Rules to being a Great Snail Mail Friend

Hey y'all! Ever wanted to be a great snail mail/pen pal friend? Well I have made my own set of rules from experience. First off, if you don't know what snail mailing is i'll tell you. Snail mailing is when you sent letters or cards back and forth to a friend by mail! Usually people talk about their interests or what's going on in their life! So let's get to the "rules"!

Rule #1: You must be willing to respond to your snail mail buddy! 

This is very important, because if you don't respond, how will this ever work? 

Rule #2: You must have the means of getting stamps. 

If you don't have stamps how will you ever mail the letter?

Rule #3: You definitely should be willing to give out your address! 

If you can't do this, don't expect any snail mail buddies. If you have a P.O. Box this is perfect because it's not your actual address. 

Rule #4: Everyone's address is confidential.

Never every give out someone's address. This is just so wrong on so many levels...

Rule #5: Be creative! 

No one wants to receive dull mail. Be creative and ad a little color or flare to your letters! Your snail mail buddy is sure to love it! 

Rule #6: Be fun!

Don't talk about boring stuff that no one wants to hear about. Be sure to find a common interest with your snail mail buddy. Then you'll be able to carry on a conversation that both of you will enjoy! 

Rule #7: You should probably love to receive mail! 

This one isn't a must, but it's kind of important! I love to receive mail with my name on it. It just brings me so much joy! 

Rule #8: Be prompt! 

Try your best not to wait a long time between receiving and then sending out your snail mail. Write back as soon as possible! 

So that's all I have for right now! If you're good at the majority of these things above, I would love to have you as a snail mail buddy! Just direct message me on Instagram (@theofficialprep) and ask if I'm open for a snail mail buddy! I hope y'all enjoy these "rules" of snail mailing! 

Xoxo,

Samantha

(@theofficialprrp)

The Cutest Wallpapers Ever

Hey y'all! Do you need some wallpapers to brighten up your phone? Well I have some just for you! I've searched everywhere to bring you some of the prettiest, cutest, and most inspirational wallpapers for us girls. If you find one you like, all you have to do is hold down the image and save it! Then from there you can set it as your wallpaper! These are for phones and not desktops. 

I would also like to note that none of these wallpapers are mine. I found them all on the Internet. 

That's all I have for now! I hope you found some new wallpapers for your phone! Stay tuned for more new posts soon! 

Xoxo, 

Samantha 

(@theofficialprep)

Jesus' Guide to Gossip

Hey y'all! I know as a teenage girl in High School I struggle with gossip a lot. Either I'm doing it or someone else is, but gossip is everywhere in High School. I admit I do it a lot, most of us do, but I wanted to know what Jesus' take on Gossip was. As well as how he says to handle it. So with out further a due here's Jesus' Guide to Gossip, told from my point of view. 

(I would like to make this known that this is my interpretation of Jesus' word. I am in no way saying that this is what Jesus actually means. Everyone interprets the Bible differently)

Definition of Gossip:

a casual conversation about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. 

Verses to look at:

*verses that stood out to me

Leviticus 19:16

Proverbs 11:13

Proverbs 16:28

Proverbs 20:19*

Romans 1:29-31

2 Corinthians 12:20*

1 Timothy 5:13

*Whoever goes around as a gossip tells secrets. Do not associate with people whose mouth is always open.

Proverbs 20:19

*I'm afraid that I may come and find you different from what I want you to be, and that you will may find me different from what you want me to be. I'm afraid that there may be rivalry, jealousy, hot tempers, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

2 Corinthians 12:20

My Interpretation: 

From reading the verses Jesus blankly says that gossiping is wrong, and we all know that. In Proverbs 20:19 Jesus says that we shouldn't associate with people that gossip. If we want to follow what Jesus says we must part with the people that bring gossip in our life. 

My Reflection:

Gossiping is very easy to do. I do it almost everyday. Sometimes it's hard to realize when I do it because I've gotten so used to it. One question I still have is it really gossiping if it's true? Either way, always remember that if you wouldn't want that rumor spread about you, then don't spread it about someone else. 

I hope if you are struggling with gossiping that this Guide to Gossiping helps you at least a little. Please remember I am no way trying to persuade your views or am claiming that this is exactly what Jesus is saying. 

XOXO,

Samantha 

@theofficialprep 

What's In My Purse?

Hey y'all! Welcome back to my blog! This post is all about what's in my purse! (if you couldn't tell by the tittle :P) So I recently bought a new Kate Spade purse from the 75% off surprise sale! I absolutely LOVE to carry my purse around and when it's not with me I feel lost. So now you'll get a little inside scoop about why I love my purse so much!! So lets get started! 

So that's a picture of my new purse! And below is a picture of what I have in it! 

As you can see my purse is full! In my eyes you can never be over prepared. So here's a list of what is included in my purse:

- My Kate Spade wallet.

- My lovely piece of technology that I call my baby, my IPhone.

-  My trusty set of headphones.

- Bath and Body Works Strawberry Lemon hand sanitizer.

- Two amazing and absolutely beautiful Lilly Pulitzer printed hair ties from @_prettysouthern on Instagram. 

- My trusty tide 2 go stick. Perfect for a little spill.

- Stickers that I pass out to certain people.

- Business cards that include my social medias and coupon codes! 

- My keys featuring a beautiful key-fob from @preppybowsandsass on Instagram and a cute key-chain from @sgprep on Instagram! 

- My cake batter chap stick.

- Some lip-gloss, which I got from Bath and Body Works.

- Vineyard Vines promotional sunglasses. Just in case the suns out! 

- A Lilly pen.

- Mascara for when my eyelashes are not on point.

- Bubblegum for when I need to freshen up my breath or when i'm hungry.

- And last but not least my little pick me up pouch that holds all my favorite pick me up quotes that I pass out to people who seem to need a little pick me up.

And here's a close up of my phone and case and my Kate Spade wallet!

 Thank you all so much for reading! I will include links for each small business item below and along with them I will include a discount code for you to use! 

Lilly printed hair ties- www.shopprettysouthern.etsy.com

{discount code: theofficialprep for 10% off}

Monogrammed Lilly key-fob- etsy.com/shop/PreppyBowsandSass
{discount code: THEOFFICIALPREP for 15% off}

Southern Girl Prep key-chain- www.southerngirlprep.com

{discount code: SDay10off for 10% off}

For more discount codes be sure to look under the discount code tab above! 

Thank you so much for reading and have an amazing day! 

Xoxo,

Samantha

@theofficialprep

My Pink and Green Garden Review

Hey ya'll! So I recently received some products from My pink and Green Garden. And let me just say, they are amazing! I received two pillows and one memo board. All three in Lilly prints of course. So now on to the actual review!

Overall Appearance:

The overall appearance of the pillows are gorgeous. The appliques have the perfect print placement and are the perfect size. The pom poms on the side are so cute and add the perfect touch to each pillow. The fact that My Pink and Green Garden has so many options of appliques, Lilly prints, and pom pom colors is great! Overall I think the pillows are absolutely gorgeous and so worth having. The pillows are the perfect accent to add to your dorm or bedroom.

As you can see my memo board has gone to good use. I love my memo board so much especially because of the print! (its not a common one) I highly recommend getting a memo board. They help you stay very organized and allow you to display some of your favorite things. And plus who wouldn't like to stay organized with something that looks so amazing?!?!


Overall Owner:

The owner, whose name is Irene, is one of the absolute sweetest people ever. Just by talking with her a little you can tell she loves what she does and truly has a passion for it. By all the giveaways she host you can tell that she really cares about her customers and brand. I don't think there could be a better business owner to purchase from!

Overall I give My Pink and Green Garden a total of 5 stars! I highly recommend purchasing something because you know the products are going to be super cute and arrive on time!

Here are some more photos:

Here is the direct link to purchase your own pillow or memo board!
Click here!
Or follow @mypinkandgreengarden on Instagram!

Also, an amazing surprise to all my fabulous followers on Instagram, I will be hosting a giveaway with My Pink and Green Garden! You could win a pillow of your choice! It will be posted on Valentines day so be sure to check it out on my account, @theofficialprep!


Xoxo, 
Samantha
@theofficialprep
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

DIY: Lilly Printed Whale Garland

Hey y'all! This is a DIY blog post to teach you how to make your very own Lilly Pulitzer printed Whale Garland! Trust me, it's super easy to make! 

All you will need to start is an old Lilly Pulitzer agenda, scissors, tape, a Vineyard Vines whale sticker or print out, a pen, and fishing line or other clear string. If you don't have an old Lilly agenda then you can print out sheets of Lilly prints on card stock paper. 

Step 1:

You can either pull the paper out of the agenda or leave it in the agenda and just trace and cut the whales out. It would be a lot easier just to pull the paper out.

Step 2:

The first thing you'll need to do is line the whale up with the print you want to cut. Make sure that the whale is backwards and that you are on the calendar part of the paper. Look at the pictures for examples.

The paper is on the calendar side and the whale is flipped backwards.

This is what your whale should look like.

Repeat step 2 until you have your desired amount of whales. I would consider doing eight or nine.

Step 3:

Once you've completed tracing and cutting out all of your whales its time to start attaching them to the fishing line or clear string. So i recommend laying your whales out in an equally spaced line with the calendar side facing upwards.

Step 4:

Once your whales are laid out the next step is attaching them. You can use staples or tape, but i find tape to be the easiest. It also makes it a lot easier in case you space your whales out wrong. 

So start by leaving at least an inch of string with nothing attached. Then lay the string out over the line of whales. Tape/staple each string to the back of the whales. 

This is what the finished product should look like.

Step 5:

Last but not least you can hang your Lilly printed whale garland where ever you would like! And don't forget, YOU made it!! Congratulations and enjoy! :)

I hope you enjoyed this little diy! If you'd like some more diy's just let me know my contacting me on one of my social medias (listed on the About Me page)! 

Xoxo,

Samantha 

@theofficialprep