SMASH

Given that NBC has been airing the commercials for what seems like ages, you've probably been living under a rock if you haven't yet heard of the upcoming new tv series, Smash. The series premieres February 6th and bills itself as a musical drama about making a "smash" on Broadway.  I generally love shows that are a bit different from the norm.  To say that I'm sick of all the depressing crime procedurals that seem to be overtaking the major networks is an understatement. Given that more unique shows like Once Upon a Time and Revenge have found popularity this season, I'm hoping that Smash will too.

While browsing on-demand shows on my tv last week, I was happy to find that the full first episode was available to watch. I promptly pressed play and loved it!  The musical numbers were really impressive, the story is interesting, and the fact that it's shot in NYC adds authenticity.  It's also very, very different from Glee, which I think is a good thing as I'm sure the critics will be wondering whether there is enough audience for two musical tv series.

The commercials for Smash have focused on Katharine McPhee. At least as far as I can tell from episode one, she is a star of the show but not the star; so if by chance you're not a fan from her American Idol days don't let that dissuade you from watching. The ensemble cast seems great--Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, plus a whole bunch of actors that I know I've seen before but can't quite place!

I have Verizon Fios cable--so check out your on-demand listings too; the first episode is also available to watch on NBC's website: www.nbc.com/smash.

Shoe Spree

I went on a bit of a shoe spree this past weekend.  Take a look at my loot:

High-heeled sandals at J Crew, $41 (originally $228), purchased with a gift card. Two pairs of loafers ($30 each) in black patent leather and brown at Banana Republic.  The brown pair is still in the box in the picture. And suede booties ($35), also at Banana Republic.

I love a good sale, don't you? Have you found any great buys lately?

Five Friday Thoughts

1. I can't wait until the weather warms up so I can wear these. I want one in every color: neon persimmon, light citron, blue grotto, festival green, and bright papaya. Don't the color names just scream warm weather and sunshine!

J Crew Toothpick Jean

2. I would also like one of these in every color:

Sperry Top-Siders at J Crew in lemon zest

3. I just jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon.  Love it! Why did I wait this long?

http://pinterest.com/pinkmaple/

4. And speaking of Pinterest, this heart wreath project is just gorgeous:

From Blissful Blooms blog via Pinterest, instructions here

5. Finally, I was really looking forward to this weekend, but now I'm not.  Although my mother and I generally only do craft shows for Pink Maple Design during the Christmas shopping season (October to December), we decided to try one this month after finding out that Boston's popular South End Open Market now has a winter indoor market.  BUT, when the email detailing setup and arrival instructions for this Sunday's market arrived this morning, the market organizers shared for the first time that there are no restrooms at the market location.  There instead is a port-o-potty only for vendors in the parking lot across the street. Because, you know, who minds going to the bathroom outdoors in the middle of the winter?  Needless to say I was fuming mad that they didn't provide that information before we applied and paid for our booth space.

For non-Boston area readers, the market is on the edge of the South End area of Boston on a street with mostly high-end, loft-style condos, a few restaurants down the block, and some artsy galleries near by.  It is what you'd call an up and coming area of the city, as one block down the street there is a homeless shelter and there are still some empty buildings. In other areas of the city not having a restroom right on-site wouldn't be quite so bad as you'd be able to find a nearby public restroom or one in Starbucks, etc.

So, I wrote the organizers an email this morning (using my polite, yet most persuasive, lawyerly language!) that we would be cancelling. 

From a marketing perspective, I'm also shocked that they wouldn't want restrooms for the benefit of customers too.  The market is a combination artisan and farmers market.  If they expect people to pick up a baked goodie and shop for a while, it's logical someone might want to use a restroom (especially people with kids!).

Oh well. I'll now be turning my attention back to our Etsy shop and you can expect a giveaway here soon!

Update: I heard back from the market this evening and am happy to report they're issuing us a refund. I still think the lack of restrooms is cuckoo, but at least the market responded professionally and quickly.  

Long Enough!

While browsing the Lilly Pulitzer sale earlier this month, I was excited to spot the Blanca dress.  On the model at least, it looked quite a bit longer than many of the other Lilly dresses.  I have a few Lilly dresses that I bought in the heat of the sale moment that turned out to be too short for me. (I've been wearing the Jonah dress basically as a tunic with leggings and the Sabine shirtdress is fine in the cooler weather with tights, but it's too short for me to wear with bare legs.) So, I clicked "add to cart" and kept my fingers crossed until the Blanca arrived.

I tried it on and . . . jackpot!  It is in fact, quite a bit longer than many Lilly dresses! I can't wait to add it my work wardrobe once the weather gets a little less frigid around here.

Any other tallish ladies out there that have experienced this same lengthy problem?

The Look for Less

Remember my post earlier this month about my love for these earrings seen on Camille Grammer on the the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 

Well I found these at a local costume jewelry store: normally $10, on sale for $5. Not bad considering they are thousands of dollars less than the real thing!

Shopping and Christmas in January

I had the good fortune of having Martin Luther King Day off; so I enjoyed a three-day weekend! With the holidays and travel, last week was my first full, five-day week in a quite a while (and it was a busy one) so I was happy to follow it up with a long weekend.

Saturday found me visiting two stores I hadn't been to in ages: Ikea and Frugal Fannies.  You all, of course, know of Ikea.  Ikea was its usual self--tempting me with lots of inexpensive and cute household items. First, I enjoyed a free late breakfast courtesy of coupons from Ikea's Facebook page.  Then I browsed the marketplace area and picked up some new candles (Ikea's unscented candles are actually quite great--they don't drip at all and they burn very slowly), a new sheet set, and lightweight folding chairs for my mom and I to bring to future craft shows. It was a quick visit because I forced myself not to get sucked into the upper floor with room displays!

Frugal Fannies is a women's clothing warehouse/outlet-type store in Westwood about 15 minutes southwest of Boston (and somewhat on the way back to the Boston area from Ikea). They used to have a second location north of Boston that I went to quite frequently and over the years I've found great buys on wool coats and shoes (my worn-to-the-ground, knee-length Tahari boots were a Frugal Fannies bargain--I think I paid about $50 for them).  I hadn't been there in a few years though and this visit left me disappointed.  They had a big stock of Ann Taylor and Loft clothes: but half of them were damaged items and unless you are a masterful sewer I'm not quite sure what you can do with a $10 ripped blouse. The shoe section also left me blah; the prices and selection were about on par with DSW.  I left with one J Crew Outlet turtleneck.

Sunday was Christmas in January.  My mother hosted her two aunts and her two cousins and their wives, whom we normally spend Christmas Eve with but we missed because we were in Florida.  We enjoyed a nice mix of homemade and catered items--making for easy prep work.  One aunt made baked ziti, my mom made a ham and salad, and my contribution was picking up the order of eggplant parmigiana and spinach calzones.  (Have you figured out yet that my mother's side of the family is Italian?!)  Everyone had a good time and it was a relaxing afternoon. It was also so fun to exchange gifts a whole month after Christmas! My 90-year-old great aunt received pretty tops from both myself and parents, which she loved.  Sunday was a casual afternoon, but she arrived from her assisted living in a purple sweater with a matching purple beaded necklace and a fur coat.  She definitely proves you are never too old to be a fashionista!

Whether your weekend was long or short, I hope it was a good one!

Oversell

 This is a bit of rant so thanks in advance for indulging me:

I have now made two purchases from Gilt City Boston and in both cases have come away feeling like they were advertised to be more than they actually were. Purchase #1 was for the ScoopNYC Boston grand opening from 6 to 8pm on a weekday evening in November. For $20, Gilt promised "light bites" at the event and a $50 merchandise credit towards a purchase that evening of $100 or more.  The event got off on the wrong foot for me before it even started when I read about the store's actual grand opening party in Boston.com's party photos the day before.  Thus it appeared that the store was open the day of the Gilt City grand opening event, but just closed to the public for a short time beforehand to prep for the event.  In fact, the event didn't start until almost 15 minutes late--while waiting outside I could see the store employees going around with dusters and Windex.

I have been to ScoopNYC in SoHo and let me just state that the Boston store bears no resemblance whatsoever to the New York store. The SoHo store is in a huge loft-style building and goes straight through from Broadway to the street behind.  In Boston, the women's section is on one floor of a typical Newbury Street brownstone and the men's section is on the lower level.  For readers familiar with Boston, the women's section is roughly the same size as In the Pink on Newbury Street.  Given the store's small size, it immediately got jammed with people--you could barely move, much less effectively shop and try on something.  The "light bites" amounted to vanilla mini-cupcakes that tasted like they were from a supermarket and champagne set out on a tray in the store's back corner.  All in all a fairly big disappointment. I left empty-handed, having essentially paid $20 for a half a glass of champagne.

Now, on to purchase #2: Before starting, I've decided for now not to mention the name of the salon involved, as in this case I really feel it was more pumped up/exaggerated advertising on the part of Gilt than the salon itself.

Purchase #2 was for admission to a "Blow Dry Social" at a salon in Boston between select times on Friday evenings and Sundays before the end of January, and for $55 promised: a blowout, makeup tips, refreshments, VIP goodie bag valued at $50, and a $30 gift card toward next visit. I made the purchase from Gilt during a promo they were having the week before Christmas so I paid $45. I booked my "blow dry social" for this past Sunday. I was taken immediately to get my hair washed, offered coffee, tea, or water, and sat down for a very good, although standard blowout.  On my way out I received a bag with a full-size deep conditioner, 3 travel-sizes of shower gel and soap, and two sample-sizes each of shampoo and conditioner.  A $30 gift card for a future visit with the same stylist I had seen (valid through March) was in the bag.  

What made it a "Blow Dry Social" is beyond me--there was no music, no party-like atmosphere--as well as no makeup tips.  I suppose the promised "refreshments" were the beverages I was offered, but offering someone a tea or water is fairly standard practice at all of Boston's moderate- and high-end salons.  Overall, it was a pretty good deal; blowouts with the stylist I saw are usually $55. Assuming I go back and use the giftcard, I'll have paid a total of $75 for two blowouts and a bag of beauty products (I was just discussing with a few of my Boston Twitter-friends how expensive blowouts are in Boston usually).  BUT I would have preferred Gilt advertised the offer as such: a good deal on hair services at a high-end salon, with some free products thrown in NOT a special-sounding "event."

Have you purchased things like these from Gilt City in your city?  Have you had better experiences than me?