It really isn’t just four years, it’s for life….

Hello, hello!

Ever go on one of those runs when you do SO much thinking that you feel like your brain may explode? Well, that was how I spent yesterday morning. One of those thoughts (when I wasn’t thinking about which Kylie lip kit to purchase, what I should wear to see Toby Keith this weekend, or my future wedding to Animal Kingdom star Finn Cole) was about how Greek life has impacted my life in the past month since graduating school.

This whole thought process started when I received a text message about writing a letter of recommendation for someone who is looking to go rush Alpha Delta Pi at USC.

Whenever someone in ADPi gets a little butterfly feeling about remembering why they chose to come home to ADPi, we call it an “ADPi moment.” Some of mine included getting my big and little, when all my sisters supported me at my first Relay for Life to honor my father, and when I realized that one of my sisters, Lauren, is pretty much my soulmate. I’ve heard some alum sisters talk about how they get these ADPi moments as alums and our advisors say that this moments continue, but I wasn’t really sure when I would experience my first one.

Then, I got that text. It came from a girl who I used to work on our school’s television station with who was transferring. Knowing my involvement with Alpha Delta Pi, she said she would be “honored” for me to write her a letter of recommendation. Completely ecstatic, I said yes. I figured I would plan out everything I wanted to say in that letter when I went for a run.

As my mind went through everything I wanted to say, I started to think about the true impact ADPi has had on me. I’m one month out of college (gag), but still see so many ties to the organization.

I think the fact that my sisters are a majority of those that I am still deeply in contact with speaks volumes about the bonds I have made within my chapter. Every girl in my Snapchat best friends list, except for my hometown best friend, is a sister. I don’t go a day without being in contact with someone from ADPi. I recently needed some fitness advice – I texted a sister. I recently got tagged in a super funny meme on Instagram – it was from a sister. I’m getting a FaceTime call – it’s from a sister. I didn’t graduate and become just some face on a composite.

And this is all because the bonds I have with these women aren’t just for four years, they’re for life and it’s during post-grad that I’m finding out how true this statement really is.

Interested in going Greek? Check out some of my recent posts about Greek life:

Story time with Sami: That time I ran a match-making service for my sisters

My last Alpha Delta Pi formal {pictures & senior superlative}

Hey sorority gals, The Collegiate Standard is having a give away!

An Open Letter to my Little as she becomes a Grand-Big

How I asked my date to sorority semi & cute ways you can ask, too!

ALSO, have you seen my new Instagram theme? Just one of the exciting things happening for Sparkle and Shine! Make sure to stay around to see what else is coming.

16Jun2016

Story time with Sami: That time I ran a match-making service for my sisters

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Thursday, babes!

I don’t know if it’s because I am a blogger or because I’m addicted to social media, but I love when bloggers are transparent – whether this means on their Twitter, Instagram, or sharing personal stories for their readers. Some of my favorite YouTubers often post “story time” videos about crazy events that happen to them or weird memories they made with their friends.

And if you know me in real life, then you know that I have a tooooon of stories. This is why I decided to create a series called “Story time with Sami” where I share some funny stories about things that I’ve done. So for the first edition, I decided to share about Sami’s Sexy Singles, my match making service.

for all age

Now, Sami’s Sexy Singles originally started as a joke my sophomore year at Quinnipiac. One of our sisters, Tammy, was the sweetheart of SigEp and would always try to match make sisters with her brother – I mean, she made Google spreadsheets and PowerPoints. I would have a lot to live up to! When she graduated, that left someone to try and arrange sisters with dates for all of our events. Somehow, I don’t even know how, the position fell into my lap. I joked about Sami’s Sexy Singles but nothing ever came of it.

All of a sudden, for a grab-a-date last semester, Sami’s Sexy Singles re-appeared. I’m friends with a lot of affiliated men who wanted to come to our grab-a-date, so I thought I would jokingly bring back Sami’s Sexy Singles. Unknowing to me, a lot of my sisters were interested in being matched. So in true senioritis/lack of motivation fashion, I decided to pour my all into Sami’s Sexy Singles – even staying up until 3 AM one night to make a professional Google Drive through the official Sami’s Sexy Singles e-mail account!

Screen Shot 2016-06-15 at 6.25.01 PM

I even had my friends Kristina, Courtney, and Dale get involved! We would send out e-mails to those who were matched and even to our entire chapter reminding them to e-mail us if they wanted dates and the “rules” for the match-making service (including no liability and about customer satisfaction). We would try to keep the e-mails as professional as possible, to add to the humor of the entire situation. Our dates also received e-mails, to help them realize how serious we took our match0making responsibilities that night.

We weren’t the only people taking Sami’s Sexy Singles serious…. We had people tweeting about us with the hashtag “#samissexysingles” and e-mailing us about getting matched. Guys were coming up to us and e-mailing us asking to be added to the list of eligible bachelors! We were a hit.

One day I was getting lunch in a Greek-life populated area and I had some fraternity men that I wasn’t friends with come ask to me and ask if I could match them for their formal. People that Kristina, Courtney, Dale, and I weren’t friends with even knew about Sami’s Sexy Singles and were interested. I bet that’s like what Kim K. felt the first time someone recognized her as more than just Paris’ BFF….

The day the grab-a-date rolled around, we had over 15 couples – that’s more than 30 people who were coming to the event because of Sami’s Sexy Singles. Our phones were blowing up with questions and e-mails, I felt like a real life C.E.O!

In the end, I had a blast at the event, Kristina, Courtney, Dale and their dates had fun, and so did our sisters and their dates!

Here’s my date and I at the event. His little was one of our eligible bachelors who came to the event! Gotta keep it in the family, you know? –

Here is me and my date, Justin, from the event. All the seniors celebrated the event in a duck-hunting themed (aka my dream theme due to my “Duck Dynasty” obsession). Recognize this picture? If you follow me on Instagram, it’s the picture I posted that night!

Now, I’m not saying Sami’s Sexy Singles was extremely successful (I haven’t finished our customer satisfaction survey yet, but I’ll say it was pretty dang successful), but I am saying that many sisters asked what would happen to it once I graduated. Since Kristina is a year younger, I passed down Sami’s Sexy Singles to her in my senior will, so my legacy will live on.

I would love to know how you feel about Story time with Sami!! Comment below & tell me some different types of stories you would want to hear or tweet them to me @sparkleshinesam!

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19Nov2015

Viva Las Alpha Delta Pi {Semi Formal 2015 pictures!}

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers!

Looking back at recent Sparkle and Shine posts, I realized how I shared how super excited I was for my semi formal. I told you how I asked my date and how I was fueling my excitement by wearing my new letters, but then I never told you about how the actual semi formal was!

And it was awesome!

Since I was my chapter’s previous social chair, I haven’t been to a semi that I haven’t planned in years. It was so nice to go to an event and just be able to enjoy it and not need to make sure everything is going smoothly. Plus, I went with my best friend in the entire world so I knew we were going to have a blast.

Plus, since my big is still here for grad school, she came to pictures, too! It was the first family photo with my big, me, my little, grand little, and great grand little.

Check out some of my favorite pictures from the night below:

And after a great night at my semi formal, Paul asked me to his fraternity’s Christmas party on Tuesday. Stay tuned to see more about his proposal in an upcoming post!

11Nov2015

Hey sorority gals, The Collegiate Standard is having a give away!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers, The Collegiate Standard is having a giveaway and you need to enter!

And I mean need to just as much as you desperately need that morning coffee….

The Collegiate Standard is currently hosting a Heart to Heart Sorority giveaway. The awesome Greek life jewelry company is giving away two heart pendants to one lucky sorority gal.

The giveaway is all about why you love that sister who is always there for you no matter what – whether it be your big, little, or someone from your pledge class! No only is it an awesome way of reminding yourself of why you’re so in love with your sorority (like you really need that reminder anyway), but it is super easy to enter.

Just head on over to their Instagram page and throw them a follow.
From there, check out the picture for the giveaway.
In the comments section of the pic, tag a sister that you love and say why you love them.
As soon as you hit send, you’re entered to win! Easy, right?

The giveaway ends this Friday, the 13th, and the winner will be announced the same day.

But don’t wait until Friday to wear their beautiful jewelry – Head on over to their website, shop around, and use coupon code SAMI10 to get 10% off your order!

Hope you have a great Wednesday, your coffee is strong, and one of you win this awesome giveaway!

22Oct2015

How I asked my date to sorority semi & cute ways you can ask, too!

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy Thursday and happy semi-formal season, readers!

Yes, I know, I know that this end of the sentence seems stressful. How is it already time to start getting ready for semi-formal? The dress shopping, spray tan appointments, and finding a date.

The concept of promposals and outlandish ways to ask a date always flood my Instagram feed and Pinterest boards. Last year, I chose to only ask my date with a tacky, poorly rhymed poster.

So this year, when I was deciding to ask my best friend in the entire world, I knew that I wanted to do something fun. He knew he was coming, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to ask in a fun way!

After spending more hours than I would like to admit to on Pinterest, I found a cute way to finally ask!

Check it out:

So fun fact, thanks to my mom, I grew up loving donuts. All my friends know that I love jelly donuts cause it makes me think of my mom when I’m home sick at school and I even decorated my resident’s doors around Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. Paul knows this, so I thought I could easily show up at his room and just offer him a donut.

He knew I was coming from my daily Dunkin trip, so before I went into his room I wrote on the inside, “DONUT be surprised….SEMI?” So when I walked in and had a box of donuts, he didn’t think anything of it. I easily just asked him if he wanted one, opened the box, and he read the inside! Super cute, super fun, and super easy!

If you want to ask your crush, best friend, boyfriend, or even just the cute kid in your English class, there’s so much more than just a “hey, want to come to semi with me?” text. Here’s some of my personal favorites I found on Pinterest!

With chicken wings: “I didn’t know how to ask you, so I decided to just WING it- semi?”

Pin it!

Red solo cups: “Don’t make me go SOLO to semi!”

Pin it!

A fish: “I picked you out of all the FISH in the sea, so will you come to semi with me?”

Pin It!

Chicken McNuggets: “I’d be one lucky NUGGET if you went to semi with me!”

Pin it!

Pizza: “I know this is CHEESY, but semi?”

Pin it!

Do you have an event coming up that you’re going to ask someone to? Let me know how you’re going to do so below!

9Sep2015

Thanks U by Kotex for keeping me confident when wearing white during recruitment

by sparkleandshinesami

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

Thank you to Kotex brand, Kleenex brand, and Acorn Influence for the opportunity.

Happy hump day readers!

This past weekend I went through my last recruitment. I would type cue the sobbing…but I haven’t stopped.

Recruitment is equivalent to Christmas shopping and wrapping gifts for Christmas Day, with Christmas Day being bid day when all the new members come running home. We meet hundreds of women who are interested in joining our organization, for hours on end for days on end. At the end of the weekend, we welcomed home the beautiful new members into the organization that gave me life long friends, my future bridesmaids, and my rocks with a 90’s theme Bid Day for show off our “New Bids on the Block!”

However, this year’s recruitment was a lot more stressful than usual.

Talking to potential new members? I’m completely fine with it. I didn’t win “Most Talkative” in high school for nothing! Getting up in front of others and talking about how much Alpha Delta Pi means to me, even if it means discussing the loss of my dad? I’m able to get through it because my sisters comfort me every step of the way. Riding the crimson wave when I’m going through recruitment in white shorts and a white dress? SO not okay.

(Bonus points if you can name what movie the terms “crimson wave” and “as if!” are from – because it’s my all-time FAVE)

A few days before recruitment, I had gotten an awesome female-only care package from Kotex, filled with U by Kotex products and a gift card to Walmart. As soon as the gift card came in, I checked my Lilly Pulitzer planner to see when I would be getting a visit from good ole Aunt Flow and quickly went and stocked up on U by Kotex products for recruitment weekend! Plus, I got a bonus Kleenex wallet pack which was super cute and super necessary to put into my Michael Kors bag for when I need to go into SoHo for my internship.

U by Kotex is a feminine care line with products very different than other feminine care products. U by Kotex has a thin, sleek, easy to conceal product that makes me feel confident when using the product. The Kotex company, which is all about girl-power and enjoying being a female, wants the cool chicks who use their products feel happy and confident, while giving them the right tools to succeed when their monthly visitor has them wanting to lay in bed all day with a heat pack, Ben & Jerry’s, and a Lifetime movie.

On day one of recruitment, the sisterhood round, we wore our chapter letters with white shorts or jeans. In my super cute patterned white shorts from Dressbarn, I was rocking the round with my sister friends, meeting potential new sisters, and informing others about how much I love my Alpha Delta Pi sisterhood.

I never had to fret about having a female crisis because I was confident that my U by Kotex products would keep me accident free! During the rounds and all of the fun photos (like some shown below!), I always had a smile on my face and could be my confident self because U by Kotex was doing it’s job.

With day one successfully in the books, I was able to pack up my bag and head back to the land-of-freshmen to my RA bedroom. When throwing everything in my bag, then repacking the bag for the next day, I never had to worry about the feminine care products taking up space. They were in sleek packaging, which easily fit in my ADPi Lilly Pultizer tote , alongside my text books for homework and change of clothes. What an added bonus!

On day two, which was the philanthropy round, I was able to confidently talk about how much I love Alpha Delta Pi’s national philanthropy, the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and all that our chapter does for our local RMH chapter in New Haven. For this day, my sisters and I wore white dresses and red necklaces. Throughout all my conversations, I never once had to worry that another part of my outfit, other than my necklace, would become red!

Just like my sorority sisters, U by Kotex keeps me happy and confident. I know that when I am with my sisters, or using a U by Kotex product, I am going to be taking care of and in good hands. With no need to worry, it helps me enjoy the best parts of life – like Bid Day!

I’m the most confident when I’m with my sisters or using U by Kotex products! Comment below and tell me when you are the most confident.

9Jul2015

Welcome my sorority sister, Lianna, to the blogging world!

by sparkleandshinesami

Hey, readers!

A little over a week ago, I introduced you all to my sorority sister Tori and her Chloe + Isabel shop.

Well, Tori isn’t the only ADPi sister of mine who is being super cool this summer! It seems as though my school’s chapter of Alpha Delta Pi is continuing to reach for the stars, because our sister Lianna has started her own blog, Chic Freak.

(OMG, How white girl am I apple picking in a flannel?!)

I’m so proud of her for starting her own fashion and lifestyle blog!

Check out what Lianna had to say about herself, our friendship, and Chic Freak:

Hello beautiful Sparkle and Shine readers!

My name is Lianna Regina, I’m 19 and from Monroe, Connecticut. Not only am I Sami’s sorority sister in the Theta Theta chapter of Alpha Delta Pi, I am the owner of the blog Chic Freak. Fashion has always been my top priority, and I probably shouldn’t be admitting this but it may have been my number one focus in high school.

I currently attend Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT and am majoring in Public Relations with a double minor in music and management. I had the pleasure of meeting Sami in the bathroom the week after recruitment with her asking “You’re in ADPi right?” It was the start of a wonderful, definitely never dull, friendship.

Starting a blog was something I always wanted to do. I tried endless times, but could never find something to write about that I was truly passionate about. Recently I was sick and didn’t want to sit in bed doing nothing all day, so I found that it was a perfect opportunity. I am just getting the hang of it and am very proud of every single post I write.

My blog is mainly about what I’m obsessing that day, which is usually what I’m wearing or something exciting that happened that day. I try to keep the common theme as fashion or something new and exciting that I think would be appealing to my readers. As time goes on, I hope to see my blog grow as I get into more of a routine. I feel that by running this blog, I am expanding my horizons in building a future for myself.

I hope you enjoy my blog!

I love seeing my friends jump into the blogging world. I have really found myself, found such a confidence, and have been able to show the world who I am thanks to Sparkle and Shine. I would love for everyone, especially my friends and my sorority sisters, to find the same happiness that I did.

Now, go make Lianna and I both happy by visiting her blog!

PS. Did you realize this post was coming because of yesterday’s Instagram post? If not, make sure you follow my Instagram to stay up-to-date on all things Sparkle and Shine!

5Feb2015

Making R.A. Duty a Total Sorority Move, thanks to Gone Greek!

by sparkleandshinesami

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

One of the most rewarding experiences of my life is being a Resident Assistant for freshman. However, that means long nights and some even longer nights that expected.

During the week days, we don’t need to wear our university official polos. Last night, I decided to add a little sass, like a true sorority girl, by throwing on pearls and a monogram for duty!

Yoga Pants: Victoria’s Secret PINK| Headband: Victoria’s Secret PINK

Half Zip: Gone Greek

If you are just as obsessed with this half-zip as I am, head on over to Gone Greek! I promise you, you won’t be sorry!

This half-zip is one of the comfiest pieces of clothing in my closet and trust me, there is a lot of clothes in there. It’s super cute and the site ships very quickly.

Gone Greek offers clothing and accessories for both sorority women and fraternity men. For those who are not affiliated, the site even offers super cute clothing and accessories with monograms.

You can even purchase in bulk through their chapter orders category.

When checking out, use code checkout10 to get 10% off. Super cute monograms, sorority gear, and savings? Please tell me what could possibly make this sorority girl happier? Oh wait, nothing!

4Feb2015

Top 3 Instagrams of the Month: January 2015

by sparkleandshinesami

Happy February, my sparkling readers!

The first month of the year has already come and gone. Have you been following my January adventures on Twitter and Instagram? It’s been a fun-filled month thanks to being reunited with my friends and ADPi sisters for the second semester of junior year! Oh, and a whole less of fun when my computer got a virus, crashed, and had to be re-imaged, in which I lost my documents and photos. But, let’s not dwell on the negative.

A year ago, I posted my first ever Top 3 Instagrams of the month post. Since then, this monthly post has become one of the most popular posts of “Sparkle and Shine,” gaining hundreds of hits each time it gets posted! Due to the success, I decided to continue chronicling my year through Instagram and sharing the top photos of each month with you.

Without further ado, here is the top Instagram posts from January 2015!

2015 is the year that my best friends and I turn 21! Kathleen was the first of our friend group to turn 21 and no amount of snow, sleet, or sludge stopped us from celebrating and giving her a great night!

I’ve taken a step into the fashion blogging world, one cute shoe (or snow boot) at a time. In this Instagram post, I showed off my “day after” outfit for how to still look cute and comfortable the day after going out. To check out the post, you can go here.

A whole new yeaaaaar, a new fantastic point of view. No one (but my mom) to tell me no or where to go or say I’m only dreaming – except for one HUGE dream is no longer a dream, but a reality. I am continuing to work with Seventeen Magazine in 2015 as a member of their Social Club! This means not only new adventures for me, but for you, too, readers!

Continue to follow me on Instagram to see what February will have in store. I have a feeling that it will be just as exciting as January!

1Dec2014

Sami’s Holiday Guide: Reasons Why I Love You Mason Jar

by sparkleandshinesami

As the total sorority girl that I am, I love to craft gifts for people.

Crafting is a great way to make a personal gift for someone who love, while expressing yourself. I also find it as a great stress reliever.

For Amber, as most of you know is my little diamond, I recently crafted a mason jar to hold all of the reasons I love her and she is the perfect little for me!

Tell your best friend, your big, your little, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your parents, anyone how much you love them with this mason jar craft.

Supplies for this craft include a mason jar, decorate flower or what you chose to place on the top, ribbon, hot glue, Popsicle sticks, and decorative letters.

Here’s how:

Glue decorative ribbon onto a plain piece of ribbon. I used white and rhinestone to go with the color scheme I was using for the mason jar.

Make sure you hot glue so it stays together for longer, verses Elmer’s glue. This craft is going to require a lot of hot glue, so make sure you have enough hot glue sticks!

You need to then continue the prep work by decorating the lid of the mason jar.

I bought a flower from the headband section of Joann’s. For the decorative piece of top, you can truly explore the craft store – even items you already have around your house or dorm room. You want this piece to be something pretty and truly draws your eye to the craft when completed.

Hot glue the bottom of the decorative piece to stick onto the lid.

Firmly press the decorative piece onto the mason jar’s lid. You want to make sure it stays!

Then, hot glue the back of your ribbon to hot glue it around the now completed lid.

Now, it is time to start decorating the mason jar itself. On the jar, write whatever you want to label it! Label it as “Why I Love You,” “Reasons I Love You,” or whatever else your heart desires. I went with “Reasons Your Big Loves You” on Amber’s mason jar. To make it easier for myself, I pulled all the letters off of the sticker sheet first.

Then, I put hot glue on the back of the letters….
…and then I stuck them onto the jar!

Now, it is time to get sentimental! On Popsicle sticks, write all of the reasons why you love that person! It was Amber’s 20th birthday, so I wrote 20 different reasons as to why she is the perfect little for me. Here are some examples, as I wrote them on with a Sharpie marker (in blue, notice, to continue with the color scheme):