Stacy Shops Too Much

After a looong hiatus, I'm back with an amazing find.

2010-11-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

So there was this Banana Republic dress I tried on this summer after I had the baby. Very professional and just the thing to get me back into the work frame of mind after spending the summer drenched in spit up, singing Lady Gaga in dulcet tones and wandering around the house with my boobs hanging out. Alas, it was $150, and while pre-baby me would have whipped some plastic out to pay for that without batting an eyelash, post-baby me was thinking about how that $150 would pay for a whole week of daycare. It's somewhat similar in cut to this dress, but it's a grey suiting material instead of winter wool, and the sleeves aren't ruffled.

Anyway... Found it on clearance at Banana this weekend, plus used the 30% Give and Get coupon, and got my $150 dress for about $35. I was pretty happy.

I also bought these sunny yellow Poetic License shoes in the Von Maur Clearance room.

It was a good weekend. :)

And I'm Back

2010-08-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Since I have to start work in a week and I'm not quite back in all of my pre-baby clothes yet, I have been doing a wee bit of shopping. Some recent purchases:

What do you mean, I didn't need to buy shoes? Of course I did. Besides, I got both of those for a grand total of $40... not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

And now for the things on my wishlist... a) I wish I had money, b) I wish I had my old waist back. But for 9 weeks postpartum, I don't hate where I'm at. It's just not where I was last year at this time.

Today's Anthro sale!

2010-04-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

SOOOO many things I wish I was purchasing from today's giant Anthro sale, but I am showing some self-restraint and just getting the one dress that has been on my wishlist since it came out like last year.

The other shirtdress I have and love is Moulinette Soeurs too, and from what I can tell this is the same cut. I cut myself a little slack and went up a size to accommodate for post-baby weight, but I still think it will take a couple of months before this baby fits. Oh well, it will be good motivation. I have several things lurking in the back of my closet that serve as my motivation to lose the weight.

So, here is what I WOULD be buying from the sale today if I had no budget and a normal-sized uterus:

$250 Anthro gift card? Yes, please!

2010-03-23T10:33:00.001-07:00

Roxy over at Effortless Anthropologie is running a contest!

Answer her questions right for the next four days, and she'll put you in the running for a $250 Anthro gift card. For me, that could buy a few nice post-maternity pieces... like these:

Lace skirt, $98

Pincushion blouse, $88

Free Flow tank, $78 (technically this puts me at $264, but whatever)

Or this outfit:
Reed shirtdress, $118

Oxford Capelet, $118

Or most of a really special, five-year-anniversary-and-I-have-lost-all-of-the-baby-weight dress:

Pictureshow dress, $298.

Or I could go quasi-practical and get baby stuff:

Baby Book, $22

Mushroom Pouf, $168 (her room is Alice in Wonderland-themed, so this would be perfect)

Grand Game wallpaper, $88, which would be amazing to line the closet with. One of those extra touches you don't really need, but adds a bit of whimsy to the room. He kinda looks like the sort of rabbit you'd follow into a hole, doesn't he?

A Girl Can Never Have Too Many Shoes

2010-03-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in the Shoe Party over at The Stories of A to Z! Lord knows I have a ridiculous number of shoes, so I'll just share the ones I happen to be able to find pics of.

Naughty Monkey - a bit beat up and could use a cleaning :)

Yellow Fryes I got a heck of a deal on in the Von Maur clearance shoe room!
$6 Target clearance shoes. My mom says they're ugly. Psssh.

Red Naughty Monkeys.

Purple flats. I forget the brand name, but I went through a phase of buying flats when I found out I was preggo. I'm still wearing heels, FYI. :)
Pink Chucks! Also in the $5 ballpark at Target. They're girl's size five.
ModCloth Mixed Media heels. If I could own a shoe wardrobe solely considering of ModCloth and Anthro shoes, I would be a happy, happy girl. These were $20 on sale.
Marc Jacobs. NOT $20 on sale. :) Although I did get them on sale.
This is a picture from Tater Tots and Jello, but I have the same flats and no picture of them, so I stole her picture.

More Target flats! I had a pair of Steve Madden rounded toe leopard flats that I wore the CRAP out of. When I finally had to give them up, I settled on these as a replacement. I prefer the rounded toe though.
Steve Madden giraffe print. Surprisingly comfy for the height.

ModCloth Fergie heels. NOT comfy... but dang cute.
Aldo Equia heels. I adore these shoes.

Black Chucks. Mine and my husband's. :) They're my go-to casual outfit shoe.

My newest acquisition, the Miss Albright Budding T-Straps from Anthro.
Anne Klein metallic heels, also purchased for a steal at Von Maur at the same time I bought the yellow Frye heels.

And some I left out. Crappy picture. :P

ModCloth will be the death of me

2010-03-09T09:35:00.001-08:00

I can't stop buying their shoes. They are so cute. And relatively inexpensive. I mean, HOW CUTE ARE THESE.
That was not a question. It was a statement. And yes, I already ordered them. They came yesterday. I love them muchly.

Turns out I'm not on crack

2010-03-07T20:05:00.001-08:00

I CAN make Anthropologie-inspired jewelry. I used what I have here at the house, so it's not an exact match, but if I wanted to go out and buy some colored burlap or similar material I totally could have gotten closer. But I think they're pretty cute! And the middle parts are just normal earrings, so you can slide the fabric part off of the back and wear them alone. Yay.

For reference, here's my Anthro inspiration:

There's really no tutorial necessary... make tiny yo-yos and slide them behind a fancy pair of earrings and you're good to go!

I might be on crack

2010-03-05T10:33:00.001-08:00

But here are some things that are at Anthro right now that I think I might be able to actually make:
Ribbon, some fake pearls and a couple of pre-made fancy applique patches. Ya think?

Some chunky beads, a chunky chain and some ribbon. Flat gold beads in between if I am so inclined.

I'm not so sure about this one. In theory it looks pretty easy... three strands, and you could connect them all with a cheapo F21 or Claire's brooch on the side. But I'm sure it's more difficult than I am making it out to be. Plus you'd need beads of matching colors but different shapes and sizes.

This would be crazy super-simple. A chain, some jump rings and some charms that you love. Easy-peasy. The hard part would be narrowing down the charms :) I'm envisioning an Alice necklace - a teapot, a clock, a key, a cake? Maybe a playing card or a flamingo? A heart? I even saw a large white rabbit pendant at Michael's the other day.

I'm definitely going to give these a shot this weekend. I think it's as simple as taking a pair of earrings you already have and sliding a ribbon rosette onto the post before you put your back on. It could make all kinds of earrings you already own look completely different! And I think the same goes for these:

So. I might try a couple of these this weekend and let you know how it goes. :)

ARGGHHH

2010-03-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Nothing fits any more and it is really frustrating!!!

Fellow Anthropologie Whores Are Awesome

2010-02-21T13:27:00.001-08:00

A girl knew I was looking for this top, and she was returning it, so she e-mailed me to let me know that she was returning it to a certain NY Anthro store and that if I called them, they would ship it to me for free. SWEET. Of course, in my current gestational state, it might not exactly fit. But it will someday, and I love this top SO MUCH. I couldn't make myself pay full price for it, cause it was rather expensive, and by the time I tried to get it when it went on sale it was gone in my size. Whee!!! Only a fellow Anthro-obsessed girl would understand how exciting this is. My husband thought I was nuts as I'm checking e-mail and calling a store across the country as we were trying to buy groceries this morning, but... yay. :)

Double Markdown at Anthro! How could I pass this up?

2010-02-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

You can look back at the blog and see that I've had my eye on this for quite some time... so you can hardly blame me for buying it on double markdown. $49.95 down to $9.95? What a steal!!

I want this.

2010-02-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Like, bad. I'd also like to be able to fit into it. My options are getting limited. It's really cheap on eBay right now so I think I might keep an eye on it. Maybe it can be a post-baby goal dress.

Oh no, Anthro sale!

2010-02-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Last week's Anthro markdowns were so nothing to write home about.

They made up for it this week. :) As I have said many times in the past couple of months, it's probably a good thing my belly is making Internet clothes shopping a little too unpredictable, because I would be dropping a wad on this stuff:

But, you know... you can really be any size and wear jewelry. Do I need that first necklace for $30? Hmmmm.

Mixed Media $19.50 heels in action

2010-01-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

How frigging cute are these? $19.50 well spent. And look, I still have discernible ankles. I don't think that will be the case much longer, so I'm celebrating this little victory while I can.

Things I Would Want if I Had a Waist and Money

2010-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Anthro.

Solar Star:

Vanilla Bean:
Off-the-Tie-Rack:

Free Flow:

One ModCloth.
Style Solution Skirt:

K thx. Bai.

Psst.

2010-01-21T08:23:00.001-08:00

Did I mention that I bought these in the ModCloth Cabin Fever sale yesterday? $19.50.

Still rocking non-maternity at 22 weeks pregnant!

2010-01-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

22 weeks today! That's two weeks away from V-Day... that's viability day, for you non-spawners. It means that if something happened and I have to have the baby early, there's a good chance that the baby would survive. I don't expect anything to happen, but it's nice to have that in the back of your mind.

Anyway. Here's today's non-maternity outfit, sort of. These pants are a size bigger than what I wear when I don't have a kid hogging my uterus, but they aren't maternity.

Loft wine-colored cords
Tulle asymmetrical tank, which I LOVE and my friend Lacey gave me.
Gap shrunken schoolboy blazer in Navy, which no longer buttons ;)
Anne Klein brown metallic-y heels.

I wear snow boots into the office, though, and change into cute shoes when I get here, because of the scary fall I had a couple of weeks ago. I'm starting to feel like Mr. Rogers.

Argh, Anthropologie sale!!

2010-01-19T17:45:00.001-08:00

It was a really good sale today, putting some of my most coveted items at attainable prices. They put the Forever Garden tee I bought a few weeks ago at half off... unfortunately, I think I'm just beyond the two-week price adjustment period.

I exchanged the tank I was so disappointed in for the ice-capped blouse... hopefully it fits. The size six was too small when I tried it on a few weeks ago, so I ordered the size eight. My tummy is growing rather rapidly, but I'm hoping it will work for a little while. If nothing else, I'll keep this one and hold on to it until post-baby, because it was really gorgeous and unique.

Then there's the Converging Roads sweater dress. Even at half off it's a little pricey, but it's no more than a maternity dress would cost, and I'm definitely getting to the point where most of my normal work pants aren't fitting so well anymore.

If I had more money, I'd be taking advantage of these sale items as well:

Loving my F21 knockoff, but this one is very pretty.

A pretty little statement ring, don't you think?

A lovely cuff, but part of me thinks I could make this on my own with a F21 cuff, the right fabric and some faux jewels. Perhaps not.

Not amazing, but not bad for a colorful maternity tank to wear under cardis.

Another pretty little vintage-y looking bracelet that I could perhaps make on my own.

I tried this on many moons ago (OK, October...) and was pleased with it, but not in love with it. However, for $40, I'd probably snap it up in this plum color because I don't own a purple cardi.

It's Official: the Switch has been Flicked

2010-01-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

I'm now more excited about buying baby stuff than Stacy stuff. Mostly because it's not the most fun to shop for a growing belly.

My Baby Gap was having 50% off clearance prices yesterday, so I scored three items for next fall/winter for about $30. Not bad for Gap prices!

So this is basically the cutest dress ever.

And then this little corduroy puffer jacket felt nice and warm. I also got a lovely off-white knit hooded cardi that I can't find online. It's possible that I will give the coat or the cardi away as a baby shower gift for someone else - they're actually quite similar in style.

If they had this in my store, I would have snapped it up too:

Oh well. I actually think I could probably make something pretty close to this by using a thrift store flannel. I'll have to consider that.

Tulle Sale Kind of a Bummer

2010-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm just a newbie to the killer Tulle sales, but when they said they were marking things down to 2.99-5.99, I assumed that it meant items that were already on the site. So I made up a wishlist of things I wanted, including this absolutely adorable military jacket.

Well, I was mistaken. The sale was entirely made up of things I didn't even know existed. Boo. But here's what I ended up with.

This sweater tunic, but in a green shade called "Patina."

And this shirt dress, which was not included in the big sale, but I bought anyway because I had a giftcard.

Then Paul and I went to J Crew and exchanged the gorgeous Clustered Constellations cardigan and a pair of pants that were rather mammoth on him. In return, we got him another pair of pants and two polos and I got (surprise) another cardigan and a layering top for underneath -

The ruffles and roses tissue tank isn't on sale online, but in the store it was only$29.99 plus another 20% off sale items. And they look quite cute together.

That's really it for my shopping now - time to start getting this house ready for Lydia. Yep... found out today that it's (probably) a girl. She was a little uncooperative and wouldn't give the ultrasound tech a good view, but the tech felt 80% sure it was a girl. A little girl to buy adorable outfits for, are you kidding me!? Eeee!

Hypothetically, if i were not saving money for the baby now, I would be buying these items that went on sale at Anthro today:

Ahhh. Gorgeous. Still $70.

I'd pay $19-$29 for a pretty, lightly embellished tank, but not $50. Booo.

Calligrapher's Tights! Pretty!

Do I need these for $41?

2010-01-03T17:43:00.001-08:00

OR SHOULD I BE SAVING THE MONEY FOR MY UNBORN BABY?

Agh.

Christmas Part Two!!

2010-01-03T15:29:00.001-08:00

My wonderful in-laws got me the two best J. Crew cardigans for Christmas!

First, my beloved polka dot cardi!

And second, the clustered constellations sweater, which is SO gorgeous, but I'm afraid I might have to take it back - it's a little too long on me, and at my height, it makes me look a little stumpy. I'm bummed because it's honestly just so detailed and pretty... sigh. Such is the burden of being short. ;)

Then I did get to stop at Anthro, and I ended up getting the Forever Garden tee I thought I needed to try in person. The reviews are right - it IS a bit low cut, but I figure a cami will fix that pretty quick. The colors are very Spring-y and cheerful! Perfect for when you have two feet of snow on the ground :P

The Spotlights tank I'm so in love with wasn't available in the store, but they did order it for me with free shipping.

The Ruffles Everywhere tunic was, in fact, a bit drab on. Now this - I've never actually really noticed the Converging Roads sweater dress online. But it caught my eye in the store, and I loved it. At $138, it's a bit steep for me, but maybe it will go on sale. Then again, they only have L and XL left online, so the odds of it going on sale are probably not great.

I'm of the same mindset about the Here and Now tee. I loved it and it would be really cute under cardigans, but $88 for a tee - I just couldn't pull the trigger. It looks like it might be the same deal, though - only XLs left online, so I might be SOL on this one.

The last hurrah

2009-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Headed to Nebraska this weekend to do Christmas with Paul's parents, and I think it will be a last trup to Anthro for me for a while since I doubt I will be fitting into their stuff much longer! Here's what I'll be checking out in person.

IF they have these in the store, they will be very hard for me to pass up. I've been eyeing them online for quite some time, but even at $70 on sale they are a little rich for me. Seeing them in person might tip me over the edge, though.

$148 for a tank is waaaay rich for my blood, but I think I'd like to try it on just for fun.

Flowy top? Fun colors? Check and check.

Again - flowy, fun design, would be cute under cardis and I think that drawstring might adjust to the baby bump quite nicely.

$88 is a bit much for what is essentially a t-shirt, but I'd like to try it.

I've mentioned before that this didn't get great reviews, but I love the colors and the price is definitely right. Another "let's give it a shot" type of top.

Again... too pricey for a tank, even though I understand that it has a lot of embellishments that raise the price. But I'd like to try it on, and who knows - maybe we'll get a New Year's Day markdown surprise!

Pretty, but I'm not sure it's original enough. Tons of retailers are doing cardis with the cloth or ribbon flowers, and I know I can find one for less elsewhere.

This is what I'm REALLY looking for. For such an original, fun top, I think $50 is a pretty reasonable price for Anthro. Love these colors and think it would be adorable under various cardis.

I think I could also still wear this - my skinny jeans are low-rise enough that they still fit, and this looks like it might still work for me. I'm slightly leery of the buttons, but it's worth trying!

Ditto this one. It looks like a vague tunic version of my very favorite Anthro dress ever, so I would love to have something similar to it that I could wear during pregnancy.

And here are some things I would be lusting over if I had a waistline right now. Perhaps it's best that I don't ;)

I don't know, the skirted peacoat could still be a possibility. But probably not just for the fact that I actually NEED flowy tops - I have tons of coats and jackets already.

The Christmas Haul!

2009-12-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

Not that many clothes this year, probably on account of being pregnant. I don't blame people... I'm scared to buy clothes for myself too. But, here's what I DID get as far as fashion goes.

I got the cutest Anthropologie blouse, but sadly, it was WAY too small. I even sized up and it was still not even close to zipping. I sincerely doubt I would have fit into it when I wasn't pregnant. So, even though I loved it, I'm exchanging it for these two things:

Through-the-Clouds Tank

Pindot tights:

Here's what I DID get:

Johara Necklace

Sensible yet cute flats from Target (except I got the second pair in a fuschia color) for when I can't shove my swollen feet into heels anymore...

...and some crazy cute pumps from ModCloth for while I still can ;)

I got a Tulle giftcard from my awesome brother-in-law and his wife, which I am hanging on to until Jan. 5th. I think I read somewhere that there is another sweet sale lurking in the future. I have my eye on these:

And if the sale is really good I also like these:

I also got a Chinese Laundry purse that is the most gorgeous turquoise color, but can't seem to find a picture of it online at the moment. It was from overstock.com so I have a feeling that it's quite old.

We have one more Christmas to go (next weekend) and here's what I'm still pining for:

It's not on JCrew.com anymore, but I did see it in my J Crew this weekend and they still have it in my size!

MAYBE this. I almost ordered it from Anthro instead of the pindot tights, but it didn't receive the greatest reviews. Too low cut was the biggest complaint. I decided that it might be one I need to try on in-store.

Poetic License pumps. A bit pricey to expect for a Christmas present, but I pine for them anyway.
Another Anthro pick. I didn't go with this for my exchange because I feel like it's one of those that will probably end up on sale sooner or later.

This wasn't on my Christmas list, but it has caught my eye a few times and it might be in consideration if I get a J Crew giftcard:

Whoops. Or not. I just saw that they're down to XS only online. Maybe they have them in my size in-store still.
Also not on the list, but catching my eye:

WHEN WILL THESE GO ON SALE?!

And I thought this was a bit blingy for everyday wear, but I've seen it dressed down on a couple of blogs and it's actually quite cute.

See It, Be It

2009-12-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Anthropologie Waltzing Daphne blouse, $98.

Not an exact match, but up the same alley, especially if you're looking for a layering piece.

Anthropologie: $88 for a tank (a gorgeous, subtly sparkly tank, mind you, but $88 nonetheless).

Orrr $24.50 for the Forever 21 version, which I have a feeling would serve my purposes just as well

Or this one from F21, same price but a little blingier.

Or this one from f21 for $19.50. Lesson: F21 has lots of grey, embellished tanks.

Oh Yeah

2009-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

I got this bracelet from Forever21 for $4.80 as well ;)

Ann Taylor Loft 40% Off = Christmas Shopping Spree Not Over

2009-12-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Yeah... when the whole store is 40% off, I can't really help myself. It's bad news. I did not need to spend $93 today. BUT, for that $93, I got a dress, a cardigan, a necklace and a dressier t-shirt. I think it was a pretty good deal, really. It's hard being pregnant, because I think that I need new clothes - and I DO, because I am definitely growing out of some tops. And like to think I'm buying things that will be loose enough to last me through a lot of the pregnancy. Am I justifying? Yeah, I'm totally justifying. But after Christmas the money will all be focused on the baby, so I consider this my last hurrah for a little while at least.

Sadly, I can't show you pictures of anything that I bought because it all seems to be sold out online!

Wait, here's a picture of the necklace, sorta, from someone else's blog. Except mine is turquoise with a black ribbon as opposed to clear with a navy ribbon.

And I got this cardi in a cobalt blue color.

The other two things I can't find pictures of. But really, I was restrained - my other major want from Ann Taylor Loft are these pretties, which would have been more than $93 all by themselves.

Sigh. But for reals. Other than exchanges and gift cards for Christmas, I am seriously done with the shopping. You can't pay for a baby if you buy new cardigans every week. At least, *I* can't!

OMG I NEED TO STOP

2009-12-11T13:25:00.001-08:00

$88 plus shipping on Jcrew.com, $58 and free shipping on eBay. I couldn't pass it up. But I am starting to feel guilty about all of the money I am spending on myself right at Christmas. However, if you'll notice, I go through these phases. I have a shopping spree and then I buy nothing for months. Plus I told Paul to cut back on his Christmas spending for me because I have certainly bought myself enough lately. That evens things out... right?

A Bargain Necklace

2009-12-10T14:51:00.001-08:00

I forget who first observed this - it may have been Anthroholic - but this F21 necklace is basically identical to the Anthropologie version. Exhibit A: F21.

Exhibit B: Anthropologie.

But it has been sold out on F21 for quite some time. Today it's back. I like to think I showed some restraint by ordering only the jade color - I could have also gotten the black and the pink.
I could have gotten all three for like $25. And perhaps I would have if it had been free shipping. Alas, it was not (unless I spent $40, which I refused to do, although I easily could have), and I managed to restrain myself.

Please, hold your applause.

Mall of America purchases

2009-12-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Lots of stuff for me... but FABULOUS deals; I couldn't pass them up. My purchases:

For mom:

For Paul's stocking:

Also for Paul's stocking:

ALSO for Paul's stocking (the top set, not the bottom). He's going to have a good sock this year!!

For the baby:

For Sully!

For me :) Wine-colored cords from Ann Taylor Loft. They were already on sale, then the whole store was another 30% off, so I ended up getting them for just $20! Plus no tax on clothes in Minnesota. I had to go a size up to accommodate my little baby belly, which is weird, because I have these exact pants in navy already and they still fit in my old size. I suppose because I have stretched those out already, perhaps. At any rate, I love this color. Madly.

I also bought some other things for myself that I can't find pictures of online because they were on clearance. It was a pair of jeans (another in-between sizes necessity purchase) also from ATL, on clearance for $19, a clearance jacket from Anthropologie and a clearance top from Anthropologie (that was actually on my Christmas list, so I hope no one already got it for me).

I also got some lovelies at Sephora and Lush for my mom's stocking, but... oh, OK:

Cinders bath bomb apparently smells like cinnamon and oranges.

Want to Believe bath melt smells like fennel and is supposed to make your skin feel soft and creamy because of the cocoa butter. I like it because it looks like a lump of coal. :)

I'm pretty much done - a few more stocking stuffer-type items for my mom, maybe a pair of pants for Paul, and I still need something for my dad. Wouldn't mind finding something quirky and fun for Jason and Lisa as well. But the heavy-duty stuff is out of the way!

Christmas present for the baby

2009-12-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

How cute is this?! $40 at Barnes and Noble, plus my member discount, plus 15% off, plus free shipping. Gotta love the holiday deals :)

One more gift

2009-12-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

For my Metalocalypse-obsessed husband. The ATHF ones will just be a bonus. Now, the question is, should these be a present-present, or a stocking stuffer??

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Madness

2009-11-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Ahh! I totally got suckered by all of the amazing deals! But, the good news is, MOST of it was for other people for Christmas or other gifts. Here's what I'm expecting in the mail right now:

OK, these are for me. But to be fair, it was not an impulse buy - these exact shoes have been on my wist list for quite some time, and they were half off plus free shipping for Cyber Monday.
Also for me, but practically free. I had a F21 card leftover from when I exchanged something. The ring was $4.80, shipping was free, and I had $5.30 on the card. Perfect!

The Tulle sale - 50% off of the whole site, including sale items! That made this sweater dress $13. I really wanted it in plum, but of course that color was sold out.
Traci looks adorable in this dress, so I got it too. Also something like $13.

And this cute little bow tank was only $10! My grand total for two dresses and a top was only $40, free shipping. That is the end of shopping for myself. Overall I spent about $80.
Babylegs had 50% off for the first 300 customers to use the code yesterday, so I got these for a gift for one of the showers I will be attending this spring. Usually $12, got them for $6. Free shipping, of course!
Same deal. Usually $24, got them for $12. Great baby shower gift!
This was a gift for my fashion-obsessed friend Traci.
The perfect brownie pan. Yep. This was high on my mom's Christmas list. No deals on this one, unfortunately.
Sweater for Paul! This Banana Republic sweater was on his wishlist, and I got it for 30% off plus free shipping yesterday. The great deal meant that he got TWO...
This was NOT on his list. But I think the dark purple will be great on him, and it's a good excuse to get him to try new colors. His wardrobe consists largely of blue and green.

This Ben Sherman shirt was also on sale plus free shipping.

So! Lots of deals. Lots of things left to buy, but lots of deals. I can't wait til it all comes and I can wrap it and start to fill in the big bare spot under our tree! YAY!

Shit

2009-10-18T16:44:00.001-07:00

And I bought these. OK. I am seriously done now for a while!!!!

My shopping blow out

2009-10-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

Arrgh, I've been doing so well lately not shopping. And then I made a list of wardrobe must-haves - you know, the little staple items I need to make the rest of my closet more versatile. On that list: colored cardigans (I have two black ones and a brown one; how thrilling), printed tops to go under cardigans, and some colored shoes - specifically, yellow, plum and teal. Oh, and textured tights.

I'm a big fan of making lists and crossing things off, so of course this made me immediately start shopping. Here are a few of the things I've picked up:

Up first, the Anthropologie Snakebite belt. I actually ordered the Flossie first (you'll see it in a few) and it didn't work, so after hearing Anthroholic rave about how much she wears her Snakebite belt, I decided to give it a shot. However, I just noticed that they're out of all sizes but large right now, and my return was done via the mail so I wonder how that will work - by the time they process my return obviously the belt won't be available in my size. Unless they restock quick. We'll see!

Oh yeah, this Octopus ring was definitely not on my wardrobe NEED list. But I was ordering a blue cardigan from Modcloth and this little guy was only $7. At Forever 21-like prices, I figured he would make a funky addition to my jewelry box.
Here's the aforementioned cardi. See?? I *needed* this. And it's got a girly flair.
Clearance at Anthro! Love the color. Wore it over a pair of black skinny jeans tucked into black boots last weekend, and I believe a black cardi as well.
Um. These were not on the list. But they were only like $30 in the Von Maur clearance shoe room, so how could I pass them up?
These WERE on my list, and were also in the VM clearance shoe room! The funny thing is, every time I check out yellow shoes on Zappos (because they're on The List), my eye lands on these. However, they're $168 on sale on Zappos. I got them for $44 in the shoe room!! Color me stoked, girl (Heathers, anyone?).
Another Anthro clearance purchase, and also on The List - printed tops to wear under cardis. Bonus: I got my mom to buy me this one :)

Anthro clearance purchase! Printed top for The List.

Berry-colored cardigan from Target, also on The List. Also: super cheap at $17.99.

And this is the Flossie from Anthro that didn't work. The neckline was just too gaping for my liking. Showed a bit too much. And although I was drawn to the cute sailor-girl aesthetic online, in person it was just a bit much.

Is that everything? Yikes, I think that's everything, plus a pair of $14 plum-colored textured tights from VM. Since the VM charge card is interest free I hardly count it. That's probably not right, but... you know. A girl's gotta justify.

Anna Sui for Target = Hit and Miss

2009-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

So. Let's talk Anna Sui for Target, and why Des Moines didn't get it. Most of the collection doesn't do much for me - I totally get it, and I think it's gorgeous, but as far as what I would actually buy, it comes down to just a few pieces. Namely, these:

I'd like it with taller boots (that height doesn't do much for my super-muscular calves) and perhaps a navy cardigan to make it work-appropriate.

I think this one is my favorite. Lots of blogs are buzzing about how this is a direct ripoff of one of Anna Sui's couture collections, but who cares? You're getting couture for a little bit o' nothing, right?

I like this one, but I worry about whether the sailor collar + the bird + the sheer + the ruching + the polka dots = too twee. If so, there's this black version. But maybe it's a little TOO staid.

Finally, a black and white-striped cardi. I'm on the fence about this one. No horizontal stripes has been firmly ingrained in my brain for a very long time, so I can't quite just make it go poof. But the striped cardis are everywhere this season and I'm really starting to take a shine to them.