[SQUEE] 3 Wishes Featured on The Look 4 Less

I was honored when J of The Look 4 Less (one of the very 1st blogs I ever subscribed to!) asked me to be part of her 3 Wishes Summer Series.

J asked all her participants to pick any 3 items we have on our summer wishlists.  Since price wasn't a factor in the "wish" items, I had a hard time narrowing it down.  Ultimately, I decided to go with summer items I really need and have been really coveting (which means most of these are recognizable to you readers!).

Cuffed Jean Shorts

Light & Airy Floral Print Boho Top

Trendy-ish Heels that can be dressed up or down (my summer is packed with weddings, showers, and bachelorettes... I'm in need versatility)

Thanks so much Jen for asking me to participate! 

I'm sure most of you readers are familiar with her blog, but if not definitely head over and become a follower.  Jen is amazing with her ability to find lookalikes or inspired by items for far less than their luxury counterparts.  A must for any shopaholic on a budget!

[Giveaway] Winners!

First and foremost, thank you all for your honest feedback yesterday... I really really appreciate it and I am taking all your opinions to heart.  Also, thank you to the ladies who gave suggestions about boot spray, boot/shoe horns, and Veronika's video link.

I think I'm going to test them out a few times over the weekend and see if it gets any easier or if I just grow more frustrated.  I'll definitely post an update when I reach a verdict....

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Moving on to something much MUCH more exciting... the GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!


 

Winner #1 - Pink Metallic Headband

AppGal from Musings on the Mountain

Winner #2 - Skinny Leopard Print

Veronika of Veronika's Blushing

Winner #3 - Purple Bows 

Krystyna of This Love of Life

Congratulations to all the winners, I'll be emailing you this weekend for your information...

Everyong Have a Safe and Fun Memorial Day Weekend

[Real Deal and Awesome Steal] Floral Print Sheer Blouses

I've been obsessing over these two Joie floral print blouses on Piperlime for weeks....


The Real Deal

Joie Leanne Pintuck Lace Inset Blouse, Offwhite - Piperlime $218

(sold out in this color, but can be found at Bloomingdale's)

Joie Leanne Pintuck Lace Inset Blouse, Insignia - Piperlime $218

The price tag is a little hard for me to stomach, being >$200 for a lightweight sheer blouse, heck, for being >$100 for a lightweight sheer blouse - cashmere, sure. chiffon, not so much.

So, when I stumbled upon these Bellatrix tops in the t.b.d department of Nordstrom last Friday I was soo excited for their look-a-like-ness and their less than half-the-price-tags...

The Awesome Steals

Bellatrix Lace Trim Chiffon Top, Vintage Floral - Nordstrom $78

Bellatrix Lace Trim Chiffon Top, Navy Floral - Nordstrom $78

Just a reminder, the Nordstrom Semi Annual Sale starts tomorrow!!

[Giveaway] ....These are a few of my Favorite Things

Just as a little "Thank You" to you loyal readers for taking the time to read what little ol' me writes (and chatting with me thru the comment form), I'm giving away some of my favorite things!


You probably can guess it..... J.Crew Headbands and super cute magnetic Notepads :)



I decided instead of getting one big prize with lots of little 'favorite' things, I thought it'd be fun to share the love and give out 3 smaller prizes....


Purple Bows

Metallic Pink

Skinny Leopard

To Enter:

1. You must be a "Follower" of this blog  (since my goal is thank my loyal readers....)
2. Leave your email in your comment and reply which choice above is your favorite - so I can contact you when you win and try to match you up to favorite....
3. Leave only 1 entry, duplicates will be deleted from the selection process.

The giveaway entry ends on Friday May, 28th at noon (EST).  All 3 Winners will be selected through random.org and announced later that evening.  Good Luck!

[Outfit of the Day] Sailor Stripes

Friday

Short Sleeve Boyfriend Cardigan - J.Crew, spring '09 (here) (similar here)

Navy and White Scoopneck Striped Tee - GAP, spring '09 (similar here)

J Brand Skinnies - TJ Maxx, fall '09 (here)

Coach 'Ashleen' Flats - Macy's, '08 ? (similar color here)

'Key to your Heart' Necklace - F21, winter '09 (here)

Opal Disc Stretch Bracelet - South Moon Under, spring '10 (here)

skinny tan plastic headband - J.Crew... per usual

I want to wear this every day. 

Forever.

They try to make me go to Rehab... I say NO, NO, NO

Clearly, I have an addiction... I've been somewhat self aware of the problem for awhile now, but it's hard to say out loud....

Readers,

My name is E Hayes and I'm addicted to cardigans.....

 

 

stayed tuned to see if I can break the habit in time for tomorrow's OOTDWeek round up....

[Outfit of the Day] Grey Skies Roundup

The yellow guy really hasn't shown his face all that much this week.  Monday thru Wednesday were shockingly COLD, like never even hit the 60s, and the past two days have been just generally "mehh".... I find that the weather grossly effects my outfit selections... 

Hey, May, you can come back now!

 

Ohh... who am I kidding, I'm a sucker for neutrals and wear them sun shining or not....

 Grey Tie Neck Swing Cardigan - J.Crew (similar-ish here)

White Scoop Neck Tee - Michael Stars (here)

Deep Indigo "Artist" Jeans - AE (here)

'Veronica' Seychelles T-Straps - Piperlime (here)

Opal Disc Stretch Bracelet - South Moon Under (here)

Blue and White Scarf - H&M (Won on Gigi's Gone Shopping!)

 Happy Friday Readers!

Flowers of the Week...err Month

Last Friday, I took a half day to get all the needed supplies for my Husband's surprise party this past Saturday.  I stopped in Whole Foods because I promised I'd pick up some Free Range chicken (for him) and Shrimp for me to toss around in some homemade buffalo sauce.  (my FAVORITE!!!)

As usual, I got sidetracked by the flower display when I walked in the doors... so I picked up two bouquets  - one of white chrysanthemums, or the usual, and one of mintyish green lisianthus.

 

 

Happy Almost Friday!

[Impulsive Shopaholic] Bachelorette Wannabe

... well, Bachelorette Wannabe minus being single and not having my husband and being forced to date douchey guys on television.... or meaning Bachelorette Fashion Wannabe.....

but I digress...

Earlier in the week, Dana over at The Possessionista, posted about this Initial Wax Seal pendant by Etsy Seller RitzyMisfit

She had found the necklace as Ali Fedotowsky, also known as the ABC's newest Bachelorette, will be wearing on a few of her upcoming dates.   She's wearing a Yellow Pendant necklace in this promotional shot for the show....

(photo via popleft.com)

Also a fan of RitzyMisfit's stamped necklaces are previous Bachelorette Jillian Harris and Kendra Wilkinson...

Because it was Monday morning and I was only on my first cup of coffee, I felt compulsive enough to pull the trigger on this cute and (clearly Bachelorette) coveted necklace.  It's priced at $30, which in my book, is pretty affordable for something so unique.

I ended up ordering the Plum colored pendant (shown above). 

Brooke, the genius behind RitzyMisfit, allows the buyer to select the degree of "character" of the pendant's shape - "1" being closer to perfectly round and "3" being very "imperfect" or "rough".  She also asks the buyer to select the degree of color you would like. "1" being a little and "3" being extremely saturated.

I chose 1 degree of character, you know since I'm too OCD to handle the "imperfect" circles, lumps, and bubbles.  I then selected the 2nd degree of color, which is the same amount that Jillian has in her teal pendant shown above (or somewhere between a little and a lot).

I'll be sure to post a recap when it arrives.

Share your recent Etsy purchases in the comments - I'll wait to read them in the morning... you know, before I have my coffee and check my bank account balance....

[Review] CSN Stores

Earlier last week I posted about how I was given the opportunity to do a product review for AllBarStools.com.

The Husband and I decided to order 2 Powell Antique Black 24" counter height bar stools for our Crate and Barrel island.

(here)

While this particular set of bar stools did not have any buyer reviews, it did have a strong rating on the "construction quality" scale, which won me over an identical pair with strong buyer reviews, but a low grade on the construction scale.


The website noted that these stools were in stock that they would ship within 48 hours.  I pulled the trigger on Tuesday, they shipped Wednesday, and arrived Friday - and that's without any upgraded or rushed shipping. And I can't forget to mention that shipping was FREE for this particular set. 
The stools had minimal assembly, which I thought was rather easy to do. 

I had both stools together in about 20 minutes.

Overall I think they are a great fit (in size, shape, and style) and I will definitely check out CSN stores in the future.  They have over 200 sites so I'm sure in my quest for light fixtures, throw rugs, or curtains they will be a great resource. 

My overall score - A+




**Please Note:  This review is based solely on my experience with shopping online at allbarstools.com.  I have not been compensated for a positive review and if I was disappointed with the product, shipping, customer service, etc I would make my opinion reflect those feelings.**

Sunday Funday and Outfit of Yesterday

Yesterday we continued the Husband's birthday celebration by laying around and recovering from the night before.  Coffee was drank, leftover pizza was eaten, and cat napping on the couch with both puppers occurred.  All in the name of turning 30.

After awhile we pulled ourselves up, showered, dressed and headed to a favorite BYOB to close out the weekend.

Since the weather this weekend was sunny, but a chilly 50some degrees with hurricane force winds (no joke), wearing layers and pants was a must!

'Silk/Cotton Ruffled' Cardigan in Khaki Heather - Banana Republic, winter '10 (here)

White 'Tutu 'Tank - Anthropologie, winter '10 (knock off here)

Deep Indigo 'Artist' Jeans - AE, fall '09 (here)

'Sonya' Huarache Wedges - Banana Republic, summer '09 (similar here)

'Key to my Heart' necklace - F21, winter '10 (here)

Tortoise Skinny Headband - J.Crew (similar here)

And because I missed posting this yesterday, Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the Momma's out there!

... yeah, we rocked the '90s...

Surprise Surprise....

Let it be known, I love a good surprise....  not so much for myself (I'm terrible at guessing, prodding and prying), but surprising others - especially my husband.


It all started years ago when I surprised him for Christmas.  He had been going on and on... and on, about getting a new lcd tv.  While he was away in Denver for work, I, with the help of his roommate, removed his old clunky tv and replaced in with a new one, equipped with a giant red bow.  Sadly, I wasn't there when he returned home from his trip, but apparently he did a double take and was shocked to find exactly what he had been talking about for months...

I'm pretty sure this is how I sealed the future deal...

For our wedding, we exchanged gifts before the ceremony.... I think the Husband was SHOCKED when he was handed a wrapped up Movado watch case only to find a golf ball stating his present inside....

Sunday Tickets

US Open 2010

Pebble Beach, CA

His 30th Birthday proved to be tricky.  Being a May baby, most of his friends have already had their requisite "Surprise 30th Birthday" parties this year.  Knowing the Husband hates being the center of attention, I told him it would be impossible to throw him one since it'd be expected.

However, for this surprisaholic, that just wasn't going to do.  So I picked a favorite past time that is also something we typically do together every year, and I told him we were going to the Phillies Game.

Husband wearing his new Halladay tee that I bought, washed, and hid on top of the pile in his t-shirt drawer... the man has to have everything washed before wearing, surprise again Husband...

The surprise was, all of his friends would be there to meet us and we'd have a raging tailgate and party into the night, you know since UFC was on AGAIN..... Any other wives/girlfriends out there that feel like there is a fight every freakin' weekend??  I swear it's always on...

All and all, great time had and the husband was shocked and honored that so many people came out to celebrate and have a good time...

The Phillies actually lost, but I don't think anyone even cared.

Are you good at surprises, or do you spill the beans?