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.

forever frugal fridays

This one is easy - when Shift was here last weekend, we hit the big Forever 21 store in Soho on Friday morning before it got crazy and crowded. I got this sweater and, while I initally was a little iffy about spending $30 on a sweater from Forever, I sucked it up and got it. Now, I want it in every color! It's long enough to wear with skinny jeans, not too baggy that you can't wear it over a cute top to go out, but not too tight either. It's just about...perfect.

Golden Globes

I know this is old news by now, but I just had to say how much I loved Eva Mendes' look at the Golden Globes last Sunday. Just classic, classic glamour. Her winter white Dior dress fit like a glove and that Van Cleef necklace was killer.
I also loved Kate Beckinsale's J. Mendel dress. This just might be my dream wedding dress, if I had a million dollars (and her ridiculous body!).

I also loved Tina Fey's acceptance speech..."suck it" may be my new favorite phrase!

Free beauty products!!

I’ve been MIA. Apologies all around. But something really great motivated me to post today: free beauty products! The great website fashionista has a post up about a lawsuit settlement for price fixing that requires stores across the country including Saks, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and others to give away beauty products for free starting next Tuesday, January 20. Yes, that’s right FREE beauty products, one from each brand, to anyone in the store. Brands like Chanel, Dior, Clarins, Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, you name it. Good stuff people! You can see a list of which product each brand is giving away at http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/.

Shift is coming! Shift is coming!

It's been a whopping three years since Shift has been to New York City. (No, the one night she was here for work in Jersey does not count.) She's coming tomorrow and leaves on Sunday. That leaves us with three days for lots of fun sisterly bonding and outings all over the city! Here are a few things on our list of things to do and places to go.The Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA), which has a new Miro exhibit that's supposed to be great.Bloomingdales! Partially because I need to make an appointment to register, and partially because it's just fun to wander around.
Dinner at L'Artusi, an awesome new Italian restaurant in the West Village.

Otherwise, we'll just make it up as we go along! Posting will be back to normal once Shift is back in Chicago next week and we're done gallivanting around New York. :)

back in black.

Why black? Well, I'm back in New York City, land of black-garbed locals. Black to mourn the long vacation that I just finished -- two full weeks! Today at work is rough, people. Rough. Black since I'm another year older as of last week. But the vacation was good, holidays were good, even the birthday was good. Back in the city means back with friends and back in my own apartment - I love my family (hi mom!), but it's always nice to be back in your own space. Although the dog is definitely a bit depressed since now she only has two people to spoil her instead of five.

Here are a few random things I'm loving lately...

Red velvet cupcakes, especially when they contain chocolate chips like the ones from The Flying Cupcake in Indianapolis (I know, I will never shut up about these, but I love them) - the fiance has declared them better than any of the fancy-schmancy NYC cupcakes, and I think I agree.

Ruffles on any and all clothing. They're just so feminine and delicate and can transform any outfit. If only I could figure out how to re-ruffle them without having to pay to dryclean them. I got this shirt from J.Crew for Christmas and want it in every color (and the sleeveless version for spring too, thanks).

Dog sweaters. Nothing makes me smile like a dog in a sweater. Lucy got a rather stylish one from Shift for Christmas, and she really likes it.

Speaking of Shift, she's coming to NYC in TWO DAYS - YIPPEE! It's about freaking time. We will have lots of fun and many adventures. But that's another post entirely.