Forever 21

Forever 21 just opened in our local mall, and even though I'm a little past 21 :), I still found a few great bargains -- especially on accessories. It's a perfect place to spend very little on a bunch of trendy items.

Erin at Elements of Style blogged about this belt yesterday. Of course I grabbed it - less than $5!

For some reason I didn't pick up these shoes. I'm going back!

It's also a good place to see just how much '80s influence is back! I'll do it in small doses this time around.

Sofa Search

Turns out we're going to invest in a new sofa instead of slipcovering "Ol Red." It was actually my husband's idea, can you believe it? He's right, though. We bought it the year we got married at Storehouse (remember them?). It was upholstered in mattress ticking and fit with our decor for years. Then I got bold and had it reupholstered in red matelasse, but now that's starting to fade and I'm ready for a change. Here are some that I'm considering:





This last one from Pottery Barn is my front-runner right now. I LOVE nailhead trim and I really like how deep it is. Comfy! I'm thinking a beige linen upholstery.

Members Only?

Wow, this ain't the Members Only of the '80's! I especially love this leather trench. Both are at ideeli right now.

Slipcovers

I have a red matelasse couch that I am growing a bit tired of. It started out in gray and white mattress ticking years ago, and I had it reupholstered in the red, which I have loved, about 6 or 7 years ago. I'm ready for a change, but I want the option to go back to my beloved red at some point, so I'm thinking about having a slipcover made. Here are some great images that are giving me ideas, and maybe can for you, too. They're all courtesy of Cote de Texas blog.








I might also update by going from 3 to 2 seat and back cushions, a slightly more current look. I'll post befores and afters when I get around to getting this accomplished!

Raw Diamonds

I am loving this new trend of fine jewelry made with raw, or unpolished, diamonds. Look at these pieces by Todd Reed. Those earrings? I am dying. Covet, covet, covet. Oh, but don't think "raw" translates to "less expensive!"

Dresses, Dresses, Dresses!

Check out Lulu's website. They have 381 dresses -- all styles from very casual to dressy. The prices of these 3 range from $37 to $62. Hard to beat that!

Eye Candy

Here are some gorgeous rooms from House Beautiful's online photo gallery. Get inspired!

J. Crew Final Sale

Final Sale at J.Crew. Here's some of the stuff I really like (at really good prices right now):

Painted Brick

We recently painted our brick exterior and are really happy with the results. Not only does it help differentiate when all the houses in a neighborhood are natural brick, but I think it gives that aged, classic look. Here are some examples:

All-American Homes

Happy Independence Day!

All images courtesy of House Beautiful

ideeli

One of my new addictions (in addition to keeping up with all the great blogs out there) is my invitation-only shopping sites. Today I want you to know about ideeli, which sells designer clothing and jewelry at MAJOR discounts. This is the stuff you see in InStyle, Lucky, etc. You can have great stuff that not everyone else in your neighborhood will be wearing from the mall. For example, check out this ABS dress: it's $39, reduced from $328. Click on the link above to join, and try it out. It's fun virtual window shopping, if nothing else, but I bet you end up buying something!

MaxStudio

Please put up with a little nepotism today. My sister is the fit model for MaxStudio, so I thought I'd show off a few of their dresses. They're well-priced and easy to wear. Here are 3, one from each price point: the Latest, the Sale, and the Super-Sale. Check 'em out.

New blogs I'm following

May has been busy as usual, sorry about not posting for a couple of weeks! I've added to my blog list on the right: check out all of these beautiful sites. Here's an image from Cote de Texas to get you inspired.

Shoe Love

Loving this from Urban Outfitters. Did you know they're a sister company of Anthropologie? A little edgier and a little less expensive. They'd look pretty with a little floral dress and bare legs.