Anthropologie Haul

Why.  Why do I even go into Anthropologie?  And why do I go in when I know there is a big sale?  Because I know what will happen: I will buy things.  And that is what happened last weekend.  I got lured in by this little siren song:

I went in with a purpose: I wanted to get some coasters.  I love the Celestial Coasters and wanted to pick some up.  My store sells them individually for $8 each, so I grabbed two of the pink ones and figure I'll head back (of course) and pick up a few more.  

I could have stopped there.  I could have just taken my new beautiful coasters to the checkout and paid $16 and walked out. But I didn't.  I figured I was there, and maybe I could find a steal in the sale section.  So that's where I went.  I went into the sale section and of course I found two great things: sunglasses and a cute belt.

The sunglasses were $19 and are the style I love: a sort of oversized cat eye Jackie O sunglass.  These are similar, but I don't think they are exactly it. 

I also found an adorable warm-pink beaded belt: the Bowline Belt.  It was on sale for $30, which was more than I wanted to spend, but I loved the way it looks.

I think it will look fabulous with the coral dress my mom made for me for Jamie's wedding.  This one below.  I have a couple of weddings coming up, so I think I can wear the dress again and add a new, sparkly detail to it.   

I didn't see any clothes I liked in the sale section, but of course that did not stop me from scouring every single rack in the store.  I went into the dressing room with an arm full of dresses and thankfully came out with just one: the Intersections Day Dress.  At $68 it was (clearly) not on sale, but I loved the way it fit and thought the neckline and shoulder area were so flattering.  I walked around the store with it for awhile (again: scoping out the racks) and decided to bring it home.  I'm glad I did! Here it is on, but you'll have to wait for a future "What I Wore" post to see how I ended up styling it.

That's my haul.  As soon as I got in the car after shopping, I texted Jamie and said:

Hi.  Next time I say I'm going to Anthropologie, please tackle me and punch me in the face.  Thanks.

Jamie replied:

LOL.  What did you do??

I replied:

I don't even know.

Ha.  From what I recall, Anthropologie has another pretty good summer sale at the end of July.  So unless Jamie makes good on her promise to tackle and punch me (and maybe despite her doing so), I will be there.  I need a couple more coasters, after all.   

See you swoon,

Note: anthropologie has not paid or otherwise comped me for today's post.  They are welcome to do so at any time, though! 

What I Wore {part 14}

Hi all! Happy (official) Summer!  Here's what I've been wearing ...

* Grey Ruffle Shell & Pink Pants *

All of the pieces in this outfit are from my closet and are at least 5 years old.  I bought the pink pants back in 2005 at the Limited.  The grey shell is from Banana Republic and was a gift a few years ago.  The shoes, which are hard to see, are gorgeous Prada mules and covered in ribbons.  I bought them in New York City at Saks back in 2002.  

* White Tee, Yellow Scarf, Boyfriend Jeans *

I wore this to work on a casual Friday.  Nothing special here: I just paired a white tee shirt with my yellow and white scarf from New York & Co.  The jeans are from the Gap outlet and are the "boyfriend jean" style.  I roll them up.  I love them!  They are so comfortable.  I thought the yellow flats were kind of fun.  And here I am with my assistant stylist.  She loves to help me put outfits together.  

* Navy Top & Seersucker Pants *

You know I love me some seersucker.  I have a seersucker dress and skirt, but I did not have any seersucker pants.  A trip to LL Bean cured that problem.  I found these at LL Bean and they were very reasonably priced and well made.  I had to have them tailored and about two feet taken off the length (ha!), but I'm thrilled with the finished result.  The top is a score from the Gap Outlet from last summer. It's hard to see in these pictures, but it has some lace detailing on it. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope yours is smashing -- well, as smashing as a Wednesday can be anyway.  

See you swoon,

Dining Room Mirror: navy blue to cream!

Good morning!  I have a quick before and after to share today.

Once it was time to move Big's little kid dresser out of his room, I knew I'd repurpose it.  The dresser itself is in the kids' playroom and holds the television and Wii (still untouched and navy blue).  But the mirror - the mirror was going in the dining room.  Here is the dresser before:

The mirror was easy to remove: it was on wooden posts that screwed into the back of the dresser.  I just took them off.  I wanted to put the mirror over my buffet, seen here on the left:

Of course the navy blue would not do!  I used a coat of oil based primer (Zinsser) and then three coats of Valspar's paint and primer in one in Cream Delight with two coats of Polycrilic on top in the satin finish.  

To hang it, I bought a Hangman picture hanging system.  I've used these before for heavy mirrors (Jamie actually told me about it when she made her own chunky rustic mirror), and I can't say enough great things about them. They are fool proof! 

And here's the finished product!  The cream matches the cream furniture almost perfectly, and I just love how the mirror makes the space feel lighter, brighter, homier and more finished all at once.

I'd like to get a tray for the middle of the buffet.  But for the most part, this little nook in my dining room is all set!  

See you swoon,

Coaster Art

Hello and Happy Friday!

There's pretty much nothing more precious than hearing your children tell you they love you.   And there's pretty much nothing more precious than seeing your children write "I love you", especially completely unprompted.

A few months ago, I took the kids to dinner at a local restaurant.  I love it there because the food is good, it's a brew pub, and they are great with kids. They always give the kids crayons, which is great.  So, while we were there, Little took a coaster, turned it over and wrote "I love you", colored a border, drew a heart and proudly gave it to me.  It melted my heart into one million pieces.  And I couldn't bear to throw it out. 

The more I lived with the little heart art in my upstairs hall, the more I realized Little's coaster art would work in its place.  I like, but don't love, the heart in this picture.  I bought it years ago in Sausalito.  

So, I decided to use Little's art instead.  I just used permanent double-sided tape to attach it to a turquoise piece of scrapbook paper and then popped it in the frame.  

And then hung it on the wall ...

Aside from making me smile every time I see it, I much prefer the colors that Little used!  I may move this to my stairwell gallery once I finally get around to creating that.  But for now, it lives here, and I see it multiple times per day.  Love. 

See you swoon,

What I Wore {part 13}

Hello! Summer is almost here!  This year, I am ready.  Here's a round-up of some late Spring outfits I wore recently.  

* Bright Pink Blouse, White Pants, Turquoise Necklace *

I've been embracing bright colors lately. I bought this bright pink blouse last summer at the NY & Co. outlet.  It was less than $10.  I love love love NY & Co. blouses - they are fitted, flattering, and reasonably priced and look far more expensive than they are.  I wore this top with some white pants from Gap and an old turquoise carved necklace.  

* Polka Dot Dress & Coral Belt *

I've worn this polka dot dress a ton - I found it at the Tommy Hilfiger outlet last Fall.  It comes with a belt that is the same pattern as the dress, but I switched it out and wore a skinny coral one that I bought for $2 or $3 at NY & Co.  I wore it with my coral wedges.  The belt, by the way, is a size large.  It is the only size they had.  So I just punched a hole where I needed it and wrap the belt around me.  

* White Wrap Blouse & Khaki Skirt *

This outfit reminds me of Banana Republic safari wear, back in the late 80s when the store was more "safari" clothes than anything else.  The white wrap blouse is from Banana Republic from a few years ago (uh, not from the 1980s safari stuff).  The skirt is a simple, casual khaki skirt that I bought at the Loft outlet. I wore my coral wedges, a copper necklace and amber drop earrings.  

That's all for today!  Have a great day.

See you swoon,