Black Friday- THANKSGIVEAWAY winner

Black Friday- the biggest shopping day of the year. I'll was at the shop all day for a HUGE wedding gown sale. No joke- lots of these samples were up to 80% off! Did you spend the day shopping for Christmas? Are you a die-hard who hits the stores at 4:00 AM? I've done the midnight madness, the early bird sales, I've even ventured out later in the day hoping the crowds might have thinned. Only once did I ever really feel it was worth the trip and that was back when I was in college. Since then, I've been disappointed- either the prices weren't good enough to justify getting up that early, or the crowds were just unmanageable. Regardless, I was happy to be on the other side of it at the shop today. It certainly wasn't the insanity of the "Running of the Brides," but it was busy and we sold quite a few sample gowns.

But that's not why you're checking the blog today, is it? Nope- you're here to find out who won the coveted THANKSGIVEAWAY prize- this "Autumn Kiss" necklace by Etsy artisan Tina Tarnoff:

I will email the winner to notify that person. If I do not hear back from him/her within 48 hours, I will select a new winner. 

I have used the random.org number generator to determine the winner  and it is (drumroll, please)....

MELANIE!!! Congratulations, Melanie! Your comment was randomly selected as the WINNER! I will email you to confirm your mailing address and this necklace will be yours! 

On another note- I wanted to reply to several of the comments that were left on the THANKSGIVEAWAY post, but I didn't want to post comments to do it for fear of messing up someone's chances of winning when I did the random number generation. So, I'll address them here instead!

1.) Melanie- Thanks for the kind words about my Etsy Shop- you'll see a new item in it soon that's very similar to your scarflet! 

2.) Speaking of your scarflet- please feel free to send me a picture of you wearing it- I'd LOVE to post that on the blog! Yay! 

3.) Jenna- I love the idea of using the "Autumn Kiss" cards as wedding invites, or even for an engagement party or a shower- I'm going to have to steal that idea! Or at least share it with my brides at work! 

Another Reason I Love Fair Indigo

While my inbox was flooded with email after email of sale announcements, Black Friday bargains, coupons and all sorts of other consumption-driven spam, I was pleasantly surprised to receive this email from Fair Indigo:

"As we express gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  -John F Kennedy

No sale announcement here.  No door buster or dancing reindeer.

But today, a sincere thank you for supporting Fair Indigo over the past four years.  Years economically unprecedented in most of our lifetimes.  In the late 2008 financial crisis, as a fledgling startup, we were told by very smart people, "it will be a miracle if you survive this."  Apparently, miracles don't happen only on 34th Street.  For this, thank you.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we'd like to suggest there are more meaningful things to do on Black Friday than lining up at 4am for the latest gadget or firing up the credit card online. While most of us who can afford to make website purchases can be grateful for that ability in itself, for many, the simple act of preparing dinner is a financial challenge. Day in, day out.

May we suggest donating to a local food bank on Black Friday?  Share this act of generosity with children.  As the song says, "teach your children well."

Other ideas.  Call an estranged relative or friend and thank them for a past kindness.  Thank the clerks you come across for working on a holiday, most likely without overtime pay.   In the very least, meditate on the bounty in your life, however modest or grand.

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Fair Indigo.


Now THAT was classy. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I hope you are all having an amazing (and delicious) turkey day. I just want to remind you that somewhere between the stuffing and the Macy's parade and the football game, you might want to hop on over to the THANKSGIVEAWAY post and leave one last comment to be considered for the fabulous prize. But be sure to get right back to the pumpkin pie- I'd hate to have you miss out on dessert because of me. 

Gobble 'til you wobble, friends! 

Accessories Anonymous: Bridal Accessories

At my new job, one of my favorite responsibilities is helping brides select the accessories that finish their wedding day look. As a fan of fascinators and interesting hair accessories, you can imagine how fun that part of my job can be. In addition, I like taking a few minutes out of my day to create interesting head pieces of my own design. Like these: 

Organza Flower Duo Headpiece

Organza Single Flower Headpiece

Peacock Feather and Rhinestone Ribbon Headband

While the first two are distinctly bridal, the headband is a bit more out-there. It might be more appropriate for a fun night out or maybe as a quirky look for a wedding reception. Working in the bridal industry gets me thinking about what choices I would make if I were in the middle of planning my own wedding. I like to think I'd be low-maintenance, but you never know until you're in the thick of it, do you? I think I would definitely be the kind of bride who would wear the traditional white floral headpiece like the ones pictured above for the ceremony, but then I'd bring out something bold and even a little whacky for the reception. I am a huge fan of peacock feathers, so I might even consider something as bold as the headband above. What about you? Leave a comment- if you've been married, tell me about your wedding accessories. If not, tell me what you think you might like. 

On a side note, the last picture is an amazing shot of one of my favorite earrings. Bonus! And speaking of bonuses, today is one of the last days for you to enter the THANKSGIVEAWAY, so don't forget to leave your comments on that post! You might win an amazing necklace by Tina Tarnoff. I can't think of a much better bonus than that! 

Shoesday Tuesday- My BOGO Boots in Action

Last week, I showed you guys my new boots purchased at Payless for cheap- BOGO! I love BOGO sales, unless I find myself with an odd number of items that I like. Then I usually end up either putting one back and regretting it, or adding a fourth that I don't really need and then I regret that. It's a lose-lose. That's why I'm always happy when I find just two items that I love and there is a BOGO sale. That was the case with my new boots. I wanted grey and brown flat boots for work. I don't mind that I bought the exact same pair in two different colors because I figure that if I really like something, I'll wear it. And rather than try to find a different but really similar pair elsewhere, why not just get them both at the bargain price they were offering, right? Right!

Anyway, I wore the grey ones twice in the last few days. First, I helped my brother move into a new apartment and I figured they would be comfortable for trekking up and down a lot of stairs- he now lives on the third floor (no elevator). They worked out great:

I realized after the fact that this outfit would have been even better if I'd topped it off with a cute hat. Oh, well- hindsight is 20/20, right? I liked the bright combination of the turquoise top and the hot pink scarf- it's unexpected and a little bit quirky. The sweater was purchased the same night I got the boots. I had a 30% off coupon for Old Navy, and knowing I needed some black separates for work, I decided to shop there. I was pretty successful- I left with two skirts, a top and a sweater, all for about $55! Between that and the boots, I had quite the bargain shopping night. And I purchased quite a few staples that are versatile and comfortable- I know I'll wear them all a LOT! If you like the sweater, it's available on Old Navy's website here, although I have to tell you that the online price is MUCH higher than the price in stores. Mine was marked down to $14.99 BEFORE my 30% off coupon. 

The next day I was dressing for work and decided I wanted to give the boots another spin. I paired them with one of the cute skirts I got on my Old Navy shopping spree: 

It was a warm day and I didn't need a heavy coat, so my Ann Taylor denim jacket did the job just fine. (P.S. Don't you love how the color-blocking on my skirt is just like the paint job on the side of this building I'm standing in front of? Me, too!) One unfortunate thing is that my skirt is super wrinkled in the photo. I have a 45 minute commute and I'm having trouble figuring out how to avoid wrinkles on the drive. Any suggestions? All I can come up with is driving bottom-less. 

Anyway, since it was warm, I took off the jacket for a few photos, figuring you'd want to see the whole outfit: 

You can see my earrings a lot better in this photo. I'm also wearing my Scrabble ring, but with my hands in my pockets, how would you know? This may not be the most creative looks I've ever worn, but it certainly is one of the most comfortable. 

Next up is an outfit that incorporates the brown version of these boots: 

First of all, you should note that because of the high placement of the belt, even in flats, this outfit has an elongating effect. For more on that subject, visit this post, where I explain the concept in detail. That's not the focus of the outfit today, though. Today, I have a story about this outfit. While driving on an errand the other day, I saw a tree with leaves that were a vibrant red. It's strange to see a tree at its peak right now- most of the leaves have fallen and the ones that remain are mostly brown. But that one tree, still holding onto its color made me smile. It was absolutely gorgeous, especially when surrounded by the bare trees and fallen leaves all around it. It made me want to wear a bold, red dress- something that would make me stand out. Sometimes it's easy to blend in to the way everyone else is doing things. Whether it's the status quo with your fashion choices, or even something bigger like the way you behave in your relationship or your professionalism at work. Why not take a moment (or a day) to stand out from the crowd? Show off your colors when everyone else is fading into the background. Think of an aspect of your life where you tend to let yourself shy away and then make the choice to stand out from the crowd. 

And if you can do it in cute flat boots, more power to you. 

Happy #ShoesdayTuesday, everyone! Don't forget to tweet!

Handbags that you will DROOL over more than your Thanksgiving Turkey

Yes- these bags are nothing short of DROOL-worthy. In the words of Liz Lemon, "I-want-to-go-to-there."

Lady Davina, $345

Lady Nicola, $275

Lady Tatiana, $260

Lady Rosabella, $245

Beth- this post (and the 30 Rock reference) is dedicated to you. 

Rate My Look- Black Saturday

As you know from this previous post, Saturday is the day we are required to wear black at the shop. I went shopping on Wednesday with my fabulous friend Beth and actually managed to find some major deals at Macy's. They happened to be having a one-day sale, so lots of items were marked down 50% or more. I got two black pencil skirts (one with tiered lace, the other pretty basic except for some adorable kick pleats), a black lace/ribbon/sequin dress and a fabulous lime-ish green faux-silk blouse. While I aimed to purchase only black items, I couldn't resist the green top- the price and the style were too much to ignore. For all four of those fabulous items, I only spent about $75. I also snagged an amazing pair of teal faux-suede high heels at a gem of a shoe store in Jamaica Plain. You are going to DIE for them when you see them, but you'll have to wait until next week's Shoesday Tuesday for that.

This past Saturday, I decided it would be a perfect day to try out the new dress. It has an elastic waist, which is great for comfort, but not so great for style. I covered it with a small black patent belt and then finished the look with black tights, my flat black boots, black flower cocktail ring and big, bold black earrings. I got plenty of compliments throughout the day from my coworkers. Since they are all such fashionistas, I was happy to get their seals of approval. But what about your seal of approval- do I have it?

Leave a comment! And then go to the THANKSGIVEAWAY post and leave up to three comments there for a chance to win an amazing papercut necklace. Happy Monday!