LATEST LOOT

*note - Wrote this post last week and forgot to post.  There are so many other great deals out there now, but M and I are on a strict budget in preparation for the new house {eeeeekkkk}...

All of these holiday deals have enticed me to pick up a few things for myself.  :/  Whoops!  Here are some of my latest additions to my wardrobe.  

J.Crew Polka Dot Ponte Dress - Got it for 25% off on Black Friday!

Recently wore it to a friend's engagement party...see the look here.

J.Crew Loomknit Sweatshirt - Ordered this Sunday for 30%off

Originally $69.50, mine for $20.93 plus tax!

J.Crew Sequin Stripe Tee - Also got this on Sunday.

Originally $128, mine for $41.99!

Factory Double-Serge Wool Mini - Ordered this one day with 30% off then again the next day when it was upped to 40% off!  Haha!

Factory Classic Button-Down - Layered it under a pea green v-neck the other day, see the look here.

GapFit Breathe V-Neck Tee - I now have this in FOUR colors!  It is so soft and loose enough to feel flattering, even on chubby days.  I wear it to Barre class or on a run.

LOFT Metallic Colorblock Sweater - Got this is one of those rare (#sarcasm) LOFT sales...40% off!  My sister tried to talk me out of it...it's a bit boxy, not super flattering.  I just let the comfort of it override that!  Wore it in a layered look, check it out!

LOFT Sequin Detail Striped Cotton Tee - Can't get enough nautical striped tees...

Madewell Lily Lace Dress - Actually got this in red to wear to the aforementioned engagement party, but the bride was wearing red as well!  I kept it around for a holiday party - the silhouette is timeless.  p.s. I think it was 25 or 30% off that day

{update...see my final look here}

Target Vianca Tuxedo Flats - Not super comfortable but love the look!  I wasn't sure how much I would wear a smoking loafer so I wanted my first pair to be cost effective (aka cheap!).  I've already worn these a ton though.  I most recently wore them for a tacky xmas pub crawl!

Now that I see it all laid out there, I feel like I've been naughty in the shopping department!  Whoops!  

Safe spending - Sarah

NEW NEW ENGLAND FIND

By tracking down the source from a pin, I stumbled upon the blog Classy Girls Wear Pearls...I am obsessed!!!  She mostly pulls from J.Crew or other preppy outfitters like Brooks Brothers and Barbour.  After thoroughly stalking her posts and instagram, I am guessing she dates Kiel James Patrick who is a designer with his own line!

It is all inspired by his summers spent in New England and it is just screaming Blair Waldorf!  Sadly, M and I are on a saving spree to prep for the new house, or else I would have ordered one of each of the following {my recommendations}:

Scarlett O'Hara Vickers Bow $58          |        Black Pearl Anchor Wrap $40

Winch Weather Bitt Anchor Bracelet $38      |        Kaspicks Sail Charts Silk Wrap $40

Barnstable Cape Codder Bag $138          |      Sherronex Tightline Silk Earrings $22

Have you ever ordered from this company?  Any information to share?
Wishing I was a New Englander - Sarah

CHRISTMAS KINDNESS

I made out like a bandit this year!  Everyone did such a fab job Christmas shopping...here some of the gifts I received!  

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Notes:

1 - Perfect for stacking with the bracelet I got last year from my sister!  {Thanks to M's aunt}

2 - I actually got this gorgeous coat in retro jade like I'd wanted but after trying it on, I decided I wanted something a bit shorter and less dressy so I'm swapping for this trench version.  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

3 - {Thanks M's mom}

4 - Are these animals freakin' adorable or what? {Thanks Mom & Dad}

5 - Ugh...I have gone through so much anxiety over these.  Couldn't figure out if I liked them on me or not.  Mom also ordered the classics from L.L. Bean and let me pick which one I wanted to keep.  The L.L. Bean boots were too wide for my narrow foot and didn't have the shearling lining.  I pinned a few inspiration looks and am gonna just step out of my box in these!  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

6 - SO warm and SO lightweight!  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

I got a few other goodies but these were the standouts for me!  What did you get this year?

-Sarah

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's here!  It's here!  M and I will be changing some of our traditions this year...it's the first year we're sharing holidays.  Most of our favorites aren't going to be compromised though, thank goodness.   Here's the shakedown:

Christmas Eve afternoon - Church with M's family

Christmas Eve night - Party with M's family friends.  I'll be wearing this red lace Madewell dress over black tights  to both events.  I'll pair it with heels to church and boots to the party.  

Christmas morning - Gifts at M's house with his family followed by a brunch with friends and more family.  I'll wear this J.Crew combo {shirt and sweater} with jeans and Tory flats.  

Christmas afternoon - Hop in the car and head back to my parents' in Knoxville.  My sister, bro-in-law and niece {she's crawling!!!} will meet us there.  Then we have my favorite tradition - a Christmas fiesta!  Homemade enchiladas, quesadillas, salsa, and of course the MARGARITAS!  Dad has been perfecting his recipe all year so I can't wait to try it.  We'll do gifts after dinner and sometimes a game or watch a movie.  

What are your favorite traditions? -Sarah

CHRISTMAS FOR HUSBAND

Even though it's not Christmas yet, I shall reveal M's Christmas gifts.  :)  We are currently house-hunting so we decided to forego traditional gifts and just do stockings with a $50 limit.  Here is what I came up with:

J.Crew Boxers - $14.99 - 30% = $10.49

This is always a go-to when shopping for husband for any holiday!  I just love picking out a fun design <-- nerd comment.  There were others that I liked much more but this was the only one available in his size.  

Darn Tough Vermont Socks via J.Crew - $17 - 30% = $11.90

M travels to Montreal, Canada often so wool socks are just plain practical.

Griffin  iPhone Car Charger - $6.97
Husband broek mine so I ordered two - one for me and one for him!

StickyGram Instagram Magents - $14.99

This is an awesome website!  You pick out 9 Instagram photos and the send you a sheet of magnets.  This is almost a gift more for me than him...haha.  I included pictures of a couple of our travels but mostly of Max!

*First person to use code FRIENDGSSH gets $2 off!

Grand total:  $44.35 before tax!  Perhaps I will also grab a $5 giftcard somewhere.  :)

Nothing groundbreaking here but I think they will be fun!  

What are you getting for your loved ones?  -Sarah

CHRISTMAS LIST

There aren't a ton of things that I asked for this year.  I always like to ask for more than I know I will get so that there is still a surprise.  :)  Here are some of the things on my list this year:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Notes:

I don't want two coats, down jackets or pairs of boots.  I like to give options for the whole surprise thing.  

3 - This item inspired by this adorable look!

8 - Don't really need one...my 4 is still in good shape but I really want Siri!!!

And as always....anything from J.Crew!

What's on your list? - Sarah

CHRISTMAS CARDS

This was our first Christmas as a married couple so the card had to be fabulous!  Duh.  I found a fabulous card that I ordered from Tiny Prints.  I think they were having some sort of sale, but I don't remember what it was now.  

I went with this design in black, with rounded corners and red envelopes.  I was very impressed with the thickness of the envelopes, the timely delivery and the quality of printing!

Sadly, there were no matching address labels so I went with something similar.  

One thing that I didn't love about TP was that you can't move the text around on the picture.  There were some designs that I loved, but the text was printed at the bottom and that would've covered up my dress.   After ordering, I saw a couple of cards from Minted and think I will look into this site next year.  They are a bit more expensive but have more designs that I liked and more options for personalization.

What do your cards look like? -Sarah 

DISTRIBUTION CENTER DEALS

I previously blogged about the amazing, sort of secret J. Crew Distribution Center in Arden, NC.  On the way to Charlotte to visit my sister and niece I dropped by for a bit of shopping.  The stock was a bit disappointing.  I was hoping to find a dress for an upcoming Engagement Party (Yay Court!) but still got a couple of fun diddies (with my teacher discount!). 

I picked up:

Baby Brompton in Sahara Dune

(Pictured in Henna, which was also available.  See the color I got here.)

Orig.:  $158

DC Price:  $60 - 15% = $51

Savings:  $101

Pocket Umbrella in Leopard

Orig.:  $26.50

DC Price:  $15 - 15% = $12.75

Savings:  $13.75

Like I said, not a super exciting trip, but still great deals!  I was hoping to find the Allie Dress but sadly it was only available in a 00.  Here are some of the other goodies that I saw:

Happy Shopping - Sarah

VOTE FOR AMERICA

Happy Election Day!

No matter who you are voting for or what you believe, it's still an exciting day.  Maybe you'll be able to tell your kids "I remember where I was what I was wearing when there was a tie for President!" :)

VOTE! -Sarah

FLIPPING AWESOME

A little while ago I posted about a new {to me} website called Threadflip.  I have now posted some items and am here to report back.

It is fabulous - this website is so much easier to use than eBay!  Posting items takes maybe 5 minutes once you have the pictures ready.  And you can use pictures that you have on Facebook or Instagram if they're not loaded onto your computer.  Another plus:  there is no cost to post an item and you don't have a time limit like eBay.  

As a trial, I posted two items that I tried to sell on eBay this summer that sadly didn't get picked up:

See "My Closet" here

This weekend, I was on a cleaning rampage and came upon a GAP leather jacket that I never wear.  I pulled up my Threadflip App, took some pictures with my phone and posted the item within minutes.  It was so easy!  

And I just found out - it flipped!!! {a.k.a. sold}
I have Fall Break in a couple of weeks and I plan on using that time to switch out my summer and winter stuff in my closet.  I always come across things that I want to get rid of {my rule of thumb:  if I didn't wear it this season, is it worth keeping?}.  I usually make a trip to our local Planet Xchange but they are very finicky on what they take.  This will be a great backup for items that are in good shape and still current but not what they need.  I will absolutely be posting more!

Any takers? -Sarah

A WORLD OF COLOR

My husband just asked me, "What's up with all of those colored jeans?".  I told him they were totes on trend, duh.  I'm up to neon pink, orange and blue!

I love this trend because I can be in jeans and a white tee and still feel dressed decently.  I can also get around the jeans on Friday rule at work by wearing colored denim through the week.  Sneaky, sneaky.  Check out these amaze options...they come in tons of colors!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Stay bright - Sarah

FLIPPING OUT

While perusing Pinterest, I found a link that led me to a new, amazingly genius website:  Threadflip

This website is sort of online consignment - it's eBay for the fashion conscious buyers and sellers.  The idea was inspired by the CEO's wife who had a gorgeous pair of boots that she didn't wear.  She didn't want to sell them to just anyone because they were very special...she wanted to make sure they went to a good home.  I love this concept!  I also love that there are tons of great options at great prices without wading through all of the rubbish that eBay may have.  Downside:  there's only one item of each listing so if you find a love, you have to act fast!

Here are some of my of-the-moment faves {click on pic for the link}:

Have any of you used this site before?  I plan on posting some items soon - stay tuned!
Happy flipping -Sarah

iPHONE 5 COVERAGE

With the iPhone's new size, many techies will be needing a new case.  This is great news if you're sticking with your 4 or 4s..look out for a sale!  I was really excited to find out I'm ready for an upgrade October 8th and I'm hoping that by then I will have many choices for a trendy case.

Here are some that you early birds might check out:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Notes:

1, 5, 7 - these are customizable on Zazzle.com

2 - this is my favorite so far!

3, 4, 8 - these are from this ahhmazing Etsy shop - they have tons of adorable designs...check them out here

9 - had to include this for my friend Kaitlin

If none of these are jumping out to you, stay tuned.  I have emailed JCrew to find out when they will be debuting their 5 cases.  

Keep in touch - Sarah

EMMY FASHION FAVORITES

Here are some of my favorite fashions from last night's red carpet (in no particular order):


Ginnifer Goodwin

{source}
As a VOLS fan, I love the vibrant orange color.  I think the detail in this Monique Lhullier dress is amazing and I love the coordination with the shoes.  I think the belt/sash reads a bit pleather/cheap, but the minimal make up and styling is a great partner to this intricate dress.


Ariel Winter

{source}
I love the maturity that this young girl has in her fashion choices.  Totally age appropriate yet super sleek and stylish.  Well done, Ariel.

Leslie Mann

{source}
Pockets, a top knot, floral lace, and a full skirt.  You had me at pockets.


January Jones

{source}
I think the color and the detail is amazing - it's definitely a show stopper with that side embellishment and shape.


Alexi Ashe
(Seth Myer's wife)

{source}
I love this pattern - it almost appears metallic.  The silhouette is very flattering and the simple styling reminds us that her husband is in the spotlight.


Edie Falco

{source}
This Stella McCartney is amaze!  The front cut outs are genius and I love the split color.  It is so simple yet I've never seen anything like it.  Needing a metallic belt now... {not loving those little pieces of hair in her face}


Jeannie Mai

{source}
Simple hair, small lace overlay, flowy white fabric, great belt - check x 4. I love this dress.  Unfortunately there's also a check for sweat marks.  Boo.



Nicole Kidman

{source}
This tribal beading detail is glorious.  It puts a futuristic alien spin on an otherwise plain white dress.  




And some misses:

Mayra Veronica

{source}
This is so Jessica McClintock prom circa 2004.  And the gloves?  Also - not sure why she is here.


Pheobe Price

{source}
Someone has been watching too much Gypsy Wedding...  The dress is bad enough and then she adds those shoes!  They look elfin with that odd toe and they clash with the dress and her hair! 



p.s. Who called the 90s and asked for our faves to come back?

Anna Chlumsky
(My Girl)

{source}

Mayim Bialik
(Blossom)

{source}

Any that you loved and I left out?
Totes being a couch potato lately -Sarah