Pink Maple

SMASH

2012-01-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-23T10:30:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-20T13:11:00.001-05:00

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!

2012-01-19T13:39:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

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?

Tea Time

2012-01-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

I love tea. I do not drink coffee at all, so my morning caffeine kick comes from a nice, simple cup of black tea. When I'm on the go my tea goes in a Tervis tumbler, but when I'm home I love a fun mug. Mugs are thus one of my favorite souvenirs when traveling. My Christmas trip to Florida was no exception; I brought these two home with me:

This Minnie mug would brighten anyone's morning. How cute is it?! (Although it gets a bit of a thumb's down for the fact that it must be handwashed.)

I purchased this china cup at the Twinings Tea Shop in Epcot's UK pavilion. It's in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee this year. It's so pretty and delicate that I think I'm actually just going to display it.

And speaking of the UK, who else is excited for the new season of Downton Abbey? I will be watching live tonight!

A Girl Can Dream, Yes?

2012-01-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

I must confess that I am a fan of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it always sucks me right in. In a recent episode Camille confronted Taylor about her husband abusing her. Now of course, Camille's statements were what had most people buzzing, but what had me buzzing are the stunning green earrings and bracelet she was wearing!

A little Googling revealed that the jewelry is by Irene Neuwirth. The line is sold at Barneys and earrings in the collection range from about $1,800 to $18,000!

The color is just stunning.

A girl can dream though, yes?

Christmas in Florida

2012-01-03T12:04:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been following me on Twitter, you may not know that I spent Christmas in sunny Florida this year--specifically Disney World! My family and enjoyed 6 days of picture-perfect sunshine and warmth from December 21-26th. The trip was my Christmas gift to my parents and we had a wonderful time. It was such a nice change of pace and so relaxing.

Disney's Christmas decorations are absolutely breathtaking. This picture of me was taken in the lobby of the Boardwalk Resort; the tree and garlands were literally dripping with themed ornaments. I also note that this pic was snapped on Christmas Eve and I am wearing shorts and Sperry's--for this Boston girl spending the holidays sans snow boots and sweaters was a continual source of amazement.

Our home for the holidays was the Walt Disney World Swan. Its location just a short walk from Epcot is perfect and the prices during the holiday season are much more reasonable than the Disney-owned hotels nearby. I took this picture from the pool on Christmas Eve. Again, I cannot believe I actually went swimming on Christmas Eve. Most of my Christmas Eve's past have been spent running around cooking and cleaning!

This tree of pointsettias was outside the Yacht Club where we enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas Day was when the Disney parks really started to get packed. So we elected to have Christmas lunch at the Polynesian and take in the Christmas decor at the nearby Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts. This beauty is the life-size Victorian gingerbread house in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.

Fresh gingerbread cookies and other treats are sold daily through the holidays from inside the house.

Last, but not least, Christmas Day is also my birthday. This year will go down as one of my favorite birthdays ever. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with having my birthday on Christmas. On the plus side, I've never had to go to work or school on my birthday and I've always been able to celebrate the day with family. And growing up, my parents were always very good about giving me a birthday gift completely separate from my Christmas gifts. On the minus side, I can't tell you how many "Christmas Birthday" cards and gifts I've received through the years and how many times I've been wished "Oh and happy birthday too by the way" on Christmas Day after my mom has reminded someone that it also my birthday. This year I received a Disney birthday button at the Magic Kingdom and enjoyed wearing it during the trip--I've never been wished happy birthday so many times--by everyone from Disney castmembers to complete strangers! I was even surprised with a telephone call from Goofy while waiting at the American Adventure in Epcot!


I hope your holidays were as enjoyable and memorable as mine!

New Year Blog Sale

2012-01-01T19:33:00.001-05:00

I hereby firmly resolve to blog more in 2012! But first:

I spent some time cleaning my closet recently and have a few items to part with. Perhaps they might find a happy home in your closet? Please email at pinkmapledesign@gmail.com if there's something you like and I'll send you a PayPal payment request.

January 9th update--remaining items only are still pictured. Prices now including USPS Priority Mail shipping.

J Crew origami mini in houndstooth wool, size 4, $80 new with tags

(same pattern as Houndstooth Moore Blazer: see J Crew website)

J Crew bootcut corduroys in a deep plum, size 4R, $20

These are from 2 seasons ago so they have a slightly easier fit than the current bootcut cords

William Rast Sadie Straight Leg jeans, size 26, $50

low rise, inseam has been shortened to 32 inches with original hem retained

for pics of same style: see the William Rast website

Kate Spade wallet, nylon and leather, $20

Front pictured below is shut with snap, 2 pockets for change or bills are underneath.

Tab pictured below also shuts with snap. Behind the credit card slot is a spot with a divider in the middle for cash, lined in the same navy polka dots you can see in the ID slot here.

Vera Bradley Outlet, Euro Wallet in Loves Me, never used, $10

click here for details on the Vera Bradley website

CHEERS!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sending you lots of holiday cheer!

Whether you are celebrating this holiday weekend with family or friends, I hope Christmas brings you laughter and love!

Early Present

2011-12-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas came early for me; I received this gigantic Stila makeup palette on Saturday.

The four colors in the center are blushes; the top quarter of the smaller circles are lip glosses and the rest are eyeshadows. Stila eyeshadow is, in my opinion, one of the best. So needless to say I'm very excited to make use of this gift. This is apparently the Costco version of the Stila holiday palettes in Sephora and Macys. If you're in need of a last-minute gift for a makeup junkie friend or relative, I definitely recommend this!

Etsy

2011-12-12T09:16:00.000-05:00

After 17 shows and shopping nights, the holiday craft show season is now officially over for my mom and I. We are definitely ready for a break! Sunday I spent some time putting up items in our Etsy shop:

Now that I've helped lots of others buy their Christmas gifts, I have to get on to finishing my own shopping!

What I'm Reading Now

2011-12-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

I must confess that I'm not ordinarily a big mystery reader. But Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen came up as "you would also like..." on my purchase of C.A. Belmond's most recent Rather book (see my October 28th post). So, I decided to give them a try and I am hooked!

Set in the early 1930's in England, the series centers around Lady Georgiana Rannoch. Thirty-fourth in line to the throne and broke after her brother the duke of Rannoch cuts of her allowance, she decides to leave the family castle in Scotland for London where fun and mystery ensues.

I am currently in the middle of book #2, A Royal Pain, out of five in the ongoing series. If you are a fan of all things British like I am, you will love these books. They are light and full of funny moments, for example, in A Royal Pain, Lady Georgie must entertain a young German royal who has learned English from watching American gangster movies. But they are also page-turners because you want to learn the answer to the mystery. I also love the mixture of fictional characters like Lady Georgie and real characters like the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and his notorious lover Wallis Simpson.

Happy reading!

Thanksgiving Salad

2011-11-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

My parents hosted this year's Thanksgiving dinner this year. It was a small crowd, just seven of us total, but my mom still went all out with the food. To accompany the turkey, we had mashed potatoes, mashed squash with brown sugar and butter, a sweet potato casserole with roasted walnuts, stuffing, snow peas, and two kinds of cranberry sauce.

For a first course, my mom decided to try something different. In years past we've had a butternut squash ravioli, but my mom thought something lighter would be a nice change of pace.

We've dubbed it Thanksgiving Salad as it's a mix of a bunch of different recipes:

Spring Mix Lettuce

Mandarin Oranges

Fresh Raspberries

Shredded Carrots

Feta Cheese

Sugared Almond Slices

To prepare the almonds, you just mix them in a small frying pan with sugar on low heat until they turn a golden brown (and the kitchen starts to smell delicious!). We had our salad with Whole Foods Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing, but I think it would also work well with a traditional balsamic.

DIY Holiday Gift Idea Link Up

2011-11-29T08:42:00.001-05:00

After a two-week blogging hiatus I am back to join in Hopsy's DIY Holiday Gift Idea Link Up. Check out the fabulous ideas linked via her site at http://www.kappaprep.com/.

These are two fun projects I've previously made as gifts:

Decoupage Initial

Materials

Paper Mache or Wood Initial (or 3 to make a monogram)

Mod Podge (or other shiny, waterbased sealer)

Flat Foam Paintbrush

About 4 Paper Napkins

First remove one of the napkin's plies. I used Lilly Pulitzer napkins which are 3-ply and they're a bit too thick for decoupage, so just carefully peel off the back layer. Then rip pieces of the napkin. I concentrated on ripping around the elephants in the napkin design.

Next apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to a section of the initial itself. Carefully lay down the napkin piece and use your finger to smooth it out. Then apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the napkin piece. Continue until you've covered the entire initial.

Let dry for a few hours until it's no longer sticky to the touch.

Map Coasters

I gave a number of sets of these coasters as gifts a couple Christmases ago and they were a big hit.

Materials

4 Plain Tiles (available at Home Depot, Loew's, etc. for about 12 to 16 cents each)

Mod Podge, outdoor version recommended (or other shiny, waterbased sealer)

Flat Foam Paintbrush

Cork or Felt

Maps of your recipient's favorite destinations

If you're a AAA member, you can get maps for free at their local office or via their website. Choose maps that include the recipient's neighborhood, their summer home, favorite vacation spot, etc.

Step 1: Glue the cork or felt to the back of each tile. I used pre-cut, inexpensive cork coasters from Ikea. Unfortunately, I think that Ikea stopped making these recently. You can just as easily pick up a roll of cork at the craft store and cut it to fit the tile yourself.

Step 2: Cut out maps to fit each coaster - making the maps slightly smaller than the coaster itself.

Step 3: Brush a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the front of one tile.

Step 4: Place the cut-out map piece onto the tile and smooth it out.

Step 5: Brush a thin coat of Mod Podge over the map piece.

Step 6: Repeat steps 3 to 5 for the other tiles.

Step 7: Continue brushing thin layers of Mod Podge on each tile to make the coaster shiny and create a strong seal. I recommend 4-5 coats total, waiting about 10-20 min. between each coat.

Step 8: Let dry for a solid 24 hours.

Blue Love Again

2011-11-13T19:10:00.000-05:00

My blue love strikes again . . .

Kendra Scott Danielle earrings in blue agate

J Crew shimmer colorblock necklace in navy

Echo 'touch' gloves at Nordstrom (No taking your gloves off to use your phone!)

Quick Update

2011-11-10T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hello friends. I am long overdue for a post, as I haven't updated since Halloween! So what have I been up to?

- Since Halloween, my mom and I have exhibited at one craft show, one shopping night, and hosted a shopping party with a friend. We have another shopping night tonight. As the basis of our business is women's winter accessories, we have a limited season during which we can be out and about exhibiting our wares. It makes for a very busy (but fun) few months. Yesterday I was out the door at 7am for work, went straight from work to meet my mother to man our little booth, and didn't say hello to my bed until 11pm. Today will be a repeat of yesterday, but luckily my office celebrates the Veterans' Day holiday with a day off!

- Last Thursday I attended the Gilt City grand opening of the store Scoop NYC in Boston. I'll be recapping it with a post soon, but I have to say it was rather disapointing! Much, much to many invitees for the size of the store!

- And this past Monday I said farewell to my Blackberry and hello to an iPhone! What a difference, I am completely hooked!

J Crew Stadium Cloth Elements Coat

- Yesterday I ordered this coat from J Crew with their 25% off promo (+ 8% back from ebates). I have my fingers crossed that it looks good and fits; I am never sure on sizing with things like coats. I want it to be roomy enough to fit a blazer underneath but not so big that it looks sloppy. Will update when it arrives (hopefully tomorrow!).

Boo!

2011-10-31T09:55:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-10-24T08:45:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-19T19:55:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-18T13:58:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-16T21:57:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-10-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-03T09:52:00.001-04:00

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.

Fall Fun

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

The past two falls I've made paper wreaths from kits. In 2009, it was a Halloween wreath kit by Martha Stewart and in 2010 it was the Paper Source's fall mums wreath kit--see this post from September 29th last year for pics. The mums wreath held up quite well and will be used again this year; the Martha Stewart wreath not so much. (Although that may have been because I popped it in my car backseat after carrying it home from my office on the train, tossed other stuff on top of it, and promptly forgot about it for months! Oops.)

This new mums wreath from Paper Source just caught my eye. I like the cute extra of the owl in the middle. This would be fun decor for a black- and red-themed Halloween party.


mum wreath with owl kit by Paper Source

I love fall decorating don't you?

Blue Love

2011-09-29T08:36:00.000-04:00

My blue love continues. While browsing photos of J Crew's New York Fashion Week presentation online I spotted this gorgeous royal blue suede bag. So stunning!

Image via fashionista.com

Do you have any current color obsessions?

Fall Five

2011-09-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

The lovely Ms. Peachy Keen recently tagged me to join in on Queen Bee Swain's Fall Five. So, what are my five goals for fall?

1. Find more time! Do you ever feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day? My ongoing goal is to continue on the road to being more organized and make the most of the little spare time I have.

2. Join! I don't know exactly what yet, but it's been on my mind to find a social/charitable organization to join.

3. Blog more. I want to get in the habit of always writing four posts a week.

4. Start planning my trip to France for next spring. (Side goal to this: start brushing up on my French!)

5. I'm going to cheat here and list a goal that I have already accomplished: my blog revamp! I've been meaning to rename and redesign for a long time, but I have finally got around to it last week.

I tag all who want to play along!

New Name!

2011-09-20T20:24:00.001-04:00

I've decided to give my blog a mini-makeover: a new name and its very own domain: www.pinkmapleinboston.com! It will take a bit of time for all my links and what-not to work again, please bear with me during the transition!

That Time of Year

2011-09-19T11:05:00.000-04:00

This Saturday is the first craft show of the fall season for my mom and I. It's at a nearby private high school and we are hoping that despite the mid-70's weekend forecast people will be in the mood for cold weather accessories. This past weekend I spent some quality time with Photoshop making new signs for our booth. Last year, rather than plain text and prices, our headbands sign advertised: Statement Headbands--it all started with Gossip Girl, get the look seen in stores like Nordstrom and J Crew accompanied by a picture of Ms. Blair Waldorf sporting a headband. The sign seems to pay off and headbands were a big seller last year. So this year I decided to make pictorial signs for our hats and scarves too.

As you can see from the above two photos, we got a wire display mannequin this year! I think it will help draw interest to our booth and give people a sense of how to wear the scarves, particularly. My mom always wears a scarf at shows, and I always wear either a hat or headband and scarf. BUT: Despite the fact that I am several years out of law school many people still ask me where I am going to college; so often they'll assume that a style I am wearing is too young for them. Hopefully the generic (age-less) mannequin will help people better visualize.

On a side note: I stopped into a nearby Target briefly on Saturday afternoon as I was curious to see if they had any Missoni left: they had one display at the front of women's clothing: 10 or so pairs of children's ballet flats and wellies, 2 baby onesies, 1 pair of tights, and 1 silk robe. I understand that the collection has been incredibly popular but considering they advertised it as available through mid-October you'd think they would plan ahead and have additional stock ready. There was no evidence of any homegoods at all.

Vivid Poppy

2011-09-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

I am absolutely enamored with this color, J Crew calls it vivid poppy, for fall. While shopping on Wednesday evening, I made the Natasha top in this color mine.

I am now on a hunt to find this color in a nice yarn for my mom to make into hats and scarves. My dear mother may be the expert crocheter in our little business, but I am definitely the manager of color. This season the J Crew and Lilly Pulitzer fall pallettes are serving up gorgeous inspiration for our color choices.

Bendel's Bags

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

HB Serena Satchel

This structured bag caught my eye in the September issue of People Stylewatch. It's part of Henri Bendel's store brand collection.

Bendel's has gorgeous store brand bags. I remember that at first their collection seemed to consist of mostly pieces in their signature stripes, but they have definitely expanded. Isn't this clutch so chic?

HB Debutante Asymmetrical Clutch

And I'm liking this little backpack. It would be great for travel when you want to be touring hands-free.

HB Jetsetter Backpack

Have you discovered any new handbag brands lately?

What are your favorite styles for fall? I'm definitely coveting a structured bag.

2011-09-11T08:00:00.008-04:00

Last Day of Vacay

2011-09-10T15:19:00.001-04:00

Well, today is my last day of waking up to this ocean view:

It has been a nice and long trip--plenty of touristy things mixed in with visiting relatives. Wednesday we visited Annapolis Royal, first explored by the French in 1604 and settled in Port Royal in1605 (Port Royal is to this area, what Plimoth Plantation is to Massachusetts). Today the town has cute little shops and picturesque Victorian inns. It is also home to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, featuring various styles of gardens that evoke the area's different periods of history.

My favorite garden was the Victorian one:

Outside the garden is a tiny German bakery. The coconut macaroons were delicious! Desserts and sweets in general are delicious around here--the tradition of a homemade dessert everyday directly after dinner is alive and well here! I've had homemade apple crumble, pineapple angelfood cake, chocolate zucchini cake, chocolate cake, and the list goes on....

Dress (in Lilly) for Success

2011-09-07T07:00:00.006-04:00

Lilly Pulitzer Jonah dress

This lovely Lilly arrived the night before I left for my trip. I can't wait to wear it with navy tights on a cool fall day. I like it better on me without the sash though; perhaps because tying the sash seems to make it a bit shorter and all Lilly dresses are on the short side for me. Luckily not too short as this pattern will work perfectly at the office!

I placed two orders in the Lilly summer sale. The first was this dress and a top I knew my mom had been wanting. The second order was three Murfee scarves. Both were placed the Tuesday morning that the sale started. The second order was processed in the early am Wednesday and arrived at my doorstep Thursday. The first order wasn't processed until the following Monday evening and arrived last Wednesday. SO weird that Lilly does not process orders in the order they were received, yes??

Greetings from Canada!

2011-09-06T13:54:00.001-04:00

Bonjour mes amis! I'm writing from Nova Scotia, Canada where I'm enjoying a week's vacation away from it all and visiting relatives on my dad's side of the family. It's a dreary, rainy day today so I decided it was time to sit down and write a post.

We arrived late Thursday evening, spent Friday settling in and visiting, then Saturday we headed off to the Gaspereau Valley area (a little under 2 hours from where we're staying). First, we stopped in Wolfville--a cute, tiny college town. We browsed the shops for a bit; there is very, very little fun shopping in this area of Nova Scotia so I had to take advantage when I could!

There are four wineries within 15-20 minutes of Wolfville: we hit Luckett Vineyards, which just opened in 2010, and L'Acadie Vineyards, an all-organic winery. I visited the other two vineyards, Gaspereau Vineyards and Domaine de Grand Pré on my last summer trip in 2009. (For that post--see here.)

The wineries are not huge by any means, but they are all settled in a beautiful valley along winding country roads. So they are incredibly scenic.

Inside the wine shop at Luckett.

Yes, that is a British phone booth in the middle of the vineyard! The owner of Luckett Vineyards is from England.

The wine shop at L'Acadie Vineyards. The winery specializes in traditional method sparkling wine, produced by natural fermentation in the bottle.

Here's me in the vineyard with my purchase: a sparkling rosé.

Cheers!

Mini Mouse

2011-09-01T07:04:00.000-04:00

I'm in love with this lovely Mini print by Annechovie on Etsy.

My own Mini may not be pink (nor is it a cool vintage one like this), but it's still my first, very own car so wouldn't be nice to have a permanent reminder? I think I will have to make it mine very soon.

p.s. My Mini is black with a white top--I affectionately call her The Mini Mouse!

Stormy Sunday Happenings

2011-08-28T20:05:00.001-04:00

What does one do when stuck inside on a stormy Sunday?

Iron A LOT of clothes. This is just half of what I ironed, I did ALL my work pants and capris.

Pack for vacation 4 days in advance. I just bought this Vera Bradley duffle at the outlets and I love how much it fits--it was very surprising!

I hope all those who had to brave the storms this weekend are safe and dry! And I hope that those out of Irene's path had a more exciting weekend out and about!

Ooh La Lattice

2011-08-24T06:26:00.000-04:00

I rather love these Pottery Barn Teen chairs.

Lattice Ooh La La Armchair

Must do "to-do's" and someday "to-do's"

2011-08-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

There are the must-do lists that we update every day. The work to-do list with things that must get done by a specific deadline. The home to-list with the week’s necessaries: grocery shopping, errands at the pharmacy, dry cleaner pickups, library books to return, bills to pay. Some things we enjoy checking off our lists. Other things we dread.

Then there is the sometime I must get around to it to-do list. Recently, I finally got around to checking off one of the things that has been sitting on my list for some time: framing my law school diploma. I had put off framing it initially since my budget was rather strapped from graduation-related activities and bar exam and preparation costs, but then I basically forgot all about it. When I picked it up Saturday a couple in their early 50’s was pondering frames for their various diplomas--let’s just say I felt better then about my own time delay in framing mine!! Maybe next I will get around to framing my college diploma. Mine is in a leather-bound book though, which may be tricky to frame--so that’s what has kept it at the bottom of my to-do list until now.

What’s on your someday I’ll get around to it list?

The Weekend: Vineyard Vines Warehouse Sale

2011-08-21T19:38:00.000-04:00

This weekend I went to the Vineyard Vines Warehouse sale! (Many thanks to Preppy Sue for mentioning the sale on her blog, otherwise I wouldn't have heard about it!)

The sale is being held in Lawrence, MA through August 28th at an old, renovated mill building. Definitely a random location! There was a huge Vineyard Vines sign outside the mill building and a big one inside too.

Everything was very well-organized on tables and in boxes. They had women's, men's, and children's clothes. I got this half-zip sweatshirt in navy:

And the shoreline polo in black:

And this skort:

Everything was at least 50% off and some things 75% off. Definitely worth the trip!

Silly Me and a late weekend recap

2011-08-18T09:20:00.001-04:00

In the "silly me" category, last weekend I bought a pair of J Crew cords at the outlet in the exact same color and style I already have--a chocolate brown. Oops! The only difference is that my pair from last year is a short to wear with flats and Saturday I bought regular length to wear with heels.

Vintage Matchstick Cord

The outlets (in Wrentham, Mass.) were a zoo last weekend. I had never seen the parking lot so busy and I didn't even arrive at the height of the shopping day as I only got there at 4pm. Back-to-school and back-to-college shopping seemed to be in full swing and tourists and locals alike were walking around with multiple, jammed shopping bags. (If you're not familiar with the area, Wrentham is in ideal striking distance of Boston, Cape Cod, and Rhode Island so it always draws a big crowd.) Plus, our sales tax holiday weekend meant that stores offering products that normally have a sales tax (like Coach and Sony) were also out the door. As a matter of fact, the Coach outlet in Wrentham always seems to have a line out the door. But the Kate Spade outlet is two doors down and never has a line. Weird, yes?

While at the outlets, I also popped into Vera Bradley to pick up one of their big quilted duffle bags. It had been on my "must buy" list for a while, but with a family vacation coming up over Labor Day I figured now was the time. My family will be driving up to Nova Scotia, Canada for 10 days and space will be at a premium in the car. A squishy Vera Bradley duffle bag and my LL Bean boat 'n tote should be much more space-saving than my gigantic rolling suitcase.

In other news, last weekend flew by! Who's in favor of a law requiring mandatory 3-day weekends all summer? Friday evening I attended a 90th birthday party for a great aunt on my father's side of the family. Sunday afternoon my parents hosted a small cookout for my two great aunts on my mother's side of the family and my mother's two cousins (one is my godfather) and their wives. All my grandparents have passed away and my family is small overall, so we are very close to these very special aunts! We will be visiting a few more special aunts on our Canada trip. I'm so glad my grandparents had younger siblings!

Prepping for FALL

2011-08-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

I have been working hard prepping for the fall show season for Pink Maple Design. My mother and I have been filling our September to December calendar with craft festivals and shopping nights.

And last weekend I ordered a banner to display across the front our table in our booth. It's fairly basic and similar to our business card. I ordered it from FedEx Office and they are so simple to create. (They also have cute design templates for banners for baby showers, weddings, and all sorts of special occasions.)

I've also been taking lots of photos of my mom's beautiful work. I did a few themed photos of hats like this:

Now I have to get down to business making new headbands! Stay tuned.

Promises Not Kept . . . But Apology Accepted

2011-08-09T13:13:00.002-04:00

A week ago Sunday (see 7/31/11 post) I posted a complaint email I sent to J Crew customer service regarding a private shopping morning held at their stores for J Crew cardholders on July 30th. In sum, the invitation promised a private morning of shopping with refreshments and the store’s personal shoppers on-hand. The store event I attended had neither; in fact, it couldn’t be described as an “event” at all, but merely an early store opening.

Well, in response to my Sunday email I received a fairly standard email reply from a customer service representative on Monday. Basically: Thank you for letting us know, we take these comments seriously, will forward to appropriate team, etc. Not a very good answer, but at least a quick response.

Fast-forward to last Thursday, when I received a phone call from the store manager of the J Crew at which I had attended the “non-event.” She talked with me for a bit and asked me to tell her about what happened (or didn’t happen) while I was shopping and was very apologetic about the poor service I had received and hoped that I wouldn’t be dissuaded from coming back. She also admitted they had dropped the ball on prepping for the shopping morning and explained that normally they order a bouquet of flowers, scones, and orange juice for special events like these.

(One interesting thing I learned in my conversation is that they offer what they call a “shop and share.” Before store opening or after store closing you can shop with 3 friends and a personal shopper and get 20% off your entire purchase.)

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised that my concerns had made their way directly to the store so quickly (and at all). So, while thumbs down to J Crew for not living up to the event’s invite; thumbs up for their response!

Lucy at 100

2011-08-06T15:44:00.000-04:00

I am big fan of classic tv shows and movies; so it may come as no surprise that I love Lucy. In honor of Lucille Ball's 100th birthday, a couple of my favorites:

This image and the one below are from "Hollywood at Last" the first episode in I Love Lucy's California trip. Upon arriving in Hollywood Lucy, Fred, and Ethel decide to lunch at the famous Brown Derby restaurant in hopes of seeing some movie stars up close. Lucy gets the shock of her life when none other than William Holden sits down at the next booth. I would imagine this would be akin to Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt suddenly appearing for a bite to eat today. Needless to say comedic moments ensue and William Holden ends up with a entire dessert tray in his face courtesy of Lucy.

When Lucy arrives back at their hotel suite, Ricky returns from the movie studio with . . . William Holden for coffee. Lucy attempts to disguise herself with glasses and a putty nose, but William Holden ends up lighting her "nose" on fire when he tries to light her cigarette.

This scene is from another of the I Love Lucy California episodes. Lucy is determined to buy a Don Lauper original dress while in LA so she can brag about it to her friends back home. I love this episode because I think it's still something all women can relate to today--wanting that special designer dress in their closet!

What I'm Reading Now

2011-08-04T19:51:00.001-04:00

. . . Or rather what I just finished reading on Monday!

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

I remember picking up Pretty in Plaid in the library shortly after it came out a couple years ago, but couldn't get into it. On a library visit 2 weeks ago, I spotted Bitter is the New Black and decided to give it a try as I was in the mood for some light, funny reading. I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed it! This was the first of Jen Lancaster's memoirs and I think it will help set the stage for reading her other books.

Have you read any good books lately?

Next up: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I also have Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews waiting in the wings, but I know that's a guaranteed enjoyable read so I'm holding off on that until my vacation at the end of this month. And I need to get my hands on Wendy Holden's latest novels: Gallery Girl and Marrying Up but they're not available in U.S. yet, so no Kindle edition or Amazon free shipping. Boo! Eventually I'll give in and order them from the U.K.

I know it's August, but my mind is on Fall

2011-08-03T13:45:00.000-04:00

Has anyone else seen the new fall line of Sperry Top-siders? I've been finding my gold ones to be so comfortable and practical for when I don't want to wear sandals (Prime example: last night's Red Sox game. There was an hour and a half rain delay and my feet would have been très soggy traipsing through puddles.)


Sperry Top-Sider Angelfish in black/boucle (at Zappos)


Angelfish in linen/leopard

I have grand plans to catch up on blogging starting now. I've had so many post ideas and no time to get them written. Work has been extremely busy and uncharacteristically stressful. But I attended a conference for work Sunday through yesterday. During the conference downtimes I was able to enjoy a little browsing (the Sperry's caught my eye in one such browse through Lord & Taylor) and a quick visit for fro yo with the lovely Beantown Prepster before she headed back to England. And today I am enjoying a vacation day. So I plan to start back tomorrow refreshed and hopefully will resume my usual time to blog in the evenings or early mornings.

Promises Not Kept

2011-07-31T20:02:00.000-04:00

The following is an email I just sent to J Crew:

When I received my Rewards Card last week, enclosed was an invitation to "join us in store for a private morning of shopping and refreshments" on Saturday July 30th. The invitation went on to say "Don't forget to chat with our complimentary personal shoppers who will be on hand throughout the event to help you with your styling needs..."

I excitedly arrived at my local J Crew at the ---------- Mall in --------, MA at about 9:30am on Saturday. Other than the fact that the store was open early (it usually opens at 10), there was absolutely nothing special going on. No refreshments, no personal shoppers, and barely a greeting from the sales associates who were on-hand. In fact, the sales associates seemed less helpful than usual--one person merely put my clothes in the fitting room and never checked on me again. Another sales associate checked on the fitting room once, but only when I was already dressed and ready to leave. There were only two other customers in the store, so I know that the sales associates were not preoccupied helping other customers. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed in the whole experience.

I hope to receive more invitations to special events for loyal customers like me in the future, but I wish this event had lived up to what was expressed on the invitation.

Any other cardholders get this invitation? I hope your event was better than the one I attended!

Royal Blue

2011-07-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

The new J Crew catalog arrived today and I am fabulously in love with the beautiful new blue and gold jewelry pieces. I want them all! Any of the three would look so chic with a crisp white shirt.

www.jcrew.com

Boston Shopping Favorite: Flat of the Hill

2011-07-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite Boston boutiques, Flat of the Hill on Charles Street in Beacon Hill is closing shortly for renovations. In preparation for the renovations, they are clearing out inventory and thus almost the whole store is 60 to 75% off.

It's a rather tiny shop, but it is packed to the gills with handbags, jewelry, accessories, and perfect gifts for any occasion. Flat of the Hill and Koo de Kir just around the corner are my go-to shops when I need an "off-registry" gift for an engagement party, shower, or wedding.

(image from flatofthehill.blogspot.com)

I've popped by the store twice since their sale started. The first time I picked up a new Lilly Pulitzer memo mousepad for a mere $5. The second time was the first preview day of their 75% off handbag sale. I scored this beauty by Botkier in a deep cranberry pink. Flat of the Hill marks almost their entire handbag collection by Botkier, MZ Wallace, Kooba, and Lauren Merkin down $25 to $50 off full retail to start with so subtract $50, then take off 75% and I paid about $140. Talk about a great deal! It's the perfect size for work as it fits my Kindle, water, and a sandwich and the color goes well with more than you'd think.

Botkier Bianca Satchel

Clothing Purge

2011-07-19T22:48:00.000-04:00

Among the many goings on that has kept me from blogging lately, last weekend I helped my parents with a yard sale. I also took the opportunity to purge a good amount of old clothes and handbags. I've mentioned before that I am enormous saver when it comes to clothes. If it still fits (and most things do because I am lucky that my weight has always been fairly consistent), I have trouble parting with it. But last week I tried to look constructively at some pieces that have "worn out their welcome" and decided to say goodbye to them! I also parted with some handbags that I just wasn't using anymore. What didn't sell went in a bag to donate.

Cheers to more room in my closet!

Unfortunately, what else did I do last weekend? I headed to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Luckily, I only bought a pair of new shoes for the fall!

Me Too London Pump

MIA Pink Maple

2011-07-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

I just wrote a rambling post on my MIA status. Blogger seems to have eaten it. I'll be back soon!

What I'm Reading Now

2011-07-11T09:08:00.000-04:00

Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean

This historical novel is by the same author as The Golden Prince, which I wrote about earlier this year. I'm about 3/4 of the way through and loving it. The book begins around 1915 when 18-year old Delia marries an English lord and moves from her native Virginia to London, England. Set in both London and Cairo, the book spans the vast and interesting time period between World War I and World War II and strikes a good balance betwen romantic intrique and important historical moments.

Happy 4th (and yummy brownies too!)

2011-07-04T21:09:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July! I hope you had a great holiday weekend. Mine flew by all too quickly: On Friday after work I stopped into one of my favorite Beacon Hill boutiques and scored a huge bargain on a Botkier handbag (post on that still to come), followed by a quick slice of pizza in Fanueil Hall and a stroll through Boston's North End. Saturday I hit the beach. Sunday I was beachside again for a birthday cookout for a dear family friend. One of the very delicious desserts made by the daughter-in-law of the birthday honoree were S'Mores Brownies. DELICIOUS! They have a graham cracker crust base that you make and bake first for 20 minutes. Then you pour brownie batter over the crust and bake as usual. A couple minutes before the brownies are done, you sprinkle on mini marshmallows.

See the recipe from Food Network here. It includes directions to make the brownies from scratch, I'm more of a from-the-box kind of girl though--so I'll be skipping that step!

Ideas Needed!

2011-06-30T08:59:00.001-04:00

I have some changes in mind for my blog so am thinking it's now time to invest in a domain name. When I started blogging, I thought I would focus my blog on my business -- thus I chose www.pinkmapledesign.blogspot.com as my name. But since then it's really become more personal and simply a creative outlet for me to share the things I love.

So I need a new name. I already own the domain name www.pinkmaple.com for my business, so that's out. Here are some other ideas I've come up with so far:

Pink Maple Chats

Pink Maple Loves

Love, Pink Maple

Pink Maple in Boston

Pink Maple in New England

Like any of them? Any ideas, comments, thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I would also love to hear what your favorite types of posts are: fashion, beauty, design, diy, travel, personal pics, books, tv -- what do you like best? Or what would you like to read more about?

Pink and Blue Perfection

2011-06-28T20:01:00.000-04:00

This week's episode of Million Dollar Decorators airs tonight, but I only just caught up on last week's episode. Imagine my surprise when Mary McDonald walked into a client's house to do an office renovation and what room did they walk through on their way?

This pretty little room I just posted about last week:

What surprised me is that I always thought this room was a hallway. The table, two chairs, and mirror seem typical of an entryway. But turns out it's actually a sitting room. Go figure. Still love it!

This is the office renovation featured in last week's episode. The client was initially not so into the bold painted floor, but ended up loving the finished room. What do you think? I think it all looks gorgeous together, but I don't think it would be my preference for my own home.

Butterflies Everywhere

2011-06-27T06:52:00.002-04:00


Sutton Top in "Out There" (Image from The Pink Crab)

I found this pretty Lilly at Lord & Taylor over the weekend. Between it being marked down significantly plus a coupon, I ended up paying a mere $40! I love a Lilly bargain, don't you?

J Crew Favorites of the Week

2011-06-21T20:23:00.000-04:00

Three tops caught my attention in the newest J Crew catalog. All, in my opinion, are perfectly cool and comfortable for a hot summer day but also very appropriate for a typical business casual work environment. All are also catalog/jcrew.com only--why are none of these pretties worthy of in-store availability???

Silk Casbah Blouse

Lace-front top

Silk Peplum Blouse

Monday Already?

2011-06-20T08:00:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend I headed to the outlets in Wrentham, MA. I had a couple wardrobe additions in mind, but all in all was just in the mood to browse the shops on a nice Saturday afternoon.

J Crew was rather disappointing--I had a 20% off $100 coupon burning a hole in my pocket, but alas no luck! The stock of Jackie cardigans seemed low, no cafe capris in sight, and nothing else really struck me. I did pick up the outlet version of the new resin necklaces in the regular stores. One in coral like that pictured below and another one that is a mix of chain and tortoise links (with a fireball thrown in for a bit of sparkle). I've actually been finding the Kittery, Maine J Crew outlet to be far better than the Wrentham one lately--any other area readers that agree? I generally like Wrentham because it's an outlet mall and in Kittery, you have to drive from one little cluster of stores to another. Plus Wrentham has Kate Spade and Saks Off 5th (not to mention no tax on clothes). But lately the Kittery J Crew always seems have many more varied things; far more work clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories.

The Banana Republic had a nylon knock-off of this Rebecca Minkoff bag. It was such an exact copy, it was crazy!

Meanwhile over at Saks Off 5th, real bargains on real Rebecca Minkoff could be had. This calf skin little bag was marked down to less than $100. Had it not been so wintery I probably would have had to make it mine!

Sunday was a happy Father's Day spent sunning and reading the Times, and as I gave my dad a Red Sox grill cover, appropriately, a cookout!

And now here we are at Monday again. Who else is in favor of 3-day weekends all summer???

Saturday Morning Miscellany

2011-06-18T11:15:00.000-04:00

As I sit here writing on this Saturday morning, the sky is blue and the sun is shining -- such an improvement over last weekend here in the Boston area -- which was cold, rainy, and all together highly depressing. This weekend feels like summer has returned!

My weekend fun started Thursday night. (Let's momentarily forget about the fact that I had a busy work day starting bright and early at 8am on Friday!) Thursday evening I attended the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston's Friends Council Annual Roof Party at the Taj in downtown Boston. The roof at the Taj is actually all enclosed, but has an outdoor feel with black and white tile floor, paper lanterns hanging from the ceilings, and a gorgeous view of the Boston skyline. We enjoyed delicious hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, music by a great DJ, a silent auction and raffle (of course I won nothing!), and a performance by some of the members of one of the Boston clubs' performing arts programs. The kids were so talented, it was amazing!

Me with 2 of my good friends from law school

And while most Boston sports fans' focus is now on the Bruins' Stanley Cup win, Friday night I kept my own focus on my beloved Red Sox and went to the game. Despite the forecast, no rain all evening and I got to enjoy a 10-4 win.

These photos are my poor Blackberry camera attempts to show the fabulous new HD video screens at Fenway. All 3 screens look like videos plus ads, but at various points the ads go away and they turn into giant screens. Hard to explain, but when they revealed them on opening day it was quite impressive!

Later this afternoon I'm off to do some outlet shopping! Happy Weekend!

Town & Country, Where are You?

2011-06-14T08:48:00.000-04:00

Town & Country is included in Amazon's latest magazine subscription sale--a mere $5(!) for a year-long subscription. While Town & Country is one of my favorites, I'm not a current subscriber. I don't generally subscribe to all my favorites because I like being able to buy one at the store when I'm in the mood. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I'm out and about with nothing particular to buy but really want to buy something, a magazine purchase will cure my shopping craving. But lately I'm rarely able to actually find Town & Country. It's never seems to be in the drugstore or supermarket magazine sections. Most Borders in the area are closing. So that leaves Barnes & Noble and I always have to search high and low for it there--it never seems to be in the same section: sometimes it's in the "lifestyle" category near magazines like Harpers and Vanity Fair, sometimes it's with the regular women's magazines like Vogue and Real Simple, and other times I just plain and simple can't find it! All this leads me to decide that I will definitely be taking advantage of Amazon's sale.

My current subscription list is actually rather small:

Vogue

Condé Naste Traveler

Lucky

Entertainment Weekly

What are your favorite magazines?

Million Dollar Decorators

2011-06-12T17:56:00.000-04:00

I have featured the beautiful rooms of interior designer Mary McDonald on my blog in the past. So I was excited to learn she is one of the designers in Bravo's new show, Million Dollar Decorators. Even if you're not a reality fan, you can ignore the designers' outlandish statements (see Jeffrey Alan Marks musing that his job might be more stressful than the president's) and snobbish attitudes (see Mary McDonald refusing to cut a project budget at the client's request) and just enjoy all the decorating prettiness!

Chocolate and Pink Birthday Wishes

2011-06-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! It's been a week since I last blogged, I don't have a very good track record lately! Sunday my dad and I hosted an hors d'oeuvres and cocktail party in a private room at a local bistro to celebrate my mom's birthday. We had around 40 guests--a nice mix of family and friends--and a good time was had by all. It was a wonderful start to the summer!

Since we had a mix of men and women and older and younger guests, I decided that chocolate would be the most universally-appreciated party favors. I kept it simple with Hershey's plain chocolate bars and Hershey's bars with almonds and decorated them with pink oval labels from Paper Source.

The party's pink theme started with the invitations and continued with the favors, simple arrangements of pink tulips for the tables, and a pink signature cocktail--a pomegranate martini.

I hope you had a lovely Memorial Day weekend too!

Cheers to Sunshine!

2011-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

For the second day in a row, the sun is out in the Boston area! It seems that the spring/summer has arrived just in time for Memorial Day weekend. I for one can't wait to get a fresh pedicure and exchange my cool weather ballet flats and heels for my sandals and peep-toe shoes!

My photo of tulips in the Boston Public Gardens

Ladurée à NYC

2011-05-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else as excited as I am that Ladurée will will be opening in New York City this summer! I must plan a trip ASAP.

My photos from Ladurée in London, September 2010

Happy Saturday!

An Elephant + A Monkey +

2011-05-18T22:06:00.000-04:00

I saw these candlesticks in Anthropologie last weekend, aren't they the cutest? There are also smaller versions with 2 animals and 3 animals (always with an elephant!).

Savannah Quartet Taper Holder

I can't say that I buy things often in Anthropologie. But the home items are always worth a browse and make lovely gifts.

p.s.

Dearest Sunshine,

Please return to the Boston area as soon as possible. I haven't seen you since you made a brief morning appearance last Saturday and I miss you! And so do my spring clothes, they are getting quite restless in my closet!!!

Sincerely, Pink Maple

What I'm Reading Now . . .

2011-05-17T09:01:00.000-04:00

As Always, Julia:

The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

Shopping Luck? When do you have it?

2011-05-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

Milly Marcella Combo Dress

It always seems to be the case that when I plan a shopping day, I find nothing, but on a quick fly-by into one store I find just what I need. Be it a rack chock-full of Lilly at TJ Maxx, a huge table of marked-down handbags at Nordstrom, a gorgeous top in the window at J Crew--such shopping luck always seems to happen when I'm popping in at lunchtime or when I find I have an extra 15 minutes before a salon appointment or a dinner with friends.

Today my mom and I set out early, intent on finding her a new outfit for her birthday in 2 weeks. Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, J Crew, Talbot's, Marshall's, Nordstrom Rack . . . not a thing was even worth trying on! But what did we see in Nordstrom at full-price? The dress above that I scored during a quick lunchtime fly-by visit to Wish, a little clothing boutique on Beacon Hill in Boston. They had literally just moved it to the 50% sale rack (it's a little shop so they move inventory quickly to make room for new things) and I made it mine for an event next month. Now if I had gone out intentionally looking for a dress, I doubt I would have found something--does that ever happen to you??

p.s. Don't worry, my mom's not out of luck in the outfit department! I ordered something for her from J Crew online, hopefully she'll like it!

The Beauty Report

2011-05-10T21:55:00.000-04:00

Not all lip balms are created equal. For a long while I was a big fan of Kiehl's Lip Balm No. 1, but 2 birthdays ago a good friend gave me Bobbi Brown's Lip Balm SPF 15. It's the only lip balm I've been using since! Unlike the Kiehl's balm it is very moisturizing, but not quite so thick and slick. A thick layer before bed keeps my lips moisturized and unchapped until morning and a thin layer works well under lipstick or lipgloss. For a while I was having terrible trouble with my lips getting super dry and peeling overnight and I tried lots of more basic balms by Burt's Bees and Badger Balm but none solved the issue (in fact, I think I may have been allergic to one of the ingredients in these more "natural" lip balms).

The one thing I've never liked is that the Bobbi Brown lip balm only comes in a tin. Definitely not very easy to use on the go. So when I popped into Saks for the friends and family sale recently I was happy to discover that the Treatment Lip Shine SPF 15 in clear is a very similar formula to the lip balm! One is pink and the other is white, but they feel virtually the same on your lips. Now I keep the tin in my makeup bag and the tube in my purse and I am good to go!

I also want to follow-up on my April 20th post about Philosophy Shear Splendor shampoo and conditioner. I've now been using them for a couple weeks and I have to say they are just as good as I had hoped. A lovely scent that lingers and thorough conditioning for my rather unruly hair. I've been using the shampoo and conditioner along with Phytomist Instant Hydrating Conditioner--a spray-on, leave-in condition I got as a Beauty Insider reward from Sephora. During a super busy time last fall, I made the mistake of trying a new hair salon that was convenient for a lunchtime appointment as I couldn't make it over to my regular stylist in another area of Boston. Believe me, very bad idea! The salon was well-reviewed in local magazines, but the stylist used an odd cutting technique and honestly, my hair has only recently recovered!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, my mom's pick for Mother's Day is to go to this afternoon's Red Sox game. She's so easy to please! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Love--Hate Relationship

2011-05-04T19:40:00.000-04:00

I have a love--hate relationship with sales associates at stores. I think we've all had the experience of the over-zealous, annoying sales associate who pounces on you as soon as you enter the store and makes you feel uncomfortable when you'd like to enjoy a nice, leisurely browse. Or the store with the sales associate who ignores you or can't be found when all you want them to do is let you into a dressing room. Last weekend though I had a bit of luck and struck "sales associate gold"--the nice, helpful salesperson.

After a massive closet clean-out last weekend, I resolved to make better use of some of my older pieces and make them work anew for this spring and summer. So I brought into J Crew a skirt from last July and last April to see about getting some new tops to wear with them.

Within a reasonable amount of time of my entering the store, a sales associate asked if I needed help, I showed her the skirts, and together we found a bunch of tops and cardigans for me to try one. One of the tops she suggested was the Silk Blythe Blouse.

I would not have ever, ever even considered this blouse. I'm never one to go for silky, drapey things. BUT I'm so glad I did. It looks lovely with both skirts (bonus to the salesgirl for thinking economically!) and it goes well with the flowered skirt tucked in and paired with a rich brown cardigan and with the pink/black skirt worn out and belted with a thin silver belt. Cheers to J Crew at Copley Place in Boston!

[No Words Needed]

2011-05-02T08:44:00.001-04:00

In Honor of the Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T20:42:00.000-04:00

In honor of the Royal Wedding, an encore of some photos from my trip to London last September!

Will you be up early to watch the nuptials? I wake up at 6am every morning anyway, so I'm planning to wake at 5:15 or so East Coast time, which should be early enough to catch most of the action!

Transition to Spring

2011-04-27T21:32:00.002-04:00

Spring may be here but the weather can be very unpredictable: cool and rainy one minute then steamy and sunny the next. Add in the office air conditioning kicking on and you've got one major wardrobe conundrum! So right now I'm mixing up a bit of my winter wardrobe with my new spring pieces: I bought this new pencil skirt at J Crew on sale a couple weeks ago. Last Friday I wore it with a soft pink longsleeve top and black rimini cardigan from J Crew's fall collection.

Transition to Spring by PinkMaple on Polyvore

"Something Borrowed"-sucked me right in!

2011-04-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I finished reading Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. This was my first Emily Giffin novel and when I started it I was concerned it might be a bit too cheesy and predictable (all the flashbacks to the stereotypical 80's era childhood, etc.). I have to admit that I got sucked in and now I can't wait to see the movie.

Have you read Something Borrowed? What do you think about the cast? I think Kate Hudson is perfectly cast as Darcy. I'm not too sure about Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel, but perhaps it's because I've really only seen her in one other similar type of romantic comedy, He's Just Not that Into You, and her character in that film kind of drove me bonkers! Colin Egglesfield (on the right) is Dex and John Krasinski (on the left) is Ethan whom I'm assuming must be a more major character than he is in the book; particularly because this picture shows him with Rachel, Darcy, and Dex and in the book his character lives in, and never leaves, London, for the entire story!

Egg-cellent

2011-04-22T09:15:00.000-04:00

Confession time: I am not a big candy or chocolate lover. My favorite sweets are more of the bakery variety: I love the mini-vanilla scones, cinnamon scones, and rice krispie treats at Starbucks, Trader Joe's vanilla cake with powdered sugar, my mom's blueberry cake (which is closer to a bread than a cake), plain and simple cupcakes, traditional Italian cookies, and shortbread cookies.

Occasionally though I crave a bit of chocolate and when I do it is pretty much always a Reese's peanut butter cup (although my work always has mini M&M and peanut M&M packets on hand so I'll go for a bag of those sometimes). Peanut butter cups are my absolute favorite though. I think it's because they are actually more peanut butter than chocolate and I am a big peanut butter lover. So, naturally I love these:

Egg-cellent I think! Do you have a favorite Easter candy?

Best wishes readers for a happy Easter! Whether you are spending the holiday with family or friends, I hope it is filled with health and happiness.

I'll be having a fairly quiet Easter--just dinner out with my parents and a couple stop-by visits with relatives. My great-uncle on my mother's side passed away so sadly I'll be following the weekend with a wake on Monday.

Splendid Splendor

2011-04-20T08:30:00.004-04:00

A few years ago I used to use a fabulous hair conditioning mask by Philosophy. My hair is very thick and can be quite unruly and the conditioner was like a magic potion. Unfortunately, Philosophy stopped making it and the entire Shear Splendor line of hair products . . . or so I thought. Fast-forward to this weekend when I caught Philosophy on QVC while flipping channels before bed. Turns out QVC now exclusively sells Philosophy's Shear Splendor shampoo and conditioner!! The deep conditioning mask I used to use is sadly still a goner, but I have my fingers crossed that the regular shampoo and conditioner will be able to work magic on my hair!

Full report to come when the products arrive in the mail!

Out with the old...

2011-04-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since this past weekend was a 3-day one, I decided it was high time to do some closet clean-out work! I stored away my winter wools and corduroys and set aside some old things for charity and consignment. I am not at all good about getting rid of old clothing. Every magazine article I read on closet reorganization always says if you haven't worn something in a year you should toss it. I can't say I follow that maxim at all! I have lots of pretty dresses and fancy tops I've purchased for a specific occasion and since they still fit and are not outdated I just can't say goodbye to them! Cases in point: Navy Blue Marc Jacobs dress worn to 3 weddings in 2006, black Calvin Klein dress worn to a law school formal in 2007, the list goes on. Are you good about saying goodbye to clothes you haven't worn in a while or are you a saver like me??

My closet clean-out also demonstrated that I own a lot of belts:

Yikes! Considering my belt organizer has exactly 4 hooks, I think I need to upgrade:

Cedar 12-hook Belt Hanger, The Container Store


Clearly too small: but maybe a few of these? I like the simplicity. Axis 4-prong hook, The Container Store

Happy Patriot's Day!

2011-04-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

Today, the famous "shot heard 'round the world" began the Revolutionary War in the Battles of Lexington and Concord--honored every year in Massachusetts with a state-wide holiday.

(Source: Boston.com)

This third Monday in April is also the annual running of the Boston Marathon! So, today I am very nostalgic for my college days. Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts marks the exact half-way point of the marathon and is known as the "Scream Tunnel." Pretty much the entire college lines the roadway and the runners start hearing the screaming and cheering over a mile away. The dining hall would serve picnic lunches and my friends and I would gather on the road early to ensure we got a perfect viewing spot. Then, of course, we would spend the afternoon screaming and cheering all the runners--from the very first wheelchair runners and the first pack of leaders that would literally fly by to the recreational runners who would stop and receive a kiss of encouragement, a high five, and perhaps even do a few push-ups to show how much energy they still had! During my years at college, the most popular t-shirt sold by one of the dorms was the marathon t-shirt emblazoned with the logo, "The faster you go, the louder we'll scream!" Ha!

(Source: Wellesley College Public Affairs)

Cheers to all the runners taking part in the marathon! (Go BlackLabsandLilly!!)

Harry Potter

2011-04-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando truly did not disappoint! From the village of Hogsmeade to Hogwarts castle, every little feature of the books was recreated in impressive detail. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you must go!

All aboard for Hogsmeade Station!

Welcome to Hogsmeade! You can see the butterbeer cart just behind my head in the background.

The crooked, snowy roofs of Hogsmeade Village.

Ollivander's Wand Shop

Inside the shop

Hogwarts Castle, home of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The ride was fabulous; even the queue through the various castle rooms was impressive!

This pic of my dad shows how gigantic the castle is. It's really quite realistic!

Hagrid's house

Ageless Appeal

2011-04-11T18:30:00.001-04:00

Sunday's New York Times Book Review featured a profile on the author Beverly Cleary who turns 95(!) this week (The Ageless Appeal of Beverly Cleary-click to read). It's hard to believe how long her books have been around! Were you a fan of Beverly Cleary books growing up?

Some of my favorites were actually her "teen" books:

The Luckiest Girl is set in southern California in a town where orange groves are the big industry. I was so envious when the characters would go out to their local orange juice stand and get fresh orange juice. If I recall correctly the orange juice stand was the local hangout (By boring contrast, the cool hangout of my middle school years was ice cream sundaes at Friendly's! Ha!) I remember writing a book report on The Luckiest Girl and making the cover in the shape of an orange!

Happy Birthday Beverly Cleary!

I'm back!

2011-04-10T20:45:00.000-04:00

After a busy week back after vacation and an awful cold that is finally starting to let up, I finally back to blogging. The week was definitely exhausting: I did my best to politely cough and blow my nose during work meetings, matched admitted students to local alums of my undergrad college to write congratulatory letters and put together mailing packets of stationery and stamps in a cold-induced fog, and coughed and clapped for the Red Sox at their home opener on Friday. I am definitely looking forward to starting this week feeling better and fresher!

I took a ton of photos on vacation in Florida. This first batch features the beautiful flowers of Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival. The festival runs every spring from March to May and is truly impressive. There are literally flowers everywhere: floral tapestries, topiaries themed for each of World Showcase's countries and throughout Future World, trees of flowers, floating flowers, an English tea garden, a French fragrance garden, a butterfly house filled with real butterflies, and much, much more. Every weekend of the festival is extra special with HGTV personalities giving presentations and Flower Power concerts by 60's and 70's era musicians (we saw Starship of "We Built this City on Rock 'n Roll" fame).

My mom and I (note the tree of impatiens behind us!)

More flower trees:

A tapestry of flowers and floating impatiens:

Lady and The Tramp topiaries at the Italy pavilion:

Cinderella and Prince Charming (note the flower shape flounce at the bottom of her skirt!):

Beauty and the Beast topiaries in the fragrance garden at the France pavilion:

Despite this early morning pic of me in the UK pavilion, it was actually quite crowded but definitely worth it to see the Flower & Garden Festival!

Hogsmeade Ahead!

2011-04-05T19:48:00.000-04:00

I am back from vacation and unfortunately feeling very under-the-weather. I promise to post lots of photos very soon. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando did not disappoint! Even the cute street signs were photo-worthy!

Vacation Prep Part 3: Better Than a Fannypack

2011-03-24T15:00:00.002-04:00

This is my vacation handbag of choice:

A backpack (even a Kate Spade one!) isn't exactly the chicest handbag, but it does the trick for the sake of ease and convenience on most trips. I'll be carrying it and and my large Lilly Originals Tote on the plane tomorrow filled with some magazines and my Kindle loaded with a couple new books.

See you in a week!

Vacation Prep Part 2: Most Random Suitcase Item

2011-03-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

Perhaps the most random things going in my suitcase this week are Ziploc bags. Wherever I travel I always take a few various size Ziplocs and I find they come in very handy!

On weeklong trips where I'm flying to my destination, I'll usually stop into a nearby supermarket upon arrival and buy bottled water, some cans of soda, and some snacks like a big bag of pretzels to keep on hand. When I'm headed out for the day I'll fill up one of my ziplocs with snacks and be all set for whenever a case of the munchies strikes.

Even on a short weekend trip, I like to keep a ziploc bag or two with me--I never know when I'm going to stop into a cafe and buy a snack and want to save half for later.

Aside from food storage, I find that things like beaded necklaces, etc. always break at the most inopportune time. A plastic baggie comes in handy for storing the broken item until I can repair it when I get home. Or perhaps you want to take a last-minute swim at the hotel pool before catching your flight. Just pop your wet bikini into a ziploc! Worried your sunscreen will explode in your suitcase on the plane ride home? Again, use a ziploc!

What is the most random thing in your suitcase when you travel?

Travel Prep -- Part 1

2011-03-21T22:11:00.000-04:00

I’m headed down to Florida for a week’s vacation in the SUNSHINE in a few days. When it comes to travel, I am a big planner and organizer. As far as organizing, these are a few of the things I do that go along way towards making my travel go smoothly:

All those important documents--One thing I do before I leave is separate important documents like plane and hotel confirmations into separate envelopes based on when I’ll need them. For example, when I went to London in the fall I made 3 envelopes: 1 with things I would need the day of travel (flight confirmation, hotel confirmation), a 2nd envelope of things I would need during the trip (Buckingham Palace tickets, museum tickets purchased in advance, etc.), and a 3rd envelope with my airport parking coupon and frequent parker card to leave in the car so it would be ready at the end of the trip. I've used a travel wallet on a couple trips instead of my envelope system, but because I'm used to carrying a very small wallet usually, I found lugging the big travel wallet everywhere to be kind of a pain.

Itinerary for the trip--I also usually type up some type of basic trip itinerary before any vacation. For this trip, we’ll be staying at the Universal Resort for a few days and then staying in Disney World. So this trip’s itinerary includes park hours for each day we’re there, restaurant reservation times and confirmation numbers, concert times (OneRepublic is doing a concert at Universal Studios this Friday night!), and a general estimate of which park we might go to each day we‘re at Disney.

Some trips you don’t really need an itinerary. Instead, I’ll compile on one page all the names, addresses, and hours of the places I’m thinking of going. I have a huge 3 page master list for New York City that I keep saved and add to it each time I go. It has pretty much every store, restaurant, and museum that I’ve been to or might want to go to organized by neighborhood. It sounds ~~nutty~~ overly organized, but believe me it’s way easier than carrying a guidebook or having to stop and type into Google on your Blackberry!

How do you get organized for a trip?

PAUSE

2011-03-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

Pressing the pause button today to think of the disaster in Japan.

http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/

Keep Calm and . . .

2011-03-16T19:47:00.000-04:00

How cute is this from The Juice Stand blog?

No matter how stressful your day is, a bit of Lilly brights can make the difference don't you think?

Prince William and Kate--Circa 1912

2011-03-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm reading The Golden Prince by Rebecca Dean. I spotted a clean, crisp copy newly arrived at the library and picked it up by chance. I'm about halfway through and loving it!

The novel begins in 1913 and centers around Prince Edward of Wales and his chance meeting with the four Houghton sisters--he falls in love with the youngest, but --gasp!--she is not royal but a mere granddaughter of an earl. What's interesting is that although the book is a work of fiction, Prince Edward did meet and fall in love with youngest daughter of the Duke of Sutherland, a Red Cross nurse, while serving in WWI.

It is hard to believe that just 100 years ago the fact of Prince William marrying a non-royal like Kate Middleton (and likewise Prince Charles and Princess Diana) would have been unheard of!

Calling My Name

2011-03-14T22:03:00.000-04:00

This shirt has been calling out to me from the cover of the J Crew catalog:

I'm usually not a fan of a check print like this, but there's something about the pink and creme color combination. Now if only it would go on sale . . .

Sales Resistance? Definitely Not!

2011-03-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last week a friend and I attended the Neiman Marcus Fashion Rules Party at their Boston store. It was less of a "party" than we probably expected, but we had fun browsing while sipping a complimentary cocktail. As is often the case, my friend was the one looking for makeup but I was the one who ended up buying something!--A new Chanel eyeshadow palette. As soon as a makeup artist sits me down and places that first dust of eyeshadow or dab of lipgloss on my face, I am a goner. My sales resistance goes completely out the window! The fact that I made it home with just the eyeshadow and my gift bag of samples was quite a feat. To be quite honest I had also intended to purchase the eyebase that the makeup artist used, but fortunately(?) they were out of stock!

Snacktime

2011-03-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

So I am always trying to think of new snack ideas. I eat breakfast very early and get into work at 8am or before so I am always in need of a mid-morning snack to keep me going. I've been trying to stay away from gluten-heavy foods like bagels, muffins, and those yummy and very high calorie Starbucks scones (my tummy and waistline have been thanking me); so I recently made up this snack mix:

2 cups Rice Chex
1 cup Trader Joe's Trek Mix (containing unsalted cashews and almonds and dried cranberries, tart cherries, and pineapples)
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts
1/2 cup of dark chocolate covered raisins

The result is very, very addictive!! Combined with my morning black tea from Starbucks, I am one happy snacker.

Sunshine Dreaming

2011-02-27T09:49:00.000-05:00

I've been doing a bit of shopping for my trip to Florida at the end of March and this past week I ordered a new swimsuit from J Crew. I took a chance and tried the "Shelley" bottom pictured below, which J Crew describes as "high waisted and high fashion—a pinup-inspired bottom with a glamorous ruched band at the waist..." I actually quite like it! I have a long torso so for me sometimes traditional low-rise bikini bottoms don't look or fit so great (thus I've taken to wearing a lot of tankinis lately).

This polyvore set is a little bit of dreaming and a little bit reality. I've made the swimsuit and the Sperry's mine--I found the Sperry's at DSW and with a $10 coupon I saved $30 off the regular price--and I have the navy shorts from last year. The Chan Luu bracelet, at $168, will probably never grace my wrist but the budget version I found this week in the Nordstrom junior's section for $10 most definitely will!

Sunshine Dreaming... by PinkMaple on Polyvore.com

HATS!

2011-02-24T20:14:00.001-05:00

I so wish the tradition of wearing hats for special occasions would float on over to the US!

Kate Middleton at a lifeboat christening earlier today

(photo via Huffington Post)

Catherine Zeta-Jones receiving the royal honor of Commander of the British Empire for her film and charity work, also today:

(photo via Boston Globe)

Don't they both look so chic and elegant?

You know I can't resist PINK!

2011-02-24T10:03:00.003-05:00

Have you heard about Bamboopink Bamboopink is a new fashionable, yet affordable jewelry made and designed by a famous, high-end designer whose current line is sold in upscale department stores, is all over the red carpet and worn by Oprah. Analysts speculate that Bamboopink will be the largest women's internet start-up company in history. The company has a cutting-edge business model, and the jewelry will be sold through consultants on personal websites and through "virtual" jewelry parties.

Sounds interesting right? Then consider doing the same as me, sign up now, and then you can decide later whether you would actually like to sell Bamboopink. You'll get credit for signing up your friends and the chance to be rewarded with jewelry and other prizes. It is not about selling the jewelry at this point, but networking and creating interest. If you decide not to sell, you have lost nothing and your name will be dropped from the list. It is free to sign up through March 15th, after that you'll have to pay to be a consultant.

https://www.bamboopink.net/pinkmaple

Sign up is very easy; simply go to my site by following the link above and then create your name for your own site. Then simply create your own version of this post with your personal website link and either post it on your own blog or email it to friends.

I do not make it a habit of using my blog as a platform for profit; I rarely even post about the business this blog is named after! But Bamboopink really struck me as a unique opportunity. Many of us are inundated with the same old product lines sold by consultants--Bamboopink is the chance to earn extra income selling something fresh, new, and exciting. I think we could all use a little extra cash to support our J Crew, Lilly, etc, etc habits! So if you even think this might be something you'd be even a tiny bit interested in, sign up now and then decide for yourself when the product line officially launches. At the very least, you can share this opportunity with friends and perhaps win a little something along the way!

p.s. Blogger is not cooperating with photo uploads right now, but if you click on my Bamboopink site link above, you can see a preview of the jewelry.