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Let’s get it. This is a couple that I love together. Marriage contract, hot married chex, and lots of laughs!
I know, I know…where have you been? What’s on sale, girl? Who got it for cheap? I wish I could tell you but I’m currently on a 21 day financial fast and I’m not supposed to be looking at shopping sites or perusing any stores for anything but necessities. Now I won’t lie and tell you I’ve been a good girl all the way through but I definitely tried. I did okay so I might have to try this again but I did realize something about myself. I won’t buy a $1300 purse but I will spend $50 here and $100 dollars there and not even realize how I just nickel-and-dimed myself out of $1300. No more!
Thanks to a great blogger, Ms. Serenity23 and her band of merry maidens I now know alot more about my spending habits and therefore have the insight to fix them. Follow along on the last few days or catch up to see how different women have felt about different chapters in the book we’re reading. You may not think you need it because I sure didn’t but it’s definitely worth a gander.
As I said, I haven’t been 100% faithful as I took a little trip to Marshalls you know cuz I…. uhm…had to ….cuz ….like it suddenly got extremely hot and I was wearing a wool sweater and I needed a lighter shirt. That’s an emergency, right? Anyway, while running through the store with laser-like focus on making it to the clearance shirt section and NOWHERE ELSE….I saw that Rachel Roy purse that I was coveting awhile back.
I cannot lie and tell you that I did not pick the purse up. I also held and caressed it. I also put it on my shoulder and looked in the mirror. I may have even walked around the store with it for a few moments. Then as I was about to put it back I noticed that it was $40. Friends, that’s a $90 discount. Friends, that’s like 70% off. I cannot lie and tell you that I did not immediately put that purse in my cart. Then I thought about all of the other ladies fasting looking down on me all disapproving-like with mean glares and I put it back. Then I went back and picked it up again. You know, just to touch it one more time. Then I took a picture and then….I left it there.
What has the world come to? I’m not a saint though because I will also not lie and tell you that I left the store with just one shirt…lol but I did put that purse back. And I feel good about it. Even as I look at this picture. 10% of me hopes it’s there if I ever go back to the store when this fast is over. Okay, I’m lying 25% and I am going back. Baby steps.
Well around my way, Spring is in full force…in all of its incarnations. You never know what the next day will bring this time of year. One day, you can be out in tank tops and a light sweater and the next day you’re cursing yourself for putting away your warm jacket. Currently, in my hood we are being regailed with everyone’s favorite…Spring Showers and cool weather to boot. But I love it. Spring is my favorite season because all of my clothes can come out to play.
This post is inspired by yesterday’s ho-hum outfit. I don’t always check the weather when I’m getting dressed and very frequently what I have planned in my head just doesn’t work out when I step outside. So I just grab a scarf which can very easily and prettily cover up the clavicle that I’ve been hiding all winter and dying to let free.
I’ve been pretty loyal to a boring black scarf of mine that I took off for this pic but I know I can use an upgrade to something way more pretty and way more Spring-like. That outfit above* is dying for a way more punchy scarf. Oh and I had to go home at lunch and put on some hose…it was freezing out!
Back to scarves….Anthropologie to the rescue, of course! I would love to pull the trigger on all of these scarves. They would brighten up pretty much any winter-worn wardrobe and make even your winter coat and all black outfits sing a new tune.
Please note that all of these come in a variety of colors, these are just my absolute favorite. The scarves are – Moments Pause, Shadowed Vine, and Catch And Release, respectively. Someone must buy one, because I spent all of my money on pillows. Anyway, I could have definitely used this Catch and Release in Steel Grey yesterday.
*I know my background leads much to be desired but I was rushing, I’ll be more prepared next time. I think the trash can adds to the tone of the picture…lol.
Well we all know how Target does with the Designer Collections by now and we all know that many items are pretty hit or miss. I’ve had more success just rolling with Target staple company- Merona. Anyway, none of us can resist trying to get designer goods for Target prices so of course we all scamper around trying to scoop up these deals. Maybe I can save some of you a trip to the store here with some reviews of the hats by Eugenia Kim and the shoes by Cynthia Vincent.
First, let’s look at the display for the Cynthia Vincent shoes. It’s simply just an endcap…that’s it. I really don’t appreciate that at all as a consumer because obviously Target is trying to create shortages and frenzy right from the gate. We all know how quickly these items sell out online and add to that the fact that you barely have a chance to grab something in person…awesome…NOT!
The shoes that I was most interested in were the kente cloth wedges. They’d been in a bunch of fashion magazine spreads and looked awesome in all of them. I was also intrigued by the yellow wedges but I won’t even taunt you because they are no longer available online and were never available in the store. The cognac ones look cool too but only available in stores. Good luck with that one!
So, here they are and let me say that they photograph very well but in person for me they just look flat and lackluster so I left them in the store. It was easy to do because although the store locator on the site said they were at the store in my size, they weren’t. I read the online reviews though and took heed to some reviewers’ suggestions to try the shoe in a whole size down from your normal size. Great suggestion, and it was pretty true. If the velcro at the top front of the shoe actually opened, it would have been perfect a whole size down. So you could size anywhere from a half size to a full size down depending on your foot. Rejoice in that! Another thing to rejoice about is the fact that the shoes were VERY comfortable which a great feet considering that heel height. For me though, I just cannot see me wearing these shoes that much and I was really disappointed in the hue…I was expecting something much richer.
On to some good stuff, the Eugenia Kim hats! At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed again when I tried on the Straw Green Trim Hat and the material was shredding all over my clothes and hair. Ugh. But I pushed through and tried on a few hats and pictured below are my favorites.
I left with the first one- the Plaid Straw Fedora and though I have absolutely nothing to go with the second one- Straw Fedora With Black/White Trim…I’m thinking about going back to get it. The fit on the first hat was a little tight but the fit on the second was pretty loose and relaxed. For the record, my dome is kind of big…lol. The third cap- Striped Equestrian Hat was pretty cute too but I was way more into the fedoras. So after a fun trip to Target to review the new collections…definitely head straight for the Eugenia Kim hats and then if you have some free time…try for the Cynthia Vincent shoes.
I love pillows and that’s a fact. They can instantly take something drab like my living room and totally transform the look and feel of it with just a few of them. Playing around with pillow arrangement takes time until you can get the perfect placement. Such is the case with the couple of tries it took me to get my pillows looking as springy and as cohesive as I’d like. So let’s look at the before, first. Don’t fall asleep, now.
Okay now, here’s where I started bringing in the pillows after my first shopping trip. I definitely wanted the brown pillows in because that’s the color of my rug and all of my old pillows…lol. This arrangement just didn’t really gel together for me. The brown really brought everything down and it seemed disjointed.
So I went to this…
and it was definitely way too bright and juvenille for my tastes. Great for someone else but for me it felt like someone else’s living room. I needed to bring it down to earth a bit more but I was totally stumped as to how I was going to do that with the pillows I had. So I shopped for some more and found two that I loved and felt would give me the balanced, bright yet still sophisticated look that I was going for and bam…now I’m happy.
I love all of the texture and the frill and it’s brought together with the neutral tones that I didn’t want to lose. My couch and my rug still seem like a part of the equation but this is definitely not the boring living room of old. So pillows, done…but more decorating to go. It definitely is starting to feel like Spring in my apartment. What do you think? Which was your favorite?
Orange is a fabulous color that works on pretty much any skin tone. It’s another way to say “HELLO WORLD, I’M HERE AND I’M HOT!” and it’s becoming a favorite of mine. Maybe because I’m livening up my living room with the color or maybe because I got the greatest deal on my $33 Easter dress (yes, I still get them) or maybe because I saw Miss Zoe Saldana killing the color in the most beautiful dress recently…but orange is at the forefront of my mind. Take a gander at me and Zoe rocking our orange dresses and then take a looksee at a few orange stunners that I found online.
Below are dresses by Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein again LOL, and London Times respectively. Enjoy! Are you feeling orange?
Thank you to those who shamed me on and offline for my bland living room. I’m getting it together a little more quickly than I thought. Maybe I can bang something out before I lose steam. I’m still looking for art and waiting for a bench that someone doesn’t want to seem to give back to me…ANYWAY, if you know any good/cheap art spots to peep let me know.
Here’s a sneak peak of some things that I’ve bought and then some things I’m thinking about. Like Meg (who has a great blog), I don’t believe in spending googobs of money for this. What do you think? Props to TamStyles (another great blog) on the Ebay pillow seller. I am having a hard time finding a nice orange print pillow as strong as this pink one shown below. Help!
So, my apartment is basically a blank slate. I’ve been contemplating forever and a day about what curtains to hang up and I want something bright and cheery that will bring some color into my muted, earthy palette. I fell in love with Etsuko Furuya’s Bird To Hang fabric and just knew it would be take my decor over the edge. Then I looked at the price tag…I’m not gonna be able to do it (c) Double XX Posse. It’s around $17 bucks per yard and I wouldn’t even want to pay the price to make a pillow out of it…LOL!
Anyway, I lamented a bit, felt all sorry for myself and would sometimes take a look at the pattern to try to convince myself that it was worth the price. Well I’m surely not there yet but I found the next best thing…if I can’t put it in my living room, why not put it on my shoulder. Where else did I find these lovely, handmade creations but Etsy. Enjoy!
Oh and a peak at my blank slate. Someone please shame me into actually doing something about this…lol.
Who actually makes this?
Where can I find it elsewhere?
Seen something similar?
Help!
It’s the Editor In Chief Coat at Mod Shop but it has to be somewhere else, too. I hope.
Oh the things I do for my shopping addiction research! I was browsing the aisles of my favorite place Anthropologie for knobs for a bureau of mine and out jumped the cutest, most adorable belt I’ve ever seen. I just HAD to try this Blooming Trio Belt on and it did not disappoint. I was strong-willed though and left it right in the store.
Okay what really happened is I couldn’t decide between this one and a lovely deep purple, black, and grey one that isn’t on the website but may be in your local store. Old Me would have bought both but I survived and I left empty-handed but I can’t stop thinking about these belts. Someone HAS to buy one!
Anyway, peep some other belts that have caught my eye lately. There’s no better way to have a little fun with an old staple outfit than with a belt. For me, you know that staple outfit is a black dress…lol. Can’t you just see how any of these belts would spark up my black wrap dresses? Let’s all sigh together now!
A. Anthropologie Brown Clasp Belt
B. NY&Co Distressed Stretch Belt (I’m partial to the grey one)
C. JCrew Skinny Patent Leather Belt* in Redwood
D. Anthropologie Transmissions Belt in Copper
E. NY&Co Multi Ring Stretch Belt
F. JCrew Silk Bouquet Sash* (I’m all about this Grey Mist but it also comes in all black)
*extra 20% off until Sunday, January 17th using code EXTRA20 for all Final Sale items.
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