Boo!

Given the pup's sad face, I don't think she is liking her devil costume.  I think she will be reprising her pumpkin costume on her Halloween evening walk!

Happy Halloween!

What I've Been Reading

I just finished reading the fourth book in CA Belmond's Rather series: A Rather Remarkable Homecoming. It didn't disappoint!  If you're not familiar with the series, it features a fun mix of mystery, adventure, comedy, and romance all set in interesting locales.  Homecoming took the main characters from their home in London to Cornwall, Madeira, and Antibes.  One of the things that I like best about these novels is how accurate the author is in her descriptions of various places.  The descriptions really immerse you in the setting and for a light easy read you actually learn quite a lot.  Although with each book I read, I end up adding more destinations to my travel "wish list"!

Also, last month I read Oxford Girl a Kindle Single by Plum Sykes.  It's a memoir of Sykes' time at Oxford.  I enjoyed it, but it definitely could have been longer.  Although the length is perfect if you need something to read on a short plane or train ride.

Have you read any good books lately?

My quest is over.

This weekend my quest for a pair of tall flat boots ended finally . . . in success!  My old pair by Tahari bit the dust around this time last year; I wore the sole right down to the metal (they had an all-rubber sole so not something that a cobbler could repair).  And I never found a new pair all last winter.  My calves are fairly narrow, so I have a hard time finding boots that fit just right.

BUT this weekend during Lord & Taylor's storewide friends and family sale, the first pair I tried on was it. And they were a good price too!

Dee boots by Me Too

I stopped into Lord & Taylor at around 6pm Sunday evening.  The mall itself was just closing, but Lord & Taylor stayed open late.  It was such a nice, quiet time to shop.  Although the shoe department looked like it had been hit by a hurricane! 

Shop and Ship . . . Fast

Sometimes I wonder what certain businesses are thinking? What makes them decide to save money on one thing or spend on another? The prime example of this: shipping. Some companies process your online or phone order so fast and ship it so fast that almost before you know it the product is on your doorstep.

Prime example of this: I ordered a mix of in-store only items and online items from the store in NYC where I buy many of my headband-making supplies since I had to cancel my city shopping jaunt over Columbus Day weekend. I called at lunchtime Tuesday, the store shipped out my order Wednesday morning, UPS delivered Thursday at lunchtime. That’s 48 hours folks. I also find J Crew and Zappos to be very fast. If I order on a Monday, my order always arrives by Thursday. Zappos even frequently does free upgrades to overnight delivery. All use UPS for shipping.

But then there’s other companies. Example #1: I ordered a number of Tervis tumblers as gifts from their website when they were offering a 25% off special last week. They processed my order very quickly, but it still took a whole week to arrive. Example #2: Back in May/June I ordered from Philosophy, my order took over 10 days to arrive. They both use FedEx for shipping.

So the lesson from all this could be that FedEx sucks? But the bigger question is: people are impatient, they want instant gratification. So why would a business choose a slow shipping method? Is the savings that great? If it were the holiday season and I wanted to receive my order fast (without paying for an express shipping method) I would absolutely be avoiding the businesses with which I have experienced slow processing and shipping in the past.

Then there’s the issue of packaging. Some businesses literally seem to toss your order in a bag or box and send it on its way. My Tervis tumbler order was packaged with lots of bubble wrap and each item carefully laid out. My Lilly Pulitzer orders always come wrapped in tissue and sealed with a sticker.

What have been your experiences with various retailers? Who ships fast? What orders take forever to arrive? What orders arrived packaged so well you don’t want to open them? Please share. I would like to create a shopping guide for the holidays here on the blog! 

Tantalizing Peak of Summer

J Crew continues to tantalize with little peaks of future collections.  This photo of one of their assistant designers from J Crew's tumblr site gives us a peak of the summer(?) 2012 collection. I am loving the black, white, and orange theme and also love the creatively designed pink wall with empty frames!

I've Got Your Number

One of my absolutely favorite authors, Sophie Kinsella, has a new book coming out in February!  Her books are always entertaining so I will be eagerly awaiting this new one.

I've Got Your Number
"I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!"

About I've Got Your Number from the

Random House website:

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

DIY Pumpkin Votives

This simple DIY from Country Living would make great last minute decor for a fall dinner party. Stop at the corner flower stand on your way home and pick up a pot of mums and 4 to 8 mini-pumpkins.  Carve out the pumpkins, pop in tealights, and place them and the mums on your table: instant fall!

Belated Weekend Report

Yes, I know it's already Thursday and I've yet to update on my Columbus Day weekend.  It was a picture-perfect holiday weekend here in New England: 80 degrees, sun, and blue skies Saturday through Monday.  My mother and I displayed our Pink Maple Design wares at a not-so-well-attended shopping night on Friday evening and a fairly good craft fair on Saturday. The shopping night was held in a beautifully renovated function hall of a K-8 Catholic school connected to a church. But, in an unfortunate case of poor planning the church scheduled weddings that evening at 4:30pm and 7:00pm--meaning that the church and school's parking lot was filled with wedding guests the entire night, leaving no room for people attending the shopping event.

Saturday evening I packed by LL Bean tote to head off to New York City bright and early Sunday morning.  Unfortunately, my cold that I had thought was pretty much gone returned with a vengeance: coughing and a major sinus headache (not to mention wacky hives on my face) kept me awake all night.  Sadly, I had to call the hotel Sunday morning to cancel my overnight stay.  (Thankfully, the always wonderful Roger Williams Hotel waved the ordinary late cancellation fee!)  Lilly, Ladurée, and Bendel's will just have to wait for me 'til next time . . .

After resting all day Sunday, I felt slightly better Monday and decided to venture up to the outlets in Kittery, Maine.  I love the Kittery outlets because they are all in separate little spots along the same road so you can pick and choose where you want to go rather than parking far away and traipsing through numerous rows of shops like in Wrentham, Mass.   I ended up buying a black wool blazer with off-white ribbon trim at J Crew and a tea kettle for my mom at Le Creuset.

No Columbus Day weekend would be complete, however, without some traditional fall activity.  So a stop at Applecrest Farms in Hampton Falls, NH on the way home from Kittery was a necessity.  The farm was buzzing with activity: pick-your-own apples, a country store with apples in bags for lazy people like me, hayrides, make-your-own scarecrow, a bluegrass band, hot apple pie and farmmade ice cream, facepainting, pumpkins galore, and all-importantly fresh apple cider donuts.  Yum!

See You Next Week!

I have a very full Columbus Day Weekend ahead:

Friday evening: shopping night for Pink Maple Design

Saturday: craft show

Sunday morning: off to NEW YORK CITY for a little overnight jaunt

Ladurée is calling my name!

CHEERS to 3-day weekends filled with warm sunshine and fun!

FALLing into October

Can you believe that October is already here?  September seemed to just fly by!  My first two days of October flew by too.  Saturday brought with it another craft festival.  It was an indoor show as part of a big town festival, but it had an outdoor component as well, so the chilly mist and periods of rain all day meant less crowds.  Between the slow sales, the fact that it was an hour and fifteen-minute drive, and the fact that I had to park my car 4 blocks away and then walk back, I think we won't be repeating this one next year.

On the up side, the Natick Mall was right in our path home from the festival.  The Natick Mall is HUGE. It underwent a considerable expansion 4 or so years ago, adding Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom plus lots of new stores to an already good-sized mall.  My mom and I stopped in for dinner and a browse of the stores; it was a nice way to unwind after the tiring day.

Sunday I worked on breaking these in:

I have to say that they are not as comfortable (yet) as my gold Sperry's from the summer.  Between errands, ironing fun, and a bit of DVR catch-up Sunday was almost over before I knew it.  I say almost because what did the pup get herself into around 7pm?  A SKUNK!  Yup, she got herself sprayed.  Let's just say that was not a fun end to the weekend.