Busy, Busy, Busy...

I've had a lot going on in the last few weeks, which is why I haven't been blogging regularly, but I figured I'd share some of what has been keeping me busy with all of you. And yes, some of it is style and fashion-related.

First, I took a trip to New York City with some coworkers for an awesome conference. We came back from our trip feeling energized and excited to get back to work. While we were there, we were able to see the 9/11 Memorial which was very powerful.

We were also able to see a Broadway show in our downtime: 

Unfortunately, I did not document any of our outfits while I was there. It was just so hectic. Our days were jam-packed from the moment we got up until we crashed in our hotel room at night. It was a fabulous trip.

Since coming back, things have still been very busy. I've styled a magazine photo shoot:

Is this model gorgeous or what? She's wearing Hudson by Amsale with flowers by Kate Parker Designs, Hair by Lena Hartford of Hair that Moves and make-up by Joanne McDonough of Joya Beauty. The whole shoot was very architectural with pops of blue-print blue throughout (hence the bright blue necklace and ribbon around the bouquet). I can't wait to see the actual photos- these were all snapped on my phone, so they're nothing like the end product. I'll try to remember to post the photos from the shoot once it's published. The veil we used was absolutely EPIC. 

Other than that, I've been busy with friends- I've been to a Pinterest Party, down to Boston for a girl's shopping weekend and for the last few days I've been planning a spa-themed birthday slumber party for the Professor's daughter. I'll post more as soon as I have time. Check back soon and as always, thanks for reading! 

Rate My Look- Comfy Christmas Attire

If you remember my style guides to the holidays, you will recall that I recommend a loose-fitting dress for family dinners. In my family, we tend to over indulge around the holidays. Also, most of my friends families are the same way, so if I have a family holiday dinner, followed by a dinner with Beth's family, for example, that's a lot of food to pack in. And I'm not afraid to strap on a feed bag, if you know what I mean. On Christmas Day, I had a delicious (and decadent) breakfast with my parents and brother- homemade crepes and crispy bacon. Yum. (Did I mention I'm from New Hampshire where real maple syrup is not only delicious, it's mandatory?) A few hours later, we cleaned ourselves up to go have an early afternoon "dinner" with the relatives. One of my cousins is a professional chef, so the eats are usually pretty stellar. And because that side of the family is Italian, we manage to incorporate an antipasto course into the beginning of every meal as well as cannoli and lobster tail pastry into every dessert. This year, we feasted on a juicy roast beef with potatoes, squash, and sweet potato casserole (the best I've ever tasted, btw). A few hours later, I was on the road to Beth's house to hang out with her family. Unlike my relatives, dinner at Beth's house is actually around dinner time. I arrived as the salad was being served. I passed on the lasagna course (another Italian family), simply because I genuinely didn't think I could handle it. After a nice long break between courses, we moved on to filet mignon, grilled salmon, asparagus, carrots, and roasted potatoes. Let's just say I was happy to have taken my own fashion advice on this particular holiday:

This dress is nothing new- in fact, it's starting to show signs of wear. I've gotten a lot of miles out of it, so I'm not complaining, but it might be time for a new casual, everyday LBD. The shoes are pretty old, too- they're my favorite back patent lace-up high heel oxfords. They are a great choice for SO many looks. What is new in this outfit is the capelet and the tights. The tights are actually two separate pair- one in a pretty, opaque teal blue and the other is a black lace-y cut-out pattern layered on top. The capelet is one I talked about recently- I purchased it on my recent trip to NYC. It's almost exactly the same as a capelet I admired on Etsy a couple of months ago. I'm glad I held off on that purchase because I ended up saving myself about $40 by purchasing it in Chinatown. Now, before you start lecturing me about supporting artists on Etsy, consider exactly how much of a price difference I had. If it had been a similar price to the Etsy seller, I would have absolutely waited and purchased from them. However, I got the capelet pictured for a mere $12, so I am having trouble feeling too guilty. Additionally, I'd like to point out that the capelet can also double as a drape-y scarf which is helpful when I have to put on a coat: 

Anyway, this may not have been the most inventive outfit I've ever put together, but it was comfortable and warm, two priorities for a cold winter day spent out visiting friends and family. Speaking of warm winter attire, check out my new coat (also purchased on my trip to NYC) that I scored for only $29.99 at Daffy's: 

I've been in love with oversize houndstooth prints lately and this coat is definitely reminiscent of that print. I love the silhouette and the open neckline. Of course, it basically requires me to wear either a turtleneck or a warm scarf. Fortunately, I have several of both. 

Come back soon for more photos of fabulous shopping finds from NYC and elsewhere! 

I Heart NY

What better way to use my 600th post (yes 600!!!) than to recap my brief but fabulous trip to New York City with my friend Melanie. As someone who had never been to New York, I wanted Melanie to experience as much as possible in a very short amount of time.

We hit the road in NH at about 6:00 AM, didn't hit any traffic, only stopped once at Starbucks for breakfast and once at a rest stop for a quick potty break and managed to be in midtown Manhattan by 10:30 AM. The hotel actually let us check in early, so we had a few minutes to drop our bags off and freshen up before hitting the town for the day. We stayed at The New Yorker Hotel which I definitely recommend- it's a decent price for what you get. I've stayed there in the past and you really can't beat the location. The rooms are standard size for NYC, which means they are tiny. This one had a particularly small bathroom, but included a small desk and a seating area. Honestly, I would have gladly given up the seating area in exchange for a bit more counter space in the bathroom. One perk of the hotel choice was our view:

Yes, that's the Empire State Building. 

After quickly freshening up, we grabbed a quick lunch at the Tick Tock Diner, adjacent to our hotel. Not the best or the worst dining experience you'll have in the city. Yes, it's more expensive than it ought to be, but it's also smack in the middle of mid-town, so you can't expect reasonable prices even if you're grabbing a bite from a hot dog cart on the corner. We each got a salad, and while they were pricey at about $12 each, they were also ENORMOUS and fresh. Not bad for the middle of winter. 

Next, we hopped on the subway and zipped on down to Canal Street. I wanted Melanie to experience the whole faux-handbag shopping experience. Even if we didn't plan to purchase one, it is still an interesting "underground" experience. Unfortunately, we must have looked like narcs, because it was darn near impossible to even come within 50 feet of a knock-off. We even got so bold as to ask some shop keepers for  specific labels only to be told, "Oh, no, no, no- we don't do that. No, no one does that." When we finally managed to convince someone to show us a faux-Burberry, it turned out to be the poorest quality plastic bag I've ever encountered. So, not only is it extremely difficult to find them, they are not very convincing. It seemed like a total bust to me, but Melanie seemed to at least enjoy the unique experience. Neither of us bought a bag, knock-off or otherwise, but we still had fun shopping and looking at everything in Chinatown. 

Melanie: smiling, but unimpressed with the handbag selection- faux or otherwise. 

After that, we did some more shopping in SoHo. I got a new winter coat and an amazing pencil skirt, both from Daffy's, one of my favorite NYC stores. Great prices, great selection. Melanie seemed a bit overwhelmed by it, but after realizing it's sort of like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, she seemed to settle into it. I also got a cheap pair of sunglasses in Chinatown as well as a cool capelet that is pretty much exactly like the one I admired in this post (second item listed) except it's a pretty teal instead of grey. By about 3:00, we were pretty shopped out, so we decided to go back to the hotel and freshen up again before having dinner with Melanie's family. 

We walked up to Times Square and were both pretty amazed by all the LED billboards. I love how crazy it is in Times Square- there is so much to see, it's like sensory overload. 

I didn't do a great job taking this photo- I meant to get more billboards in the background. Sorry, Mel. 

Next, we checked out what was playing on the Great White Way in case we decided to catch a show later on. My vote was for Spiderman, simply because it's such a monstrosity. It's been all over the news for the major injuries its actors have suffered- a concussion, two broken wrists and- the day before we arrived in the city- a major fall that landed a Spidey stuntman in the hospital and shut the show down for several performances. The posters look cool, but I'm shocked it hasn't been shut down completely: 

It was starting to get pretty cold, so we went early to the restaurant where we planned to meet some of Melanie's family- her aunt, uncle and two cousins. We met at Carmine's, a fun, casual, family-style Italian restaurant in the heart of the theatre district. If you've ever checked out the other blogs I read, you'll have seen that I subscribe to a blog called "Chunk: A Story of Loss." This blog is written by Melanie's cousin Emily Leonard. Her two sisters and her parents are the people we met for dinner at Carmine's. After finishing an incredible, (and incredibly HUGE) meal with her family, I've come to a better understanding of her weight-loss struggle. Here's the run-down: we started with a house salad, which is easily big enough for 8 people (there were 6 of us), followed by the biggest dish of fried calamari I've ever encountered. Next was an enormous stuffed artichoke. I was pretty full at that point. Fortunately, by the time we finished our appetizers, we hadn't even placed the order for the entrees, so we had a bit of time to rest between courses. When the chicken scallopini and pasta pomodoro arrived, I was still feeling pretty full, but it would have been rude not to have some, right? When those plates were clean, I thought we were done. That is, until Melanie's Aunt Jen ordered "The Titanic." 

The Titanic: Flourless chocolate brownie, topped with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, real whipped cream, hot fudge, bananas, strawberries, pineapple, nuts and some kind of wafer cookie. 

After we finished dinner, we all took a walk to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree. We also saw a proposal on the ice skating rink and some very entertaining skaters. 

Someone once told me the tree at Rockefeller Center is actually about 50 trees nailed together. They were lying. The trunk on this tree is about 3 feet wide. It measures 74 feet tall and I can't even begin to guess how many lights are on it. It's truly a sight to see. 

My hair looked pretty awful by this point in the evening and both Mel and I were pretty exhausted. We walked her family back to Penn Station which is right across the street from our hotel. We saw some sights along the way including the Macy's windows. Despite the fact that it was barely 10:00 PM, we both climbed into our beds and fell asleep almost immediately after our heads hit our pillows. 

NYC: Day 2

The next morning, we grabbed a quick breakfast after checking out of the hotel. We had checked our bags, so we were free of them for some more gallivanting around the city before heading back to NH. I had a small shopping list to attend to in the garment district. After a visit to Mood and a couple other stores, my list was done, but we were not done shopping. We happened upon a Betsey Johnson "pop-up" sample shop where I got a fabulous leopard print handbag and Melanie scored the most adorable dress I've seen in a long time: 

Her dress was $40 and my bag $35- total bargains! After that, we stopped by Bryant Park where there was an art show in full swing. My favorite part of that experience was when a jewelry seller told me that if you wear large accessories, "you must be really insecure." I didn't happen to be wearing anything super large at the time, but both Mel and I cracked up at her remark. If only she knew how insulting she'd been! 

By the time we finished at Bryant Park, both Mel and I were exhausted. We didn't even have it in us to try to see a matinee. Back to the hotel, we called for the car and hit the road. Other than some traffic in Connecticut, the drive went well. I promise to take photos of all my shopping booty so you can see the breakdown of my bargains. Until then, enjoy the rest of this year- I can't believe it's almost 2011! 

My Blogging: Derailed

Due to a busy couple of days before Christmas and an unexpected flat tire, my blogging regime has been completely derailed. I've had a whole system worked out since I started the new job. My hours and the long commute have made blogging more difficult, but I really felt as though I'd gotten a good system down. Enter: the holidays. Somehow between the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking and the wrapping, I've managed to stay super busy without actually accomplishing much of anything. Or at least that's how it feels. For example, on Sunday after church, I went out for some last minute Christmas shopping. You know how you start shopping for Christmas and you set yourself a budget and you stick to it while finding everyone's gifts? That's all well and good, right? Then, as Christmas approaches, you start to second-guess all your purchases. You think, "I can't give her ONLY that present! It's not enough! And suddenly you're at Kohls five days before Christmas battling the crowds without a game plan or even a coupon.

On Wednesday of this week I'm taking a quick overnight trip to New York City. I have a feeling this trip is what I need right now, but have no fear, I'll be sure to blog all about the shopping I do while I'm there. I have plans for extensive shopping! But that's not my point. My point is this: if you don't see a new blog post up here before the New Year, don't be offended or think I've quit or something.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Sneak Peek

Remember this post from earlier this week all about the fabrics I bought in the city last weekend? And remember how I said if I put it out there that I'm buying these fabrics and notions to make certain things, then I might actually get up off my butt and do it? Well, I did it. I made ONE of the many things I have planned to make, but that's not bad- it's not like these things only take five minutes- they take time, y'all! Until I use this specific piece in an outfit, I'm not going to show you the whole thing. Instead, here are a few "sneak peeks" of the finished product.

I am completely in LOVE with this color combination- I just adore how the bright sunshine yellow sateen peeks through the sophisticated grey eyelet. I cannot wait to wear this!

I tend to be a pretty sloppy seamstress, particularly where the inside of my garments are concerned, but this one came out so great- inside AND outside, that I had to share both!

At $25 per yard, the eyelet was quite expensive- more than double what I typically pay for fabric. What can I say, I'm a cheapskate! Anyway, since it cost so much I forced myself to work with just one yard of it. The yellow fabric was an additional $8, but once again, I only used a single yard of it. I think when you see the final product, you'll never have guessed it was just a single yard of fabric. I got a lot of "bang" for my 32 bucks.

Hopefully the weather will improve quickly and you'll get to see me in this soon. If not, I promise I'll take a picture of it just so you can see what it is and how it looks. I think you'll like it. I'm thrilled with it. I'm always amazed when what's in my head translates EXACTLY in real life. I used to not be so good at that, but lately I've gotten a lot better. The red dress I made a few months ago is another example of a great translation from my head to my body. We'll see how the rest of my fabrics turn into wearable things in the near future, I hope! Check back soon to see!

Things I love about visiting NYC...

Spending time with my fabulous friends:

Sisters Beth & Amy all dolled up for a night out on the town

Bargain shopping that can happen anywhere:

One of the many outdoor vendors scattered around the city. This one happens to have been in Herald Square.

And perhaps one of my most favorite things, a combination of the two things mentioned above, spending time bargain shopping with my fabulous friends:

I think there's a reason this hat was in the "clearance" bin.

Shopping Booty- Part 4

Part Four: Fabric and Notions

This is the section of shopping booty that has me the most excited. Now don't get me wrong, I love ready-to-wear as much as the next person, but I especially love finding fabrics and trims that inspire me to create. I don't do it for myself nearly as often as I should, but I'm trying to change that. Finding the time isn't always easy, but I love the end result, so I really should make it more of a priority. Hopefully by putting it out here on the interwebs exactly what my plans are, I'll basically be forced to follow through. So, on to the booty:

In the pile above you see 3 yards of deni, 2 yards of black & white floral print cotton, 1 yard of yellow cotton sateen, 1 yard of grey cotton eyelet, 2 thin headbands, 2 feather pads, 2 zippers and a dozen copper colored studs.


All fabrics were purchased at Mood (yes the same one where they shop on Project Runway). I love Mood mostly because of the amazing fabrics, but I also love Mood because they have a bag check at the front of the store. Do you have any idea how much easier it is to shop with your hands free? I'm the type who likes to pull the bolts of fabric out, roll out about a yard and a half and then step back and stare at it for a minute, thinking about the drape, the weight, the color- all important factors in choosing a fabric. Mostly I like to have a strong idea of what I'm making before I start shopping. In Mood, this is key, because if you go in without a gameplan, you'll be easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of fabric choices available. Once you're a little more comfortable with what a store has to offer, you can loosen the reins a bit. That's what I did on this particular trip. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to make, but mostly I went in looking for fabrics that inspired me.


I've been thinking about making a simple black and white sundress for a while now, so that's where the black & white floral cotton comes into play. At $10 per yard, it's a good price, especially considering it has a bit of stretch to it (which will make the dress comfortable) and even more because it's a much more interesting black & white print than any other I've encountered locally. I have no specific design plan in mind, but since the color scheme is so basic, it will be easy to supplement with inexpensive fabrics purchased locally should the design call for it.


Next up is the denim. I have NO idea how the dress will look that I plan to make with one exception. I know I want to incorporate a navy blue pleated satin that I purchased a few months ago. It will be incorporated into the skirt, but I'll keep the details top secret until I actually execute it. I'm excited to work with denim as it is not a fabric I get my hands on as frequently as I'd like. It's an easy fabric to work with. The one I purchased was slightly damaged which is why I got such a bargain for it- only $8 per yard. Based on the design in my head, the damage to the fabric should not be an issue. Only time will tell how that actually plays out.


The other two fabrics- the yellow sateen and the grey eyelet- are designated for a skirt I plan to make for myself. I've been trying to incorporate more skirts into my wardrobe and I'm really looking forward to this one because of the color and fabric combination. I admit I was a bit torn between a salmon sateen and the yellow I ended up with. If the eyelet had been a little cheaper, I may have gone with both and made myself 2 versions of the same skirt, but at $25 per yard, I was only prepared to purchase enough for one skirt. I felt the yellow and grey was a more interesting combination of colors, a little more fresh and also a little more out of the ordinary for my closet. (When I shop and/or sew, I'm all about adding pieces that are unlike anything else I own.) I hope to put this skirt together this weekend and wear it shortly thereafter. Once again, time will tell.


Finally, the other notions and trims I bought are for some simple projects- the feather pads will each be glued to one of the headbands, creating two fun fascinators. The copper studs will be used to embellish a leather cuff I've been planning to make and the zippers are for the grey skirt and the denim dress I mentioned above.


I'll keep you all posted on the progress of my projects as I work on them. Have a great night, everyone!

Shopping Booty- Part 3

I'm really excited about the clothes that I bought in the city this weekend:

It's only three pieces, but they are three classic and versatile pieces. First is a really cute poly-satin top from Daffy's that I got for only $3.99!

Please forgive the horrible wrinkles- it suffered quite a bit in transit, but it's nothing a little steam won't take right out. Next is a fabulous skirt from Brooklyn Industries. Originally $78, I paid only $29.99 for it! I'm excited to wear it because it's nice and full with a high waist, my standard silhouette. I'm trying to get more into skirts lately, and this is a great one to add to my wardrobe.

Finally, one of the best bargains of the weekend was this Tulle jacket that I got at Beacon's Closet in Brooklyn. It's a fabulous consignment shop that I wish was close to where I live because I would hit it at least once a week. This great double-breasted jacket with an adorable peplum was a bargain at $16.95!

All three pieces are basic, but interesting. The top has a nice sheen, plus the pretty neckline ruffle detail. The skirt is a little fuller than a-line, and with the color blocking, it's visually interesting without being busy. Finally, the jacket's peplum takes it from a bland, basic double breasted jacket to fun and feminine and a little bit flirty. And since they are all neutrals, I can pair them with each other, or with anything else in my closet. The skirt will be great in winter with bright or patterned tights as well as in the spring and summer with bare legs and sandals. The jacket will be great for both spring and fall as well as those unseasonably warm "winter" days that happen so frequently around here. It's going to be a great layering piece. Finally, the top will work with jeans, a skirt, my high waist sailor pants, even a pair of shorts. It can be layered under a cardi or jacket in the cooler months or it can stand alone in the warmer months. I can't wait to start using these pieces in my every day outfits!

Check back soon for the final installment in this "Shopping Booty" series to see what fabrics and trims I purchased. I might even put together some sketches so that you can see how I plan to use the materials I bought! Have a great night- I'll be back soon!

Shopping Booty- Part 2

I hope you loved my shoes as much as I do, but if not that's ok! There were plenty of other fun purchases and acquisitions made in the city this weekend that I want to share with you. It's easy to give advice about how to dress for your body type or how to incorporate trends or basically anything else about dressing with style, but the truth is that style is an incredibly personal thing. So I guess that's why I'm excited to talk about my purchases. Maybe it's a little self-indulgent, but I like to share what I like with other people even if they don't like or understand it as well. So, that being said, here are the rest of my "accessories" acquired over the weekend. I say "acquired" because I didn't buy it all- one item was a gift from my BFF Beth. Here's the accessories booty of the weekend:

You've already seen the shoes in my last post- the rest is pretty basic. I got three new headbands, a pair of bright red tights and the handbag from Beth. I blogged about this particular bag a while ago. Click here to be taken to that post. We laugh about this bag now, but at the time she bought it, we absolutely loved it. It's kind of an inconvenient and impractical bag to carry because the pockets are small in general, but even smaller at the top. Despite this challenge, I fully intend to put an outfit together featuring this particular handbag and I promise to post it on the blog. In addition to the shoes and the bag, I got some pretty unique headbands. Well, at least one of them is really unique to me- it's brown satin and it blends in with my haircolor really well. Several people have seen me wearing it and actually thought I'd somehow managed to style my hair into the shape on the headband- it's taken them a minute to figure out that it's actually a headband.

I got for $8 it at a boutique called Goldy & Mac in Brooklyn. I've already worn it three times since purchasing it, so I know it was a good choice. One more time wearing it and the cost-per-wear will be only $2. Pretty decent if you ask me!

The other two headbands are from Old Navy and are a little less elegant, but still a lot of fun. Each one cost $6. One is covered in a cream and brown printed fabric:

The other is covered in a baby pink chiffon with lots of pretty chiffon "petals." It's very whimsical and girly.

Between these three headbands, the one Beth gave me for Christmas, and the others I had previously, I'm going to need to come up with a better headband storage method. I don't want the pretty embellishments to get ruined because I've just tossed them all into a basket together, you know? I'll keep you posted on what I come up with!

My final accessory purchase barely counts, in my opinion- it's just a pair of bright red tights purchased for $14. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on the blog before, but I've been looking for a pair of bright red, opaque tights for a couple of months now. I made a dress for myself with some fabric I'd purchased at Mood several months ago and even though the fabric is a distinctly summer fabric, I wanted to wear the dress sooner! I thought if I could find the right tights, I could make it happen. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them locally. I knew that American Apparel has several shades of red tights, but I didn't want to risk it buying them online, so as soon as I got to New York, I popped into the first American Apparel I encountered (they're everywhere in the city) and grabbed the right shade- Tango Red. Hopefully I'll be able to wear this somewhat outlandish outfit for the blog soon. It's my Pushing Daisies inspired dress and I can't wait to wear it!

Well, that's the conclusion of my accessories purchases for the weekend. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them. Check back again to see the rest! And in the meantime, leave me a comment or two- you know I love them!

Shoesday Tuesday shopping booty

I started to type out a blog documenting all of my purchases over the weekend and realized it would be unreasonable to publish it. I wanted to make sure I told you where I got everything, how much it cost, whether or not it was a bargain, etc. As I did this, I realized it would take you all about an hour to read this one blog post. So I deleted it. And instead I'm going to show you what's relevant only to Shoesday Tuesday, and then in subsequent posts, I'll cover pretty much everything else. Here's what I came home with after my 3 1/2 days in the city:

To break it down, there's fabric & notions...

... accessories...

...clothes...

... and even some reading material.

(Ok, the reading material was all gifts from friends. They gave me Patti Stanger's Become Your Own Matchmaker and Samantha Scholfield's Screw Cupid: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Picking Up Hot Guys. What do you think my friends are trying to tell me?)

I'm sure you understand now why I'll be focusing only on a few items. Otherwise, you'd be here all day! So, since it's Shoesday Tuesday, I present to you the two pair of shoes I brought home from the city this weekend. First, these gorgeous floral pumps that I found at Daffy's for $26.99:

These shoes could not more ME. I can't wait until it's a little warmer and I can wear them out! Next up, Christian Siriano for Payless:

Admittedly, I wanted these mostly because they're a tiny little piece of Christian Siriano and since I'll likely never be able to wear his clothes (for financial and physical reasons), I absolutely MUST wear his shoes. (I'm sorry the picture is so blurry. I really must figure out how to take better pictures.) Just trust me when I tell you that these shoes are fierce, just like Christian. I adore them. They are probably among the most tame of the shoes in his Payless line, but that suits me just fine.

So there you have it- the two pair of shoes I brought home from NYC. I'm quite happy with my selections. What do you think of them? Leave a comment! And check back later this week for more on my NYC shopping purchases. You won't be disappointed!

So......

I fully intended to blog about my trip while on the busride back to Philly tonight, but I left the USB cable to my camera in my overnight bag which is currently in the cargo hold of the Megabus I am riding. Do you all know about the Megabus? If not, check it out stat. Megabus and Bolt are two SUPER CHEAP bus companies that shuttle to major cities. For example, I wasn't able to ride straight from Lancaster, PA to NYC, but I was able to go from Philly. The price for this trip- $11 each way. AND, I booked it at the absolute LAST minute. If you book  in advance, it can be as cheap as- prepare yourself- ONE DOLLAR!!! Can you believe that? Not to be a total Megabus ad, but it's really great. In addition to being super cheap and convenient, they also offer free Wi-Fi. If you aren't seriously impressed, then I don't know what's wrong with you. It's a moving vehicle, kids! With constant access to the interwebs! A-ma-zing! 

Ok, enough about the Megabus (no they didn't pay me to endorse them, either), on to the important stuff- SHOPPING! In a nutshell, this weekend was spectacular. I rode up on Friday afternoon and immediately met up with a couple of friends- Brance & Jen- and had a lovely evening at Jen's favorite pub in Sunnyside, Queens. FYI, her neighborhood is so fabulous, I'm tempted to move there immediately. No job, no reason to be in New York, but I've found an amazing neighborhood and isn't that what really matters? But I digress... Saturday was a lot of fun. My bestie Beth was in town from Boston with her boyfriend who plays in a band. He had a gig in SoHo, which is why she was in town. She and I, along with her fabulous younger sister Amy, spent the afternoon shopping in Brooklyn, followed by a fun-filled evening listening to the aforementioned band, followed by late-night pizza (the best kind, really) and then an interesting cab/subway trip back "home" to Queens for me. Sunday was another day filled with shopping and socializing. My good friend Brance and I spent the afternoon in the Herald Square area- we visited my favorite Daffy's as well as the famous Macy's, among other places. After that, we had dinner with the funniest man alive- our mutual friend Dan. My evening after that was spent relaxing with Jen back in Sunnyside.

Today was bittersweet- I had a great time, but had to say goodbye to friends and the city (for the time being). Jen and I started off the day with a leisurely brunch at a local coffeeshop. After that I went to the Garment District and did some serious fabric and trim shopping. Actually, it wasn't serious at all- I spent barely an hour there, but managed to drop $100. It's far too easy for me to do that! Anyway, Jen had an afternoon performance which I saw. She's one of the many talented dancers performing in this year's Dance Break. Click on the link to learn more- it's really a very cool thing. Anyway, after that, I caught the bus and now I'm blogging from the interstate. Interwebs on the interstate- there's a country song in there somewhere. But again, I digress... The point is, this has been a weekend FULL of socializing and shopping and I wouldn't have it any other way. Schlepping everything downtown to the bus pick-up was no party, but I do feel it was worth it.

Tomorrow I'll blog about what I bought, where I bought it and maybe even a little about what I wore while buying it. Packing for a trip to NYC with the threat of major snow while trying to keep everything in one small overnight bag was no small task. And yet, somehow I succeeded!

So, if you're interested in what I got and where I got it, check back in tomorrow or the next day for full details. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous Monday, everyone!

I'll be shopping this weekend...

I'm about to finish packing some things and then I'll be heading out to New York City for the weekend. I've altered my travel plans to include buses and trains so that I can avoid having to drive and worse yet, park in this terrible weather. In case you live in a bubble, the entire northeastern US is getting hit with all sorts of crazy precipitation and intense winds, making for a less than ideal weekend away. But since I have plans to meet up with some good friends, I'm braving the bad weather and heading to the city. What am I looking forward to the most? The shopping, of course. I love to shop, but I love shopping with friends even more. And Saturday afternoon is going to be devoted entirely to girl time spent shopping. I dig it. So you may be wondering where I like to shop, right? Of course!

It's actually quite rare that I end up in the city shopping without an agenda for work. Of course, if I see something work related that I can't pass up, I'll probably get it, but right now there isn't exactly a plan to shop for work. Anyway, that being said, whether I'm shopping for life or shopping for work, I still tend to go to a lot of the same places.

For starters, I could spend days in the garment district. I wrote a post a couple of months ago - a sort of beginner's guide to the shops there. Click here to be taken to that post. It's a pretty decent summary of where to go for what. I love to browse the fabric stores because they offer an endless supply of inspiration for me. They also offer an endless means to drain my checking account, but that's ok.

Next, when looking for the BEST in bargain clothing, I head to Daffy's. It's less expensive than Marshalls or TJ Maxx, but with even more interesting, unique, European clothing. It's super-cool menswear HEAVEN at Daffy's, but there are plenty of great clothes for women as well. The Daffy's in Herald Square is my favorite because it's the largest, but there's one in SoHo, and a few in and around mid-town.

Canal Street is a lot of fun, especially if you are looking for a bargain knock-off. I always go to the city thinking I don't want one, and somehow I almost always end up getting one anyway. If you've never experienced Canal Street and Chinatown in NYC, I strongly recommend you do it- even if it's just to do it. There's a whole lot of junk in that area, but the hustle and bustle of the environment is infectious. Also, there are a few cute stores down there like Amsterdam, Necessary Clothing, American Apparel, and of course plenty of Starbucks. And if you're interested in the knock-off experience, it's actually really fun. Since it's so sketchy, a lot of the sellers have gone "underground" so you'll be taken into a back room or basement area where you'll find all the faux-designer bags you could ever want. It's fun to do it, even if you don't buy anything. Also, haggling on prices with them is really fun. I got my faux-Birkin for half the asking price.

Finally, when in the city, it's important to keep your eyes peeled for new and interesting stores. They pop up all over the place and you never know when you'll stumble across the showroom of an obscure but budding fashion designer hosting a sample sale. Score!

Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite NYC shopping destinations, or your faves outside of the city, too- I'd love to hear about them all!  

It's my 100th post? For real?

It's funny how I didn't even notice that this was going to be my 100th post until I finished my 99th post and thought, "Huh. Well that's interesting." I googled "100th post" and found that just about every blogger on the face of the earth seems to devote the 100th post to the fact that it's the 100th post. I'm going to use my 100th post to see how many times I can type "100th post" in a single post. Just kidding. I do think it's interesting how many bloggers make note of it like I am. After all, 100 blog posts isn't really all that impressive. Television shows celebrate the 100th episdoe, but it often takes several years to reach that point. Blogging is a lot simpler- I could post 10 times a day and have my 100th post in less than 2 weeks. But even though it's a simpler process, I still understand making note of the milestone. I hope that when I reach my 1,000th post, I am still enjoying it as much as I am now at number 100.

However, instead of counting the times I write "100th post," I'll use this 100th post (sorry! I couldn't resist) to show all of you some of my favorite past posts. And so without further ado, I present (in no particular order), my top 10 favorite posts thus far:

1.) Inspiration, July 16, 2009

2.) Tim Gunn said I'm FABULOUS, October 8, 2009

3.) A Second Story, August 6, 2009

4.) It's a wrap, July 22, 2009

5.) Breaking the Rules, September 6, 2009

6.) Top Ten for Men, July 21, 2009

7.) Etsy Besties, September 28, 2009

8.) NYC Garment District, A Beginners Guide, September 5, 2009

9.) Style Support, August, 29, 2009

10.) One Shoe, Three Ways, August, 27, 2009

Maybe by the time I've reached 1,000 posts, I'll have a top 100 list to share. That's a crazy thought, isn't it? Time will tell!   

Handbags? Oh yeah!

You know what I don't write about enough? Handbags, that's what. And I love them! I'm a total handbag addict! I often encourage other people to be handbag addicts, too! I don't believe in one perfect handbag for any person, I believe in many handbags for all different occasions. I believe in changing handbags often- not necessarily every day for each outfit, but certainly often enough that you keep it fresh.

Lately, I'm carrying a faux- bought in Chinatown, NYC, Canal Street to be specific. It's the exact faux that I made fun of in this post a couple of months ago. Call me a hypocrite, but I totally understand the appeal. Plus, I have to admit, being in New York City right at the start of fashion week made me go a little bonkers. My judgement suffered, but I haven't regretted this purchase for one second.

Isn't it a pretty color? That was really the deciding factor for me. Blue is definitely my signature color (although some of my friends might think it's pink). And I'll be honest- it's the perfect size for me. I'm a big handbag kind of girl. I wasn't always like that, but the older I've gotten, the more I'm into the big bag. I have small purses, but they mostly exist for special occasions when I don't want to lug around a 10-pound suitcase. Also, I use a small wristlet as a wallet and when I go somewhere and don't want to carry the big bag, I leave it in the car and take the wristlet with just the essentials. It's big enough for my debit card, license, some cash, my phone and maybe a tiny lip gloss.

Lately, I'm totally obsessed with the idea of a bright kelly green tote- structured or boho, fabric or leather- these details don't matter as much as the color. I love the idea of a bright pop of color for the fall and winter. I've seen a few over the last few months that I really liked, but something always stopped me from buying.

I found a few online that I'd love your opinions on. First up is this lime green bag from Amazon:

It's only $34.99 which is a decent price. I like the color, but I don't love it. It's a little too lime, not enough kelly. It's good, but not perfect.

What is close to perfect is the Patent Maggie tote from Coach:

The color is definitely more along the lines of what I want, but it's almost heading in the emerald green direction. Unfortunately, even if this bag was perfect in terms of color and style, it's still $348 which is waaaaaaay out of my price range.

And when price matters, I always seem to come back to my old standby- Target. All of these bags are under $30:

I'm definitely getting closer with these last three, but I'm still not quite there. I wish I could marry the color of Target bag #3 to the shape, structure and sophistication of  Target bag #1. Target bag #2 is ok, but just not that me. It's too square- literally. I'm sure it would function well given the outside pockets, but I think it's just not that me.

I'll keep looking and let you all know if I find the perfect green bag. I remember my friend Beth buying a faux Prada (maybe) in Chinatown years ago that was hysterical- it had a huge round metal handle and the "bag" was actually two little pouches mounted in the center of the circular handle. Totally impractical, but also totally unique. Maybe I can persuade her to take a picture that I can post on the blog for all of you to see. I remember when she bought it and I was so jealous of how cool it was. Handbags make me crazy!

Leave a comment if you want to see a picture of Beth's bag and maybe if there are enough of you, she'll be persuaded. It can't hurt to ask, right? Right! Now go comment!