Dress - Yay or Nay?

This morning I set out to find a dress for a wedding we are attending this Friday (Yes, we! I get to see my husband this weekend!). I decided to check out Target to see if they had any cheap options. I ended up purchasing this Ruffle Tank Dress for $20, but I am not sure if it is dressy enough for a wedding. I mean, it is from the juniors section and the top is cottony. What are your thoughts? And what about the black? Is that still a no-no?

Here is the dress without accessories:

Better with the long chain necklace?

(that white blob on the floor is Kona)

More sophisticated when looped twice with some pearls added in?


Help me decide, please!

I also tried on this Zac Posen for Target Two-Piece Ruffled Dress. It was super fun, but I didn't buy it because the only dress available in my size had a rip on one of the ruffles.

Is this dress over the top? I might go to another Target to get it.... Thoughts?

Great Finds!

I've come across some really great products recently and thought I would share the finds with all of you!

I follow a few of the "frugal blogs" (Money Saving Mom, Fantabulously Frugal, Frugal in Virgina) for the deals info and advice on different ways to save money. One of my favorite types of posts are the ones alerting everyone to free samples. The samples make great travel items and often introduce me to various products I normally would not buy.

Photo from Burt's Bees

A couple weeks ago I received a sample of Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Targeted Spot Treatment and I am OBSESSED. I was worried that my skin might break out after going off the pill, so when I saw this free sample I signed up right away. My skin isn't bad, but I definitely get a few ginormous pimples every now and then. The spot treatment is a liquid that you rub anywhere that you have a pimple and it literally works like magic in just a couple of days. The bottle says the active ingredient is salicylic acid, but the website lists a bunch of other inactive ingredients (in case you are interested). It retails for $10 on the website and I will definitely be ordering a bottle when my sample runs out!

Switching gears....

I recently ordered a tea set and a coffee set from Yedi Houseware via One Kings Lane (let me know if you want an invite!) and am very impressed with their products, so I wanted to share these finds with you too!

My mom's family draws names for Christmas because there are so many of us (I think there are 40 people?) and we can't buy gifts for everyone. This year we drew my 3 and a half year old cousin. While browsing One Kings Lane I stumbled upon the Yedi sale and knew that the Polka Dot Tea Set would be perfect for her. Here she is last May at my bridal tea:


Yes, she is squeezing her tea bag with her hand. Hehe.

The set is great quality, cute as can be, and comes in really nice packaging. I can't wait to see her open it on Christmas day. I remember I was her age when I received my first tea set and hope she enjoys hers as much as I enjoyed mine. When I was looking at the website just now I saw that the tea set was featured in Oprah at Home magazine!


I also ordered the Birch Coffee Set from One Kings Lane for AJ's parents. These colors fit perfectly with their style and I know they will get great use out of them. They are so hard to buy for and I thought this was a practical gift that will hopefully last a long time. This set was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine!


You can't really see the details in this picture (I love how the inside is a different color) so here is a photo from the Yedi website too.


Hopefully this was a useful post. I have a tendency to only call out companies or products that suck, so I wanted to spotlight a few things that have made me happy lately!

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday! I am in a great mood today and I think it is because I have had a really amazing weekend. This is a pretty long recap, so bear with me!

Friday night we met up for margaritas with Miss Mindless before heading down to Barracks Row. We ate at Jordan's 8 and I finally tried sushi! We ordered Shrimp Tempura and Lava Rolls and I liked them both. I am already looking forward to my next sushi experience. We came home after dinner and watched Monsters vs. Aliens in front of a fire. I fell asleep shortly after the movie started, but AJ tells me it was pretty funny.

I'm not sure where all our energy and enthusiasm came from, but we were up and at 'em bright and early yesterday morning.

I had seen and heard about the $1 scarf sale at Old Navy and really wanted to stock up on some Christmas gifts. We showed up right at 9 am and hit the jackpot.

I bought 10 scarves total...6 women's and 4 men's. I also bought AJ a sweater and plaid flannel shirt. There was another promotion going on where you received an extra 30% off when you used your ON/Gap/BR card, so I ended up spending only $40 total!

We then headed over to Barnes & Noble to get some coffee and I finally tried a decaf pumpkin spice latte. It tasted just as good as the real thing. I had a $15 B&N gift card left over from Christmas 2007 so I gave it to AJ so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series (The Wheel of Time). There are a few books I wanted to buy, but I hate buying books unless I know I am going to love them. Anyone else with me on this one?

Next on our list was Pet Smart. We bought training treats and a clicker in hopes that Kona can learn some manners. She knows how to sit, but other than that is pretty much a lost cause. Has anyone used clicker training? Any tips?

Then we hit up AT&T. I was eligible for an upgrade back in July, but my BlackBerry was still working and I wanted to get a few real paychecks under my belt before I splurged on a new phone. Well the day finally came....I bought an iPhone! It is just as amazing as everyone said it would be and I'm in love! What apps should I download? So far I have Nike + iPod, Facebook, UrbanSpoon, Shazam, Pandra, To Do's, Twitterrific (Yes, I'm baaaack), ESPN ScoreCenter, NYTimes, and Google.

Our early morning shopping made us super hungry so we stopped for a quick breakfast at a diner in Virginia. The food was pretty good, but still pales in comparison to may favorite diner at home. I think I've mentioned this before, but the two things I miss most about NY are diners and Italian restaurants. Sigh.

Once we made it back into DC it was almost noon and by this time people were out in swarms. Our final stop was the hardware store where we could barely maneuver the aisles....partly because the aisles are SO NARROW, but mostly because there were 30 people in a teeny tiny store. This is exactly why I like shopping early on Saturday mornings.

The rest of the day was spent finishing up cleaning the house (I helped this time) and drinking tea, eating cinnamon crumb cake, and chatting with PP&MS. It was a really fun and relaxing afternoon.

Last night we went to 5 o'clock mass followed by a wine and cheese party in the church rectory. We then went to Sonoma, a wine bar on the hill. The food was less than stellar, but the atmosphere was nice. We lounged on a couch and drank some red wine. Senator Al Franken was also dining at Sonoma last night. I wanted to get a picture, but it would have been so obvious and I didn't want to disturb his meal. I was definitely star struck though. I mean c'mon, he used to be Stuart Smalley!

Because our food wasn't that great and we weren't full, we decided to head over to Good Stuff Eatery, the burger restaurant owned by Spike from Top Chef. We split a burger, but we probably could have each eaten the whole thing because it was so yummy! I saw Spike walking through the restaurant as we were eating and wanted to say hey and/or take a picture, but I was too chicken. Lucky for me, after we left the restaurant we were standing at the corner waiting to cross the street when he suddenly ran right in front of us while trying to hail a cab. AJ said "Spike" and he turned around and said hey guys and to have a good night. Squeal! I immediately called my mom to brag. Haha.

Today we went grocery shopping and are now watching football. It is another beautiful fall day here in DC so we are planning to take Kona on a nice long walk later. I might sit outside for a while and read too. We've got to enjoy the nice weather while it is still here!

So that is our weekend in a pretty big nutshell. I hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Cheap Finds

Have you shopped at Coldwater Creek?

I was browsing online for Christmas presents for my mom (it is one of her favorite stores) and I found a few really cute accessories! The best part, they have an outlet section on their website and there are some amazing deals. I ended up buying a purse and a pair of shoes for myself, in addition to Christmas presents. Oops! Merry Christmas to me?

The deals were too good to pass up though. I used a coupon code and combined with the already discounted merchandise, I saved a bunch of money.

I got this ruffled leather purse for $27! I don't see it on the website anymore, so they must have sold out.


I got these buckle flats for $22! I am always looking for pretty flats because I can wear them to work and not feel way overdressed.


Have you stumbled upon any random stores where you found cute stuff? I'd love to check them out!

Gap and Brand About Town

While drafting this post I noticed that Miss Heidi already wrote about meeting with Brand About Town rep Justine and talked about the meeting that a bunch of bloggers in DC (and other cities around the country) got to have. Let me break it down real quick.

Gap is about to start a new marketing program and a bunch of bloggers are going to be chosen to try out and review their new line of jeans. If picked, we get to throw a party for our friends so that we can experience the jeans before they hit stores in August. Justine emailed me to meet with her about potentially being one of those people. How fun is that?

We met at a coffee shop in DC, and after talking with Justine about her marketing company, the campaign, and my blog, she took me to the Gap to buy a new outfit. What an awesome surprise! Last night I finally got to wear my new outfit, so of course I wanted to share it all with you!

Since you can't see the details of the two pieces in this picture, I had my darling husband take some close-ups.

Silk-Blend Ruffle Neck Blouse

The collar on this shirt actually lies flat so I clipped it with two bobby pins to add some fluff.

Railroad-Striped Front Pocket Shorts

I paired the top and shorts with my favorite pair of gray Nine West heels. It is so rare for me to not wear a dress when I go out in the summer, but I think this outfit was the perfect way to branch out.

Thank you Brand About Town and Gap for this awesome opportunity!

I Think I'm in Love

Today I wore the Maggy London dress AJ bought me for my birthday. I think I'm in love. With the dress. I know I'm in love with my husband.

Excuse the wrinkles, this was taken after work

The best part? It has pockets. I think I've found something new to collect.

Birthday Delivery!

I just received a birthday package in the mail from my parents!

Inside the box were:

Gap tank tops in assorted colors:


A maxi dress from Express:

The coolest flip flops EVER:


Actually, they are called SwitchFlops and the straps are interchangeable. The flip flop has velcro on the strap, so they can easily be changed depending on your outfit. How fun is that?

Two additional straps:


They also sent two mini frying pans, a gift card to Olive Garden (from my brother), some treats and a bone for Kona, and a Gap button down shirt for AJ. We wouldn't want anyone to be jealous of all my gifts ;)

Thanks mom and dad!

Recent Steals

While my parents were visiting this past weekend, Alson and my dad went golfing while my mom and I went shopping. After my trip to North Carolina last week, I realized that I needed a graduation dress, so my mom offered to buy one for me.

We headed to Ann Taylor Loft because there is one right near our apartment, and boy did I hit the jackpot. They were having an amazing sale, so one graduation dress turned into three, plus shoes, and a work outfit.

The dress that I am actually planning to wear to graduation is not on the ATL website, but once I shower and pull myself together (definitely by tomorrow), I will post a picture of THE dress. Here are the two other dresses I bought:


To make the dresses work appropriate, I also bought three of these adorable cardigans in white, ivory, and lime green. As other bloggers have noted, they are amazing!


When we first walked into the store we saw this skirt on a mannequin. My mom forced me to try it on, and with a simple white shirt and the lime cardigan, it looked awesome! I am hoping to wear this outfit on the first day of school (staying positive that I WILL find a job).


I pulled these shoes into the dressing room to assist in the trying on process and decided that they went with ALL the dresses and I had to buy them as well. I may even go back and buy the gold pair too....if they go on sale, I mean.

All in all it was a pretty great shopping trip. We got 30% off everything and I got double reward points for putting it on my ATL card. My mom hasn't spoiled me in a while, so I don't feel too bad. I will send her a nice thank you card this week as well.

In other recent purchase news....

This morning I got an email from BR saying they were having a 30% off all New Arrivals sale, so I figured I would just look and see if there was anything I HAD to have.

I found these cute capri's at the Gap and decided I needed two pairs, one in stone and one in chocolate brown. They will be perfect for work, and at $18 were a steal!

I also found this T-shirt dress at Gap, which will be perfect for summer work days. They have many other colors, but I decided on the blue. Very ocean-y.


And last, but not least.... I found this dress at BR on sale (so I couldn't get the 30% off, boo). I am planning to wear it to one of the many weddings I will be attending this summer. Can't wait!

ATL is having a 25% off all dresses sale and the ON/GAP/BR 30% off New Arrivals sale runs through tomorrow!

**All pictures link to the product

Dress Lust

Boy, do I love Target! They have a bunch of pink, navy, and green clothes hidden in a back part of the women's section (at least they did at the store near my office). I spotted this dress yesterday and may need to go back and snag it before it is gone.



Luckily I have a $25 gift card, making this dress super affordable. I don't love the fabric, but for $40, it's not too bad.

Dress Lust

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring! I am ready to pack away my sweaters and cords and bust out my dresses and capris. It has been a long winter...or so it seems after spending the last two in North Carolina. We've had a few teases the past couple weeks, but hopefully the warm temperatures will stick around for good real soon.

And not only is flip flop weather around the corner, but wedding season is fast approaching! We have four weddings to attend in the coming months, so I have a bunch of dresses to buy. I am on a strict budget until I secure a job, so for now I will just window shop and share some finds.

I was browsing White House | Black Market earlier, when I saw this dress:


I have GOT to have it! I am not sure about wearing it to a wedding, maybe a little too much white?

Oh, and I also need her tan, pronto!

Delivery!

My vineyard vines package just arrived! Alson surprised me with the cutest outfit:


Now I really can't wait for the weather to warm up!

Espanol, Here I come!

Last night Alson and I invested in the Spanish version of Rosetta Stone. We have been wanting it for a while; especially after moving to DC and feeling like the only monolingual people in the city. I took Spanish in high school and for three semesters in college, but I am certainly not fluent.

Hopefully this will give us a boost when we are both applying for jobs in the coming year. As an intern, my contract is up at the end of the school year, so I have to apply to become a full-time employee in my district. In the past, interns are usually hired wherever they intern, but because of the tumbling economy and the serious budget and job cuts in my district, that may not be the case next school year. Looks like I will be applying to all the districts in Metro DC. I may even apply to some private and charter schools. So, anything to set myself apart is a plus! There are currently only 2 (out of 101) bilingual school psychologists in my district. That is not proportional to the number of Spanish speaking students! You get the idea..

Alson will be applying for summer associate positions in the fall, and the same idea applies...he has to set himself apart.

We saved a bundle by buying all three levels at once and by purchasing it through eBay. I can't wait until it arrives and I can get started. It will give me something to do in my free time and will up my stock!

Bargain Buys

After reading Katie's post about finding a Halloween themed Yankee Candle at Marshall's last week, I decided to stop into the store when we were shopping at DC USA this weekend because I wanted a Halloween candle too. Boy did we get more than we bargained for...in a good way!

I was able to find Cider Web for $8:

Picture from CheerLaneKeepsakes.com

We also bought some Kona coffee (yes, our dog is named after a place where coffee is grown) , a pair of Converse for Alson, and a pair of super cute Michael Kors sunglasses for me.

But, the highlight of the trip was finding a Vera Wang (not Simply Vera) bra that was originally priced at $65. I saw it and could not believe it was my size, nor that it was only $14. I had to snatch it up. BEST BARGAIN EVER!

Back to School (This Time For Work) Shopping

I was planning to post about our weekend at my grandparent's cottage in Pennsylvania today, but since I forgot my laptop (which has the pictures already downloaded on it) and my camera cord (which would allow me to download the pictures onto Alson's laptop) at my parents house, I am forced to blog about another aspect of our week up north....shopping.

First we hit up Old Navy and I got these awesome shoes (in a deep blue color) for $16Then I saw this dress at Express, and decided I had to have it because it would go so perfectly with my new shoes (remember they are blue). Luckily my mom agreed, and bought it! I can't wait to wear it out...now I just need something to wear it to...

The next day we went to the mall, and Alson and I hit the motherload at the Gap. My favorite purchase was a pair of the boyfriend jeans (remember the commercials with Claire Danes?) that I got for $7. That is no typo, yes $7...because they are not made anymore and it was the last pair in the store. And the best part, they are a size 0! Now, I don't normally wear a size 0...usually a 2 or a 4, so don't hate me. Because of the price, color, and style (which I love) I forced those babies over my behind, which is quite voluptuous for a girl my size. Once I got them on (I had to make sure I didn't rip holes in the belt loops from pulling them so hard) they looked so awesome I thought Alson was about to have a When Harry Met Sally diner moment. These will be my Saturday jean. They are so casual and soft and kind of acid washed...in other words perfect with a classic white tee.

I also got another pair of darker straight leg jeans for $10 and a pair of khakis for $10. Alson got a pair of jeans for $18, a pair of khakis for $12, a t-shirt for $3, a long sleeved linen shirt for $12, a really nice windbreaker for $28, and a ribbon belt for $2.

Very successful trip to the Gap.

We then hit up JC Penny because they also had amazing sales, and I got some really cute separates that I can wear to work. My favorite purchase was this jacket (in deep red) :

Worthington® Sateen Belted Jacket

My other favorite purchase at JC Penny is this shirt (in deep yellow, which according to the JCrew catalog I received yesterday, is the "it" color this fall...yay!) :

Nicole by Nicole Miller® Peasant Shimmer Top

I won't bore you with my other work outfit purchases I am sure you all have similar items in your closet too. But, the best part about this shopping trip, no sales tax. Ahh I miss NY.

Just What I Need...More Shoes

I admit that I am a regular browser of the Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy websites. I love the classic and chic style of Gap and Banana, and can always find some cool and cheap (regular priced) items at Old Navy. Plus, their websites always have great deals, and the free shipping for spending over $100 always entices me to look a little more so it puts me over the limit.

The use of my Gap card at Banana Republic while in Georgetown a couple weeks ago qualified me for a $20 reward certificate, so last night I browsed for some more honeymoon apparel. I found a lot of cute stuff, but nothing I had to have, so instead of buying the four things in my shopping cart, I settled for just one pair of shoes, because I couldn't resist.

Printed wedges

European Collection
Introducing Gap Design Editions, a collection of limited-edition, specially-designed shoes.

They were on sale for $70, down from $100....and I had my $20 coupon. Sold!

I guess I will have to go through my current shoe collection and find one pair that I can get rid of, because I certainly don't have room for more shoes in my tiny closet.

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's my birthday! Yay!

To celebrate this afternoon, Alson and I ventured out to Pentagon Row and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City to do a little birthday shopping. First we hit up the Denim Bar, thanks to a tip from Magda, and I found a really cute pair of jeans. Not the ones I previously blogged about....they didn't have my size, but a pair of Joe's.


Alson also bought me this beautiful dress to wear to dinner tonight. I love it so much I may even wear it to the rehearsal dinner.


The back is what makes the dress! I love the braids, which also go around the halter in front, and end with two jewels.


I also got some great sale items at JCrew and Banana Republic. We could have shopped for hours at the mall...especially with that air conditioning!

Today is also the two year anniversary of our engagement, so we have a lot to celebrate!

Honeymoon Outfits

Recently, Alson and I have been shopping for clothes we can wear on our honeymoon in St. Lucia. While on our denim expedition the other day I happened to find a really cute dress at Shake Your Booty on 18th St. It is light and airy and oh so cute. The top part is linen, even though it actually looks shiny in the picture. I'm so excited to wear it to a romantic dinner on the beach!
I also found a really cute Lilly polo on clearance at the Village Palm. I couldn't resist the sale and I think the top with a pair of khaki capris (or maybe the new pair of jeans I am hoping to find), it will make a nice casual night outfit.

Dem Jeans

A couple weeks ago I came home from my first book club meet-up and noticed that I had a large rip in my favorite pair of 7 Jeans. I have no idea what happened, but it looked as though the jeans got caught on something sharp and ripped cleanly down the right seat. I left them sitting on the couch for days (I had them for like 5 years and had difficulty parting ways) and recently threw them in the trash because they were not fixable.

Since my birthday is on Tuesday, Alson decided that he wanted to buy me a new pair of jeans. Today we ventured into Adams Morgan because we read there was a denim boutique called Screaming Denim that (obviously) specialized in designer jeans. And it had lots of great reviews. Perfect! Except that when we showed up it was closed, as in there was nothing inside the store.

We stumbled upon Nana, a cute boutique on U Street, and they had a pair of Kasil Jeans that looked awesome on, but were probably 4 inches too long. And Kasil only makes jeans with 34" inseams. Gah! I really liked them because they are kind of stretchy so they form fit, perfect for my bubble butt.

Kasil Noelle Bootcut Jeans in Baltic at tobi

We found another store (maybe on 13th and S), and when I asked the lady if they had any jeans with a shorter inseam, she said a lot of designers are only making jeans with 34" inseams to cut costs. Not good for people who aren't 5'10". I may go back to Nana, buy them, and get them tailored...but that's more money.

Anyone know of some cute boutiques? Or stretch-type jeans I may like? Or a tailor that won't cost an arm and a leg?

Georgetown = Dangerous

Today Alson and I ventured out to Georgetown (and not to the DMV this time) for a little shopping. First we hit up Banana Republic...aka sale central. Alson got a really great blazer ($50...originally $200), a pair of jeans and a pair of cargoes (both 30% off), and this sweater:
It looks sooo nice on; Alson wore it to our fav hangout tonight...and I'm pretty sure he had some eyes wandering towards him. Luckily, I'm not the jealous type. Ladies, I suggest this sweater for an upcoming present for any man in your life.

As for me, I got a nice pair of dress khakis and black pants ($20 and $40, respectively), this pink cardigan ($18, although I'm pretty sure mine is a little darker) :


And this black "going out" shirt ( also $18) :

Despite getting side tracked by Banana, the real reason we ventured out to Georgetown was to hit up the Coach store. The first bag I liked (as discussed here) was really lovely, but ultimately a little over my budget, and the second was just not as nice in person. In the end I decided on this nice signature style tote:

Can't wait to use it tomorrow when we travel back to NY!