Lovely Quotes

      Happy Thursday! Here are some quotes that have been inspiring me lately:

I hope these inspire you as well! Finish your week strong, the weekend is almost here :)

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Study Tips 101

      Happy Wednesday! I hope the first half of everyone's week hasn't been too stressful! I thought I'd share some of my tips for studying, which I've learned from my three and a half years of high school.

Study tips:

1. Don't procrastinate. I can't stress this enough. If you finish an assignment instead of looking at Pinterest for half an hour, your life will be so much better. In fact, if you can get ahead in a class, I strongly recommend it. There's nothing more stressful than trying to finish an essay or a project the night before it's due.
2. Take notes.  Taking notes in class always helps me to actually focus on what the teacher's saying rather than staring out the window and hoping for the best. It also helps to have notes when you're studying for the test, because in my experience I've found that teachers like to use what they talk about during their lectures in questions on the test rather than what's in the textbook.
3. Meet with your teachers. If you're struggling with a concept in class, you should absolutely go ask your teacher about it before school, during their office hours, or after school. Seriously, make an appointment with them. It may seem awkward at first, but I promise you'll thank yourself after the test.
4. Listen to music. This may not be a good tip for everyone, but I thought I'd include it considering I know so many people (including myself) who have to have music playing while they study. There are plenty of playlists on Youtube and Spotify that are specifically for studying. I personally love listening to movie soundtracks, Amelie and Harry Potter in particular.
5. Stay organized. Although you may think you can keep a mental list of everything you need to do, it helps so much to write everything down. As soon as I know what my assignments are for each class, I write them down in my Lilly Pulitzer agenda so I don't forget. That way I can check off everything on my list! I also recommend using a one-inch binder for each class with tabs labeled "homework," "tests," "handouts," "notes," etc. 
6. Manage your time wisely. This kind of goes along with not procrastinating, but time management is so important if you want to do well in high school. For example, today I knew that I would have to stay at school for rehearsal until 6 p.m., so I had to go to the quiet side of the library to do homework rather than talk with my friends.

I hope I've made this as simple as possible and I promise you will do so well in school if you follow these tips! It may seem challenging at first, but your reward will be your good grades! :)

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Here Comes the Sun

      Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine's Day and long weekend! I had a pretty enjoyable weekend, which I think can mostly be attributed to the lovely weather we've been having recently. On Friday I did all of my homework (for once) so I wouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend, and later that night some friends and I went to a free 18+ concert featuring Man Man, New Politics, and Kitten which was a lot of fun but so loud. Not really my scene, but I'm glad I went.
      On Saturday I just chilled out and watched movies and babysat in the evening, on Sunday I went to the art museum in our area with my dad and it was so fun to analyze Medieval European art with him. Yesterday, I met a girl who might be my roommate at the University of Kansas next year and she's so sweet! Then I went to J. Crew factory for their 40-60% off everything sale where I bought a tartan blazer, a navy peplum top, and a white braided belt. After that I ran on the treadmill and it was rough but necessary.

      I'm looking forward to a great week and an even better weekend ahead (WPA is on Saturday and I can't wait!).

Keep it classy,
Brooke

T-14 Hours!

      Happy Sunday! In about 14 hours, I'll be walking into the airport to jet off to Hawaii! It's a school trip, but it's not exactly educational. It's 16 kids and two teachers just having fun doing touristy stuff in Hawaii for five days! I've been packing (probably too much stuff) all day and I just hope it will be as magical a trip as I'm expecting it to be.

Literally drooling. I can't wait to share everything about it when I get back!




Keep it classy,
Brooke

I'm Back!

      Happy Saturday! I cannot believe how long it's been since I've posted on this little blog. I certainly intended to maintain it much longer than just the summer, but I guess life got in the way when senior year started. I have so many ideas for this blog and I really hope it will become something more than what it has been. I'm going to Hawaii for a few days on Monday (so pumped omg), but I promise to devote more time to Bowties & Ballet Flats!

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Lilly Pulitzer Binder Covers

      Happy Saturday! Today was pretty great, mostly because I made some Lilly Pulitzer binder covers for school and it was so easy. In fact, it was so easy that I thought I could post about how to make them! I used Picasa, which is Google's version of Photoshop, which is so expensive. Picasa is super easy to use and it's free! Seriously, just download it. You won't regret it.

1. Download Picasa.

2. Search for the Lilly prints that you want (it's easier if they're vertical) and drag the images over to your desktop.

3. Open Picasa and there is a category called 'Desktop' where all of your images should be.

4. Click on one of the images, then right click "View and Edit." You should see your Lilly print and the editing tools on the left.

5. Click on the picture icon that says "Text" under it.

6. You can add your text and add color to it to match your Lilly print, adjust the size, the outline, the font, etc.

7. Print! Make sure you have plenty of ink!

In love!

      I hope my steps make sense, but if you don't understand something then please don't hesitate to leave a question in a comment! I'd be happy to help you :)

Keep it classy,
Brooke

Me Time

      Happy Thursday! I'm sorry I haven't been posting as frequently, but I've been so busy working! And when I finally get off work, I'm so tired that all I can do is watch TV on Netflix.
      Not gonna lie, this week has been rough at work. So far this summer I've been (for the most part) enjoying my job, but this week has simply been miserable. Each day seems longer than the last, and sometimes I've been so frustrated I've been on the verge of tears because I'm that pathetic and exhausted from taking care of pre-schoolers all day. I decided that I needed to devote special time to myself where I can just worry about me instead of taking care of someone else.
      I've gone on several runs and gotten some gelato (chocolate hazelnut and mango!) and just spent some time alone reading, and these have become my favorite parts of my days. Although I typically consider myself a people person, lately that hasn't been the case. I just love getting to take off my nice person "mask" and do whatever I want to do and work on improving myself. Here are my five favorite ways to spend "me time":

1. Running -- I have a love/hate relationship with running. Sometimes, I want nothing more than to slip on my sneakers and tune out the rest of world. Running can be the perfect therapy and it can make you happier! But other times, running can be the last thing I want to do. It can be really hard to motivate myself to run sometimes, so I look to some of my other "me time" options...

2. Gelato -- the much less healthy option, but so delicious. I love any dessert, but recently I've been going to this gelato place by my house and I'm in love. It's the perfect summer treat and so much better than regular ol' ice cream.

3. Reading -- sometimes I just don't want to think about what's going on in my life, so I turn to a fictional person's life. I get to have that quiet alone time without getting overwhelmed or stressed out from my chaotic life.

4. Homemade Mani/Pedi -- since I don't have the money to get my nails done, I give myself a mani/pedi about once a week. It's the perfect amount of time to stop what you're doing and just focus on pampering yourself. Plus, your end result is pretty nails!

5. Crafting -- whether it's an actual craft or a new dish, I love investing my me time on working on something special. I've been painting canvases with quotes recently (I'll have to post about them tomorrow!) and I also plan on making a carrot cake soon. The crafts have been super fun because I'm definitely not an artistic person but I've been pretty satisfied with my painting abilities!

      I fear that "me time" has become highly undervalued since people tend to be in such a rush to get things done that they forget to actually live. It can be hard to balance work and me time, but I like to spend at least 30 minutes a day focusing on just myself (TV and the internet don't count!). I hope my favorite me times have inspired you to create your own list of me times!

Keep it classy,
Brooke