blogs galore

I have a very long list of blogs that I check on a daily basis. It's pretty much the reason that I got into blogging myself. These ladies inspire me on so many levels, whether it be fashion or personal stories! I thought I'd share some of my favorite blogs with you guys today, and hope that you get inspired as much as I do :)

Carly at The College Prepster: Carly's blog is is the first blog that I really started following on a daily basis. She's one of the nicest people in the world, and I find myself looking forward to reading her posts, whether it be an outfit post or her My Real Selfie post. She's just so real, which is incredibly refreshing in a time where their is a lot of fakeness on the internet.

Sarah at Classy Girls Wear Pearls: Not only is she apart of an amazing company, but her style is absolutely fabulous. I could sit and look through the archives of her blog forever! Her closet (which she and her fiance have posted pictures of on instagram) is the thing of dreams. Plus, who can beat a name like Classy Girls Wear Pearls?

Julia at Gal Meets Glam: To say that I'm obsessed with Julia's style would be an understatement. I found her blog in the midst of NYFW, and immediately fell in love. Her style is girly but still incredibly fashion forward, and just...swoon worthy! (I'm still head over heels for that camel/pink outfit)

Mackenzie at Design Darling: First of all, she has the cutest online boutique store. And then there's her blog, which ranges from amazing outfit posts to decorating and more! I love her latest series on inspiring women, and I can't wait to see more of it! (And to hopefully get rich, so I can buy every single thing in her store.)

Well, that's my list for now! To see the full list of blogs I follow daily, click on over here :)

What blogs do you follow for inspiration?

-Kylie

a minnie kind of day

I WANT SPRING WEATHER. I am so completely over all this cold. I want to put my puffy coat away. Anyone else with me? I've been boycotting the cold by trying to start wearing my spring pieces, and yesterday I wore a skirt. Totally fine during the day when the sun was out, but shivering by the time the stupid sun went down and I had to wait for my bus! Oh well, the spring weather will be here soon enough! (Hopefully sooner. Hint, hint mother nature.)
Do you ever have a piece of clothing that you find when looking through you're closet, and start celebrating, because you completely forgot you had it? It's like buying new clothes! That's what happened with this shirt, so I just had to wear it.

shirt: Forever 21 (similar) // skirt: Forever 21 // tights: Target // socks: Urban Outfitters (similar) // necklace: gift // bracelet: Oh So Bow // watch: Lacoste // boots: Hunters (similar)

-Kylie

wishlist: spring Lilly favorites!

The new spring arrivals just came out on the Lilly Pulitzer site and I am beyond in love. So many bright colors, and all that seersucker! It's definitely making me wish for warmer weather (what else is new), and adding to my hate for all this snow on the ground! Who else wants to boycott everything and head to some tropical place with me? We can go shop at Lilly first ;)

Delia Shift Dress // Phoebe Ruffle Neckline Dress 

Calhoun Scoop Neck Dress // Abby Peplum Sheath Dress 

January Scallop Hem Skort // Fisher Bikini

Kailey Chiffon Halter Dress // Lori Dress 

It was actually hard picking just a couple pieces to make a post about! I'm so in love with everything! Who wants to fund my shopping excursion to Lilly Pulitzer? ;)

-Kylie

Dottie Rocks!

I have a newfound love for engraved pencils. Normally, I am strictly a pen kind of girl. Maybe just because I was so sick of my mechanical pencils after high school. But there is just something about writing with a pretty looking pencil. Makes doing all that homework just a little, tiny bit better.
I found Dottie Rocks on Etsy, and instantly fell in love! The shop is run by Karen, and she has an amazing collection of pencils including quotes from Marilyn Monroe to Downton Abbey! And all in the prettiest of colors, of course. 
She sent me the "Dirty Dancing" collection and the "Sleeps in Chanel No. 5" collection, and I honestly think I squealed when I opened the package. Not only is the packaging cute, the pencils are even prettier in person! And all of the pencils in the shop are affordable, which is always a major score in my book!

See what I mean about pretty packaging??

I obviously have a thing for taking pictures ;) 

Check out Dottie Rocks on Etsy and head over to her facebook page as well! It is definitely a worthy addition to any desk!

Which set is your favorite?

-Kylie

The pencils were provided by Dottie Rocks. All pictures and opinions are my own.

If you would like to work with me, or become a sponsor of Dress in Sparkles, feel free to email me at kyliemavrakis@gmail.com. 

oscar fashion recap

How could I not make a post about the amazing fashion that happened last night? I was totally that nerd that started watching the red carpet show when it started at 5:30....a whole three hours before the actual show started! So here are some of my favorite looks from the night (although don't ask me who I thought was best dressed, as I am absolutely horrible about picking just one!)

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior Couture // Lupita Nyong'o in Prada

Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen // Amy Adams in Gucci

Jessica Biel in Chanel Couture // Sarah Paulson in Elie Saab 

Kristen Bell in Roberto Cavalli (bonus Dax in John Varvatos) // Anna Kendrick in J. Mendel

Which look was your favorite? (Or, like me, which multiple looks were your favorites?) 

(Also, YAY FROZEN FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE! AND LET IT GO WON BEST SONG!)

-Kylie

weekly roundup

one: If you haven't heard the story about Angie and her daughter Mayhem, you need to hop on over to Buzzfeed and read it! Basically, they craft dresses for Mayhem, using mainly paper and other craft supplies. Probably one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Check out Angie's instagram here to keep up to date on the pictures. 

two: The Pixar theory guy has done it again! First, he created a theory linking most of the Pixar movies together. And now he's taking it a step further by unveiling his theory on the true identity of Andy's mom in Toy Story! Head over and read it (and the Pixar theory if you haven't read that yet)! It will blow your mind! (I've mentioned my crazy Disney obsession on here before, right?)

three: The amazing minds behind The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have done it again. Emma Approved is a modern adaption of Emma by Jane Austen, and I am in love. (Technically I've been in love since it started in the fall, but I haven't shared on here yet!) I was skeptical at first, because I wasn't sure that anything could be as amazing as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. But Emma Approved is amazing, and the cast is perfect! (Not to mention the guys are completely gorgeous ;)) Click here to catch up on the youtube page! You won't regret it! 

-Kylie

study break down

In high school I constantly claimed that I needed the TV to be on when I was doing my homework. It is probably the reason that I had such terrible and awful studying skills. Now I'm not saying that my study skills now are fantastic, but they work for me and that's all that matters, right? Even though I've learned to turn the TV off while doing homework, I still hate sitting in silence. Too freaky! And with music, I have to be careful to not put on songs I love, because then I just want to sing along and perform!
The other day I was searching through my iTunes, but nothing seemed conducive for studying, so I headed over to 8tracks.com. If you haven't heard of it, it's basically a website where people can make playlists and share them! I was so happy to find a couple that worked for me, and I figured I'd make a post and hopefully help someone else out too!

one // mrs. darcy It's all the music from the 2006 version of Pride and Prejudice! I have a slight obsession with anything Jane Austen, so this one just makes me smile.
two // drifting This one has singing tracks, but they're all acoustic, Indie tracks, so I don't know any of them! It's flowy music, and perfect to have on in the background.
three // klassische Ballet and classical music. I used to do ballet, so there's just something soothing to me about music from ballets. 
four // plie/releve More ballet! It really is great background music!

bonus mix // trouble  For when you need a good pump up mix! You know, to get ready for that pile of homework and studying. 

I hope someone else can get some use from these!
-Kylie