Do you DIY?

This morning I found myself watching (a rerun of) Rachael Ray's morning talk show, where she had a contestant from Project Runway showing us how to upcycle our old jeans and t-shirts into fabulous couture items. His methods involved taking a lemon zester to a pair of jeans and bleach to a t-shirt.

Okay, did you watch it? Were you impressed? And most importantly, is that something you would ever want to do to your clothes you were planning on throwing away? Usually when I get rid of something it is because it no longer fits my body, not because I'm tired of it. And who 'gets tired' of a plain black t-shirt and dark wash jeans anyway?

I don't buy into the money saving aspect of these DIY projects either. If your jeans are ripped and you decide to just make it look deliberate rather than tossing them, wouldn't you still have to go out and buy a new pair of un-ripped jeans?

Bug Net Anyone?

It's official; the house is infested. I woke up this morning with an ant crawling along my leg and three bug bites on my back. I can't even fathom why an ant would venture into my bedroom - aside from the occasional coffee mug, I don't have any food in there.

I also encountered three spiders in the bathroom. THREE. And it's a small bathroom.

My bug tolerance is very low and I can not deal with the idea of some creepy multi-legged thing crawling on me while I sleep, so I've decided I should get a bug net.

The nets are actually quite attractive, and add a rather romantic quality to the bedroom.
Ikea has one for $20, but you can't get it online.
Ebay has many attractive options, I especially like the one with the four poster bed look, for maximum coverage and protection. Or perhaps one in a color. This coral would contrast nicely with my turquoise bedding.

38% off sweaters at the Gap

Yes, the new boyfriend sweaters fresh in for the fall are $25 right now, or if you prefer, 38% off (a percentage I felt compelled to calculate partly out of a need to just know, and partly to prove that my grade school math learning was not completely lost on me, at least when it comes to figuring out a sale).

Chances are that the next time these sweaters see this price there will be significantly less color options, so I'm going to seize the moment and do some Christmas shopping.

Brown and Grey for a Summer Day: This Outfit for Under $100

When I post my Under $100 Outfits, I'm always comprising them of things I actually own, and for the most part, have not just gone out and purchased. So I then set about the task of tracking down similar items, because if you can't actually make the outfit, then it's just a big tease - kind of like when you open a magazine and see something you LOVE, only to discover it's $400 and that even if it did go on sale, you'd still never spend that much.

That's what spurred the creation of this outfit anyway.

White Top $20 at Khols
Grey Skirt $15.80 at Forever 21
Belt $10 at Khols
Shoes $40 at Amazon
Bangles $7.80 at Forever 21

Total: $93.60 (but that doesn't factor in any shipping costs, so.....)

Sookie Stackhouse's Travel Outfit: The Floral Cardigan

Last night's episode of True Blood was full of some pretty great moments, and if you are not watching it, you should be. Really, the show is awesome.

But as for the clothing aspect of the show, for Sookie's trip to Texas, she skipped off her private plane looking like she'd hopped off the pages of a J. Crew catalog, in a pale yellow pleated skirt, white pumps, and a brown and yellow floral cardigan.

Sadly, I could not find a floral cardigan at J. Crew that was still in stock (there were at least two good ones that were not), and after checking all the usual places, the best I could find was the floral cardigan at the Gap for $24.99.


As for the other pieces, Forever 21 has an almost perfect pleated skirt for $15.80
At Etsy, this one seller has several adorable butterfly necklaces, all under $15, and I can't pick just one. (not to mention the 20 million other butterfly necklaces on Etsy, good luck making a decision!)
For the shoes, I think these satin open toe pumps are super girly and cute - not quite like Sookie's simple white pumps, but I tend to gravitate towards shoes that are anything but plain.
To tie in the brown in the cardigan, Sookie has a brown flower clip in her hair, another item to be found in abundance at Etsy, or Forever 21. I chose one from Forever, because how do you beat $2.50?
She also has the teensist bit of a white lacy cami peaking out from under her cardigan, and I would once again go with the truly cheapest one out there, $5.80 at Forever 21.

"I've always loved these [tiny bottles of alcohol], they're like booze for dolls."

Pretty good clearance sale at H&M: Snake Print Dress

It was only pretty good because out of the seven racks of items ranging from $5 to $25, and the five pieces I found which I loved, only one of them was available in my size. As for the others, they appeared to be the only ones of their kind.

While I’m sure I wont have much trouble locating an equally nice lime green top, or an even better white denim mini skirt (one where the pockets don’t show through), I feel I will be hard pressed to find another purple pencil skirt. I was really loving it, even how it looked when paired with the green shirt. And had I not looked like a cheap whore with my booty squeezed into that size four, I would have purchased it.

What I did come home with was a chiffon snake print drop waist dress. Forty dollars, marked down to ten. Low scoop back, very summery – I can imagine it at a poolside, or thrown on to go out to dinner after a day at the beach. Chiffon of the nylon variety doesn’t wrinkle much, so it passes the ‘roll in it a ball, stuff it in a bag, still look fabulous’ test.

Where do things in TJMaxx come from?

We’ve all seen the commercials; designers made to many, European 1s, ‘Clothing Optional’ PR fiasco (I guess those are Marshalls, but same difference). And I’m sure that’s true, but only to some extent. There are still a good deal of odd-ball items in there which had to come from some odd, apparel time warp.

I'm wondering this because today I encountered a pair of Steve Madden Pumps, Vyceroy in multi fabric, a shoe I purchased in November of 2007. I paid $70. The pair in TJMaxx was $16.99.

How did this lone pair of winter ’07 pumps come to be in my local TJMaxx in summer ‘09?

Part of me was thankful they weren’t in my size, otherwise I would have been really mad that I’d paid $70. I realize that it’s completely irrational, I’ve had the last year and 7 months to wear and enjoy the shoes. I really wanted them at the time, decided they were worth the price, and have happily worn them.

If I was told I could go back, not get them, and then buy them (in my size of course) today for $16.99, would I? For $53, would you?