frugal friday!

First off, I agree with what Shift said about cheap swimsuits. I have a friend who changed my mind about thinking I would never wear a white swimsuit - she looked adorable in one last summer (only once she had a base tan, obvi). So I picked one up at Old Navy a couple weeks ago, thinking I didn't need to try it on because I already knew what size I was. I tried it on when I got home and it was COMPLETELY see-through -- even dry. Could you imagine what it would have looked like after I swam in it? Oy. So back it went.

Ok, on to clothes. It's finally getting warm-ish in NYC, so I'm all about ditching the wool sweaters and going for transitional clothes. I love this top:

Wear it now with skinny jeans, long cardigan and flats. Wear it once it's warm with short shorts and cute flat sandals. Some bronzer also might be a good idea, considering my pasty state...

forever frugal

busy week, fabulous forever picks...

gimme...

simple and cute (must try on--see through white=scary)

last but not least, very frugal swim wear...very cute but i wouldn't recommend swimming

Frenchies Blogging!

Martha Stewart's two adorable French Bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey, have started a blog called The Daily Wag. Adorable!

Here they are working with Martha on the blog layout. I'm sure being Martha's dog is pretty fun and they'll have lots to blog about!

frugal FRIDAY!

Ditto what Shift said about posting...these are weird, crazy times in the working world, and blogging while in the office just isn't as easy as it used to be. But anyway - on to the bargains!

I love the print on this maxi dress - definitely looks more expensive than its $25 price tag. Wonder if I could pull it off with blond hair, or if it would look better on a brunette like Shift? Side note: I got a solid colored maxi dress at Old Navy last weekend for the same price - good stuff there lately!

This dress is a great basic - as a beach/pool coverup or just to throw on to run errands on a hot day. Any dress you can wear a regular bra with (like this one) is a winner in my book. It also comes in a pretty emerald green color that looks way better on Shift than it does on me...I'm just sayin.

forever frugal

my goodness we've been sucking @ this blogging thing lately.

i beg forgiveness and give you this little ditty from forever 21...


online only shows in in black, white and brown but i bought the coral version in store...i highly recommend any color other than white (it's scary see through!)

adios for the weekend my friends! see you next week!

prettier than a box o' crayons

i'm so intrigued by these crayon pieces by artist christian faur...

"My earliest memories of making art involve the use of wax crayons. I can still remember the pleasure of opening a new box of crayons: the distinct smell of the wax, the beautifully colored tips, everything still perfect and unused. Using the first crayon from a new box always gave me a slight pain. Through a novel technique that I have developed, I again find myself working with the familiar form of the crayon.

Because of the three-dimensional nature of the crayons, the individual surface images appear to change form as one moves about the gallery space. The images completely disappear when viewed from close up, allowing one to read the horizontally sequenced crayon text and to take in the beautifully colored crayon tips -- all the while being reminded of that first box of crayons."

someone fetch me a 64 pack

disappearing in nyc

i always say that they don't make buildings like they used to...the book "store front: the disappearing face of new york" captures the past beautifully

forever frugal fridays

TGIF is all I have to say -- this week has been crazy! And it's a long weekend - even better. Am planning on stopping by Forever this weekend just to see what they have - I've been very good about not shopping lately!

I love the print of this top - it looks rich enough that you wouldn't guess it's from Forever. It would look super cute now over skinny dark-wash jeans with a cardigan, or with white jeans once the weather warms up. Which hopefully will be sooner rather than later! I'm officially sick of all my winter clothes and can't WAIT for spring!

Gap: who knew?

I stopped in the Gap today over lunch to pick up a birthday present for the fiance's niece's first birthday (the Baby Gap and Gap store are connected). I hadn't been in a Gap store in awhile, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised! Lots of cute spring stuff, and prices reasonable enough that I (almost) would pay full price for it!

Like this silk blend ruffle top (also in coral, which is cute but requires a tan...)

This open-front cardigan -- I've been hunting for one since last summer - perfect for layering!

And these super-cute sandals -- with a price tag that lets you wear them to and from work without worrying about ruining them.All of the above officially added to my spring wish list!

chew on this...

just because i heart her...

forever frugal fridays

It's 15 degrees outside, but all I can think about is spring. So here we go:This top would be adorable with skinny white jeans and espadrilles (and a tan, of course). Sigh.

Hello, gorgeous!

I have my first wedding dress fitting in about a month, and realized yesterday that this means I should probably try to go to the gym more than once or twice a week. Then I saw this photo of Isla Fisher (who just had a baby like 6 months ago) promoting her new movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic (which I will probably see since I loved the book so much), and she looks AMAZING:Love the dress, shoes, necklace -- such a great outfit. If I can look half as good as she does, I'll be happy!

forever frugal fridays

i have two easy but very different pieces for my forever frugal picks this week...

now it must be said that i must find and have this belt...i LOVE it...

Brr!

This winter has been especially bad in New York City. Our winters here are usually pretty mild -- it snows maybe once, and it only gets cold enough for me to break out the Uggs maybe once or twice. This year? It's snowed twice in the past week, and I wear my Uggs so much that I'm actually thinking about buying a new pair. WTF?

So I figured maybe I could find some cold-weather bargains since all the stores have in their spring stuff now (which is great when the wind chill is 5 degrees like it is today). What's on my list? One of those furry trapper hats. Don't laugh -- I have a friend who has one that she got at a vintage store, and she swears she is never cold. I'm jealous.

I like this one (ignore the cheesy Bloomingdale's photo) since it's black and would go with all of my coats. Only problem? Even though it's on sale, it's still $225!After googling "fur trapper hat," I found this one at Fur Hat World (don't ask). It's real fur and $150 on sale, which isn't totally horrible.

Finally, if real fur isn't your thing, this hat from Urban Outfitters is cute and cheap at $35. It's not available online anymore, but I bet you could still find it in a store!

Sad.

Anyone who has ever been to Union Square in New York City has probably seen Joe Ades, an older Australian man, always dressed to the nines, selling vegetable peelers on the sidewalk. He was quirky, fun to watch, a great salesman and part of the wonderful weirdness that is New York. The New York Times reports today that Joe died on Sunday at the age of 75. The Union Square Greenmarket will always be a little quieter without him.

hot diggity dog

i'm obsessed with this...

forever frugal

simple tops + fun accessories = lovely look...two picks from my forever frugal friday

forever frugal fridays

It's always about this time of year that I get really sick of winter. I'm tired of my winter clothes, of being cold, of bundling up within an inch of my life when I leave my apartment only to sweat in the crowded subway, of not being able to walk the dog for more than a block before she rebels and wants back inside. I'm ready for spring! Now! These clothes will make it feel like it's coming a little faster.

This dress is great -- yes, a bit bright -- but throw on black sandals and go. So easy.

This one is great too -- slightly nautically-inspired, but not so much that it's cheesy. Love the other colors too.
This dress is just about perfect. Simple, comfy, casual, and $13! I might need it in every color. Great with flip flops for running errands or as a pool/beach cover-up, or with espadrilles, a straw clutch, and fun jewelry for a night out. Done!

oh those boys...

friggin a-door-bell

sad, sad, sad.

One of my favorite magazines (and probably Shift's favorite magazine period), Domino, is folding. It just couldn't hang with the bad economy. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised, since House & Garden folded last year, Vogue Living is no more, Blueprint folded, and O at Home is a part of regular O magazine again. But I was really rooting for Domino. This means I will definitely be buying their decorating book since I won't be able to get their decorating tips on a monthly basis anymore.

sag awards...mostly one big sigh

so anyone see that sag awards last night? i thought most of the dresses were big yawns but was entertained by a few lovely ladies...

can i just say that i thought this blue dress was gorgeous? if my curves looked like hers i would be as happy as a clam...

loved the color on her

usually not a fan of red on the red carpet but i loved this look on her...the neckline is gorgeous (did anyone else think she sounded funny presenting? she either picked up a bizarro accent or was trying way to hard to sound smart...)

love the gold embellishment with the black

forever frugal fridays

my forever pick this week is this fan-friggin-tastic necklace...

it's yummy on a whole lotta levels...

forever frugal fridays

So my company just changed our dress code, which is great. The good news is that we can now wear jeans every day. Woohoo! The bad news is, I haven't bought jeans in at least a year. So of course this means I will need to shop for new jeans and new tops to go with jeans. Hello, forever!This top would be cute but still work-appropriate with jeans and heels, and I could easily wear it into spring once it warms up. This top could be cheap-looking in person (you never know with Forever stuff!) but would be super cute under a cardigan or blazer. Plus, it looks suspiciously like a JCrew top I love that's about $50 more!

the simple difference between boys and girls

the tag of the ad reads "thank god you're a man."

i beg to differ...look at all of our fun options! we are oh-so-much more fun than boys:)
via agency spy

live and love

this should be everyone's motto...



from hijirik's etsy shop

Inauguration Day Inspiration

From today's red-white-and-blue striped coffee cup sleeve at Starbucks, no less:

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

-- President Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

love and love and love

for all the reasons you love someone...i love you more than blank...

dress pressure

with the inauguration just days away, everyone is buzzing about what michelle obama will wear...i'm hoping she goes with a young unknown designer but it's any one's guess. people magazine did a photo gallery of first lady inauguration dresses and some of the dresses are a.maz.ing!

oh course i had to start with jackie...so classic in a dress she designed herself...who knew!

yellow/mimosa is oh so in right now...i even love the neckline on this john moore gown on lady bird johnson.
get rid of the sleeves and this mary matise for jimmae dress for rosalynn carter is a winner (she even had the dress re-purposed because of the bad economy!)

this james galanos dress is pretty on nancy reagan...love the single shoulder

quite the cropped jacket on patricia nixon...karen stark for harvey berin

i left out the balls of boffant (thanks mom!) and sequins that hurt my eyes...yikes.