Splurge vs. Steal: Smoking Slippers

1. Prada 2. Target 3. Sam Edelman 4. Target 5. Jimmy Choo 6. Topshop 7. Valentino 8. Target

Today's "Splurge vs. Steal" is on a big Fall 2012 trend you're seeing everywhere:

Smoking Slippers

This is a great example on how to save on trend shopping! For such a trendy item, like a smoking slipper, it's OK to buy a cheap pair of shoes- wear them one season and throw 'em out  if you want. No need to spend $900 when you can spend $20 and get a similar look.

I recently purchased a few pairs from Target and they look great in person! Cocoa liked them too.

I also have to mention, today is my Mother's Birthday! 

Happy Birthday Mama! 

She is the reason behind my love for all things fashion related. She taught me many things, but one thing for sure, she taught me how to find a good deal (and to never leave the house looking your best- or at least have blush, lipstick, and earrings on.) She is my best shopping partner and can usually out shop me. My father used to jokingly say, "Only thing you're going to teach Molly is how to shop." Well pretty ironic, I made it part of my career! Love you Mama!!

Mama and me at my BFF's wedding, 2 years ago.

Everyone have a great day! (It's nearly Friday!)

Get Your Shimmer On!

Mixing it up...

Shirt: H&M (recent and $5!); Jeans: AG; Shoes: Kohl's (old); Jewelry: random and old

I wasn't sure if I loved or hated this shirt when I first saw it. Sometimes, something so tacky, I actually like. So I decided to try and loved it! Kind of reminds me of a tacky Barbie doll circa late 80's. I didn't purchase it the day I tried it because I was already over my limit. A week later I went back to H&M and it was $5. Well shoot, it was meant to be (and clearly most people thought "tacky"). Well low and behold, I've gotten quite a few compliments on this "mermaid" inspired material shirt. Shimmer on!!

And as far as the shoes go, I love these puppies. But it's my first time to wear them and I got them about 9 months ago. They are Elle brand from Kohl's. When I first saw these, first thing I thought, "Wow, these look expensive." Being from Kohl's, of course they weren't and then I probably had some coupon, and ended up being around $20! And probably made money off them. Kidding. But I swear, I love Kohl's for that reason. I love spending $30 and them saying, "you saved $290 today." I work in retail/fashion industry and know the deal behind this, but I still buy into it! And plus, I feel like I find a secret fashion treasure when I find something very trendy, nicely made, and then for a bargain. I'll have to do a whole post dedicated to my "secret" Kohl's treasures.


And last but not least, my little Cocoa. This is her last night at dog training. She's doing pretty good. We've got sit, stay, and release down...

Have a great day!

D.I.Y. Bracelet Display

First D.I.Y. Post! I've been looking forward to this... Like I mentioned in my first post- I love projects, crafts, anything you can make... Sign me up! It's my creative outlet.

Today I'm showing you how to make bracelet displays to hang on the wall. Like most girls, I have way too much jewelry. I was tired of digging though my drawers for bracelets and not being able to find what I was looking for. I had been scouting out Pinterest but couldn't find anything to suffice. So I came up with something on my own!.

I knew what I wanted to do and headed to Home Depot. On the wall hook aisle, I found a nice employee, told him what I wanted to do and he suggested hat and coat hangers for the wall because the hook went far enough away from the wall for the bracelets to move freely. At $2/piece, I bought six. Then headed over to the wooden dowel areas. I picked out two 5/8" dowels for $4/piece. I had them cut in half, making them 18" a piece.

Time to get the level out! I had bought Molly screws, but didn't bother with those. (Confession: I get really impatient with my projects and don't always do it super thorough BUT I do live in apartment and won't be staying here too long. Hopefully.)

Break out the pencil and some simple math. I marked up that wall pretty good. And a little trial and error.....

The first row is the hardest because this will be your guidance of the rods below. But from there it's smooth sailing. 30 minutes later.....

But that was a little too plain for me, so I decided it needed a little spray paint. (My father would be so proud, he spray painted everything.)

I'm a bad example here, spray painting in jewelry and decent clothes... NOT recommended.

Here is the finished project. TADA! I love it! It makes it so easy to just lift the bars off top and get the bracelet of your choice. I can even hang some smaller bracelets from the second hook.... I'm thinking I might need a 4th bar?

This project was super easy and took maybe a whole hour and a little over $20. Start to finish.

Be sure to send me pictures of your finished bracelet displays!

Manic Monday

Do you ever feel like you need a weekend from your weekend? I do! I love a busy weekend but it makes it extremely tough on Monday.

Today's Outfit

Top: Escada (old); Python Jeans: Current Elliott (old, similar here); Booties: Steven (old, similar  here)


Weekend Recap
1st row: My sister and I took our Mom to see Paula Deen. So much fun!
2nd row: Having fun at Oktoberfest.
3rd row: Playing with my nieces at Kenzie's Birthday, the little fashionista turned 6.

And a flash of a weekend outfit with Chef Tre Wilcox

The whole outfit (top and skirt) was about $15 from Kohls' clearance. Booyah!

Have a great week!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

Everyone loves a good sale, especially myself! Well, I've helped you out with a few. Check out the deals for the weekend:

Neiman Marcus- The Current Event has started, spend $300 or more in the contemporary department or Cusp and get a free pair of Exclusive Kendra Scott earrings. We all love us some KS!
Target- Online only. Buy more, save more. Buy 2 clothing or shoe items, get 15% off, buy 3 or more and get 20% off + free shipping on $50 or more
Ann Taylor- 30% off all full-priced items; use code: 30FALL
Kohls- Friends and Family 20% off + free shipping; use code: SEPTFRIENDS
Old Navy- 15% off; use code: ONEXTRA15
Gap- Extra 25% off sales items, code: gapsale
J.Crew- Extra 30% off sales items + free shipping; use code: LOVEIT
ASOS- 20% off entire site + free shipping; use code: DEALMOONUS

Have a great weekend!

B*tch Stole My Look

Today when I walked into work, my work BFF and I were wearing the same sweater. TWINSIES!

Not surprising because we do have similar taste and style... and even think a like, soul sisters? Yes. 

And not to mention we are constantly talking, texting, emailing, morse code, you name it... about fashion related things.

Sweater: Old Navy (SOLD OUT); Jeans: J Brand; Watch: Micheal Kors; Shoes: Sam Edelman

How cute is Emily?  

Emily is super petite, 4'11" to be exact. Yep, she can rock the Gap Kids jeans. 

But not for long... because she's a soon to be mommy! Congrats Emily and Dustin! (don't worry, she gave me permission to say that.)

You'll be seeing more of Miss Thang, as I feature her as a guest blogger. So stay tuned!

Curly Hair, Don't Care!

Yes, this is my hair "au naturel." My hair is very versatile and sometimes I love to rock the curly. (I'm from Texas, I can get away with it.)

Sweater: Old Navy (SOLD OUT); Jeans: 7 For All Mankind A-Pockets; Watch: Nixon: Infinity Scarf: DKNY (old)

Our two looks are perfect examples of how to get two very different looks from the same sweater. Emily's look is more dressy and polished. And mine is a little more casual. 

And a little fun with my accessories.

Watch: Nixon; Bangles: Flea Market Find ($1/piece!); Ring: Old; Leather wrap bracelet: Bahamas straw market

Vintage Shopping

Happy Hump Day! 

I'm loving this fall weather! For Texas this means no more 100 degree days and we're thankful for low 90's but this morning it was in the low 60's... Bring on the boots and sweater weather! So for today's post, I took it outdoors.

Outfit Breakdown

Shirt: Vintage from Buffalo Exchange $7 (!)

Belt: Vintage from a Vintage shop in Austin, Texas 

Trouser Jeans: Lucky Brand, old, similar here

Watch: Michele

Bracelets: old

Ring: Art festival find, made from an antique button

I love vintage shopping- the idea of finding a treasure amongst old junk is the best feeling! 

I don't like going to trendy "vintage" stores. You're going to get ripped off. The people did the dirty work for you and now they are up charging you because they put it in a cute store with a cute tag. For the real bargains I like flea markets (the junk sections), random thrift stores, garage and estate sales.

Now Buffalo Exchange is different. I love this place for many reasons. You can find great little designer finds (DVF, Marc Jacobs, Elizabeth and James, just to name a few I have found) for dirt cheap. Sometimes you even find true vintage finds, like the shirt I'm wearing above... ($7, what a steal!) But you have to be in the mood to dig and LOOK. I normally go through the racks looking at labels first (yes, I can be a label snob) and then the style. If I'm not in the mood, I don't bother. You can also sell your old clothes to them for cash or store credit. I always opt for the store credit because you get more back. And I always find some good treasures!

And can we just say I screamed when I found this belt. How perfect is this beauty?! It's Cocoa and Stella!

Have a great one!

Booties for under $150

Booties for $150 by mkr0027 featuring nine west

Vince Camuto high heels
vincecamuto.com

Vince Camuto high heels
bloomingdales.com

Dolce vita
endless.com

Dolce vita
endless.com

Vince Camuto leather boots
shoptheshoebox.com

Nine west
zappos.com

DV by Dolce Vita flat boots
piperlime.gap.com

Dv by dolce vita
zappos.com

Trend Shopping

Hey y'all-
Let's talk a little about shopping. One of my favorite things to do. I shop everywhere. High end to low end. You're going to notice I wear a name brand piece paired with something from Kohls or some other random find. That's what makes it interesting! Anyone can go into a store and buy an outfit off a mannequin (and most of the time it doesn't look that great anyway, depending on the store.)

When people say, "Oh I can't afford Neiman Marcus." As they just went to Macy's and bought a dress for $100 full-price. You just need to know the sales. I don't buy anything full price (with the exception of Forever 21 and H&M type places.) I'll have another post on when to time sales and when to buy certain items, friends and family sales, etc.

So let's break down my outfit.
Shirt- H&M, $18. Can't beat it. I try not to get too much from there, but I can't help it on trendy pieces. It's a steal, hands down.
Jeans- Rag and Bone, purchased from Scoop. I love Scoop Highland Park Village (and not just because half of the employees are good friends of mine.) It's truly like shopping a fabulous closet. I bought these last fall during Friends and Family 25% off. I will spend money on denim. That's a must. It's worth it, trust me.
Shoes- Elizabeth and James, purchased from Neiman Marcus. On DEEP discount. I got them for under a $100 (normally $350.) I have a lovely lady in the shoe department at Northpark that keeps me informed. Having a good sales associate is sometimes key.

Then a little arm candy with my favorite coffee mug! 

Manic Monday

Happy Monday!

Mondays are always hard on us. I try to pick a fun, cheerful outfit- It tends to start my day off on the right foot. Today I'm wearing my two favorite trends: Peplums and Printed Pants. 

Shirt: H&M; Pants: Kohls; Shoes: Kenzie Girl (old, similar here)

I believe that great accessories make any outfit or at least add a little more character. And of course fun nails. I always have something different going on...

Clockwise: Colored bangles: Sam Moon; J.Crew inspired Pink bracelet: Ebay; Earrings: H&M; Heart Necklace: Nashelle; Michele Watch;  "yay" bangle: alex and ani; Bee bangle: local Austin designer

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by... I have finally put this baby together and ready to take on the blog community by storm! Here's what you're going to find when you stop by:

-Lots of pictures. Mainly fashion related. And possibly a few of Cocoa and Stella! My blog mascots: 

Cocoa is my toy Poodle and Stella is my Mother's standard Poodle... they are BFF.

-D.I.Y. projects. I love crafts and artsy projects. I can't wait to share all my ideas!

-General style guidance, shopping tips and tricks, and anything else fashion related. 

-Guest Bloggers. Yes, my friends are extremely stylish and I want to show them off.

Overall, I hope my passion and love for fashion and style inspires you to have fun with your sense of style. 

Outfit of the Day:

Shirt: Forver 21; Skirt: H&M; Bag: Vintage; Booties: Lucky Brand

Have a great start to your week!