired with a statement necklace like this one.




Excuse my dry hands... I swear by all of these winter skin tips but lately I've been forgetting


Excuse my face... this was taken while I was laughing and I just had to post it

Top (sold out, similar linked here) | Jeans | Shoes | Lipstick | Necklace | Bracelet | Ring

I haven't done an outfit post in forever, and since today is the Valentine's Day edition of the #galpallinkup (hosted by Rachel, Cathleen, & Cristina) I thought I would share the Valentine's Day look I've been loving recently! I know that when many people think of a traditional Valentine's Day outfit, they most likely think of something red and pink - but this is not your traditional Valentine's Day outfit. Lately, I've been in love with nautical colors, and when I found this top at Francesca's for such a great deal, I knew exactly what I'd be wearing for Valentine's Day. The nice thing about this top is that it doesn't have to be exclusively for Valentine's Day, either - I think it would be so cute paired with white jeans and Jacks later on in the spring!

To accessorize, I added some dainty jewelry. I recently received this gorgeous monogram necklace from a giveaway, and I love how it can be paired with bigger necklaces or simply worn by itself. I also added two pieces from my latest Rocksbox: this Gorjana bracelet and this Wanderlust + Co ring. If you don't know what Rocksbox is, it's a jewelry subscription service that includes designer brands such as Kendra Scott and Loren Hope. Use my code BROOKEBFF255 for your first month free!


One last thing - I know that many fashion bloggers only do outfit posts when they're all dressed up and look perfectly put-together. That's great and all, but that's not really my style. Yes, my style is "preppy," but it's also very casual. I rarely wear an everyday outfit that doesn't involve jeans, and my Converse are my go-to shoe. If you want to see posts where I'm more dressed up, I have some of those coming up soon, but for now, I hope you've enjoyed seeing my laidback Valentine's Day look!

Shop some of my favorite red & navy picks below!