Did you hit up the sales on the 3rd most popular shopping day of the year? I heard some crazy stories about chaotic clothes shopping in the actual stores with things being picked over or deals not being all that great. I’m pretty set on clothes right now but I did check out the sales online. There wasn’t a damn thing I wanted! Stores were still hocking summer stuff as their super deals.
My big thing is to get wrapping supplies and decorations on clearance. I hit 2 Wal-Marts (really looking for elusive vacuum bags) and 1 Target. Women were cart blocking like crazy at 9am at Target but I manged to squeeze myself in.
I got all of this for $25! The platter is ceramic and there are even some cat toys for next year!
Love that polka dot wrapping paper. It’s fun to find things you can use year round but I wasn’t so lucky this year.
On Tuesday I also hit Sally Beauty Supply and scored on nail polish. 50% off already marked down stuff. That’s what I’m talking about! I got these 6 polishes for $6!!
The first is China Glaze Trendsetter. I’ve wanted this polish for a long time but it’s hard to find. Love the weird colors.
From L to R: China Glaze Trendsetter, CG Skyscraper, CG Haunting, Finger Paints Military Green, FP Catwalk Queen, Orly Monroe’s Red
So tell me tell me! What did you score?
We’re always talking about purging our closets, getting rid of clutter… all in the hopes of not becoming a hoarder and ultimately refining our style.
Why are we being so hard on ourselves about keeping things we like?
There’s that “1 in 1 out” rule where you get rid of something old when you buy something new. This can also apply to home decor items. I actually did this for a while with shoes and soon ended up playing games with myself… holding onto shoes I didn’t want anymore during the initial purge, just so I could use them in the next trade. Ha! The more I thought about it, it’s such a stupid guideline. I mean, how do you decide what the perfect number of things is? Is it based on space available? It it some arbitrary number you pull out of the air? What if you really don’t want to get rid of something? The only thing I see this working well for is your basics. Your fave white tee bites the dust so you toss it and get a replacement. That makes sense. This obsession with an ultra-minimalist lifestyle is kinda grating on me lately.
There’s the “If you haven’t worn it in 1-3 years, it’s time for it to go” rule. This one makes some sense to me but it still can’t be a hard and fast rule. What about formal wear? What about that fantastic skirt you simply adore and really want to hold on to? Is it hurting anything to keep it? What about wanting to hand things down to your daughter? Women’s weight fluctuates so much too so, I see nothing wrong with keeping a size up and down in your closet as well, just in case.
There are plenty of ladies who are pure collectors. They buy unique pieces and have amazing wardrobes of well-made items. Things go in and out of style so frequently, I wish I still had a lot of my clothes from 10 years ago. Frequently, I have purger’s remorse. If I had the closet space and the money, I would love a collection that spanned decades!
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There are those who subscribe to the French mindset of shopping – keeping a basic wardrobe of classics and only adding 3 or so key pieces every season. This makes you pause and really think about the look you want to achieve that particular season and what trends you’re interested in, carefully editing your shopping list. It allows you to shop a bit more extravagantly on a few quality items rather than a ton of cheap stuff. I have never done this – sitting down with a budget and list in mind, having everything else work around a few new pricier items, sourcing, buying them and being done. I definitely know when my wardrobe is missing a key item though. For instance, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect brown knee boots for years. This Christmas I finally get them!
I kinda just get non-basic things as I see them. “Oh! I like those shoes! Oh! I like that sweater!” It’s all pretty compulsive and I don’t think much about how it will work with what I already have. That’s when you end up standing in front of your full closet and feeling like you have nothing to wear. I don’t think in terms of outfits. Well, when you pretty much wear jeans all the time… any sweater will go with anything but… you know what I mean.
So, how do you shop and approach your wardrobe?
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New Years Eve is approaching fast. Are you going out? I still have no idea what we’re doing. We went out to a fancy dinner last year and I passed out on the couch. Year before last, we walked around the neighborhood drinking champagne, witnessed a car accident and made it back in time for the ball to drop. I hope I do something this year worth dressing up for!
I’m not big on ultra formal shoes. My sparkly silver strappy numbers have only been worn once and that’s such a waste. My feet would also freeze in them this time of year. Here are some picks for New Years celebrating that will keep your toes warm and can also be worn the rest of winter!
Check out Macy’s for more great party shoes!
Nine West Riddleme Pumps
These would pretty much go with anything and can take you to the office as well.
Bestey Johnson Sydnee Flats – in other colors
Gold flats with a fancy metal flower! These could be your spare switch-out shoes when heels start to kill your feet. They’ll also go with everything!
INC International Concepts Gallia Booties
I want some red booties so badly! These would look great with skinnies and a fluffy sweater after your celebrating is done.
Nine West Delly Booties
I’m not big on sequins but c’mon! These are fabulous, plus that sturdy heel and small platform mean you’ll get a lot of wear out of them.
Boutique 9 Victorie Pumps – also in black suede
I adore this shape heel. It’s so modern.
What are you doing/wearing for New Years Eve?
I started my Christmas shopping weeks ago. You wanna slap me? Hear me out! The stores aren’t swamped and picked over. Lines aren’t long. I don’t feel pressured. I won’t be broke when Christmas arrives. It really is to preserve my sanity.
If you need to grab some little but thoughtful gifts here are some easy and inexpensive holiday shopping ideas:
EcoTools bamboo brush sets. The travel sets come with little raw cotton cases and are great for every day use. The bristles are synthetic but super soft. Each of these sets is about $7 at most drug stores. I love them.
eos organic lip balm set $11 – It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon but these lip balms are great!
Like/Dislike stamp set – $13 – for a laid back office pal
The Little Prince pop-up book $23 – for the young & young at heart, or someone you love deeply
There will be a ton of holiday nail polish collections out there. This one is $17 but ULTA has sets of their own polish (which I really like) for less than $10.
Set of 8 cork toast coasters for $10
Loving this pop beauty Bare Texture kit for eyes, including primer for $28.
Animal House kitchen set $17
Slow Loris Chairlift Tee $16
Fab.com is a flash sale site for lovers of design. Each day you get an email of all the sales that day. Some are pricey but I’ve seen some amazing deals on there.
apron $23
bunny love salt and pepper shakers $21
Plasticland has so much fun stuff!
This is probably the first installment of many for the holiday season! Hope you like my picks!
I cleaned out my closet a few days ago and rediscovered a pair of jeans I bought at the end of last summer. They’re from Old Navy and I got them on extra clearance clearance for less than $5.
They’re “The Flirt” denim style – a mid rise fit that I’m really loving. (It’s amazing how much slimmer you look when the muffin top is eliminated.)
These particular jeans are 98% cotton, 2% spandex. Super soft, comfy, with a little give. You also don’t get plumber butt when you bend over! They were a special pair offered, with faded white paint speckles and a flare leg.
So here I am in all my bloated glory!
Now what I don’t get is Old Navy’s sizes.
First off, their vanity sizing is ridiculous. I’m roughly a size 6-8, and these are a size 4 and still have some room when I’m pms-ing.
Second, their size chart is bananas because I’m now a 38-28-38 (Mötley Crüe’s ideal size! Ha!) and I’m fitting in a size 4 when they say I should be in an 8.
Oh! These were also “regular” inseam but measured the same as what they say is “short”. WTF?
I really want to try their wide legged trouser version:
These are just 1% spandex. That could make a HUGE difference. It’s a shame I have to try on every damn thing in-store instead of just ordering online. Could stores be a bit more consistent with their denim lines and size charts?
For the first time in a year, I managed to have a 3-day weekend and enjoyed every bit of it.
No cleaning… the bf did on Friday for me! Hot damn!
I barely cooked- the AC in the kitchen died and we need a new one. I did melt on Monday evening and cooked a big dinner – apricot/mustard pork tenderloin, mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and a small salad.
I slept in a bit and went shopping alone a few times and didn’t feel rushed.
We went to the farmer’s market and SPCA. I may take a 1.5 hour class to be a volunteer/foster there so I will have direct access to wee kittens. I may just talk to my vet.
We went for a late night walk and I took some pics in the dark, and in some windows, since no one believes in curtains in this town:
We shared a sundae for dinner on Sunday at Bev’s and sang “Sundae Yummy Sundae“:
I got a brand new mustard corduroy skirt from J. Crew for $6 at Second Debut (fancy pants Goodwill).
At Old Navy, I grabbed a bunch of stuff for the bf on sale and this one-piece. I’m going tubing with his family soon and needed something modest. I really love it! The stripes are grey. It’s sold out online.
A lady was placing these dresses on the Target clearance rack. I got it in black. The fabric doesn’t stretch. Still full price online.
And that’s it! How was your weekend? Did you score any good deals?
After a week of kitten, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming.
I cleaned up the bookmarks on my laptop and found a bunch of random things from etsy and figured they were worth a share:
Homako – These would be an easy diy with felt scraps, some sort of backing and felt glue.
Silvia66 – I know it’s getting hot but this is also an easy diy. I mean, it’s chunky un-knitted yarn!
AudraJean – I really want a harness to dress up a boring tank this summer.$89
Debbie Carlos – giant poster prints done on architectural printers. I’ve used them before and the finish and large format is so much fun! $50
Kiva Ford – the teeniest hand blown glass pieces!
High Street Vintage – affordable little prints from vintage sources
and a shout out to the lovely Katie of Mitu Vintage who takes great care in finding beautiful vintage goods- washing, repairing and researching ! Follow her fun personal blog, twitter and check out her etsy shop!
Who’s your favorite etsy seller? Do you have a shop of your own?
For a couple – 
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