4 ways to rock this 4th

I don't know about you all, but every year I start getting as giddy as a kid on their birthday right about now. Not that my birthday is anywhere near close to now (guessing contest anyone?), but you know who's birthday IS?!? If not that is kind of pathetic. just going to be honest here. 

Our good ole land of the free and home of the brave is turning 236 this Independence Day, and I can hardly wait :) Every year since my siblings and I were little enough to run the beaches bare-assed and carefree, my family has spent the 4th of July on Block Island. Since then, I never cease to grow tired of the great parade leaving streets strewn about with candy, the perfect beach breeze and the delicious smells of a nearby barbecue wafting in every direction. Can you tell I am itching to return?

In attempt to control my excitement this year, I decided to put together a little mix of outfits for the occasion. Whether you will be spending your Independence Day in the city, on a beach, at a family BBQ or even on a date, here are a few chic&cheap ideas to inspire your 4th of July attire! 

(click to expand)

striped tee - Urban Outfitters
white floral shorts, red blazer, fedora, red skirt - Forever 21
DIY denim cutoffs
white crop top - Free People
striped romper - birthday gift :)
red clutch, navy purse, black flats, white heels - Marshall's
cheetah pumps, floral flats - Target

xoxo Mer

Easy Peasy Updo? Yes Pleasy!

Happy Friday everyone! 

For some of us, it has been quite a tough week. For others, not so much. But regardless of how these past couple of days have gone for you, the weekend has arrived and the view from Boston is glorious. So sit back, relax by the pool, and party your purtty little peplum skirts off when nighttime rolls in! Here is a simple braided updo that is perfect for going from day to night, for any occasion under the hot summah sun! enjoy!

xoxo Mer 

Teal Time

hello, beauts! 

Most of you have probably noticed that it has been some time since my last post, but only because I have been so busy with graduation! That's right, I am officially a high school graduate and I could not be more thrilled. Despite being out of school for a week now, it has yet to truly feel like summer-- one reason being that the weather has been rather bipolar lately. But also because I jumped right into work the day after graduation! And let me tell you, I would hardly call this work... its my passion.

For my senior project, I interned at a free bimonthly magazine in Boston called The Improper Bostonian (Like their facebook page!). For two and a half weeks I worked in their downtown office as a marketing and advertising intern, learning all sorts of things from how to courrier a package to how to make an ad deal for appealing to local businesses. While that was all good and interesting, my main goal in interning for The Improper was to get a glimpse into the overall lifestyle of working for a magazine, and not just the advertising side of things. So, as it turned out, I eventually met with the magazine's contributing fashion editor Lydia Santangelo, who--for lack of better term--stole me right from the office to be her own intern! Right away she had me working on a photo shoot for the upcoming issue, and now I am assisting for my very first fashion show for Clark's shoes! Yes, yes, it is all very exciting indeed, and I cannot wait to tell you all more about it. Stay tuned as the summer goes on (check my blog, twitter, facebook page)-- I'm sure I will have much to tell. 

In the mean time my weekends have been full with grad parties. I went to three just today! Going from one party to the next, I needed an outfit that would be comfy enough to be in all day, yet scream that I am fully aware of the latest summer must-haves. I wore these teal lace shorts from Forever 21 with a blue tee from LF that I received for my birthday a couple years ago. Paired with two necklaces made by my darling mother (craft runs in the family) and a tan sandal heel. 

Happy Friday, my lovelies!

xo Mer

DIY Wall Art - Reuse, Recycle, Recreate!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! I hope your weekend was as relaxing and positively gorgeous as mine was. With three straight days of sun, warm breezes, and nothing but time, it's these moments that remind me why I love New England.

Naturally I have been soaking up as much sun as I can, but of course, I can only take so much of it before the voice in my head tells me I should probably take a break--if not for sun damage, at least for an icy cup of fresh lemonade :)

During one of my breaks I decided I had collected enough paper towel rolls to take a crack at my DIY wall art project. I had seen a picture on pinterest, and it looked simple enough. After cutting up about 4 wrapping paper rolls, 3 paper towel rolls, 4 toilet paper rolls, and glueing the pieces together with mother's hot glue gun, this is what I produced in my artsy hour:

Cute, huh?! I am totally pleased with how it turned out! The best part is, there are so many ways to make it your own, from simply adding on to make it any size, any shape, or by adding hints of color, etc. So simple, so easy, and so worth those 60 minutes (especially when you can multitask by knocking out a few episodes on Hulu).

Never hurts to know you can get something out of being resourceful. How have you been spending your red, white and blue (and green!) weekend??

xoxo Mer

a day like today calls for crochet

sometimes just a little crochet is all you need

Colorblock nails

Today was yet another gorgeous almost-summer day, so I decided to take full advantage of the outdoors and start my morning with some tennis. Afterwards I couldn't think of anything else I'd rather do then sit outside with a good magazine and soak up the warm rays--until I noticed my nails. They needed some work. But who's to say I can't do my nails AND enjoy the sunshine?! no one, that's who.

I have seen and heard a lot about the different nail art you can create with some simple scotch tape, but I never had the time or patience to wait for the multiple layers of polish to dry. But actually, doing this outside was the perfect place to try it out! Not only did the sun dry my nails twice as fast, but I could simply kick back with my latest Vogue issue whilst waiting for the fresh coat to dry. 

The style I went for was the simple colorblock, and this whole tape technique turned out to indeed be just as easy as they say!

I first painted my nails a solid color (I chose Essie's Turquoise and Caicos). After they dried completely, I laid a piece of tape across each nail at a diagonal. Then just apply a second color!

my second color was Essie's Size Matters.

Finish with a top coat and voila!

If I can do this, anyone can. 

Happy Saturday :)

xoxo Mer

sweet and girly braid hairstyle

This style takes less than a minute and can be dressed up by curling the rest of your hair, or leave as is for a unique beachy boho look. Do with it what you will (and comment with pictures of your gorgeous new style!)

xoxo Mer

Day 1 - complete!

After a long and tough AP Biology exam, I was glad to be able to walk right out those heavy classroom building doors to head to the train rather than my next class. That's right, I am officially DONE with high school work. Well, other than writing the occasional blog post about my new internship at the Improper Bostonian-- something I can totally handle at this point.

Safe to say my first day on the job was a success. Besides only coming in for a half day due to my exam, I was welcomed by the smiling, friendly faces of two other interns (also my age) and the other staff members. To make things even better? Muffins and coffee were of abundance in the kitchen area, and all the latest magazine issues waiting at my desk. I knew I was in the right place. 

Anywho, more on that later. After work I got to attend the premier of Crooked Arrows, a new lacrosse movie about an underdog Native American team getting back in touch with the game's roots to come back and defeat the rich prep school champs. The real appeal though is that my brother Andy is in movie as a player for the prep school team Coventry (look for number 5)! Oh and, not that it's a big deal, but I am in the movie as well. That's right. For a whole 3 SECONDS I am smack dab in the middle of the right of the screen, a focused observer of the intense game that takes place. My Oscar nomination should come any day now.

After the movie everyone went on over to Gypsy Bar in Boston for the after party. Couldn't stay too late, though, I didn't want to look tired for my second day at my internship. But I didn't leave before snagging a picture or two with Brandon Routh, the star of the film, alias Superman. 

me, Brandon (we are on a first name basis), and my sister Katie

me and Katie

The blonde boy is my neighbor Jack Vandervelde, who stars as Toby. He already has fans!

xoxo Mer