Trick or Treat?

Pink Maple Puppy is ready for Halloween, are you?

Although my days of dressing up for Halloween are pretty must passed (only if a party invite requires a costume do I dress up), but it's always fun around this time of year to look at old photos of my costumes when I was growing up. With the exception of my plastic Fred Flinstone costume back when I was a mere 4 years old, my mother and I always used to make my costume. My very favorite one was the year I dressed up as a Christmas present: my mother and I took a big box, cut off the bottom and made holes for my arms and head. We wrapped the box in Christmas wrapping paper, I wore a headband of bows and curling ribbon, and we added a big card on the box that said "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!" as my birthday falls on Christmas!

Do you have a favorite Halloween costume memory?

Bargain Shopping: Accessories

I've been meaning to share some of my recent bargain finds for some time. First, some fun earrings I bought in New York City in September for under $10 a pair. With Austrian crystals in pink and green they are the perfect studs to add a little bit of sparkle to a conservative work outfit.

I bought these sparklers at Jewelry Plaza (1204 Broadway between 29th and 30th Streets). It's one of those wholesale/retail stores of the type you see all over Broadway and 6th Avenue in the vicinity of the garment district. They also have fun rings and bracelets. Last January I got these bracelets there and they have held up quite well (no tarnishing at all).

Also near the Jewelry Plaza is a HUGE jewelry and accessories store (Accessories Palace, 1250 Broadway). This store is a headband lover's dream. They have probably over 100 styles and colors from simple, thin bands to satin bows - they have it all. Some of the exact styles I spotted here I saw the next day at Bendel's for probably triple the price. In September, I bought a wide headband here made of a black fabric with thin silver threads running through it and a large flower for about $12. Last January I got these two:

Closer to the homefront, I recently picked up these starfish earrings at a local fleamarket for just $7. Although not exactly season-appropriate, I'm saving these for my January trip to Florida.

A look back: my January posts on New York City - Part 1, Part 2.

My Newest Must-Watch

This past month I discovered House Hunters International on HGTV and I have to say I can't get enough! If you're not familiar with it, the show's a spin-off of the HGTV series House Hunters, which follows buyer as they search for a house, condo, or vacation home. Each episode features three properties that the buyer is considering and then at the end they reveal which one the buyer(s) chose. I find the international version fascinating because you really get a sense of how people live in other countries (what things we Americans would consider a necessity are not elsewhere and vice versa). From the American couple looking for a vacation home in Panama to the Italian couple looking for a flat in Rome just steps from St. Peter's I am officially hooked!

Massachusetts Blogger Get-Together

A few of us Massachusetts preppy-loving bloggers are getting together on Tuesday evening, November 10th in the suburbs. We've been reading each others' blogs for so long we decided it was high-time we met for some food, fun, and conversation! So far attending are: Preppy Sue, BlackLabsandLilly, TickledPinkTalk, MissNorthernBelle, and SeersuckerScrapper.

If you're interested in joining us, please email me for details (pinkmapledesign@gmail.com) by November 8th as I'll need a headcount by then to make reservations. Looking forward to meeting everyone!

First Fair of the Fall!

A very busy week at work and Pink Maple Design's first craft fair of the fall this Saturday has resulted in little time for blogging (despite the many, many post ideas scrawled on my Lilly Pulitzer memo/mousepad!!). Last weekend my mother and I set up a mock-up of our fair display to insure that everything will fit on our table this Saturday. My mother has been crocheting up a storm and I've been busy coordinating jewelry and headbands to match her beautiful hats, scarves, and clutches.

An assortment of all things pink and green on a mini dressmaker's model/jewelry display I found on clearance at TJ Maxx (that store truly is a wonder!):

Headbands inspired our favorite preppy fashionista, Blair Waldorf! I made some more headbands tonight that I will have to take photos of.

Richly-colored hats in a unique soy/wool yarn:

The weather turned quite chilly here in Massachusetts this week, so hopefully people will want to scoop up some warm and cozy hats!

If you're in the area, stop by this Saturday from 9am-3pm in Gloucester, Mass. at the Fuller School (4 Schoolhouse Road, just off Rt 128). I'd love to see you!

Handbags!

Technically speaking I don't really need a new handbag. I do, however, really want a new handbag for the fall and winter. Here are my favorites!

Kate Spade Westbury Drawstring Opus - Kate Spade has too many gorgeous bags this season to count!

Kate Spade Beauville Esther - I can't resist a bow!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Groovee Satchel - I love the versatility of having both long and short straps.

Cole Haan Saddle Denney Bag:

Longchamp Small Planete Tote - whenever looking at bags I always fall back on a Longchamp, they are really "go-everywhere" bags.

A local shop I stopped into at lunchtime on Friday had a gorgeous Botkier bag at 60% off! I almost bought it, but decided to look around a bit first.

Fall Crafting Time - Part 2!

Here is my completed Martha Stewart Halloween wreath hanging on the wall in my office:


The wreath was fairly straightforward to put together. A warning though: beware of the mess that the glitter will make! I managed to stay pretty neat while actually glittering the leaves . . . BUT the kit includes floral tape to wrap the leaves around the wreath form,and my fingers got all sticky from the tape - picking up the glitter from the leaves and resulting in a big old mess!

Skirts!

My closet clean-out over the weekend helped me figure out exactly what I need to fill in the gaps in my fall/winter wardrobe. One item I definitely need is a new winter skirt to wear to work. I have a couple of suiting skirts, but three older corduroy skirts went off to the consignment store. So, time for something new to wear with black tights and a warm black turtleneck or bright cashmere sweater:

J Crew Vintage Cord Pencil skirt - This is a classic cut perfect for the office, but the corduroy makes it comfortable to keep on for a casual evening out. And corduroy has the added bonus of not wrinkling like a knit or lightweight wool skirt.

Lilly Pulitzer Agnes Skirt - I love the colors, although I'm not sure if the print is too bold for work.

Theory Joanie-Lecture Tweed skirt - I like that this is a wool/cotton blend so it will be wearable into early spring.

Classiques Entier Bouclé Plaid skirt - I love the little decorative flounce to this skirt!

Rebecca Taylor 'Make Me Skinny' skirt - The ruffle at the hem gives it such a fun flare.
Later this week: my other favorites that are on my list to buy to round out my wardrobe: winter sweaters, a wool coat, and a new handbag!

Rainy Day

I took these two photos on a beautiful and perfect fall day two weekends ago:


Today is anything but beautiful - instead, it's rainy and dreary! And to make matters worse, I'm having a flare-up of an eye condition that I have that makes one eye red, puffy, and painful - so fun!

Therefore, today's a good day to check a few items off my to-do list. First up, finishing my fall closet cleanout. Last weekend I began taking out fall and winter items, trying them on, deciding what to keep, what to give to charity, and what to bring to my local consignment shop. I also did the fall switch of my shoes: putting flip flops and peeptoes in the far reaches of my closet and bringing ballet flats, pumps, and boots to the front. Complicating my cleanout and fall organization plan is the fact that (happily) I'm going to Florida on vacation in January. That means I'll need 9 days of summer clothes at the ready in the middle of this winter. My closet is quite small, so I normally don't just move my summer clothes to the back as you would be able to with a typical walk-in closet. Usually, summer and spring items are relegated to inevitable unorganized plastic storage bins. So, I reviewed my flip flops and sandals and set aside a few pairs I thought I'd want to bring to Florida and put those in one small, clearly labeled bin that shouldn't be hard to find when the time comes to do my packing! I haven't quite come up with a similar strategy for the clothes yet . . . I'm going to try to leave a small number of polos, shorts, and capris at the very back of my closet.

Also on my list: organizing Pink Maple items for our first fall fair in two weeks; making the Martha Stewart wreath I posted about earlier this week; paying bills - yuck!; ironing work clothes for next week - double yuck!; and finally, catching up with the shows on my DVR.

Have a happy Saturday and weekend!