Recent finds

I have picked up a few things over the past few weeks....some deals and some splurges.

First up, I kept reading about Rag & Bone jeans and how comfortable and wonderful they were. So I splurged with Christmas money and purchased the Skinny in Kensington. I wear jeans so frequently that I don't feel bad spending the extra dollars to get a nice pair. Don't get me wrong...I am a total cheapo and have 4 pairs of the $10 Forever21 jeans. Which are great by the way but you can definitely tell the difference once you get a nice pair.

I have worn holes in the toes of my gold sparkle Toms so decided to invest in a new ones. These showed up at my door yesterday. I think they will be good for now and into spring.

I was out returning things from Christmas and ended up finding two pairs of designer jeans at Marshalls.

Paige Denim Verdugo Ultra Skinny...The tag says compare at $140 and I paid $50. 

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Marc Jacobs Lou Skinny Black Jeans...the original tags says $187 and I got them for $39.

So happy with both purchases.

Michael gave me this perfume for Christmas. I picked it out and love it. I have been wearing Chanel Mademoiselle for years and definitely needed something new.

I posted here about some of my all time favorite drugstore make up products. I have added a few more. I started following this blog, The Drugstore Princess.  Hilary reviews and discusses all types of drugstore products. Check out her blog...she has great advice.

The Drugstore Princess recommends Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Touge as Taupe. So I purchased and it is great....the shade has more of a grey blue tint but I really like the consistency and the color. 

The Drugstore Princess also recommends L'Oreal 24hr Infallable Eyeshadow. I selected Endless Pearl. Sometimes, I wear alone with brown liner and other times I wear with the Tough as Taupe mentioned above.

Also found this Wet N Wild shadow from The Drugstore Princess. It is great and so easy to use  with each shadow  labeled for an area of the eyelid. Also, can't beat the price at $2.99.  

I am a lipgloss girl but decided to try Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter...I have to say it is not as hydrating as  it claims to be but I do like the color, Sugar Plum. 

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a hair dryer?

My hair has a lot of natural curl but I prefer to wear it straight. Last week, my hair dryer from Target died on me.  After years of owning drugstores hair dryers that last less than a year, I decided it was time to upgrade. I had a coupon for Sally Beauty Supply for 15% off your entire purchase so that is where I headed first. I ran across these "bird" hair dryers by Conair...there was gold bird (the cheapest), then yellow bird (next in line in terms of price), then silver bird (the most expensive). Silver bird was on sale and with my coupon it would come close to the price of yellow bird so I went for it.

This may sound completely ridiculous and I am sure most of you will laugh when you read this...but this hair dryer is life changing. It is really awesome!  Most days, I left the house with frizzy hair that I couldn't get smooth with products. And now it is so smooth and soft. The dryer comes with a straightening attachment that works really well after you have most of your hair dry. Maybe the products weren't the problem, it was the hair dryer. Now we haven't gone through the humid Richmond days of summer yet but I have faith in my silver bird.

I convinced my friend, Micah, to also purchase the dryer and she had the same results. In fact, she said she would be willing to go on infomercial to promote the Silver Bird. Can't believe I have done a whole post and a full three paragraphs on this dryer but I wanted to share. I hope this helps someone out there with frizzy hair like me! And please leave a comment if you purchase this dryer...I would love to hear what you think.

Coffee Table Found!

I have been on the hunt for a coffee table with cleaner lines than the round table that was currently in my living room. The round table was actually my first wedding present, a gift from my grandmother, and so it has a lot of sentimental value. I am definitely saving it because one day I may find a new spot for it in our house.

Last week, I ventured over to Class and Trash and found this great table for $18. It was buried under another table and quite a bit more classy trash. I immediately noticed it seemed to be in fairly good condition, sturdy and the size was right. I also was attracted to the bronze detailing on the legs. And how could I resist an $18 price tag. 

When I got the table home, I wiped it off with a dish liquid solution. I normally like to use white vinegar and water but was out of vinegar. Then I took an old toothbrush and some Brasso and scrubbed the brass detailing on the legs. The toothbrush helped make this process quicker but it was still not the most fun task on the planet. I then took a wood filler pen and filled in some of the chipped areas. After that, I wiped on a coat of dark stain that I had on hand. I let that dry overnight. Then the next morning I used Old English on the entire piece.

Here is my after...tilt your head a little and the picture will appear straight.

Sun was really coming in here...sorry about the picture quality.

I really like it as a new addition to the living room. I found these decorating books for $1 a piece at For the Love of Jesus thrift shop. And I just noticed I left the price tags on that actually say $2 a piece so there must have been a sale on books that day because I only paid a buck!

New & Bright for Spring

Buy this for spring! It is $8.80 and much more expensive looking! I am very impressed with the quality for less than $9. (Note...I purchased online so did have to pay shipping. I am not sure if they have it in  store but if you call your local store with the item number they can look it up.)



I also found these bright blue jeans at Old Navy this week for $19. Mine had a slight flaw so I got an additional 10% off. Richmonders...the Willow Lawn Old Navy is sold out of a bunch of sizes.



Here's to spring! We had snow and an almost 80 degree day within one week. Crazy weather!

Missing in Action!

Phew! Where are the weeks going? Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been trying to manage everything (work, family, exercise, etc) and blogging has been low on the priority list.

Also, I ran out of photo storage on Blogger so I had to figure out another means....this is my first post using Flickr.
Here is what we have been up to....

Lots of Coloring...watercolor by Camille

Lots of Ice Cream Sandwich Eating...yes...Clyde is wearing a diaper only! It happens....frequently!  

Lots of Baby Care giving.

I have been working my tail off...so today I splurged on this. It was on sale and I ended up getting an additional 15% off the sales price so the total was around $131. This is a big purchase for me but I have one other Kate Spade bag that Michael gave me for Christmas probably 5 or more years ago and I still use it. So hopefully this is a good investment. Plus you use a purse ever day so that like good jeans...I feel like you can spend a little more! I can't wait for it to arrive! (Sorry the picture quality is awful).

Happy Friday everyone! I started working on my menu planner today so stay tuned for that. Also, we are deep frying our first turkey this weekend with a fryer Michael got for Christmas! I will let you know how it goes.

Thursdays Tips & Tricks!

My friend, Ashley, recently asked me to post some of my favorite on-line retailers. But I was not sure I had enough to make a very full post. So I decided to post some of the deals and steals I have found lately.

CUTE KIDS CLIPS
We all love etsy.com and I discovered Crowe's Nest last spring. They have the cutest hair clips and so reasonable...most are under $4.

VINTAGE JEWELRY
I just discovered Silver Lining Decor on etsy.com. The owner is local to Richmond and has the neatest vintage jewelry. I purchased some great studs for $14 that I have been wearing almost daily.

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
Christmas is just around the corner and I found these Dollar Tree ornaments this week.

BOYS POLO SHIRTS
I have been having a hard time find plain polo shirts for Clyde. After an extensive google search, I found these at jcpenney.com. Use code RMNAFF10 for an extra 10% off.  They are good quality and I took them to Atlantic Embroidery Works for a $5 monogram. I purchased white, red, light blue and yellow. The yellow looks tan in the picture but it is a very soft yellow color. I am really happy with them.

LIBRARY
I don't know about you all but I get tired of reading the same books to my kids over and over again. We have gotten really into the library and go about every 2 weeks for new books and movies. Scholastic makes a bunch of great DVDs that have their book narrated by famous voices. I have also been searching on-line for decorating books then requesting the library hold them for me. They e-mail me when they are in and are waiting up front for me. So easy!  I need to do this with cookbooks for some new recipe inspiration.

Deal Found

I found these cute black shoes by Chinese Laundry at Marshalls for $10. I needed a black flat for summer so I was thrilled. They are a jelly material with a velvet bow. An unusual combination but it works for me!

Diversity Thrift

I have been making the thrift store rounds and recently made the trip to Diversity Thrift. I started in the glassware section and quickly realized that I needed a cart.

There is so much to take in and I am sure I missed some great items. Here are some of the treasures I did spot.



Candle Holder (the glass part is wrapped in bubble wrap here)



Framed Fish Drawing for $10



New Monogrammed Decorative Flag for $2.50. If your last name starts with O, X, U or I. :)



Lamp with Polka Dot Shade

$3 White Platter

Signs for $1 each

Cute Outdoor Table for $65

Set of Chairs

Here is what I did come home with.....all for $24.



$8 Candle holder that is missing the glass votives. I plan to hang outside near our patio and hopefully find votives at the Dollar Tree



I loved this basket purse and it was a steal at $1.25. I have already removed the monogram and Camille's Mimi is currently napping in there.

Dora & Ariel plates at $1 total, Doilies for crafts less than a $1, I love these glass dishes $6 for all 3, Square baking dish for $1

  

Place mats for $.50 each. I may frame them or try to wash and use as place mats.

Butterfly Tray for $3, Vase for $2 and Glass Tray Dish for $1.

I will definitely be back. In fact, maybe today or tomorrow because there is something I didn't get that keeps coming back to mind.