A bit of shopping . . .

The Target clearance racks were bursting with cute items tonight! I found a few new fun tops for spring all for under $13 each. I was very glad I braved the awful windy and rainy weather here in Massachusetts to stop in!

This yellow one reminds of a blouse style I've seen in J Crew:



I also found a knit top with an argyle pattern in green, navy, and peachy-pink and a pretty printed blouse.

On a side note, yesterday I received an email from Lilly Pulitzer "saying we miss you, here's 15% off" - needless to say I was all ready to SHOP, but it's only good in Lilly stores and the nearest one to me is 3 hrs away in Greenwich, Connecticut! I suppose I could call and order something, but I would much prefer to shop online. Oh well, the swimsuit I've had my eye on will have to wait a little while longer as I want to try some on in-person at In the Pink before making my decision.

Liberty of London

Have you heard that Liberty of London is debuting a line for Target in March? I saw some photos in O Magazine and it looks fabulous - I love that it's not just clothes, but home items like quilts and candles as well!

Hopefully this will be a Target designer line that I can take advantage of. Usually whenever I make it to the store all the clothing is almost gone except for a few odd sizes and colors. Atleast home goods are one-size-fits-all!

Thinking Spring

Filene's Basement always seems to have a rack or two lately of Vineyard Vines. With dreams of spring in my head, I decided to try on a few skirts and came home with this twill skirt in blue. It's super soft and comfy . . . it's also the perfect length as sometimes I find minis from other brands (like J Crew) too short on me.

The photo is from North River Outfitter's website, a great boutique for Vineyard Vines finds other than the actual Vineyard Vines stores. North River is a preppy clothing lover's dream, they carry a fabulous mix of clothing lines for men and women (Lilly Pulitzer, Jack Rogers, CK Bradley, Barbour, etc).

I've had my eye on an Elizabeth McKay Scotland dress, the navy blue version of which first caught my eye in the window of their Beacon Hill shop a couple months ago. Wouldn't this orange and white version be perfect for spring?

GIVE

I'm sure by now you have all seen the Disney tv commercials advertising their "Give a Day Get a Disney Day" promotion where you can volunteer for a charitable organization in exchange for a free ticket to Disney. Now Disney World and Disneyland might seem an odd topic for the beginning of Lent, but it's a good time of year to think about giving back. I think Disney's program is a great way to get into the spirit of volunteerism . . . perhaps one day of service could turn into a monthly or weekly commitment? One interesting thing that I also just learned is that you can Give a Day AND Give a Disney Day by donating your free ticket to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida or Southern California.

Disney has been very into yearlong promo events lately - last year you could get a free park ticket on your birthday and the two previous years were the "Year of a Million Dreams." I actually won a "dream" during that promo and got to attend an after-hours party at Epcot! It was definitely one of my very favorite vacation memories!

DVR Overload

Too much to watch . . . too little time! Tonight's tv schedule: American Idol 8pm-10pm, Olympics 8pm-midnight, Lost 9pm-10pm - what is a tv lover to do?

(US pair team: Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett during last night's free skate,
photo from the Vancouver Sun)

Bargain Time!

I finally made it to the outlets over the weekend to return a very itchy wool sweater I had purchased at the Banana Republic Factory Store in early December. It was fairly crowded, but luckily I got there before lunchtime so I was able to hit a few stores before they became unbearable. The Kate Spade Outlet was having a fabulous sale of 40% off the entire store! I also had an extra 15% off VIP coupon, so I was able to get this cute bag for a mere $40! It has a light, woven look that will be perfect for the spring and summer.

Easy Wall Decor

This bright and cheery room from Country Living's website features wall art made with fabric stretched over embroidery hoops - definitely a very easy and quick decoration. This would be a great way to give a sewing room some extra pop; you could simply take scraps of your favorite fabric that are too small to use for any project. I think this idea would also work well with small canvases from the art or craft store. Maybe an assortment of 5x7 and 8x10 canvases covered with coordinating fabric?

Happy Friday! I have a long weekend and I can't wait!

Pink and More Pink!

I received these lovely gifts from Peachy Keen as part of the PINK SWAP on the Monograms and Manicures blog! She also sent me a scented pink candle, but I had already put it in a heart-shaped candleholder for a Valentine's Day decoration when I snapped this pic. Thanks so much Peachy Keen!

Perfectly Pink Bedrooms

I think having either of these beautiful pink bedrooms would give you a lift on a cold winter day like today!

I absolutely love the upholstered headboard in this bedroom. The floral pattern creates a nice contrast with the beddings' crisp, clean lines. I upholstered the headboard on my bed last fall, but it doesn't look half as good as this gorgeous one!


The linens on this bed are from Restoration Hardware. The monogram on the bedside table is such a great, unique idea!


Photos from House Beautiful "12 Romantic Bedrooms"

LOST!

The final season of LOST premieres tonight! Let the crazy plot twists begin!!


I have been a big fan of almost all of producer JJ Abrams' tv shows since Felicity and Alias. The mysterious and circuitous plots of Fringe have been satisfying me so far this tv season, but I can't wait to delve back into Lost. Are you a fan or are you lost by Lost?

Shoes on the Brain

I must be in the mood for shoe shopping because after the LL Bean rain shoes last week, I stopped into Payless today with the idea to see if they had some super cheap flats or flip flops to decorate myself for an upcoming craft project. I used to have some luck with shoes from time to time in Payless. In fact, I had a pair of ballet flats with a teensy kitten heel that I liked so much I even had re-heeled when they wore out! The small heel gave them just a bit of lift to make them look nice with skirts and dresses, but they were still comfy to walk on the many brick and cobblestone sidewalks of Boston (some very flat flats look a little dull and frumpy with certain skirt styles). But I don't think I've found a nice pair of shoes in Payless since then at that was probably 4 years ago.

Today, however, Payless surprised me and I ended up with these peep toe ballet flats by Project Runway alum Christian Siriano. They are super comfortable and will be perfect with capris for work come this spring and summer.