A former Bachelorette contestant texted me to start blogging again..and HERE I AM!

Hey babes, hey!

Hope you’re still sparkling and shining because I am back! Let’s pop the champagne, raise a glass, and throw some confetti in the year, shall we?

But honestly, it feels like a complete dream that I am currently posting on Sparkle and Shine again. Time and time again, I sat in front of my laptop in my office, while on NJ Transit, or even on my phone with the intent to start a blog post. But after commuting in and out of the city, every time I sat down to work and create blog content, I ended up getting distracted by a text message from a friend that I wasn’t able to answer in a few hours or wanted to get away from the screen after spending 9 hours in front of it at work. Then, on the weekends, I would make as many plans as possible to try and have some work-life balance.

After connecting through work on a professional level with former Bachelor contestant Jamie Otis, her and I quickly formed a friendship. While recently eating some of the yummiest crab cakes ever in New York City, I started chatting with Jamie about my blog (for those of you who don’t know, on top of being a nurse, a mom, and hosting Married At First Sight Unfiltered, Jamie also runs a blog. What A #GIRLBOSS!), and chatting through the hurdles of trying to get back into blogging, finding the time to do so while juggling a full time job as a PR gal and a work-life balance! Jamie, being the total ray of sunshine that she is, helped encouraged me to find the balance and make my time. After her encouraging words that day, and a text that evening as additional kick-in-the butt encouragement, I am here. I am back and plan on being better than ever.

ffff

Here’s to what Sparkle and Shine will bring through the end of the year, and into 2019! Cheers!

25May2016

I graduated…..now what?

by sparkleandshinesami

Well, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Quinnipiac University on Sunday (despite being scared out of my mind to do so).

And what has post grad life given me so far? A lot primetime The Price is Right specials, naps, and trying to get a hold of this adult thing.

To save some breathe for when everyone asks “what are you ACTUALLY doing post grad?” I decided to just share it with the whole wide world on Sparkle and Shine.

Starting on Monday, I began my online Master’s courses for Interactive Digital Design from Quinnipiac. I’m excited to dive more into learning coding, Adobe programs, and different multimedia techniques. It’s definitely going to be harder than any of my other classes from my Undergrad years at QU, but I’m very excited to get started. Plus, I’m lucky to have my mom, grandparents, aunts, and best friends as an amazing support system for whenever the going gets tough.

I’ve been in love for the past three years – with Sparkle and Shine. I’ve loved coming up with what I want to write about, putting the piece together by creating graphics and typing the story, sharing it on social media, and watching everything come together. I’m hoping that with my Master’s in IDD and my undergrad degree, I will be able to further my professional career and Sparkle and Shine.

More importantly, since I will be living at home, I will not have as many responsibilities on my plate. As you readers know, I was constantly boggled down with Res Life, my sorority, my school television station, a full-time course load, and so much more. Now, I will have so much more spare time to focus on the Sparkle and Shine blog and video blog. I’m hoping that with my spare time and my new Master’s courses, I will be able to continue Sparkle and Shine and all of its contents.

In the meantime, here’s to sparkling through the next few months as I begin this post-grad journey!!

6Aug2015

Thanks Square Cash for making going out so much easier!

by sparkleandshinesami

This is a sponsored post. However, all opinions are my own.

Thank you Her Campus Media, Inc. and SquareCash for the opportunity and compensation for this post.

I’ve got to admit something to you, readers. Sometimes, going out is hard.

No, I’m not talking about the hours you spend doing your hair and makeup, the dozens of pictures you send of potential outfits in a GroupMe to your best friends (only to wear the first outfit, of course), or deciding whose house is going to be the first stop of the night before even heading out.

I’m talking about figuring out the monetary aspects.

Whose going to pay for the Uber this time? Who paid last time? And of course, Jackie forgot cash for the cash-only club’s entrance fee, so now what?

Why would I not just pay for everyone’s drinks since I got to the bartender first and we are totally on a first name basis, right? Or the fact that Dominoes is so not about to break up a $100 dollar order for your drunk pizza onto ten different debit cards, so who just got paid last and can throw it on their card?

Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.

And want to know what else is familiar, when all of the calculations for who was going to pay who and how much really goes out the window when the third margarita is served and the newest Nicki Minaj jam is bumping through the bass.

Now you don’t need to worry because Square Cash has made it easy for you!

Square Cash is a free app that allows anyone to quickly send money between their friends or even get paid for doing business. There’s no “cashing out” which means that the money gets deposited right into your bank account. This means that if the mom of the kid you are babysitting for wants to just send you your payment over the app, she will deposit it directly into your bank account from her bank account. No need to stop at the ATM! Plus, it is free to use between friends!

Not only is it super simple to use and works exactly how it should, it’s safe and secure. Plus, in a world where we want to get everything done quick, using this app is the quickest way to pay your friends! All you need to do is download the Square Cash app, link up your debit card, then start sending money to your friends. You can even request them to send you the funds.

So how do I know that this is all this super easy? Because my friends and I use the app! We all downloaded it because as I mentioned above, we got tired of always trying to figure out who owed who what and then trying to backtrack ourselves during breakfast the next morning to figure out who owed who what. Sometimes there is just not enough coffee in the world to help you do math! So now, we would have someone put it on their card, quickly divide the amount spent on our phone’s calculators by the amount of people it was split between, and then send the money right on over to whoever it belonged to. It was so quick and easy we were able to do it in while waiting on line for the bars, waiting on the bathroom line, or even on the dance floor after we checked our text messages. Going into my senior year, I know that this app will definitely be a necessity on my phone and should be on yours, too!

To find out more, check out the app‘s Twitter and Facebook page!

And to see exactly what it’s like to go out with my friends and I, stay tuned for another video blog coming very soon! This one will detail our recent trip to Atlantic City for our friend Jamie’s 21st birthday. Catch a preview from the pic I posted on my Instagram.

6Oct2014

Guess Whose Back…Back Again! {Special Monday Musts}

by sparkleandshinesami

Guess whose back….tell a friend!

Well, it’s not Eminem, readers – it’s me!

Now that recruitment is over and I have 49 beautiful new sisters, I’m able to get back down into the wonderful word of blogging!

I’ve missed blogging so much recently and was reminded about how much I love it during a recent trip out with my best friend.

After breaking my iPhone (whoops), my best friend and I went to the local Apple store to get it fixed. While out, we decided to get Shake Shack and skip the usual cafe food. While ordering, I was asked if I was Sami from “Sparkle and Shine” – I was so surprised!

Julia and I both starred with our mouths dropped. I felt like a mini celebrity; like Paris Hilton before the “Simple Life” gig or Bieber before the YouTube discovery. It turned out to be Emma from The World According to Emma, another college blogger. It was by far one of the coolest moments of my life!

Besides being a mini-celebrity, I’ve been super busy.

I’ve been working on my broadcasting skills. This past week I was the entertainment anchor for my school’s TV station, Q30, and did a package for one of our entertainment segments, #That. Check them out –

Plus, I’ve been getting down and derby with my sisters.

As an Executive Board Member of my sorority, I plan events for our sisters. This past weekend, I executed our first ever Bowties and ADPis event, a Kentucky Derby themed Grab-a-Date on our quad. Sisters and their dates dressed in their floppiest hats and brightest bowties and spent the day playing croquet and other yard games. I brought my best friend, Ben, because there is no one I know who is willing to get fratty and dress preppy! Here’s one of the many pictures of us-

But readers, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally be back!

Recruitment is over and I am finally back into my blogging groove. I have so many posts planned, so get set…get ready…because Sparkle and Shine is about to really shine.

But, make sure you shine, too, readers! Have a great week and keep sparkling!

26Jul2014

“Life Moves Pretty Fast…..”

by sparkleandshinesami

Source

Hey readers, so I have been a little M.I.A. recently.

No, I didn’t end up in Australia after entering the witness protection program like Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen did in Our Lips Are Sealed.

Nor did I go to Abu Dhabi with my best friends in a Sex and the City 2 like manner.

Instead, I took a breather. I just simply took a break.

My entire life is based off of a time schedule and my Lilly planner. I have many things on my plate – all things that I very much enjoy doing.

Though I love living my life like this, sometimes you just need a little vacation to not be so wrapped up doing some form of work. Between e my summer job, resident life work since I’m an RA, paper work for my sorority as social chair, or for my blog, I just have so much piled onto my plate. So to relax, breathe, and truly stop and look around – I have my self a break.

It required a lot more will power than I thought. I am so used to being plugged in and working towards a goal, that I forgot what it was like to relax in my pajamas and watch a Criminal Minds marathon.

I spent my week going to the beach, visiting my grandparents, and pampering myself. I may be a little more behind than I would have wanted to be, but at least I now feel relaxed. I feel like I took a giant deep breathe and now have a clear head to continue conquering all that I need to.

It’s important to relax, readers. It’s important to schedule some “me time” in your day.

Most importantly, it’s important to stop and look around. You don’t ever want to miss something because you were too busy planning for a “what if” or exhausting yourself from so much work.

8Apr2014

Versatile Blogger Award

by sparkleandshinesami

One of my fellow Her Campus Blogging Network gals, Charlotte, from Velvet and Vinyls nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award!!

Rules
• If you are nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award, you have been awarded the award.
• Thank the person who awarded you and include the link to their blog.
• Nominate 15 bloggers who you think deserve the award, whom you’ve recently discovered or read their blogs regularly. (You must include a link to their site).
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself in your blog post.

I would like to nominate:
1) Jacqueline at Pretti Please

2) Caroline at The Caro Diaries

3) Ashliegh at The Darling Prepster

4) Marisa at Love Always

5) Taylor at Pinstripes&Lipgloss

6) Kriselle at Livin’ and Lovin’

7) Nasya at Turquoise and Tortoiseshells

8) Colie at The Curse of Gluten

9) Emma at It’s Emma Elise

10) The College Girl at That College Girl’s Guide

11) Raphaela at Tiny Girl, Big Dreams

12) Lindsey at Lindsey’s Thoughts

13) Briannah at Briannah

14) Hannah at The Daily Diabetic

15) Brittany at Oh Hey, Brittany

7 Things About Me

1) In high school, I was competitive swimmer. I competed not only on my high school swim team, but on my local YMCA’s competition team. My favorite strokes is breast stroke and I often competed in the 100 meter breast stroke and 500 meter free style.
2) I know every word to Taylor Swift’s “Thug Story” rap and will proudly rap it for you.
3) I’ve seen Taylor Swift twice in concert. The first time I saw her, she hugged me. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.
4) Next semester, I’m not going to have class on Tuesdays or Fridays and I’m so excited. AKA look forward to blog posts on those days, for sure!!
5) I recently became a Starbucks/Dunkin iced coffee addict.
6) The sound of people “cracking their bones” freaks me out. It’s my biggest pet peeve. Even though I go to the chiropractor, I am still completely scared of that sound and cringe. Oh, and occasionally have a freak out on him when it’s really loud or when he “adjusts my neck,” (which I refer to as cracking my head – don’t ever refer to it as that to your chiropractor, FYI).
7) I HAVE to listen to classical for studying music when doing homework or whenever I need to focus to do work. I listen to it so much though, that I now enjoy it and will occasionally listen to it whenever I need to relax or when I clean my room.

I’m looking forward to seeing all your posts regarding The Versatile Blogger Award! Don’t forget to link me in when you post it!

To all the bloggers, keep up blogging!

To all our readers, keep on reading!

4Apr2014

$100 Nordstrom Shopping Spree On Myself, Caro, and Other Bloggers!

by sparkleandshinesami

Yes, you read that right! I’m giving away a $100 Nordstrom giftcard!

In honor of my real life best friend and blogging buddy’s one year blog-aversary, Caro, myself, and a few other of our closest blogging friends partnered together to give away a $100 Nordstrom giftcard! If you haven’t met Caro yet, head over to her blog here.

But back to the giftcard. Imagine what you could do without $100 to Nordstrom….my shopping spree list is pilling up quickly in my head. A new purse and wallet, new brown boots, and all the summer essentials I can think of. However, it’ll be your shopping spree, not mine. All you have to do is enter and WIN!

Enter the giveaway HERE.
Best of luck to all who enter! Comment below with what you would do if you win the gift card!

12Feb2014

[Guest Post]: Meet my Newest Sponsor, Jacqueline!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hello, my fabulous readers!

I wanted for you all to meet my newest sponsor, who you will see featured on my sidebar for quite a long time – Jacqueline from Pretti Please.

What’s more awesome than having Jacqueline as a sponsor, but she’s only a blogging friend of mine AND my sister!

We had originally been in contact when I reviewed my Alpha Delta Pi hair bow from her Etsy shop. Then, we started discussing how we were both sisters from the same sorority, Alpha Delta Pi! It was so awesome to meet a sister from completely across the country – I go to school in Connecticut and Jacqueline goes to school in California! Talk about such a major difference – I’m planning on having a snow day tomorrow and Jacqueline sure isn’t in sunny Cali. I have never met a sister that was from a different state, so it was such an incredible experience for me!

After having so much success from her shop, Jacqueline decided to start a blog. She reached out to me and soon we began discussing the blogging world. We lean on each other for different aspects of blogging – such as doing ad swaps, asking questions, and getting opinions. It’s so awesome to have a blogging friend who I know I can always count on. Whenever I’m on Facebook, I almost always have a conversation with Jacqueline popped up on my screen.

Now it’s your chance to get to know her!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello! My name is Jacqueline Bridgford and I am a 21-year-old daughter, sister, student, girlfriend, small business owner, sorority girl, fashionista, and (more recently) the author of a blog called Pretti Please! I am a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. I spend most of my time in Los Angeles, where I am a junior at the University of Southern California, or with my family in Newport Coast, my hometown. I am interested in a little bit of everything – I am very creative and hope to have a wildly successful career in the fashion industry after I graduate from USC in 2015. As of right now, I keep busy with my blog and my small business that I operate through Etsy. I personally design, produce, and ship my one-of-a-kind gifts. Most of my items are aimed at college girls, mainly sorority girls! I started my shop because I had an excessive amount of crafts that I originally made for my wonderful little sis, Lissa. Since crafting is one of my favorite hobbies, I was accumulating hair bows and canvases left & right! My mom suggested that I sell some things online, so I set up a little shop and called it Bowtique By Jacqueline. The shop turned into my biggest project – I made more sales in the first month than I would have ever expected. It turned out that girls really liked my stuff and my shop grew faster than I could have imagined! I now offer a variety of products, including: sweatshirts & t-shirts with super cute glittery monograms, personalized vinyl decals, hair bows, soft hair ties, wall décor, canvases, and special orders. I love being able to make money while also getting the satisfaction out of designing and producing the items! After starting Bowtique By Jacqueline, I really delved into my creative side and started focusing on what I wanted to do in life after graduating. I started applying for internships (in fashion!) and decided in early February that I am going to spend this summer taking Fashion Design courses at Parsons! Studying fashion has always been a dream of mine, and the fact that I will be going to NYC makes it even better! I will return to USC this upcoming fall and finish up my last year of undergraduate studies. I can’t wait to see where Bowtique By Jacqueline, Pretti Please, and my fashion industry dreams take me! Thanks for reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a great Wednesday, readers! Keep reaching for your dreams, just like Jacqueline does!!

28Jan2014

My Monday Musts

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Monday, readers!

Hope you had a fabulous week! I survived my first week of classes of my second semester of sophomore year – YAY! Granted it consisted of some snow, much early than expected library trips, and stress, I made it through! From here, it is now back into school mode for me as I tackle this semester. More importantly, I will be blogging my way through it, of course.

This weekend, readers, I came to realize that even at 19 years old sweet sixteens are still my thing. I celebrated one of my best friend’s little sisters sweet sixteen’s this weekend.

So special shout in this week’s Monday Musts goes to you Anna! I’m so glad that you had such a great sweet sixteen, baby hlush!

And now, without further ado, this week’s Monday Musts!

1. “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane”

So Julia and I decided to stay home this weekend and relax by ordering in phone (hellllo cheat day!) and watching a movie in sweats. We haven’t watched a scary movie in a while together and were both in the mood for one. We browsed through Netflix, waiting for one to catch out eye. We ended up hitting play on “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.” Any college or high school kids looking for a horror movie to just veg out to with your best friends, this is it. If you’re looking for a scary movie to watch with your fam, this isn’t the one I would pick. Julia and I laughed at the stereotypical horror scenes, but then would get engrossed at the plot twists (what you’re thinking is the end, I can promise you, is not it.) Soon we found ourselves putting ourselves as characters into the film, which was about high schoolers who go to a ranch miles away from civilization for the weekend. Next time you and your BFF are bored and want to watch a scary movie without being legitimately scared, pop on “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” on Netflix.

2. “The Carrie Diaries”

Ask me who some of my role models are in life, I’ll name my mom/grandma/aunts, Marilyn Monroe, Khloe Kardashian, and Carrie Bradshaw. I love “Sex and The City” and all the life lessons and fabulous quotes that can from Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte living in the fabulous NYC. I’ve read “The Carrie Diaries” to learn about young Carrie, but I have yet to watch the show. So I have finally decided that I will watch it on Netflix! Since I am being a good blogger and writing this in advance, I unfortunately haven’t gotten to start the series yet. However, my excitement to begin it (and see the beautiful Austin Butler on camera) is through the roof.

3. Alpha Delta Pi’s Theta Theta Chapter’s Newest Director of Social Enrichment

I would love to share with you all some very exciting news I have recently received: I am now an appointed member of my sorority’s Executive Board as the Director of Social Enrichment. It is now my honor, and my privileged, to put together the best semi-formal and formal my fabulous sisters could ever ask for. As you’ve seen in many posts, Alpha Delta Pi means so much to me. Being able to be a member of E-Board, holding a position I dreamed of having leaves me speechless. One of my loves is party planning. Planning my sweet sixteen, helping plan friends’ sweet sixteens, and many others has left me with a favorite past time. However, unlike blogging or watching Netflix, party planning isn’t something I always get to do. Ever since I first help my family plan my aunt’s bridal shower & baby shower, I have loved event planning. Being able to do event planning for ADPi is incredible. Deep in my heart, I love my ADPi.

And here’s a little something new I’ll be adding to each Monday Musts! So, besides being a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, I am a member of my school’s newspaper and my school’s chapter of Her Campus. At the bottom of each Monday Musts, I’ll be linking up my articles from the previous week!

For the school paper, I most often write Culture Shock, which is some celeb dirt for this week! Check that out here.

And for Her Campus, I interview different Campus Celebs at QU! Check out this week’s interview here.

Have a great week, readers! Keep sparkling!

14Jan2014

Liebster Award

by sparkleandshinesami

Jen from From One Journey to the Next nominated me for the Liebster award, which is an award for up-and-c0ming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. I am so honored that Jen selected me. Her blog is awesome and I recommend you going to check it out ASAP.

So, here are the rules:
– 11 Random Facts about yourself
– Answer the 11 questions the awarding blogger has posted for you
– Nominate 11 bloggers (with less than 200 followers)
– Let the bloggers you have nominated, know you nominated them!
– No tag backs

Random Facts:
1. I once hugged Taylor Swift. Yes, THE Taylor Swift. My friend and I had floor seats for the “Speak Now” tour. When she came down the aisle, she hugged us. It was AWESOME.
2. I own every episode of “Duck Dynasty,” “Full House,” and “The Big Bang Theory” on DVD.
3. My initials spell my name, SAM. As you know my first name is Sami, my middle name starts with an A, and my last name starts with an M!
4. I was a varsity swimmer in high school. I competed in the 500 meter free style and 100 breast stroke. I also did YMCA competition swimming and a recreational summer league.
5. A few years ago I was on the background of Kathy Lee & Hoda’s segment of “The Today Show.”
6. I am a VERY picky eater. I pretty much only eat a few certain foods and whenever I go to a restaurant, I almost always get the EXACT same thing.
7. In elementary school, I won two essay contests, two math bees, and two spelling bees.
8. I don’t know how to ski or snowboard, but I really want to learn how to ski!
9. The only country I have visited has been Canada. However, I really want to travel the world.
10. My favorite color is pink – however, my bedroom at home is purple and my comforter at school is purple (well, purple cheetah print!).
11. I LOVE Disney. I have the autograph of every single character there is. I also have my Cinderella wedding all planned out and own every Disney movie.

My Questions from Jen:

1. Why did you start blogging? I’ve always loved writing. I remember being a little girl and writing – everything from in a diary to books to my own magazines. Last March, I attended a journalism conference and they talked all about the benefits of having a blog. I thought that hearing that a writing hobby could benefit my future was a sign I should make one. So ta-dah! I did.

2. Who do you look up to? Why? I look up to my mother, hands down. She is my role model and my inspiration. She has taught me to overcome any obstacles I face because I am strong enough to do so and that she will always be by my side doing so. The song “I Learned From You” by Miley Cyrus describes how I feel about her perfectly. Listen to the song and you can see EXACTLY why I look up to her.

3. What’s one food you could never live without? CHICKEN FINGERS WITH TOOOOOOOOONS OF KETCHUP. I have the same food tastes as a 5 year old.

4. What was your favorite toy growing up? I was such a stereotypical little girl who loved Barbies. I had so many Barbies and would always dress them up. Whatever career Barbie took on, I would have her be that part. I was lucky enough that my parents and family were able to bless me with so much that Barbie was able to have everything from her dream house to dream car to dream boyfriend.

5. What’s one song I should be listening to? One bad I LOVE that most people don’t know about is Mariana’s Trench! I recommend “Cross My Heart.” It’s also one of my fave music videos EVER.

6. What are your top 3 favorite TV shows? DUCK DYNASTY, Big Brother, The Millers

7. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I very much want to travel the world. One place I want to go to is Australia!

8. What is one beauty product you cannot do without? My mascara! I can’t leave without putting mascara on. I love to play up my blue eyes and long eyelashes with mascara. I’m currently using “Lash Blash” by Maybelline.

9. What’s your favorite Christmas movie and song? My favorite Christmas Movie is the old school claymation “The Year Without A Santa Clause” and my favorite Christmas Song is “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

10. If you could only have one candy for the rest of your life, what would it be? Reeces Peanut Butter Cups!

11. What’s your favorite scent? My favorite perfume is Viva La Juicy. I’m actually really bad at answering scent questions for some reason because I never really know. LOL

I nominate:

1. Hannah @ The Fro-Yo Diaries

2. Adriana Renee @ With Love, Adriana Renee

3. Jess @ Busy Being Jess

4. Alyssa @ My Life’s a Cup of Cake

5. Dylan @ Sartorial Spice

6. Trina @ Tales of a Fluorescent Adolescent

7. Olivia @ Liv, Love, Laugh

8. Kriselle @ Livin’ and Lovin’

9. Shannah & Tara @ The Students’ Lifestyle

10. Kristine @ The Glitter Diaries

11. Devin @ Run Like a Girl