{Thrifty Thursday} Summer Shoes

I'm sharing a favorite find with my fellow grapes.  I gave up online shopping for Lent (it was getting OOC) but I had already willed to reward myself with a beautiful pair of summer wedges after Easter.  I am in LOVE with these espadrille-slash-pumps-slash-super-summer-brights and decided they were the perfect 'pop' for my summer wardrobe.  I mean, after six weeks of shop-fasting, what's $128 for the PERFECT summer shoe?

Can you guess what happened next?  I went to Target for detergent and walked out with a pair of Merona Marguerite Wedges.  How could I not be thrilled?  I saved myself about $100 in the blink of an eye!  Yeah, you could say the Merona version might slightly rip off the J Crew one, but J Crew isn't the first to make a brightly hued espadrille wedge.  YSL and Charlotte Olympia have made them too.  Style is style and when you can look as great for a whole lot less, what's not to love?



My perfect pair: Merona for Target, $30

J Crew Seveille Wedge, $128



Charlotte Olympia Carmen Canvas Wedge, $795

 

Cheers!

Ana 

 



A Day Late and A Dollar Saved

Greetings grape lovers!  I am so behind on blogging and life in general that it ain't even funny.  But I just HAD to share my latest Thrifty Thursday find.  Long story short, I've been on a search for the perfect over the knee boot.  For three years now!  I know, a good OTK is hard to find - most look cheap, others make YOU look cheap, and few are just perfect.  And perfect is often expensive.  And I already have an expensive tall boot that I LOVE, so I was totally limiting myself on price.  You will D.I.E. when I tell you where I found the perfect boot... ready???  WalMart!  Yup.  Boots, shipping and tax all totaled less than $35.  I'm amazing.  Okay not really, but seriously, these boots are.  

As a new mom, my days of expensive 6 inch heels are not so frequent, so I've been working the wedge like nobody's business.  And I live in leggings.  So this is the look I was going for with OTK:

The oldest KK in her OTKs, via google images

Kristen OTK Boot, $31, WalMart

While we're on the subject of saving on style, has anyone checked out the Neiman Marcus/Target Collaboration?  My Target still had an awesome selection this week.  It was tempting!  What did you buy?  What's on your list?

Cheers!
Ana

{Thrifty Thursday} The Tweed Jacket

Monday we blogged about our obsession with tweed jackets, and today we just so happen to know about a drastically less expensive version.  If you like the look, but are not sure if it's one you'll wear over and over, save big bucks on this perfect version by H&M.  We love it!

Tweed Jacket, $30, H&M

Cheers!
Ana

{We're Obsessed!} The Tweed Jacket

Oh you fine tweed.  We are particularly in love with this jacket because it's a sophisticated break from another fall obsession, the motorcycle leather jacket.  It's amazing how the jacket can dress up a simple tee and jeans.  And if it dresses up the most simple of outfits, imagine the possibilities!  

Theory Jacket, $415, shown with jeans, tee, shoes and handbag, all Net-A-Porter

Theory Jacket, $250, Neiman Marcus

Shown are two almost identical versions by Theory.  One is available from the current collection and the other is last season (summer tweed) and half off! 

Cheers!
Ana

{Thrifty Thursday} Smoking Slippers!

Is it odd that in the era when smoking cigarettes has become totally unglamorous, the smoking slipper becomes the ultimate statement of glamor?  Even more, these glamorous slippers are the perfect compliment to cigarette pants worn with just about any top.  There are so many versions out there.  I'm partial to leopard printed ones - Jimmy Choo has a pair, Monolo Blahnik's are pretty hot too.  Even Prada and Dolce and Gabbana have their own versions of the shoe.  Steal the look with this identical pair by Nine West. 

Balenciaga cigarette pants, Chloe top, Prada slippers, $690

Nine West Slippers, $69, Macy's

 

 

 

 

{We're Obsessed!} Colored Denim

Happy Monday!  You can probably guess how happy I am that the colored pants look is back for the fall, and how better than to wear color than brightly hued denim?  Since trends don't always make their way to maternity sizes, I missed out on the trend this spring so I'm extra excited to embrace the look this fall.  I went with the blue jeans and coordinated them with a number of tops I had in my closet.  What do you think? 

Blue denim by Mossimo for Target, $23

1. 2. (similar to pictured) 3. (similar to pictured) 4. 5.

And just a few other ways colored denim has been spotted:

Pictures pinned from Pinterest

Cheers!

Ana 

Thoughts on the Nursery

 I've spent so much of the last few months planning the perfect nursery.  I even joke that it's the nicest room in the whole house.  We have one detail missing, so I can't post pictures quite yet, but I will share my inspiration board and color scheme.  

Check list: 

A crib without plain slats and must have carved legs

A changing table that would also serve as an elegant dresser for years to come

Built in shelves

Double curtain rod, blue silk curtains, natural weave linen sheers 

Fabric glider chair and ottoman

Accent Table

Floor Lamp

Garden stool

Rocking horse

Nurseries I Love

I used this to inspire my layout.  This room is much bigger, but the crib, chair, garden stool, changing table, curtains (hung  high and touching  the floor), crown molding and floor lamp are all things I wanted to incorporate into our own nursery.  Source: houzz.com

My mother tore this out of a magazine a couple of years after I got married.  She was already planning, I guess!  This nursery is so subtle and elegant, I just gasped when I saw it.  Source: Southern Accents Jan/Feb 2009

I just loved the non-traditional crib with the detailed wood work and I used this picture to inspire the built in shelves I had made for the room.  It also inspired the rug I picked out, and of course, it has a rocking horse!  Source: elements of style blog

I mean, what kid wouldn't just love spending his time in here?  Large and airy, it's neither loud nor obnoxious.  It is nursery perfection.  Source: Past and Present Interior Design

This closet inspired a remodel of the closet that was previously in the room.  It added square footage and storage that wasn't there before. 

Bedding

I had the HARDEST time finding bedding I liked. I was even willing to buy from the super-high-end collections that have more subtle designs, but even those weren't weren't subtle enough for my taste.  I hate obvious themes printed all over bedding.  And I can't stand primary colors.  After searching high and low, I decided the only way to get what I wanted was to pick out some fabric and have it made to fit my taste.  I had a color scheme in mind and thought this fabric would work, but I didn't like the overkill of the skirt AND bumper being all stripes.  Plus, I knew I'd grow out of the stripes with plaid... cute for like, a day, you know?

These stripes inspired a full-on search for the same fabric to custom make my crib bedding.  Source: Rosenberry Rooms. $398 for the set.  Striped fabric found at fabric.com

 

 

 

 

Inspiration Board for Baby S

The crib, theme, striped fabric for bumpers, blue linen for the crib skirt and rug I picked out for the nursery. 

Stay tuned for pictures of the finished nursery.  Hopefully the  wall art we ordered will be here this week so we can hang it and take pictures.

Cheers!

Ana